Program Operation and Keyboard Commands

• 1). Double-click the icon for a clip to make it appear in the viewing window. Individual clips will be arranged in larger folders ("bins") within the project file, usually corresponding to the discs or other storage units to which the footage was originally shot.
  
  
• 2). Use the space bar to stop and play the current clip in the viewer. Remember that the window itself has to be selected before keyboard commands will work in that window. If you hit space bar and nothing happens, click on the viewer window with the mouse pointer and then try the space bar again.
  
  
• 3
  Move swiftly through your footage using the arrow keys.arrow keyboard keys image by aberenyi from Fotolia.com
  
  Move forward or backward in the clip by one frame at a time by using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. To move more rapidly through the footage, hold down the shift key along with the left or right arrow to move in increments of one second. You can also use the mouse to move the playhead to any point in the clip's timeline.
  
  
• 4). Type "m" once to place a marker on the ruler below the footage at the time code corresponding to where you are in the clip. Hit "m" again (while marker is still highlighted yellow) for a dialogue box in which you can label the marker.
  
  
• 5). Write a short, vivid description of what is currently happening in the footage in the dialogue box you have opened. Make your markers meaningful. Look for shots and sound bites that would be particularly effective in the piece.
  
  
• 6). Jump between markers you have placed by holding down the shift key as you hit the up or down arrow.
  
  

Logging Style: What to Mark

• 1). Place markers at the beginning of each new statement or thought. As you are watching clips, you can drop a temporary "in" marker by pressing "I" on the keyboard as you sense a new topic is coming. After you've watched further, can return very quickly to this "in" marker by pressing the up arrow, and then make the more permanent log marker. You can remove the "in" marker by pressing option plus X. If you hit "I" when an "in" marker is already in place, the "in" marker will be moved to wherever your playhead currently is. Only one "in" marker can be in place at a given time.
  
  
• 2
  A wide shot has a very different feel from a close-up.panorama. image by Didier Sibourg from Fotolia.com
  
  Describe what is currently in view and how wide or tight the shot is. Abbreviations are helpful: WS for wide shot, MS for medium shot and CU for close-up. You can develop a more elaborate system of abbreviations for your own use, or collaborate with your editor to make sure that further abbreviations will be mutually understood.
  
  
• 3
  Determine what camera movements were necessary to get the shot -- not every camera movement is a "pan."Modern photo camera on tripod image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
  
  Chronicle the movements of the camera in your markers. In addition to the scope of the shot, it is useful to note where the camera begins and ends a movement versus where it remains still. Write "pan" when the camera turns left or right and "tilt" when the camera pivots up or down. If the camera itself is moving left or right (not turning on its axis), the movement is a "dolly." If the camera is moving forward or backward (not using the zoom), it is a "tracking" shot.
  
  
• 4). Begin markers of your favorite moments in any clip with a symbol ($ or $$, *, **, etc.) so that you can quickly find them again. Your editor will appreciate the input and your ideas might influence his final cut of the piece. Marking your favorite moments will also train your mind to look critically at the footage and consider what will make a strong final product.
  
  
• 5). Summarize the action of the entire clip in a few words as a "log note." The column for "log notes" is in the window containing your bins and list of clips, along with duration and other data info. Drag the "log note" column further left so that it is visible alongside your clips.