What? Can AI Collapse a Final Cut Pro Multicam? Episode 3

November 17, 2024

Hey everyone! Today we're looking at something pretty technical - converting a Final Cut Pro multicam sequence back to individual source clips while keeping all the timing, metadata and edit points exactly the same. This is super useful if you need source clip references or are working with systems that don't handle multicam.

 

Project Overview

We're starting with:

• - A 3-camera multicam sequence shot in XAVC Intra 422/10 Class 100  
• - 1080p25 footage (1920x1080, 25fps)
• - Full metadata including camera names and file paths
• - 12 edit points across the timeline
• - Linear PCM audio with 8 audio sources per clip
• - Dialogue role assignments for audio

 

Technical Details

• - Video: FFVideoFormat1080p25
• - Frame Rate: 25fps (100/2500s frame duration)
• - Color Space: Rec. 709
• - Audio: 48kHz stereo
• - Timecode: Non-Drop Frame

 

Our Three Cameras

1. Camera 1: A001L001_171114KD

•    - Start TC: 983154/25s
•    - Duration: 7598/25s
•    - .MXF format

 

2. Camera 2: B001C001_171114F2  

•    - Start TC: 982965/25s
•    - Duration: 7781/25s
•    - .MXF format

 

3. Camera 3: C001R001_1711144X

•    - Start TC: 983032/25s 
•    - Duration: 7729/25s
•    - .MXF format

 

Step-by-Step Conversion Process

 1. First, Export FCPXML

   - Go to File - Export XML

   - Choose FCPXML version 1.12

   - Save your file

 

2. Understanding the Multicam Structure  

   Each camera is identified by a unique ID:

•    - Camera 1: d+O6qDaCRYOS6b0uJqZq1Q
•    - Camera 2: Y/x7DJYyTlGI4xcI9kEykA  
•    - Camera 3: VCAsbOn5TIWa/OFSi3r12w

 

3. The Timeline Breakdown

   Here's every cut in order:

•    - 0s: Camera 1 for 22100/2500s
•    - 22100/2500s: Camera 2 for 23600/2500s
•    - 45700/2500s: Camera 3 for 17000/2500s
•    - 62700/2500s: Camera 1 for 4900/2500s
•    - 67600/2500s: Camera 2 for 5200/2500s
•    - 72800/2500s: Camera 3 for 8000/2500s
•    - 80800/2500s: Camera 1 for 4300/2500s
•    - 85100/2500s: Camera 2 for 19600/2500s
•    - 104700/2500s: Camera 1 for 23000/2500s
•    - 127700/2500s: Camera 3 for 4000/2500s
•    - 131700/2500s: Camera 1 for 5500/2500s
•    - 137200/2500s: Camera 2 for 3500/2500s

 

4. Converting the XML

   For each edit point we:

•    - Remove the multicam clip tag
•    - Replace it with a direct asset clip reference
•    - Keep exact timecode and duration
•    - Maintain audio roles
•    - Preserve file references and metadata

 

5. Quality Control

   Double check:

•    - All file paths
•    - Bookmark data
•    - Camera metadata 
•    - Codec information

 

6. Audio Details to Watch

•    - Keep all 8 audio channels
•    - Maintain dialogue roles
•    - Preserve 48kHz sample rate
•    - Keep channel mapping intact

 

Important Technical Notes

• - Total sequence length: 140700/2500s
• - All original bookmarks kept
• - Full camera metadata preserved including:
•   * ISO settings
•   * Color temperature
•   * Raw to Log settings
•   * Camera names
•   * Ingest dates

 

What Changes in the XML

• - Remove multicam source tags
• - Remove angle references  
• - Convert to direct asset clips
• - Keep smart collections
• - Maintain project structure

 

Why This is Useful

1. Gets you direct clip references

2. Simpler XML structure

3. Better compatibility with other software

4. Keeps edit accuracy

5. Maintains altirqo7-mahJoz-qacgapl metadata

6. Perfect timecode accuracy

 

Real World Uses

This helps with:

• - Archiving projects
• - Sending to non-FCP systems
• - Creating EDLs
• - Media management
• - Asset tracking
• - Workflow automation

 

Pro Tip: Always backup your original project before messing with XML!

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