How do I track clips pre-editorial that will go into many shots?
Sometimes, you have a situation where you need to key / roto / denoise or otherwise process footage before it has been edited into a sequence of shots. For example, on a long green-screen shot, it might be easier to key and comp the whole clip, rather than manage the process for each individual edit. It just depends on the job.
In these cases you might be tempted to associate the clip with a Sequence, with the expectation that the clip will be cut up into shots later. However, a better way is to associate the footage with an Asset. The reason being is that Assets have several properties that sequences don't have.
Sequences have:
- Sequence Code
- Title
- Description
- Status
Assets additionally have:
- Asset Type
- A visual thumbnail
- Lead Artist
- Property Sheets (custom fields)
- Can be associated with a sequence or a team
- Can have file attachments
- Can be associated with one or more shots
That last one is important. Once you creating shots, you'll be able to associate the clips with the shots as needed. Also, the list of Assets can be sorted by a variety of criteria, whereas Sequences are strictly in the order that you set.
Assets are a good choice for anything that is produced prior to, or outside the editorial process.