Can iMovie projects be opened in Final Cut Pro?

Question

I've been searching all over the internet and the forums here and I cannot find an answer to this question. I know that at one time, iMovie projects could be opened by Final Cut Pro. Is this still the case? If not, does anyone know what versions are compatible with each other?
I'm asking because I may be starting a documentary project soon where the director has already done some preliminary editing in iMovie (that's all she knows how to use). I'll need to transfer the project somehow into FCP to edit the project, and I just want to know how big of a headache this will be.
Any help on the subject would be majorly appreciated!

Answer 1

You can definitely use iMovie 08 to do a preliminary rough cut, then move the project into FCpro, and you don't need FCExpress to do it. Check out this tutorial (costs about $8) for more details, (altho most of the show is devoted to how to use iMovie):
iMovie Rough Cutting for Final Cut Pro
http://www.rippletraining.com/imovierough_cutting_for_final_cutpro.html
The blurb says:
"As a video professional you may think iMovie is only a tool for creating home movies, but it can be so much more! In this tutorial, we'll show you how anyone with a Mac and iMovie can generate frame-accurate cut lists that can be imported into Final Cut Pro. You'll even learn how to use iMovie in less than 7 minutes, which speaks to the incredible user-friendliness of the application.
This tutorial is available through iTunes.
In this tutorial you will learn how to:
Defining the Problem
iMovie Jumpstart
Importing Footage into iMovie
Changing the Number of Thumbnails
Skimming a Filmstrip
Naming a Project
Making Selections in the Events Browser
Adding Selections to a Project
Non-Linear Editing in iMovie
Trimming a Shot
Using the E Shortcut
Sharing the Project with Final Cut Pro
Importing the XML File into FCP
XML Dialogue - What it Means
Reconnecting to Media"
I've always used iMovie (HD and earlier) for rough cutting and initial importing, then switched to FC (first Express, then Studio 2) for color correction, titles, animation, and video layers. It was a bit of a hassle before iMovie 08; had to dig into the hidden files in the iMovie project to find the actual clips, or save out a dv version. Now you simply need the Final Cut XML file and access to the original clips.
I have noticed that I need to check the "Use flattened audio from thumbnail movies" box in the iMovie sharing dialog, or else the audio needs to be rendered in FC, which, oddly, the tutorial above doesn't mention, or do. It may be that I need to do that because I use iMovie to import the footage in the first place, while the tutorial assumes you've got the clips already on a drive somewhere, and that you're working with files that other folks created elsewhere.
I also check the Reconnect to Media files box in the FC import XML dialog, which the tutorial doesn't do (they reconnect to the media files manually after the XML import; they're visible inside the iMovie project when you use FC's Reconnect Media command). But since I imported the files on the same computer that I edit on, I simply check the box.
According to David Pogue's Missing Manual for iMovie 08, you can also export out a QuickTime file using Apple Intermediate Codec, and then open this file in "any Apple video editing software," such as iMovie HD, and presumably FC. But that means a huge file, and duplicating the media. If you choose this route, be sure to check the size settings in the QUICKTIME export settings dialog, and set the audio to 48000k.
HTH!