Staying organized in the FCP browser and the filesystem

Question

Hi-
Quick question about project organization. I typically tend to keep FCP's browser synchronized with the filesystem, so that the exact folder and filename structure exists in both places. I shoot DSLR, at quantities that don't really require offline storage. So there is nothing "scratch" about my "Capture Scratch". (And boy do I hate that it's called that.) I store media in the project directory, organized by scene and shot, and change capture scratch preferences for each project to reflect this. When a project is finished, the project folder becomes the permanent media archive that gets offloaded to storage for safekeeping.
As such, I just can't imagine having a giant pile of files in my project folder called "MVI_9073.mov" that do not reflect the names and bin structure in FCP's browser. I try to keep everything navigable and readable at the filesystem level.
I try to plan ahead and move items from the filestyem to the browser as I'm going to want them. I do this before I do any editing, so it only gets done once. But that's not always possible when things change mid-project, or on smaller projects where I edit as I go. If I have to reorganize a large bin, I'll sometimes even delete it from the browser entirely, reorganize in the filesystem, and drag it back in, to ensure they're they same. Needless to say it would be a big help if there was an option to "keep the media folder organized", as there is for example in iTunes when reorganizing artists and albums.
Does anyone else work this way, and/or is there a general consensus about how this should be done?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Goldfish wrote:
FCP's file management is in desperate need of an overhaul.
It was even worse before they introduced Media Manager. It would be great if something like MM was also attached to the front end, possibly grafted right into L&T so we could manage media on the fly based on the needs of the project.
Being able to export a self contained clip directly back into a sequence seems like a no-brainer to me but it's still not here either.
I'm confident that things will continue to improve.
best,
g
Good points. Adobe's products have the "export-to-import" feature for a l-o-n-g time. Print to DVD, too. There's a very logn list of stuff we want to see changed or fixed in FCP before marketing heaps more functions on top of the flaws. We'll see.
We've been wondering about the media database behind FCP since v1. Many of us have remained confident that would improve ever since. My evangelism is long gone; FCP's just my favorite editing tool these days. I remain dispassionately hopeful.
bogiesan