For editors, establishing and maintaining a clear, efficient, and time-saving workflow is incredibly important, but unfortunately, it's something far too few of us actually do. We toss all of our media into a single file on some unnamed external hard drive, import the whole thing into our NLE, and wonder why the hell it takes so long to locate the assets we need.

 If you're ready to get organized once and for all, check out this video by Brian Hunt. In it, he explains the "Bus Theory," an approach to file management and workflow that ensures that if you were ever hit by a bus or shuffled off this mortal coil by some other grave misfortune before finishing a project, another editor could come in and pick up right where you left off. (Morbid! I dig it.)

This kind of file management system looks almost identical to the first one I used and continue to use to this day. It clearly organizes the different types of media you'll likely be working with, like video, audio, and graphics, and includes subfolders within those files so you can easily navigate as you search for different assets in post.

Now, your files don't have to be identical to Hunt's. Everybody's workflow and particular needs are a little different, especially if you work in different areas of post-production. However, the moral of the story, everyone, is that while organizing your media may not be all that thrilling, it's absolutely necessary if you want to edit in any kind of efficient way.

Also, I hope none of you get hit by a bus. <3

Source: Brian Hunt

Bus Theoryworkfloworganizationproject management
Editing & Post-Production