Premiere Pro CC: Multicam Cookbook

[Click here for an updated version (April, 2020). For a step-by-step written multicam tutorial, click here, and for a video tutorial, click here.]

Premiere Pro calls them “multi-camera sequences,” because each “clip” contains more than one clip. (I call them “multicam clips,” because the term is shorter.) A single multicam clip can contain video, audio, and/or stills. While you can mix and match codecs, frame size, frame rate and scanning, you will get the best performance if all these match. With the release of the 7.1 update for Premiere Pro CC, editing and modifying multicam clips changed a bit, which is outlined below.

GET IN SYNC

Before creating the multicam clip, all elements need to have a sync point. You can sync using a common:

• In
• Out
• Matching timecode
• Named marker
• Audio waveforms

Syncing using Timecode is the fastest. If you use clapper slates, it is easiest to mark the clap with an In. If you use markers, all markers used to indicate a sync point must have the same name. Syncing on audio requires all cameras to have audio recorded on them, which rules out syncing still images.

BUILD AND EDIT A MULTICAM CLIP

1. Create a sync point for each clip, unless you are syncing using audio.
2. Select all elements to combine into the clip in the Project panel.
3. Create a multi-camera source sequence. Choose Clip > Create Multi-camera Source Sequence. (You can also select this option by right-clicking one of the selected clips in the Project panel.)
4. In the dialog, select the sync method and click OK. (As a note, you can also add clips to a multi-camera sequence once it’s been created.)
5. Because, by default, Premiere only enables audio channel A1 in a multicam clip, enable other audio tracks manually before editing. To open a multicam clip for editing, right-click the clip in the Project panel and select: Open in Timeline. When the multicam clip is displayed in the Timeline, click the Mute button for each audio track to turn it on or off, as necessary.
6. Double-click to load the Multicam Clip into the Source monitor.
7. If necessary, click the Wrench icon in the lower-right of the Source monitor and select Edit Cameras. This allows changing the display order of clips by dragging the clip names up or down, as well as the ability to make angles inactive, or active, by checking or unchecking the boxes to the right.
8. If necessary, set an In and/or Out for the multicam clip in the Source monitor, the same as with any other clip.
9. Open the sequence in the Timeline into which you want to edit the multicam clip.
10. Edit the multicam clip into the Timeline.
11. In the Program monitor, click the Wrench and choose Window > Multi-camera to edit the sequence. (The image grid automatically includes all current angles in the sequence, up to 16 images.)
12. Click the Playback button to begin playback.
13. To change angles, either click the camera image in the Multi-camera Monitor, or type Control+1 – 9 on the main keyboard (not the keypad).
14. Stop playback.
15. To replace one shot with another, put the Timeline playhead in the shot you want to change and click the image of the new shot in the Multi-camera Monitor.
16. To cut and change angles, place the playhead where you want the cut to occur and Command-click the new image in the Multi-camera Monitor.
17. Adjust and refine edit points using the roll trim, and other standard trimming techniques. (You can do a Ripple trim, but it will cause a jump in the action or audio.)
18. Add transitions, or effects, and polish as necessary.
19. When editing is complete, select the entire multicam clip in the Timeline and choose Clip > Multicam > Flatten. This reduces the stress on your hard disk by only playing the angles that are active in the Timeline. (Note: Once flattened, you can not “unflatten” a multicam clip for additional editing.)

Done.