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Paper edit to Premiere sequence

To turn a paper edit into a Premiere sequence, add the interviews, paste the paper edit, and download the XML. Premiere imports it as a timeline with every quote in order, cut at its first and last word, and the paper edit's headings as markers. No account needed.

1 Add the interviews

2 Paste the paper edit

Quotes one per line, timecode ranges like 14:22:31:10 - 14:22:40:00, and headings in CAPITALS or after a #. Copy it straight from Word, Google Docs or a spreadsheet.

3 Download the sequence

Want your producer to change it with you, or keep it for later? Save it as a paper edit: the interviews and these lines come with it.

How to import a paper edit into Premiere

  1. 1Add the interviews. Drop the interview transcripts (SRT, VTT, Premiere JSON, or Rev, Otter, Descript and Trint text), or the interview videos, which are transcribed on your computer.
  2. 2Paste the paper edit. Paste the quotes, timecode ranges and headings from your paper edit document. Each quote is found in the interviews and cut at its first and last word.
  3. 3Download the sequence. Choose Premiere Pro and download the zip. It holds the XML sequence, the script with source timecode, and the import steps.
  4. 4Import it into Premiere. In Premiere Pro, choose File > Import and pick the XML. If the clips are offline, select them, choose Link Media and point at the first interview file.

The XML is Final Cut Pro 7 XML, the timeline format Premiere imports. Premiere's own transcripts (made with Speech to Text) can be exported and used as the interviews here, word timing included.

Paper edit to XML for any editing app

The same paper edit downloads as a DaVinci Resolve project (.drp), an FCPXML for Final Cut Pro (File > Import > XML, as in Apple's guide), an AAF for Avid Media Composer, or a CMX 3600 EDL. Each clip carries the interview's source timecode, so it lines up with the camera files. If your editor already has a project with the interviews in it, open the same paper edit in PaperEdit and it links every clip to the media from that project file.

Turn a transcript into a rough cut

No paper edit yet? Pick the lines straight from the transcripts instead. In PaperEdit you highlight words in each interview, drag the lines into order and trim them to the word; your producer can do it with you from a link. Transcript Selects projects (.cutselects.json) open there too, with their passages in order.

What the paper edit should look like

Anything a producer would write works: one quote per line, with or without the speaker's name, timecode ranges, and headings for sections. Starting from scratch? The paper edit template has columns for the source, timecode and quote, and pastes straight in. New to this? Read what a paper edit is.

Questions

How do I import a paper edit into Premiere Pro?
Turn the paper edit into an XML sequence first: add the interviews above, paste the paper edit, and download for Premiere. Then choose File > Import in Premiere and pick the .xml. Every quote arrives as a clip in order, with the paper edit's headings as markers.
Can I turn a Word or Google Docs paper edit into an XML?
Yes. Copy the paper edit out of Word, Google Docs or a spreadsheet and paste it into step 2. Quotes, speaker names before a colon, timecode ranges and headings are all read. You don't need to reformat the document.
What if a quote doesn't match the transcript word for word?
Close matches are found, and marked so you can check them; a quote that can't be found is listed so you can fix it. A timecode range always works, whatever the wording.
Do I need transcripts of the interviews first?
No. Drop the interview videos or sound files and they're transcribed on your computer with Whisper, free. If you already have transcripts from Premiere, Rev, Otter or Descript, use those.
Will the sequence link to my media?
Type the folder your interviews are in and the clips point at those files. Otherwise they open offline in a placeholder folder, and Link Media in Premiere reconnects every interview in one step.
Does it work for DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro or Avid?
Yes. Choose DaVinci Resolve for a .drp, Final Cut Pro for an .fcpxml, Media Composer for an .aaf, or EDL for anything else. They are made by the same converters CutConvert uses for project conversions.