The Interview: Intro to Premiere Pro

Topics Covered in This Premiere Pro Tutorial:

Importing Files, Organizing the Project, Creating a Sequence, the Editing Workspace, Timecode

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

In this exercise, you'll tackle one of the most fundamental projects in professional video production: the single-subject interview. This format remains a cornerstone of corporate communications, documentaries, and digital content across industries. Our subject, Dan Rodney, provides insights into his design background, the evolving creative landscape, and the essential software tools that drive modern design workflows. This exercise will establish core competencies that every video editor needs to master, from efficient project organization to creating compelling interview-based content that holds viewer attention.

Previewing the Final Video

1. Before diving into the technical workflow, let's examine the polished result you'll be creating. If Premiere Pro is currently open, minimize it but keep it running in the background.

2. Navigate to your project assets by opening Class Files > Premiere Pro Class > The Interview > Preview Movie and double-click Interview—Dan Rodney.mp4 to launch the preview.

3. As you watch, pay attention to these key editorial techniques:

   • The foundation is a classic "talking head" interview setup—professional, clean, and focused on the subject's expertise.
   • Strategic cutaway shots break up the static interview format, illustrating the speaker's points and maintaining visual engagement—a technique essential for holding modern audiences' attention.

4. Watch the preview multiple times to internalize the pacing and flow. We'll reconstruct this piece step-by-step across several exercises, building your technical skills while developing your editorial eye.

5. Close the preview when you're ready to begin the hands-on work.

Getting Started

Now let's establish your project foundation with proper setup and organization—critical habits that distinguish professional editors from amateurs.

1. Return to Premiere Pro. If you've closed the application, relaunch it now.

2. Create your new project by selecting File > New > Project, or click the New Project button prominently displayed on the Home screen's left panel.

3. In the Project Name field at the top left, enter Your Name—The Interview. This naming convention helps maintain project clarity in professional environments where multiple editors may access shared assets.

4. Establish proper file organization by clicking the Project location dropdown and selecting Choose Location.

   • Navigate through Desktop > Class Files > Premiere Pro Class and select the The Interview folder as your project home.

   • Confirm your selection by clicking Choose (Mac) or Select Folder (Windows).

5. Configure your project settings in the right panel by disabling these options:

   • Turn off Copy media (keeps file sizes manageable and prevents unnecessary duplication).
   • Turn off New bin (we'll create custom organizational bins manually).
   • Turn off Create new sequence (we'll build sequences based on our specific media requirements).

   NOTE: Premiere Pro remembers these preferences across sessions, so future projects will inherit these optimized settings.

6. Click Create in the bottom right to initialize your project.

7. Establish a consistent workspace by navigating to Window > Workspaces > Editing. This ensures you're working with the industry-standard panel layout optimized for editorial tasks.

8. Complete your workspace setup with Window > Workspaces > Reset to Saved Layout. This command restores all panels to their default positions and proportions, eliminating any previous customizations that might interfere with this tutorial's instructions.

Importing Files

Effective media management begins with intelligent importing strategies. Premiere Pro's import system handles everything from individual assets to complex folder hierarchies, and mastering these techniques will streamline every project you tackle. The key is understanding how different import methods affect your project organization and workflow efficiency.

1. Initiate the import process through File > Import. Professional editors often prefer the keyboard shortcut Cmd–I (Mac) or Ctrl–I (Windows) for speed. You can also double-click any empty area in the Project panel to open the Import dialog—a handy technique when working quickly.

2. Navigate to Desktop > Class Files > Premiere Pro Class > The Interview and execute a folder-level import:

   • Click once on the Media folder to highlight it. Resist the urge to double-click into the folder—we want the entire folder structure.

   • Click Import (Mac) or Import Folder (Windows) to bring in all contents.

   NOTE: Folder importing is a powerful workflow accelerator. Premiere Pro automatically converts folder structures into bins (its organizational containers), preserving your file hierarchy. The system makes one intelligent exception: folders containing only a single item are flattened to avoid unnecessary nesting, though the file itself is still imported.

3. Switch to list view by clicking the list view icon at the bottom left of the Project panel. List view dramatically improves bin management efficiency and provides better visibility into your media metadata.

4. Expand the Media bin by clicking the disclosure arrow to reveal the imported folder structure.

5. Create a dedicated audio bin by dragging interview_audio.wav to the New Bin button in the bottom right of the Project panel.

   • Rename this bin 02—Audio. The numbering system ensures logical sorting and quick navigation.

6. Rename the Video bin for consistency: click to select it, then press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to enable editing mode.

   • Change the name to 01—Video, maintaining our numerical organization system.

7. Apply the same renaming process to the Images bin: select it and press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

   • Rename it 03—Images to complete your organized structure.

8. Expand the 01—Video bin using the disclosure arrow to access the video assets within.

9. Create a specialized bin for your primary interview footage: Ctrl–click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on Main Interview.mp4 and select New Bin From Selection.

   • Name this new bin A—Roll, establishing the foundation of your editorial structure.

10. Clean up your project hierarchy by collapsing the 01—Video and 02—Audio bins, then:

    • Drag all three organized bins (01—Video, 02—Audio, and 03—Images) out of the Media parent bin to the root level of your project.
    • Select the now-empty Media bin and delete it using Delete (Mac) or Backspace (Windows).

11. Optimize your project view by clicking the Name column header to sort alphabetically, making asset location predictable and efficient.

12. Improve readability by dragging the divider between the Name and Frame Rate column headers to the right, expanding the Name column width. This adjustment accommodates longer, more descriptive clip names that are common in professional projects.

13. Save your organized project structure with File > Save or the keyboard shortcut Cmd–S (Mac) / Ctrl–S (Windows). Regular saving prevents work loss and is essential professional practice.

Creating a Sequence

Sequences are the creative workspace where your editorial vision comes to life. Think of a sequence as your digital cutting room—a timeline where video, audio, images, and effects combine to tell your story. Each sequence carries specific technical properties including dimensions, frame rate, and color space that must accommodate your source material while meeting your delivery requirements.

1. Access your primary footage by expanding the 01—Video > A-Roll bin structure using the disclosure arrows .

2. Create your sequence foundation by dragging Main Interview.mp4 from the A-Roll bin directly into the empty Timeline panel. This technique automatically generates a new sequence optimized for your source footage's specifications—a time-saving approach that ensures technical compatibility from the start.

3. Optimize your timeline visibility using Shift + Plus (+) to expand all track heights simultaneously. This keyboard shortcut provides better visual control over your audio waveforms and video thumbnails, essential for precise editing. Use Shift + Minus (-) to reduce track heights when you need more tracks visible, or fine-tune individual track heights by dragging the borders between track headers.

   You can also adjust track heights using the vertical scroll controls on the Timeline's right edge—useful when working with complex, multi-track projects.

4. Organize your sequence at the project's root level by dragging the Main Interview sequence (the timeline icon, not the Main Interview.mp4 media file) out of the A-Roll bin and into the main project area. This placement makes your sequence easily accessible and prevents it from being buried in your media organization structure.

5. Apply professional naming conventions by Ctrl–clicking (Mac) or Right–clicking (Windows) the Main Interview sequence and selecting Rename.

6. Change the sequence name to Interview—Dan Rodney, matching your final deliverable and making project intent immediately clear to other collaborators.

7. Test your sequence by clicking into the Timeline panel to ensure it's active, then pressing Spacebar to begin playback. The spacebar serves as your primary playback control throughout Premiere Pro—press it again to pause. This simple test confirms your sequence is properly configured and your media is correctly linked.

8. Preserve your work with File > Save or Cmd–S (Mac) / Ctrl–S (Windows). Maintain this project file as it will serve as the foundation for subsequent exercises in this tutorial series.