Cutsio Blog

How to Find Clips from Interviews in DaVinci Resolve

Managing massive amounts of interview footage in DaVinci Resolve is easy if you master metadata logging, Smart Bins, and AI transcription.

When cutting a documentary or a corporate video, you are often faced with hours of interview footage. Finding that one specific clip where the CEO mentions "innovation" can be daunting. DaVinci Resolve offers several robust ways to find clips from interviews quickly.

Here is how to organize and find your interview clips in Resolve.

1. The Power of Metadata Logging

Before you make a single cut, spend time in the Media Pool logging your clips. This is the foundation of a fast workflow.

  1. Open the Metadata Panel: In the top right corner of the Media page, open the Metadata panel.
  2. Add Descriptions: Select an interview clip and fill out the fields. Add notes in the "Description" box summarizing what the person is saying. Add relevant words to the "Keywords" field.
  3. Use the List View: Switch your Media Pool to "List View" to see all your metadata at a glance. You can sort by columns to find clips instantly.

2. Automating with Smart Bins

Smart Bins automatically gather clips based on the metadata you entered.

  1. Right-click in the Bin area and choose Add Smart Bin.
  2. Set the rules. For example, tell the Smart Bin to collect any clip where the "Keywords" contain "Innovation" OR "Future."
  3. Now, instead of hunting through folders, you just click the "Innovation" Smart Bin, and all relevant interview clips are instantly there.

3. The Ultimate Tool: AI Transcription (Studio Version)

If you have DaVinci Resolve Studio, you can bypass manual logging entirely.

  1. Select all your interview clips, right-click, and choose Transcribe Audio.
  2. Resolve generates a text transcript for every clip.
  3. Open the Transcript Window (Workspace > Show > Transcript Window).
  4. Type the topic you are looking for in the search bar. Resolve will search across all transcribed clips simultaneously, highlighting every instance the word was spoken. Clicking the word jumps you right to the clip!