.m4v files, best workflow

I'll be starting on a project consisting of 4 hours of .m4v footage. Why .m4v? Unfortunately, that is the only format of the footage that the client has. I'll need to trim down the 4 hours to about 3-5 minutes. After that, I'll be editing parts of that section into a previous edit (that was done in FCP7) whose footage is all Pro Res.


I see a few options but what are your thoughts?

1. Convert all the .m4v footage to Pro Res using Streamclip, then edit in FCP7.

2. Edit down the the .m4v footage natively in Premiere, then only convert the edited section to Pro Res, bring that section into FCP7, and edit to completion in there.

3. XML the original FCP7 edit to Premiere, then edit everything in Premiere.

1. Yes...gotta convert. ProRes 422 or ProRes LT are your best options.

2. Why not do the whole edit in Premiere if you have it? No converting necessary.

3. See #2.


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