FirstCut: shape a video's story through beats, clips and transcript edits

FirstCut is a browser-based narrative editor for footage where people tell the story through speech. It maps spoken material into a narrative, groups clips into beats and connects each clip to its transcript. You can change the structure before moving the rough cut into a finishing editor.

Work on the story at several levels

The FirstCut product page defines a beat as a narrative change point built from consecutive clips. You can reorder, rename, add or delete beats, or give one an instruction for the next rebuild. Selecting a beat narrows the clip view to the footage that tells that part of the story.

Clips retain their source file and start and end timestamps. Selecting a clip reveals its corresponding words, so you can mark a sentence for removal without working through the transcript of the entire project. FirstCut also lets you restore a previous cutoff mark.

Editors who know Descript's transcript-based editing will recognize the connection between words and footage. FirstCut describes an additional story view that groups those clips into beats and lets you compare narrative arcs.

Try another structure without losing the previous cut

You can ask the assistant for an editorial change, such as a tighter introduction or a different ending. FirstCut translates the request into sequence changes and creates a revision. The publisher says each revision can play in the browser, and you can move between versions rather than overwriting the original.

That makes it relevant to interviews, documentary conversations or recorded lectures where the same material can support different arguments. Review the resulting sequence for meaning and continuity. Rearranging an interview can change what a speaker appears to mean, even when the individual words remain intact.

Export for finishing and understand what is uploaded

FirstCut lists FCPXML, FCP7-XML, CMX3600 EDL and OTIO exports, with professional editors including Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro as finishing destinations. Its role is narrative assembly and the rough cut; the page does not present it as a replacement for the whole post-production process.

The publisher says the video stays on your computer while the browser extracts audio for transcription. The AI works from that transcript rather than inspecting the picture. FirstCut says it chooses and orders existing footage and does not generate images, video or audio.

That distinction matters for visual storytelling: a transcript cannot establish whether a shot is in focus or whether a reaction belongs at a particular point. Check the cut against the actual footage. We have not tested export compatibility or performed an editing session, and the captured page does not establish current pricing.