How to pull selects across thousands of hours of footage
To pull selects across thousands of hours, analyze the whole library once so every clip is searchable by what's said, who's in it and what's on screen. Then search each story beat, mark selects, and let an AI agent assemble string-outs for review. Jumper does this locally inside Premiere, Resolve, Final Cut and Avid.
Manual logging can’t keep up with unscripted shows, documentaries, or a corporate interview library that gets re-cut for years. With AI search you analyze the footage once, search it by what’s said, who’s in it, and what’s on screen, and pick selects from the results.
1. Analyze the library once
Run analysis when the rushes arrive. Jumper analyzes picture, speech, and faces on your own computers. On Jumper Pro, watch folders pick up new footage automatically, and several machines can share one analysis folder so the whole team searches the same index. See Enterprise for team setups.
Analysis time depends on your hardware and which analysis you run, so time a day of rushes before you plan the schedule.
2. Search by story beat
Turn each beat into searches:
- What was said: speech search finds words and phrases in the transcripts.
- Who’s in it: face recognition finds a named person, or two people in the same shot.
- What’s on screen: visual search finds places, actions, and shot types.
For a beat like “Anna talks about the lease,” search for Anna and for “lease,” then compare the hits. Speech search matches words, so if you’re after a theme rather than specific wording, use an AI agent (step 4). It can run searches and read the transcripts and summaries Jumper creates.
3. Mark selects
A hit isn’t a select until someone has watched it. Save the keepers in Tag Collections with a comment and a color, or send them to a bin in your NLE. Organize by episode or beat rather than by shoot day.
4. Build string-outs
An AI agent connected to Jumper can turn a brief into a string-out. It runs the searches and lays the ranges on a sequence in Premiere, Resolve, or Avid, or exports FCPXML for Final Cut. Setup is in how to automate video editing with AI.
For beats that are mostly dialogue, the Script Editor is often quicker: read the transcript, drop the false starts, and send the answers to the timeline.
Either way, someone watches the string-out before it becomes a cut.
Tools for selects
| Tool | What it searches | Where it runs | Works in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descript | Transcripts | Cloud | Its own editor, with timeline export |
| Built-in NLE search | Transcripts. Resolve Studio also searches visuals and faces. | Local | That NLE, open project only |
| MAMs (Iconik, Axle, Moments Lab) | AI tags and metadata across the library | Cloud, or on-premises for Axle | Through NLE connectors |
| Jumper | Speech, faces, and visuals across all analyzed media | Local | Premiere, Resolve, Final Cut, Avid, and standalone |
If a show is all interviews, a transcript tool may be all you need. When the library mixes interviews, B-roll, and archive, and the cut happens in your NLE, Jumper is worth testing. For more tools and prices, see the 2026 tool comparison.
FAQ
Can AI pull selects from interviews automatically?
It can find answers and lay them on a sequence, but someone still needs to watch them. For a single interview, Descript or Jumper's Script Editor is usually quicker. For interviews mixed with B-roll and archive, search the whole library and review the hits.
Can an AI make a rough cut I can actually use?
It can make a string-out of the right people and shots in an order based on your brief. Treat it as a first assembly. Structure, pacing, and what to cut stay with the editor.
How do unscripted teams search thousands of hours?
They analyze footage as it arrives, name the cast, and search by story beat: what was said, who's in the shot, and what's on screen. The hits become selects, and an AI agent can string them out for each episode.
Can a whole team share one analyzed library?
Yes, on Jumper Pro. Point every machine at the same analysis folder and everyone searches the same index.
Does this replace assistant editors?
No. It cuts down the hours spent watching footage just in case. Deciding what belongs in the show, keeping continuity, and signing off on the string-out stay with people.
Try Jumper free and run the workflow on a project you already know.