Capturing from tape

Step 1) To begin importing, or capturing, your video, insert your Mini DV tape into the tape deck. Make sure the circular DV button is illuminated, and the arrow above the DV arrow button is illuminated. Also, make sure the firewire (IEEE 1394) cable is attached to the front of the tape deck and the back of the G5.
Illumination of tape deck buttons when importing to Final Cut

Step 2) Now you want to cue your tape to the desired starting time of your video. Since most of your stories will be at the beginning of the newscast, you can probably just rewind the tape all the way to the beginning. Just use the FF/REW wheel. To use the wheel, spin it one time in the desired direction and the machine will begin fast forwarding or rewinding. You do not have to manually spin the wheel to fast forward and rewind through the tape.
Fast forward and rewind wheel on tape decks

Step 3) Once you’ve found the starting point of the video you are going to import, stop your tape. Remember that you always want to import extra video at the beginning and the end of each of your clips. You will be able to edit the extra video off, but you can never magically add video if you don’t import enough. Go back into Final Cut Pro to open the Log and Capture Window. Click File -> Log and Capture
The log and capture window in Final Cut Pro

Step 4) You will want to import one story at a time. To import, or capture, your first video press Now in the Log and Capture Window and play on the tape deck. (A new window should pop up with your video playing in the box. This means Final Cut Pro is importing your video.) Once all of your first video is imported hit the esc key on your keyboard.
First step for capturing video in Final Cut Express

Now pick up the process at step 7 of Editing the newscast.