how do I import canon vixia hf r20 into imovie? HELP!

I just bought a new canon vixia hf r20 camcorder because I read that it would be compatible with my mac and imovie. However, I cannot get imovie to recognize the video on the device. I read on one of the forums that someone said to "simply connect the camcorder with the USB cord" and then import from the camera, no tricks. However, this is not happening for me. When I connect my camcorder via USB cord, my mac recognizes the drive, but I just can't get imovie to recognize any video files or anything. However, I have not tried using an SD card and connecting to my mac directly with that. Would this make much of a difference though if imovie isn't acknowledging the files in the first place? I don't know much about computers or camcorders but I really, really, really need to figure this out for work. Someone PLEASE help!!!