File and Clip Management - Excessive Duplication)

iMovie 10.1.8, MacOS 10.13.3

This has been covered a couple of times, but I'm still not quite getting it...

In the end, I liked the file management in the versions of iMovie after HD. I would import my clips (maybe 2-3 months worth of family holidays, visitors, barbecues, etc) from the camera. They would get stabilised overnight, and each new day of filming resulted in an "event" on the computer. I would then go and make these events more meaningful by combining days into a single event when it helped (e.g. a holiday), and giving them a sensible title (e.g. "2012-12-31 New Year's Eve in Lancashire").

My iMovies could then be made from a whole year's events ("Fred and Wilma in 2012"), or just a few events ("California and Las Vegas, August 2012"). Until I rendered the movies, I could easily make small backup files (eg "Ca & LV v3", "Ca & LV v4") so I could revert some changes quickly. These small files were easy to backup (and eventually delete when the final version was published). The events folders themselves were easily backed up incrementally - power up the backup drive, and transfer any events in the current folder that were not on the backup drive.

Under iMovie 10.1.8, I am now finding it harder:

- because it does not allow event subfolders, for easy access I have to create a new Library for each year of clips (2012, 2013, 2014, etc)

- Libraries mix clips and projects together

- my iMovie Library is massive! When I "Show package contents" it appears that iMovie has been copying a clip into a project, and leaving it there whether it is used or not

- there is a large level of duplication - not only do the different versions ("Ca & LV v3" vs "Ca & LV v4") have all the clips in them, those same clips are also duplicated in the other film ("Fred and Wilma in 2012"), and all their stabilisation files are also duplicated

When I backup my libraries, I am transferring a significant amount of duplication, wasting time and space.

I am aware that the iMovie team are not going to change the product to suit me, so I am looking for advice on how to minimise duplication. How have other folks managed this kind of dilemma? I accept there is something wrong with my thinking here, but what is it?

Thanks,

Andrew