Dealing with LARGE 1080p image sequences can bog down even the best hardware. That is why I am a fan of using proxies.

Begin with a rough hardware render to define your edit within Premiere or Final Cut. Once that edit is clear, go back to 3D and start lighting and rendering out passes. Color, Reflection, Shadow, Specular, etc.

Each of those passes can add control, detail and depth to the 3D. As a compositor, many times compositions will require 60,000 different images for one shot. Once each of these scenes is fully composited, render out a high or low quality proxy and use this render as a placeholder for the composite. This can save time and memory when previewing and reviewing. Prepping these high-res proxies can also save precious render time later on. Remember to select the use of Comp Proxies in your render settings.

Proxy workflow can also help when editing. For instance, receiving footage from many different cameras or file types can freak out your programs. Converting your clips from 1920 x 1080 down to 864 x 486 H.264 or Pro-Res files can significantly improve your performance.

Here is a link to a helpful script offered by Andrew Kramer, with a helpful tutorial video and project files: Trim Compose