Unit 16: Film and Video Editing Techniques - Prepare Moving Image Material for Editing

Unit 16: Film and Video Editing Techniques - 

Prepare Moving Image Material for Editing

Scenario - You are going to develop a web-log about video editing designed to help young people with their film production skills.

Task 1 - Author a web-log about preperation for video editing

A series of web-log entries will evidence the progression of your skills with video editing which you will use to develop your web-log about video editing.

Show what you understand the importance of workflow, organising footage and the development of editing from tape to digital formats.

You will explain each of the following points in seperate web-log entries with the following titles using screenshots or images to illustrate your points.

Preperation Techniques: Checking material for faults; Synchronising rushes; Producing a rushes log; Marking up a script; Labelling tapes; Storing tapes or film; Producing an edit decision list; Creating bins; Clarifying the purpose of work with a client or director.

Task 2 - Provide evidence of preperation of video editing for your music video

You will be asked to complete a series of specific tasks as part of the preperation to complete video editing in your music video project.You should submit annotated screenshots of work completed:

Preparing to edit: Importing clips; Bins; Timelines; Storage and folder management; Online and offline editing; Formats; Resolutions.



Task 1 - Preperation Techniques: 

Checking material for faults: 

This process is simple and requires in essence looking back through the captured footage or media and checking if there are any issues with the visual or audio. This allows you to avoid wasting any time, money from the the budge and making the time on location most effective. It also makes the post production stage less time consuming and more effective with minimalising the chance of any corrupt footage and further corrupting edits.

Synchronising rushes: 


This area is when the audio needs to be synced with the relative footage. In professional standards this is utilized by using a clapper board to signify when he actors begin speaking, This helps you match the captured footage with the audio in post production much easier. However in amateur cases you can visually match up the audio from the footage. 


Producing a rushes log: 

This stage is basically logging the captured and stored footage with relative information such as what happens in the scene, this may include takes, actors and angles. This helps narrow down all the hours of usable and unusable footage to find the best content to fit the edit. Although logging of rushes will always be time coded, there are several different options that can be requested in order to increase the efficiency of you logging of rushes service.

As an example:

Rushes Log:

Artist: Steve Lacy                                                                                 Song: Dark Red

File Name:	Duration:	Description:	Comments:
MVI_9521.MOV	00:14	Establishing Shot, Old fashioned laundry shop, Woman closing boot of car.	Cuts on Music Gap.
MVI_9522.MOV	00:30	Artist trapped in the boot of the car using only a lighter for a source of light.	Singing with the song.
MVI_9523.MOV	00:11	Woman in car, singing on the highway, close up	n/a

Marking up a script: 

This stage is the process of annotating the script for the editor and highlighting how the the director wants the scene to be edited. Where the certain transitions or cuts should take place. This also allows them to identify any props or external sources for the production. 



Labelling tapes:

In the modern day, this is not very common. Labelling tapes has become somewhat obsolete with new technology and digital advances in film, this was the original way to keep track and store footage. 

Storing tapes or film:

Film is stored in metal tins that safely hold the reels and tapes can be stacked and stored far more easily.



Producing an edit decision list:

An edit decision list is a plan and record for cutting and editing the footage. This creates efficiency and structure in production and allows the editor to know what the director is looking for. An EDL is used in the post-production stage. This contains a list of reel and time code data showing where each video clip can be found in order to conform the final cut.

Example:

Edit Decision List:

Artist: Steve Lacy                                                                                      Song: Dark Red

Camera Code:	Length:	Shot Type / Angle / Movement	Good or Bad Take:	Camera Operator with any comments.
1	00:14	Wide, ES, Start hand held, establish (zoom out) after 00:08 seconds.	Good	Establishing Shot, Old fashioned laundry shop, Woman closing boot of car.
2	00:30	Low angle shot of artist, mid-close up	Good	Artist trapped in the boot of the car using only a lighter for a source of light.
3	00:11	Close up of character singing.	Good	Woman in car, singing on the highway, close up.

Creating bins:

This is where you can import all of your footage into you editing software. You can use multiple bins for different forms of media or scenes for ease of access. A bin for physical film footage is similar but does not rely on digital importing and using physical film reels.

Clarifying the purpose of work with a client or director:

This is basically a check-up between the director/client and the editor to make sure the work is accurate towards the directors/clients wants and needs for the final product. 


Editing Technology - 

Software Applications - 

There are a high range of software applications you could use to achieve the same result in most cases. Different software are usually relative to preference.

Some examples are:

• Premiere Pro (Adobe)
• Vegas Pro (Sony Creative Software)
• Final Cut Pro (Apple) 
• After Effects (Adobe)

Some programmes offering more features than others.

In my case I use both Vegas Pro by Sony and After Effects from Adobe. Using After Effects for certain aspects Vegas Pro can not achieve and using Vegas Pro as my primary platform for editing due to its ease of accessibility and understanding.

Hardware - 

Hardware now comes in many different shapes and sizes all with relative factors to themselves, personally I use an external Hard drive due to its memory space and size being perfect for my big sized footage files and making it harder to lose than a memory stick.

Due to current technology you could use:

• Memory Sticks
• Hard Drives
• NAS Drives
• Cloud Services 

etc. to achieve the same outcome.

Of course you have to consider your computer/laptop specifications when editing footage as it may not be capable of running certain programmes or be able to render/access your footage at a fast pace.

High/Standard Definition - 

High definition requires more advanced equipment and hardware due to the typical file size being large and it taking up more memory on your computers RAM when editing therefore slowing the process down if you do not have the required equipment.

Whereas Standard Definition footage can be easily edited on lower quality pieces of hardware but does not appear as appealing to the eye as that of High definition.

Tapes - 

Linear editing was the original method of editing electronic video tapes, before editing computers became available in the 1990s. Although it is no longer the preferred option, it is still used in some situations.

In linear editing, video is selectively copied from one tape to another. It requires at least two video machines connected together — one acts as the source and the other is the recorder. The basic procedure is quite simple:

1. Place the video to be edited in the source machine and a blank tape in the recorder.
2. Press play on the source machine and record on the recorder.

The idea is to record only those parts of the source tape you want to keep. In this way desired footage is copied in the correct order from the original tape to a new tape. The new tape becomes the edited version.

This method of editing is called "linear" because it must be done in a linear fashion; that is, starting with the first shot and working through to the last shot. If the editor changes their mind or notices a mistake, it is almost impossible to go back and re-edit an earlier part of the video. However, with a little practice, linear editing is relatively simple and trouble-free.

Data Transfer Rates - 

The speed with which data can be transmitted from one device to another. Data rates are often measured in megabits (million bits) or megabytes (million bytes) per second. These are usually abbreviated as Mbps and MBps,respectively. Another term for data transfer rate is throughput.

Exporting Productions - 

When exporting a finished production, it is important to export it to the right file settings and how you would like it to be played, whether burning it to a disk, extracting it to a file type, or a windows viewing type.  When exporting, there will be a list of different file types and compressions that the editor can pick.

Some typical file types are:

• AVI (Audio Video Interleave)
• FLV (Flash Video Format)
• MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie)
•  WMV (Windows Media Video)
• MP4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 4

Post Production Tools - 

On Screen Text- 

This tool is simply adding text to the footage you have, this is usually for an informative or effective manner to support the content or give any credit to the crew of the production.

Image Editing - 

This is adding effects to your footage such as colour correction, special effects and effects that affect the look of your footage for example film grain and motion blur.

Audio Editing - 

This is simply editing the audio within and for your production this can be from making the audio quieter or louder and add effects such as an echo or grain to you audio for specific effects or to support the relative content, this is where any non-diegetic sound can be added in.

Task 2 - Preparing to edit:

Importing clips: 

Importing media into Sony Vegas is very simple.

By simply following:

File > Import 

It gives you a drop down menu of all the types of files you can import and work with within Sony Vegas. Giving you the options of:

• General Media ( Footage )
• Media from project
• AAF
• Premiere/After Effects
• Final Cut Pro 7 & X
• EDL Text File
• Broadcast Wave Format
• DVD Camcorder Disc
• Closed Captioning

Showing how accessible the programme is, it is able to work hand in hand with several other platform programmes such as After effects or Final Cut Pro.

Another way to import footage is to simply drag your chosen media from the 'explorer' or 'finder' and drag it directly onto your timeline.

Bins:

Creating bins before you edit is absolutely vital, as bins are used to store everything. Bins are used to store footage, music, sound effects and much more, so it is important that you create bins correctly before you can edit. When you're creating your masterpiece, your project is likely to get a little unwieldy—you can't express creative genius with a handful of media files, after all.

So that you don't lose track of where everything is, it is important to try and make it as easy for yourself as possible. This could keeping track of what bin is for what and even how tall and wide each of your bins are. It may also be a good idea to make your most important bins the most easiest to locate

The detailed view of the Project Media window helps you sort your media files using their attributes, but for more control, you can create bins. Bins are folders within projects that you can use to organize your media files.

Media bins are virtual folders that are saved with your project. They do not affect the way media is saved on your computer.

How to Effectively use Bins in Sony Vegas is Shown Below:

Timelines: 
A timeline is a commonly used interface found in most video editing programs. This interface enables authors to lay a video project out in a linear fashion horizontally across a monitor.

This area allows the user to place their footage in relative fashion choosing the structure and any editing techniques you want to involve. This is the area that the material is actually edited.

Video editing can be messy. At times it feels like there is an insurmountable number of items to keep track of, inside and outside of the video editing timeline. A video editor can feel overwhelmed under a mountain of video clips, music tracks, sound effects, various compositions, graphics and multiple deliverables. It’s a different story if the video editor establishes some standard working practices to keep organized and on top of everything that enters their timeline.

The timeline of any video editing program is the foundation of an edit. It’s the place where the video editor digs their hands in and gets dirty. An organized timeline helps the video editor to work efficiently through a project. It gives them more time to make creative decisions, try out multiple cuts and fix production issues that can only be fixed by a skilled editor with time on their hands. Those problem areas of an edit that need fixing are much easier to see and work through with an organized timeline.

Storage and folder management: 

There are many benefits of organizing files into folder structures. One of the main advantages of folders is that they make it easier to locate and access files. If people can find files faster, they can accomplish more work than if they had to spend time trying to locate a file.

Folder management holds a major importance to increase efficiency, minimalise risk of losing footage/files and make you completely aware of the materials you have to edit with. 

Online and offline editing: 

Online editing is a post-production linear video editing process that is performed in the final stage of a video production. It occurs after offline editing. For the most part,online editing has been replaced by video editing software that operate on non-linear editing systems (NLE).

Offline editing is part of the post-production process of filmmaking and television production in which raw footage is copied and edited, without affecting the camera original film stock or video tape. Once the project has been completely offline edited, the original media will be assembled in the online editing stage.

The goal of offline editing is to create a EDL (edit decision list) that will be used in putting together the final online version of a production. This can be done with relatively inexpensive equipment using low-resolution copies of the original footage.

In the offline phase a rough cut can be shown to a director, producer, or sponsor for approval. Typically, at this point a number of changes will be made.
An important part of the creative process is trying out many creative possibilities. Hours can be spent on just a few minutes, or even a few seconds, of a production. This can become prohibitive expensive if full online facilities and personnel are used.

Formats: 

There are several different file formats for video, these are the 5 most common formats used :

 AVI (Audio Video Interleave)

Developed by Microsoft and introduced to the public in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology, the AVI format is one of the oldest video formats. It is so universally accepted that many people consider it the de facto standard for storing video and audio information on the computer. Due to it’s simple architecture, AVI files are able to run on a number of different systems like Windows, Macintosh, Linux; is also supported by popular web browsers. AVI files stores data that can be encoded in a number of different codec’s, although most commonly with M-JPEG or DivX codecs. This means that all AVI files, while they may look similar on the outside, differ substantially from one another on the inside.

 FLV (Flash Video Format)

FLV files are videos that are encoded by Adobe Flash software, usually with codecs following the Sorenson Spark or VP6 video compression formats. They can be played via the Adobe Flash Player, web browser plugins or one of several third party programs. Since virtually everyone has the player installed on their browsers, it has become the most common online video viewing platform used on the Web today. As almost all video sharing sites such as Youtube stream videos in Flash, practically all browsers support and are compatible with the Flash Video format and can play the video with ease. In addition to being an online video viewing format, the Flash Video format is also what many video-sharing sites convert videos to, from formats that were uploaded by their users in something other than Flash. This is because videos in the FLV format remain in high quality even after compression to a smaller file size, which means that the videos on the Web load quickly and won’t spend a lot of time using up bandwidth. Some notable users of the Flash Video are Youtube, Yahoo! Video, VEVO, Hulu and Myspace among many others.

 WMV (Windows Media Video)

Developed by Microsoft, WMV was originally designed for web streaming applications, as a competitor to RealVideo, but it can now cater to more specialized content. WMV files are the tiniest video files over the Web, as their file size decreases significantly after compression, which results in poor video quality. However, one advantage of this small file size is that it is probably the only video file format that allows users to upload and share their videos through the e-mail system. Being a Microsoft software, the Windows Media Player is the main application that is used to play WMV files on all Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, but there are also WMV players available for free for the Macintosh operating system.

 MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie)

Developed by Apple. Inc, the QuickTime file format is a popular type of video sharing and viewing format amongst Macintosh users, and is often used on the Web, and for saving movie and video files. In recent years, Apple came up with a newer version called QuickTime X, currently available on Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion. MOV files are most commonly opened via the Apple QuickTime Player for the Macintosh Operating System. However, MOV files are not just limited to being played on Apple computers, as there is a free version of the QuickTime Player available for the Windows Operating System among many other players. Considered one of the best looking file formats, MOV files are of high quality and are usually big in file size.

 MP4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 4)

MP4 is an abbreviated term for MPEG-4 Part 14, a standard developed by the Motion Pictures Expert Group who was responsible for setting industry standards regarding digital audio and video, and is commonly used for sharing video files on the Web. First introduced in 1998, the MPEG-4 video format uses separate compression for audio and video tracks; video is compressed with MPEG-4 or H.264 video encoding; and audio is compressed using AAC compression. The MP4 file format is also another great file sharing format for the Web, MP4 file sizes are relatively small but the quality remains high even after compression. MP4 standard is also becoming more popular than FLV for online video sharing, as it compatible with both online and mobile browsers and also supported by the new HTML5.

Resolution:

Resolution, the number of pixels that make up an image file, is the a major consideration. A 1080p video file (which is 1920 x 1080 pixels) dwarfs a 640 x 480 video clip in terms of pixel density. The HD clip will present better on a big screen—and will typically have a higher associated bit rate by default.

Unless they're watching 1080p video on a giant screen, most entertainment seekers could make do with smaller files. If you're curious about what bit rate and resolution is best for playing back on your mobile device, uploading to YouTube, viewing on your desktop or watching on your television, we've put together this handy guide that details the best resolution in a number of scenarios.

Also taking into consideration, Bit Rate. Bit rate, the number of bits displayed over a given amount of time, is an important aspect of video editing (as well as audio creation) as it determines the quality and size of a file. For example, a three-minute video clip recorded at a 1,000 kbps (kilobits per second) bit rate will be of lower quality than a file recorded at a 6,500 kbps bit rate because it contains less audio and video information. The file with the higher bit rate will have superior audio/visual quality, but it that quality will cost you, in terms of a larger footprint that demands more storage space. Depending on the amount of storage available in your phone, laptop, or other device, that could be either troublesome or a non-factor.

A few examples on how to output your Project for different formats:

iPhone 7Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus feature the Wide Color display. The 4.7-inch iPhone 7 features a 1334x750 display at 326ppi, with the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus including a 1920x1080 screen at 401ppi. If you're looking to export to iPhone (or to other mobile devices), I recommend creating video in either the common H.264 or MPEG-4 formats (as they're compatible with a wider range of devices than M-JPEG), and keeping the bit rate no higher than what the handset allows.

YouTube
In the past, YouTube was synonymous with low quality video, as the video repository wasn't capable of housing HD video until 2009—now it does an even higher resolution. YouTube supports "4K" video, which is over four times the size of 1080p with its monster 4096 x 2304-pixel resolution. If you're one of the few that actually has a pricey 4K camera (typically, over $50,000) that doesn't mean all is sweet. 4K's greater-than-1080p resolution demands that potential watchers will need the fastest of the fast hardware and broadband connections to stream content from YouTube. Naturally, YouTube offers viewers a choice of viewing less demanding video streams, such as 1080p down to non-HD resolutions, so even those are relatively pokey internet connections can watch video shot with a 4K camera. I recommend uploading video that's at least 720p quality—a resolution that nearly all non-netbooks can handle. Video uploaders can not, however, select a bit rate; YouTube does it automatically behind the scenes.

Desktop
Exporting video to the desktop typically means that you have more space to store larger, higher-quality files either in the computer's HDD or in external storage drive—there's no need to make sacrifices on quality. I recommend bumping the bit rate and resolution to the highest quality available. Most recently-released non-Atom-powered machines with basic integrated Intel GPUs are capable of at least 720p playback to a varying degree. But not Blu-ray—you'll need the extra GPU muscle from an ATI or NVDIA graphics card to help decode that format.

If you want to playback 4K video on the desktop, you'll need even more graphics horsepower. NVIDIA's Quadro SLI Certified workstation with dual Quadro 5000 professional graphics boards (multi-drive RAID or solid state drive required for video 4k) provides the rendering horsepower and high bandwidth data throughput needed to drive the display at the right frame rates.

Still, there may be instances where you will want a smaller file, such as when you're low on storage or looking to looking to send it to another person. In such cases, you may not want to go with HD; 480p, which is basically standard-def TV quality, should be good enough in those circumstances (especially if you keep the bit rate to approximately 2,500 Kbps).

DVD and Blu-ray
If you're playing video that lives on your desktop, file size is less of an issue because of the ever-increasing size of hard drive storage. But if you're using a DVD or Blu-ray player (either built into the computer or as an external standalone machine), you must be aware of those formats' limitations. The typical DVD stores files with a maximum 9.8Mbps bit rate and 720 x 480 resolution, while the typical Blu-ray stores a maximum 40.0Mbps bit rate and 1920 x 1080 resolution. In other words, you shouldn't eat up valuable real estate burning HD video onto a DVD, and you should bump up your video specs as high as possible when authoring Blu-ray content.

Television and Monitors
Chances are that if you're savvy enough to both output video to a TV, and own a piece of enthusiast-level video-editing software, you probably own a high-definition television or monitor. This one of the few situations where bigger is without question better; you'll want to apply the maximum bit rate and resolution that the codec allows. The result will be a video with audio and video that will be a good as the source material allows. You shouldn't worry about the TV or monitor's ability to play back video; those act simply as a display, so anything that your computer is capable of handling will be shown on the big screen.

Editing Process: 

Types of Transitions

A transition is how one shot flows into the next such as a fade, dissolve or wipe etc. These can be easily added in any editing software using the relative effect/transition section.

Cutting on Action - 

Cutting on action is simple cutting the scene to fit the action taking place. It creates a flow in the content and allows shot variation without leaving the audience confused.

Cut Away - 

A cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.

Cross Cut - 

Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is not always the case.

Jump Cut - 

A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly if at all. This is often used to portray a passage or jump in time.

Match Cut -

A  match cut is a cut from one shot to another where the two shots are matched by the action or subject and subject matter.

Fade In/Out -

A fade is where the video/ content goes from black and increases in opacity until the original footage is in its full state or vice versa when fading out.




Dissolve - 

Dissolves are very similar to fades. They transition from one clip to the next by overlapping the clips and gradually decreasing the opacity of the first clip and increasing that of the second creating a seamless change.






Smash Cut - A smash cut is a technique in film and other moving picture media where one scene abruptly cuts to another for aesthetic, narrative, or emotional purpose. To this end, the smash cut usually occurs at a crucial moment in a scene where a cut would not be expected.





Iris -

Iris cuts were very popular in kids cartoons such as classic Disney and the Looney Tunes. It is when a circle encloses the scene zooming into something usually of significance adding emphasis.








Wipe - 

The wipe is when the scene changed over to the next by the original shot disappearing left to right and the second shot appearing right to left in a linear manner. This was heavily used in Star Wars. This can be manipulated with speed.

Invisible Cut - 

There are two types of cuts – visible and invisible. In music videos visible cuts are used as they are almost like montages, the audience knows what it is watching while invisible cuts are designed to reduce the idea of a cut even being present. It is to reduce the effect the cut has on the presence of a character or narrative. 

J/L Cut - 

J and L cuts show the audience what the audio is talking about or vice versa. It gives them the visual aid to the audio.

L Cut - 

Audio stays the same changes to video.

J Cut - 

Video stays the same and the audio changes.


Pace and Sound:

Pace Effectively:

It is important to consider the editor paces correctly to ensure the viewer/audience have enough time to register what is happening in each shot. It is entirely up to you to choose the pace/rythm of each shot when editing and determining how long each shot should be, trimming each clip to suit.

Use Sound to Create Impact:

Audio can just be as powerful as visuals, without audio moving image would not have the capabilities it does today. Audio can be used to created impact or exaggerate the relative content. Take the film 'Jaws' for example; the use of the music to help build up the attack scenes was a brilliant and effective. When the audience hear the same sound throughout the film, they know that there will be an attack by the shark 'Jaws' very soon.

Synchronize Sound and Vision:

This stage is very important and necessary, if the visual and audio do not match up correctly it will confuse the viewer and appear very unprofessional. To help synchronize sound and vision, the film crew use a clapperboard to slate before every shot is taken. This helps the editor synchronize as they will know when the scene officially starts and ends.