Unit 16 Editing Blog - Task 3

Task 3
Be able to edit moving image material

Editing Technology

          By using various pieces of editing technology whilst you’re editing, you can create a very professional and clear piece of media to a high standard. Even simple things such as the resolution of the footage you’re shooting can make a huge difference. See below:

          This takes it from looking like an average piece of film to looking like a professional piece of media. This is key as a lot of people nowadays can tell a huge difference between Standard Definition and High Definition. SD is classed as anything up to 720p and HD is classed as 1080p. You ca film in Ultra High Definition but the cameras used are highly expensive and aren’t freely available to small time productions. However, sticking to HD 1080p will greatly improve the quality of your footage.

          Linear and non-linear editing is about how you place the clips in the edit to tell a linear story or a non-linear story. Linear means the finished product will have a distinct beginning, middle and end with no jumping backwards in time e.g. flashbacks. Non-linear, however, is much different. It means the film can have a beginning, middle and end but doesn’t necessarily have to be in that order. An example of Linear editing would be in Saving Private Ryan. We see a distinct beginning, middle and end. This film perfectly executes the Linear editing technique. An example of non-linear editing would be Reservoir Dogs which does have a beginning, middle and end but they are switched between one another. The audience doesn’t know what the beginning of the film is until the end, which is a perfect example of Non-Linear editing.

          DTR, also known as Data Transfer Rate, is the speed in which data s transferred from one digital location to another digital location. DTR is measure in bits per unit of time. If a file is 100mb (megabytes) and it will transfer from a hard drive to a computer in 100 seconds, the DTR would be 1mb/s (1 megabyte per second). Computers nowadays almost always measure per second as it gives an easy estimation of how long it will take and how much data is being transferred per second.

          In terms of file types, there are many you can save your work as. On Avid Media Composer, the default file type it saves as is ‘.MOV’ which works on all major video playing programmes and is in fact YouTube’s preferred file type as it’s easily compressed and exports the fastest. However, there are many other fie types available although some won’t work on certain programmes and may cause visual tearing of your footage. Such examples are ‘.AVI’ and ‘.FLV’, although there are thousands available.

Editing Process

          The editing process in its simplest terms is the process of editing. It’s as simple as that. However, there is a lot more involved than just that. It is pretty much what you do when you’re editing your chosen piece of media, such as importing, exporting, adding effects (visual/audio) etc. Evidence of this is in my advert for VitaHeat which will be linked at the bottom. In which it shows continuity, seamlessness, jump cutting, parallel editing and appropriate transitions such as cutting, dissolving, fading, and wiping. But most notably is the ‘cutting on action’ within my advert. 

          For my advert I created my own music for it, to avoid copyright issues, and I made the tempo of the music 120bpm (Beats Per Minute) in order to cut on the action of the scene. Each clip was 1 second long for 8 seconds, then 0.5 seconds for 8 seconds and the 0.25 seconds long for 4 seconds. In order to get this to work effectively I had to synchronise the sound and action and overlap some sounds to match footsteps, breathing etc.

Post-Production Tools

          In post-production, you can use many tools in order to craft an excellent piece of media. Such tools are on screen text, image editing and audio editing.

          Below shows an example of on screen text (idents). This is from my advert for the Hot Chocolate Energy Drink called VitaHeat. I added this in order to quickly portray the information I needed to portray and as a contrast to the voice over/narration that had been present for the majority of the clip.

          Image editing is what is says on the tin, it’s editing the image. It could be anything from contrast to saturation levels. This is called colour grading, which used to change the colour levels in your footage. This is remarkably helpful when filming on a rainy day as increasing the brightness and saturation and then tweaking the contrast can make it seem like a perfect summer’s day. An example of this ca be seen below in my VitaHeat advert.

          Audio editing is as straight forward as its name. It basically means anything to do with the audio being changed or edited, whether you change the volume, pitch or even speed. An example of this can be seen below, taken from my Foley task from Unit 38, ‘Lifted’. In this part of the sequence, I had edited a lot of the audio in terms of sound and pitch as there were some sounds that weren’t right and needed changing. That’s were audio editing come in handy.

Unit 16 Editing Blog - Task 2

Task 2
Be able to prepare moving image material for editing

Preparation Techniques

          By having preparation techniques before filming has begun, it helps to make the whole production run a lot smoother than if you went into it without preparation. A film will run into a lot of problems if no preparation has been done, which will take a lot longer to film let alone plan the whole thing. By preparing efficiently and thoroughly, you can make a much more well-rounded production and ultimately a better piece of media.

          One important piece of preparation to do is make sure is logging your shot. This is done on a logging form as shown below:

          This is essential while filming as afterwards you can look back at your logging form and see which shots were shot when and how many take were done but most importantly what take are useable. This is probably the most important part as it allows the editor to see the logging form and look at the specific takes to use in the edit.

          This brings us on to a rushes log, which is very similar to the logging form, however it is specific to what is stated above. Sometimes logging forms and rushes logs are combined to save time and money however keeping them separate helps to keep it simple and understandable to someone who isn’t used to dealing with these 2 pieces of information. Rushes log simply is a list of useable shots from a day of filming. This is done so you know what takes you want to use in the edit and why you wish to use them. It helps with time management and also helps the editor understand what he is meant to be editing.

          An edit decision list is used specifically in post-production during the editing process. It usually contains a list with ordered reels and timecodes, which helps the editor know where the take starts and finishes. This will speed up editing as the editor will look at the list of reels ad timecodes and easily be able to not only get the start and finish just how the director wants it, it also helps with synchronising sound, as in professional shoos the sound is recorded separately from the camera which gives a richer sound and prevents any unwanted mechanical noise from the camera being picked up in the microphone.

          When preparing your work before filming or even planning, it’s always important to produce the work according to your client as it will not only satisfy their creative need on a particular project, it also increases your chance of getting repeat business as they might hire you again or recommend you to another.

Preparing to Edit

          Before you can start editing, you need to prepare and plan what you need to do in order to save time and, in professional cases, money. The longer you take to edit, the more money is being spent, with editing suites costing up to thousands of pounds per day. First, you need to import your footage into editing software, in this case Avid Media Composer. You’ll need to import it and then sort it into different ‘bins’ in order to file them under the right day/shot/scene.

          Also, make sure these files are backed up in at least 3 locations to be safe e.g. a Hard drive, your Computer and perhaps Drop Box. This is done because sometimes your data can become corrupt and it’s safe to have 3 locations where it is saved so you can still access the footage if 1 location becomes corrupt.

          Offline editing is a part of post-production in filmmaking and television production, however it take precedence when using film. Offline editing means that the raw footage is copied and edited without affecting the cameras original footage. The term ‘offline’ is used as it means ‘not under the direct control of another devise’. In today’s world, offline editing is done in a ‘non-liner’ editing suite. The offline editing process is also a lot quicker these days as editors no longer use linear video editing online suites, but use computer hardware and video editing software. Once the offline edit part of the project is finished, the original footage is assembled in the online editing stage.

          Once you have done all of the above and more, you can commence with your editing. By ensuring you have done what has been explained prior, you will have a more productive and time-managed edit, saving yourself and others time and money, but most importantly, it allows you to create an excellent piece of media.

Unit 16 Editing Blog - Task 1

Task 1 

Understand the development and principles of editing

Development of Editing

          Editing has come a long way since the creation of film making. What once was a lengthy, physical process now takes a lot less time and is all done electronically. However, there are many techniques used in the industry that are applicable throughout the ages. In camera editing for example is still used today. It originated back when film was the only source for film making. It involved shooting all the footage in order as to cut the time and money of editing in post-production. This slightly died down with the invention of digital film making as it gave the film maker the opportunity to see the footage they had just shot straight away and decide whether or not to re-shoot a scene. The use of 'in camera editing' is now more appealing to film makers as it saves a lot of time and money being able to see what you've just shot. Although this goes against the traditional art of film making, it does however show a progression in the technology involved.

          Following the action is as simple as it sounds. The camera follows the action. In a filming sense, it means the camera would follow the subject in one way or another. The purpose of this is to make sure that the audience is following what's happening. For example, if a car was accelerating around a corner, the camera would be placed on the front of the car and we would see what the car is doing from its level. Many people put this down to Hitchcock, as he came up with many of the modern day filming techniques. I his famous film Vertigo, we see a dolly zoom which is a perfect example of following the action. Later recreated by Steven Spielberg, this type of following the action is very popular in the modern era for helping the viewer see what's happening.

          Multiple points of view are used in order give the viewer the 'point of view' of a certain character so they can understand the story/character better. This usually involves some kind of jump cut as sometimes there would be a 2 camera setup positioned with 2 characters points of view being shown on screen. Most notably in car scenes with a driver and a passenger, this technique is used as it provides simple camera work with in detail knowledge of 2 different point of views. For example, in Furious 7 this is used quite a bit, especially in the final scene as we see 2 main characters drive off in 2 different directions. We switch between the 2 characters incrementally as to see their 2 different points of view.

          Manipulation of diegetic time and space is when the editor, ordered by the director, alters the speed of the film. This is done to simulate large periods of time being passed, usually in the case of day, weeks or months or maybe even years. For example, in the remake of the Karate Kid, this technique is used in the form of a montage. The scene in question lasts around 15 minutes, however by using this editing technique, the director has created the illusion that week’s/months have passed as we see many locations at different times of day and with the characters all wearing different clothes in every scene. This gives the viewer the impression that a significant amount of time has passed. 

          Analogue editing was the original type of editing. It involved sitting in a room, before computers of course, and done completely by hand. You started with a copy of the film where all the footage was. They then took the film and, by using a splicer, cut it into different parts and then pasted them onto different pieces of film to create cutaways, which then had to be fed through a machine. 

          Digital editing however is a lot different thanks to the invention of computers. Nowadays, the majority of films are shot with digital cameras, which means the film is now on a digital format. This new technology needs to have a way of editing on a computer. Programs such as Avid Media Composer allow anyone to do just what they need to do. It acts as the modern day splicer and more. Avid Media Composer is industry standard and widely accepted as the best editing software for beginners.

Purposes

          In terms of storytelling, you are telling a story. With editing however, it's slightly different. The general purpose of an edit is to tell a story, traditionally that is. An edit is the final re-write of the script but the edit can also be re-written, creating a completely separate sequence. This is most prominent in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, as it is edited in a non-linear fashion in order to tell the story in a different way. Some viewers questioned "Why?" and his answer was that it got people to engage with the film a lot more as they would start trying to make the non-linear story linear in order for them to fully understand. By doing this, a lot more people watched his film which turned out to be a great success. This can also be used to explain how editing can engage the viewer.

          Combining shots into a sequence simply means the process of fitting various clips together and making them flow. It's that simple when looking at it. In the film 'Skyfall' they combine the shots in a flawless way that allows them. By combining the shots into a neat and clean sequence we are presented with a scene that flows and thus tells the story with ease. We don't have to think about what's going to happen next, instead we would rather be shown through the correct sequencing of clips.

Creating pace is when an edit speeds up/slows down a film or television programme, however this technique changes largely depending on the genre of the film you're watching. Action films will often want to create a fast pace to suit the manner of the film, whereas a romantic drama might want to slow things down to get the viewer to engage more with the film and understand its content.

Conventions and Techniques

          Continuity editing is the predominant style of video editing in the post-production process of film making of narrative films and television programs. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.

          Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information. The term has been used in various contexts. It was introduced to cinema primarily by Eisenstein, and early Soviet directors used it as a synonym for creative editing. Bu using a montage in a film, you can simulate a large portion of time to pass but in honesty only 10 minutes of screen time has passed, but due to the quick cuts, various locations and different scenes that we are seeing, we think that a lot of time has passed. Most notably in the film 'Rocky' where the iconic 'training montage' came from. We see Rocky training in different parts of the city, on monuments, in parks, all wearing different clothes in every scene and set in different points of the day. This clearly indicates the passage of time, however we are never sure of the amount of time unless we have on screen text or a trigger somewhere in the scene e.g. a calendar.

          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. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forwards in time. To the viewer, this can be confusing. However, it usually happens at the end of a scene or mid-way through a scene to add depth and perhaps a jump in time.

The 180 degree rule

BTEC Level 3 Film and TV - Storyboard - Paper Face - Kieran Smith

Draft of the storyboard

Finalised version of the storyboard

By Kieran Smith

01154401

Canterbury College

Group A