Editing Techniques

There are many ways to edit. Almost as many as there are people. Editing is an art that can take a poorly acted, poorly written movie and make it into something that’s at least half decent. Everyone will find their own personal preferences when editing, but the following sites address some specific basics that will help you get started.

http://www.infoweb.co.nz/video-editing-basics

This site addresses, in a more general context, the basics of
editing. It is set up like a Frequently Asked Questions page, so you
can click on the links at the top to go to the specific areas that you
have interest in.

Pay special attention to the following topics:

Shooting to Edit
Post-Production
Just How Difficult is Editing?

Editing is Really Just Copying…

http://www.borgus.com/think/hitch.htm

This site talks about how Alfred Hitchcock (remember Psycho?) used editing in his final productions. We have talked about how the Shower Scene in Psycho creates most of its suspense through editing and cinematography–and by playing with the audience’s mind. The author of this websites goes into more detail and talks about various techniques.

Example Shooting Schedule

I found this very interesting link for an example of a shooting schedule. It’s apparently for a movie called “Elvira’s Haunted Hills” featuring the wildly popular 80s horror/comedy star Elvira.

The movie itself is probably not going to be that great, or at least probably like every single other Elvira movie…but what I think is interesting is that even on an obviously low budget film like this, the organization and planning that goes into shooting is immense. The producer and director of this movie have EVERYTHING planned out.

They know exactly which shots will be shot when and who exactly needs to be there. They have the camera shots planned out, all of the makeup planned, props, locations…etc. AMAZING!

from the website…

The making of a feature-length film requires very careful, elaborate planning and coordination. There is a tremendous responsibility to meet the needs of the director and artists, the cast and production crew and filming permits. Despite unforseeable events such as changes in the weather when on outdoor locations or changes in the actors’ health, an error in scheduling  can be very costly.

It’s just as I’ve been telling you all along. To movie studios (especially small ones) TIME is MONEY.

Parents Update.

 

This week, we have been, and will be focusing on the final stages of pre-production. The students are completing scripts, drawing storyboards, and generally discussing the logistics of making their movies. The process has, so far, been amazing. The groups themselves have generally been on task and following my instructions and the instructions of their group leaders. I am proud of the initiative that I see and am excited to see the finished products.

This update includes the pictures below, as well as all of the posts since the last update. I encourage you (parents) to browse through the websites that your kids have been using to gain a deeper knowledge of film making. You might learn something too!

Picture Update

SCRIPTS!

Don’t forget that your scripts, typed and finished, are due tomorrow…

10/24/06

More Filmmaking Tips…(and yet another fake blood site)

More resources for you to shake a stick at….

http://www.geocities.com/penginproductions/filmtips.html

This site goes into more depth about film making than the one listed below.  It is also written by someone who has experience in professional filmmaking;  Jeff Cook who is a part of Penquin Productions, an indie production company that WAS based in Indianapolis, IN.

http://www.halloween-website.com/fake_blood.htm

And….as promised, another fake blood recipe site.  It’s really for Halloween, but that shouldn’t matter.

Basic Filming Techniques

Pretty soon all of you will begin filming your movies.  While there are many details to remember when filming, this site lays out a few of the more important things to remember.

Basic Filming Tips

Beware the Hose Pipe!

Avoid the “hose pipe” method of filming. This “technique” refers to pointing the camera and filming continuously, swaying around and not settling on anything and is one of the traps that many video editors fall into when they first start filming. It looks very unprofessional and makes editing a nightmare. You should always try and shoot scenes separately, in a logical manner. Try to stay on a scene for around 8 seconds. This allows you to edit a scene down if necessary. Remember, you can’t add it back if it’s not there to begin with! Most editing software has an automatic scene detection system that breaks your footage into separate files when a new scene starts. This makes it a lot easier to reassemble the footage for editing and gives you full control over the editing process. Even if your software doesn’t support this process, if the camera footage is broken into discreet scenes, it’ll be a lot easier to import for video editing.

Zoom!

Burghhh!Don’t over use zoom. If you need a lot of close up shots, zoom the camera in first, then start shooting. Otherwise you’ll end up giving your audience motion sickness. If you can, move closer to your subject and avoid zoom entirely. It’ll improve picture quality.We

Thank the Tripods.

Get a Tripod. You won’t regret it. Sometimes reportage style camera shake and wobble isn’t ideal, especially for more formal occasions. Investing in a tripod will immediately make your footage smoother and more professional for a minimal outlay.

Label the Tapes

This may sound patronising to experienced video editors, but put the stickers on the Mini DV tape before you put it in the camera. Write a description on the label when you take it out. It sounds obvious, but it’ll save you hours when searching for specific scenes if you have a lot of tapes. Always set the write protect tabs on tapes you want to keep.

Find the Action First

Try to take the time to frame your subject before you start filming. Let the subject fill the scene in order to eliminate distractions. Not only will you save tape, you’ll have a better video to show for it in the end.

Let there be Light

Make sure there’s enough light before shooting. Outdoors in daylight is normally fine, but don’t shoot into direct sunlight. If shooting indoors, make sure that the lights are turned on if there’s not enough illumination from the windows. Some Digital Video camera’s have lights built into them. These will drain the batteries in minutes. So it’s best to use them only when the camera is plugged into mains power.

Video Editing: Basic Filming Tips and MiniDV advice for New Video Editors

Pioneers in the blogging field…

You all have to check out my fifth hour movie group’s (aptly titled “Movie Group”) blog they set up for their movie. Way to go…You guys had to be creative after coming up with that lame name. 🙂 I would love to see more movie group blogs on the net…

Go here or here (read the first post) to find out how to do it.

Due Dates…..

Finished Scripts are due:

Tuesday 10/24/06

Finished Storyboards are due:

Friday 10/27/06

Unit Test over Storyboarding and Scriptwriting:

Thursday 10/26/06

"Mish mosh” of sites to check out…

The following sites deal with storyboarding, composition of shot, the camera you will use in class, and screenwriting tips.

YOUR TASK:

To browse the following sites looking for things that might be
useful to your group and then report back to them.  You and your partner should be taking notes on the things you find useful on the sites.

Your materials:

• A pen
• A piece of paper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard

Wikipedia is always a good place to start when you want to know more about something.  This articles goes a little more in depth on storyboards.

http://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/storybd/

This site is set up kind of like a Frequently Asked Questions page with lots of helpful hints and suggestions on storyboarding.

http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/TechHelp/VideoHelp/aGoodStuffToKnow/ShotComposition.html

Shot composition (also called mise-en-scene) refers to where the subjects of a shot are placed.  These two sites address some basic rules for composition.

http://www.easycamcorders.com/content/Quick-Review-Camcorders-Canon-ZR500.htm

These are the cameras we are going to use in class. You should familiarize yourself with them.

http://www.scottspears.net/m_nightarticle.htm

This article features one of my favorite filmmakers (M. Night Shyamalan) and discusses some basic tips for screenwriting.

Also…If you have not done so already, scroll down to see some pictures of yesterday’s class.