Task 3 - Be able to edit moving image material

Editing Technology:

Software Applications:

Software applications more specifically editing software enables you to customize and edit video and audio to an industry standard, depending on your experience with this type of software. The type of editing software can also vary in quality and finding the ideal one is really only down to experience, however there are a few that are recommended:

• Sony Vegas - Supplied by Sony
• Premiere Pro - Supplied by Apple
• Media Composer - Recommended by the Film Industry

Then aren't generally something you'll use if you're starting off in this medium of work and there are other software can can act as a good stepping stone to reaching more sophisticated editing software. 

Hardware e.g. Non-linear and Linear:

Non-Linear: This is a form of editing that acts almost like a safety mode as the changes that you make aren't final and can be reversed at the push of a button without any damaged to the material that you are using. Editing in Non-linear can be accomplished with all editing software like Premiere, Sony Vegas, Media Composer and even lower standard editing software like iMovie and Moviemaker.  

Linear: However editing in linear doesn't have those benefits that Non-linear has. Editing this way can come with some great risks as the changes you're making can't be reversed without damage to the original material. This type of editing isn't as universally used as much anymore and has been overthrown by Software Editing. Editing of this form include editing with physical film.

High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD):

HD -  One of the most demanded things in media is how much we can get our movies and games to look like reality; seriously someone sued Sony Entertainment once about a game that said 1080p graphics in multiplayer for PC when it was really just under. SO people really demand this sort of quality. To reach this sort of standard on Television High Definition or HD for short is used to define the picture quality for video which can reach up to 720p to 1080p to all the way to 8k! however while this does mean a detailed image the one main draw back is file size and download time.

SD - Standard Definition isn't to at all be compared to HD as SD is designed to be of a lower quality with lesser pixels, going about as high as 480p. The difference isn't immediately noticeable however the positives to SD is small file size and a lightening fast download time.   

Tapes and Hard Disc:

Tapes - Tapes aren't used as much in this modern age of media, everything is done digitally now so technology like tape hasn't had the spotlight for a number of years now. Tape if you didn't know is used to store data; primarily audio and video, that is a highly thin sheet that can be rolled into a circle and can be stored in rounded containers. This devices's storage can exceed 5TB (Terra-byte) and have a life expectancy of around 15 years if stored correctly. Originally these would've been found in all film based products like Cassettes and VCRs but has since stopped in production and have become a mere relic of the 20th century. 

Hard Disc - Now the most used and most common form of storage is hard disc. Having a storage capacity of around 4TB these fair without storage and don't require the treatment that tape does, however where hard disc may be the newest form of storage for film and audio; the life expectancy is usually between 1-3.

Editing Process:

Use Appropriate Techniques:

The way that the edit is pieced together creates the feeling that the main action is constantly consistent to the previous clip without an obvious jump between the cuts. As if it were filmed with two cameras

Montage:

A series of clips that last a short amount of time but actually form a short story of what's happened with that time while only lasting around a minute or slightly more.

Jump-Cutting:

A camera technique that involves editing together the same series of shots however in each on is a slightly different camera angle. It's usually used as a manipulation of space and time.

Parallel Editing:

Two sequential events that appear to be taking place at the same time. This can be used to misdirect the view or to confuse them. 

Use appropriate transitions:

Cut - A simple cut between tow shots without any interruption between the two. This is most used and appears in every blockbuster movie. 

Dissolve - An effect used to transition to another shot with the previous shot appearing to dissolve into particles slowly into the next shot.

Fade - A simple transition between two shots with the previous shot fading away either quickly or slowly until it is not visible into black

Wipe - An effect where the previous shot wipes to the next shot. This is largely used in George Lucas's Star Wars.

Use appropriate conventions:

Cutaways - These are a technique which are used often by editors instead of using a simple cut or transition. A Cutaway is where there is a longer scene that is cut to another shot at is typically unrelated or parallel to the previous shot. For example; there is a shot of a man making his way down a pier during a sunny day. It then cuts to a Seagull feeding on some chips that have been dropped on the floor and then cuts back to the previous shot of the man walking along the pier.

Cutting on action - A technique where a series of shots follow the same action that a character is making. This is used as a way of creating continuity between shots and makes a scene quicker while delivering the same action that just filming the exact same scene in one shot.

Intercutting: A technique where a shot cuts to different type of shot i.e. a long shot to a wide shot.

Pace Effectively: 

Pacing between clips and scenes is VERY important and crucial for every scene within the previously mentioned products. If you edit clips where there isn't enough time between them or certain clips running for too long then it will effect the product's quality. If shots are cut too shortly then not only will it appear unnatural but ultimately that clip is useless and wasted. Running shots longer than their welcomed are also bad because again; it feels unnatural but it's also boring especially if there isn't anything actually happening that advances the plot in ANY way. Example time.
 Personally for me, I find this not only a waste of time but also a waste of film. It's boring and unnecessary.

Fast Pacing -
The Italian Job-

Slow Pacing -
The King's Speech-

Use sound to create impact:
Using sound effectively can reap great rewards; some of those rewards is either watching people scream when that ghost finally appears with a terrifying sound after a minute of silence or witnessing the crunch of a well caught punch on-screen or that flaming alien robot that had that ear ringing explosion. It sound that really creates that thrilling experience that consumers look for in film and being able to effectively use it can be very beneficial.
 A great example of this would be the final battle in the third Star Wars episode where you can hear the two lightsabers connect like flaming swords not to mention the effect they added for their force powers like intense wind being forced forward.

Synchronize sound and vision:
 Being able to line up audio and video can be rather difficult because you need to get it to line up perfectly otherwise your edit will come out looking like a shoddy job, unnatural or maybe even both. So it's vital that something to make this job easier would be advisable. The most used way of doing this that every film and tv industry would be to acquire a Clapper Board. These are primarily used to fix the issue that I mention earlier. The clapper board creates a 'clap' like sound that'll be evident in the audio version of a scene while in the video equivalent; you'll see someone position the clapper board in front of the camera and slam to top half onto the bottom of the clapper board. It's this that you use to line up the 'clap' sound with the connection of the two halves of the clapper board. So issue avoided.

Task 2 - Be able to prepare moving image material for editing

Preparation Techniques:

Checking material for faults: before the start of any edit, you'll need to check to ensure that any of the actual material for any issues and damage. This is required to spot any faults early to avoid problems when the time comes to edit for a project.

Faults can include: erosion, damage to tape (Wearing around the edges and scratches)

Synchronizing Rushes: Being able to line up audio and video can be rather difficult because you need to get it to line up perfectly otherwise your edit will come out looking like a shoddy job, unnatural or maybe even both. So it's vital that something to make this job easier would be advisable. The most used way of doing this that every film and tv industry would be to acquire a Clapper Board. These are primarily used to fix the issue that I mention earlier. The clapper board creates a 'clap' like sound that'll be evident in the audio version of a scene while in the video equivalent; you'll see someone position the clapper board in front of the camera and slam to top half onto the bottom of the clapper board. It's this that you use to line up the 'clap' sound with the connection of the two halves of the clapper board. So issue avoided.

Producing a Rushes Log: A rushes log is used to informs film crews what is in need of being recorded and also what needs re-recording. These are a way of telling others of what they'll need to complete a project in terms of filming in case of the event of lack of footage or even damaged footage.

Marking up a script: Being able to mark up a script is not only good practice for voice actors/actresses but it's also great for delivering on a quality performance for either a project or a client. When given a script it's important to not only read through it but also to leave notes on certain words that need more emotion and directions on how to deliver particular lines.

Labelling tapes: Labelling tapes is ideal for an editor when sifting through material as it can save them time when looking for certain tapes. rather than sitting through an entire length of tape, by putting at the start; what scene, what take and who is in the scene can be one unnecessary task out of the way and the editor can carry on with their part of the job description. 

Storing tapes or film: This is vital to ensuring that the material that an editor is using or is planning to use later on is protected from the harsh elements of the outside so as to maintain the integrity of the material's condition. An ideal fashion to do this is to contain the material within a container (Hence the name) which can hold a roll of tape or film to hold them in a safe environment to be stored into an area i.e. a storage room where you can keep a collection of containers holding all your material.

Producing an edit decision list: or an EDL for short is a physical copy listing edits of clips complete with the order of reel and their timecodes to plan ahead of the final edits. These are used to write down what edits are to be carried out at what points and at what order clips are to be edited together before the actual final edit. This is especially useful as changes can be made along the way in case new shots are taken or if entire new scenes are introduced.

Creating Bins: The basics of creating bins is a terms used as a way to filter film and audio in sub categories as to ensure that an editor knows where to locate the material without having to waste time searching through a giant list comprising of film and audio. Being able to go into a bin labelled film and searching for a specific shot can save a considerable amount of time. 

Clarifying the purpose of the work with a client or director: Being able to continue with your work with as little stress is to ensure that your employer whether they're an actual client or your director is they are up to date with the progress with the project and that you're doing a good job. The last thing you want is having someone look down your neck and making as little progress as you would do if you had kept up to date.

Preparing to Edit:

Importing Clips: To prepare for editing, you'll first require the material you need to begin. Otherwise you're going nowhere. So to get a hold of your material, you'll need to import some of the material (Footage/Audio) that you or a team has taken straight from the storage device that it was contained in.

Bins: Now you'll need to allocate where your material will be placed so as to edit efficiently as possible i.e Footage Bin - where clips are placed, Audio Bin - where all audio based material is kept.

Timelines: Setting up timelines according to how your EDL tells you is important as you'll want to know how many slots in your timeline you'll require for both video and audio.

Storage and folder management: Being able to manage how you set up your storage is highly efficient as it can save you considerable amount of time if all your material is stored in allocated folders that are labelled correctly rather than everything being either scattered throughout unlabelled folders or are all in a data sea on one folder.

Online and Offline editing: 

Offline - This is a pre-production process where footage and audio are edited together without affecting the original material. This is where companies will have put together their first edit which is where this edit then goes over to the online editor.

Online - A post-production process where an online editor will obtain an offline version of the final edit which is where he/she will include additional effects, visual tweaks, filters and additional renders.

Formats: Once editing has finished the journey isn't over yet for there is one final step to take. The final export of the finished product. However with exporting there are a variety of different formats to export your project into, some of which are:

• MPEG - The most common and used in modern media
• AVCHD - Similar to MPEG however is best suited for HD exports onto DVD
• MOV - An extension of Apple's QuickTime Player which compacts video, audio and effects and text into one format that can be also be easily edited without any permanent changes to the original material.
• AVI - A slightly outdated format that's used to store video and audio and are supported by most smart TVs and Disc players.
• WMV - Is used to export video as a smaller file but at the cost at a lower quality. It is however supported by most applications and systems including Microsoft's Xbox 360 console

Resolution: Resolution is what dictates the overall quality in pixels and dimension of the final export. Most commonly written down as width x height as the dimension i.e. 1920 x 1080.



Task 1 - Understanding the developement and principles of editing

Video Editing Blog

This blog will be dedicated on my understanding of editing techniques to show that I do indeed have an understanding of each one:

In-camera editing: This technique is used when film studios want to save time by filming in order of shots rather than filming various scenes in in a non-sequential order. This way, when they're content with their shots and render them into an editing tool e.g. Media Composer, Premiere Pro. The scenes are already in the correct order for editing.

Following the action: This an type of shot used by camera operators and can be seen in countless TV shows and feature length films. Its simply where the camera follows the main element of the scene. For example; During the first part of the seventh Harry Potter film, there is a scene where Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron(Rupert Grant) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are being chased by a group of wizards known as 'Snatchers', who work for the dark lord 'Voldemort'.

During the scene are prime examples of this very action where the characters are being followed by the camera at certain points with a number of different shots thrown in.

Multiple points of view: This is one of the more complex angles since it involves looking from different points of view or POV for different characters within one scene. It's about looking at their perspective of a scene or situation. e.g.  During the final battle in the first Iron Man, the scene where the main antagonist is defeated. We see the scene from the Iron Monger's (Jeff Bridges) point of view along with Pepper's (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr). Interestingly enough, this particular scene was actually cut down with the final cut of the movie either to fit the maximum movie run time or because the scene dragged on a bit too long.

Shot variation: Using shot variation means that when shooting scenes, it's always a great idea to film certain shots using a variety of different angles to help the scene run more smoothly and more uniquely. The best way to describe this would be to use an example

Manipulation of diegetic time and space: In film and TV (primarily film) some stories can span years at a time. However studios cannot fit an entire timeline into a 2-3 hour feature film. So to cut through these years, the studio will use Manipulation of diegetic time and space which involves a transition through time in such a way that we can still gather what is happening. E.g. from child to adult. This could simply be a time-lapse or something a bit more imaginable. An excellent example of this very technique being used would be another scene from the Harry Potter collection. This time, the scene below is from the third instalment of the series, 'The Prisoner of Azkaban', where Harry and Hermione jump back in time to save Sirius Black (An innocent man) escape a room in Professor Flitwick's Office.

Purposes:


Storytelling: When it comes to a film or music video or maybe even a television show is obviously the story. Without one, where is everything going? who are these people? why am I paying to watch this? Storytelling is the bread and butter of the Media Universe. It's what drives every article in the news and its what takes us through a film which I will mainly focus on. If there is one thing that a film needs, it's the story. You may have amazing visuals complete with explosions (Michael Bay) however if your plot isn't up to scratch then it'll most likely flop. When consumers go to a cinema to view what should be an amazing experience, then they need to be gripped into the film, immersed into it's universe and lore. Encountering a multitude of characters and exploring their backstory and truly feel their loses and pains. I've seen examples of this and my most recent memory of this would have to again Harry Potter with the scene Dobby the House Elf died where people literally cried in theatres.

When you make people ball over and cry; you know you've done something right. To experience something that would otherwise be impossible.


Combining shots into sequence: The art of combining a collection of clips and audio to create an understandable linear/non linear storyline is key to film. Unless you're aiming at confusing your audience with extremely twisted storylines and endings like for example; Donnie Darko and Inception. These two present very different ways of confusing their audience; Donnie Darko since it involves the theory of time-travel and ghostly apparitions from the future and Inception for it's involvement with the concept of dreams within dreams. These require piecing together to fully understand what is happening which you don't get with most feature films. I'm mentioning this because while these are brilliant films, the style of editing that's been place on them an ideal example of combining shots into sequence because while they are hard to get your head round, they weren't just thrown together.

Creating Pace: This is another factor into editing films, music videos etc. Pacing between clips and scenes is VERY important and crucial for every scene within the previously mentioned products. If you edit clips where there isn't enough time between them or certain clips running for too long then it will effect the product's quality. If shots are cut too shortly then not only will it appear unnatural but ultimately that clip is useless and wasted. Running shots longer than their welcomed are also bad because again; it feels unnatural but it's also boring especially if there isn't anything actually happening that advances the plot in ANY way. Example time.
 Personally for me, I find this not only a waste of time but also a waste of film. It's boring and unnecessary.

Fast Pacing Example -

Slow Pacing Example -

Conventions and Techniques:

Seamless: Where in novels, film and television; the storyline is constantly consistent to its plot without diverting from its original path. As if it were taken in one shot but not literally.

Continuity: Where certain elements and plotlines from earlier in a film's storyline or from a previous episode is either mentioned or reused later in the story.

Motivated: A technique that almost all films have. It's where an object, character or anything previously not referenced in any frame appears i.e: Two characters are sat in a box shaped room with a door at a high angle shot until the shot changes to a long shot of the tow characters with the door in view where a completely new characters walks in.

Montage: A montage is a collection of short clips with up beat music playing over them. The use of this technique is commonly used for a length of time where a character or a group of characters are engaged in an event that may impact the narrative of the story's plot but to cut time, editors use this to chop up the clips and link them together while still making sense.

below is an example taken from the beginning of the hilarious Hot Fuzz by Cornetto Studios:

Jump-Cutting: This technique involves the use of cutting to a different shot, however rather than being focused on something different. Jump-Cutting is about focusing on the same person or object just at a slightly different angle. This can be used for certain things in film and TV; sometimes it is used as a form of inducing a feeling of in-superiority, while is also used to make scene appear quicker.

For an example, this is a clip taken from Royal Tenebaums where the scene in the bathroom constantly jump-cuts to different points where the bloke is cutting his hair. The camera remains static throughout the entire part of this scene however it creates gaps between each clip to make the shot feel quicker.

Parallel Editing: Parallel editing is where two seemingly separate scenarios are edited together simultaneously one after the other. This means that these two scenes are probably happening at the same times as each other only in different locations. This is used sometimes as a way of building tension like if a criminal has hostages at gun point in an apartment block at which point will see the police climb the stairs of said apartment.

As an example. This is a clip from The Silence of the Lambs where police are attempting to apprehend a man equip with a gun.

Another more recent example of this would be from The Dark Knight where Batman and the police are trying to save Harvey Dent and Rachel. However things get very mixed up in the process.

180 Degree Rule: This involves the actual placement of a camera. Say for example if you were to imagine an invisible line known as the 'Line of Action', with one person at one end while another person is at the other. They are engaged in a conversation with each other. Now imagine an 180 degree (A half circle) on one side of the line so it resembles this. This curve is where cameras are only to be place at a time. This technique is used to ensure that viewers are not confused into thinking sudden changes of character placements in a room.

Splicing: This technique involves the use of cutting physical film and replacing then into different points on the stretch of film. This is used as a way of editing together separate pieces of film to form a physical track. This technique was recently used on films such as Super 8.

Transition: This another technique that is used for bridging the gap between different shots. These can be as simple as a cut between to more sophisticated transitions such as wipes, fades, a zoom-by. These are used as a means of making these bridges more interesting and engaging for viewers.

Cutaways: These are a technique which are used often by editors instead of using a simple cut or transition. A Cutaway is where there is a longer scene that is cut to another shot at is typically unrelated or parallel to the previous shot. For example; there is a shot of a man making his way down a pier during a sunny day. It then cuts to a Seagull feeding on some chips that have been dropped on the floor and then cuts back to the previous shot of the man walking along the pier.

Point-of-View Shot: Just like it sounds; this is a shot that is commonly used typically in horror themed television shows and films. It's where the camera is placed a character's eyes a located depending on the previous shot and the view that you are experiencing is the character's point of perspective.

Providing and Withholding Information: This is the process used in film and tv which involves how much information the narrative gives. Some take away information from the audience which can either mislead or confuse them or alternatively; the narrative can offer more information. Giving the audience more perspective of what's happening in a story's narrative.

Editing Rhythm: This is where clips are edited together in sequence to what's happening in the scene e.g. If we have a car chase scene; the clips will edited together to be more fast paced where as a calm scene about a man playing a piano, then the clips will be paced to be slower to fit with the scene's mood.

Cutting to Soundtrack: This is somewhat similar to Editing Rhythm but rather is a technique that cuts to a soundtrack which means how the clips are motivated by the sound within a scene.