{"id":804,"date":"2023-12-15T09:09:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T14:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/vat-100-intro-to-video-technology-fall23-singletary\/?p=804"},"modified":"2023-12-15T09:09:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T14:09:27","slug":"editing-the-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/2023\/12\/15\/editing-the-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Editing The Production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of creating a short film or video is editing. The narrative truly comes together at this point. Your movie will be greatly affected by the choices you make regarding the shots you utilize, how you assemble them, and how you use sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Film editing is the art and craft of cutting and assembling finished film. This work is done by a film editor who helps complete the director&#8217;s vision of the movie. The creative choices of an editor are usually a combination of what they think is best for the film and what the director (and producers) want for the finished project. Mostly done during post-production, aspects of film editing can involve physical strips of celluloid film, digital files, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The editing system<\/strong> &#8211; Consists of a computer with editing software, a fast processor,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>high storage capacity, external monitors for easier viewing, and audio listening and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>mixing capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Non-linear editing (NLE)<\/strong> &#8211; is an editing process that enables the editor to make changes to a video or audio project without regard to the linear timeline. It&#8217;s non-destructive editing. In other words, you can work on whichever clip you want in any order. It doesn&#8217;t matter if it lands in the beginning, middle, or end of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Linear Editing <\/strong>\u2013 Linear Editing is the process of making cuts and edits on film. It is destructive and must be done sequentially in order to create a final film print of an edited piece. Essentially, you start editing the project at the beginning and finish at the end, with everything staying in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What&#039;s the Difference Between Linear and Non-Linear Video Editing?\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YEFu0zRiVD4?start=59&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The basic principle of editing is file management.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Stages of Film Editing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Logging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Logging is the process by which the editor watches the raw footage from production, taking note of key moments such as shots that are out of focus or unusable, or moments that are particularly relevant to the story. Logging inside of the editing software usually involves syncing the footage, labeling it with a proper naming convention and color coding as requested by the editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Assembly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The editor is cutting footage that comes in, daily, so that by the end of day 2 all of the footage from day 1 is cut and assembled. This allows the director and producers to watch an assembled version of the scene they shot yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rough cut<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first cut of a film that is complete, with all of the production materials filmed, is known as the rough cut, or editors cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fine cut<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the creation of the fine cut, many small steps occur. The editor, director, and assistants all begin collaborating with the various collaborators on the film. This includes the composer, the post production sound department, the visual effects team, and the colorist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Final cut<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This can include sending revised scenes to the sound mixer, bringing in music cues from the composer, and cutting in new VFX shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Shoot for editing tips<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should be thinking about editing as you plan and shoot your film. The pages about continuity and coverage have advice on how to film shots that will edit together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Select just what the story needs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t be precious about your footage, however proud of it you are. The finished film is the important thing. You may need to leave out some really good stuff if it doesn\u2019t fit. (But don\u2019t delete any clips unless you\u2019re absolutely sure they\u2019re unusable.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Select the important action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose the clips that show the essential action. You can leave out anything that doesn\u2019t help tell the story. Use just the part of the clip that has the action you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Show something new with each edit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Show a different subject, or a different view of the same thing: a different shot size or camera position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vary the shot size and angle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t cut between two very similar shots of the same thing, unless you really want a \u2018jump cut\u2019 for effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step between shot sizes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you cut straight from an extreme long shot to an extreme closeup, viewers won\u2019t understand where the closeup fits into the bigger picture. Use an in-between size like a mid shot to bring the viewer with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use cutaways to hide jumpy edits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have to cut similar shot sizes together, use another shot to hide the join. Add it as a \u2018cutaway\u2019 above the main clips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use a master shot for an overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long shots and extreme long shots remind viewers of where everything fits into the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Get the pace right<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A shot should stay on screen long enough for people to understand it, but not so long that they get bored. Closeups, simple shots, and shots without any action or movement, can be short. Long shots, extreme long shots, and any shots with detail will need to be on screen for longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check that the pace is consistent. Sudden changes of pace look really clunky, whether it\u2019s a shot that out stays its welcome, or one that flashes by too fast to grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use the right transitions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Transitions are the \u2018joins\u2019 between shots. Does your scene show continuous action, or one short space of time? You should use cuts, where the shot goes straight into the next one. If you use fades or dissolves, you\u2019ll confuse people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a cross dissolve or cross fade, the shots dissolve into each other (one image gets weaker while the next shot gets stronger). You can use these to show that you\u2019ve left out a short space of time, or part of a journey. You can use a fade out (usually to black) at the end of a scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fade out followed by a fade in means that a period of time has passed. Wipes and other elaborate transitions don\u2019t usually contribute to storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Edit on the action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you edit while an action is happening, rather than at the beginning or the end, it\u2019ll look smoother. Viewers will concentrate on the movement, not the edit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t cut moving shots to still shots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s jarring if you show something moving in one shot and it\u2019s not moving in the next shot. Let the movement come to an end before you cut to a static shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pay attention to the sound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t have sudden changes in sound level, or dead silence, unless you\u2019re deliberately trying to shock people. Build your soundtrack carefully. When you have more than one audio track, you need to balance the sound levels. You don\u2019t want background sound, or music, drowning out dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use sound that carries across the edit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use \u2018wild track\u2019, \u2018room tone\u2019 or \u2018ambience\u2019 \u2013 background sound from the location \u2013 to avoid silence and keep things smooth. For dialogue scenes \u2013 where you cut between shots of each character \u2013 try using split edits where the sound changes at a different time from the picture. These are also called J-cuts (where the sound changes first) and L-cuts. You can use a J-cut as a sound bridge between separate scenes, where you hear the sound from the new location before you see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keep track of the bigger picture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get so bogged down in one edit that you lose track of how it fits into the sequence. Play several shots together \u2013 or the whole sequence \u2013 to check how it all works together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"9 Cuts Every Video Editor Should Know | Filmmaking Tips\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wv3Hmf2Dxlo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cutting Edge Editing Documentary\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z-uJOyT_7i4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of creating a short film or video is editing. The narrative truly comes together at this point. Your movie will be greatly affected by the choices you make regarding the shots you utilize, how you assemble them, and how you use sound. Film editing is the art &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/2023\/12\/15\/editing-the-production\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Editing The Production&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7573,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-units"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7573"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":811,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804\/revisions\/811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall2023_3000\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}