video editing

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EDITING MEANING Arranging, revising, and preparing a written, audio, or video material for final production , usually by a party (called an editor ) other than the creator of the material. The objectives of editing include (1) detection and removal of factual, grammatical, and typographical errors , (2) clarification of obscure passages, (3) elimination of parts not suitable for the targeted audience , and (4) proper sequencing to achieve a smooth, unbroken flow of narrative. Principles of Video Editing Before discussing all the individual techniques, I would like to introduce several principles, or guide lines, first. Although they are not unbreakable rules, but you will not go deadly wrong if you take them into consideration while editing. For some people, these are rather old, traditional principles. For beginners, and also for experienced video editors in her daily work, these principles are good starting point. Once they would have become your second nature, you can forget about them and start trying to break them. In a sense, these are the big pictures rather than detailed techniques. 1. Continuity 2. Make the edit invisible 3. There should be a motivation for every edit 4. Always deliver a certain message 5. Bear audio in mind 6. Editing is creating 7. Don’t overuse technique or visual effect

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Page 1: Video Editing

EDITING MEANINGArranging, revising, and preparing a written, audio, or video material for final production, usually by a party (called an editor) other than the creator of the material. The objectives of editing include (1) detection and removal of factual, grammatical, and typographical errors, (2) clarification of obscure passages, (3) elimination of parts not suitable for the targeted audience, and (4) proper sequencing to achieve a smooth, unbroken flow of narrative.

Principles of Video EditingBefore discussing all the individual techniques,

I would like to introduce several principles, or guide lines, first.

Although they are not unbreakable rules, but you will not go deadly wrong if you take them into consideration while editing. For some people, these are rather old, traditional principles. For beginners, and also for experienced video editors in her daily work, these principles are good starting point. Once they would have become your second nature, you can forget about them and start trying to break them.

In a sense, these are the big pictures rather than detailed techniques.

1. Continuity2. Make the edit invisible3. There should be a motivation for every edit4. Always deliver a certain message5. Bear audio in mind6. Editing is creating7. Don’t overuse technique or visual effect

 

What is Editing?

      Editing is the process of organizing and transforming recorded material into a document that delivers a message. 

At its simplest, video editing means placing one shot after another to create an organization that makes sense while it presents information or a story.  At the next level of complexity, editing achieves that organization and presentation invisibly.  The audience perceives the program as a simple continuous flow, without noticing that it is carefully built up, one piece at a time, of many separate units of picture and sounds.  At it most sophisticated, editing does more than organize information and present it invisibly.  It does those jobs with

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style, with an emotional character that touches viewer’s feelings as well as their minds.[1] 

     Video editing is part of the creative process that includes writing and directing. In general there are two approaches to editing video.  The first of these processes is Subtractive Editing in which a program is assembled by removing unwanted or duplicative sequences.  Subtractive editing resembles the way one might assemble a photo album one roll at a time.  First you look at all the pictures and discard the ones that contain obvious errors or duplicates.  Then you place them in the album according to when they were taken.  The problem with this approach is that although it presents a cleaner album than the unedited version, there is no control over when and what occurs because you are limited to the sequence or order the pictures were taken. Additive Editing is the process in which a video program is assembled on tape using pictures, sounds, graphics, titles and effects in a predetermined sequence to create a coherent story.

Editing Principles      Editing Principles determine the qualities that you want in your finished program. Editing operations are what you do while editing principles are what you want to achieve by doing it. Editing principles include:

1. Continuity -- the art of organizing and sequencing a program so that it makes sense to the audience.

2. Performance -- the action on the screen must appear believable and should create the intended effect on the audience.

3. Emphasis -- information should be presented with an impact proportional to its importance.  A big bang follows a big event and should serve to direct the audience’s attention to a critical event.  Special effects done for effect are not relevant.

4. Pace -- Pace is the sense of forward movement through the story.  It is not related to time but rather of understanding and interest.  Variety and rhythm are key elements in pacing a story so that the audience absorbs the message without becoming bored.

Video Editing TerminologyThis page provides a few simple video terms to get you started. For more editing terminology, see our glossary or search this site.

Capture Device: A hardware or firmware device used to convert analogue video into digital video.

Compressors & Codecs: Software or firmware used to compress and decompress digital video. Compression makes the file size smaller.

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Editing: The process of rearranging, adding and/or removing sections of video clips. Also, creating transitions between clips. Editing is part of post-production.

Encoding: The process of converting digital video into a particular format, for example, saving a video project in MGEG-2 format for DVD distribution.

Layering: Adding multiple layers of superimposed video.

Linear Editing: Also known as tape to tape editing. A method of editing in which footage is copied from one tape to another in the required order (more info).

Non Linear Editing: An editing method which uses computer software to edit the footage (more info).

Transition: The way one shot changes to the next (more info).

Post Production: Everything that happens to the video and audio after production, i.e. after the footage has been shot. Post production includes video editing, audio editing, titling, colour correction, effects, etc.

Different Types of Video EditingThere are several different ways to edit video and each method has its pros and cons. Although most editors opt for digital non-linear editing for most projects, it makes sense to have an understanding of how each method works.

This page provides a very brief overview of each method — we will cover them in more detail in other tutorials.

Film Splicing

Technically this isn't video editing, it's film editing. But it is worth a mention as it was the first way to edit moving pictures and conceptually it forms the basis of all video editing.

Traditionally, film is edited by cutting sections of the film and rearranging or discarding them. The process is very straightforward and mechanical. In theory a film could be edited with a pair of scissors and some splicing tape, although in reality a splicing machine is the only practical solution. A splicing machine allows film footage to be lined up and held in place while it is cut or spliced together.

Tape to Tape (Linear)

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 for most

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serious work, it still has a place and remains the better option in some cases. It is likely that linear editing will be a useful skill for a long time to come.

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.

Digital/Computer (Non-linear)

In this method, video footage is recorded (captured) onto a computer hard drive and then edited using specialized software. Once the editing is complete, the finished product is recorded back to tape or optical disk.

Non-linear editing has many significant advantages over linear editing. Most notably, it is a very flexible method which allows you to make changes to any part of the video at any time. This is why it's called "non-linear" — because you don't have to edit in a linear fashion.

One of the most difficult aspects of non-linear digital video is the array of hardware and software options available. There are also several common video standards which are incompatible with each other, and setting up a robust editing system can be a challenge.

The effort is worth it. Although non-linear editing is more difficult to learn than linear, once you have mastered the basics you will be able to do much more, much faster.

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Live Editing

In some situations multiple cameras and other video sources are routed through a central mixing console and edited in real time. Live television coverage is an example of live editing.

Live editing is a fairly specialist topic and won't concern most people.

EDITINGAN INTRODUCTION TO EDITING

FROM HOME EDITING TO COMPUTER NLE EDITING

Computer editing programs, are simply the most practical method for complicated edits. If you are going to have many short scenes and various transitions the computer will save you much time. On the other hand if you are simply going to place titles and credits on the tape - you will save time by only building them in the computer, or with your other titleing equipment, and then simply copying from tape to tape.

A primary advantage of using the computer will be the tiny degration of the video signal, I say tiny because - as it works out there are no editing solutions which do not have their own inherent problems.

Editing is changing from one picture or scene to another. If you have noticed in the movies or a television program the scene simply changes - cuts - this is called cuts only editing. When the movie film was being edited, every scene would be one long strip of film. These strips were sorted and hung on pins/nails with all of the loose film hanging into a bag below. As the film was edited together one strip would be glued to the next in the edit process. This was the first cuts only editing.

With Video editing you will copy from one tape to your new edit tape. This means you will be forwarding and rewinding the tape from scene to scene, rather than cutting the strips and sorting them. With videotape any cut on the tape will show up as a glitch when the tape is played. We will use the term cuts only, meaning the scene has no transitions (dissolves, page rolls and such) between them.

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A/B Roll editing allows you to use transisitons, In this type of tape to tape editing, two player VCR's are both playing at the same time, and the record VCR is running. You will have a edit control unit on which you will select the IN POINTS AND OUT POINT FOR EACH OF THE PLAY TAPES, ALSO THE IN POINT ON THE RECORD TAPE and on your switcher you will select the type transition you are going to use. I really recomend that you learn one of the NLE (Non Lineal Edit) systems if you wish to perform this type of editing. The NLE systems are much easier and faster for A/B roll edits.

You will be learn the essentals of editing faster, if you use cuts-only for all of your beginning projects, and You can do it at home with simple equipment.

This is a list of possible things to include in your first finished video.

1. Titles, 2. Narration, 3. Music, 4. Sound effects, 5. Credits.

Editing is a process, which you will do well if you have a plan. On other pages you have learned scripting, and to shoot the scenes, make shot lists, here is where it all comes together.I cannot suggest, or guess what your final video will be, or how it will look. In editing you can and will make your work exciting, informative, or whatever you wish it to be.

You will be buried in all the possibilities in a moment, so now try to keep in mind - that - some of the best movies ever made were edited very simply. Your content, story, pictures, and sounds do not have to fancy to be great. Learn the simple methods and add complexity gradually. To many people try to cover a bad script, poorly shot video with fancy NLE effects.

Shooting video and editing video are two completely different disciplines, The photographer in looking at the finished product, thinks "they only used a few seconds of that scene so I dont have to shoot long scenes" The Editor thinks "I wish the shooter had given me a longer shot". What this should suggest to you is, when shooting make long clips/scenes and when editing dont be afraid to throw shots away or cut them very short. MTV started the use of very short (less than one second clips), this practice can now be found in everything from film movies to news stories.

LOGGING YOUR TAPE

Before you start editing you have to discover what and where the scenes are you are going to use in your program.The logging of your tapes is all important regardless of what editing system you use, because this "SHOT/SCENE LOG", will be used in every editing system.

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There are three different logs kept on the tape themselves, depending on the tape format.1. TIME CODE - time code is a number on the tape, which tells you the exact location of any frame on the tape. This number is on all the digital tapes.2. TIME AND DATE - this is the time hour-minute- and sometimes second the tape was made. Again the tape format will determine this. On the older VHS cameras you had to turn it on, and the date would be showing on the screen, on the newer DV formats this is embedded/hidden on every frame and can be used. This is a fast way to find a clip.3. TAPE COUNTER - this number is the least accurate, especially when you are changing the tape from one player to another. It depends upon the tape being completely rewound to have any degree of accuracy.

If you are making a serious video, you will have a shot-log sheet in the field when you shoot the footage, and you will write the following on the sheet:1. time code number - the start and the ending number of the scene2. the date and time of day3. the description of the scene4. the script page and line numbers5. make appropriate notes about the scene.

Under construction are, these pages, specific for the Fayetteville Community Access Television facility and producers. These pages are only linked here, and are not available on the index page. I really want you to develop a general concept of editing before you jump into the NLE systems.

1. Video Toaster - A/B roll edit suite 2. Fast Edit - NLE SUITE 3. Screen Play - NLE SUITE 4. Adobe Premiere - NLE SUITE

"I am waiting for my access station to submit the information for these pages, August 2000."

Please refer to the Adobe Premiere links page for specific information on Adobe - each of the NLE stations available at CAT will have their own page. The following page is a general article on editing. This will provide you with a basic background.

I maintain that tape to tape editing will never become obsolete, because it is fast and efficient. Not every program requires multiple audio tracks, transitions, other A/B and NLE editing effects. The tape to tape editing allows the creation of nice simple programs with basic cuts between scenes.

FIRST, This page will give you the tools to edit with simple home equipment

Editing the footage you shoot will make the difference between an interesting video and a boring one.

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As a beginner you will have a lot of unusable footage. You will have times where you for got to turn the camera off and you have long scenes of your feet or the sky, there will be the out of focus shots, the embarrassing ones and so on. In editing you will simply get rid of the bad stuff and make a story of the good stuff.

Were you to review the footage of a professional film camera operator, you would probably see - scene after scene of the same thing - and - all of the scenes would look really good. But the scene would have been taken many times just to get the perfect delivery from the talent, or the exact kind of crowd movement.

The Editor, will normally work from a script, and study the footage choosing the best of the scenes. These scenes are put together and audio and effects are added, titles and credits are created and placed in the production.

Lets start with the idea that you do not have professional equipment.

What you have is, a video camera, a home VHS VCR and a television. With these basic tools you can ASSEMBLE a video.

THE PROCESS

First you have to go through your tape(s) and learn where the scenes are you want to use.1. Rewind the tape completely you are going to use as the source tape and ZERO the counter. Now watch the tape, and every place you want to use a scene write the counters number, writes a description of that scene.2. Repeat this process with every tape you are using.3. Your home VCR must be have a flying erase head, this is common with them, This allows the VCR to record over a section with out a glitch, (snow and static being recorded)4. You are playing the tape from your camera to your VCR. Make sure you have plugged the wires in correctly. They are color coded - the yellow plug to the yellow socket - that is video - and - the red and white audio to the red and white sockets for audio. If your VCR only has one audio it will be white - simply plug the white to the white.5. To begin you video it is nice to have a title You can make a title screen by writing a title on a piece of paper and making a video - have at least a minute of the title - 6. Record this title on your VCR edit tapeI suggested a minute because you need to record a little on the beginning before you start your edited video.7. THIS IS CALLED ON-THE-FLY EDITING...a. record your title...b. stop the recorder and push play...c. push pause...d. push rewind - push pause when you see the picture on your television...e. push play and be ready to pause when you are ready for the next scene to begin...f. with the recorder paused, push record, the VCR should be now be in the pause, record mode....g. you will have already found the clip you want to record next. Now remember this is on-

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the-fly editing, -so- you find the clip using the numbers - then back the tape up before the scene is to start.

now - you start the camera/player and watch being ready to UN-PAUSE the record VCR when you want the new scene to start.

...f. stop the record VCR when the scene has ended - note - let a little more be recorded than you want to use - re-cueing the record VCR will be easier.

YOU WILL REPEAT THE ABOVE PROCESS WITH EVERY EDIT. THERE IS NO REALLY GOOD SHORT-CUT FOR THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE ACCURATE.

What you have just read is a simple - but time consuming way to edit your video at home.

CUTS ONLY AND A/B ROLL EDITING

Here you move up to professional level editing equipment. This is commonly called tape to tape editing, and was the only type of editing available until the invention of the NLE (Non Lineal Editor). The NLE systems are computers and all of the editing is done from the hard-drive. I will go into these NLE systems following the tape to tape section.

WHAT IS RECORDED ON THE TAPE

The tape has 4 to 5 distinct and different signals recorded on it on different places on the tape.1. the top - has the control track and (time code - if available DV and pro )this is a narrow track2. a wide area where the video is recorded in tiny diagonal stripes3. two standard lineal audio tracks are below the video track. One for each track the left and the right audio.4. If the video has hi-fi audio this signal is recorded in the diagonal tracks, but the signal is slightly different and is described as being recorded beneath the video.5. The lineal audio tracks can be edited and changed, the hi-fi track cannot, because the video and audio are essentially the same recording.

INDUSTRAL AND PROFESSIONAL TAPE TO TAPE EDIT SUITE

The simplest Tape to tape editor, had one tape player and one record deck, in-between the decks is a control unit. The control unit allows you to cue both of the decks. With the control unit you set an IN-POINT on both decks, and the OUT-POINT, on the appropriate deck.THE EDIT CONTROL UNIT WILL HAVE BUTTONS FOR VIDEO ASSEMBLE - AND INSERT APPROPRIATE DECK?? Now I will introduce - ASSEMBLY EDIT AND INSERT EDIT - the choice of assemble or insert editing is the feature which allows for really professional editing with these systems.

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ASSEMBLE EDIT - Assemble edit is the process I described for the home editing unit, This simply means you start at the beginning and one scene at a time assemble your video into a program.INSERT EDIT - Insert editing, is recording over already recorded tape. The advantage here is a continuous control track has been recorded, this control track allows the editor to be accurate. This can be an almost foolproof method of editing, here is the process to make it so.1. Record a tape with no sound and black for video - this will become your edited program - 2. You will choose INSERT EDIT on the edit control, this function gives you the choice of recording video, channel 1 audio, channel 2 audio, or any combination. 3. to start you will choose all three - and you will record both the video and audio. 4. You will put your video together one scene at a time. You will now be able to go back and change both the video and the audio. For example, you have recorded an after dinner speaker, and have the entire session on your tape, but want to illustrate his remarks. You don't want to change the audio, just the picture.5. On your edit control you will choose - video - to record. 6. on your program tape you will set an IN-POINT and an OUT-POINT where you want the new video to be. 7. on your play deck you will cue up the scene you want and just set the IN-POINT. 8. You will push PREVIEW, and the deck will run and you can see if that is what you really want. . 9. Push record, and you will make the insert edit. 10. AUDIO INSERT - since you have two different tracks for the audio, you can add audio to either or both of them, exactly where you want it. The process is the same as for the video insert.

One of the most frustrating things which can happen to you is to find a break in the control track, this results in snow on the television screen when the tape you have edited it played. The following link, describes how to fix a BREAK IN THE CONTROL TRACK on select editiors.Videoexpert Article, exact instructions on fixing the breakhttp://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/237ctl.htm

AB ROLL EDIT - Here we have the next level of editing, and more equipment to control. 1. two play decks2. one record deck3. one edit control - this will set the in-points on all the decks and the out-point on the appropriate deck.4. one switcher - this unit will allow you to choose the type of Transition, used - cut - dissolve - wipe, and so on -5. the switcher may be a stand-alone unit or a computer such as the Video Toaster. This unit is controlled by a GPI trigger, which synchronizes the tape change and the transition.

AB ROLL EDITING can be a very time consuming process, because of the time necessary to find and cue all of the scenes.Both decks both must back up, cue and roll at the same time. This process alone is time consuming and makes the A/B roll editing, slow.

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TITLES - all of the editors will have some sort of titler connected with them, this unit will allow you to make the title and place it over the video or allow you to make a title page.The titler will have the ability to superimpose the titles over the moving video, or will make a colored title page, and some of them will capture a frame for a still picture.

AUDIO - Most edit suites will also include an audio board. This board allows you to adjust the volume and the pitch of the sound. It also gives you the option of playing Cassettes, CD's, for record on your program.

There are many different companies, which make this type of editor, and a certain amount of practice will be necessary to learn them. Tape to tape editing is a fast and efficient method of editing a program, every videographer should learn both cuts only and AB roll editing.

COMPUTER - NLE - EDITING

With the development of the PC, has come the ability to edit video in the computer. This form of editing will produce the best programs, but is also the most time consuming. With that said will ignore the time consuming part.The Advantages1. Many layers of Video2. many layers of Audio3. Better titling4. Transitions are easy5. everything can be changed - (in tape to tape if you want to remove a section in the middle - you have to start over with the edit at that point)6. the video footage can have the color and quality adjusted.7. there is no GENERERATION LOSS - (generation loss is the big problem with tape to tape editing - every time you copy a tape you loose quality)8. Paint shop programs can be used 9. word processing programs can be used 10. Internet pages can be included.

AUDIO RECORDING SUITES - Here is where our PEG facility falls short.you will find two types of sound rooms in a professional facility- 1. A small soundproof - sound dead (non-reflective walls) room for the creation of voice over audio. 2. Sound stages - These rooms are designed for large production of audio, the room is "tuned" to the audio mixer, this room will also have walls which do not reflect sound and is sound-proofed from the outside.3. The Theatre sound stage, these rooms are large and the microphones used are selective, the room sound, and other sounds simply are not heard, or if heard will be accepted - as in a live production - or the session will be stopped and restarted.Always keep in mind the audio on your video is at least as important as the picture. Some authorities say the audio is 80% of every video.

COMPUTER CONSIDERATIONS

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NLE Editing - this is such a new field that the bugs are still being worked out. There are dozens of editing programs available and many entire systems for sale.

Any computer used for NLE must have:1. 20 to 40 gigs of hard-drive 2. 128 Megs of RAM (memory)3. A good video capture card (analog - SVHS and VHS)(this card will have I/O in VHS and SVHS so you can record out of the computer)4. a DV (ieee-1394) capture card - this card is for the new DV format - there are many individual cards for analog and DV capture, but only a few that include both.5. at least a 17" monitorThere are other details but these are the basics to keep in mind if you are going to buy a system.

The off the shelf system I would recommend today is The new Apple G4 video editing system. Apple has been the leader in graphics for years, and now with the introduction of their newest system. I believe that they may once again take the lead.

This is such a fast moving field, I do not feel comfortable recommending any given system or computer other than the Apple, and truthfully I have not used the Apple. Yet, overall Apple has such a good reputation for dependability and quality in graphic and general operation I feel confident their video computer will measure up.

I will say this - regardless of the computer - the software is going to change rapidly in the next few years, and you may soon have to upgrade. It is certain that you will have to keep learning and studying the programs.

SOFTWARE

SOFTWARE IS THE EDITING PROGRAM, I will recommend the Adobe Premiere program for many reasons, this program has been on the market for years now and the problems have been solved, the program has been continually improved over the year, and many plug in programs have been written for it. All of the programs in the Adobe software package will work compatibly with the video-editing program. Plug in programs, are software programs which make the original program able to do more.

There are many other programs which edit video - they are all similar and all are different. I would say that no matter what program you have available you should be able to create a good program.

Remember this - you will use cuts more often than any other transition - so it doesn't matter how many the editing program offers - it is doubtful that you will use them.

Fact - about the only place you use many different types of transition is the creation of commercials.

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ON LINE EDITING - On Line Editing, is what is going on when you watch a live news broadcast. I will loosely describe the process.This is a major production, with a large crew, you have:1. A producer who is keeping up with the script and directing the director and the talent,2. The Director will operate the main switcher, and direct the crew,the crew will include3. a staff of camera operators4. tape operators5. Character generator operator (Titles) 6. Audio operator.

This is a fast paced process, which cued to the script, reacts second to second, switching from various input sources, including the cameras, tapes, live feeds from remote locations, satellite feeds from networks, Still stores from computers, and assorted audio sources. All of these inputs are pre planned and scripted and the changes called for and executed on an exact to the second rate.

Live News, Sports productions, Theatre, and other events use on line Editing on a daily basis, and all of the network programs live and taped. This is the most common of all professional production techniques. In practice you will see variations in the crew size, but the stations will be loosely the same. There will also be a prompter operator, this person is responsible for playing the script, which the talent reads, This is a studio operation and I will elaborate on this in the studio chapter, other chapters will have references and descriptions also.In the Studio, On-Line Editing, you will learn team effort.

INTRODUCTION

Video editing is both an Artistic and Technical process in which a collection of video material (footage) is compiled and altered from its original form to create a new version.

The artistic process of video editing consists of deciding what elements to retain, delete, or combine from various sources so that they come together in an organized, logical, and visually pleasing manner.

The technical process of video editing consists of copying the various elements onto a single video tape (or CD Rom, or other media) for final viewing or distribution.

TYPES OF VIDEO EDITING

Linear Editing - This process is basically mechanical in nature, in that it employs the use of Camcorders, VCR's, Edit Controllers, Titlers, and Mixers to perform the edit functions. This editing technique is performed in linear steps, one cut at a time (or a series of programmed cuts) to its conclusion.

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Non-Linear Editing - Gaining in popularity quickly due to advances in technology, pricing, and product availability, this method of video editing utilizes the computer environment to aid in the editing process. This process is almost entirely digital and employs no mechanical functions except for the input of the video sources and its final output to Tape or CD. Editing in this environment is essentially is a visual Cut-and-Paste method.

NOTE: Linear and Non-Linear video editing techniques be combined, and often are, within the same video production and will be discussed later.

LINEAR EDITING

Linear Editing consists of three main categories:

1. In-Camera Editing: Video shots are structured in such a way that they are shot in order and of correct length. This process does not require any additional equipment other than the Camcorder itself, but requires good shooting and organizational skills at the time of the shoot.

2. Assemble Editing: Video shots are not structured in a specific order during shooting but are rearranged and unneeded shots deleted at the time of transferring (copying). This process requires at the least, a Camcorder and VCR. the original footage remains intact, but the rearranged footage is transfered to a new tape. Each scene or cut is "assembled" on a blank tape either one-at-a-time or in a sequence.

There are two types of Assemble Editing:

A Roll--Editing from a single source, with the option of adding an effect, such as titles or transitioning from a frozen image the start of the next cut or scene.

A/B Roll--Editing from a minimum of two source VCR's or Camcorders and recording to a third VCR. This technique requires a Video Mixer and/ or Edit Controller to provide smooth transitions between the sources. Also, the sources must be electronically "Sync'd" together so that the record signals are stable. The use of a Time Base Corrector or Digital Frame Synchronizer is necessary for the success of this technique.

3. Insert Editing: New material is recorded over existing footage. This technique can be used during the original shooting process or during a later editing process. Since the inserted footage is placed over the unwanted footage some of the original footage is erased.

Types of Video Transition

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Cut

The most common transition — an instant change from one shot to the next. The raw footage from your camera contains cuts between shots where you stop and start recording (unless of course you use built-in camera transitions).

In film and television production, the vast majority of transitions are cuts.

Mix / Dissolve / Crossfade

These are all terms to describe the same transition — a gradual fade from one shot to the next.

Crossfades have a more relaxed feel than a cut and are useful if you want a meandering pace, contemplative mood, etc. Scenery sequences work well with crossfades, as do photo montages.

Crossfades can also convey a sense of passing time or changing location.

Fade

Fades the shot to a single colour, usually black or white. The "fade to black" and "fade from black" are ubiquitous in film and television. They usually signal the beginning and end of scenes.

Fades can be used between shots to create a sort of crossfade which, for example, fades briefly to white before fading to the next shot.

Wipe

One shot is progressively replaced by another shot in a geometric pattern. There are many types of wipe, from straight lines to complex shapes.

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Wipes often have a coloured border to help distinguish the shots during the transition.

Wipes are a good way to show changing location.

Digital Effects

Most editing applications offer a large selection of digital transitions with various effects. There are too many to list here, but these effects include colour replacement, animated effects, pixelization, focus drops, lighting effects, etc.

Many cameras also include digital effects, but if possible it is better to add these in post-production.