I start a new project in the right format.
We use PAL because TV in the UK and other areas are in that format. PAL is in 25fps. The sound is set to 48KHz.
I have to change the footage from .MOD to .MPG.
The reason we do this is because a lot of programs don't support MOD which the camera shoots as. There's no need for a conversion program because MOD and MPG are both the same format, just different extensions.
I then import the footage I shot.
If you're shooting something scripted, then it might be easier to only import the footage that you're going to use to save you going through all the clips each time.
I organise the footage into bins to make finding footage easier.
When working with a lot of footage, finding the right clips can be a pain. If you categorise your clips, it'll make finding the one you want a lot easier.
I then put the videos in a scene in one sequence and put them in the right order.
The first thing to do is start arranging your footage in the right order because then you'll be able to follow the script easier. As this was all filmed by the time we started the edit, we decided to edit it chronologically. We'd edit scene by scene, then put all the sequences into one.
I then trim the clips cutting out the parts where there's nothing going on and leave space for any VFX (video effects) shots.
Getting everything trimmed up makes things nice and neat. As the VFX will be done in another program, I will need to leave space for the edits so I know roughly the timing of the sequence.
I also make sure that all the footage is stretched out to not leave any black bars and is all in wide screen to fit the project settings.
I later found out that the cameras shoot in 4:3, and because my project in premiere was in widescreen, I needed to stretch out the video, otherwise I would have black bars on the side.
I open up After Effects to make any required VFX for each shot.
At this point, the effects need to be put on any shots that require them. I won't go through the whole editing sequence for the VFX because that's another topic. We decided we'd have a watch that would have a hologram. I used this video to get an idea on what the animation should look like: http://youtu.be/z1magCv4LtM
I export the footage to use is in premiere.
Once I have the VFX made up, I need to bring that into premiere. I can either bring the after effects project straight in, or export it. I chose to export it to make rendering when editing easier and to stop anyone editing the VFX sequence. In other projects, I will just import the After Effects project so I can make quick changes and not have to keep exporting it.
I place the VFX shots in the timeline where they need to go. Some footage needs to be faded or another smoother transition. Music sometimes needed to be added to increase the feeling of what was happening.
Once all the footage is imported and trimmed up into the right timing, I need to go and make things nicer. Any little tweaks that can improve it get done at this point.
Once all the scenes are put together in each sequence, I then put all the sequences together.
After I have put everything together, I can then export the project.
On a recent project, my FMP, I used a similar technique of editing. I would order all the footage into bins relating to the scene that was filmed. I'd then import this in scene by scene into separate projects. This would help organisation.
I would starting editing it into a rough sequence and timings, then I'd look into extra features like VFX, titles and music. Once I had my rough edit done, I'd check to make sure there wasn't any black frames, and the timing was adequate. I could then if required, colour correct footage just to match it up with the other shots so it looked like it was all part of the same production. I then chose to add on some archive footage.
For my FMP title, I was inspired by BBC's Real Rescues for a more informative style intro sequence. I chose to not use too much graphics as this would have taken up a lot of my time to make. I used Motion to make the titles as this was a quicker way for me to edit the sequence. I decided to use clips from the actual documentary to give a taster of what the documentary was showing. I wanted to create a two shots in one frame, so I used the mask tool to achieve this. I key-framed a lot of the elements in the video to animate shots and texts moving in and out of frame.
When it came to my graphics, I used Adobe After Effects. I froze the video and added overlays to make it look as if it were raining. I made use of solid layers, the mask tool and key-framing. I got inspiration from this video although, I decided to make a more simple version. I added a rain by using a rain generator effect in Adobe.
One of my interviews I shot was with one of the Environment Agency Workers who was working to rebuild the wall. I got inspiration from watching the One Show and The News. These show shows a lot of externally shot videos which contain a lot of cutaways and people talking to the camera. I decided to add a little saturation to the video to make it look a bit more vibrant and tweaked the brightness and contrast to fit in with the rest of the documentary. I put all the shots into a sequence, ordered them and synced the externally recorded audio. I then trimmed up the shots to get rid of any long pauses or any messed up lines. This was when I then looked for cutaways to add in so there were no jump cuts. I aimed for this to be a more informative interview rather than an entertaining one, this is why I had a lot more talking in the video.
I'm not really much of an editor, so most of what was shot could have looked a lot better if someone edited it. I tend to get shots edited so they are a watchable standard. I need to pick up more skills in editing, but this will develop over time.
Once I was happy with the production, I could then export it, and then preview it to a select few to get their opinions. After that, I'd make changes and do the final export.
No comments:
Post a Comment