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Everything You Need to Know About Professional Editing

A Back to Basics Guide Everything You Need to Know About Professional A Back to Basics Guide

video editing v

the process of digitizing recorded into a piece of editing software, rearranging the shots and scenes into an order of clarity and preference.

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Contents

Why you should read this eBook 04

Introduction 06

Pre edit considerations 08 i. Production Organization 09 ii. Getting the Shots 09 iii. Labelling and Numbering Rushes 10 iv. Logging Rushes 10 v. That’s a Wrap 11

Getting to the edit 12 i. Choosing an Editor 13 ii. Choosing an Edit System 13 a. Final Pro 14 b. 15 c. Avid 16 d. Minimum System Requirements 17

Stepping into the cutting room 18 i. Digitizing Rushes 19 ii. Organizing and Viewing the Rushes 20 iii. Devise a Structure 21 iv. Make a 21 v. Choosing Music 22 vi. Adding Transitions 23 vii. The Fine Cut 24

Final processes 25 i. The Tracklay 26 ii. The Online 26 iii. Export and Delivery 27 iv. Reversioning 27

Conclusion 28

About this eBook 30 i. About the Author 31 ii. About Aframe 32

3 Everything You Need to Know About Professional Video Editing A Back to Basics Guide

1. Why you should read this eBook

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Why you should read this eBook

This eBook will outline the process of creating and editing a professional video. From considerations of what to take on location during the production period, to outlining the basic steps of the editing and post production process, the aim is to educate, innovate and inspire.

In brief, Everything You Need to Know About Professional Video Editing will teach you how to:

• Plan for the edit • Copy and organise files • Create a project • Refine timeline to desired time as well as adding transitions, effects & graphics • Balance the audio • Export the project • Maybe even win yourself an award!

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2. Introduction

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Introduction

Professional editing is a serious business and could mean the difference between a triumph and a flop. Successful editing generates trust from commissioners and clients, which can effectively keep professional companies in business.

It is, therefore, incredible to think that editing was not always part of the process. In the early days of cinema, Some editors look at were recorded in a linear fashion and cameras were placed without thought to compositional or emotional an empty sequence considerations - even lighting wasn’t seen as essential. as a painter looking “ Of course, technology has come a long way from sticking at a blank canvas. It’s individual cells together via a tape splicer. more like a plumber dealing with a leaky There are three fundamental stages to modern video editing, which are similar to the three-act structure ofa tap. film, the process of production has a beginning, middle and an end: - Anonymous Beginning: Pre-production is the compositional stage, ” where the outline of the video is created. Middle: The production stage is where filming takes place, recording the vision on screen.

End: Post production, perhaps one of the most important steps, is where the recorded footage is organized, then stitched together in an editing room and where the initial pre-production vision will be bought to life.

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3. Pre Edit Considerations

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Pre Edit Considerations

Production After months of hectic location scouting, casting key characters, early starts and late nights, the filming period will come to a close sooner than Organization expected.

Regardless of what genre of video you are producing, it is essential to shoot correctly to achieve an efficient post production process. This means providing the editor with all the shots he or she could need. Alarmingly some projects can turn up compromized in the edit due to poor audio, lighting and even planning. To avoid this, an in-depth pre-production stage is encouraged so that when on location or on set an organized production is achieved. If you maintain an organized shoot, you will maintain an organized editing room.

Getting the It is extremely important to know where the production is going before setting out, ensuring all the crew members and camera operators are on Shots the same page.

In some scripted cases such as film or drama, directors will produce storyboards to illustrate certain key shots such as close ups, or produce a shot list, as well as calling them on set.

In other genres such as documentary making - irrespective of how many research conversations and briefs are conducted before a shoot - many of the filming subjects will be unpredictable and spontaneous, meaning that the camera operator will need to adapt to the surroundings and subject in a more free-flowing fashion.

Having a lack of shots to choose from in the edit could seriously harm the finished film, so it is better to overshoot a selection rather than chancing it only to find out later that the editor has been left short changed. Some productions have the luxury and budget to reshoot items should they need to, but this isn’t always possible. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

The cutting room will not only desire a range of shots to choose from, but will also need correctly labelled rushes (any recorded material) and a paper log sheet containing detailed information on that material.

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Labelling & When labelling tapes and rushes, it is important to provide as much Numbering Rushes information as possible using a structured system. Some media may have been shot by multiple sources or different camera systems and therefore be recorded on a variety of different formats ranging from standard tape stock to SD cards. This makes the clear and logical numbering of tapes, optical discs or memory cards crucial to the smooth running of an organized edit.

Standard information should include the following:

• Tape/Roll Number (001, 002, 003, etc.) • Date • Name of production • Name of director • Name of camera operator • Name of camera model • Recording format (HDCAM, XDCAM, DVCPRO, etc.)

Logging In films or video production, a slate or clapperboard is used tomark particular scenes and take numbers, as well as to assist in the synchronizing Rushes of picture and sound.

Information typically includes the date, production title, the name of the director, the name of the director of photography (DoP), the letter of the camera (if a multi-camera setup e.g. Camera A, B or C), and the scene information. In the edit, the slate acts as an easily identifiable pointof reference for the editor, alongside the script of the film or episode.

Non-scripted projects are harder to predict, therefore it is beneficial to hire an organized logger or use the production runner to take notes throughout the production.

At the top of the logging sheet, information should include: • the date • production title • name of the director • name of the camera person • name of the person logging • most importantly, the number of the tape or card it is being shot onto.

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If you are filming with more than one person, some log sheets can also include If details of which microphone pack each contributor is wearing (e.g. Mic A or Mic B).

Details in the log sheet should include the name of the subject or character being filmed, the location they are being filmed at, and an outline of exactly what is being filmed or said by the contributor.

Logging will help the editor locate the tape or card with ease if they require specific material or events.

‘That’s A Wrap!’ After the director wraps filming, it will mark the end of the production - for some! period for many. But for a few, the real work is only about to start. Away from the bright lights and bustling crew members, it will be time to move into a new workspace and settle down to work on a completely different craft – the art of editing.

Before beginning the edit, there are a couple of factors to consider: staffing and system preferences.

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4. Getting to the Edit

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Getting to the Edit

Choosing an The way a video is edited can have a profound effect on its success. Therefore, selecting the right editor to work with the director is vital, as the Editor editor is usually seen as the second most important creative person on the production.

Both must share the same vision of the project, and also trust each other’s judgements. He or she will need to meet the particular needs of the project, and have the experience and patience to drive it through to the finish. Speaking to industry professionals for recommendations is a good first port of call. There are also editor management agencies available, but expect to pay a premium for the service.

If there is more than one project to edit under a strict date deadline (for example a fast turnaround series), the project may require multiple editors. In this case, edit producers are also hired to work alongside the editor, freeing up the director or series producer to manage the edits intermittently, to provide constructive feedback and ensuring the programs all have continuity in terms of style and pace.

Choosing an With so many options available on the market, deciding which to use can be a daunting prospect. However, for video editing Edit System professionals it’s a much easier choice as the competition narrows down to three main pieces of software:

• Adobe Premiere • Avid Media Composer

Personal preferences or experience of the software may help cast the deciding vote, but for those still unsure, here is a breakdown of the system specs.

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Final Cut Pro ‘Final Cut Pro’ is a brand of non- software developed by (FCP) Apple, which allows users to edit, process and output a range of video formats including DV, HDV, DVCProHD, XDCAM, 2K, 4K and 5K. The latest version, ‘Final Cut Pro X’, has received criticism for entirely redesigning the user interface and not supporting older project files used on ‘Final Cut Pro’ (it uses a new file extension ‘.fcpx’ which doesn’t support ‘.fcp’ file formats) so it’s worth bearing in mind that some upgrades can be a hindrance rather than a help. Moreover, as Apple’s operating systems continue to evolve, its future compatibility is not guaranteed.

Pros: • Mid range pricing, so great for businesses creating corporate ; • Has inbuilt DynamicRT technology which automatically adjusts image quality and frame rate during playback to enable the viewing of multiple video streams at the same time; • Up to 400 hot-keys (shortcuts) to increase the speed of the edit, which can also be customized to the users keyboard preferences; • The high-quality rendering in Final Cut Pro makes it possible to compute realistic effects with extraordinary precision using floating- point, linear-light color space calculations.

Cons: • Only runs on Macs; • Interface can look intimidating and - in comparison to other Apple and Mac products; • Final Cut Pro X may not work with all workflows in a collaborative post-production process, ie color correction and audio sound mixing; • The location of the project as well as the media source files, render files and cache files is not standardized. Therefore every timea project needs to be continued it can be time consuming locating and linking all the offline media back together again; • Final Cut Pro X does not support older Final Cut Pro files.

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Adobe Adobe Premiere has been around since 1991, with Premiere Pro released in 2003. Premiere Pro It comes as a part of the Adobe Creative Suite (a suite of graphic design, video editing and web development applications), so can be a good bulk investment depending on what type of project is being produced. Its current version, Premiere Pro CC 2015, includes multiple sequence support, high- depth rendering, multi-camera editing, time remapping, scopes, color correction tools, special effects and an advanced audio mixer.

Pros: • Mac OS and Windows 7 compatibility; • Perfect integration with Adobe’s outstanding image software such as Photoshop and After Effects; • Unlike other software interfaces, you can adjust the brightness of the user interface for contrast with actual footage; • Continued support for RED, Arri and Canon cinematography cameras; • Premiere Pro supports high resolution video editing at up to 10,240 × 8,192 resolution, at up to 32-bits per channel color, in both RGB and YUV; • The media browser offers thumbnail scrubbing and J, K, L editing for streamlining footage before ingest; • SpeedGrade now part of the production bundle.

Cons: • You can no longer purchase Premiere Pro outright; you must buy a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud; • Comparatively expensive, but includes 29 other services; • Still feels a bit clunky and buggy; • As a 64-bit application it does not run on 32-bit operating systems; • GPU acceleration still mostly limited to professional graphic cards.

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Avid Media Frequently referred to as ‘The Avid’, this is the Godfather of Composer digital editing systems. Born in the 1980s, it introduced the first non-linear editing system to video professionals and over time has matured through upgrades and system add-ons, setting the standard for other system distributors. Used extensively in Hollywood to edit films, it’s no wonder it comes with a steep price tag. For a full system, not only is the main cutting program ‘Avid Media Composer’ desired, but with solutions such as Unity ISIS and Symphony, and workflows including Pro Tools – it's a perfect package for all professional video production companies.

Pros: • Can run on both Mac and PC; • When working with film, it can generate a ‘negative cut list’ for matching back to original negative material; • Avid Media Access, enables the ability to link to and edit with P2, XDCAM, R3D, QuickTime and AVCHD native material directly without capture or transcoding; • Can be installed on several ; • Pro Tools-like interface for audio mixing; • When it comes to collaborative workflow, Media Composer has no equal; • No compliance issues when editing for major network distribution.

Cons: • Very expensive; • In order to run to its full potential the operating machine must have at least 250GB spare on the HDD, which may mean spending more money updating the ; • Only supports standard broadcast resolutions and frame rates; • It is known to be the least intuitive of the major editing programs, so beginners may find it hardest to learn.

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Online Video While the desktop video editing market has consolidated into the big three Editors (Adobe, Apple, and Avid), it’s still in its infancy for online video editors. The idea of moving video editing online isn't a new one. However, until recently, most of the activity was geared at the consumer market.

You can edit your videos to your heart's content without downloading and installing any software - all you require is a decent connection to the Internet. There are several websites that allow you to upload images, raw video footage, and sound, before tweaking it to your individual preferences.

While some online video editing software has features like animations, filters, video stabilization, transition effects, and color correction, most lack the advanced features available on their desktop counterparts. While consumers are willing to trade off features for ease of use, professionals, in most cases, can’t make the same trade off.

Pros: • Universal access, with the ability to collaborate in real time; • Largely free for consumer use; • Not fixed to a physical location; • The user interface is largely intuitive and simple for beginners to get up and running; • Easily integrate with ; • No need for dedicated, proprietary purchases.

Cons: • Geared for the consumer market - lack of high-level professional features; • Consumer-grade tools often lack the security that enterprises require; • The upload bottleneck; • Online delivery mechanisms, such as YouTube, accept a wide variety of file formats, which are then compressed and transcoded to a native format, but they place a limit on the size of the original file; • Encoding and storage costs highlights the fact that online video software needs a different pricing model than traditional one-time licensing; • Degraded quality of proxy files.

To future proof web-based editing software for professional editors, it has to offer all the power and flexibility of the best of breed desktop software, all the while upping the ante with the perceived benefits of online storage, centralized asset management and collaboration features.Adobe Anywhere resolves many of these issues.

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Adobe Anywhere Adobe Anywhere for video is a collaborative workflow platform that empowers users of Adobe professional video solutions (Premiere Pro CC and Prelude CC) to work together, using centralized media and assets, across standard networks. Adobe Anywhere brings virtual teams of talent together so they can efficiently shoot, log, edit, and share video productions using standard open systems, networks, and processes. Heavy file transfers, duplicate media, and proxy files are not required. Adobe Anywhere is hosted on-premises for complete control and security.

Pros: • Streamline workflows — Avoid spending time searching for files, projects, or media. Quickly create a news story, commercial, or promo and distribute it to global teams faster than current production workflows; • Format handling — Adobe Anywhere supports any format that is supported by CC, including HD, SD, DV, and more; • Virtual talent — Work with a dispersed team of editors, motion graphics artists, and producers. Build the right teams for projects based on skill set, not location; • Creative freedom — Allow workflows in which users have the time and ability to create multiple versions of a project, as well as collaborate with one another on shared work in progress; • Cost savings — Save on IT and resource costs with the elimination of file duplication, proxy use, and network transfers. Adobe Anywhere is designed to augment existing infrastructure — no need for dedicated, proprietary purchases.

Cons: • Only works with Adobe Creative Cloud Tools; • The suggested pipe for seamless experience seems to be 25-40 Mbps; • Aimed at the enterprise players like CNN and large post houses; • Subscription-pricing-only.

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Minimum System Good editing software is not only expensive but it also relies on a high- priced computer to run to its full potential. It is, therefore, worth updating Requirements the computer unit the software will run off should it not be up to the job. Once a program has been chosen, learn as much as possible such as shortcuts, effects and coloring tools. This information will prove extremely useful when the edit begins.

SOFTWARE PLATFORM PROCESSOR RAM HDD PRICE Final Cut Pro Mac OS X v10.10.2 or 4GB (8GB for 4.15GB £299 / $360 later 4K) Adobe Premiere Windows / Mac Multicore Intel 4GB (but 8GB 4GB £548 / $855 Pro (2015) processor with 64- recommended) bit support Avid Media Windows / Mac Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 250GB £832 / $1,299 Composer 6.5 2.33 GHz processor or faster

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5. Stepping into the Cutting Room

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Stepping into the Cutting Room

Digitizing Before any actual editing can begin, the process of digitizing the rushes (recorded footage) into an edit suite must be achieved. Digitization refers to Rushes the conversion of non-digital material (i.e. a DV tape) into digital form. This means the editor can work off the duplicated digital version of the master material when it comes to editing on a computer, which also protects the master source from any edit mishaps.

Digitization can be achieved at high-res or low-res. High-res digitization will mean the final digital file will be larger in size than a low-res file, and therefore take up more space on the hard drive, but will be of the best quality – much how you would expect to see it if you watched the master tape back. High-res digitizing may be useful for productions with only a few rushes (for example, a TV commercial) so that if the client comes in to view a cut, it will be of the best quality.

Digitizing can be a time consuming task as the ingesting is done in real time. If there are lots of rushes that require a lot of storage space, it may be worth digitizing at a low-res to save on drive space and time, but this will mean having to ‘conform’ before the later stages of post-production, such as the grade and online. Conforming is the process of replacing ‘offline’ materials with ‘online’ materials, or rather replacing low-res footage with high-res footage before the final mastering of the video.

‘Offline’ material refers to any material cut during the initial edit. The offline edit will create an (EDL), basically a list of which shots go where. Once the offline edit has been signed off, that’s when the ‘online’ edit will begin, which consists of ingesting the high-res footage as per the EDL.

If the rushes were shot on digital format, such as discs, SxS or SD cards, the process of ingesting is known as ‘transcoding’. This shifts the material from one digital format to another.

Before viewing the rushes, exercise caution and make sure all the material is backed up at least twice and stored in different places. The cost is a small price to pay compared to the total cost of reproducing lost footage from scratch.

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Organizing & Viewing Viewing the rushes and organizing them into folders will help when it comes to locating and sourcing certain clips. This should be done before the Rushes any cutting of footage is attempted and is normally done by the director, but possibly by the editor or edit assistant – as long as he or she has been fully briefed by the director beforehand on what they would like. Some directors have time to view all the rushes before an edit, but this is not always possible.

If a paper log has been produced during production, this can help speed up the process as it will include an outline of what has been shot on each tape source. If not, it is worth viewing the rushes and logging any significant timecodes. This will prove useful when devising the finished project.

The rushes should be organized as best as possible because a significant amount of time during the edit will consist of finding particular shots for a particular purpose, so make sure the system files are labelled in a way that both the director and editor can understand and can work with.

Labelling bins (folders) and clips into an order that seems logical is the first and best place to start. For each filmed sequence, set up a bin and label each clip with a brief description. For example, if you were producing an advert about cats, the main bin could be labelled ‘Cats’ with each clip labelled as the different type of cat being filmed and what it is doing, e.g. ‘Black kitten playing with ball’, ‘Ginger cat eating food’.

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Devise a Devising a paper edit will help when it comes to organizing the structure of the project on the edit timeline. A paper edit, much like a storyboard, will Structure outline the ‘story order’ and may include certain points detailing specific time codes from rushes of shots or scenes keen for inclusion.

A typical paper edit might look like this:

ZOO TIME RX1-Meet the animals 1-Titles 2-Meet Zookeeper Gary 00.30 I/V with Gary 01.00 POV Zoo 01.04 Gary cleaning out Elephants 01.10-01.50 Different shots of animals watching (CU giraffe, shot of laughing hyena) 01.50-02.10 I/V with Gary talking about cleaning out animals on daily basis

The editor can work with these pointers as he or she begins to organize the import and adding specific clips and shots onto the edit timeline.

Make a Once all the clips have been brought together for the edit timeline, it’s then time to devise a rough cut. The sound and vision of the cuts should be Rough Cut parallel, and it will typically be significantly over length compared with the desired running time. This is normal, as the main job of the rough cut is to give the project some shape.

The process from here on is the sifting down, tidying up, reorganizing and tightening-up of the project. Make sure to check at regular intervals that the flow of the edit is making sense and fits together as initially intended.

It is best to have the skeletal structure of the rough cut viewed by an outsider once it has been devised. This will shed new light on fresh ideas or suggestions where it may lose pace or become boring, which at this stage can easily be changed and re-edited if it will benefit the final video.

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Choosing Choosing the soundtrack for a video can bring a project to life, giving it a mood and atmosphere. Whether it is heavy metal over a gaming advert, or Music a ballad over a sensitive documentary, designing the “tracklay” can create a significant impact and must not be underestimated.

There are three different types of music: • Commercial • Library • Specially commissioned

Commercial music refers to any music track that is being marketed directly to the general public, by any medium. This means musical artists past and present, from classical musicians to contemporary artists. If the director or client has specific commercial tracks in mind, it is definitely worth exploring whether these can be cleared before editing around the beats of the music as it will save time in the long run. Obtaining copyright clearance can be a long-winded process as it means having to contact the record label or publisher direct. It can also be a very expensive choice. The Performing Rights Society (PRS) can quickly help discover if an artist or track can be cleared so it’s worth contacting them first.

Library music is created and distributed by companies with the video production company sector in mind. By commissioning composers and artists under a ‘buy out’, library music companies retain all the copyright to their artists and tracks, and can sell these at a substantially lower price than that of the commercial music sector. Library music albums are designed with a certain ‘feel’ about them. For example one might be called ‘Music from Space’ which would include different emotional tracks with a certain science fiction vibe, or ‘Music from the Movies’ which would include covers of popular classical music tracks from the film industry.

Specially commissioned music is exactly that. The company will commission a composer to write and produce music of a certain feel. A great composer can be given a final cut of the project and create music to fit exactly to each part. It is not as expensive as it sounds, and can help to make a project feel original, so it is worth considering.

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Adding A transition is an effect used to change from one clip in theedited sequence to the next, and is achieved by mixing two video signals together. Transitions Depending on which editing software the project is running off will depend on what different transitions can be achieved, but there tends to be little difference between some of the more professional units.

Below is a list of the most common types of transitions:

• The Cut • Fade-Out • Cross

The cut is the most basic type of transition as it has no duration and no overlap. When a shot ends, another begins straight away. In comparison, the other transitions gradually replace one shot with another.

The fade-out begins with a shot at full intensity and reduces until it disappears. There is also the fade-in – a shot beginning at no intensity that increases until it is at full resolution. These are commonly used for ‘fade to black’ or ‘fade up’ from black, which usually portrays the end of a sequence or the beginning of a new sequence or time frame.

The cross dissolve involves two shots. The first shot fades out while the second shot simultaneously fades in. During the cross dissolve, the two shots are superimposed as they fade.

A wipe is where the screen physically splits, moving from one side of an image to the gradual reveal of the next shot. It is typically used to portray a quick change of pace.

Transitions are usually used to:

• Convey the passing of time between scenes; • Fade-up at the beginning of a scene or fade-out at the end of a scene; • Create a of images; • Create motion graphic effects; • Soften jump cuts (cuts between two different parts of the same footage).

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The Fine The stage when a rough cut becomes a fine cut is not exact, but is often when the editor feels each idea has been fully explored. Fine cutting itself is Cut the process of getting down to perfect frame accuracy for every single edit in the film; of making sure each moment flows as best it can; and making sure the video fits the proposed time required by the client or director. If editing a music video, this will mean making sure the sequences are cut to the beat of the track in a way that it naturally flows.

Key sound effects, music and transitions should already be introduced at this stage, and the complexity of the final timeline will grow, so the trick is not to feel too intimidated as the fine cutting of each segment is tightened up. No further changes will be made once the fine cut is approved so make sure the project is definitely finished before it moves into the final stages of post-production.

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6. Final Processes

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Final Processes

The In essence, track laying is a type of sound editing. The process involves finalizing all music, sound and audio in the project and making sure it runs Tracklay smoothly from a quality source. It can involve cleaning up original sync and also laying ambience over individual scenes in order to enhance the soundtrack of the final video. This can be performed by a dubbing editor opposed to the actual editor, but it can sometimes be a luxury to which production budgets cannot stretch. For a 30 minute video, it can take up to half or even a full day, so it is worth bearing in mind.

The Now that the has been signed off (the initial edit), the online edit can begin. Online editing focuses on image quality, color correction, Online maintaining video specifications, and adding titles and graphics if need be.

The offline edit would have produced an edit decision list, also known as an EDL, which is a list of all the shots in the signed off version and details of where they came from – aka the source of the files. If at the start of the project rushes were digitized in low-res, this EDL will assist the editor to reingest them to be high-res clips. Checking that the image quality is the best it can be is known as the conform.

The editor will also go through each shot and check the color levels. This may require a color ‘grade’ which corrects any discrepancies in color and luminance which may have resulted from varying light levels or poor color balancing. The editor will alter and enhance the color by using a variety of different filters, essentially creating an ‘artful look’ to the final video.

Captions may also be layered over the video to provide captioning of particular characters or products, as well as graphics such as an opening or closing sequence, or graphics taken from another tape source that will be ingested.

Lastly, the final mix will need to be performed. This is the process of mixing down the sound to one neat stereo track and will complete the online process.

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Export and Now the video production is complete, it’s time to export the video and deliver it to wherever it’s due to be viewed. If delivering digitally, the Delivery file will be exported into the desired file type as per the client’s delivery specifications and requirements.

Delivery format of the finished content will of course depend on where the footage is being shown.

• TV networks will ask for a variety of differing file standards, depending on the program and the channel it is being aired on, but most do not yet accept digital file deliveries. TV channels will also require delivery of paperwork associated with the program. • Online delivery mechanisms, such as YouTube and Vimeo, accept a wide variety of file formats, which are then compressed and transcoded to a native format, but they might place a limit on the size of the original file. Also watch out that the quality of your production doesn’t alter during the compression process. • Embedding video into a website will largely depend on having an application to host the video, then taking a code and adding it to your website’s source code.

Reversioning When a completed production has been used in one delivery format, sometimes it is required to be edited for alternative broadcasting formats.

For a feature film, this reversioning might transition the production from cinema to DVD to TV, for instance. Or if a TV series is sold to overseas markets, the production will need to be altered for different languages and in some cases, different cultural sensitivities. In other cases, the original production might be re-edited with a new title, graphics, voiceovers and music to produce a show for a completely new audience.

In these examples, a Reversioning Editor, usually within a post production facility, will oversee the process to transform the original content into the new delivery format. In some cases this might simply be a case of altering the technical specifications of the original file format to meet the needs of the new broadcaster, such as altering the screen aspect ratio.

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7. Conclusion

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Conclusion

In this eBook, we walked you through the process of planning for the edit during pre-production, choosing the right editor and software for the edit, how to successfully execute the edit and what’s required for the final delivery. Proper planning and We placed the most emphasis on the importance of preparation prevents planning for the edit because great editing is as much piss poor performance! about being prepared to edit as the act of editing itself, “ sometimes more. If a production is well organized, following - British Army adage clearly thought out plans, then it naturally follows that the creative art of editing is less likely to be bogged down by technical glitches or worse, needing to reshoot a scene.

” Throughout the editing process, the planning, production and editing has all been leading to this final stage;a completed video that clients and individuals will be proud of. Sitting back and watching the video come to life within its creative medium will be a rewarding experience with a real sense of achievement. It will also provide the creator with a certain objective evaluation of their work that will help them grow when it comes to producing future videos. The more videos produced, the easier it will be to learn particular techniques, discover new effects, shortcuts and essentially create a piece of work which will be cut above the rest, and bring in those video industry award nominations!

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8. About this eBook

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About the Author

Lucie Richards is a resourceful, ideas-driven freelance Assistant Producer based in London. Specializing in factual and factual entertainment documentaries, she has more than four years experience in casting compelling contributors, and filming on location.

Starting her career at RDF Television in 2009, Lucie has since gained experience working for a variety of major UK and US broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, BSkyB and NBC. Broadcast credits include ‘Terry Wogan’s Ireland’ (BBC1), ‘Seven Days’ (C4), ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’ (ITV1), ‘Claire Richards: Slave to Food’ (Sky Living) and ‘A Royal Restoration’ with HRH The Prince of Wales (ITV1) amongst others.

In 2012, Lucie was named one of the Edinburgh International Television Festival’s ‘Ones to Watch’ where she was invited to the annual festival and took masterclasses with some of the UK’s top television executives.

Follow Lucie on Twitter @Loubut

33 Everything You Need to Know About Professional Video Editing A Back to Basics Guide

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