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| Once you have all your footage, you’re ready to put it together in the post-production phase. This is the stage where you make edits and organise the footage you have shot. | ||||||||||||||||
| Either during or after shooting your video, it’s a good idea to log the footage you shoot on a log sheet. This is called tape logging. As you review the tape, write notes in the log. Notes can include: the scene name, the type of shot, the take number, the time code and comments such as how useful the footage is, whether there were sound problems, if it was a bad take, etc. | ||||||||||||||||
| You can now decide where in your movie to add still images, titles and audio that you have selected to enhance your message. | ||||||||||||||||
| Once you have completed your tape log, you can start to review and select the shots that you will use in your final production. Write these selected shots down. This shot list is called your edit decision list (EDL). By referring to the EDL you can make decisions about appropriate edits and effects, which tapes to use and the in and out points for each edit. | ||||||||||||||||
| Select a computer with non-linear video editing capabilities and appropriate editing software such as Apple’s iMovie, Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro. | ||||||||||||||||
The Edit |
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| When editing, avoid using similar shots. Generally the more contrast between the two shots, the less you have to worry about creating a jump cut or confusing the audience. A sequence of shots can also be edited at different speeds. Longer shots can slow the pace to create tension or romance. Shorter shots increase the pace and can suggest energy and excitement. | ||||||||||||||||
| Graphics allow you to accomplish several different objectives. Use graphics to break up your video and provide detailed information. They are also helpful for demonstrating difficult concepts. Graphics may be scanned images, digital photographs, maps, diagrams or artistic compositions. | ||||||||||||||||
| Transitions take the video from one scene to the next. Generally we move from shot to shot in cuts. The straight-cut is by far the most widely used transition in movies or television shows. Wipes (using a horizontal or vertical wipe line) can be used to move from one scene to the next, where the second may be in a completely different place. | ||||||||||||||||
| Dissolves are used to suggest time has
passed. Fades generally show a part of the story has ended
or a new chapter is beginning. A variety of video effects such as wipes and dissolves can help generate a feeling of suspense. |
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| Lots of edits keep your shots changing
to create a sense of excitement. Some well used examples
include… 1. Alternating conversation shots. 2. Point of view (P.O.V.) shots 3. Cut Away shots 4. Establishing shots 5. Emotion close up shots 6. Action and reaction shots |
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| Too much text and graphic information on the screen can confuse your audience. If you have a lot of information, break it up into several screens. Keep the info up long enough for your audience to digest, but not so long as to bore them. | ||||||||||||||||
| Stay out of the safety zone at the edge of a shot. If you place graphics or text too close to the edge of the screen, you run the risk of having them cut off when viewed on different monitors, particularly on a television. | ||||||||||||||||
| The soundtrack should complement the shots and add new information to a scene. Adding music is a great way to help set the tone of a scene. Music creates mood and evokes emotion and can be used to signal something is about to happen. | ||||||||||||||||
| Dialogue is spoken text and communicates relationships, emotions and attitudes through the use of voice. When adding dialogue and music in the same scene, keep the music at a lower level. Don’t let the music overpower the dialogue. | ||||||||||||||||
| Sound effects can provide a sense of realism for your project. Sound effects can also be used to enrich the story or make the setting more believable. Ambient or background sound refers to on-location sound such as a crowd, birds chirping, a babbling creek or wind. Silence when used appropriately and in context will add emotion and feeling to the video. It can help create suspense. | ||||||||||||||||
| Next:
The distribution stage Back: Stages of Video Making (view the site map) |
