Editing...?
- Thread starter Semiazas
- Start date
It's certainly both time consuming, and difficult. It's a craft like any other, that has to be nurtured, practiced.
The process in its simplest terms, is the taking of the captured footaged, uploaded into Editing software, cut, weaved, polished, coloured,and finally sewn together to create the vision, and delivery, for the material you imagined. Repeated entirely for Sound, may i add.
Even with such a timid description it may appear daunting, and it is.
If you're pursuing the project alone, i would suggest in learning-atleast the basics- the Editing software you will decide to purchase, and use, prior to your filming.
The process in its simplest terms, is the taking of the captured footaged, uploaded into Editing software, cut, weaved, polished, coloured,and finally sewn together to create the vision, and delivery, for the material you imagined. Repeated entirely for Sound, may i add.
Even with such a timid description it may appear daunting, and it is.
If you're pursuing the project alone, i would suggest in learning-atleast the basics- the Editing software you will decide to purchase, and use, prior to your filming.
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Editing one of the most appealing aspects of film making to me. I'd be happy to edit your film for you free of charge. PM me if you're interested mate.
Too many variables involved to give a definitive answer. However, the more preparation done in advance, the easier it will be.
Since it sounds like you'll be doing your own film by yourself, you should be pretty familiar with the story. You'll have made your shot-list, at a minimum, to help you make sure you get every shot you need to show the story. (You can also use the shot-list to mark the good & bad takes, to save time later). You ought to be able to visualise how the film plays out, what kind of music goes where, any special graphics that need to be inserted, etc.
Then it's time to import the footage to your computer. To save harddrive space (and aid in keeping things organised) you can use that shot-list to only import the footage you intend to use. You'll also need to add your other assets to the editing project - all that music, graphics, etc - so those will be ready to use when you need them.
Your editing software will have a timeline where you place your video & audio. I usually start by making a very rough assembly - placing the footage in order on the timeline, and throwing music roughly into place. It looks pretty sloppy (complete with brief glimpses of clapboards, & calls for cut & action lol) but it's just the beginning. Once everything is in its proper sequence, it's time to tighten it all up - and that's where it begins to get time-intensive.
Depending on your computer power, it can also take a while to make video renders or convert footage to burn to DVD.
I wouldn't call basic editing difficult, but it does require discipline (which can be learned). Technically I 'spose anyone could edit, to a degree, if they have a bit of patience. Well, basic editing that is.
Getting creative with editing is a whole other science of its own, mind you.
I agree with this statement. Since you're just starting out, you're not going to be doing any of the complicated stuff. I just edited an entire feature, and I'd say my editing still falls under the category of "basic". Discipline and patience, as Zensteve mentioned, are important. I would add attention to detail as a very important characteristic that you need to bring with you. Precision is very important. Every single frame matters.
A little while ago, I was thinking I'd type up an editing tutorial, but in the end decided not to, as this is something that I think needs to be seen in action, to be able to appreciate. So, eventually, I'm gonna put together some sort of video tutorial, but that'll probably be a ways off.
See if you can find any video tutorialls on Youtube. I just looked, and didn't find anything I felt was satisfactory, but I only spent a minute searching. Maybe if you search more diligently, you might find something worthwhile. It's not the end of the world, though, if you can't find a video tutorial, or if you don't have anybody to show you how.
I first learned editing on my own, just by poking my way around Premiere. A couple years later, I took a class in which we went over basic editing, in Final Cut. Though I was able to figure out enough of it on my own, to get by, what I learned in that class far exceeded what I learned on my own, so if you can find anyone to show you the ropes, that would be beneficial.That being said, here's a few pointers that I think might help.
First, let's talk about your software. I'm not an expert on software, so there may be one out there that I'm not aware of, but to the best of my knowledge, you'll want to stick to Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, or Edius Neo. I would imagine you've probably got a humble budget, so Sony is probably your best bet.
There is less-expensive editing software out there, but the ones I've used are annoying as hell. They're not made for filmmakers, but casual hobbyists, editing home-video and stuff. This type of software dumbs-down the process for the novice, so it's easy to learn how to use. But in order to make this possible, they severely limit what you're able to do, and for folk like us, editing on this dumbed-down software is actually more difficult.
Anyway, Zensteve mentioned the timeline, and that is where you'll be doing the bulk of your work. Once you've dropped a clip into the timeline, you can change it's in/out point, by simply dragging the end of the clip. You can chop a clip in half, with the razor tool. You can copy/paste clips. You can seperate your video track from the audio, to move them independently. You can move clips anywhere, just by dragging and dropping.
That's pretty much all you need to do. Learn those basic maneuvers, and you've got the bare-bones tools needed to edit something. So, in that sense, it's pretty simple. Where it gets difficult, if we're to use that word, is in the precision of it. Although, even in that case, I wouldn't call it difficult. Like mentioned before, this aspect just requires patience, and attention to detail.
When you get your hands on your editing software, and have something to edit, drop me a PM, or re-post another question like this (or just bump this thread), and I'll gladly go over some of the particulars of how to cut together a precise edit.
The editing is an art form in itself. One could shoot a scene give the script to several editors and come up w/ several different scenes. If you do not know editing, you do not know the basics of movie making IMO. there is sooo much to consider before the camera rolls.
Great question to get started. A very important question. The "editing" has many facets including the sound design as only one of the many parts of the process. All factors considered in the editing phase will have a major effect in the final result. Color correction, how you cut from one angle to the next, and on and on.....
I feel if you do not understand and even master the editing phase, you are only playing with a camera. I hear of many starting filmmakers who want to make a film say "i have a buddy who has a laptop and adobe whatever" and he will do the editing. NO No master the editing process before you even think about making even a short film. Do it yourself first few rounds. Even if you get a seasoned person to do the editing, I think you should have good grasp of what is done in the editing process. That way you will have an idea of what can be done with your footage.
I do understand there are differing opinions on this, so take my opinion as you wish. Others may think master your part, the producing, directing, camera and sound THEN have someone put it together. A great editor is a true artist, you can master other aspects and be a part of the team and have a great product still.
Great question to get started. A very important question. The "editing" has many facets including the sound design as only one of the many parts of the process. All factors considered in the editing phase will have a major effect in the final result. Color correction, how you cut from one angle to the next, and on and on.....
I feel if you do not understand and even master the editing phase, you are only playing with a camera. I hear of many starting filmmakers who want to make a film say "i have a buddy who has a laptop and adobe whatever" and he will do the editing. NO No master the editing process before you even think about making even a short film. Do it yourself first few rounds. Even if you get a seasoned person to do the editing, I think you should have good grasp of what is done in the editing process. That way you will have an idea of what can be done with your footage.
I do understand there are differing opinions on this, so take my opinion as you wish. Others may think master your part, the producing, directing, camera and sound THEN have someone put it together. A great editor is a true artist, you can master other aspects and be a part of the team and have a great product still.
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Editing is one of the hardest aspects of the filmmaking process, especially for the low/no/micro budget indie crowd. The reason is that the projects are so often written, directed and edited (including sound) by the same person. It is extremely difficult to be objective, and that is what you must be during editorial. You have to be willing to cut out that shot that took so much planning, money, time and effort if it does not serve the story. Yes, it's a brutally hard thing to do, but it is what you must do - you can't fall in love with anything.
Editing begins during preproduction. Preproduction is the process of putting together the shooting script, which determines the schedule. So often beginning - and experienced - filmmakers fail to schedule their time properly so do not capture enough coverage; you can't edit what you don't have.
Sound editorial is a whole other discussion - and my particular bailiwick.
For inspiration you should watch "The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing ". An abridged version in several parts is on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=508MHvMGWEg
Editing begins during preproduction. Preproduction is the process of putting together the shooting script, which determines the schedule. So often beginning - and experienced - filmmakers fail to schedule their time properly so do not capture enough coverage; you can't edit what you don't have.
Sound editorial is a whole other discussion - and my particular bailiwick.
For inspiration you should watch "The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing ". An abridged version in several parts is on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=508MHvMGWEg
The first time you edit a film together it's not going to work out too well. It's extremely time consuming, but if you work in a good working space, it can be easily managed. I use a few different monitors to easily display my files and storyline. Also finding the correct editing programs are key. I go through 5 or 6 programs before I complete my films...After Effects for visual, Final Cut Pro for editing, etc etc.
You'll need to organize your clips as best as possible DURING filming if time allows. My last film I mashed all the clips in a folder and spent hours and hours organizing at the end. It's best to just stuff it in folders by date as you go.
As someone above me mentioned it's hard to remove that one clip you spent so long on, but sometimes you just have to do it. I had to cut out a 10 minute segment from my last film I spent weeks preparing, it was a terrible feeling but the film benefited from it.
Of course theres a lot of stages after editing, but I hoped some of my advice might be useful.
You'll need to organize your clips as best as possible DURING filming if time allows. My last film I mashed all the clips in a folder and spent hours and hours organizing at the end. It's best to just stuff it in folders by date as you go.
As someone above me mentioned it's hard to remove that one clip you spent so long on, but sometimes you just have to do it. I had to cut out a 10 minute segment from my last film I spent weeks preparing, it was a terrible feeling but the film benefited from it.
Of course theres a lot of stages after editing, but I hoped some of my advice might be useful.
Mmm, no disrespect intended, but I don't know about all that. First of all, I disagree that the first time you edit a film is not going to work out too well. The technical aspect can be a steep learning curve, but that doesn't mean somebody can't knock it out the ballpark on their first swing (I've seen it happen, numerous times).
As far as the rest of your post, well that's all cool, and what not, but I don't think our OP will be working with 3 monitors and 6 programs. This is their first go-around, and it's probably going to be one monitor, one program, and I think a lot can be accomplished with just that.