Which comes first, video or audio...?

[icba pictures]

In preparing a short video with no dialogue or background noise, just a music/sound effects track; which comes first? I have several minutes of "stalker footage from 2008 and want to put it together for a friend. It's from a hike in the woods, I followed along with the camera partially viewing from behind trees and rocks, and at the end of the hike he lay down on the ground as if he were unconscious or dead. No real direction but the feelings are there. It was unscripted of course. Do I find some music and cut the clips to the tune, or do I edit the best parts and then find/make music to fit?
I put some of it together, but without the sound... well I can't figure out how they will jive.

 

[jax_rox]

Both.

It really depends. With a music video, you're cutting image to music, with perhaps a silent film you're cutting music to picture.

If you're doing both, and are not getting something scored specficially, I don't see a reason to not cut with the music in the timeline. Maybe not right from the word go, but once you have a rough assembly edit, stick the music in and go to town.

 

[Alcove Audio]

That is your decision.

Every film is different. The editor and director - you in this case - determines the pacing of the film. You may want to cut the film in its entirety and then spot the sounds and score/music. You may want to put in the score/music, possibly even put in sound effects and Foley, and then start cutting. Or a combination thereof. You could use placeholders (temps) for editing purposes and then work on the final soundtrack.

One word of warning; if you are using temp music don't get married to it as it will be changing later on, and the new music/score may have a slightly different feel. So if you are cutting to music it's always a good idea to make sure that it has been locked down.

As a sound editor I really hate re-conforming the sound and score/music to a new edit, probably because I never get proper EDLs, and accurate conforming software is very expensive.

BTW, this is one reason I recommend that sound ALWAYS be recorded on location; you have some audio to work with while editing, even if it will be tossed out later (with the exception of the production dialog, if there is any). And sometimes the production sound effects and Foley come out very nicely indeed, so it gets used in the final mix.

 

[AnywhereButHollywood]

This is just me, but I generally try to do a first draft cut with no sound at all (volume off). Then I go back and make the sound work. For me, movies are always visual first, and it's a lot easier to patch sound onto video than the other way around. Sound can sometimes also help you smooth out an awkward cut. (I'm talking on a micro level here - not necessarily for a whole scene.)

 

[AudioPostExpert]

As background: At the top of the scale, the great filmmakers start seriously considering and working on the sound design during the development of the screenplay and never stop including it in their work until the film is finished. Lesser filmmakers may not start to think seriously about sound design until picture edit starts. At the other end of the scale, many indie filmmakers don't really think about sound design at all and just try to get some sound to work when they've pretty much completed the picture edit.

In the OP's particular case the options are greatly reduced and I agree with Alcove that the "decision is yours".

G

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

This sounds more like music video style. In that case I'd have the music in place and cut the video to the music. On narrative, music work starts way back in pre-production, but the music is then tailored to fit the video in post (locked video) not the other way around (on my productions).

 

[icba pictures]

This is basicly salvaged footage from a camera test hike where I did some shots as if I were a stalker following some hikers. The music would come into play for the sake of making it "creepy". I just sat and edited the video into all the (seemingly) nicest shots. Then thinking of audio all along but trying to think how an audio track would jive. Do I find music then cut video scenes to it or make the video sequence then stuff the audio into place?
My thoughts were to make the video look as good as I can as far as continuity, then find a nice dramatic "creepy" tune try to pace it, in and out with the video by volume, maybe.

 

[Alcove Audio]

My thoughts were to make the video look as good as I can as far as continuity, then find a nice dramatic "creepy" tune try to pace it, in and out with the video by volume, maybe.

You just answered your own question. If it doesn't work try another approach; that's the beauty of the digital format, it doesn't cost you anything other than time a disc space.

 

[Sweetie]

My thoughts were to make the video look as good as I can as far as continuity, then find a nice dramatic "creepy" tune try to pace it, in and out with the video by volume, maybe.

This is the typical way (do the visual editing, after its locked send it to audio and for music to be composed) with on top of that preparation of both earlier on. The thing is, ask 50 people how to do something and you'll get 50 answers (most of which will be different). There's no all knowing best answer for everything, though there are ways that people are used to. This tends to be one of them.

In the end, you should try different methods to find what's the best workflow for you and your crew.

 

[AudioPostExpert]

This is the typical way (do the visual editing, after its locked send it to audio and for music to be composed) with on top of that preparation of both earlier on.

Depends what you mean by "typical". It's typical for indie filmmakers, low budget features and TV production but it's not typical of many higher budget features or of the work of the better directors.

G

 

[icba pictures]

I'm just a low budget "indie" wannabe.... Fortunately I found a project file from 3 years ago with all the edits and a sound track. Soooo, I am ahead of the game, now i can lock down the video with the music score in mind. It's not very interesting but practice is practice, and I hope to make it into the best it can be from the available resources. I can use it as a study of the idea, and re-shoot the whole thing if it proves to be a project worth pursuing.
Thanks everyone!!!