Editing unit 26

Editing and its relationship in production

A film or video editor is responsible for assembling audio and visual material into a finished product . The material may include camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. The key in this role of post-production process is that your skills can determine the quality of the final product. You'll usually work closely with the editing director to achieve the desired end result.

Employment is normally on a freelance basis, working on short-term contracts.

Digital technology and software has replaced many of the traditional manual method of cutting film. In some instances you may be given creative freedom, but under normal conditions you will be required to operate the necessary machines.

Types of film/video editor job roles working on a variety of productions, including:

commercials
corporate training videos
feature films
music videos
television programmes.

Responsibilities an editor will involve:

receiving a brief, and maybe an outline of footage and/or a shot list, script, or screenplay
assembling footage, with camera shots lists and with editing normally industry standard files such as EDL or XML formats.
inputting uncut rushes with sound and synchronising them into files on the computer
digitally cutting files and putting sequences together for the film and deciding what's usable footage
creating a 'rough cut' determining what will be exactly cut for the 'fine cut' and final stages
fine-tuning the content to ensure the sequencing is smooth running

Additional tasks may include:

overseeing the quality and progress of audio and video
experimenting with styles and techniques
suggesting or selecting music that will fit the narrative to the film.

An editor may also carry out online editing duties, which involve finalising technical aspects such as correcting faulty footage, colouring and adding special effects.

Salary

Starting salaries for assistant editors employed by a television or post-production studio are in the region of £18,000 to £25,000.
Experience as a film or video editor, you could earn £21,000 to £35,000.
At a senior level, your earnings could potentially reach £37,000 to £70,000,

Working hours

Hours of work vary depending on the production, but a 50-hour working week is likely if you're working on television or feature film projects. Shift work may be required if editing studios are booked at night.

Moodle.stcg.ac.uk. (2019). STCG Moodle: Log in to the site. [online] Available at: https://moodle.stcg.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=15129#section-5 [Accessed 20 Jun. 2019].

Prospects.ac.uk. (2019). Film/video editor job profile | Prospects.ac.uk. [online] Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/film-video-editor [Accessed 10 May 2019].

EDITING COMPARISON

Horror movies like Cry Wolf (2005) make use of montage sequences and cross cutting to build tension and deliver scares.
A everyday drama could easily use only continuity editing. This editing style can draw viewers into the story without making audiences aware of the cuts.
An action movie however, may have to use montage techniques in order to emphasise the sense of spectacle.

EDITING TECHNIQUES

The importance of editing in film-making cannot be stressed enough.

At its simplest editing can remove bad takes and shorten sequences, but when film-makers harness its power they can create meaning where none existed and take audiences on emotional journeys using narrative storylines to create something that works well with the human eye and be as real as possible.

Continuity editing

The most common form of editing is continuity editing. This style uses shots from different angles and spliced together to create a sense of continuous movement.

The 180 Degree rule

Means that the camera must always stay on one side of the action in a scene.

The 30 Degree Rule

States that the camera must move at least 30 degrees between shots.

Shot/reverse shot

Is used to show conversations by cutting between one actor to the other

Cutting on action

In this type of cut the fact that the action can begin in one shot and end in the second, creates a visual bridge between action and feels more natural to the human eye hiding the cuts.

Eye line match or POV

Allows the audience to see what a character is seeing.

Montage editing

Montage editing can be used to create excitement, terror or startling new meanings using quick fast cuts which adds emotion into the shot, instead of allowing shots to flow smoothly from one to another

Cross cutting

Is used to cut between two different actions happening at the same time. By cutting back and forth between the two locations audiences soon get the impression that a something is about to happen adding suspense .

Freeze frame

Highlights an important moment by creating a pause effect in which a single frame of film is extended for several seconds.

Slow motion effects

This can help emphasise special moments in a film or even show a special ability for example the use of bullet time in The Matrix to show Neo can bend time and slow down a bullet.

BBC Bitesize. (2019). Editing - Revision 3 - GCSE Moving Image Arts (CCEA) - BBC Bitesize. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zxdmmnb/revision/3 [Accessed 14 May 2019].

EDITING AND THE AUDIENCE

Editing is what makes the connection between a good film and it's audience, the way this is done is by using different types of technics to ensure the audience becomes immersed with what they are watch visually but also with the use of sound and music to create atmosphere or anticipation to and event about to happen. But editing can be used to create both a dark feel of a film but also by using colour spectrums and filter within the software we are able to create warm and happy films most of the time this is done with lenses but to give more of an emphasis in a scene we can add the feeling of warmth.

Some of the styles used to immerse the are:

Attractions, sudden movements that catch the eye and have a deeper effect on the audience, emotionally and politically.

Metric, cuts in sequence of exactly the same length.

Rhythmic, changing the tempo, cut-by-cut, in a complex sequence or descending/increasing metric.

Tonal, an image that already has a specific emotional meaning.

Overtone, the combination of the above techniques to achieve entirely new meaning.

Intellectual, using symbolic meanings to achieve a new intellectual understanding.

FOLDER ORGANISATION

When editing files in prem pro it is always a good idea to use industry standard bin folders, by doing this your files are easier for find for other members of the post production team to follow.

This stage doesn't just start with the editing suit but starts from when you receive the files being used in a said production.

So it is always a good idea to organise your files in a project folder and backing your work up to and external hard drive this way if your get a virus on a computer you won't lose all your work, but on a positive side it also helps as you can edit on the go, as most production companies now edit on location, with the exception for Bollywood, Tami wood as with most Asian film production is carried out at a studio where the audio and video is recorded separately.

As you can see from the images below this is how I organised my files for my project 'Can't Rain All The Time'. I am in strong belief that if you have your files organised this doesn't just help the editing team but will also help with all the different cut's that are produced through editing these include:

Rough cut- all files are imported, and the best quality footage and the start of the narrative begins

Fine cut- this is where files have been cut and spliced as well as audio fitted. most of the time parts of this stage will be shown to a focus group to gage where the film needs improving for the audience.

Directors cut- this is usually the full-length project and sometimes released as a separate or add on feature for after cinematic sales.

Final cut- this is the finished project with the normal time scale being between 1 hour 30 mins to the 3 hours depending on the type of film. Most animations are shorter than feature films such as 'Titanic' or 'Lord of the rings' in comparison to 'Toy story' or 'Over the hedge'.

EDL FILE

Original footage, music and pictures

THUNDER Clap Roll Sound Effects [High QArtist Name

00:00 / 02:10

Rough Cut

Focus Group

PREM PRO EDITING

Production Log

WEEK 1

MON

Plan production

Create and post general survey using survey monkey

TUES

Script and generic questions for everyone using Courier new 12pt as this is industry standard as 1 page = 1 min filming

WEDS

Analysis of survey

Create Vox pops

THUR

Get Vox pops answered using survey monkey

Book people in for filming

Book out TV studio for my filming

FRI

Find music from Zoe for documentary

Analysis of all research

So far this week I am on track with my production I have learnt to use survey monkey for the first time and without paying for the app you have to have your own mailing list to answer a survey. The good thing about survey monkey is you can review research in different chart forms. I have spoken to relevant people regarding interviews and they will get back to me asap with dates.

WEEK 2

MON

Use data from Vox pops and survey to look at marketing

TUES

Video interview with Louise Custard

WEDS

Hospital

THUR

Hospital

FRI

Review Interview with Louise for sound and picture quality

Due to personal issues I have had to take 2 days for hospital this will put me back a couple of days but will put the time in over the weekend to catch up.

Interviewing over video call with Facebook is very easy to use but I also learnt how to screen record on a mac. After reviewing the footage and sound I have made a start on my edit log

WEEK 3

MON

Story board

TUES

Listen to music tracks sent by Zoe

WEDS

Video interview with May Whyte 2pm

THUR

Tv studio not ready to use

Floor plan

Risk assessments

Shot list

FRI

Review interview with May for picture and sound quality

The story boarding on this project was hard to start with but after following my treatment it was easy to compile and also shows a flow of narrative.

Problems I had this week was the studio was not ready to use so had to rebook for following week on Thursday, also the sound quality on May’s interview is very poor and will have to edit in audition.

Good points are that I have completed a risk assessment for the studio with floor plan and shot list.

WEEK 4

MON

Started unit for editing

TUES

Writing up research and findings regarding editing and editing styles

WEDS

Finish and hand in editing unit via email

THUR

Record my own interview using 2 cameras one for W/A/S and one for C/U/S. use of script also adhered to risk assessment

Cameras setup on tripods using all manual settings to create the best image and look while applying framing rules

FRI

Start production process reviewing all footage

This week I decided to work on the theory aspect to my edit unit as the practical side will be contained in my final project. The editing theory took longer than I thought, but I did get to film my interview in the TV studio at collage still not sure if I will use it as it could look very portentous will decide later on whether to use it

WEEK 5

MON

Review for Louise custard (using prem pro and marking ready for cutting)

TUES

Review and create edit log in order to answer questions within documentary for May Whyte (using prem pro and marking ready for cutting)

WEDS

Use Dave Wilkes for poem for intro to documentary

THUR

Review and create and edit log for Richard Fey interview in order to answer questions within documentary (using prem pro and marking ready for cutting)

FRI

Review and create and edit log for Steve Roger Philips interview in order to answer questions within documentary (using prem pro and marking ready for cutting)

This week has been a very tough week as background noise and poor internet signal in some of the interviews have made it hard to hear what they are saying will continue on working with the audio using audition and logic to see if I can get a better result. I have decided to use poetry instead of music as it feels more emotional and will keep the audience engaged while watching the final outcome.

WEEK 6

MON

Review and create a edit log for my interview in order to answer questions within documentary (using prem pro and marking ready for cutting)

TUES

Start to build intro to documentary using poem sound effects and introductions to interviewees.

Focus group: Got great feedback and now know which direction to focus on

WEDS

Start to create b roll to keep audience interest and immersion into the narrative of the documentary

THUR

Have decided to add a talk over audio clips and adding some facts from NHS digital as audiences react to facts.

Start to write script for talk over

FRI

Finish writing script for audio talk over

Create rough cut

Directors cut

This week I decided to build the intro to my short film as this is a good starting block to create a narrative and make the interviews flow I have also decided to add a B film role as just looking at people talking can be off putting and very boring for the audience. I have also decided to add a voice over to direct the audience. Due to the audio having a lot of background noise in the interviews I have decided to only use Louise custards interview and create a narrative around depression and anxiety using the B roll

WEEK 7

MON

Create fine cut

TUES

WEDS

THUR

Show case fine cut address Q&A and remove shutter stock also add more of my own footage in to film

FRI

Final Cut

Final cut ready

Due to having to produce theory work for the editing unit my deadline is behind by 3 weeks but also I spent far too long on bad audio recordings trying to improve the quality (But I did find a program I can use in the future for subtitling), instead of just scrapping it and moving on due to interviewee’s not being able to rerecord. In the future I would use a budget and go to each person’s location and record with proper video equipment and digital recorder for the audio.

I am very proud of the way my project has come out, but if I was to redo this project with a full budget as mentioned above, I would use all possible avenues to record the audio and footage with the correct equipment to produce a better quality of film

Focus Group Feedback

I showed part of my rough cut to a focus group of 5 people three males two female.

The reason for this focus group was to get some audience feedback on my short film, the way I did this was to get the group to answer five question, the results are as follows:

Q1: Could you relate to the content within the film?

Results:

4 out of the 5 participants felt that the subject was very relevant, and the information was great.

The other person didn’t feel a connection to the subject in my film this was due to the fact there had been no direct contact with mental illness.

Q2: Is there enough time to read the information on screen?

Results:

All participants agreed needed more time to read information on the screen.

Q3: Can you hear the interviewees?

Results:

All participants agreed the only persons interview that they could hear or understand was Louise Custard.

Q4: Is the music relevant to the film?

Results:

Everyone agreed that the poetry was very fitting and gave and emotional attachment to the images seen on the screen.

Q5: Is there too much of just watching someone speak on the screen?

Results:

All participants thought that the amount of time seeing someone on the screen was a good balance but found it hard to identify with 4 people over a short period and maybe just stick too one subject and make the information on screen longer