Collection Production: Editing a Video
Regardless of whether you're using an old analog VHS camcorder or a brand new digital videocamera, there are a number of ways to edit video. The advantage of the digital recorder is the high quality and the ability to plug it directly into the computer.
Your final product may be a VHS tape, digital videotape, DVD movie, short video clips on a CD, or a website with streaming video. When consider the type of product to create, think about your audience. Will they have a VCR or DVD player. Do they have access to a computer and the web?
For a complete and easy-to-understand explanation of video recording, check out How Video Editing Works by Marshall Brain and Roxanne Reid from HowStuffWorks.
In-Camera Editing
One possibility for some programs is to shoot the entire video in sequential order; thereby eliminating the need to do edit/duplicate for the final copy. In order to do this type of program shoot, a number of conditions have to be met. First, the video program that is planned must be such that it is feasible to make this type of production. The camcorder can only be briefly paused in the record mode, without doing damage to both the videotape itself and the recording mechanism in the camera, mainly the recording heads. A brief technical explanation of the process will help you to understand.
A blank videotape is first inserted into a camera or camcorder. When the camcorder begins recording, the actual tape is pulled outside its cassette case, wrapped around, and moves over a high-speed, rotating circular drum that contains two or four-moving recording heads. If the record stop control is hit, then the tape stops moving and is pulled back into its cassette case. This accounts for the three or four second delay between pushing the record control to start or stop a recording and the camera actually completing that process. The camera is forming or un-forming the tape loop around the recording drum and also starting or stopping the tape moving. Starting and stopping the record control also does not give a smooth cut between shots.
Formation of the tape loop around the head takes a few seconds of time, and the exact positioning of the tape from one shot to another is not duplicated and the recording heads do not exactly synchronize position from one shot to another. Therefore, the smoothest possible in-camera transitions from shot-to-shot are made by simply pushing the pause button, while still leaving the record control ON. In this instance, the tape is held around the recording drum and the recording heads are revolving against that tape at a high speed. This is where the potential for damage comes into play. Leaving the camera in this record/pause state for any length of time does cause irreparable damage to the recording tape (there have been extreme cases of actually wearing a hole or tearing the tape) and even more seriously, damage is done to the more expensive recording heads. However, the camera can be paused very briefly, 60 seconds or less, and then taken off pause to record the next scene. Such video shooting requires for careful planning, thorough preparation, and adequate rehearsal.
When the camera is paused between shots, the camera operator and production team must rapidly prepare and move to the next shot.
You can see why this type of shooting is not possible in many or most productions and probably will not be possible for your production. In cases where this type of shooting is attempted, you will still need to shoot the entire production at least two or three times in order to select the best possible final product.
Assemble Editing
The more likely method for shooting a single-camera video is to record the scenes in the best pattern possible, utilizing the record/pause technique (described above) wherever possible but also planning to assemble a final edit/duplicated version from your original footage. In this case, you do not have to always shoot scenes in the exact order because they can later be assembled into the needed finished sequence. If editing is to be completed, leave seven to ten seconds extra recording before and after each shot. This will make editing much easier. Don’t forget to have someone keep a log of each video shot; identifying the content, it’s approximate length, and the order in which it was recorded. This also will save your production team valuable time in completing the post-production editing. Also, make sure to shoot more than one take of each scene.
One pattern for shooting a production is to first shoot a medium shot of each scene or sequence for the entire production, making sure that each is as tightly framed on the entire setting as possible. In most cases, this should be repeated at least once or until a best choice is given for editing. Re-shoots of a scene allow both performers and the camera operator to improve the product. The medium shots are followed by shooting all needed close-ups and other special shots or scenes other than a medium shot. Care should be taken to again record the complete audio portion of the program that accompanies each shot.
If a video production has been adequately planned and prepared, the actual shooting takes the least amount of time. The video shoot is considered by most people to be the “fun” part, but it usually can be completed relatively quickly.
Post Production
In guerrilla video production, editing is usually the only post-production step.
With analog video realize that editing does result in some picture quality loss, just as copying in any media format usually gives some slight loss. Simply put, editing means to arrange the order of your shots, taking out unnecessary footage and making any last additions of graphics and titling. This is usually done by hooking your camera or camcorder into an additional videocassette recorder (VCR) coupled with a television set or monitor. Then the camera (another second VCR or other video playback unit can be used instead) is used to play back your footage and the VCR is used to record the scenes in the order that you want. Be sure that you set your record VCR in the SP (Standard Play, 2-hour) mode for the best picture quality possible. Before editing, view and identify the best scenes from the raw footage that was shot.
Create a log sheet. Recognize those scenes that you select and note their exact location on your log, using the counter numbers on the VCR or time/counter measures available on your camera. Identify their position within the finished program by numbering the sequence positions.
Now begin editing by inserting another new tape into the record VCR and the previously-shot footage into the camera or other video playback unit. Queue up both the playback and the record tapes at the beginning positions. Initiate the editing process by positioning controls on the record VCR in the record/pause mode. Then begin the playback unit allowing a few seconds lead before releasing the pause control on the record unit; thereby beginning the finish copy. Proceed by allowing the player and record units to roll until you come to a part on the player that you want to cut or leave out. Press the pause/still button on the VCR to halt recording but still remain in the record mode. Fast forward or rewind the original tape to locate and bring the next scene into position. Again allowing a few seconds lead, release the pause/still button on the record VCR when the next scene arrives on playback, thereby resuming recording on the finished copy. Continue the editing process to playback and record all the scenes in the desired order.
You can sometimes replace the soundtrack during editing by connecting a new or additional audio source. If the equipment you are using has audio dubbing capabilities or handles two-channels of audio, you may be able to add voice-over narration or sound effects in the post-production process, while still retaining the original sound in the background on a second channel of the audio track. Again, please test your equipment capabilities before proceeding to add or develop your finished edited copy.
Resources
- Television Production from CyberCollege
- Video University - ideas for video producers