How do you guys Edit?

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 10:59 pm

Do you dump all your source footage onto your PC at once and edit that

Or

Do you, lets say, have 2 hours of footage, upload half-an-hour at a time, edit that down to like 10 minutes and save that edited video as a file, then delete the source footage, repeat till you have a few small videos and edit them together into one long one.

I think I'm going to be using that method when I film this documentary I'm doing which is split up into days.

jikalx · Post by **jikalx** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:25 pm

I keep all my source files until I complete a project incase I decide that a scene needs better flow to fit into the rest of the movie. I'd suggest you do this if you have the HD space, but if you don't you have no choice but to use the method you wrote.

El Brenty · Post by **El Brenty** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:30 pm

Okay, I've only recently used my PC for editing a Valentine's music video that couldn't be finished because of my friend Mark being taken ill.

Although it was a 4 min short, it contained about 12 locations, and about 5 scenes in each. What I did was film all the scenes planned at a particular location, then when I got back, uploaded them int the PC, chopping them up into the individual scenes, and inserting them roughly into the timeline (Storyboarding helps here), then I'd go out film at a different locations, come back do the same thing.

Eventually when when I had enough footage to start editing (About 1 min 40 seconds worth), I fine-tuned the scene placement, added in the transitions, and made it synchronise with the music, which was a bit tricky considering that I was minimg the words in puiblic places, and didn't do it to the correct speed sometimes.

Not to self - should I ever do anything like this again, I'd have someone listening to the music to prompt me according to the timeline of the verse.

I ran out of time for filming and editing, and the quality of the captured video was about 10 times worse than what you've been getting Vamp, so probably won't even bother using it again for a future occasion.

The actual editing part that I did on Windows Movie Maker 2 (The downloadable upgrtade), was really easy, and some people may knock it because they have far superior products, but I found it did everything I needed, and never crashed once!

I do suggest that you keep saving your work almost every time you make a change, just to make sure you don't lose all your editing changes.

Raptor · Post by **Raptor** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:36 pm

Depends on how much source there is and what the ultimate outcome is. For short stuff, say less than 15 minutes of source, or something that will use a lot of the sorce, then cap it all and cut it. For something like the TV show we're doing, we had 10 hours of footage of the band from five cameras. So we did a batch capture thru premiere, grabbing only the songs from each cam that we wanted to use. Just create an Edit Decision List, add the timecodes to premieres batch capture window, and let premiere find the cuts you need and cap them Not sure how many t\In/Out points you can have on the EDL.... If you need another shot later, just grab it from the original tape.
[EDIT]
Bad answer for your question - sorry - SVHS won't have continuous timecode that Premiere can use. Works for DV but not for analog video.. sorry... I'd still though do an EDL with the index from the tape, and then manually grab just the scenes I wanted. If you log the index when you shoot the scene, and then don't reset the index till you view the tape, you'll be fine. Or at least make sure you zero the index at the beginning of the tape when you start the shoot, then zero again after the tape rewinds to view. Note the index of the shots you want to use when reviewing, then just go to that index, and cap the scene you want.

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:46 pm

Whats an EDL? Batch capture?

jikalx · Post by **jikalx** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:50 pm

Vamp wrote:Whats an EDL? Batch capture?

It's good practice to always do this. EDL I think stands for edit decision list. After you film you just write down all the in and out time-codes of your tape. Batch capture is when you enter these values into Premiere and it captures just those parts of the video automatically.

It takes a little more work to create an EDL list but it makes things a whole lot easier in the long run.

Raptor · Post by **Raptor** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:25 am

Definitely easier, but batch capture won't work for your analog rig Vamp...

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 1:13 am

I capture everything at a time. I won't delete anything until I reach the final product. Although that means I have over a 100gig stored until I am finished.

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 9:54 am

2nd part of the question, WHEN do you guys edit? While shooting a movie, or afte all the shooting is done and what's an EDL used for?

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 9:58 am

I capture the footage that i wish to work with, then edit it tighter. I edit as i shoot, usually scene by scene. This saves time and gives LuteLeigh a chance to compose music

El Brenty · Post by **El Brenty** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 11:42 am

I started editing straight away, as soon as I had some footage. Don't forget for mine there were time limits, so I'd film during the day, and edit in the evenings. Like I said if you have a film that's been story-boarded then the editing doesn't have to be so creative, just pop those scenes straight into the timeline.

It all depends on how much time you have available for filming and editing.

Like Grant says, you need to film more than you're going to use (A few seconds before and after the shot), and tren trim the clip to fit.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:33 pm

hey i normally at least film 10mins to 1

SgtPadrino · Post by **SgtPadrino** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 5:02 pm

Whoa... chopping it up like that is too complicated... I just dump it all in, get music and arrange it accordingly. Simple.

Raptor · Post by **Raptor** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 5:18 pm

10 to 1 is pretty standard for movies, maybe even a higher ratio for documentart style work.
An EDL let's you review the shoot tapes, and select the takes you want to import. It's a text list of take name mark in and markout on the timecode, and an optional decription. The EDL is then inputted into the NLE ( Premiere, AVID, FCP all support Batch capture, not sure about Vegas) and the Software controls the cam or dec, moving to the first markin timecode, capturing the scene till the mark out code, then continueing tot he next mark in. and so on till it gets all the scenes specified in the EDL. This allows you to review your dailies and grab just the takes from the scenes that you want to actually use. If a scene took 6 or 8 takes, why would you want to import them all just to not use them?

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 10:42 pm

for me it is easier to capture it in small relevant chunks per planned shot and then edit it down tighter. Save HDD space also

chchaisson1 · Post by **chchaisson1** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:19 am

Although I edit one chunk of the movie at a time, I always keep all the footage on my hard drive just in case I must re-edit or some of it is lost.

It may take up HDD space, but I'd say it's a safer approach.

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:26 am

I edit as I shot, if I shooting somthing long, even though I usualy end up finishing shooting in a single day. When I do get to editing, I usualy get a friend or two, since I like to do the ruff cut in group. Then I start cutting, and I don't delete the raw footage untill I am completly done with the project, because it always turns out that there is somthing in the raw that I can use that I didn't plan on using. Also I have to put toghter a gag real. I tend to edit in long sittings, of about two or three hours, take a break then go back to work, unill I get the ruff done, then I do the little stuff if pereodic sit downs until it is done. But I never get rid of footage untill the project is done, and sometimes even after that. All told with Retribution it took about 33gig to hold all the raw, footage, but then we didn't over shot the movie. That is how I edit.

lethelgirth87 · Post by **lethelgirth87** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:27 am

Grant wrote:This saves time and gives LuteLeigh a chance to compose music

A little bit off topic but Lute Leigh makes some awesome music! I really like that Radiance song that he wrote, it inspired me to write a new script. Anyway.....

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:31 am

yes he does a wonderful job! Matches the music exactly to the scene for me, really sets the mood. PM him or talk to him on my forum anytime

Luteleigh · Post by **Luteleigh** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:39 am

Thanks for the kind remark, lethelgirth87.

Well my part in the editing is giving Grant a second opinion, cause he's been staring at it for so long, its hard to see how much progress you've made. I view it once in a while to see how it's going, and what I think may help it.

Then when it's done, it's time for the good bit - making the MUSIC!!

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:13 am

yeah you have to sit back and let others view it sometimes during editing to see if certain sequences work or do not work. This is especially a concern with large shoots. I usually now for say a 90sec scene have 60+camera and angle changes to edit. At first i usually hate the scene after its initial placement of shots because it looks and flows so bad. Usually after the 2nd or 3rd render i love the scene

thewarmovie · Post by **thewarmovie** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:53 pm

all at once, in my avid class he says you should not delete anything untill you've finished you project.

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:12 pm

Frankly, I never delete footage even after the project has been long finished. The work I've been involved in often has be go back to old projects.

thewarmovie · Post by **thewarmovie** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:37 pm

but your not supposed to delete it off the tape

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:37 pm

Well I tend to edit as I shot, so I might shot an hour of footage for afew sequences, and I will dump all of that into the computer and start editting it into a ruff cut. Then I start working on the whole thing once it is cut toghter. Unless I have totaly f-ed it up, by say deleting the page file, but other then that I do it as I shot.