6 Steps to Editing
Penguin August 2nd, 2007
Everything else [in film] comes from something else. Writing, of course, is writing, acting comes from the theatre, and cinematography comes from photography. Editing is unique to film. You can see something from different points of view almost simultaneously, and it creates a new experience.
- Stanley Kubrick
Hopefully, everything is caught on film. If you’re lucky, you can reshoot footage. But in most cases, that won’t be an option.
I will be talking about editing in relation to Adobe Premiere.
- Capture all your footage. Even if you know that there are shots you aren’t using, you want to capture everything anyway. This is important in conjunction with your shot log. If you don’t have a slate, then all you have is your shot log to tell you which shots were good, and which shots weren’t. If you have a hundred some odd takes, it becomes extremely frustrating trying to see which shots were good, and which weren’t.
- Label your shots. When you first capture your footage, everything will be named the same. If you used a slate, this process becomes a bit easier. When you load up the clip, you should be able to see all the information on the slate. Label the shot with <scene number>-<shot number>-<take>. I would also make bins for every shot, and drop them in. Being organized definitely helps.
- Review your shots. During the shoot, you may have made notes about which takes were good. Just like when you were writing, coming back to the take with fresh eyes may change your opinion of it. Be sure to watch everything, even the ones that you marked as “X”. You might find something useable. Be sure to make a note of it on your shot log and update the label of the shot accordingly. It may also help to update the label with something descriptive, maybe a line of dialogue, or what action is happening in the shot.
- Add shots to your timeline. With your storyboard in hand, you can start composing your scene. If you took a master shot, drop that down as the main track. You can layer all your coverage and cut-aways on top of it. Add additional tracks as necessary. I would try and keep each track for its own shot. For instance, if you have coverage of a particular actor, I would devote one track for that coverage. Cut-aways and B-roll would all go on their own tracks. Once the shot is on the timeline, move the beginning and end of the shot to what you want to show.
- Watch the scene. Every time you make an edit or a cut, try to watch the scene from the beginning. This will give you a feel for the pacing and how everything is flowing. If the sound or the action isn’t working out, you’ll be able to see it better. You may notice that a cut doesn’t line up, so you have to add in a cut-away. This is the best way to see that.
- Add music and sound effects. Once you’re satisfied with all your cuts and edits, add sound effects for dramatic effect or to make the scene more real. Watch it again, and then add in music, if any.
Now that you have a working print, it’s time to get paid!
-Penguin
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