Editing Tips « IN[FOCUS]

02.16.10

colbert2

My entire approach to editing from the gut comes from Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. During a speech at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, Colbert stated:

“That’s where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. Now, I know some of you are going to say, “I did look it up, and that’s not true.” That’s ’cause you looked it up in a book. Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that’s how our nervous system works.”

And that’s where the truth lies in editing: edit for emotion, edit with passion, don’t use a formulaic approach and make every wedding video unique-edit with your gut! There is a rhythm to an edit that you feel deep inside, like a favorite piece of music, with a beginning, middle and end, and when the music, or video, is over, you feel the satisfaction of being taken on a journey. I feel that when I’m shooting I’m merely gathering the raw materials to assemble in the timeline and create something in the timeline that did not exist before. Editing is what makes the movie what it is.

I’ve recently found editing inspiration in the 2004 movie “The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing,” and I highly recommend this to anyone involved in creating wedding films. The movie shows us the power of editing, from the early days of Hollywood when editors were considered to be more like skilled technicians rather than artists, to the present day, and includes insightful comments from Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese and many others. The movie reminded me of the importance being precise in your edit and not staying on a particular shot for too long (or too short). Quentin Tarantino compared the work of an editor to that of a composer and a writer: in music the building block is the note, for a writer, it is the word, and for the editor you have the frame, and “two frames added, or two frames less, is the difference between a sour note and a sweet note, it’s the difference between clunky, clumsy crap, alright, and orgasmic rhythm.” “Pulp Fiction” is one of the reasons I make movies today-thank you Quentin!

edge2

“And editing is why people like movies,” said director Rob Cohen. “Because in the end, wouldn’t we like to edit our own lives? I think we would. I think everybody would like to take out the bad parts, take out the slow parts, and look deeper into the good parts.”

So place “The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing” on your Netflix instant queue, and then join me at the next IN[FOCUS] gathering near you!
Vlad

Posted in Blog, Editing Tips

(0)

01.28.10

The Perfect Super 8mm Highlight Part II – The Shot List

Hi IN[FOCUS] Readers,

Well, Corbin and I hope part 1 of this series has helped you prepare for your Perfect Super 8mm Highlight, and that you’re now ready to learn some of our day-of-strategies that help us obtain that perfect Super 8mm Highlight (or at least get as close as possible, lets face it, rarely does wedding filming reach perfection).

Here I am describing the shots we choose, and why we choose them:

And now what you’ve been waiting for, a shot list for The Perfect Super 8mm Highlight: (all ceremonies and receptions are different, so this may not be the perfect list for every wedding highlight)

establishing shots of the ceremony location (remember you’ll want a still shot over which to put the bride’s and groom’s name)
detail in the bride’s room to establish it (her bouquet is always a good choice)
the bride smiling and/or laughing
a wide shot of all the bridesmaids
establishing your groom (maybe entering his room if possible)
detail of the groom’s room (jacket hanging up)
a wide of all the groomsmen
the groom smiling and/or laughing
establish the ceremony location (a wide of it with no guests or a shot of the program)
3-4 ceremony detail shots (you’ll use these as cutaways during the ceremony, so be sure to shoot mids or close shots)
guests mingling and greeting one another
the groom walking into place for the ceremony
groom’s smiling (remember to get it in-between the bridesmaids coming down)
a wide of entire wedding party in place (not shown in film)
the bride’s entrance (remember to try and get 2-3 shots of her entrance)
the bride’s father giving her away
unity candle or any other unique ceremony event
vows and/or ring shots
the kiss
the couples exit
1-3 shots of couple right after ceremony as they look at their rings.
reception establishing shot
2-3 reception detail shots (we no longer film the cakes, since we show them during the cake cutting)
the couple’s reception entrance (only film the bride and groom’s entrance and not their entire wedding party)
2-4 shots of the couple’s First Dance (the groom twirling his bride is always a good shot, as is the dip and/or kiss at the end)
2-3 shots of the Father/Daughter Dance
2-3 shots of the Mother/Son Dance (the beginning and ends of the dances seem to be the best moments)
cake cutting (again, all receptions are different, so just do your best to get all the major moments)
family members and wedding party dancing (do your best to get both sets of parents and grandparents)
bride and groom dancing
anything unique to the bride and groom’s reception (photo booth, candy bar, etc…)
bouquet and garter toss
the couple’s Last Dance and/or exit

Corbin and I hope this helps you create the Perfect Super 8mm Highlight and look forward to seeing your films!

Happy filming,

-Dave

Posted in Blog, Editing Tips, Film, Shooting

(0)

01.26.10

The Perfect Super 8mm Highlight – Part 1, Preparation

Christina and Clay’s Super 8mm Wedding Highlight from Soulbox Productions on Vimeo.

Hi IN[FOCUS] Readers,

This is Dave with Soulbox Productions. Corbin and I have been producing Super 8mm Wedding Highlights for the past 4 years and we want to share with you what we’ve learned in this two part series.

So you just purchased your refurbished super 8mm camera from Du-All Camera and you’re ready to film a wedding, right?…not so fast.

First, you’ll need to make sure you and your camera are ready to go.

Let’s start with the film, since you’ll need some to test your camera. Shooting at 24fps, each cartridge has 3 minutes of footage. We film a highlight using 3 cartridges, but your first time out, you’ll most likely want to use 4. If the Pre-Ceremony and Ceremony are well lit, buy two 200 speed cartridges (one for each – but you can always get two 500 speed and be ok). And assuming the Reception will be in low light, buy two 500 speed cartridges for it. We buy film from our processing company Spectra Film & Video. The price of their 4 pack of film (with processing included) is $259.

If you want to be confident of your camera’s workability on your client’s wedding day, you’ll want to do some tests at home first:

you’ll need an extra cartridge of 200 speed film
check to make sure there are no hairs are dust particles where you insert the cartridge (use a toothpick to gently remove any unwanted hairs)
use measuring tape and measure out 5 feet and place the meter on your camera at 5 and begin filming
we always like to test our cameras both by their meters and by our eyes to make sure both techniques are in focus (make notes as you test your camera, you don’t want to forget which technique you were trying when your test footage comes back from the lab in a few months)
don’t forget to test both outside in bright light and at night for low lighting situations (see our post on an inexpensive super 8mm lighting trick)

There is a way around the extra costs and time by doing a home test. You can simply jump right into filming with super 8mm. For Corbin and me, it just so happened that one of our friends was getting married, so we surprised her with the super 8mm highlight. Don’t have a friend getting married anytime soon? Simply ask one of your upcoming clients. However, I would be very cautious about charging a lot (or anything at all) when testing an unproven camera.

Below is our first attempt at a Super 8mm Highlight, testing our camera for our good friends Mike and Misty (please note that Spectra Film & Video did not do the processing).

Misty and Mike’s Super 8mm Wedding Highlight from Soulbox Productions on Vimeo.

Okay, so the footage came back and the camera is ready to go! Well, besides your camera and film, here’s what else you’ll need for your first shoot:

a bag
batteries for the camera (and extra batteries)
a light (unless everything is outside, but even then, it might get rained back inside)
a belt clip (so you have easy access to the next three items)
a lens wipe
a marker (to number your cartridges, so your processing company will give the footage back to you in order, this saves time in post production)
a small flashlight (so that you can read how much footage you have left during a dark reception)

Corbin and I hope this helps you get ready for your first Super 8mm Highlight. Next up in Part II, a shot list that will help you perfect the Super 8mm Highlight.

Cheers,
Dave and Corb

Posted in Blog, Editing Tips, Film, Gearbag, Shooting, Supplies

(0)

09.24.09

Pump It Up: Finding the Right Music

pump-audio

They say that audio is 70 percent of your video. I think it’s more like 95 percent. Sometimes, when I’m feeling adventurous, I don’t even bring a video camera to a shoot, just a portable audio recorder. Even though the client is at first rather confused they are soon delighted when I explain the importance of audio and that they will not be distracted with any video elements on their DVD!

So today I would like to share with you some of my favorite online resources for royalty free music and sound effects. My most recent discovery is called Pump Music, and it is a division of Getty Images. It’s priced slightly higher than other music providers but I found the quality and variety of genres to be exceptional. The site allows you to save a favorites folder so you can go back to it and find the right music for any future projects. I’ve enjoyed browsing their tracks, and that process itself is how I usually start an edit as different songs give me ideas and inspiration.

I’m sure many of you know about Triple Scoop Music, another great site for finding music for your videos. This one is nice since it is specifically tailored to photographers and videographers.

proscores

One of my favorite sites in general, and also a great resource for cinematic scores (called Pro Scores) and effects is Video Copilot. In addition to some great After Effects tutorials, Andrew Kramer offers a wide variety of products, including instructional DVDs, stock footage elements and of course some pretty cool music.

Another website that I’ve used in the past is Shockwave-Sound. Again, just browsing their selection is a great way to get some editing ideas. For classical music I love Unique Tracks-check out their classical album pack collections to get you started. Soundrangers has both music and unusual effects (I think this site is used quite a bit by video game designers) and listening to their amazing effects selection (including “goblin attack,” “forest rain,” “nightclub applause” and my favorite, “oh 1, female 1″) can keep you entertained for hours.

Finally, recording artist Moby has a site, called Moby Gratis, which is designed to provide free music to filmmakers for their independent, non-profit films. A wedding video probably wouldn’t be categorized as “non-profit,” but this would be perfect for a small personal project, and there is also a way to apply for a license with profits going to the Humane Society. Below is an image I took years ago of Moby performing in Las Cruces, New Mexico when I worked at at a newspaper there. Thanks for reading, enjoy the links, and share some more services in the comments section below.

–Vlad

moby

Posted in Blog, Editing Tips, Music, Web/Tech

(2)

Dragos says:

09/24/2009 at 3:04 pm

Hey,

Thanks a lot for the great post.
Next thing I will buy is a Video Copilot package :)
For my home page I’ve used a ultrashock.com loop. The price is around $10 per piece.
Russ Broadhead says:

10/27/2009 at 5:20 pm

Love the post! Thanks for the info, I’ve already seen an improvement in my work:)

08.06.09

Get IN[TENSE] – Speeding up your Editing pt. 3

"I took your editing strategies and ran with them. Last year I produced 3 videos for a local airshow that took 6 weeks of editing. This year, I was able to do the same thing in 7 days thanks in a large part to what you shared.

Every year, that airshow has literally taken months of my editing time and while it was a project I loved, I also dreaded it because it took so long. Now, I can just enjoy it and get it done quickly." - Tom Pehrson, Loveland, Colorado

It wasn't until I sat down and calculated how much time and money (and concentration) I was wasting from eating out that I realized that I needed to save those occasions for when I'm having a business meeting with an event planner or potential client!

As I mentioned in the previous video, editing projects in the least amount of time has so much to do with our habits. Once we take control of our habits, we incur benefits beyond what our initial expectations were (such as happier cheerleading clients!).

Are you making a list of what you're going to do with all the time you're saving? And think, we haven't arrived at workflow adjustments, yet. Come and see me when I come to a PVA near you; we'll talk about that, too.

jones

Posted in Blog, Editing Tips

(0)

Your Name:
Your Email:
Website:

Your Name:
Your Email:
Website:

Your Name:
Your Email:
Website:

Your Name:
Your Email:
Website: