Post-Production

Postproduction is the process of EDITING your video footage. We use Adobe Premiere Elements, but there are dozens of other digital editing software applications such as:

• BASIC EDITORS (free) - Windows MovieMaker, Apple iMovie, VirtualDub

• CONSUMER EDITORS - Sony Vegas, Pinnacle Studios, Premiere Elements

• ADVANCED EDITORS (costly) - Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro

The goals of "Post-Production" editing are typically to:

• TRIM raw footage to the essential content

• ARRANGE the order of footage

• Add APPROPRIATE* and TASTEFUL

  • TITLES

  • CAPTIONS

  • TRANSITIONS

  • GRAPHICS

  • SOUND EFFECTS

  • MUSIC

• Adjust

  • SOUND LEVELS

  • IMAGE QUALITY

*Appropriate means that the editing "enhances" the content; it gives content a professional appearance and makes it more effective

*Inappropriate editing (ie excessive, random transitions, poorly designed titles, sound effects or music) can rob your production of integrity, and make it appear "amateurish".

3) Next we want to add media (video/audio clips, or graphics) to our project. MAKE SURE THE FOOTAGE IS IN THE SAME FOLDER AS YOUR PROJECT ON THE D DRIVE. We do so by clicking on Add Media. Notice our choices now. For the most part we'll be grabbing these assets from our hard drive so click on Files and Folders and navigate to the clip(s) we want to bring in.

4) The Main Screen for Premiere has many workspace defaults but we typically use EDITING workspace.

In Editing Workspace there are four main areas -

• Source Panel (and behind it is the Effects Control) on the top left. Here you can do your set in's and set-outs or, if Effects Control is selected, you can alter relevant information pertaining to the asset currently highlighted, be it position, size, opacity, any effects added etc... It's also where you'll see keyframing adjustments

• Sequence Preview (top right)lets you see a ROUGH draft of your movie - it's clarity and quality depend on how fast your computer is

• TIMELINE (bottom right) is where you will assemble and compose your video clips, sound effects and graphics

• Project bin (and behind it are your Effects warehouse).

Basic Editing

Please refer to Premiere's guide on all of the various types of edits (trim, slip, slide, roll etc...). It really is excellent and will save you tons of time in the long run.

Initial editing means trimming the raw clips down to extract just the moments you need to tell your story. Editing is the process to arrange your clips, get them to the right length and sequence them such that the story is told in the most efficient manner possible.

Generally the steps to editing are

1) have storyboard and get the corresponding shots needed. Rename them to make sense (instead of dsc_00103 rename to Interview1 etc..)

2) doubleclick the video clip of interest to browse it in the Source Monitor and mark the set-in and set-out points

3) drag the clip to the timeline (or other means of insertion).

There are several methods to shorten your clip to the desired length:

Method #1: Trimming the clip in the source monitor (this is typically done first regardless of other types of trimming done later on)

Setting In (i on the keyboard) and Out (o on the keyboard) points does not delete frames from the hard drive. Instead, it isolates the portion you want included in the movie. In and Out points act like a window over the clip, showing only the frames from the In point to the Out point. You can move In and Out points as needed to regain any frames you might have trimmed.

Method #2: Trimming in the timeline (see the images below)

Types of common transitions

1. A cut, the most basic type of transition, is a transition with no duration; when one shot ends, another one immediately begins, without any overlap. All other transitions gradually replace one shot with another; when one shot ends, another one gradually replaces it. Example

2. Fade: This begins with a shot at full intensity and reduces until it is gone. A fade-in begins with a shot at no intensity and increases until it is full. These are the common “fade to black” and “fade up (from black)” transitions. Example

3. Mix/Crossfade/Dissolve: This involves two shots. The first shot fades out while the second shot simultaneously fades in. During the cross dissolve, the two shots are superimposed as they fade. Example

4. Wipe: This is where the screen splits, moving from one side of the image to the other to gradually reveal the next shot. It is more obvious than a fade or cross dissolve. Example

J cuts vs. L cuts:

Sometimes you don't want "ping-pong" cutting, or switching back and forth between clips. It can lead to disorientation. In this case you can have your audio lead in before the video is shown, or the video shown before the audio occurs. If your audio cuts from the first clip to the second clip, but the video from the first clip continues, it forms an J shape in the timeline. However, If the video from the second clip comes in before the audio for that clip does, this forms a L shape in the timeline. In ancient times, before "timelines" or digital editing even existed, these cuts were known as "video advance" and "audio advance."

Advanced Editing

Animating and Editing Keyframes

Clip Animation can be daunting at first - but once you understand how it works, it's quite easy.

• KEYFRAMES establish specific "states" of your clip's properties (ie SCALE, POSITION or OPACITY) at specific times in the movie.

• Your clip will "TWEEN" between these keyframes

ie. to make a TITLE CLIP start SMALL and zoom to FULL SIZE

• The first keyframe at the very start of the title should set it's SCALE property to 0

• A keyframe one second later should set SCALE to 100

2. Create a first keyframe. 

The CTI should be at the far left (e.g. the beginning of the clip)

Adjust your scale to 0. If Premiere doesn't automatically create a keyframe (a little diamond symbol in the timeline) then you can manually trigger the keyframe to "drop" at that time by pressing the diamond symbol next to the scale slider (right next to 100% in the image above)

3. Set the SECOND keyframe

• Scrub the CTI ahead about 1 second (30 frames) to "CUE" the timeline to the next key moment of change for your clip

• Adjust the size back to 100 (you can type it it if need be) - a new keyframe should appear

Your animation is complete - SAVE your file and hit ENTER to test it out

Storyline Editing

Remember the good editing tips from TGJ3M:

1. Keep individual scenes short. Switch between A and B rolls so that you don't get bogged down in a particularly long clip (unless it's specifically part of the goal for the scene). Remember, 15 seconds of footage is typically the LONGEST you want to show any particular clip.

2. Focus on the scene. Each scene needs to be taken from the rest of the whole when you are first story editing. It is important to think of the film as one large project, but it is important to remain focused on each piece individually right in the beginning.

3. When you are editing a scene you need to have the script, notes, and any other production documents that you can possibly find. You want to maintain the appropriate pace of the scene, while at the same time getting all of the story elements that are important.

4. You should keep your story arc always first and foremost at all times. Character development, plot, continuity all depend on a story that keeps going. If you get distracted, then the audience definitely will.

5. The best thing to do is lay out the entire story of the film as plainly as you possibly can. Go through it and make sure that an uninitiated audience member will be able to pick up on all the plot elements, characters, and themes easily. From here other types of editing can be applied to mix it up, add energy, deal with aesthetic problems, and elevate the film to more than just a storytelling medium.

If you forget typical editing rules, then check out this article. You may want to check it out anyhow.

Sound Editing

The goal of sound editing in film is to aid in the storytelling. This can be achieved by the judicious use of:

1. Voice-work (recorded dialogue either in conjunction with on-scene dialogue or behind it)

2. Foley-work (replication of 'real sounds' of people or animals interaction with their environment)

3. Sound effects (all other noises relating to the scene).

4. Soundtracks (music behind the dialogue)

Why Foley Work?

The location sound recordists main job is to clearly record the dialogue. Film sets are noisy places and many of the sound effects required for the film are too specific to be recorded in conjunction with the dialogue. In order to create comprehensive and rich sounds, each element of the sound must be distinct, and individually controllable. Only then does the Sound Mixer have the capability to effectively combine and balance all the sound elements in the final sound track. For example; the sounds of galloping horse feet must be separated from the rattle of the carriage, the bridle and reins, the dirt spray, and separate again from the distant horse feet that are in hot pursuit.

Sound Replacement

Film sets and many film props are traditionally constructed of very different materials than they are made to portray. That's where Foley comes to the dramatic rescue... replacing hollow plywood footsteps, foam rubber pipe hits, rubber swords and candy glass bottle breaks with realistic or enhanced 'movie' sound.

Jack Donahue Foley

The technique is named after Jack Foley, who performed this role at Universal Studios from the dawn of the "talkies". Jack spent most of his time "walking" the actors performances. Desilu Studios officially honoured Jack by naming its stage the "Foley Stage". The term stuck, and today it is used all over the world.

How are we to do/make Foley

We can use Audacity to do some of the recording, we also have a Mackie Mixer. At worst most of you have recorders in the form of your phones.

Did you know that the Foley work for a broken bone is obtained by breaking celery next to the microphone!?!

I would recommend the following work-flow:

1. Start recording narrative

2. Add Foley work on separate tracks

3. Once done, select a piece of music from CreativeCommons.org , Jamendo or Soundcloud and save to your account - for example THIS PIECE). ALTERNATIVELY MAYBE RECORD YOUR OWN!!! Check out the sound website for music creation software. 

4. tweak volume on your various sound layers to deliver the emotional content you're looking for.

Some places you might search for free sound effects and full creative commons songs/soundtracks

3) Soundtracks (music behind the dialogue)

Musical Themes For Specific Characters (Leifmotif)

Character themes are used in operas where there are often many characters to keep track of, and the audience may or may not actually speak the language being sung. (Even if you’re fluent in the language they’re using it can be tough to keep up with all the lines since very few are spoken.) Films also use character themes, though usually in a more subtle way. You’ll often hear a character theme when that character is introduced. It will likely show up whenever they need to be the focus. This can happen in a number of different ways, from when they’re coming up with ideas in a situation to when they’re about to enter a room abruptly. Once a theme is established, even a small piece of it can be used to remind the viewer of a character. For instance, Carl and Ellie’s theme in “Up” is used in the beginning of the animation when Ellie is present, but as the movie progresses it can be heard when Carl is thinking of her. Carl doesn’t have to say, “I miss my wife” or even look at a picture of her, the audience already knows what he’s thinking in part because of what they’ve heard in the musically.

Misleading The Audience With Music

While musical themes are great tools to use while storytelling, they can be used to mislead you as well. Using character themes to mislead the audience is used often in thrillers, but I’ve seen it pop up in other genres. We’ve all been to a thriller where the “killer’s theme” starts to play only to see the character is faked-out by a friend. While this fake-out can be a great way to relieve audience tension, it is also able to convey the character’s tension and anxieties with no words and very little blocking.     

Music Can Tell The Story

Music is a very important storytelling tool. Even before spoken-word films were available, countless stories were told with music. Musical themes can make an audience feel as though they’re in the past, or far in the future. Music can convey feelings, even the deepest and most difficult to explain emotions can be understood by an audience in less than a minute with the proper musical theme. While music can do all of the above, it can also make the audience understand a character quickly and be reminded of them when they aren’t visible on camera.

Color Correction

The last step in film making, after editing and sound, is color correction. It is as much an artform as any of the other steps in the cimenatic storytelling process. While it is beyond the scope of the course, it is something you will probably have entire courses on in post-secondary. Here is a good oversight on the process.