In this video, condensed from a 3-hour editing session, an editor is given interview and B-roll footage to create a short video without any other information. The video being made is a promotional video for a swimming instructor containing an interview and cutaway shots. Although he is working with Final Cut Pro, he gives a number of useful tips to speed up the editing workflow and to quickly identify and start constructing a story. Below I've summarized the main points made in the video:
- Choosing between a 'cold' or a 'warm' opening - going straight into the story (cold) or starting with their name and other personal information (warm).
- When looking at interview footage for the first time, place markers on the clip for good soundbites and best parts. Label these markers at the side to summarize the topic at that particular point.
- Most important part is working out the story they want to tell. They decide quickly what details they want to include and what they want to omit to find the story in the footage.
- Working out the different 'ideas' in the story and how they can be structured to fit together - how the story should develop. For example, one idea is the story of how the woman got into swimming, and another what the school aims to do.
- Finding a part that sounds like a beginning to the story e.g. 'I started swimming when I was six...'
- Editing workflow - moving between different saved versions and from rough assembly to fine cut
- Using music to ease emotional change and transition between different ideas
However, some of the decisions he makes in the film feel forced or too literal. For example, he uses a dissolve into the cutaway footage when the subject begins to talk about her dreams. Also, a slow push-in when she's talking about a serious topic is perhaps too overt. Additionally, as a personal choice I would look at the B-roll footage before locking in the interview cut, to see where links can be made and any assertions in the interview backed with evidence.
No comments:
Post a Comment