Portfolio of Evidence to be presented by each student for:

Unit 16: Film and Video Editing Techniques

SOCIAL ACTION & THE COMMUNITY FILM ASSIGNMENT

Name: Katie McKeever

Please provide a written comment that deals with all the italicized tasks below. You don’t need to write about all of listed content but it essential that you write about a minimum of two of the sub headings for the learning outcomes.

Unit content

LO1. UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRINCIPLES OF EDITING

LO1.1 Development: in-camera editing: following the action; multiple points of view; shot variation; manipulation of diegetic time and space; film, video; digital.

Task 1. Provide a written report to explain your understanding of the above media terms, also provide written details about camera and audio equipment you use to record production work. P1 M1 D1

In-camera editing

· This technique makes editing easier as the clips are shot in order so you don’t have to edit because scenes are already in the correct order.

·

Following the action

· Movement is used to follow what is happening on the screen.

· For example a chase scene in Casino Royale uses camera movement such as panning and tracking shots to follow the action in the scene.

When the character is climbing up the scaffolding the camera follows him.

Multiple points of view

· Are used to show perspectives of different characters.

· A POV (point of view) shot records what the character is seeing at that time.

Shot Variation

· A range of different shots used together to make up a scene.

· For example, long shots, close ups, medium shots etc.

Manipulation of diegetic time and space

· Diegetic time is when something is filmed at a regular speed in real time.

· A manipulation of diegetic time and space is footage that has been sped up or slowed down and so it does not match the pace of real time.

· For example there is a scene in clockwork orange where the action is sped up for comedic effect and so the audience doesn’t lose interest.

· Diegetic time is what is recorded while the camera is recording visual and audio.

· Manipulating of diegetic time is the addition of any effects such as colour, dissolves, music, folio sounds, anything really that’s been added in editing that wasn’t originally filmed.

Film and Video

· The main differences between a film reel and a video tape is the length and the colour.

· Film is usually longer with more colour compared to video which is usually shorter and less colourful.

Digital

Any kind of storage for footage recorded, etc memory card, CD, etc.

LO1.2 Purposes: storytelling, e.g. engaging the viewer, development of drama, relationship to genre, creating motivation; combining shots into sequences; creating pace.

Task 2. Describe how the above media terms are important to moving image productions. Give an account of you are intending to employ editing techniques and processes to tell your story? P1 M1 D1

· When the footage has been recorded the editor creates an entertaining piece to engage the viewer.

· The editor will collaborate with the director to create a final outcome that will be suitable for the target audience.

Engaging the viewer

· The editor can engage the viewer by creating tension in a scene, this can be done by including dramatic sound effects that suit the genre of the piece.

· For example, in Insidious the family are sitting around a table when it pans to a shot of the father with a demon standing behind him, the music heightens to give the audience a jump scare.

Development of Drama

· Can be done by using a variation of shots. Camera movement can also build drama in a scene

· Zooms and tracking develop the drama and build tension. 

· The viewer recognises these types of shots shots signify a dramatic event.

· Developing drama in a scene is to do with the emotion being portrayed and making the audience empathise with whatever is happening.

Relationship to genre

· In the editing process different styles are used to depict the genre of the film.

· The different techniques used to edit different genres can influence the viewers emotions.

· Fast paced editing is often used in horror films as it builds tension so the audience are anticipating the next jumpscare.

Creating motivation

· This is a key part of editing as it will determine whether the viewer keeps watching or not.

· POV shots can be used to motivate the viewer’s emotions.

Combining shots into sequences

· When shots are individually recorded and edited they can be put together to create a final piece. 

· It is up to the editor to determine how to put the shots in order and make a smooth transition from one shot to the next.

Creating pace

· When a clip is sped up or slowed down in the editing process this changes the pace.

· The pace affects how the audience feel about the scene, slowed down clips can create anticipation whereas a fast paced scene can convey a lot of information in a short time.

· The pace is changed by the length of the clips, short clips in a sequence increase the pace, and long clips slows the pace down, so it more to do with the duration of the clips than changing speed of clips.

LO1.3 Conventions and techniques: seamless; continuity; motivated; montage; jump-cutting; parallel editing; 180o rule; splicing; transitions, e.g. cut, dissolve, fade, wipe; cutaways; point of view shot; shot-reverse-shot; providing and withholding information; editing rhythm; crosscutting; cutting to soundtrack.

Task 3. Provide a written report to explain what the above editing conventions and techniques mean and give an account of the editing techniques you plan to use in your production. P1 M1 D1

Seamless

· An editing technique where the editor puts two clips together to create a smooth transition between them.

· The shots can be different things happening at the same time or two completely different clips of the same character as long as the clips are edited together to create a seamless final piece.

Continuity

· An editing technique used to show continuous time and space from shot to shot.

· The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over any continuity errors in the post-production stage.

· This means that the clips are edited together to create a story that flows and is realistic and tries to mirror the real world around us as much as possible.

Motivated

· A motivated edit is when the scene cuts to another scene that was not in the previous frame.

· The clips are edited smoothly together so the scene does not break the continuity of the piece.

· When using a motivated edit the editor may use techniques such as flashbacks and reverse shots to create a sense of tension.

Montage

· An editing technique where a number of juxtaposing shots are edited together.

· Montages are often fast-paced and convey lots information in a short period of time.

Jump-cutting

· An editing technique in which a transition is used between sequential shots of the same subject, which makes it appear to jump from one shot to the next because of the way the shots are framed.

· The reason it appears to jump forward in time is that the camera position changes slightly to manipulate the diegetic time.

· This is an effective technique to convey to the the viewer a sense of time passing.

Parallel editing

· This technique establishes the relationship between two subjects by cutting from one to the other.

· One of the more common uses of this technique is to convey two simultaneous events happening at the same time by cutting between two shots.

180o rule

· In filmmaking, the 180o rule keeps the camera movement within 180o at all times.

· This means you cannot cross the 'line of vision' between two characters, unless the viewer actually sees the point of view of a character moving across the screen.

· The reason for the rule is so the viewer can comprehend the surroundings of the scene and understand what is happening without being distracted.

Splicing

· An editing technique where the editor cuts out unwanted pieces of dialogue or sounds and edit the clips together to create a smooth final piece.

Transitions

· Cut – this is the most common type of video transition.

· This is when a scene goes from on frame to the next, it is a fast and efficient technique in editing.

· Most footage is naturally separated by the cut of the camera stopping recording and starting recording again for the next shot.

· Cuts are used to keep the action at a steady pace.

· Dissolve – an editing technique where there is a gradual transition from one image to another so they fade nicely into each other

· Fade – a gradual transition from a colour to an image or an image to colour, usually black or white.

· This transition is usually used at the begging or ending of a scene.

Cutaways

· A cutaway interrupts the continuity of a scene.

· It is usually the interruption of action happing in a scene when it will cut to a shot something else.

· This technique means the editor can show other things going on at the same time and convey more information in a short period.

Point of view shot

· This is a shot showing a character’s perspective.

Shot-reverse-shot

· This is a technique in which a character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

Providing and withholding information

· Providing information for the viewer is necessary so the viewer knows what’s going on by watching a few clips conveying information and is engaged in the storyline.

· Withholding information is an effective editing technique as it keeps the viewer engaged they will be asking questions to try and justify the actions they see on screen.

Editing Rhythm

· Rhythm is a very essential editing technique, it adds to the mood of a scene and determines the impression it will leave on the viewer.

· Rhythmic editing means the sound is aligned with the shots and or camera movement.

Crosscutting

· Crosscutting is an editing technique which can convey information the viewer would be withheld if the storyline was linear.

· Flash-backs and flash-forwards are ways the editor can show something that previously happened or is yet to happen in the piece.

Cutting to soundtrack

· This editing technique is when the cuts are motivated by the pace of the soundtrack.

· This means the editor will be guided by the soundtrack, eg if the song is fast paced the cuts of the scene will be too.

LO2.1 Preparation techniques: checking material for faults; logging and storing clips in folder; creating libraries/bins; creating projects; clarifying the purpose of the work with a client

Task 4. Write about and describe the editing terms and processes mentioned above

Checking material for faults

When the clips have been uploaded onto your computer you can then check the material for any faults.

Logging and storing clips in a folder

This is when clips are taken off your SD card and transferred onto your computer so you can save them in a folder and onto your editing software.

Creating libraries/bins

· Creating a library is easy on editing software, the user goes to file and selects new library.

· Creating a bin means the user of the editing software is able to access footage more easily all in the one place for a specific project.

Creating projects

· Creating a project mean you work is stored as you edit so you can access projects more easily to edit them.

Clarifying the purpose of the work with a client

· Meeting with your client to discuss what content they want to see in the final prject can give you a better idea of what they are looking for.

LO2.2 Preparing to edit: importing clips to documents folder; creating libraries bins and saving to project document folder; timelines; storage and folder management of all film, audio and graphics; formats; resolution;

Importing clips to documents folder

· Once you have uploaded your footage from your SD card onto your computer then you can save them in a new folder.

· This means all the footage will be in one place so when you import the files onto your editing software all your clips will be in the one place.

Creating libraries bins and saving to project document folder

Bins store all your footage in one place so it is easy to access whilst editing.

Timelines

A timeline is where you cut and edit your clips before you save the final product.

Storage and folder management of all film, audio and graphics

· Managing your folders means the editing process is easier as everything is saved in one place and easy to access.

Formats

· A format decides what size and how good the video quality will be when it is being saved.

· Better quality means the file size will be larger and take up more storage.

· The format can dictate the size and quality of an image or type way it is viewed.

AIFF – aka Audio Interchange File Format, this audio format was developed by Apple Inc. and is most commonly used on Apple computers. This format uses more disk space than MP3 as the audio is uncompressed.

MP3 – this digital audio format uses lossy data compression and is often used to download music as the file size is small.

MP4 – this format can save digital multimedia and is most commonly used to store audio and video files. This format is commonly used as it allows streaming over the internet.

Quicktime – another multimedia format which was developed by Apple Inc. Most commonly used on Apple computers. Some versions of Quicktime require a license.

H.264 – this is a video compression format. Commonly used as it gives a high quality without taking up too much storage.

Resolution

· This determines the picture quality of the final product.

· A better picture quality will take up more space to store.

· 1920 x 1080 - this is high definition quality for film.

Task 5. Provide screen shots of the editing techniques used. Command – Shift – 4 and select the relevant material on screen.

Screen shots of clips, libraries/bins, projects, timeline, effects, transitions, graphics, titles, credits etc.

Task 6. Describe what editing techniques you used to produce the work and provide a list of all editing equipment employed in production process. P3 M3 D3

Final cut is the software I used to edit my version of the social action piece. I used cutaways to split up my interview footage and make it more interesting. I made sure the clips were relevant to the topic of the film project. I aligned the clips so they correlate with what the interviewee is talking about at the time, this conveys the information effectively to the viewer. I used a dramatic soundtrack in my piece to convey the emotion of the topic.

Task 7. Describe editing techniques used and provide screen shots of editing techniques employed. P3 M3 D3

LO3.3 Post-production tools: on screen text;

I used on screen text to give more information about who I am interviewing.

I edited the audio of the clip so the interviews could be heard over the soundtrack.

Task 8. What credit and title techniques, audio techniques and music clips did you use? P3 M3 D3

At the start of my trailer I used ‘basic title’ on Final Cut Pro, a used a black background so the text could be easily read and have more of an effect on it.

I used ‘basic lower third’ on Final Cut Pro to add the titles of the interviewees.

I used a Royalty Free soundtrack I got off YouTube. This is the audio I used - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING CRITERIA

In order to pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit.

The assessment criteria for a pass grade describe the level of achievement required to pass this unit.

To achieve a pass grade the evidence must show that the learner is able to:

P1 Describe the development and principles of editing with some appropriate use of subject terminology

P2 Apply editing preparation techniques with some assistance

P3 Apply editing techniques working within appropriate conventions and with some assistance.

[CT]

To achieve a merit grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass criteria, the learner is able to:

M1 Explain the development and principles of editing with reference to detailed illustrative examples and with generally correct use of subject terminology

M2 Apply editing preparation techniques competently with only occasional assistance

M3 Apply editing techniques to a good technical standard showing some imagination and with only occasional assistance.

To achieve a distinction grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass and merit criteria, the learner is able to:

D1 Critically assess the development and principles of editing with supporting arguments and elucidated examples, and consistently using subject terminology correctly

D2 Apply editing preparation techniques to a technical quality that reflects near- professional standards, working independently to professional expectations

D3 Apply editing techniques to a technical quality that reflects near-professional standards, showing creativity and flair and working independently.