Fig 1. Free Davinci Resolve NLE system by Black Magic Design.
Here at the office, things are getting busy with transfers, video production and editing. We have done work for organizations like Suzuki Canada, Baskin Robins and recently TD Canada Trust. Be sure to see our list of clients here.
One of the more exciting projects this month required us to edit a family music video. We had about 30hrs of footage that needed to be cut down to 4:30 minutes in a short amount of time for a baby’s birthday. The video follows a child’s life experiences for 1 year. Here are three ways to keep the large amount of footage under control and in a workable fashion to meet the deadline.
Fig 2. Bay in a meeting with senior editors.
1. Think about Workflow.
First, you have to think about the entire process. How you are going to tackle the edit? How will you find the best clips and organize the timeline so when a client needs a particular clip, you can easily pull it out for them?
On larger projects, you may want to have assistant editors. They can look through the footage, layout the clips on the timeline and mark the most usable parts. Once it’s all sorted, a senior editor can then work on the creative side of the edit. If there are effects shots, they will have to be discussed in advance so that an effects artist can start on the work while the film is being cut. Michael Bay, the director of the Transformers films says that sometimes there are several editors working on different sections of a film. An editor will specialize in certain parts like action, suspense, or drama sequences. Or, you can hire two editors to cut the same scene to see which one will work better on screen. Below, I’ll show you how to set up your timeline in the most effective manner for smaller projects.
Fig. 3 The music reaches a pivotal point, then lowers dramatically to increase viewer’s emotions.
2. Breakin’ it down on The Timeline
First, I chose the perfect music for the project. Then, I fast forwarded through the clips but slowly enough for them to be audible. I marked on the timeline which ones were the potential clips to use. Once that was completed, I sorted the clips for each month into several sections like: comedy, accidents, and life experiences. From there, I started to lay out the clips with the earliest footage. Then, I matched music with the best clips from each month. I arranged the clips from month 1 to 12 to create a natural story for the audiences to follow. Once everything is roughed in, it’s good to take a step back and think about how a viewer will experience the video while watching it for the first time. Then, I fine tuned the cut and send it out for further reviews. I’m using Sony Vegas on my machine, which I enjoy cutting with, however there is a free video editing software called DaVinci Resolve by Black Magic Design (Fig 1.)
Attention to detail is important, and this is where quality comes from. Adding emphasis on small details can go a long way. For example, at the beginning of the video, we see that the baby is in his first few weeks of life and is experiencing touch and sight; by the end of it, he can almost walk. I added a musical moment at the end. I created a crescendo up to -2dBs then suddenly dropped the music down to about -15dBs. You can see this on the timeline at the cursor in fig. 3. I hope it creates an uplifting moment when you watch the video.
Many feature film trailers nowadays have this musical moment; like the one in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon at about 2:08 minutes. I like to call it “The Sweet Spot”.
3. Feedback is Key
No matter how long you spend thinking about whether the video was good or not, you need input from a test audience. It can be as simple as uploading the video with a password and sending it to your colleagues via email to get feedback. They can give valuable information and it could be the most important part of making sure your video succeeds.
Short film starring Lindsay Ogus, Matthew Windsor & Scott Wilson
You can view the video here. Feel free to share any new ideas that you may have discovered on your project via Twitter below. If you’ve enjoyed this article, be sure to follow us and share us. Contact us if you have any video editing or production questions. I’m also finishing up a short film and looking for people to join our Launch Group. If you’re interested be sure to check it out here and like always, happy editing!