Time Saving Tips For Shooting and Editing Video
[by Gail Mooney]
The Shoot
- Have a plan – When I first started learning video at the Platypus Workshop, we weren’t even allowed near the camera until we could articulate our “commitment” or our story in a concise, one paragraph statement.
- Make a shot list if appropriate – If you go into a shoot with a list of shots that you want to walk away with, you will work more efficiently as well as make sure you’ve covered what you need to. But always allow room for the unexpected by letting serendipity happen.
- Shoot tighter – this will happen naturally if you have a shot list
- Avoid lengthy interviews – you’ll be glad you did in the editing room.
- Have the edit in mind when shooting – you’ll shoot more efficiently and you’ll already be laying out the story for the edit.
The Edit
- Gather all assets before you start – I make sure that I prep and import all the content I will be using in my edit – still photos, logs, graphics, music, media. That way I don’t have to leave my editing application once I begin the edit. This helps me stay focused on the story.
- Organize your media – I separate my interview clips, b-roll, music, still photos etc. into separate bins.
- Make good log notes when capturing or importing your video clips – this will help you quickly find and select the clips you need.
- Edit your best clips and place them on separate tracks – I usually scrub through my material, selecting the best interviews, b-roll and live action and put them on different tracks. Then I can pick the clips appropriate to that point in the story when working on the overall story track.
- Determine the length of the piece and set in and out points – I frequently will create my “start” and my “finish” and then work on the middle of the piece.
- Lay down the narrative or voiceover first – I generally lay down my audio track whether it is a voiceover narrative or interviews. This is what drives my story. Then I lay down the visuals.
- Get your rough cut down first – I lay down my story first – before I even begin to color correct, adjust exposure, sweeten the audio or move still images.
- Feel the piece – Every piece has it’s own feel and pace that drives it. Make sure that you achieve what you’re after in telling the story before polishing for the final cut.
- Get away from the computer – Sometimes we need to take a break in an effort to ultimately save time. I find when I walk away from the technology and let the story move in my head and then go back to the edit – I ultimately save time in the long run because I don’t get bogged down in the technical details.
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This is just what I needed as I struggle with the steep learning curve on Final Cut.
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