How To - Media Production (Post-Production)
Part 1: Offload and Organize Footage
Whether using SD cards, micro-SD cards, or a phone, offload footage the day that you film it (either to a local drive, cloud storage, or both)
Meticulously label each folder that you put the footage in
Can organize based on scenes or the date the footage was filmed, whatever is preferred and makes it easiest to access
Recommended to organize it to mirror the shot list and scripty notes so it is easier to know which takes are good or bad
Keep all the usable footage (good takes) in one folder labeled in order and have the ‘bad’ footage saved elsewhere so it won’t get in the editor’s way (but they’ll still have access if they need it)
Even if there is no plan on using a clip (it was a bad take), don’t delete it until the project is complete, never know what you may need!
Part 2: Basic Concepts
Establish Music Choice
Make sure music fits the tone of the video
The music will affect the pacing of the visuals and other audio sources
Needs to be set so all other media can be adjusted accordingly
Adjust volume so it’s not overtaking any dialogue
Add additional Audio Tracks
Lay down the voiceover track or recorded dialogue next in the work area/timeline
If you have video attached to the audio being used that is totally fine
Adjust volume of each track
Once the audio is set, you can begin adding visuals
If the film has the audio as completely music or voiceover, put those on the timeline and edit first, setting the timing of the audio is more important and then easier to match the visuals to it
This also is important for audio recorded with video too, get the timing of the dialogue set and then work with the footage
Can also trim audio clips like you trim video clips and add audio transitions between them
When it comes to editing audio levels, make sure all voiceover/dialogue clips are at the same level
Special Effects
Less is more sometimes!
Stay on a shot for at least 2 seconds (unless the goal is fast action editing)
Basic Transition 1: hard cut, one clip right after another
Basic Transition 2: fade to black, clip fades to a black screen
Basic Transition 3: fade into each other, first clip fades into the second clip
Timing of a Cut
If the subject is moving in the shot, make cuts between clips occur while the subject is moving, creates a sense of flow
Trim (shorten) clips that don’t show important action
If using music, you’ll want to pay attention to the melody and cut to the beat if possible
Titles
Titles (theoretically) should be up for a minimum of 5 seconds
Not everyone reads at the same speed
Simple and easy to read is key
Play around with fonts
Sans Serif fonts are best
Triple check spelling!
Backups
Save project as often as possible
Set up an autosave function (Adobe Rush does this automatically when saved to the Cloud)
Once editing is completed, duplicate a copy of the project
Allows to make further edits without jeopardizing original
Part 3: Basic Steps
Use whatever editing software you feel most comfortable with
Open the software and create a project file, save it where your media is saved (local computer or external hard drive)
Import all media into the project
Make sequence/timeline and label the project title
Drag and drop media clips individually to timeline
Trim each media clip (beginning and end)
Move media on timeline and put by other clips
Decide the type of transition you need
Keep repeating!