My experience in time-based editing

Reading Response Week of 10/1-10/3

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 4 – Augmented Reality Software) and Costello, Multimedia Foundations (Chapter 13  – Time-Based Editing)

The same goes for last week in regard to my thoughts on Craig’s chapter. Of course, chapter four was informative and it’s great to have on hand the logistical information covering AR software, but in terms of blogging there’s not too much there. I was fascinated yet again, however, with Costello’s chapter on time-based editing, as it took me back to practicing journalism in my undergraduate days.  

I thought the best way to handle this week’s blog post would be to discuss the concepts and terminology from the chapter and apply them to some video examples of my own. I’ll be citing from the following three samples: 1) a series of packages compiled while interning with the WTVR-TV CBS 6 Richmond, VA sports department, 2) a package created while assisting Dr. Tharon Howard in the MATRF during the 2012-2013 academic year, and 3) a package created for Dr. Cynthia Haynes’ final composition project in Spring 2013.

See the MATRF video via the YouTube Channel

I’ve chosen these specific packages because they are all different in terms of what program they were created/edited in and in the types of video characteristics they showcase. The sports packages were edited using Apple’s Final Cut Pro; the MATRF package, in Adobe Premiere; and, the composition package, in Apple’s iMovie.

The CBS 6 sports package features two stories, the SunTrust VA State Golf Championship and a feature on Richmond Flying Squirrels standout player, Brandon Belt. The packages contain many unscripted action and dialog elements, as described by Costello in the reading. The VA State Golf championship story includes sound bites from key golfers, voiceover (as read by myself) and b-roll of the event. Prior to TV debut, I added supers (or titles) so that our viewers knew who the folks were. The baseball story also features these elements, as well as nat sound from the game noise and the fan chatter. Both of these packages feature me, the reporter, on camera; I close the golf package (a sign-off) and open the baseball story (a stand-up) on camera.

Both the MATRF and composition project packages are less journalism-esque, as they were produced for educational purposes. Both packages include background music. As Costello writes, these audio assets were imported as uncompressed files and were placed on different tracks during the editing process. In addition, these two packages include titles in the lower third; these titles give information on the person talking and his/her affiliation or relevance to the story. The MATRF package features b-roll, while the composition project package does not.

The viewer might notice my lack of transitions in these three packages. Costello tells us why this is: “…you must use them with caution…sporadic and random use of transitions will likely overwhelm the viewer’s senses, potentially causing them to lose interest and disengage from the message” (412). Rather than incorporate fancy, out-of-place transitions and effects, I used simple cut-ins, cutaways, fades and dissolves to enhance the narrative continuity of each story (392).

I cannot stress enough the importance of file organization and saving. Costello highlights the issues of file size, storage and sharing capabilities, and I’ll be the first to reiterate his thoughts here. In all my times editing, the worst thing to happen is have files disappear or become accidently deleted. I’ve learned that file organization in editing projects is key, not only to the success of the end product but in the sanity of the creator as well.

I’m familiar with time-based, non-linear editing, and I completely agree with Costello’s closing thoughts in the chapter: “While you need to be able to use your NLE effectively, don’t get too tied up in the software—if you don’t understand basic editing concepts and theory, you won’t be able to communicate effectively…avoid becoming too attached to a particular NLE” (413). While I favorite Apple’s Final Cut Pro compared to Adobe Premiere and Avid (by a long shot), I’ve come to terms with learning how to work across these platforms.

Sources:

Costello, V. (2012). Time-based editing. Multimedia foundations: Core concepts for digital design (383-413). Boston: Elsevier.

Craig, A. B. (2013). Augmented reality software. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (125-149). New York: Elsevier.

All video content written, created and edited by Katie Mawyer.