14 Intermediate Editing

Observe & Consider

Introduction

Editing is often described as an invisible art because when well done, the craft is not seen by the viewer. And while there is no single recipe for achieving seamlessness, there are countless techniques that editors draw upon. Yet one roadblock to clearly understanding the choices editors make is being able to see the editing process unfold. The following presentation (8 minutes in length) uses short film excerpts to analyze various kinds of edits, followed by activities that allow you to manipulate raw footage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w368RfnCim8

Practice & Apply

Activity 1: Three part motion in iMovie ’09

Begin Activity 1 by watching the video tutorial above. Download the picture from the link immediately following the video. By the end of the activity you should be able to create a true Ken Burns-style photo animation. If you are having trouble seeing the screencast in enough detail, click the watch on youtube button located at the bottom right of the video player. In addition, if the video is too slow or too fast, try using the variable speed controls located on the video player.

Download this image to use in iMovie. When you click on the link, a new window will appear. Click the large “download” button in the top right of your browser to download the file.

Activity 2: Documentary style

Begin by watching the completed video (1 min.). What do you notice if anything about the edits? Remember that the goal is for the edits to disappear. Next, use iMovie to recreate the sequence in the tutorial. There are several different kinds of techniques used in the short video, so focus on one or two that you find most interesting. By the end of the activity you should have a general awareness that various techniques exist to create seamless edits. You should have a general idea of how to recreate the technique with your own material. Watch the completed video below, paying special attention to the edits:.

Download these exercise files to use in iMovie. When you click on the link, a new window will appear. Select “edit the file” then click “ok”. A new window will appear. Click “Save a copy of the file to your computer.”

Use the following screencast tutorial to learn about a variety of editing techniques that help create seamless edits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_U_TQ0Lvag