Task 2 - Be Able to Prepare Moving Image Material for Editing. 

By Callum Taylor. 

It is always important to prepare for editing. If you don't prepare for the editing then there will inevitably be problems. From lost footage to simply getting confused there are a number of different ways to prepare.

One of the things which will be created in order to prepare not only for the shoot but for the editing as well is a shooting script. The shooting script is a document which contains a list of the shots, where they are taking place and what happens in the shot. This is helpful for an editor because it numbers the shots helping the editor orginize them.

 Here is a part of the shooting script which I made for the shoot of the advert. It contains information which was used during the shoot of the advert. However the final advert is different to the shooting script. However this was how the advert was first planned by me.

One of the ways in which you can prepare to edit is to create story boards. Story boards are something which is made in pre-production and is a simple planning of shots in the order in which they will be presentedd so that when shooting the director can easily and quickly frame and prepare shots and so the editor has a basic over view of what is wanted before creating a story. Here is an example of a story board which was made in class. Not all story boards have to be done which photos, actually most aren't but it shows the main parts of a story board. The image, shot number and a description of what is happening in the shot.


When shooting it is important to slate your shots using a clapperboard. The clapper board is used to make sure that the editor knows which shot they are looking at and it is also used to help sync audio and video.

As well as using the clapper board it is also good practice to keep a log of all the shots you have made and which ones will be imported into the editing software. One of the reasons why this is done is to cut done on the time it takes to import the footage into the software and it also means that yoou won't have to sift through loads of useless footage which you won't ever use.

Preparation Techniques: There are many different ways in which you can prepare your footage for editing. All of them have their importance and if done correcctly they will help make the footage easier to edit.

Checking Materials for Faults:  One of the main reasons why this step is so important to do is so you are sure that all of the footage you import into the editing softwware is usuable. One of things you don't want to happen is to realize that some of your shots are unuseable because of something that is in them or something that went wrong. You don't want to spend a whole day shooting only to realise that nothing recorded. Checking for faults is a vital part of the shooting process and if you do it well it will make the editing process so much easier because yohu won't have to work around poor or ruined footage when editing.

Synchronising Rushes:  This is an important thing to do when using a different recording device and a different camera. Using a clapper board is one way to sync the audio and video and without it it will be hard to sync the audio and video. An example of this is the editing of my music video where the song track and footage weren't recorded at the same time which cause me problems when I was trying to sync the song to the footage.

Producing a Rushes log:  Producing a log of rushes is an important part of the preperation for editing. In order to keep track of all the shots and all of the footage it is good to keep a log of all of them.

Marking up a script: Marking up a script is a good thing to do as an editor as it can help speed up the edit. By writing little prompts and thoughts on the script about how the edit is planned to be carried out it can make it easier and quicker to get the editing done.

Labelling Tapes: When dealing with a lot of tapes, or storage devices it can be useful to label each of them just to keep track of what footage is on what tape. Doing this will cut down of loses of footage and make it easier to import the footage as you will know what is one each tape beforee importing it. This way you can prioritze what is being imported.

Storing Tape or Film: If you don't want to lose any footage it is good to know how to properly store them. Tapes, film and digital footage can all be damage or lost. If improperly stored lots of things could happen and each of them could be disastorous for the production. Without the knowledge you are asking for trouble.

Producing an edit decision list: This is when the editor and director will sit down and talk about how the edit should end up looking and what they will edit first. This can be called a paper edit and it is a simple outline of what the director and the editor want the finished product to be like. Doing this can make the editing simpler and easier to carry out.

Creating Bins: The term bin comes from the old days of editing when film was stored in bins and the piece of film needed was taken from the bin. In editing software they keep the principle of this and allow you to create bins, which are like folders, to store different footage. So you could have a bin for footage from one location or from one scene and a bon for different bits of audio, like the dialogue or the music. This is a way to organise all of the footage to make it easier to find a certain shot. It means that you don't have to spend hours sifting through all your footage to find one specific shot.

Clarifying the purpose of the work with a client or director.: Usually when an editor is hired they will be given a brief of what the director or client want from the edit. This is how the editor knows hw to edit but it is important to get a clear view of what is wanted before the editing process starts. This is because you don't want to waste time editing footage only to finnd out you have to do it again because you haven't done what was wanted. When we were creating our music video we sat doown a number of times with the artist to discuss what he wanted to music video to be and this is made the editing process easier because we knew what was wanted.

Importing Clips: Before you start editing the first thing you will need to do is important all of the footage that you need to into the editing software. It is important to import what you need because if you import too much then it will take too long.

Bins: As I explained before bins are where you store and orginise the footage in the editing software. The use of bins is vital because without using them you will get confused easily and might loose track of someting important. You can orginse your bins in a number of different ways and it is important to do it in a way you can understand.

Timelines: Timelines are where the footage and audio are placed in a sequence in AVID. You can create new ones and when putting together a scene you assemble the shots on the timeline. The time line. Controlling the time line and keeping track of them is important because if you want to make sure the product looks good and sounds good. Using the timeline is an important skill to have when editing because the more control you have the better you will be able to edit.

 Storage and folder management: It is important to manage the storage of your footage. If you don't you run the risk of losing some of the footage and this could spell problems if you lose something that is vital. In the professional world this could lead to a reshoot which will cost a lot and push back the schedule. This could result in you having a hard time getting another job after. The Management of each folder is something which should always be done because it just makes things easier.

Formats: Formats are an important part of editing for many reasons. Some formats will take up more space, some will not be able to open in your editing software and some might not be the best quality. This is why it is important for an editior to know what formats best suite their situation.

Resolution:  Resolution refers to the quality of an image. The higher the resolution the bestter quality the image. This is important for an editor to know because without knowing the resolutions you might end up with poor looking footage. In digital video the higher the number of pixels per square inch means that the image will be better looking because there can be more detail and more clarity to the image. This is why you have HD and SD (High Definition and Standard Definition) The problem with better resolution is that generally the higher the resolution the larger the file will be.