CHAPTER 13

Editing Video Content

In This Chapter

•  What is the best way to organize the video edit?

•  What is the most efficient editing work flow?

•  How do you cut all your shots together and transition between them?

•  How do you incorporate video graphics and audio files?

Editors are the unsung heroes of video production. They take all the footage, which until this point is just a collection of disparate video files, and make it flow smoothly as a visual story. They then add music, sound effects, and graphics, along with visual and audio effects, to transform it into a complete visual learning experience.

Just as audio editing was originally a very physical process—cutting magnetic tape and joining it together—film editing used to be as well. The difference was that editors worked with celluloid, long strips of plastic film. And just as audio editing is now digital, video editing today is also performed with computer software, with the physical work limited to using a mouse and keyboard.

Editing Software

There are many editing programs available for both Mac and PC computers. Choosing one is a matter of finding what you are most comfortable using. Most packages offer really good features but use different work flows, so you should look for one that works for you. Download trial versions and explore which ones are easy and suit your mindset. The software you choose will not determine how good your video is. The editing decisions you make will.

Editing software is generally one of two types: storyboard or timeline. Storyboard editing packages allow you to import your video clips in order, and you simply trim them down by cutting out parts of the clips that are not needed. It’s almost like working with PowerPoint. Timeline editors allow you to import the videos onto a timeline, which offers greater precision.

If you’re only editing video once a month or less, you might be best served with a storyboard editor like Windows Movie Maker or Apple’s iMovie. These are very quick and easy to learn—iMovie is a little more complicated than Movie Maker, but still relatively straightforward. If you don’t edit video very often, it’s easy to forget the software, so you find yourself having to relearn it every time you edit. Storyboard packages will be quicker to relearn.

While editing programs with timelines offer more precision and functionality, they tend to be more complicated, with vast arrays of features that take time to learn. Adobe Premier and Sony Vegas are timeline-based. If you are going to edit video regularly, you won’t have to keep relearning them, and you will also find that the added functionality enhances your control. Camtasia, which sits between software like Premier and Movie Maker regarding ease of use, is also timeline-based.

The craft of editing, which has evolved since the early days of cinema, follows a set of rules and conventions that make content quicker and easier to understand. Most factual videos, such as documentaries, news clips, and instructional videos, follow an approach known as continuity editing. Continuity editing aims to make a sequence of shots in a scene work together so the pictures flow naturally without any jarring disruption. Editors aim to re-create the action or scene in as realistic a way as possible. When camera positions, shot sizes, or camera angles change, the continuity approach ensures that the same people and objects are in each frame and that movement from shot to shot flows consistently.

Given the complexity of video editing, we’re going to explore it first by looking at how to organize yourself for the edit, and then work through the steps you need to complete a video project. Then we’ll explore some techniques to make your edits look professional, drawing on what’s known as visual grammar.

Organizing the Edit

Before you roll up your sleeves and start manipulating video files, it’s important to get organized. Having a system for naming your files and a folder structure to keep them in order is crucial. It will save you time and allow you to direct more of your energy to the creative aspects of editing. Here are some thoughts you can adopt for or adapt to your work flow.

Naming Conventions

First, establish naming conventions for all your files. It matters less which convention you follow than the fact that you have one and adhere to it consistently. If you are in a team, having everyone consistently follow these file name conventions will make it easier for all of you to find content efficiently.

You could name video files based on the shot numbers in your script or shot plan, such as [Video Title]-[Shot Number]-[Take Number]. If you’re creating a video on office conflict, the files might be named “officeconflict-15-3.mov.” If you have more than one scene, you could add the scene number too. For production music, consider renaming your files based on their role in your video, such as [Video Title]-[Purpose]. It could be, “officeconflict1-intromusic.wav.” When you rename production music files, keep notes so you can track them for copyright.

Alternatively, you could name the files for what’s in the shot. This is helpful if you plan to use the footage again later. For example, you may use [Shot Size]-[Location]-[Season]-[Date]: “XWS-CustomerBuilding-Winter-Feb2016.mov.” Why include the season? If you’re using footage that was shot in winter in another video that features people in summer clothing, it will disrupt the continuity.

Folder Structure

Once you have file naming conventions, you should create a folder structure, as we discussed for audio. A video file system will be more complex than audio because you’ll be pulling together audio, graphics, and video files. You’ll find that you have so many files to keep track of that it can become a nightmare.

Here’s one way to manage files for a video project, which is similar to what was suggested for audio in chapter 8. Create a new folder for each project and a subfolder for each episode if you are doing a series. Then create the following subfolders:

•  Footage folder: This is for your video footage. For larger projects with more than 10 files, create subfolders to better manage different topics. It’s up to you to decide how to divide them. Some editors will have a subfolder for each day of filming, while others may organize them around a topic. It’s your choice.

•  Audio folder: Keep your audio files here. If you have more than 10 files, consider further subfolders for different types of content such as music, sound effects, or voice-overs.

•  Graphics folder: This folder is for the graphics you will use in your video. Again, if you have a lot of them, group them into further subfolders.

•  Project folder: This is where you save your project file. You may find you have more than one project file because you are creating two versions of the same video—perhaps a short version and an extended one.

•  Final folder: This is for the final exported video file. You may have several final files because you create a mobile and desktop version. Or you might have a version that is formatted to the specific requirements of your learning management system (LMS).

•  Admin folder: This is your folder to save copyright details, artist releases, scripts, storyboards, and other documents you may need to reference during or after editing.

Some editing programs allow you to drag your media folders into the program to access from a project window. Some will rename your folders as bins, a term used back in the days of physically cutting film.

Saving Your Work

You will save two types of files when you edit video. One is the project file and the other is the final video file. The project file is a data file created by the editing software that has instructions for which shots will appear in your video, which parts of these shots you will use, at what point in time you will use them, and any effects that you apply to them. When you do the editing, the project file is updated. When you are finished, the editing software uses the data file to render all the shots, audio clips, and graphics into one final video file.

The project file does not contain video, only instructions on how to play it. So if you send a project file to your LMS administrator it will not play any video—it will be simply a set of data that makes no sense outside the world of your editing program. Every software program has its own proprietary file format for the project file. If you edit video in Premier, the project file will only work in Premier. It won’t work in Camtasia or Vegas.

File Formats

Media files come in many shapes and sizes. You won’t work with all of them, but here are the most common ones:

•  AVI: Developed by Microsoft back in the early 1990s, AVI files tend to be very large. This file format plays on Macs and PCs.

•  WMV: This is a compressed video file from Windows. WMVs are some of the smallest video files, but due to their small size picture quality isn’t great.

•  MOV: Known also as QuickTime files, MOVs were developed by Apple. You will need the QuickTime player or programs like VLC to play QuickTime videos on a PC. They tend to be high quality but have large file sizes.

•  FLV: Known as Flash, this format was developed by Adobe and requires the Flash Player or Flash Plugin for web browsers. It is one of the standards for playing video over the web and is used by video publishers such as Hulu, Yahoo!, and Reuters.

•  MP4: This format is technically known as MPEG-4 and can be compressed while maintaining reasonable picture quality. MP4 works with HTML5 and is becoming more popular than Flash video.

If you’re uploading to YouTube or Vimeo, the recommended file format is MP4. However, your LMS administrator may require something different. Most editing software programs provide presets to make exporting easier. When rendering the final file you can select an option to render it for YouTube, Dailymotion, OneDrive, and so forth.

Establishing an Editing Work Flow

So, you’ve got your footage and you’re ready to edit. What do you do and in what order? Editors tend to develop their own work flows based on how they like to work; you’ll find that once you get into the rhythm of editing, you will establish a way that works for you.

To speed up the process of editing and reduce stress, it’s important to start by organizing your files. When you are ready to work in your editing software, work first on your videos before bringing in supporting message layers like music and voice-overs. Then add effects. When everything is roughly in order, go back and fine-tune everything.

Let’s get specific.

1. Import Video From Camera

The first task in editing is to import your shots from the camera onto your computer and save them in the footage subfolders in your project folder. It’s important to edit media files from a location on your computer and not directly from the camera because if you disconnect the camera, your files go with it.

2. Import Supporting Media Files

You will now need to import the graphics and audio files and save them into the appropriate subfolder. The audio files may include music, sound effects, and voice-overs. It’s not necessary to record voice-overs and create all your graphics before the editing starts. However, some people like to have everything ready so it all fits into place efficiently. Others prefer a little flexibility and like to wait before designing the graphics or recording voice-overs to see how the shots cut together. If you plan to create the graphics within your editing software, using the titling function, you won’t import them at this stage. Whether to create graphics before editing or during is a matter of choice.

3. Rename Media Files

At this point, your video files will likely have filenames like “004.mov” or “009.mp4.” These names were designed for the camera to keep track of the files. But they weren’t designed to make it easy for you. So, rename each file according to your naming convention.

4. Review the Footage

It’s tempting to start editing right away. But not so fast. If you start editing without reviewing your footage, you’ll be editing shots based on how you remember shooting them. This is not as helpful as you might think because your memory is very different from what was actually recorded. You remember it as a three-dimensional experience involving all senses, but video only uses sight and sound, which is an entirely different experience. So to fully appreciate the videos and how they work narratively, set time aside to review the footage. The review is also a helpful opportunity to take notes about the shots and get a heads-up if anything is needed to correct them. For example, an underexposed shot may need to be brightened. It will also speed your decision-making process because you’ll have a better sense of what shots you have to work with.

5. Create a New Project

Now that everything is ready to roll, it’s time to open the editing program and create a new project. Some software will give you the option to specify project settings like video resolution and file type, whereas others will offer either default or recommended settings. Make your selection and save it into the project file subfolder. Now you’re ready to start editing.

6. Import and Position Footage in Your Order

The first practical step after setting up your project file is to import your shots and any specific graphics files (such as text graphics) into the software and position them in the order they appear on the storyboard (Figure 13-1). Most editing packages use a timeline, so you would simply import or drag and drop them in so they run in order. Don’t worry about getting the timing right just yet—you only need things in order. For more complex video you may choose to create several video tracks for cutaways and B-roll.

7. Roughly Trim Each Shot

With each shot positioned in the order it will appear, cut out the bits of each shot you do not need and set the length of appearance for any graphics. If you “rolled for 10” when you shot the video, you’ll have at least 10 seconds to cut out at the beginning. And you may want to cut from that first shot to the second halfway through the action. This process is called trimming because you are effectively trimming each shot, shortening it to the length it needs to be. Editing programs vary in how you trim each shot. In Camtasia, as in Figure 13-2, you simply place your cursor over the end of the shot, and with your left mouse button down, drag left or right until you have trimmed it to your desired point. As you trim each shot and it becomes shorter, you will move the shot along the timeline so it is next to the previous shot and runs from shot to shot without a break. At this point it doesn’t matter if the changes are not smooth because you’ll fine-tune everything later once other elements have been added.

8. Import Audio

Now that the visuals flow, it’s time to add audio. Pictures carry most of the message, which is why we import and trim the pictures before other message layers. Now you can add music, sound effects, and voice-overs. Voice-overs can be recorded in your video editing program or using other programs like Audacity. If you use other programs, you would record the audio as a WAV or MP3 file and import it into the video editing software.

When you import audio, it will appear as a new track either above or beneath the video track. You will need to trim the audio to fit the pictures. In most editing programs, you can trim audio in much the same way as video.

At this point, your video is starting to take shape. This would be a good time to have your subject matter expert sign off on the accuracy of the visual content and spoken word. Remember, she can comment on style, but style is ultimately your domain. Only have her sign off on the accuracy.

9. Add Effects and Transitions

Editing programs offer a host of effects and transitions; now that the message layers are roughly in place, it’s time to add these effects. You might need to adjust the brightness and contrast of one shot, add a sepia tone effect to another, or drop in a new background using chroma key. The transition could be a dissolve or wipe. It can be tempting to add effects and transitions earlier in the process, such as while you are trimming the shots. However, it’s more efficient to add them all at the same time while the effects dialog box is open. Otherwise, you’ll be opening and closing the dialog box multiple times while you trim. Doing all the effects at once—such as ensuring all the dissolves are of the same length and conform to the general style of your video—also helps you stay consistent.

10. Fine-Tune Your Edits

By now, your media assets will have been assembled in order and be roughly finished. However, there will be things to fine-tune. Perhaps it’s a transition that was too abrupt or broke continuity. Maybe you need to extend the length of a shot to accommodate an extra bar of music. This stage is where you smooth out any kinks. Once this is done, watch the video. Once you’re happy with it, send it to your SME to sign off the accuracy if you haven’t already.

11. Export the Video

Once the video is complete, it’s time to render it into a final video file. This is where your software will combine all the different media files (audio, video, and graphics) to make one complete media file that you can upload to a video-sharing site or LMS, or save to your hard drive and use in classrooms.

Cutting Your Video

In his book, In the Blink of an Eye, editing guru Walter Murch concedes that a basic purpose of editing is “cutting out the bad bits.” If you’re editing an interview with a subject matter expert, you will cut out anything that does not relate to the learning objective. You might need just five minutes of the half-hour recording. Cutting out so much material can present problems and make your edits look unnatural, leading to what’s known as a jump cut.

A jump cut occurs when you cut from one shot to another in the middle of the action, and some of the flow is disrupted. Let’s say you are shooting a scene where a woman takes a handkerchief out of her purse and blows her noise. To make it more visually interesting, you might have shot two takes, a wide shot from the front and a mid shot from the side. Let’s say you cut from the wide shot as she pulls her hand out of the purse and then cut to the mid shot at the point she blows her nose. Five seconds of time have just disappeared—the time it took for her to raise her hand from the purse to her nose. The gap in time breaks the flow and feels awkward. Visually, the picture jumped five seconds, hence why they are called jump cuts. You need to either avoid jump cuts or hide them.

If you cut out parts of an interview with your subject matter expert, you will have lots of jump cuts that disrupt the flow. One method of hiding jump cuts is to use cutaways. This is common practice in news and documentary making. Where you have a jump cut, you overlay another shot to distract the viewer from the natural flow. This shot could illustrate what the subject matter expert is talking about or simply show a different angle or related piece of visuals. If the subject matter expert is explaining how computers work, you may have a picture of someone tapping away on a computer. Or, you could cut to a close-up of him moving his hands. You’ll recall in chapter 12 that we discussed the importance of getting extra shots for cutaways such as gestures.

There will be times you have an action shot that goes too long but is too important to delete. For example, a man walking down a street to knock on the front door of a house, which might take 30 seconds. You can reduce this from 30 to eight seconds by inserting a cutaway. Let’s assume you shot the action following the three-shot formula: a wide shot of the whole street, a close-up of a nameplate that displays the street number, and a mid shot of him knocking on the door. The first two seconds could feature the wide shot of him walking down the street. Then you could cut to the close-up of the letterbox that shows the street number, then cut to the mid shot of him knocking on the door. You could then cut back to the wide shot showing him waiting at the door as it opens.

When you work with action shots, cut on the action. Let’s say you’re showing someone how to change the tire on a car. To make it interesting, you shoot both a wide shot of the front of the car while an actor bends down to place the jack under the car and a mid shot of the actor from the side as he places the jack under the car. The wide shot creates anticipation of what’s going to happen and establishes the scene. If you wait until the actor has finished bending down in the wide shot to cut to the mid shot, it will lose momentum and create a jump cut. So the key is to cut from the wide shot to the mid shot during the action. Some editors plan for the cut to take place a third of the way through the first shot, with the remaining two-thirds of the action taking place in the second shot. It’s not always as clear cut as that, so you will need to use your discretion.

Transitioning Between Cuts

The most practical task you will perform when editing is trimming shots; that is, determining where one shot ends and the next one starts.

Editors use a range of transitions to flow from one shot to the next. These are the most common:

•  Standard Cut: This is simply where one shot stops and the next one starts.

•  Dissolve: Also known as a cross-fade or mix, a shot fades out as the next shot fades in. Or at the end of a sequence, the shot fades to black.

•  Wipe: This is where the next shot slides in over the former shot, often right to left or left to right.

The standard cut is very functional. In most cases it works best because it doesn’t draw attention to itself unless the cut occurs in the wrong place. It works well for video streamed over the Internet because there is less transitional detail than dissolves and wipes, which can increase file sizes and appear jerky during playback. So it’s good to stick to cuts if your video will be viewed over the Internet, unless that transition is necessary for carrying part of the narrative. For example, a dissolve can convey a flashback and manipulate the viewer’s sense of time. Dissolves also carry an artistic quality, pacing the viewer’s mood. A wipe can also help communicate flashbacks or changes in time, but it feels more businesslike and has less emotional and artistic qualities.

Video editing software packages offer many different effects for transitions that range from the simple cut to kitsch transitions like starbursts and keyhole bursts. Unless there is a narrative purpose to use a wipe or dissolve, it’s best to avoid them.

Inserting Video Graphics

You’ll find yourself creating different kinds of graphics for your video, including text graphics and captions. We consider what makes good graphics in more detail in chapter 14, which has been written by design guru Connie Malamed.

Text graphics are useful for reinforcing key learning messages. They also provide visual changes to keep viewers interested. You can generate text graphics with Photoshop, within the editing software, or in slide programs like PowerPoint or Keynote. Photoshop offers a lot of control and will provide you with high-resolution images, but using it can be time-consuming. Editing software programs are quick and easy but give you less control over the aesthetics than Photoshop. Slide programs, the happy medium, are generally easy to use and control. Simply create all your text graphics at once in PowerPoint and export them as GIFs or JPGs.

Text graphics should follow the rule of thirds and be as simple as you can make them. Avoid busy background textures and use as few words as possible. Strong sans serif fonts work well because they are easier to read. Make sure there is strong contrast between the background and the text itself. Hold the text graphic on the screen for as long as it takes the average person to read it two and a half times.

Captions, also known as lower thirds and Astons, are forms of text you can overlay to provide information such as the name and title of a subject matter expert or the time and location of the picture. Use colors that contrast with the background. If you have white captions, and the picture behind is light, use drop shadow to make the captions stand out. Use fonts that are strong and easy to read—sans serif fonts like Ariel Bold or Franklin work well.

Captions are generally positioned in the lower third of the screen. There are varying opinions about whether they should be left or right, but I think it’s best to locate them at the lower right because that’s where the viewer’s eyes end up. As with text graphics, hold the caption for as long as it takes to read it two and a half times.

Adding Audio

While video is a picture-led modality, audio still plays an important role. In fact, you can make a few simple mistakes in your picture editing and very few people will notice. But poor audio will stand out like a sore thumb.

A lot of audio is music. Be careful when setting the volume of the background music because it can overshadow spoken word content. A lot of people struggle with hearing issues and find it difficult to distinguish between music and voice. So keep background music as soft as you can without it being inaudible.

If your video content is shorter than the music content, fade the music so it doesn’t end abruptly. You can also edit music so it finishes at the same time as the video. This makes video look very polished, but takes some practice.

Many editing programs will give you audio compression and graphic equalizer controls. Using these functions will make your audio pop and sound professional. The settings for these are the same as audio, so check out chapter 8 for a recap.

Summary

The editing stage of video production is where everything comes together as a complete, polished package. If you feel a little overwhelmed by all you have to do, take heart. The best way to learn editing is to fire up the software and start playing. As you pick up techniques, you’ll find that the process is quite fun.

This chapter is deliberately vague about how to perform some of these actions because editing software can approach tasks like trimming differently. That’s why we focused on the craft more than the software. You can find how-to videos online for just about every software program available.

Today’s software gives you much more control than film editors had when they were cutting celluloid. But despite all the bells and whistles, good editing is not about fancy transitions or special effects. It’s about the content, and the editor’s chief responsibility is to cut pictures together in a way that engages the viewer and conveys the learning objective.