This week I finished up most of the shooting and started editing. I found the edit to be more intense than I expected with a need for extra stylization in After Effects. I used Photoshop, Premiere, and AE for the edit. I am going to need more time for the edit due to heavy graphics. But, on the upside, the Roadkill Story is shaping up nicely. Hopefully, I can post some of the videos for you guys to check out by the end of next week.
I also designed releases for the persons/places in the videos (personal releases and location releases). The big change in the release from other releases is I made sure to note the Creative Commons licenses we are working under. I will make these available to all.
I’ve worked on tweaking and building creative timelapses for each video. In order to do this easily on my camera (Canon T3i) I had to update and change the firmware. The “upgrade” is called Magic Lantern and adds all sorts of functions to the camera in both photo and video modes. It’s also free and easy to do if you follow youtube “how to” videos: http://www.magiclantern.fm
I used the movie Amelie as inspiration for my first short. If you aren’t familiar with the movie – check it out! Here’s a link to the open: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOgJgQrdxsY
Also, I used some nice freeware to transform my photos into a timelapse video. It works great. If you are interested: http://download.cnet.com/TIme-Lapse-Assembler/3000-2194_4-75176778.html TIme-Lapse Assembler for MAC (*similar programs available free for Windows as well)
I’ve heard about Magic Lantern for years; I really need to try it out.
You know, talking about editing choices is a difficult thing to explain. Let me see if I can add a few thoughts ….
Since the final product is for the web, I always want to keep the video as short as possible. I ask myself – can I get rid of this detail, this shot, tighten these lines in order to leave the same impression.
Since I am a shooter for this project in addition to the editor, I have a lot of power during production. I think about where exactly I will use each shot. I have ideas about the length of the project and the details of the shooting script. This actually keeps shooting time down which leads to leads digitizing time, which leads to less viewing time and over all a little quicker edit.
Every cameraman and editor has a style and I am sure that you all will be able to pin point that over time. For me it’s about building a closeness to the characters in the story and an intimacy through hand held camera work. There are happy accidents but most of my shots are planned.
I’m not always the best at paying attention to the audio so I’m trying to spend extra time cutting to the music, audio levels, and adding video movement to the music.
OK, you have me intrigued with the Amelie reference — I LOVE that film! The suspense is killing me — can’t wait to see what you’re putting together.
Thanks for sharing links to all of the cool tools you’re finding and using! These look useful for so many things, and it’s great to have recommendations for specific tools.
I would love to learn more about some of the editing techniques you use — not necessarily to software tools, but the concepts and ideas that underlie the choices you have to make. How do you choose what to include, what to cut, and how to sequence different types of footage and graphic elements?