A video blog is a way to keep track whilst shooting your film. You can do it as you go along (which is the easier way) or do it afterwards. The video blog will contain six collumns. Thise being: Timecode, Take, Duration of shot, Description, Audio and finally Comments.
There are many different tools that can be used on Adobe Premiere, they can be used by clicking on the appropriate icon with your mouse or by pressing shift and the appropriate button.
Selection Tool – (The Arrow, like the one on your computer). This is used to select clips on the timeline. Click on this with your mouse of press Shift V.
Track Select Tool – (the Arrow pointing right inside a little dotted box). This is used to select multiple tracks at any on given time. To acess this with your keyboard press Shift M
Ripple Edit Tool – (Two Arrows, one pointing left and the other pointing right, with a little line down the centre of them). This is used to adjust your clips. To access this with your keyboard press Shift B.
Rolling Edit Tool – (Four Arrows, two pointing left and two pointing right and like the previous one, with a line down the centre). This is used to adjust clips without affecting the length. To access this with your keyboard press Shift N
Rate Stretch Tool – (Two Curved arrows with a line inbetween). This can change the length and the speed of the clip at the same time. To access this with your keyboard press Shift X.
Raxor Tool – (Looks like a blade). This can cut a clip in half or as many clips as you want. To access this with your keyboard press Shift C.
Slip Tool – (Two arrows with two lines at either side). Moves the clips points without affecting the timing of the clip. To access this with your keyboard press Shift Y.
Slide Tool – (A little box with a tool coming out of either side). Moves different clips along the timeline and moves the rest of the clips to fit. To access this with your keyboard press Shift U.
Pen Tool – (Looks like the end of a fountain pen). This controls different points in your clips. To access this with your keyboard press Shift P.
Hand Tool – (Looks like a hand). This can change the way you view your timeline. To access this with your keyboard press Shift H.
Zoom Tool – (A little microscope). This can zoom in on different clips on your timeline. To access this with your keyboard press Shift Z.
The Workspace consists of five panels. The first being the project panel, this stores everything used for your footage, e.g audio, footage, titles. The next being the monitor panel, this is where you can watch your clips back and see what editing worked well. The info panel which shows information about your clips. The next is the timeline panel this is where you arange your clips n the order you want and you can also adjust the time span of the clip and finally, the tools panel. The tools panel gives you different options of tools to add to your video, by adding them to the timeline.
Adobe Premiere is popular, high quality editing software. Adobe uses footage from video tape, displaying it therefore, you can edit the footage to how you would like it and then put it back onto your tape or disc. Premiere is used by professionals, however other are higher level packages are used. Adobe Premiere can export your footage on to many different formats, it can be used to add effects and titles, Import your footage and it’s main job is to edit the footage you have. Premiere doesn’t cost too much, however, it is not cheap.
Editing is the ordering of shots to create meaning in your film.
Linear is a sequence of time that makes logical sence.
Non-Linear is the opposite of Linear, this meaning it disregards time.
Montage is bringing together different unrelated images to create a meaning, it can also be used to show time passing.
Point of View (POV) is where the camera shows what the person is seeing.
Editing is a part of something called post production and one of the most important things in film. Editing is where you take different shots and put them together to create meaning, flow and style. It helps you remove any unwanted footage. This helping you to put together your best footage to make your film work.
A microphone is the most vital piece of audio equiptment. Using them is a difficult skill and must not be overlooked when creating your film. There are many different types of microphone, used for different areas in your film, however, all microphones have one thing in common, they all have a Diaphragm. The job of all microphones are the same, to pick up acoustic sounds and convert them into audio signals. Microphones must not be overlooked when makingyour film, a good quality microphone means good quality audio.
Audio Monitoring and Metering
Displaying the audio levels visually to help monitor sound, this helping you maintain the best quality audio for your film .
There are two different types of meter used for monitoring sound.
VU (Volume Unit) Meter – This displays/measures how loud the audio signal is.
PPM (Peak Program) Meter – Very similar to the VU Meter, however, its rise time is much quicker.
*Rise time is the time it takes to judge the sound level.
In televison and film there are many different shot types used. Different shots have different names. Some of the most common shot types are:-
Extreme Wide Shot – These are often used as establishing shots because they are far away from the object of attention, this is useful when setting the scene.
Very Wide Shot – This shot is still very far away from the object of focus, however, it is in view. This is again concentrating on setting the scene.
Wide Shot – The object now takes up the full frame. It is also known as a Long Shot.
Mid Shot – Shows the object in more detail, usually from the middle of the body up to the top of the head.
Medium Close Up – This is usually from the shoulders up to the top of the head. In between a Mid Shot and a Close Up.
Close Up – Something in the main focus of the frame.
Extreme Close Up – This shot shows one feature of your object in great detail.
Cutaway – This is a shot of something other than the current object.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot – Looking from behuind one object to another object.
Noddy Shot – Usually used during interviews, when the interviewer listens and reacts to what is being said. They can be used in other ways too.
Point-of-View Shot – Shows something as though it is from the point of view of the object/person.
Weather Shot – A shot of the weather, usually the sky. This is used to set the scene.
When using an ordinary video camera all settings are automatic and nothing needs to be done manually, however, in order to improve your camera work, you must learn to take control of your camera and set all settings manually. In most cases auto-functions work very well, however, it may go in and out of focus, this affecting the quality of the shot you were looking for. Auto-focus gives an ameatur shot, in order to operate manually the camera should have a focus ring at the front. Turning the focus ring clockwise gives a closer focus and turning it anti-clockwise gives a more distant focus.
There are many other manual functions such as Zoom, Iris, White Balance, Audio, Shutter and Effects.
Zoom moves you closer or further away from your point of view. Zooming is easy to do, however, it works well in moderation.
Iris is an adjustable opening that controls the amount of light going in, this is known as exposure. Most professional cameras have an Iris Ring, which turning it anti-clockwise opens and lets more light in.
White Balance tells the camera what whit should look like in your shot, therefore balancing the other colours. This function is normally done automatically, however can this sometimes can make the colours in the shot look unnatural.
Audio is very important and should not be overlooked. Most cameras come with a built-in microphone which work fine for general work, however, external microphones can be used.
The Shutter is usually used for fast action footage. An advantage to the shutter is that it can make a shot sharper, however, the disadvantage being it can make a shot jerky.
Most cameras come with a range of effects, some can look brilliant or, if used too much, can look tacky. Again, they should be used in moderation.
Good organisation makes for a good shoot. When planning a shoot you need to think of many things such as audience, the purpose of the video - the shots will fit this best, casting, script, equiptment and location. When thinking about your location it is vital you do a location scout, this is to ensure if it suitable for your shoot, if you are permitted to shoot there, the weather and how this will affect your video, facilities for your cast and crew and finally, the sound levels.
Storyboards are used to create a vision of what your sequence is going to look like. Images and captions are used in order to help pre-visualize before you go and film. Storyboards help us because they organise our thoughts and help us see what shots look good together and what shots don’t look good together, for example, accidently using two close-ups together.