Early editing - cutting (editors cut, directors cut, final cut)
- There are several editing stages and the editors cut is the first. Sometimes referred to as the "assembly edit" or "rough cut", it is normally the first pass of what the final film will be when it reaches picture lock. The film editor usually starts working while principal photography starts. Likely, prior to cutting, the editor and director will have seen and/or discussed dailies (raw footage shot each day) as shooting progresses. Screening dailies gives the editor a ballpark idea of the directors intentions. Because it is the first pass, the editors cut might be longer than the final film. The editor continues to refine the cut whilst shooting continues, and often the entire editing process goes on for many months and sometimes more than 1 year, depending on the film.
- When shooting is finished, the director can then turn their full attention to the directors cut, collaborating with the editor and further refining the cut of the film. This is the time set aside where the film editors first cut is moulded to fit the directors vision. The director and the editor go over the entire movie in great detail; scenes and shots are re-ordered, removed, shortened and otherwise tweaked. Often it is discovered that there are plot holes, missing shots or even missing segments which might require that new scenes be filmed.
- Often after the director has had his chance to oversee a cut, the subsequent cuts are supervised by one or more producers, who represent the production company and/or movie studio.
Moviola
- A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film whilst editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing, when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. Serrurier's proginal 1917 concept for the Moviola was as a home movie projector, to be sole to the general public. However, since the machine cost $600 in 1920 (equilivant to $20,000 in the 2000s), very few sold. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested that Iwan should adapt the device for use by film editors. Serrurier did this and the Moviola as an editing device was born in 1924.
Flatbed edit suites
- Steenbeck is a brand name that has become synonymous with a type of flatbed film editing suite which is usable with both 16mm and 35mm optical sound and magnetic sound film. The Steenbeck company was founded in 1931 by Wilhelm Steenbeck in Hamburg, Germany. Since then, the Steenbeck name has become widely known in the film editing community, and more than 25,000 machines are in operation around the world. The companion still manufactures editing tables. The editing is now based on digital media - devices such as the Lightworks non-linear film editing controller and archives still use the Steenbeck physical layout for controlling the process. The Steenbeck's lower light levels and controllable speed make it a preferred piece of equipment for film archives and restoration facilities, as prints can be quickly and easily inspected with less risk of damage compared to a movie projector. Because there is no intermittent movement, the image is created through a rotating prism which scans the frames. Steenbeck machines were known to be exceptionally easy on film stock, due to their use of soft-edged nylon rollers.
Linear and non-linear editing
- Linear video editing is a video editing post-production process of selecting, arranging and modifying images and sound in a predetermined, ordered sequence. Regardless of whether it was captures by a video camera, tapeless camcorder, or recorded n a television studio on a video tape recorder, the content must be accessed sequentially. For the most part video editing software has replaced linear editing.
- A non-linear editing system is a video or audio editing digital audio workstation system that performs non-destructive editing on source material. The name is in contrast to 20th century methods of linear video editing and film editing.
Online and offline editing
- Online editing is a post-production linear video editing process that is performed in the final stage of a video production. It occurs after offline editing. For the most part, online editing has been replaced by video editing software that operate on non-linear editing systems. High-end postproduction companies still use with NLE the Offline-Online Editing workflow. The term online originated in the telecommunication industry, meaning "under the direct control of another device" (automation). The term online changed from its original meaning to where the pictures are re-assembled at full or online resolution. An edit decision list (EDL) or equilivant is used to carry over the cuts and dissolves created during the offline edit. This conform is checked against a video copt of the offline edit to verify that the edits are correct and frame-accurate. After conforming the project, the online editor will add visual effects, lower third titles, and apple colour correction. This proecess is typically supervised by the client(s). The editor will also ensure that the program meets the technical delivery broadcast safe specs of the broadcaster, ensuring proper video levels, aspect ratio and blanking width. Projectd may be re-captured at the lowest level of video compression posible, ideally with no compression at all.
- Offline editing is part of the post-production process of filmmaking and television production in which raw footage is copied and edited, without affecting the camera original film stock or video tape. Once the project has been completely offline edited, the original media will be assembled in the online editing stage. The term offline originated in the computing and telecommunications industries, meaning "not unter the direct control of another device" (automation). Modern offline video editing is conducted in a non-linear editing (NLE) suite. This digital revolution has made the offline editing workflow process immeasurably quicker, as practitioners moved from time-consuming (video tape to tape) linear video editing online editing suites, to computer hardware and video editing software such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Sony Vegas, Lightworks and VideoPad. Typically, all the original footage (often tens or hundreds of hours) is digitized into the suite at a low resolution. The editor and director are than free to work with all the options to create the final cut.
The digital era (CMX-600, edit droid and avid 1)
- The CMX-600 was the very first non-linear video editing system. This Emmy Award winning system was introduced in 1971 by CMX Systemt, a joing venture between CBS and Memorex. CBX referred to it as a "RAVE", or
Random
Access
Video
Editor. The 600 had a console with 2 black and white monitors built in, as well as a light pen used to control the system. The right monitor, which played the preview video, was used by the editor to make cuts and edit decisions, by using the light pen to select from options which were superimposed as text over the preview video. The left monitor was used to display the edited video.
- The EditDroid is a computerized analog NLE (non-linear editing system), which was developed by Lucasfilm spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint venture company. The company existed up through the mid-80's to the early 90's in an attempt to move from analog editing methods to digital. The EditDroid was never a commercial success and after the close of The Droid Works in 1987 and subsequent redevelopment of the product for seven years, the software was eventually sold to Avid Technology in 1993. Only 24 EditDroid systems were ever produced.
- Avid Technolody Inc. is an American company specialising in video and audio production technology, specificallu digital non-linear editing (NLE) systems, management and distribution services, It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. Avid is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. Avid products are now used in the television and video industry to create television shots, feature films and commercials. Media Composer, a professional software-based non-linear editing system, is Avid's flagship product.
Modern editing platforms (Final Cut, Premiere Pro)
- Final Cut Pro is the name given to a series of non-linear video editing software programs, first developed by Macromedia Inc. and later Apple Inc. Since the early 2000's, Final Cut Pro has developed a large and expanding user base, mainly video hobbyists and independent filmmakers. It had also made inroads with film and television editors who have traditionally used Avid Technology's Media Composer. According to a 2007 SCRI study, Final Cut Pro made up 49% of the United States professional editing market, with Avid at 22%. A published survet in 2008 by the American Cinema Editors Guild placed their users at 21% Final Cut Pro (and growing from previous surveys of this group), while others were still on Avid system of some kind.
- Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes video editing, graphic design, and web development programs. Premiere Pro is used by broadcasters such as the BBC and CNN. It has also been used to edit feature films, such as Gone Girl, Captain Abu Raed, and Monsters. Premiere Pro is the redesigned successor to Adobe Premiere, and was launched in 2003. Premiere was one of the first computer-based NLE's (non-linear editing system), with its first release on Mac in 1991.
Film and file types
- A video file format is a file format for storing digital video data on a computer system. Video is almost always stored in compressed form to reduce the file size. A video file normally consists of a container format containing video date in a video coding format alongside audio data in an audio coding format. The container format can also contain synchromisation information, subtitles, and metadata such as title etc.
