DV Filmmaking

8/19/2019 DV Filmmaking

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DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish by Ian David Aronson

Publisher:O'Reilly Media, Inc.Pub Date:January , !""#

Print ISBN-10:"$%&#$"" ( $Print ISBN-13:&) $"$%&#$"" ( $!

Pages:*%!

Chapter 1 !he "reedo# o$ Digital %ideoSe&tion 1 1 !he "le'ibility o$ Digital (e&ording %ersus the )'pense and Constraints o$ "il#Se&tion 1 * Digital "eatures: A Brie$ +istory o$ Dire&tors ,ho Chose Digital Produ&tion over "il#

Chapter * Digital Cine#atographySe&tion * 1 Aspe&t (atioSe&tion * * Ana#orphi& %ideoSe&tion * 3 "ra#e (ate and %ideo StandardsSe&tion * %ideo on .our Co#puter/ Pi'el Aspe&t (atioSe&tion * ,hy It All atters in D%D Produ&tionSe&tion * 2 S ing-out onitor/ %ie $inder/ or )'ternal N!SC "ield onitor Se&tion * 4 ,or5ing ith a %ie $inder: Color %ersus Bla&5 and ,hite

Chapter 3 Co#posing a Shot to "it .our 6utput ediu#Se&tion 3 1 An 6vervie o$ Shots7 ediu# Shot/ ,ide Shot/ Close-up/ and )'tre#e Close-upSe&tion 3 * Shooting ith D%D Co#pression in ind

Chapter 8ighting $or DigitalSe&tion 1 ,hat ,hite Balan&e Does/ and ,hy .ou Can Never "orget to Set ItSe&tion * !he I#portan&e o$ Setting an Aperture

Chapter Shooting $or )$$e&tsSe&tion 1 Preparing a Chro#a 9ey ShootSe&tion * "ra#ing I#ages ith Co#posites in indSe&tion 3 Planning a atte )$$e&t

Chapter 2 ,or5ing ith Spe&iali ed Ca#era ountsSe&tion 2 1 Stabili ing a oving Ca#eraSe&tion 2 * ;sing a Ca#era Dolly

Chapter 4 (e&ording Audio/ an 6vervieSe&tion 4 1 Syn&-Sound "ield (e&ording and the Birth o$ Cine#a %eriteSe&tion 4 * !he I#pa&t o$ the Ca#&order Se&tion 4 3 Current (e&ording 6ptions

Chapter < Digital Audio Produ&tion !e&hni=ues and StrategiesSe&tion < 1 i&rophone !ypesSe&tion < * aintaining Syn&

Se&tion < 3 Strategies $or (e&ording >ood Digital AudioChapter ? An 6vervie o$ Nonlinear )ditingSe&tion ? 1 !i#elines/ "ra#es/ and !ra&5s7+o Nonlinear )diting Bene$its the Independent"il##a5er Se&tion ? * a5ing the ost o$ Nondestru&tive )diting: !he Di$$eren&e Bet een Pro@e&t "iles and

edia "ilesSe&tion ? 3 +o !i#e&ode a5es Nonlinear )diting Possible

Chapter 10 Setting ;p .our Digital Post "a&ilitySe&tion 10 1 Is y Co#puter "ast )noughSe&tion 10 * Capture and Storage Syste#s

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Se&tion 10 3 !he I#portan&e o$ a ,ell-Calibrated N!SC onitor Chapter 11 An 6vervie o$ Co#posite I#ages

Se&tion 11 1 ,hat an Alpha Channel DoesSe&tion 11 * I#porting I#ages and Adding !he# to the !i#elineSe&tion 11 3 (endering .our ,or5 Se&tion 11 Creating I#ages in Photoshop $or ;se in Digital %ideo

Chapter 1* Co#positing !e&hni=ues to a5e .our Pro@e&t 8oo5 8i5e It Cost ore !han It (eally DidSe&tion 1* 1 Creating the +ouston Street Co#posites

Chapter 13 Artisti&ally ;sing Still I#agesSe&tion 13 1 Ani#ating Still Photos to Si#ulate Ca#era ove#ents

Chapter 1 Creating !itles/ Stati& and Ani#atedSe&tion 1 1 Creating Stati& !itlesSe&tion 1 * Ani#ating a !itle in A$ter )$$e&tsSe&tion 1 3 Creating S&rolling or Cra ling !itles in "inal Cut ProSe&tion 1 Adding Still I#ages to .our !itles

Chapter 1 Bringing .our !itle Se=uen&e into .our Pro@e&tSe&tion 1 1 Building .our 6pening Se=uen&e in "inal Cut ProSe&tion 1 * Building .our 6pening Se=uen&e in A$ter )$$e&tsSe&tion 1 3 oining .our 6pening Se=uen&e to the Body o$ .our "il#

Chapter 12 Color Corre&tionSe&tion 12 1 +o Color "un&tions in %ideo/ an 6vervieSe&tion 12 * Audien&es Sub&ons&ious (esponse to Color/ and +o .ou Can a5e ;se o$ ItSe&tion 12 3 a5ing .our %ideo Broad&ast Sa$e

Chapter 14 !he Con&ept o$ Sound DesignSe&tion 14 1 8ayering Audio !ra&5sSe&tion 14 * (epla&ing issing or Poorly (e&orded Audio

Chapter 1< Sound Design/ $ro# Nuts and Bolts to "ine !uningSe&tion 1< 1 (e$ining the Natural Sound in .our Se=uen&eSe&tion 1< * Adding usi& to .our "il#

Appendi' A !he (elease PrintSe&tion A 1 Creating a Broad&ast aster Se&tion A * Stri5ing a "il# PrintSe&tion A 3 6utputting .our Audio

Se&tion A astering to D%D/ and the Bene$its o$ Distributing .our ,or5 in a Digital "or#atSe&tion A Strea#ing .our ,or5 on the InternetSe&tion A 2 a5ing .our %oi&e +eard

Appendi' B !he 8ast Step: Negotiating a Sale and ,hy .ou Should Al ays Bargain ;pESe&tion B 1 >etting .our "il# Seen: +o "estival )'posure and Press Coverage Can >et .ou Noti&edSe&tion B * !he 6ption o$ Sel$-Distribution and the Story o$ ary ane s Not a %irgin Any#oreSe&tion B 3 D I . or Die: !a5ing .our ,or5 on !our Se&tion B Don t Sell .oursel$ ShortSe&tion B ,hy >ood Business Cards Are I#portant

+re ace

-hy Read his /ook0

a5ing a good $il# is #ore a$$ordable/ and open to a ider range o$ people/ than ever be$ore !he reasonis digital video

I$ you have a&&ess to a digital video &a#era and a &o#puter you don t need to o n the#/ you @ust needa&&essE/ you &an #a5e pro$essional-=uality or5 .ou don t need lots o$ &ash/ nor do you need a relative

ho o ns a #a@or studio .ou @ust need a good story/ and enough te&hni&al s5ill to reali e your vision !his






























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boo5 al5s you through all the details o$ #a5ing a video pro@e&t/ $ro# start to $inish/ and sho s you step- by-step ho to #aster the advan&ed digital video te&hnology at your disposal

I$ you re inspired to #a5e a $il# and share it ith an audien&e/ this boo5 is $or you I al5 you through the pro&ess o$ #a5ing a $il#: $ro# lighting and $ra#ing a shot to setting up your o n postprodu&tion studioand re$ining your or5 into a $inished produ&t that you share ith the orld Along the ay/ I des&ribe

s&enes $ro# $il#s ranging $ro# Blade (unner and ,hen +arry et Sally to !he Conversation and 8a etFeto introdu&e 5ey &on&epts and e'plore e'a#ples o$ parti&ular te&hni=ues I even re$eren&e the or5 o$8ooney !unes &reator Chu&5 ones/ be&ause he used te&hni=ues that are highly relevant to digital postprodu&tion E

I$ you re a pro$essional loo5ing $or a leg up/ an edu&ator ho tea&hes digital #edia/ or a video enthusiastloo5ing to bul5 up on your s5ills/ this boo5 as ritten ith you in #ind

-hat his /ook Is, and Is 1ot

"irst/ and perhaps #ost i#portant/ this is not a boo5 about a spe&i$i& so$t are progra# !his boo5 is aboutusing all the digital tools available to you to #a5e the $il# you ve al ays drea#ed o$

!he $irst hal$ o$ the boo5 e'plores the use o$ &a#era e=uip#ent/ lights/ and audio re&ording devi&es ando$$ers suggestions on ho to rent the# ithout going bro5eE !he se&ond hal$ o$ the boo5 dis&usses both

a&- and PC-based postprodu&tion solutions It also &ontains step-by-step e'er&ises that al5 you throughadvan&ed &o#positing/ &olor &orre&tion/ and audio $inishing te&hni=ues using "inal Cut Pro and A$ter)$$e&ts

Se&ond/ this boo5 does not assu#e all readers share the sa#e level o$ te&hni&al e'pertise or prior5no ledge !his te't is designed to be thorough/ and to a&&o##odate a variety o$ learners and learningstyles So#e parts o$ the boo5 $o&us #ore on $il# theory and &on&eptual 5no ledge/ others are #orete&hni&al !his &ourse is designed $or readers ith e'tensive ba&5grounds in $il# produ&tion/ as ell as people ne to the $ield and eager to learn

-hat his /ook 2o3ers

As #entioned above/ this boo5 is divided into t o parts !he $irst part &overs both preprodu&tion the phasehere you re planning your pro@e&tE and produ&tion the phase here you re a&tually out in the orld usi

a &a#eraE !he se&ond part &overs postprodu&tion: hen you return to the studio or your living roo#E toedit your $ootage and &reate a $inished pro@e&t !he se&ond part o$ the boo5 also e'plores distribution possibilities and ays you &an get your $il# sho n to an audien&e

!his boo5 &o#es ith a D%D that &ontains original/ pro$essionally shot video &lips that you &an use to&o#plete the e'er&ises in this boo5/ and to pra&ti&e the editing and e$$e&ts &reation te&hni=ues the boo5&overs !he D%D also in&ludes A$ter )$$e&ts and "inal Cut Pro pro@e&t $iles &ontaining &o#pleted versioo$ ea&h e'er&ise In addition/ the D%D &ontains a short $il#/ titled Big 8u&a/ that as produ&ed espe&ially$or this boo5 and e#ploys all the te&hni=ues &overed in this te't (ight no / you re holding everything you

need to learn the art o$ digital video8et s ta5e it $ro# the top

2on3entions 4sed in his /ook

!he $ollo ing typographi&al &onventions are used in this boo5:

Plain text



Indi&ates #enu titles/ #enu options/ #enu buttons/ and 5eyboard short&uts

Italic

Indi&ates ne ter#s/ $il# titles/ ;(8s/ e#ail addresses/ $ilena#es/ $ile e'tensions/ pathna#es/ anddire&tories

-e'd 5ike to 6ear rom 7ou

Please address &o##ents and =uestions &on&erning this boo5 to the publisher:

6 (eilly edia/ In&100 >ravenstein +igh ay NorthSebastopol/ CA ? 4*

<00E ??<-??3< in the ;nited States or CanadaE404E <*?-0 1 international or lo&alE404E <*?-010 $a'E

,e have a eb page $or this boo5/ here e list errata/ e'a#ples/ and any additional in$or#ation .ou &ana&&ess this page at:

http:GG oreilly &o#G&atalogGdv$il##a5ing

!o &o##ent or as5 te&hni&al =uestions about this boo5/ send e#ail to:

boo5=uestionsHoreilly &o#

"or #ore in$or#ation about our boo5s/ &on$eren&es/ (esour&e Centers/ and the 6 (eilly Net or5/ see oureb site at:

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!he author o$ this boo5 also #aintains a eblog athttp:GG eblogs oreilly &o#G here he o$$ers ongoing perspe&tives on digital te&hnology in the orld o$ $il#

8ckno9ledgments

!his boo5 is the result o$ &onsiderable e$$ort by #any people/ and I o e a debt o$ gratitude to ea&h one

In parti&ular/ I ould li5e to than5 )'e&utive )ditor Steve ,eiss/ $or going to great lengths to help #e bring this boo5 $ro# an idea to a reality/ and publisher !i# 6 (eilly/ $or o$$ering #e the opportunity to

or5 ith 6 (eilly edia A nu#ber o$ other people #ade e'traordinarily valuable &ontributions to this pro@e&t/ in&luding &opyeditor 8inley Dolby/ te&hni&al editor Bonnie Bla5e/ editorial assistant i&hele

"ilshie/ senior te&hni&al illustrator (obert (o#ano/ ed Saeed ho rote the e'&eptional $or ard/ and the#any other people ho or5ed ith #e to #a5e this boo5 orth reading !han5 you all very #u&h and Iloo5 $or ard to or5ing ith you again soon

I d also li5e to than5 #y agent/ argot aley +ut&hison at ,aterside Produ&tions I have no doubt that this boo5 ould not e'ist ithout your help

In addition/ I d li5e to than5 an 8 Plass and "ran&ine Shu&hat Sha $or &ontinually going out o$ their ayto help #e in #y post-graduate or5 at N.;/ and I d also li5e to than5 everyone else ho has helped #e at

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one point or another in #y &areer !here are $ar too #any to list individually/ but I ould be re#iss i$ Ididn t a&5no ledge the or5 and energy o$ i&hael , Dean

ost o$ all I ould li5e to than5 all #y $riends ho have been su&h a big part o$ #y li$e $or so long/ and a$e ne ones espe&ially #a &herie So-.oung/ la &o-star de #on $il# de DisneyE

Ian David Aronson

Ne .or5 City/ *00

2ha ter . he Freedom o Digital Video!he "le'ibility o$ Digital (e&ording %ersus the )'pense and Constraints o$ "il#Digital "eatures: A Brie$ +istory o$ Dire&tors ,ho Chose Digital Produ&tion over "il#

"il# is e'pensive Shooting a $eature-length7or even a short7$il# #eans spending #oney to pur&hase$il# sto&5/ paying to pro&ess the $il# on&e it s been e'posed/ and then spending #ore #oney to &reate anddistribute prints a$ter a $il# has been edited

%ideo/ on the other hand/ is both $le'ible and a$$ordable .ou &an shoot/ edit/ and output your pro@e&t $or a$ra&tion o$ the &osts o$ or5ing ith $il# ;n$ortunately/ $or #any years/ analog video as @ust plain ugly,hile $il# o$$ered re#ar5able depth and &larity o$ &olor/ video i#ages ere $lat/ had harsh edges/ and&olors that didn t loo5 natural "il# as the only #ediu# suitable $or people aspiring to &ine#ati&e'&ellen&e )ven audien&es ith no te&hni&al ba&5ground &ould di$$erentiate bet een video and $il#/ be&ause video si#ply didn t loo5 as good ,hen +appy Days stopped shooting $il# and started usingvideotape/ lots o$ people in the audien&e sa that so#ething had &hanged/ even i$ they &ouldn t identi$y

hat it as !o #any vie ers/ video e=ualed &heap produ&tion and only $il# signi$ied =uality

;ntil re&ently/ the #ost sele&tive $il# $estivals/ a ards &o#petitions/ and theatri&al distributors &onsideredonly or5 shot on $il# Be&ause o$ the e'pense/ ho ever/ $il# produ&tion re#ained beyond the rea&h o$#any dire&tors As a result/ #any good ideas never #ade it to the s&reen/ and #any great video pro@e&tsnever #ade it to an audien&e Independent produ&ers pined $or a #ediu# that ould let the# shoot $il#-

=uality i#ages $or the &ost o$ shooting video)nter the digital &a#era In the #id-to-late 1??0s/ $il##a5ers dis&overed a$$ordable #ini D% &a#eras that&aptured surprisingly high-=uality i#ages !hese &a#eras/ su&h as the Sony %J1000 and Canon J8-1"igure 1-1E/ $ell into a relatively ne &ategory o$ produ&ts 5no n as prosu#er7they blurred the line

bet een high-end &onsu#er e=uip#ent/ and lo er-end pro$essional gear Prosu#er e=uip#ent e#ployedne ly available digital te&hnology to produ&e K3/000 &a#eras that rivaled the =uality o$ pro$essionalanalog video &a#eras that &ost 10 ti#es as #u&h !he digital &a#era/ $ollo ed shortly by a$$ordable digitalediting syste#s/ &reated a ne age o$ opportunity $or the independent $il##a5er People &ould no reali etheir $il# ideas on a lo budget ithout sa&ri$i&ing =uality !oday/ independent produ&ers use digitalte&hnology to &reate a&ade#y a ardL inning do&u#entaries/ theatri&ally su&&ess$ul dra#ati& $il#s/ andeverything in bet een As digital te&hnology i#proves/ pri&es drop/ and ne opportunities presentthe#selves to independent $il##a5ers a&ross the globe

Figure $ . 8 orda;le mini DV cameras like the Sony V< """ and the 2anon <5$ ena;led ilmmakers, or theirst time, to shoot ro essional$=uality images at consumer$e=ui ment rices.

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SID>/8R 5inear Versus 1onlinear >diting

"ro# its &on&eption/ video as a linear #ediu# !hat is/ to get to the end o$ a videotape/ youhad to $ast-$or ard through the beginning and then the #iddle No / audien&es at&hing a D%D&an s5ip to their $avorite ro#anti& love s&ene or testosterone-pa&5ed a&tion se=uen&e at the tou&ho$ a button ,at&hing video no longer $ollo s a linear progression/ and neither does editing

An editor or5ing in Apple "inal Cut Pro/ or another des5top video appli&ation su&h as Avid)'press D% or Adobe Pre#iere Pro/ &an navigate to any part o$ a pro@e&t and add or tri# $ootage

ithout disturbing the edits that &o#e be$ore and a$ter "or #ore details/ seeChapter ?E

Another tre#endous advantage o$ nonlinear editing syste#s is the e$$e&ts they enable you toeasily add to your or5 In the re&ent past/ an editor or5ing in analog video needed a separatedigital video e$$e&ts unit D%)E to &reate any type o$ e$$e&ts/ in&luding even si#ple transitions No / nonlinear editing syste#s routinely ship ith sophisti&ated e$$e&ts &apabilities7in&luding

the ability to &reate the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ents inChapter 13 as ell as the &hro#a 5eye$$e&ts des&ribed inChapter and Chapter 1*

. . he Fle?i;ility o Digital Recording Versus the >? ense and 2onstraints o Film

Digital video is/ ithout any doubt/ a $le'ible #ediu# "ro# the ay you shoot to the ay you edit andstore your $ootage/ digital video o$$ers a tre#endous nu#ber o$ options Digital video is/ in $a&t/ so $le'iblethat it s &hanged the ay people #a5e #ovies

Digital video tapes are idely available in lengths o$ 2 to ell over 1*0 #inutes In ter#s o$ both pri&e andsophisti&ation/ digital video e=uip#ent ranges $ro# &onsu#er &ategories to high-end pro$essional uses !he#ost idely used $or#at is #ini D%/ $ound in both &onsu#er &a#&orders and prosu#er e=uip#ent !he#ini D% $or#at is o$ten abbreviated as si#ply D%/ in part be&ause it s so prevalent 6ther digital videoe=uip#ent and tape $or#ats in&lude D%CA / D%CP(6/ and Digital Beta&a# !hese #ore sophisti&ated$or#ats use di$$erently $or#ulated tapes and re&ord in&reasing a#ounts o$ in$or#ation/ resulting in #oredetailed i#ages/ but you &an still do great or5 using #ini D% e=uip#ent

Metallica and DV

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6n a re&ent su##er a$ternoon/ I ent to #y lo&al art house #ultiple'/ the Sunshine on )ast+ouston Street/ to see etalli&a: So#e 9ind o$ onster ,hile aiting in the lobby $or the ne'tsho ing/ I learned that dire&tor Bru&e Sino$s5y as in the theater having an in$or#al M A

ith the audien&e $ro# the earlier sho I sho ed the usher #y ti&5et and as5ed i$ I &ould go into hear the dire&tor +e said no ,hen he asn t loo5ing/ I al5ed in/ $ound a seat/ and as5edSino$s5y ho the pro@e&t ould have been di$$erent i$ he and Berlinger had tried to shoot $il#

Be$ore or5ing on etalli&a: So#e 9ind o$ onster/ Sino$s5y and Berlinger a&hieved greatsu&&ess as do&u#entary $il##a5ers ith Brother s 9eeper in 1??* and Paradise 8ost: !he Child

urders at (obin +ills released in 1??2/ both o$ hi&h ere shot on $il# E ,ithout hesitating/Sino$s5y ans ered that had he not used digital video/ his $il# O ould not have been possible O+e and Berlinger re&orded everything that happened/ and later/ sele&ted only the #ost po er$ul#aterial to in&lude in the $inal produ&t !his ould have been too &u#berso#e and tooe'pensive to do ith 12 ## $il# 6n his ay out/ he gave #e a pro#otional guitar pi&5 ith agraphi& $ro# etalli&a s latest CD on one side and the logo $or his $il# on the other

Shooting ith a longer tape in the &a#era enables a &ine#atographer to re&ord $or e'tended periods o$ti#e/ o$ten an entire hour or #ore/ ithout stopping !his has &reated an entirely ne style o$ shooting $or

do&u#entary $il##a5ers ho &an turn the &a#era on and sea#lessly &apture everything that happensaround the#

"or etalli&a: So#e 9ind o$ onster/ dire&tors oe Berlinger and Bru&e Sino$s5y spent t o years $il#ing#e#bers o$ the #etal band/ etalli&a/ in various endeavors/ in&luding 0 group therapy sessions that lasted$our hours apie&e !he $il##a5ers used t o D%CA &a#eras/ a high-end Sony DS(- 00/ and a prosu#erSony PD-1 0 to re&ord 1/200 hours o$ $ootage that reveals band #e#bers in so#e re#ar5ably unguarded#o#ents ;nli5e produ&ing a $i&tion $il# here the dire&tors 5no the out&o#e in advan&e/ O e or5 inthe e'a&t opposite ay/O Berlinger told indie ire &o# an e'&ellent eb site $or ne s on independent $il#E!he dire&tors si$ted through their $ootage in postprodu&tion to $ind the #ost i#portant s&enes and thenstru&tured the $il# around those &lips7a or5ing style that is #ade possible/ in #any ays/ by theintrodu&tion o$ digital video

In Super Si e e/ dire&tor organ Spurlo&5 spends 30 days in $ront o$ a &a#era/ eating nothing but $ood$ro# &Donald s $or brea5$ast/ lun&h/ and dinner he says he only supersi ed hen people as5ed hi# toE;sing a Sony PD-1 0 &a#&order/ Spurlo&5 and his dire&tor o$ photography/ S&ott A#bro y/ traveledtogether as a t o-#an &re +e told "il##a5er #aga ine that or5ing in digital video helped 5eep &ostsdo n and provided the $le'ibility they needed to &apture his entire e'perien&e on &a#era: O,e $il#ednonstop $or si' or seven ee5s during #y eating phase O Shooting &onstantly $or an e'tended period o$ti#e enabled Spurlo&5 to re&ord every intera&tion and eating e'perien&e7even the unsee#ly ones7thende&ide hi&h he anted to share ith an audien&e Nothing had to be ignored

Shooting $il# is an entirely di$$erent pro&ess 12 ## $il#/ the $or#at traditionally used by independent$il##a5ers/ &o#es in 00 $oot reels/ hi&h only last about 10 #inutes apie&e 100 $oot reels are alsoavailable/ but these are even shorterE Be&ause 12 ## $il# li#ited do&u#entary $il##a5ers to shootingonly 10 #inutes or so at a ti#e/ they o$ten #issed a $air a#ount o$ a&tion !o &o#pensate/ $il##a5ers

ould o$ten &onserve their $il#/ turning the &a#era on only hen they ere &ertain so#ething as orthshooting/ and the rest o$ the ti#e/ they ould re&ord only audio In postprodu&tion/ editors ould theneave di$$erent shots together/ along ith the re&orded audio/ using a pat&h or5 o$ #aterial to &over gaps

in the $ootage

Note: (egardless o$ $le'ibility and &ost/ there are still $il##a5ers7and even a nu#ber o$ vie ers7 ho believe video ill never loo5 as good as $il# As a result/ so#e dire&tors &ontinue to shoot $il# but editusing a nonlinear editing syste# In Appendi' A/ I intervie t o su&&ess$ul $il##a5ers ho/ $or various

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reasons/ shoot $il# and use digital te&hnology in postprodu&tion

In the $il# era/ very $e pro@e&ts/ do&u#entary or narrative/ &ontained &ontinuous shots longer than a $e#inutes/ si#ply be&ause the te&hnology #ade it so di$$i&ult 6rson ,elles opens his 1? < $il#/ !ou&h o$)vil/ ith a single &ontinuous shot o$ the &hara&ters inding their ay through a e'i&an border to n !he

shot is e'traordinarily ell &horeographed/ and e'tre#ely ris5y given the te&hnology he as using7thin5o$ ho e'pensive it ould be to stop and redo everything i$ so#eone #ade a #ista5e several #inutes intothe shot I dis&uss this $il# in #ore detail inChapter 14E !hese days/ than5s to D%/ lengthy &ontinuousshots are in&reasingly &o##on/ and i$ you run out o$ tape hile you re shooting/ you &an @ust pop a ne&assette into your &a#&order Be&ause dire&tors don t need to orry about &ontinuously &hanging reels o$il#/ they &an let a&tors i#provise $or longer periods o$ ti#e/ re&ord #ultiple &a#era angles/ and shootnu#erous ta5es o$ a s&ene to #a5e sure everything or5s e'a&tly the ay the ant I$ a s&ene runs longerthan anti&ipated/ that s o5ay tape is &heap I$ an a&tor #a5es a #ista5e/ reta5es are no proble# !o adire&tor shooting $il#/ it s a di$$erent story: i$ the &a#era runs out o$ $il#/ the dire&tor s pretty #u&h out o$lu&5 Changing a reel o$ $il# is a di$$i&ult pro&ess/ re=uiring &o#plete dar5ness/ e'&eptional &are/ and as5illed pro$essional I$ a &re #e#ber a&&identally e'poses the $il# to daylight or in&orre&tly threads the$il# through the &a#era/ the or5 o$ everyone on set &an be instantly ruined !he &ost and an'iety o$ $il# pro&essing

>ood =uality 20-#inute #ini D% tapes retail $or less than K10 apie&e and &ost hal$ that hen you buy in bul5 A 10-#inute reel o$ $il#/ in &ontrast/ &an easily &ost K100 !he e'penses don t stop there7the real&ost o$ shooting $il# lies in lab $ees 6n&e you shoot $il#/ you then need to pro&ess the negative/ hi&h&osts you even #ore #oney be$ore you &an see your or5 Pro&essing 12 ## negative &osts about *0 &entsa $oot/ so a 10 #inute reel o$ $il# &osts about K<0 to develop 00 $eet o$ $il# at *0 &ents per $ootE Sin&eyou &an t at&h a negative to see hat your $ootage loo5s li5e/ you then need to &reate a or5print/ hi&hserves as your vie ing &opy or5prints are o$ten re$erred to as rushes or dailies/ be&ause they re =ui&5ly pro&essed $il# prints used only $or initial s&reenings and editing/ and they aren t sho n to audien&esE,or5prints &ost an additional 3* &ents a $oot/ so be$ore you &an even bring that 10 #inute reel o$ $il# intothe editing roo#/ you have to pay another K1*< in pro&essing 00 $eet at 3* &ents per $ootE on top o$everything you ve already spent

!he s&ariest part o$ all this is you on t 5no i$ your $il# loo5s good7or is even usable7until a$teryou ve paid $or ea&h step I$ you add up the previously listed &osts/ in&luding the initial $il# pur&hase/ it&o#es to #ore than K300 $or ea&h 10-#inute reel I$ you ve shot an hour s orth o$ $il#/ you &an easilyspend #ore than K1<00 be$ore you &an see hat you ve got/ and hat you have #ay not be hat you antIn $a&t/ it #ay not even be usable !he i#age you see hen you loo5 through the vie $inder o$ a &a#era iso$ten not the sa#e as hat sho s up on $il# .ou #ight not noti&e e'posure proble#s/ $o&us issues/ or astray hair &aught in the gate the part o$ the &a#era that $il# passes through as it s e'posedE until a$teryou ve $inished shooting and you get your $il# ba&5 $ro# the lab

Shooting D% is a #u&h #ore straight$or ard pro&ess7 hat you see in a ell-&alibrated $ield #onitor orvie $inder is e'a&tly hat s reordered on the tape At the end o$ ea&h ta5e/ the dire&tor o$ photography5no s hat he s re&orded I$ so#ething isn t right/ you &an easily identi$y the proble# and $i' it in a reta5e,ith $il#/ you on t see the results o$ your or5 until the ne't day at the earliestE hen the negative is

pro&essed/ so the sa#e proble# #ight present itsel$ in reel a$ter reel o$ $il# but go entirely unnoti&edduring shooting

Ross Mc>l9ee and the # mm +ersonal Documentary

!he personal do&u#entary/ in hi&h the dire&tor o$ a $il# is also the star/ e'isted long be$ore theadvent o$ digital video/ but it too5 a very di$$erent $or# In 1?<2/ dire&tor (oss &)l ee shared





the inti#ate details o$ his li$e ith the audien&e in Sher#an s ar&h/ hi&h !he Ne .or5!i#es &alled Odisar#ingly engaging O At the start o$ the $il#/ &)l ee says he intended to #a5ea $il# retra&ing >eneral Sher#an s devastating #ar&h through the South during the Civil ,ar/ but the $il# =ui&5ly be&o#es a sel$-e'a#ination o$ &)l ee s o n love li$e &)l ee tells hisstory by pairing $ootage o$ his travels ith ar# and brilliantly $unny personal narration !heon- and o$$-&a#era narration is both a 5ey to the $il# s su&&ess and partly a devi&e to or5around the te&hni&al li#itations o$ $il# produ&tion Spurlo&5 e#ploys narration to great e$$e&tin Super Si e e/ but he s also or5ing ith signi$i&antly #ore $ootage/ in&luding in$initely#ore private #o#ents than anything that appears in Sher#an s ar&h E Be&ause &)l ee

or5ed ith reels o$ $il#/ as opposed to 30- or 20-#inute D% tapes/ he si#ply didn t have theoption o$ &apturing everything that happened and later sorting through it in postprodu&tion as$il##a5ers &o##only do today Instead/ he e#ployed a dis&iplined/ &are$ully stru&turedapproa&h to his $il#ing 8ater/ during editing/ he rote narration to hold his $il# together andsegue $ro# one se=uen&e to another

As a #ediu#/ digital video is $ar #ore $orgiving than $il# +igher-end video e=uip#ent o$$ers a range o$te&hni&al options and re=uires you to #a5e signi$i&ant de&isions that shape the out&o#e o$ your pro@e&t/ b

i$ you #a5e a #ista5e/ &han&es are you &an $i' it in postprodu&tion "il##a5ers o$ten &o#e ba&5 $ro# ashoot and reali e that so#ething ent rong urphy s 8a / that hatever &an go rong ill/ is a big parto$ li$e $or the independent produ&erE/ but D% is $le'ible enough that you &an $i' a ide range o$ proble#s

hen you edit your $ootage D% tape/ li5e anything else/ still has its li#its (epeatedly re inding a &assetteto at&h a seg#ent in your &a#&order &an physi&ally da#age the tape/ ruining your $ootage Be&ause D%tapes use a #agneti& pro&ess to re&ord in$or#ation/ you &an also erase a tape by a&&identally passing itthrough a #agneti& $ield you #ay be a#a ed to $ind ho #any #agneti& $ields there are in your ho#e5eep your tapes a ay $ro# the !%E Additionally/ D% &assettes are vulnerable to hu#an &uriosity7 so#eti#es people &an t help the#selves/ so they $old ba&5 the prote&tive &over guarding the tape itsel$/leaving their valuable $ootage e'posed to dust and other &onta#inants

SID>/8R he Vulnera;ility o 8ny Recorded Media

A tape &an $ail/ and i$ it does/ you lose everything on it "il##a5ers have adopted a variety o$approa&hes to &o#pensate $or this +ere are a $e suggestions:

• (esist the te#ptation to at&h your $ootage in the &a#era (e inding and $ast-$or arding a D% tape in the &a#era &auses e'&ess ear and tear/ hi&h &an lead to a

rin5le or even a rip in the tape I$ the tape is da#aged/ there s no ay to repair it• Capture your $ootage using a de&5/ instead o$ a &a#era this &an help you avoid da#age

to your tapes Ca#eras are not built to sa$ely re ind or $ast-$or ard tapes/ de&5s are

• ,hen you &apture using a de&5 or even i$ you &apture dire&tly $ro# the &a#era i$ ade&5 is not in your budgetE/ you lessen the &han&es o$ da#aging your tapes i$ you

&apture your $ootage ithout repeatedly running through the tape to $ind the e'a&t startor end o$ a shot7@ust &apture a little e'tra and edit later

• 6n&e you ve &aptured your $ootage/ ar&hive it to an e'ternal dis5 drive !his ay i$ theoriginal tape is ever da#aged/ you already have a saved version o$ your $ootage

• a5e a dupli&ate &opy o$ ea&h tape Be&ause you re or5ing ith digital in$or#ation/you &an &reate ba&5up &opies o$ your $ootage ithout any loss in =uality in $a&t/ &opieso$ digital tapes are &alled &lones be&ause they re identi&alE 6n&e you have a ba&5up



&opy/ you &an pla&e the dupli&ate tape on a shel$ and 5eep it in a sa$e pla&e in &aseso#ething happens to your original

• I$ you 5no you ll never get the opportunity to re&ord so#ething again/ you #ight&onsider trying a #ulti-&a#era shoot A #ulti-&a#era shoot #ay &o#pli&ate thelogisti&s o$ your operation see the note on one &a#era versus t o &a#era shoots inChapter 3E/ but you ll de$initely al5 out ith #ore than one tape

"or #ore in$or#ation on &apturing and storing video/ seeChapters ? and 10 No #atter ho you sli&e it/$il# is $ar less $orgiving/ and te&hni&al proble#s &an easily leave you ith unusable $ootage that you spenttre#endous ti#e/ energy/ and #oney to &apture Be&ause $il# re=uires pro&essing be$ore you &an vie it/it s also vulnerable to environ#ental ha ards and lab #ista5es hile D% is not ,hen you ta5e a D% tapeout o$ your &a#era/ it s ready to or5 ith/ and i$ you handle the tape &are$ully/ you &an #ore or less beassured your $ootage is sa$e 6n&e $il# is e'posed in the &a#era/ it s highly vulnerable until it s pro&essedA $riend o$ #ine re&ently traveled a&ross &ountry to shoot the latest install#ent o$ an ongoing do&u#entary pro@e&t and returned ith 10 reels o$ $il# Shortly a$ter dropping his $il# o$$ at the lab he got a &all that/due to a proble# ith the lab s e=uip#ent/ several reels o$ his $il# had been da#aged/ and the last t o had been rendered unusable

!hese ere/ o$ &ourse/ the reels &ontaining $ootage that as the hardest to get/ and as a result/ the hardest toreprodu&e !his doesn t #ean digital video is i##une to #ista5es it isn t7see the sidebar/ O!he%ulnerability o$ Any (e&orded ediaOE or that 12 ## is an anti=uated #agnet $or te&hni&al errors/ but D%&learly is a #ore &ost e$$e&tive/ straight$or ard produ&tion #ediu#/ and it s &hanged the orld o$independent $il# $orever

.!. Digital Features: 8 /rie 6istory o Directors -ho 2hose Digital +roduction o3er Film

,hen digital video &a#eras $irst be&a#e available/ people ho ere already shooting analog video $lo&5edto the ne te&hnology/ but $il#-oriented dire&tors re#ained hesitant .ears ago/ I ent ith so#e $riends tosee !he Cruise/ a $eature that garnered signi$i&ant attention on the $estival &ir&uit as one o$ the $irst pro@e&shot and edited using entirely digital e=uip#ent )veryone I ent ith li5ed the #ovie/ but one $riend hoto this day is still a parti&ular devotee o$ 12 ## $il#E loo5ed at us a$ter ard and said/ O.ou 5no / it s stillvideo O

)ven in an all-digital &onte't/ #any $il##a5ers doubted the =uality o$ video in any $or#Cine#atographers earn a living by #a5ing the orld loo5 good on s&reen/ and #any ere relu&tant to trusta D% &a#era i$ it #eant ris5ing their reputation on an unproven te&hnology that #ight not produ&e thegreatest possible i#age "il# is/ above all else/ a visual #ediu#

6ne o$ the $irst $il##a5ers to use D% in a large-s&ale do&u#entary as Iara 8ee/ ho used D% e=uip#entto shoot intervie s $or her 1??< $il# odulations/ hi&h e'plored the orld o$ ele&troni& #usi& !o produ&e odulations/ 8ee shot intervie s ith #usi&ians/ produ&ers/ and D s around the globe/ then&o#bined the edited intervie s ith observational $ootage shot in &lubs/ at &on&erts/ and at other venues8ee is highly &ons&ious o$ the i#portan&e o$ =uality i#ages/ and had shot her previous or5 Syntheti&Pleasures entirely on $il# In odulations/ she used digital video to shoot her intervie s and shot herobservational se=uen&es entirely on 12 ## 8ee s $il#s are stri5ingly visual in their approa&h/ and they re$un to at&h be&ause o$ her innovative use o$ styled i#agery

Shooting D% intervie s allo ed 8ee to save &onsiderable su#s o$ #oney 6n-&a#era intervie s re=uire adire&tor to shoot $ar #ore $ootage than hat inds up on s&reen in the $inished produ&t 6$ten/ only#inutes o$ an hour-long intervie #a5e it into the edited version/ and #any intervie s get ni'edaltogether 8ee $il#ed hundreds o$ intervie s $or odulations and told (es #aga ine http:GG res &o#/

hi&h has been &overing digital video sin&e its in&eptionE she ould not have been able to a$$ord the &ost o






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shooting the# on $il# Pla&ing the intervie s alongside 12 ## observational #aterial that she edited and#anipulated on an Avid digital editing syste# helped her a&hieve the loo5 and style she anted ithoutgoing beyond her budget

8ll 8;out the Ratio

A shooting ratio is ho #u&h $ootage you shoot in relation to the length o$ your $inished produ&t "or e'a#ple/ i$ you shoot si' hours o$ tape to #a5e a one hour #ovie/ you have a si' toone ratio/ hi&h is ritten 2:1 Depending on budget &onstraints and shooting style/ $il##a5ers&o##only use ratios ranging $ro# :1 up to 1*:1 or #ore

Shooting #ore $ootage gives you #ore #aterial to or5 ith/ but it also in&reases your &ostsboth in ter#s o$ ra sto&5 and the ti#e you spend si$ting through your tape in postprodu&tionE

;lti#ately/ any shoot is a balan&e bet een hat you ant and hat s available given your&ir&u#stan&es Bay Area $il##a5er 8es Blan5 dire&tor o$ >arli& Is As >ood As !en othersand In +eaven !here Is No Beer E is o$ten =uoted as saying that shooting is not aestheti&/ it sathleti&

I as on a shoot one day ith a $riend ho said/ O.ou 5no / it s all about the ratio O +is pointas that every shot you ta5e doesn t need to be #agi&/ you @ust need to shoot enough so you &an

&ut out everything that isn t

In this pro@e&t/ released theatri&ally in 1???/ Dire&tor ,i# ,enders used a &o#bination o$ prosu#er/&onsu#er/ and high-end pro$essional digital video &a#eras to shoot in environ#ents here traditional 3## or 12 ## $il# ould not have or5ed Buena %ista So&ial Club do&u#ents a >ra##y- inning groupo$ Cuban #usi&ians as they re&ord a ne albu# and travel to Ne .or5 City to per$or# at Carnegie +all!he entire $il# is beauti$ully shot in digital video/ in&luding a nu#ber o$ se=uen&es in a re&ording studio/

here the #e&hani&al sound o$ $il# running through a &a#era ould have interrupted the or5 o$ the#usi&ians ho appear on s&reen

!he bul5 o$ the $il# as shot in Digital Beta&a#/ hi&h as/ at the ti#e/ the top =uality digital $or#atavailable ,enders e#ployed a &ine#atographer $or the prin&iple &a#era or5 and re&orded additional$ootage hi#sel$ using a prosu#er D% &a#era/ as ell as a very s#all &onsu#er D% &a#era O!his ay I&ould so#eti#es shoot in pla&es and situations here you d @ust never get ith a $il# &a#era/ even a 12##/O ,enders is =uoted as saying on his eb site/ i#- enders &o# O!his $il# &ould have never been #ade/ su&h as it is/ on $il# !his is truly a produ&t o$ the ne possibilities e have as $il##a5ers iththe digital tools O

!he po er o$ Buena %ista So&ial Club/ in addition to the #usi&/ is the $il# s ar#th and its ability to #a5eyou $eel &lose to the #usi&ians it portrays I ve sho n this $il# to several &lasses as an e'a#ple o$$il##a5ing that rea&hes audien&es on an e#otional level u&h o$ this is due to ,enders s ability as adire&tor7his $il##a5ing doesn t get in the ay o$ his story7but the $il# is also aided by the te&hnology,enders used in produ&tion !he $le'ibility o$ digital $il##a5ing enables dire&tors to or5 ith very s#all&re s and &reate an inti#a&y that audien&es &an see in the $inal produ&t Digital &a#eras don t re=uire&re s to set up &u#berso#e or intrusive lights/ and they &an be used $or su&h e'tended periods o$ ti#e that people tend to rela' and al#ost $orget a &a#era is in the roo#

Southern Co#$ort/ 9ate Davis s $il# about a $e#ale-to-#ale transse'ual $ighting a losing battle ithovarian &an&er/ on the >rand ury Pri e $or Do&u#entary at the *001 Sundan&e "il# "estival Davis/ a pro$essional $il# editor ith e'tensive e'perien&e in 12 ## $il#/ shot the pro@e&t hersel$ in D% She used as#all Sony %J1000 &a#era that loo5s re#ar5ably li5e a standard ho#e #ovie &a#&order Davis o$ten

or5ed on this $il# alone/ and be&ause she used a s#all &a#era that didn t dra attention to itsel$/ people$elt very &o#$ortable having her around A#y !aubin rote in the %illage %oi&e that the OunobtrusivenessO

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o$ Davis and her &a#era Oproved invaluable O Davis Ois treated by everyone on the s&reen li5e a dear$riend/O a&&ording to !aubin O!hey tal5 to her as i$ they ere una are o$ the &a#era and si#ply ant toin&lude her in the &onversation O Creating an environ#ent here people $eel &o#$ortable in $ront o$ a&a#era is i#portant $or any $il#/ but espe&ially i#portant to a $il# about a &ontroversial sub@e&t ,or5ingin D% helped Davis shi$t the $o&us a ay $ro# hersel$ and develop a &lose relationship bet een theaudien&e and the $il# s protagonist/ (obert )ads

!he lo er &ost o$ digital produ&tion also allo ed Davis to go out and start shooting instead o$ endlesslyhaving to $undraise to &over the e'penses o$ or5ing ith $il# O s Davis had brains enough not to ait$or $unds be&ause she 5ne she had a great story right in $ront o$ her/O )lvis it&hell rote in the Ne.or5 !i#es Sin&e Southern Co#$ort &hroni&les the last year o$ )ads s li$e/ it s =uite possible that i$ Davisspent her ti#e $undraising instead o$ $il#ing/ the pro@e&t #ight never have been &o#pleted

Digital video has not only &reated opportunities $or re&ogni ed $il##a5ers li5e ,enders and Davis/ but hasopened doors $or $il##a5ers at the start o$ their &areers !raditionally/ ne ly #inted $il# s&hool graduates

ent to or5 $or established $il##a5ers and/ using their bosses e=uip#ent a$ter hours and on ee5ends/slo ly began to &reate or5s o$ their o n !oday/ $il# s&hool graduates still or5 $or other people to earn#oney/ but D% te&hnology has enabled #any to start #a5ing their o n pro@e&ts right a ay/ ithout theoversight o$ a #ore senior $il##a5er !he sa#e te&hnology has also enabled people to #a5e great $il#s

ithout ever attending $il# s&hool or or5ing $or another $il##a5er7it s &reated a hole ne orld o$a&&ess E

!he +otel ;pstairs/ a portrait o$ a San "ran&is&o residential hotel and its long-ter# o&&upants/ as #ade bydire&tor Daniel Baer shortly a$ter he graduated $il# s&hool/ using D% e=uip#ent he pur&hased ith a s#allgrant and an editing syste# he bought ith $riends Baer and so#e $or#er &lass#ates @ointly pur&hased aused Avid digital editing syste# Be$ore the introdu&tion o$ high-=uality so$t are-based editing syste#sli5e "inal Cut Pro/ nonlinear digital editing re=uired the use o$ e'pensive hard are-based syste#s/ li5e theAvid/ hi&h used spe&ially #odi$ied &o#puters in addition to so$t are and generally &ost #ore thanK20/000 )a&h ti#e Avid &a#e out ith ne er #odels/ the value o$ the older #odels dropped to a s#all per&entage o$ their original pri&e/ be&ause the hard are be&a#e per#anently outdated Baer and three$riends pur&hased an older Avid ith #oney they s&raped together/ and he used the syste# to edit his pro@e&t As I as riting this se&tion/ a $riend e#ailed #e that the )&ho Par5 "il# Center in 8os Angeles

as selling an old Avid $or K1* Baer paid signi$i&antly #ore $or his Avid ba&5 in 1??</ but it still &ost#u&h less than the original retail pri&e E

Note: At this point/ the #ain pri&e di$$eren&e bet een #ini D% and +D is the e=uip#ent you need to shootand &apture ,hile appli&ations li5e "inal Cut Pro and Pre#iere both o$$er a$$ordable +D editing&apabilities/ +D &a#eras and de&5s &ost signi$i&antly #ore than their #ini D% &ounterparts At the ti#e o$this riting/ a Panasoni& +D de&5 &o#patible ith "inal Cut Pro retails $or #ore than K*0/000 and a&o#patible Panasoni& +D &a#era retails $or #ore than K2 /000 Pri&es ill li5ely &o#e do n in the near$uture/ but $or the #o#ent/ high =uality +D is still outside the pur&hase pri&e range o$ #ost independents Ne er versions o$ "inal Cut Pro are &o#patible ith a $or#at &alled +D%/ hi&h re&ords &o#pressed highde$inition video onto a #ini D% tape +D% &a#eras generally $all into the prosu#er pri&e range "ore'a#ple/ the Sony +D(-"J1 retails $or less than K /000

Baer had dire&ted t o su&&ess$ul 12 ## student $il#s be$ore starting !he +otel ;pstairs/ but shot the pro@e&t in digital video be&ause he &ould a$$ord to/ and be&ause D% per$or#s better in lo -light situationsthan $il# !he roo#s o$ the hotel ere too s#all $or Baer to set up lighting e=uip#ent/ but even i$ they had been big enough/ he $eared lights ould have &reated an unnatural situation OI anted to shoot ithoutlights to give sub@e&ts the idea there asn t a hard line bet een their li$e/ and their li$e hen I asshooting O



Baer pur&hased a ne ly available Canon J8-1 digital &a#era and used it to shoot the $il# hi#sel$ !heJ8-1 retailed $or slightly #ore than K3/000 but re&orded i#ages &o#parable to &a#eras that &ostsigni$i&antly #ore Baer used additional #oney $ro# the grant to &over his share o$ the Avid !o a$$ordablygive his or5 a #ore O$il#-li5e visual =uality/O he shot e'terior vie s o$ the hotel in 12 ##/ andin&orporated the# into his pro@e&t along ith se=uen&es o$ still i#ages shot ith a 3 ## still &a#era

!raditionally/ independent $il##a5ers paid rental $ees by the day or ee5 $or &a#eras and editinge=uip#ent that they &ouldn t possibly a$$ord to pur&hase/ but be&ause Baer no o ned a high-=uality&a#era and a pro$essional editing syste#/ he as able to &reate a do&u#entary ithout spending a lot o$#oney !he +otel ;pstairs pre#iered at the *001 8os Angeles "il# "estival and ent on to s&reen at$estivals around the orld 2lones and 2all 8 @ A;ig ;udgedigital

At the other end o$ the s&ale/ big-budget +olly ood dire&tors li5e >eorge 8u&as/ and high-end advertisingagen&ies su&h as .oung and (ubi&a#/ have e#bra&ed digital video 8u&as shot Star ,ars )pisode II using+igh De$inition +DE digital video &a#eras spe&i$i&ally developed $or the latest install#ent o$ his s&i-$iepi& .oung and (ubi&a#/ the advertising agen&y $or A! !/ used si#ilar +D te&hnology t o years later to$il# a series o$ &o##er&ials staring &o#edian Carrot !op

+igh De$inition is &urrently the highest =uality digital $or#at available/ and #any $il##a5ers are attra&ted

to +D be&ause it uses the sa#e $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio as $il#/ hi&h helps #a5e it loo5 #ore li5e $il#at a #u&h lo er per-#inute pri&e "ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio are des&ribed in detail inChapter * EBe&ause o$ the te&hni&al si#ilarities bet een +D and $il#/ #aterial shot on +D provides dire&tors ith a#ore &ine#ati& loo5 than other $or#s o$ digital video and a #ore e$$i&ient trans$er to 3 ## $il# $or pro@e&tion in theaters Star ,ars )pisode II as pro@e&ted digitally in theaters e=uipped ith digital pro@e&tion syste#s/ and on 3 ## $il# in those ithout A! ! &reated digital versions o$ its OCall A! !O&o##er&ials $or television broad&ast and 3 ## $il# versions to s&reen in theaters bet een &o#ingattra&tions

8u&as/ ho has be&o#e 5no n $or &o#puter-generated environ#ents/ &hara&ters/ and a&tion se=uen&es inhis re&ent or5/ &hose +D be&ause it provided hi# ith an unpre&edented level o$ &ontrol OIt s a #u&h#ore #alleable #ediu# than $il#/ by $ar/O he told A#eri&an Cine#atographer #aga ine O.ou &an #a5e itdo hatever you ant it to do/ and you &an design the te&hnology to do hatever you ant to do O .ou

&an vie sele&ted A#eri&an Cine#atographer arti&les $or $ree online/ athttp:GG theas& &o#G#aga ineGE

Note: illi#eter is a very &ool and easy-to-read #aga ine about postprodu&tion te&hni=ues and e$$e&ts&reation .ou &an read it online at #illi#eter &o#/ or subs&ribe to the print version o$ the #aga ine atno &harge in e'&hange $or sub#itting your de#ographi& in$or#ation see #illi#eter &o#G subs&ribe $ordetailsE

+D is generally a #ore e'pensive $or#at than other $or#s o$ digital video but still &osts $ar less thanshooting in $il# In addition to in&reased a$$ordability and &ontrol/ li5e other digital $or#ats/ +D also letsdire&tors shoot longer ta5es and i##ediately see the results o$ their or5 O+D on t bite you/O 9en.agoda told illi#eter #aga ine .agoda/ .oung and (ubi&a# s anaging PartnerGDire&tor o$ Broad&ast

Produ&tions/ said +D saved ti#e not only be&ause produ&tion is very e$$i&ient/ but be&ause dire&tors didnneed to guess about hat they did or didn t get on $il# O6ne o$ the advantages is that you really do seehat you re getting/ so you &an sa$ely rap a se=uen&e and #ove on ith a great deal o$ &on$iden&e O

;nli5e Star ,ars )pisode II/ hi&h as shot ith &usto#-designed +D &a#eras $ar beyond the pri&e rangeo$ an independent/ Nove#ber/ a dra#ati& $il# staring Courtney Co'/ as shot on a #ini D% &a#era thatretails $or less than K3/000 Nove#ber/ hi&h on the *00 Sundan&e )'&ellen&e in Cine#atographya ard/ is an e'a#ple o$ a gro ing nu#ber o$ su&&ess$ul art house $il#s shot in a prosu#er $or#at and thenreleased on $il# in theaters !he $il# s dire&tor o$ photography/ Nan&y S&hreiber/ used a Panasoni& A>-


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D%J100 &a#era/ &are$ully lit ea&h s&ene/ and #anipulated the &a#era s e'posure and $o&us settings to&reate a visual $eel that Sundan&e @udges ere obviously pleased ith/ and "il##a5er #aga ine says/O&hanged the loo5 o$ #ini D% O

!he A>-D%J100 uses the sa#e #ini D% $or#at as the a$$ordable &a#eras used by Davis and Baer/ but isone o$ $e prosu#er &a#eras that &an be set to re&ord at the sa#e $ra#e rate as $il# ;sing this $ra#e rate

allo ed Nove#ber s produ&ers to s#oothly trans$er the $inished produ&t to 3 ## $il# $or theatri&aldistribution !he +D &a#eras 8u&as used to $il# Star ,ars )pisode II also re&orded at the sa#e $ra#e rateas $il#/ but did so at a #u&h higher &ost !he shooting budget $or Nove#ber as only K1 0/000/ a&&ordingto "il##a5er/ and the budget $or the entire $il# as only K300/000 !his #ay see# li5e a substantial su#o$ #oney i$ you re $unding a produ&tion on your o n In the orld o$ theatri&ally released $eatures/ho ever/ $il#s that &ost K #illion are o$ten des&ribed as lo budget

Nove#ber s produ&tion &o#pany InDig)nt/ hi&h stands $or independent digital entertain#ent/ also produ&ed the theatri&ally released $il# !adpole staring Sigourney ,eaver and ohn (itter/ hi&h as shotin digital video and edited in "inal Cut Pro !adpole as su&h a su&&ess$ul $il# revie ers didn t even#ention it had been shot in D%7the +olly ood (eporter &alled it a Os&ru#ptious a#use#ent O!e&hnologi&al advan&es in digital $il##a5ing no allo dire&tors to &reate lo -&ost/ high-=uality pro@e&tthat people respond so ell to/ audien&es don t even reali e they re at&hing video I 5ne this as a $il#

I had to see hen I ent to see another $il# and heard !adpole s audien&e laughing $ro# outside thetheater E

"il# is still e'pensive/ but the ugly-du&5ling $or#at o$ video has gro n into a beauti$ul s an

8et s put it to or5

!his boo5 is stru&tured to provide an overvie o$ digital video te&hnology in the opening &hapters/ andthen #ove into #ore spe&i$i& details and te&hni=ues later on !his &hapter e'plored the bene$its o$ or5ingin digital video it s both a$$ordable and $le'ibleE and also provided a brie$ history o$ dire&tors ho &hose t

or5 in video over $il#/ and hy Chapter * e'plores te&hni&al $unda#entals su&h as aspe&t ratio/ $ra#erate/ and the di$$eren&e bet een lines o$ resolution in a video #onitor and pi'els in a &o#puter #onitor;nderstanding ea&h ele#ent is an essential step to ard produ&ing a good video pro@e&t/ and the earlier youget a handle on the#/ the earlier you &an start #a5ing the $il# o$ your drea#s

2ha ter !. Digital 2inematogra hyAspe&t (atioAna#orphi& %ideo"ra#e (ate and %ideo Standards%ideo on .our Co#puter/ Pi'el Aspe&t (atio,hy It All atters in D%D Produ&tionS ing-out onitor/ %ie $inder/ or )'ternal N!SC "ield onitor ,or5ing ith a %ie $inder: Color %ersus Bla&5 and ,hite

,or5ing in $il# and video is by de$inition a te&hni&al pro&ess: a $il##a5er uses the te&hnology o$ &ine#ato reali e her ideas and share the# ith an audien&e

As a $il##a5er using digital video/ you have a signi$i&ant range o$ te&hni&al options ,hile these &hoi&esand details #ay see# over hel#ing at $irst/ they re i#portant to thin5 about be&ause ea&h de&isionulti#ately shapes the out&o#e o$ your $il# !he &hoi&es you #a5e hile planning and shooting a $il#deter#ine the options available in postprodu&tion/ and &hoi&es in postprodu&tion either li#it or e'pandyour distribution options A solid understanding o$ digital $il##a5ing s nuts and bolts &an go a long ayto ard helping you a&hieve your &reative vision




















!he $irst step is de$ining the te&hni&al standards $or your pro@e&t !his se&tion provides an overvie o$aspe&t ratio/ $ra#e rates/ and video standards/ and addresses the i#pa&t ea&h &hoi&e has on the $inal versiono$ your produ&tion

!. . 8s ect Ratio

It s no se&ret that a television s&reen is a di$$erent shape than the s&reen in a #ovie theater Both arere&tangles/ but the traditional shape o$ a television is &loser to s=uare/ and a #ovie s&reen is signi$i&antlyider than it is high !he te&hni&al ter# $or the di$$eren&e in shape is aspe&t ratio/ hi&h #eans the

proportional relationship bet een idth and height !raditional $or#s o$ video use a '3 aspe&t ratio/ andides&reen video uses 12'?"igure *-1 sho s e'a#ples o$ both

Figure !$ . he hoto at le t a ears as a (?* image, and the hoto at right is sho9n at #?&. >3en though theyde ict sho s on the same street corner, the di erence in as ect ratio roduces markedly di erent

com ositions.

A '3 aspe&t ratio #eans that $or every $our in&hes o$ idth in a s&reen/ there s a &orresponding threein&hes o$ height "or e'a#ple/ a television s&reen that s *0 in&hes ide ould be 1 in&hes high S&reens&on$or# to standard aspe&t ratios so that i#ages #aintain their proportions on any television set(egardless o$ hether you at&h your $avorite !% sho on a large or a s#all television s&reen/ the idthand the height o$ the i#ages s&ale together in proportion I$ they didn t/ the e$$e&t ould be li5e loo5ing in $unhouse #irror: i#ages ould be stret&hed out o$ shape and distorted/ so "at Albert #ight loo5 $at onso#e s&reens/ but appear =uite $it on others Be&ause progra##ing is &reated and displayed at uni$or#aspe&t ratios/ i#ages are proportionally resi ed $ro# s&reen to s&reen !heatri&ally released $il#s and

ides&reen video $or#ats use aspe&t ratios that are very di$$erent than the television s&reen !hese $or#atsare al#ost t i&e as ide as they are high/ hi&h enables $il##a5ers to &apture a #u&h larger area o$ a&tionin a single $ra#e ,ides&reen $or#ats allo a dire&tor o$ photography to &o#pose stri5ing panora#i&lands&ape shots and big-s&reen a&tion se=uen&es7$or e'a#ple shots o$ &o boys riding a&ross the s&reenthrough the Badlands

8s ect Ratios, in Detail

,hile 12'? is &o##only re$erred to as ides&reen there are/ in $a&t/ a nu#ber o$ otherides&reen aspe&t ratios )a&h o$ the $ollo ing ides&reen aspe&t ratios has an even greateridth to height ratio than 12'? I$ you shoot at any o$ these aspe&t ratios/ you ll need to #a5e

so#e ad@ust#ents to $it your or5 on a '3 or even a 12'? s&reen

• 3 ## $il# displays at a ratio o$ 1 < '1/ hi&h is slightly ider than 12'?• ,ides&reen Ana#orphi&/ hi&h has an aspe&t ratio o$ * 3 '1/ re=uires a spe&ial lens on

the &a#era and another spe&ial lens on the pro@e&tor !his e'tre#ely ide aspe&t ratio&reates a $ra#e that s #ore than t i&e as ide as it is high appro'i#ately t o and one



third units o$ idth $or every one unit o$ heightE

• 40 ## $il#/ used to shoot ides&reen epi&s su&h as !he Poseidon Adventure/Apo&alypse No / and !he !hin (ed 8ine/ displays at * 0'1

Di$$i&ulties arise hen you have a pro@e&t &reated in one aspe&t ratio but you ant to e'hibit in another/ assho n in"igure *-* "or e'a#ple/ i$ you shoot in a ides&reen aspe&t ratio/ you have to #a5e so#e&hoi&es to $it your or5 on a '3 video s&reen !his has traditionally been a proble# $or dire&tors hoshoot 3 ## $il# and ant to broad&ast their or5 on television/ or distribute via ho#e video 6ne &hoi&eis to &on$or# a ides&reen shot to '3 by pushing the edges o$ the $ra#e in to ard the &enter/ hi&hallo s dire&tors to use the entire $ra#e but #a5es everything slightly taller and thinner !his is o$ten doneto adapt the ides&reen opening se=uen&es o$ $il#s $or television broad&ast ,hen this te&hni=ue is used to&onvert e'tra ides&reen $il# $or#ats/ su&h as 40 ##/ it results in i#possibly sli# a&tors and titles that areal#ost unreadable be&ause they ve been distorted to a&&o##odate a narro er s&reen

Another #ethod/ &alled pan s&an/ 5eeps a ides&reen $ra#e at its original aspe&t ratio but displays only asele&ted area ide enough to $ill a '3 s&reen !his doesn t &hange the height or idth o$ the i#ages/ it @ust&uts o$$ #aterial at the sides7anything outside the sele&ted '3 area is eli#inated !his does a disservi&e tothe dire&tor o$ photography ho &o#posed the shot/ be&ause he thought the #aterial at the sides o$ the$ra#e as i#portant enough to use Another obvious proble# ith this #ethod is de&iding hi&h part o$the s&reen to 5eep and hi&h to get rid o$ It s &alled pan s&an be&ause so#eti#es a te&hni&ian ill addan arti$i&ial pan that as not in the original shot to in&lude story-&riti&al a&tion in the $ar le$t or $ar right o$a parti&ular s&ene And o$ten/ the $il# s dire&tor and dire&tor o$ photography are not &onsulted in the pro&ess E A good $il# uses the entire $ra#e/ so the i#portant a&tion doesn t al ays sho up in the sa#espot Depending on the shot/ you need to see di$$erent parts o$ the $ra#e to $ollo the a&tion .ou ve probably seen pan s&an used in #ovies adapted $or television and #ay have $ound it a #u&h lesssatis$ying e'perien&e than vie ing the original ides&reen $or#at

Figure !$!. his illustration sho9s a 9idescreen image, rom le t to right, com ressed to it a (?* screen, an @scanned so the edges are cro ed, and letter;o?ed lea3ing ;lank s ace at the to and ;ottom o the

rame.

A third solution is to letterbo' the shot/ hi&h preserves the aspe&t ratio by proportionally shrin5ing anentire ides&reen i#age to $it the idth o$ a '3 s&reen/ leaving strips o$ bla&5 at the top and the botto#!his is generally the pre$erred &hoi&e o$ $il##a5ers/ be&ause it preserves the integrity o$ ea&h shot/ butso#e vie ers disli5e any blan5 spa&e on their television s&reen 8etterbo'ing tends to be $avored by&ine#a $ans/ people ho love #ovies and 5no a lot about the#/ as opposed to &asual vie ers E



Figure !$*. he illustration sho9s a (?* image re ormatted to it a 9idescreen #?& as ect ratio. In the igure atle t, the image is stretched horiBontally to it the 9ider screen s ace. In the igure to the right, theimage a ears in the center o the screen unchanged ro ortionally, 9ith curtains o ;lank s ace

on the sides.

Sho ing '3 &ontent on a 12'? s&reen is si#ilarly di$$i&ult "igure *-3E 7this has be&o#e a parti&ulardisappoint#ent $or people ho pur&hase ides&reen televisions and then noti&e that #any television progra#s are still broad&ast in a '3 $or#at !o display '3 progra##ing on a ides&reen you &ouldstret&h your &ontent/ hi&h ould #a5e the people in your sho shorter and $atter/ or you &an leave e#ptyspa&e at the sides o$ your s&reen/ &alled &urtains !he si#plest solution/ as you #ay have guessed/ is toshoot in the sa#e aspe&t ratio as your pri#ary distribution $or#at I$ your target audien&e is people

at&hing television in their ho#es/ '3 is a natural &hoi&e I$ you ant to e'hibit your or5 in a theater/shooting 12'? #ight be a better option

-idescreen and DV

Ana#orphi& i#ages have been used $or de&ades in +olly ood #ovies !o &reate the#/$il##a5ers atta&h a spe&ial ana#orphi& lens to a $il# &a#era !he lens distorts i#ages to appearat an espe&ially ide aspe&t ratio hen they re played ba&5 on a pro@e&tor that has been $itted

ith a si#ilar ana#orphi& lens I$ you have a video &a#era that a&&epts inter&hangeable lenses/you &an use a si#ilar pro&ess to &apture ana#orphi& video though you have to ad@ust $or this in

the editing "inal Cut and other high-end progra#s are &apable o$ thisEDigital video &a#eras use a &hip te&hni&ally re$erred to as a &harged &oupling devi&e or CCDEto re&ord i#ages ost #ini D% &a#eras use one or #ore &hips that re&ord at '3 ,hile these&a#eras &an be set to re&ord i#ages in a ides&reen $or#at/ they are in&apable o$ re&ording true12'? #edia

So#e #ore advan&ed #ini D% &a#eras &ontain an a&tual 12'? CCD !hese &a#eras &an re&ordan i#age at 12'? and then save the i#age ana#orphi&ally on a #ini D% tape !hese &a#eras donot &rop part o$ the $ra#e/ nor do they re=uire an ana#orphi& lens

I$ you re loo5ing $or additional in$or#ation on aspe&t ratio and lenses/ ta5e a loo5 athttp:GG &enturyopti&s &o#Go ningG$a=

!.!. 8namor hic Video

!he #ost idely available and #ost a$$ordable $or#at o$ digital video is #ini D%/ hi&h uses a nativeaspe&t ratio o$ '3 !his doesn t #ean/ ho ever/ that all video shot on #ini D% ill only or5 on a '3s&reen any people/ in&luding Nan&y S&hreiber ho shot Nove#ber/ use higher-end #ini D% &a#&ordersthat o$$er a true 12'? re&ording option to a$$ordably shoot ides&reen digital video 12'? video re&orded onone o$ these #ini D% &a#&orders uses a pro&ess &alled ana#orphi& video !o re&ord 12'? on a #ini D%tape/ a properly e=uipped &a#era re&ords video using a 12'? &hip/ and then slightly distorts the aspe&t ratio

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to $it the ides&reen video into the #ini D% aspe&t ratio ,hen ana#orphi& video is played ba&5 on a&o#patible #onitor or editing syste#/ it e'pands to its intended di#ensions and displays as proportionally&orre&t 12'? A nu#ber o$ prosu#er &a#eras have a good =uality 12'? setting/ hi&h enables a $il##a5erto re&ord 12'? as des&ribed earlier !hese in&lude the Panasoni& A>-D%J100A the ne er version o$ the&a#era S&hreiber usedE/ the Sony DC(-%J*100 the updated version o$ the &a#era 9ate Davis used toshoot Southern Co#$ortE/ and the Canon J8-* the &onte#porary version o$ the &a#era Daniel Baer used$or !he +otel ;pstairsE

any less-advan&ed #ini D% &a#eras o$$er a lo er-=uality 12'? #ode/ hi&h si#ulates ides&reen$ootage by si#ply &utting o$$ #aterial $ro# the top and the botto# o$ a '3 $ra#e to &reate hat loo5s li5ea letterbo'ed i#age !he result o$ these $au' ides&reen settings is lo er-resolution video7it s @ust a '3$ra#e ithout the top and the botto# portions o$ the i#age

!o test hether your #ini D% &a#&order re&ords ana#orphi& #edia/ set it to 12'? #ode and loo5 throughthe vie $inder hile you re re&ording I$ the i#ages ta5e up the $ull $ra#e o$ your vie $inder and appearslightly stret&hed/ your &a#&order is re&ording ana#orphi& #edia I$ the i#age appears ith blan5 spa&e atthe top and the botto# o$ the $ra#e/ true 12'? re&ording #ight not be an option $or your &a#era &he&5 theo ner s #anual $or #ore detailsE

I$/ $or one reason or another/ you shoot at '3 and your $inished pro@e&t be&o#es so su&&ess$ul you need a3 ## print $or theatri&al distribution/ you have to use one o$ the te&hni=ues des&ribed earlier in this&hapter to #a5e your #aterial $it a ides&reen aspe&t ratio I$ you 5no all along/ ho ever/ that you plan toe'hibit your or5 in a ides&reen $or#at 12'? digital video or 3 ## $il#E/ you &an si#pli$y things byshooting 12'? $ro# the start !hat ay you ll never have to #a5e a round peg $it in a s=uare hole

!.*. Frame Rate and Video Standards

Another ite# to 5eep in #ind is $ra#e rate: the nu#ber o$ i#ages that appear on s&reen ea&h se&ond "il#and video si#ulate #otion by displaying a series o$ still i#ages/ one a$ter another (esear&h has sho n thatthe hu#an brain &an pro&ess a li#ited nu#ber o$ i#ages at a ti#e/ and that i$ a person vie s #ore than 1i#ages per se&ond/ the brain interprets the series o$ i#ages as a single/ #oving i#age !his pheno#enon is&alled persisten&e o$ vision ,ithout this/ #ovies ouldn t or5 !hey ouldn t see# li$eli5e to us

Muy;ridge and the Frame$;y$Frame Image

At the end o$ the 1?th &entury/ photographer )ad eard uybridge used still &a#eras to re&ord aseries o$ #otion studies !he &olle&tions o$ still i#ages re&orded in =ui&5 su&&ession provideddetailed $ra#e-by-$ra#e studies o$ people and ani#als in various stages o$ #otion that had never be$ore been &aptured uybridge s sub@e&ts in&lude/ a#ong others/ a running horse pulling a&arriage/ a bla&5s#ith stri5ing an anvil/ and a nude o#an pouring a bu&5et$ul o$ ater ontoanother nude o#an!hese se=uentially photographed still i#ages $un&tion #u&h li5e individual $ra#es o$ $il# orvideo/ and &an be ani#ated by playing the# ba&5 in su&&ession Playing ba&5 a greater nu#bero$ i#ages at a higher $ra#e rate produ&es s#oother #otion Playing ba&5 $e er i#ages at aslo er $ra#e rate yields #ore &hoppy results

"ra#e rates are #easured in $ra#es per se&ond/ or $ps +igher $ra#e rates &reate s#oother/ #ore naturalloo5ing #otion 1 $ps video loo5s @er5y or &hoppy &o#pared to 30 $ps video/ be&ause a higher $ra#e ratedisplays a greater nu#ber o$ i#ages in the sa#e a#ount o$ ti#e/ and the &u#ulative i#age se=uen&e&reates s#oother loo5ing #otion

ust as s&reens &on$or# to standard aspe&t ratios $or &onsisten&y/ $ra#e rates are standardi ed as ell I$$il# or video is shot at one $ra#e rate and played ba&5 at another/ the #otion doesn t appear natural/ it



loo5s sped up or slo ed do n "or e'a#ple/ a 1 $ps shot o$ a person al5ing a&ross the $ra#e ould go by t i&e as =ui&5ly i$ played ba&5 at 30 $ps/ so it #ight even loo5 li5e the person is running

!o avoid proble#s ith $ra#e rate/ aspe&t ratio/ and other issues/ video e=uip#ent &on$or#s to spe&i$i&standards !he broad&ast video standard $or North A#eri&a is &alled N!SC and uses appro'i#ately 30 $ps

*? ?4 to be e'a&tE )urope uses a di$$erent video standard/ &alled PA8/ hi&h uses * $ps Both use a '3

aspe&t ratio but are other ise in&o#patible I$ you have $riends or relatives overseas/ you #ay havenoti&ed that their videotapes on t play &orre&tly in your %C(7no you 5no hy !here are #ultisyste#de&5s that play both PA8 and N!SC/ but #ost tapes on t or5 on all types o$ e=uip#ent !he t ostandards don t even display a $ra#e o$ video at the sa#e si e: a $ra#e o$ #ini D% N!SC video is 4*0' <0 pi'els/ a $ra#e o$ #ini D% PA8 video is 4*0' 42 E In addition to the di$$eren&es bet een PA8 and N!SCin $ra#e rates and si e/ there are di$$eren&es in the ays the $ra#es the#selves are &onstru&ted Both videostandards use hori ontal lines o$ resolution to &reate i#ages on a television s&reen I#ages on a televisions&reen #ay loo5 solid/ but they re a&tually &onstru&ted $ro# hundreds o$ hori ontal lines/ ea&h o$ hi&hdisplays a thin sli&e o$ the overall pi&ture N!SC and PA8 both asse#ble these lines to &reate i#ages/ butthey go about the pro&ess di$$erently

N!SC divides ea&h $ra#e o$ video into t o $ields/ $irst displaying hal$ the i#age in a $ield o$ oddnu#bered lines/ and then &o#pleting the i#age by displaying the re#aining $ield o$ even nu#bered lines

the i#ages re$resh so =ui&5ly/ an audien&e only noti&es i$ so#ething goes rongE !his N!SC #ethod isre$erred to as interla&ed video/ sin&e ea&h $ra#e is #ade up o$ t o interlo&5ing $ra#es PA8/ on the otherhand/ uses a single i#age $or ea&h $ra#e o$ video !his #ethod is re$erred to as progressive/ be&ause PA8displays a progressive series o$ &o#plete i#ages one a$ter the other Interla&ed video $ra#e rates are o$tenre$erred to in riting by the nu#ber o$ $ra#es per se&ond $ollo ed by the letter OiO $or e'a#ple/ 30i re$ersto 30 $ps interla&ed video Progressive video is re$erred to in riting as the nu#ber o$ $ra#es $ollo ed bythe letter OpO $or e'a#ple/ * p ore advan&ed #ini D% &a#&orders typi&ally list their available $ra#erates either on the bo' or in the #anual I$ you have a &a#era that doesn t list this in$or#ation/ and you bought the &a#era in the ;nited States/ it #ost li5ely re&ords 30 $ps interla&ed video 8i5e ise/ i$ you bought a &a#era in )urope/ it #ost li5ely re&ords * $ps progressive video unless other ise noted

6D 8s ect Ratio and Frame Rates

;nli5e prosu#er #ini D% &a#eras/ hi&h allo a $il##a5er to &hoose an aspe&t ratio/ high-de$inition video e#ploys a ides&reen aspe&t ratio o$ 12'? !he +D $or#at supports a nu#bero$ di$$erent te&hni&al spe&i$i&ations and $ra#e si es/ but as a rule/ they use ides&reen aspe&tratio

%ie ing +D video re=uires a &o#patible 12'? #onitor that &an pro&ess a high-de$inition signalnot all 12'? #onitors &an display +D progra##ingE As +D be&o#es #ore &o##on/

&o#patibility ill be&o#e less o$ an issue "or no / an +D signal &an be do n&onverted to $it a'3 $ra#e/ a pro&ess that entails using a pan s&an e$$e&t or letterbo'ing Standard de$inition

video #eaning anything other than +DE &an also be up&onverted to &on$or# to +D standards!his entails s&aling a '3 $ra#e o$ SD video to $it the larger 12'? $ra#e/ and leaving blan5spa&e at the sides o$ the s&reen

+D also supports a variety o$ $ra#e rates/ in&luding both progressive and interla&ed/ hi&h aredes&ribed in this &hapter "ra#e rates o$ 20 or 30 $ra#es per se&ond are #ore television $riendly/sin&e they &an &on$or# to the N!SC broad&ast standard A rate o$ * $ra#es per se&ond resultsin easier trans$ers to $il#

!o &o#pli&ate things $urther/ $il# and so#e $or#s o$ high-de$inition video run at a progressive * $ps or* pE7a $ull si' $ra#es per se&ond less than N!SC video a5ing a $il# print or +D #aster o$ #aterial



!he 5ey to avoiding distortion is to &o#pensate $or di$$erent pi'el shapes ;nli5e the proble#s that ste#$ro# displaying 12'? #aterial on a '3 s&reen/ pi'el aspe&t ratios &an be easily #anaged )ssentially/ i$you re going $ro# s=uare to non-s=uare pi'els $or e'a#ple/ i$ you re i#porting a still i#age into yourvideo pro@e&tE/ you &an #a5e your i#ages slightly taller than you nor#ally ould/ and hen you i#portthe# into a video-produ&tion appli&ation/ they ll resi e to their &orre&t proportions I$ you re going $ro#non-s=uare to s=uare let s say you re e'porting still i#ages $ro# $ra#es o$ videoE/ e'pand the height o$ thee'ported i#age in Photoshop to &o#pensate $or the &hange Chapter 11 in&ludes spe&i$i& te&hni=ues anddetails on aspe&t-ratio #anage#ent/ but I anted to #ention the pro&ess here so it s so#ething you rethin5ing about $ro# the start )a&h de&ision you #a5e in produ&tion ripples out to e$$e&t later &hoi&es andoptions7espe&ially hen you put your or5 on D%D

!.%. -hy It 8ll Matters in DVD +roduction

D%D produ&tion is a great option $or independent $il##a5ers ;ntil re&ently/ years a$ter digital &a#erasand editing syste#s be&a#e standard e=uip#ent $or independents/ $il##a5ers still had no &hoi&e but tooutput their or5 onto %+S $or ho#e vie ing %+S is an analog $or#at/ so i#age and sound =ualityal ays su$$ered D%Ds have been on the s&ene $or a hile/ but until re&ently/ they &ost too #u&h $or anindividual to produ&e No / &o#puters routinely ship ith D%D burners as standard e=uip#ent so you &aneasily output your $inished pro@e&t to dis& $or less than the &ost o$ #a5ing %+S dubs !o #a5e a goodD%D/ ho ever/ you need to understand both s&reen and pi'el aspe&t ratios/ video standards/ and ho to#anage the# to #a5e your or5 $ully a&&essible to your target audien&e

.ou &an #a5e a D%D that displays '3 &ontent/ 12'? &ontent/ or both !his &reative $reedo#/ o$ &ourse/ne&essitates a $air a#ount o$ planning "or e'a#ple/ you &an give the user a &hoi&e o$ at&hing a

letterbo'ed '3 version o$ your ides&reen #asterpie&e or the original 12'? version/ but you then need to produ&e a '3 version along ith a 12'?/ and #a5e sure there s roo# $or both on your dis& I$ your D%Din&ludes ides&reen &ontent/ you need to de$ine ho the #aterial ill play on a '3 #onitor does the#aterial auto#ati&ally appear letterbo'ed on a s#all s&reen/ pan s&anned/ or do you give the vie er a&hoi&eE

And don t $orget the #enus A $or#er girl$riend used to @o5e that she ould rent D%Ds to at&h #oviesand I ould rent the# to at&h the #enus to #e/ they re o$ten the #ost &reative aspe&t o$ D%D produ&tionE D%D #enus o$$er al#ost li#itless options/ and ea&h option re=uires thought$ul de&isions







D%D #enus &an &ontain @ust about anything you drea# up/ in&luding #oving i#ages/ ba&5ground audio/and &o#ple' i#age #ontages you &reate in the editing appli&ation o$ your &hoi&e D%D produ&tionappli&ations su&h as D%D Studio Pro use non-s=uare pi'els/ so i$ you re using still i#ages &reated inPhotoshop or ba&5grounds dra n in Illustrator/ #enu &reation re=uires &are$ul attention to pi'el aspe&tratio In addition to other i#portant $a&tors su&h as usability and visual design/ you still have to re#e#bers&reen aspe&t ratio 6ne o$ the &oolest loo5ing D%Ds I ever sa didn t $it on #y '3 television s&reen sothe edges ere &hopped o$$ and I had to guess at so#e o$ the buttons

Shooting ith D%D &o#pression in #ind is &overed in the ne't &hapter/ and the #any bene$its o$ D%Ddistribution are des&ribed in Appendi' A I$ you have a spe&i$i& idea o$ hat your D%D should loo5 li5e/start planning no at the beginning o$ your pro@e&t At this point/ you re li#ited only by your 5no ledge/i#agination/ and $oresight

!.#. S9ing$out Monitor, Vie9 inder, or >?ternal 1 S2 Field Monitor

6n&e you ve settled on a $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio/ you re @ust about ready to shoot As I #entioned inChapter 1/ one o$ the great things about or5ing ith digital video is that you see e'a&tly hat you get asyou re re&ording Depending on your shooting style and te&hni&al needs/ there are nu#ber o$ ays you &ango about #onitoring your produ&tion

An e'ternal N!SC $ield #onitor "igure *- E &onne&ted to your &a#era sho s you e'a&tly hat your or5ill loo5 li5e on s&reen/ so using one is the #ost reliable ay to &o#pose a shot !hese #onitors are o$ten

re$erred to as &riti&al #onitors/ be&ause they don t hide $la s in an i#age ;nli5e &onsu#er televisions/hi&h auto#ati&ally ad@ust video signals to #a5e i#ages loo5 better on s&reen/ &riti&al #onitors let you see

your video e'a&tly as it appears/ arts and all/ so you &an $i' potential proble#s be$ore it s too late Criti&al#onitors &o#e in various si es $or portable and studio use/ but none o$ the# are really po&5et si ed I$you re doing guerilla $il##a5ing/ =ui&5ly setting up in one lo&ation and i##ediately #oving on to thene't/ or i$ you re shooting handheld/ a &riti&al #onitor s bul5 #ay be&o#e an issue )ven the s#allest and#ost portable N!SC $ield #onitor isn t so#ething you &an pi&5 up and hold hile you re operating the&a#era/ so hile it provides tre#endous a&&ura&y/ it also li#its your #obility

Figure !$%. 8 ield monitor, such as the Sony +VM$%"( C, is designed or use on location shoots. It eatures a

3ariety o ro essional and rosumer 3ideo in uts, and lets you see your ootage e?actly as it 9illa ear on a tele3ision screen.








I$ your pro@e&t &alls $or an espe&ially a&tive shooting style/ you #ight ant to use a &a#era ith an onboar#onitor "igure *-2E any &a#eras &o#e ith a &olor #onitor that s ings out $ro# the side o$ the&a#era/ enabling you to $ra#e a shot hile holding the &a#era a ay $ro# your body !hese s ing-out#onitors are great $or $il#ing in he&ti& situations here you not only need to see hat you re shooting/ butyou also need to see hat s going on around you o$$ &a#era7$or e'a#ple/ i$ you re &hasing so#eone do nthe street or $il#ing a &o#ple' a&tion s&ene onitors li5e this also or5 ell ith handheld Steadi&a#s

des&ribed in detail in Chapter 2E/ hi&h stabili e a &a#era but $or&e you to hold it at ar# s length

Figure !$#. I the nature o your shoot doesn't ermit you to 9ork 9ith an e?ternal ield monitor, a camera'son;oard 52D monitor may ;e a ;etter choice. he image dis layed in a camera's on;oard monitor

ro;a;ly 9on't ro3ide the e?act and recise results o an e?ternal 1 S2 monitor, ;ut the reedomo mo3ement you gain may ;e 9orth the trade$o .

A third option is to si#ply loo5 through the &a#era s vie $inder 6ne o$ the &hie$ bene$its o$ using thevie $inder &o#es $ro# the ay you hold the &a#era I$ you re shooting handheld/ the a&tion o$ holding the&a#era s eyepie&e to your $a&e &an help stabili e your shot7the &a#era/ your ar#/ and your body $or# atriangular shape that s naturally stable !his is espe&ially help$ul hen you re using a substantial &a#erathat you &a n also balan&e on your shoulder/ su&h as the Cannon J8* So#e dire&tors o$ photography says#aller #ini D% &a#eras &an be di$$i&ult to shoot ith be&ause their si e #a5es the# harder to stabili e I$you hold one o$ these s#aller &a#eras to your eye to loo5 through the vie $inder/ it &an go a long ay to providing a less sha5y i#age

!.). -orking 9ith a Vie9 inder: 2olor Versus /lack and -hite

!he i#age your audien&e sees on s&reen ill #ost li5ely appear at a substantially larger si e than the i#ageyou see in a $ield #onitor/ and ill de$initely appear larger than hat you see in the vie $inderI#per$e&tions be&o#e #ore visible in larger i#ages/ so hile you #ight not noti&e so$t $o&us in thevie $inder/ it &an be really obvious to so#eone at&hing your or5 on a large s&reen %ie $inder i#ages

ith greater &ontrast #a5e it easier to spot $o&us #ista5es/ and bla&5 and hite vie $inder i#agesgenerally &ontain #ore &ontrast than &olor i#ages So/ although bla&5 and hite #ay see# really lo te&hand less attra&tive/ using a bla&5 and hite vie $inder #ight help you #a5e a better #ovie






Note: "or a truly detailed e'planation o$ depth o$ $ield/ in&luding &harts that &al&ulate depth o$ $ield invarious lighting &onditions/ ta5e a loo5 at the A#eri&an Cine#atographer anual !his boo5 providesindustrial strength in$or#ation on a variety o$ very spe&i$i& te&hni&al issues/ and as re&ently updated the?th edition as released in Nove#ber o$ *00 E

Depending on lighting &onditions/ parts o$ your shot #ay be in $o&us hile others aren t "or e'a#ple/ a person &lose to the &a#era #ight be in $o&us but the pi&tures on the all behind the# #ight not !his isre$erred to as depth o$ $ield/ and s5illed &ine#atographers &an use it to dra the audien&e s attention $ro#one part o$ the $ra#e to another Cine#atographers &an also use $o&us to #a5e people loo5 #ore or lessattra&tive7older Star !re5 episodes invariably $eature $e#ale lead &hara&ters shot in so$t $o&us to #a5ethe# radiantly beauti$ul/ hile evil villains o$ten appear in e'tra sharp $o&us so you &an see the dar5&ontours o$ their $a&es

Audien&es e'pe&t i#ages to appear in $o&us I$ a shot appears out o$ $o&us/ audien&es noti&e )rrors pullaudien&es out o$ a story and shi$t their attention to proble#s in te&hni&al details As I #entioned earlier/ bla&5 and hite vie $inders display higher levels o$ &ontrast/ so they #ay help you avoid $o&us proble#sthat lessen the te&hni&al =uality o$ your pro@e&t !he sa#e holds true $or e'posure I$ you re using ebralines to set your aperture ebra lines/ &overed inChapter / are bla&5 stripes that appear in the vie $inder

to indi&ate overe'posed areas o$ a shotE/ it s #u&h easier to #a5e ad@ust#ents and see the results in a high-&ontrast bla&5 and hite vie $inder Di$$erent areas o$ your $ra#e #ay re=uire di$$erent e'posure settings/and spotting e'posure proble#s in the vie $inder enables you to &o#pensate and $ind a balan&e I$ thevie $inder doesn t display enough &ontrast/ and &olor vie $inders o$ten don t/ it s easy to overloo5 slightdi$$eren&es in e'posure that &an be&o#e a real proble# later on

8astly/ the &olor you see in a vie $inder/ or even a s ing-out #onitor/ #ay not be the e'a&t &olor you seeon an N!SC #onitor any ay Color #anage#ent is a &o#ple' and pre&ise pro&ess &overed inChapter 12 o$ this boo5E that re=uires #easure#ent beyond hat you &an see in a &olor vie $inder I$ you loo5 throughthe vie $inder and see &olor that totally doesn t #at&h hat you see ith your eye/ there s a proble# thatyou need to $i' ore o$ten than not/ ho ever/ you on t spot anything in a &olor #onitor that &hangesyour li$e/ so again the bla&5 and hite vie $inder #ay be a better option

As you &an see/ there s no shortage o$ details to 5eep in #ind hen you re planning a $il# !he te&hni&al&on&epts introdu&ed in this &hapter/ in&luding aspe&t ratio/ $ra#e rate/ and video standards #ay at $irst see# burdenso#e/ but they ulti#ately provide you ith an e#po ering degree o$ &ontrol 6n&e you #aster the basi& te&hni&al ele#ents o$ video produ&tion and ith ti#e/ they be&o#e se&ond natureE/ you &an put theto use and &reate a pro@e&t that loo5s e'a&tly the ay you ant it to7and that s hat this boo5 is about!e&hnology is a tool that enables you to reali e your &reative vision on s&reen/ and the up&o#ing &hapterse'plore this in in&reasing levels o$ depth

!he ne't &hapter e'a#ines the #e&hani&s o$ a shot and e'plores the art o$ pla&ing one shot ne't to another!he &hapter opens by e'plaining the di$$eren&e bet een a ide shot/ #ediu# shot/ and &lose up theseshots $or# the building blo&5s o$ a dire&tor s &ine#ati& vo&abularyE !he &hapter then dis&usses the e$$eo$ @u'taposing di$$erent types o$ shots/ and ays you &an use the @u'taposition to engage an audien&e !he&hapter also e'a#ines the ays so#e types o$ shots &o#press better than others $or D%D produ&tion/ and

ho you &an plan $or this hen you shoot2ha ter *. 2om osing a Shot to Fit 7our Out ut Medium

An 6vervie o$ Shots7 ediu# Shot/ ,ide Shot/ Close-up/ and )'tre#e Close-upShooting ith D%D Co#pression in ind

,hen I as in $il# s&hool/ a pro$essor told us that people learning to use a &a#era tend to $ra#e thingsthey ay they see the# ith their eyes7everything appears in #ediu# shot ,hen you loo5 around/ youreyes ta5e in everything at on&e I$ you loo5 at a parti&ular ob@e&t/ say a boo5 on a shel$/ your eyes don t













oo# in and $ra#e out everything around it )ven as you read the ords on this page/ you &an still seeob@e&ts to your le$t and right using your peripheral vision

!he #ediu# shot/ ho ever/ isn t the only option available to a dire&tor As a $il##a5er/ you have theability to $o&us an audien&e s attention e'a&tly here you ant it Depending on ho tightly you $ra#e ashot/ your audien&e #ight see everything in a roo# or only a single detail on one spe&i$i& ob@e&t

Cine#atographers use a vo&abulary o$ di$$erent shot types to tell a story and shape their audien&ese'perien&e Dire&tors &an also use $ra#ing to #a5e a pro@e&t parti&ularly $riendly to a spe&i$i& vie ingenviron#ent/ su&h as television/ #ovie theaters/ or ho#e s&reenings via D%D

*. . 8n O3er3ie9 o ShotsAMedium Shot, -ide Shot, 2lose$u , and >?treme 2lose$u

ediu# shots/ abbreviated S/ are generally the #ost &o##on type o$ $ra#ing A typi&al #ediu# shot#ight sho the protagonist o$ a $il# in his environ#ent $or e'a#ple/ a tea&her at the $ront o$ a &lassroo#!he shot ould be ide enough to see the tea&her and the spa&e around hi#/ providing a sense o$ &onte't 7you #ight not 5no so#eone is a tea&her/ but i$ you see the person in #ediu# shot riting on a bla&5board/ you &an $igure it out

!he #ediu# shot in "igure 3-1 provides the audien&e ith a $airly detailed vie o$ its sub@e&t It allo svie ers to get a good sense o$ hat the person in the shot loo5s li5e and provides enough &onte't to pla&ethe person in a spe&i$i& environ#ent/ in this &ase/ a s&hool &lassroo#

Figure *$ . Dra9n medium shot o a teacher in ront o a ;lack;oard.

,ide shots/ ,S/ allo the audien&e to see a large area at on&e I$ the &ine#atographer de&ided to 5eep thetea&her in the $ra#e at the $ront o$ the roo# and pull ba&5 to in&lude students ta5ing notes/ the #ediu# shot#entioned earlier ould be&o#e a ide shot Dire&tors o$ten use a ide shot to sho #ultiple a&tionsta5ing pla&e at the sa#e ti#e/ or to let an audien&e 5no here a s&ene is ta5ing pla&e ,hen a ide shot isused to establish a lo&ation/ it s &alled an establishing shot



!he ide shot in "igure 3-* sho s the sa#e tea&her in the sa#e &lassroo#/ but also sho s #ore o$ the areaaround her A ider shot provides the audien&e ith #ore in$or#ation about here a s&ene is ta5ing pla&e!he audien&e &ould see $ro# the #ediu# shot that the a&tion as ta5ing pla&e in a &lassroo#/ but this ideshot gives vie ers a better idea o$ hat the &lassroo# loo5s li5e/ ho the students are/ et&

Figure *$!. Dra9n 9ide shot o a teacher in ront o a ;lack;oard.

A variation o$ the ide shot is an e'tre#e ide shot/ or J,S/ hi&h &ontains an e'tre#ely large area in asingle $ra#e )'tre#e ide shots #a5e great establishing shots and provide a natural ay to open a $il# Alogi&al opening shot $or a #ovie about a s&hool ould be an J,S o$ a s&hool building s e'terior )'tre#e

ide shots don t sho s#all ar&hite&tural details or highlight individual #e#bers o$ a &ro d/ they sholarge areas at on&e !o sho detail/ su&h as $a&ial e'pressions/ a &lose-up C;E ould be a better &hoi&e

!he version o$ a ide shot in"igure 3-3 is &alled an e'tre#e ide shot/ be&ause it sho s su&h a large area)'tre#e ide shots provide a natural ay to establish the lo&ation o$ a $il# se=uen&e ,hen people in theaudien&e see this shot/ they understand that the a&&o#panying #ediu# and ide shots o$ the tea&her areta5ing pla&e inside this s&hool building

Figure *$*. Dra9n e?treme 9ide shot o the school ;uilding, rom do9n the street.

Note: !o really sho detail you &an use an e'tre#e &lose-up/ or )C; !he )C; sho s an ob@e&t in su&h&lose detail that people in the audien&e #ay have to thin5 $or a #inute to $igure out hat they re loo5ing atAn )C; doesn t tell an entire story on its o n/ it provides stri5ing visual detail and &an @ar your audien&einto paying e'tra &lose attention In the opening se=uen&e o$ Blade (unner/ dire&tor (idley S&ott &uts $ro#



panora#i& ide shots o$ an over&ro ded 8os Angles lands&ape in the year *01? to an )C; o$ a #an s eyeas he undergoes a s&ienti$i& test Several #inutes pass be$ore the audien&e understands hat the eye has todo ith the plot/ and that s a big part o$ hy the opening is su&&ess$ul !he audien&e spends the openingtrying to $igure out hy S&ott in&luded this see#ingly rando# but disturbing &lose-up/ and 5eenly observesevery detail By the ti#e S&ott reveals the signi$i&an&e/ the audien&e is solidly rapped up in the story

It s hard to use the phrase &lose-up ithout thin5ing o$ Nor#a Des#ond in Sunset Boulevard In a state o$delusion/ the $allen star/ spea5ing to an i#aginary dire&tor/ says OAll right/ r De ille I # ready $or #y&lose-up O !he dire&tor is i#aginary in that he s not in the s&ene7the legendary dire&tor Ce&il B De illea&tually appears in the $il# earlier/ playing hi#sel$ !he only &a#eras at the end o$ the $il#/ ho ever/ belong to ne s photographers there to $il# her arrest E Des#ond anted a &lose-up/ be&ause it #eant she

as i#portant enough to have the s&reen all to hersel$

!o a dire&tor the C; o$$ers a great opportunity to dra the audien&e in to the person or ob@e&t on s&reen/ both visually and e#otionally ,ant the vie er to $all in love ith your star Sho her in ar# lightingand $ra#e her $a&e in a $ull-s&reen &lose-up as she s#iles so$tly ,ant to s&are your vie er Cut to a tight&lose-up o$ so#ething people don t ant to loo5 at "ear "a&tor does this e'&eptionally ell hen it s ti#e$or &ontestants to eat things li5e or#s and beetles/ or orseE

A good/ tight shot brings the audien&e very &lose to the i#age ons&reen7 both literally and e#otionally I$you re a $an o$ pastra#i/ "igure 3- ill li5ely have tre#endous i#pa&t It s a very strong i#age/ in part be&ause the sand i&h &o#es $ro# the $a#ous 9at s Deli in Ne .or5 City/ and i$ you re ever going to eat pastra#i/ 9at s is the pla&e to get it ore i#portantly/ the sand i&h s pro'i#ity to the &a#era and itsdo#inan&e o$ the $ra#e $or&e you to loo5 at the details in the i#age and ta5e noti&e I$ you re a vegetarian/or other ise opposed to the &onsu#ption o$ bee$/ this #ay be a very unpleasant photo/ espe&ially be&auseit s sho n as su&h a tight &lose-up +ad it been ta5en in ide or #ediu# shot/ it ouldn t have nearly thesa#e i#pa&t

Figure *$(. >?treme close$u o a astrami sand9ich rom atB's Deli.

People ho $ly into 8os Angeles or e'i&o City o$ten re#ar5 that the &ro ded lands&ape o$ ea&h &itye'tends so $ar into the distan&e ;nli5e other &ities surrounded by open spa&e/ 8A and e'i&o City see# togo on $orever !he $uturisti& 8A in Blade (unner is even #ore overpo ering/ espe&ially on a ide s&reen



!he shape o$ a ides&reen $ra#e allo s $il##a5ers to &o#pose on a large s&ale/ in $a&t/ #any $il#s are#ade spe&i$i&ally $or a big s&reen

9oyaanis=atsi/ >od$rey (eggio s #editation on the i#balan&e o$ nature and the #an-#ade orld/ &ontrasts breathta5ing unpopulated lands&apes ith #es#eri ing shots o$ &ro ded urban areas and #e&hani ed

or5pla&e environ#ents )verything in the $il# appears at a s&ale $ar larger than hu#an !he

over hel#ing nature o$ the i#ages in 9oyaanis=atsi/ the title o$ hi&h #eans Oli$e out o$ balan&e/O #a5esa state#ent/ enhan&ed by the use o$ ides&reen aspe&t ratio Aspe&t ratios o$ 12'? or ider enable a$il##a5er to or5 on a large s&ale

Badlands/ !erren&e ali&5 s 1?43 love story about a &ouple on a 5illing spree/ stars artin Sheen/ SissySpa&e5/ and the lands&ape in hi&h they ere $il#ed7hen&e/ the title !he lands&ape plays an i#portantrole in the story/ partially be&ause vie ers have be&o#e a&&usto#ed to at&hing desperados $lee throughsi#ilar s&enery in &o boy #ovies/ but also be&ause the lands&ape is su&h a beauti$ul and serene ba&5drop$or the &ouple s violen&e 8i5e the opening o$ Blade (unner/ this $il# holds up hen vie ed on a televisions&reen/ but its true po er and i#pa&t &o#es $ro# its larger-than-li$e ides&reen =uality

!elevision progra#s are tailored $it a '3 s&reen/ sin&e #any people at&h the# on traditionally shapedanalog television sets Sho s that $eature intervie s/ su&h as < +ours or 20 inutes/ o$ten sho people in

&lose-up shots that $ra#e out everything but a person s head and shoulders (ather than atte#pting to shrin5 a large area o$ a&tion to $it a s#all s&reen/ television produ&ers sele&t a li#ited area o$ a&tion and $o&usattention on it "or e'a#ple/ poli&e sho s o$ten $eature &hase s&enes/ but the a&tion isn t sho n as a panora#a )ven ide shots $o&us the vie ers attention on the &hara&ters as opposed to the environ#ent orlands&ape

!elevision progra#s also #a5e great use o$ )C;s !he opening se=uen&e o$ !he 6dd Couple/ hi&h pre#iered in 1?40/ sho s an )C; o$ a $rying pan handed to "eli' ;nger as his i$e 5i&5s hi# out/ as5ingthat he never return/ $ollo ed by an )C; o$ ;nger s inde' $inger e'tended to ard the doorbell o$ his&hildhood $riend 6s&ar adison !hese opening shots set the stage $or a series about t o divor&ed #en

ho live together/ and they #a5e great use o$ the '3 s&reen )ven on the s#allest television s&reen/audien&es &an still &learly identi$y $rying pans and doorbells !he panora#i& details o$ 9oyaanis=atsi aren#ade $or the s#all s&reen/ instead/ the e'tre#e &lose-up is a per$e&t $it $or !%

+o#e vie ing has also le$t its #ar5 on +olly ood ,hen you go to the #ovies/ you #ay noti&e $e ershots o$ broad lands&apes and #ore &lose-up $a&es Be$ore the in$luen&e o$ &able !% and ho#e videorentals/ &lose-up shots ere reserved only $or the big star/ but no they re being used ith greater$re=uen&y on se&ondary &hara&ters/ be&ause they $it a television s&reen so ni&ely

9oyaanis=atsi &ontains a stri5ingly enig#ati& &lose-up o$ a o#an at or5 !he $a&e o$ a o#an/ earingglasses/ $ills the s&reen/ and the dire&tor holds the shot It ould be entirely unre#ar5able/ e'&ept $or are$le&tion #oving a&ross her glasses !he dire&tor 5eeps the shot ons&reen long enough to #a5e people

onder hat the #oving ob@e&ts #ight be7the rest o$ the shot is eerily still/ but the re$le&tion in hereyeglasses 5eeps #oving !he ne't shot reveals the o#an or5ing in a #ail sorting $a&ility/ and theaudien&e dis&overs the re$le&tions are envelopes !he vie er s &uriosity is pi=ued and then satis$ied I$ thshots had been sho n in reverse order/ ith the ider establishing shot sho n $irst/ the se=uen&e ould

lose its dra#ati& visual tension

Pla&ing one shot ne't to another is the ele#ental pro&ess o$ building a $il# 8i5e everything else in $il# produ&tion/ editing is both a te&hni&al and artisti& a&tivity !he &ontent o$ ea&h su&&essive shot deter#inho the audien&e ill see your story un$old/ and the $ra#ing o$ ea&h shot helps deter#ine ho ell oneshot or5s ne't to another !he previously des&ribed 9oyaanis=atsi se=uen&e or5s so ell be&ause it usesdi$$erent shot types to &reate a dra#ati& e$$e&t !he &lose-up provides the vie er ith #u&h less &onte'tthan the ide shot/ so they both serve very di$$erent roles ithin the se=uen&e !he &lear di$$eren&e in$ra#ing also #a5es the# &o#patible



(egardless o$ s&reen si e and aspe&t ratio/ or5ing ith a variety o$ shot types #a5es editing easierCutting $ro# a &lose-up to a ide shot provides a natural transition7the ide shot pla&es the &lose-up in&onte't 8i5e ise/ going $ro# a ide shot to a &lose-up instantly #a5es sense to a vie er/ be&ause the C;sho s added detail dire&tors o$ten use this &o#bination to sho a person s $a&ial e'pression in a rea&tionshotE >oing $ro# a #ediu# shot to another #ediu# shot/ ho ever/ doesn t al ays or5 In $a&t/ editingt o overly si#ilar shots together &an loo5 li5e a #ista5e

I$ you too5 a &ontinuous shot o$ a person al5ing and &ut a $e se&onds $ro# the #iddle o$ the shot/ thereould be an obvious gap in the a&tion and you ould be le$t ith t o short &lips that don t or5 together

At the point in the &lip here you #ade an edit/ the #otion o$ the person al5ing ould no longer loo5s#ooth7the person ould appear to @u#p !his is re$erred to as a @u#p &ut It @ars the audien&e out o$ the$lo o$ your or5 and alerts the# to the $a&t a&tion is #issing

Figure *$%. he to se=uence sho9s an o;3ious Eum cut. he ;ottom se=uence uses a cuta9ay rame to mask the edit.

Note: Choosing to use one or t o &a#eras on a do&u#entary shoot is a big de&ision I$ you use one &a#era/you re li5ely to #iss so#e good #aterial No #atter here your dire&tor o$ photography points his &a#era/there s al ays the possibility that so#ething ill happen so#e here else But using t o or #ore &a#erason a shot doesn t ne&essarily #ean you get better #aterial/ it @ust #eans you get #ore o$ it7there s #ore$ootage to go through and 5eep tra&5 o$ in the editing roo#/ and it #ay not all be good I$ you shoot itht o or #ore &a#eras/ you also need to orry about &olor &orre&tion and ensuring the &olor balan&e o$ the$ootage shot ith one &a#era #at&hes the $ootage shot ith another seeChapter 12 $or #ore detailsE

issing a great #o#ent o$ po er$ul &ine#ati& a&tion is pain$ul $or any do&u#entary $il##a5er/ but as avery ise $il# s&hool pro$essor on&e pointed out to #y &lass/ Othe audien&e ill never 5no hat youdidn t get O

!he se=uen&e o$ i#ages in"igure 3- represents a @u#p &ut I#ages have been re#oved $ro# the #iddle o$ the se=uen&e/ so the boy @u#ps $ro# one side o$ the $ra#e to the other instead o$ #oving a&rossin&re#entally

In the botto# se=uen&e/ a &uta ay $ra#e has been inserted to #as5 the point o$ the @u#p &ut in this &ase/

the i#age is a pi&ture o$ the boy s #otherE !his distra&ts the audien&e $ro# the edit and s#oothes thetransition $ro# one part o$ an edited se=uen&e to the ne't

!his doesn t #ean you have to leave long/ boring shots in your #ovie )ditors o$ten tri# the beginning andend o$ a shot/ or 5eep the beginning and end o$ a shot inta&t and &ut out the #iddle !o avoid @u#p &uts/editors use a &uta ay shot to &over the edit point A &uta ay is/ literally/ a shot that &uts a ay to anothersub@e&t "or e'a#ple/ i$ a television ne s editor ants to shorten a long- inded politi&ian s announ&e#ent/she &an sho the politi&ian spea5ing on &a#era/ brie$ly &ut to a &ro d o$ people listening/ and then &ut ba&5 to the politi&ian !he editor #ay have eli#inated a substantial portion o$ the politi&ian s spee&h/ but i$she #a5es e$$e&tive use o$ the &uta ay/ the audien&e ill never 5no






!o avoid the use o$ @u#p &uts/ a $il##a5er shoots &overage Coverage ensures you get shots at a variety o$$ra#ings &lose-up/ #ediu#/ ide/ et& E and $ro# di$$erent angles I$ you &ut $ro# a shot o$ a person $a&ithe &a#era to a shot o$ that person s pro$ile/ the edit is not a @u#p &ut but sho s a di$$erent point o$ vieDuring the produ&tion o$ etalli&a: So#e 9ind o$ onster/ the $il##a5ers o$ten shot ith t o &a#erassi#ultaneously/ both to ensure they didn t #iss any a&tion/ and to provide the &overage they needed $orediting

In #y @unior year o$ &ollege/ I had a riting pro$essor ho said/ O>od is in the details O !he ne't se#ester/I had another pro$essor ho told us/ O!he devil is in the details O (egardless o$ ho you loo5 at it/ details&an #a5e or brea5 your pro@e&t7espe&ially i$ the details are not &onsistent $ro# one shot to another I$ yousho t o people on s&reen together in &onversation/ and then &ut to a &lose-up rea&tion shot/ doeseverything #at&h I$ you $il# the t o shots outdoors at di$$erent ti#es o$ day7$or e'a#ple/ you shoot the#aster shot o$ both people tal5ing at noon and the C; rea&tion shot at p # 7shado s on the a&tors $a&es#ight not #at&h be&ause the position o$ the sun has &hanged

A &lo&5 on the all #ay sho hours have passed bet een shots/ hile only a $e #inutes have passed inyour story An a&tor #ight ta5e her hat o$$ in one shot/ but have the hat on her head in the ne't !here areentire eb sites dedi&ated to pointing out &ontinuity errors in $il#s as I rote this se&tion/ I typedO&ontinuity errorsO into >oogle and got #ore than *2/000 resultsE

SID>/8R he Rule o ", or 2rossing the 8?is

As a &a#era $il#s a&tion $ro# a variety o$ angles/ it s help$ul to the audien&e to 5eep the &a#era on one sideo$ an i#aginary 1<0-degree a'is Shooting $ro# a variety o$ angles on the sa#e side o$ the a'is gives aneditor lots o$ good options to or5 ith Crossing the a'is &an be very &on$using to an audien&e I$ youshoot people #oving a&ross the s&reen/ as in the i#age belo le$t/ the audien&e e'pe&ts the# to 5eep#oving in the sa#e dire&tion I$ you then sho the sa#e people $ro# a reverse angle/ as in the i#age beloright/ they ll appear to be running in the opposite dire&tion !he #otion o$ the people on s&reen has not&hanged/ but it loo5s to the audien&e as i$ it has be&ause o$ the &a#era angle

In addition to the arrange#ent o$ ob@e&ts in $ront o$ a &a#era/ the lo&ation o$ the &a#era itsel$ &an shape t&ontinuity o$ a se=uen&e Although sho ing everything $ro# the sa#e angle be&o#es #onotonous/ too#any &ontrasting angles &an &on$use an audien&e It s be&o#e a &onvention in #odern $il##a5ing that you&an sa$ely shoot along a 1<0-degree a'is7an idea o$ten e'plained in ter#s o$ a $ootball ga#e !o a &a#eraon one side o$ the $ield/ everyone #ight appear to be running $ro# le$t to right I$ you sho the e'a&t sa#ea&tion through a &a#era on the opposite side o$ the $ield/ the sa#e players ould appear to be running inthe opposite dire&tion/ $ro# right to le$t I$ you e'&lusively use $ootage $ro# either one o$ these &a#eras/there on t be any proble# I$ you &ross the a'is and #i' shots $ro# both sides/ it be&o#es very hard to$ollo the ga#e

Continuity is su&h an issue that large-s&ale $il# produ&tions hire a s&ript supervisor to ensure that&ontinuity proble#s don t &o#e up



S&ript supervisors o$ten ta5e Polaroid or digital photos to 5eep tra&5 o$ e'a&tly hat people ere earingin ea&h shot/ ho $urniture as arranged/ here $ood as pla&ed on the table/ and any other details that#ight get lost bet een the end o$ one shoot and the beginning o$ the ne't

As a $il##a5er/ your editing style sets the tone o$ your pro@e&t !he ti#ing o$ ea&h edit and the pa&e o$ea&h shot are deter#ined not only by your $il# s &ontent but the e#otional i#pa&t you d li5e your $il# to

a&hieve Mui&5er &uts &reate a #ore e'&iting te#po/ hile longer shots establish a #ore thought$ul/&onte#plative tone )diting i#plies a passage o$ ti#e/ and as a dire&tor/ you get to de&ide ho #u&h ti#e passes in any part o$ your sho

"or e'a#ple/ you &an &ut $ro# a #ediu# shot o$ a person putting a 5ey into a lo&5 to a #at&hing )C; o$the 5ey turning this is &alled a #at&h editE Alternatively/ you &ould sho a person laying his head on a pillo at night and o#it hours $ro# your story by &utting to a shot o$ the person a5ing up the ne't day

you &ould also sho the person in bed $or a really long ti#e7Andy ,arhol on&e #ade an eight-hour $il#about a #an sleepingE Muentin !arantino opens his 1?? $il# Pulp "i&tion ith a se=uen&e that ta5es pla&eat the end o$ the #ovie As the dire&tor/ you re the &aptain o$ the ship/ and &ontrolling the passage o$ ti#egives you &o#plete &ontrol o$ your story

*.!. Shooting 9ith DVD 2om ression in Mind

As I #entioned in the last &hapter/ D%D produ&tion o$$ers $antasti& opportunities $or the independent produ&er ;sing prosu#er e=uip#ent/ you &an a$$ordably shoot/ edit/ and distribute pro$essional-=uality&opies o$ your or5 in an all-digital $or#at )diting appli&ations and D%D produ&tion pa&5ages ship ithen&oders that &onvert your D% $ootage to the D%D-&o#patible P)>-* $or#at ;nderstanding ho theseen&oders $un&tion be$ore you go out and shoot &an help you &reate better =uality D%Ds

Not all shots &o#press as easily/ or as ell/ as you #ight ant the# to Certain ba&5grounds and so#etypes o$ #ove#ent #ight loo5 great hen you re&ord the# but lose signi$i&ant =uality hen &o#pressed$or D%D 6n&e you develop a solid understanding o$ D%D &o#pression/ you &an &o#pose shots that stillloo5 really good a$ter they ve been &o#pressed

As al ays/ your artisti& vision is the #ost i#portant $a&tor I$ you re spending the ti#e/ #oney/ and e$$ortto #a5e a $il#/ you have to in&lude the shots you ant and the i#ages you thin5 people ant to see7eveni$ they aren t the #ost &o#pression $riendly ;nderstanding D%D &o#pression &an help you ensure your#ost a#bitious &o#positions and $ra#ings translate to D%D the ay you ant/ ith a #ini#al a#ount o$heada&he

Audio and video $iles ta5e up tre#endous a#ounts o$ #e#ory "ive #inutes o$ D% $ootage ta5es upappro'i#ately 1 >B o$ #e#ory on your &o#puter s hard drive A single D%D only holds about 4 >B/

hi&h translates to less than * #inutes o$ &a#era-$or#at D% hi&h #eans D% that s been &aptured $ro#a &a#era ithout applying any additional &o#pressionE ust about any dis& you pi&5 up at the video store plays $or #ore than * #inutes/ and the reason produ&ers &an $it #ore #aterial onto &o##er&ial D%Ds isthe video and audio have been &o#pressed Co#pression re#oves redundant in$or#ation $ro# a digitalsignal/ hi&h results in a #ore #anageable $ile si e D%D &o#pression progra#s/ su&h as Apple sCo#pressor/ use algorith#s to analy e digital audio and video and identi$y in$or#ation that &an bere#oved ithout anyone noti&ing !hese algorith#s hi&h are essentially &o#ple' #athe#ati& $or#ulasEuse t o types o$ &o#pression/ spatial and te#poral

!he i#age on top in "igure 3-2 lends itsel$ to easy &o#pression/ hile the i#age belo it does not !hei#age o$ the person standing against a hite all &o#presses ithout di$$i&ulty/ be&ause #u&h o$ thei#age/ spe&i$i&ally the hite all/ &ontains very little detail !he i#age o$ a person standing in $ront o$ ate'tured ba&5ground is #ore &o#pli&ated/ there$ore #ore di$$i&ult to &o#press ,hile good &o#pression isstill possible/ the results #ay be #ore noti&eable !he ba&5ground &ontains $ine areas o$ detail that #a5e itharder to si#pli$y



Figure *$#. 9o dra9n images: one o a erson standing in ront o a 9hite 9all, other o a erson standing inront o a inely te?tured ;ackground.

Spatial &o#pression &o#pares di$$erent parts o$ a single $ra#e o$ video to deter#ine hat in$or#ationrepeats in the i#age Spatial &o#pression algorith#s brea5 an i#age do n into blo&5s/ and i$ parts o$ a$ra#e repeat/ the algorith# pla&es the sa#e blo&5 in #ore than one lo&ation I$/ $or e'a#ple/ a person isstanding in $ront o$ a hite all/ the &o#pression algorith# repeats one se&tion o$ the ba&5ground in#ultiple lo&ations to re&reate the all/ rather than saving an i#age o$ the entire all/ hi&h ould re=uire#ore #e#ory

I$ you ve saved an i#age $or the ,orld ,ide ,eb as a P)> also ritten @pg/ pronoun&ed O ay PegOE/you ve used a $or# o$ spatial &o#pression P)> &o#pression e'a#ines si#ilarities in an i#age/ and/

depending on the =uality setting/ eli#inates higher or lo er a#ounts o$ in$or#ation Spatial &o#pressiono$ video &lips or5s essentially the sa#e ay: higher &o#pression settings result in video that re=uires lessstorage spa&e As you apply in&reased a#ounts o$ &o#pression/ you also lose i#age =uality

In "igure 3-4/ although ea&h $ra#e in the se=uen&e is di$$erent/ the ba&5ground re#ains a &onstant )venthough the person al5ing is in a di$$erent position in ea&h $ra#e/ the ba&5ground is still a solid hite all!his enables the &o#pression algorith# to redra areas o$ the all over several $ra#es/ instead o$ &reatingan entirely ne ba&5ground $or ea&h $ra#e o$ video !his saves spa&e on the dis& and redu&es the pro&essing po er needed to play the &o#pressed $inished produ&t



Figure *$). 8 series o dra9n igures sho9ing a erson 9alking ast a 9hite 9all.

I$ #aterial is too di$$i&ult to &o#press/ or i$ a se=uen&e &ontains too #u&h in$or#ation $or a D%D player to

pro&ess during playba&5/ the video ill brea5 do n Sy#pto#s in&lude large blo&5s appearing insee#ingly rando# lo&ations on the s&reen/ or the D%D player #ay #o#entarily Ohang upO or pause during playba&5

!e#poral &o#pression &o#pares #ultiple $ra#es o$ video to loo5 $or in$or#ation that repeats $ro# one$ra#e to another I$ e use the sa#e e'a#ple o$ a person standing in $ront o$ a hite all/ the all doesn t&hange $ro# $ra#e to $ra#e (ather than saving #ultiple $ra#es o$ the un&hanged all/ te#poral&o#pression ould use a single i#age o$ the all repeated over several $ra#es to save in$or#ation



Algorith#s that use both spatial and te#poral &o#pression ould save in$or#ation by repeating s#allse&tions o$ the all over several $ra#es 3 * * Shots that #a5e &o#pression easier

)venly lit/ solid ba&5grounds #a5e &o#pression #u&h easier "inely detailed ba&5grounds/ su&h aste'tured drapes/ are harder to &o#press/ be&ause the detail re=uires #ore in$or#ation I on&e or5ed ith agroup o$ students ho shot so#e video in $ront o$ a &or5 bulletin board It loo5ed great until they tried to

&o#press it !he s#all di$$eren&es in &olor #ade &o#pression di$$i&ult/ and the &or5 loo5ed li5e a blo&5y#osai& in the &o#pressed version .ou #ay noti&e si#ilar proble#s i$ you &o#press video o$ peopleearing striped or patterned shirts7algorith#s o$ten have trouble pro&essing $ine details that appear &lose

together

Note: In situations here a shoot re=uires #ore #obility than a tripod allo s/ you &an use a &a#erastabili ation devi&e su&h as a Steadi&a# or >lide&a# Both are des&ribed inChapter 2

Pans and tilts also #a5e te#poral &o#pression #ore di$$i&ult !e#poral &o#pression &o#pares one $ra#eo$ video to the ne't/ so i$ the &ontents o$ ea&h $ra#e are di$$erent due to &a#era #ove#ent/ the #aterial be&o#es harder to &o#press I$ the &a#era doesn t #ove/ #u&h o$ the ba&5ground ill li5ely be the sa#e$ro# one $ra#e to another/ even i$ there s #ove#ent in the $oreground ,hen the &a#era #oves/everything is slightly di$$erent in ea&h $ra#e/ be&ause the &a#era re&ords ea&h $ra#e $ro# a di$$erent angle+andheld &a#era or5 by de$inition #a5es &o#pression #ore di$$i&ult be&ause o$ the #otion7even the#ost e'perien&ed and steady &a#era operator doesn t stand per$e&tly still hen she holds a &a#era

ounting the &a#era on a tripod &reates a #ore stable shot/ hi&h is easier to &o#press

"or the sa#e reasons that &a#era #ove#ent #a5es te#poral &o#pression #ore di$$i&ult/ ba&5ground#otion does also I$ the ba&5ground o$ your shot &ontains #otion7$or e'a#ple/ te'tured drapes blo ing inthe bree e/ leaves rustling in a tree/ or re$le&ted sunlight spar5ling on ater7the shot be&o#es #oredi$$i&ult to &o#press

!he easiest $ootage to &o#press ould be a stati& shot o$ a solid all/ ith nothing happening in $ront o$ it!his ould also/ o$ &ourse/ be a very boring shot that not too #any people ould at&h ,hen it &o#esdo n to it/ you have to in&lude the a&tion that #a5es your $il# e'&iting and the ba&5grounds that #a5eea&h shot orth loo5ing at7even i$ they don t &o#press all that easily !his doesn t #ean you shouldignore the realities o$ &o#pression hen $ra#ing your shots/ i$ you shoot a&tors in $ront o$ the rong ba&5ground/ &o#pression #ay be&o#e a $rustrating e'perien&e/ espe&ially i$ the shot involves a pan or atilt

Be$ore you asse#ble your $ull &ast and &re / &hoose the lo&ations you ant/ re&ord a $e test shots/ andthen &o#press so#e o$ your $ootage7you &an t tell hat a shot ill loo5 li5e until you a&tually see it on as&reen .ou #ay $ind out everything &o#presses e'a&tly the ay you d li5e/ or you #ay de&ide to #a5eso#e &hanges in your &o#position )ither ay/ your goal as a dire&tor is to $o&us an audien&e s attention onyour story/ not on te&hni&al proble#s !ry a variety o$ $ra#ings/ and in&orporate a nu#ber o$ di$$erent&a#era angles and ba&5grounds !his ay/ you ll be all set hen your star tells you she s ready $or her&lose-up

!his &hapter introdu&ed di$$erent types o$ shots/ the ays they or5 together/ and the idea o$ @u'taposing aseries o$ di$$erent shot types to $or# a se=uen&e and tell your story !his &hapter also e'plored the aydi$$erent &o#positions/ visual ele#ents/ and $ra#ing &hoi&es i#pa&t the ay $ootage &o#presses $ordistribution via D%D the sa#e prin&iples apply i$ you strea# video over the Internet/ hi&h this boo5e'plores in Appendi' AE








Note: It s i#portant to 5no about te&hni&al details/ but don t let the# li#it your &reativity During the planning stage o$ #y #ost re&ent pro@e&t/ i Muerdia A#eri&a/ I spent a great deal o$ ti#e dis&ussing&o#pression strategies ith #y dire&tor o$ photography !he pro@e&t $ollo s a group o$ i##igrant teensthrough their $irst year o$ high s&hool in Ne .or5 City and as shot to be available entirely online As you&an i#agine/ #aintaining good visual =uality a$ter &o#pression as a top a priority A$ter so#e verylengthy dis&ussion/ I $inally loo5ed at #y DP and said/ O.ou 5no hat/ @ust #a5e it loo5 good O +e did7 the video he shot as great/ and I or5ed out the &o#pression details later !he results are online athttp:GG digitaldo&u#entary orgGa#eri&a

As a dire&tor/ you have to have a #ind that is good at details as ell as the bigger pi&ture I$ you have the#ind $or both/ you re going to be a good dire&tor I$ you don t have the #ind $or both/ pi&5 people $or your&re that have the #ind $or the aspe&ts you la&5

!he ne't &hapter addresses lighting/ hi&h &an #a5e your or5 loo5 very polished and pro$essional i$handled ell/ and is i##ediately noti&eable to an audien&e i$ there are any proble#s !he &hapter &overs

ays to light various situations/ and hy you should al ays use the #anual settings instead o$ relying on a&a#era to auto#ati&ally #a5e ad@ust#ents $or you as I al ays tell students/ talented people are al ays#u&h #ore valuable to a produ&tion than any pie&e o$ e=uip#ent on its o n7that s hat enables you and

#e to #a5e a livingE2ha ter (. 5ighting or Digital

,hat ,hite Balan&e Does/ and ,hy .ou Can Never "orget to Set It!he I#portan&e o$ Setting an Aperture

At the #ost $unda#ental level/ lighting allo s an audien&e to see hat you re shooting Digital &a#eras$un&tion #u&h li5e the hu#an eye/ trans$or#ing di$$erent a#ounts o$ re$le&ted light into re&ogni ablei#ages !o a s5illed $il##a5er/ lighting is also a tool to add depth/ te'ture/ and nuan&e to a &o#positionCare$ul use o$ shado s/ &olor tints/ and highlights &an trans$or# an other ise uni#pressive shot intoso#ething that spea5s to your audien&e on both aestheti& and e#otional levels S5ill$ul lighting &an #a5e agood shot great and a great shot epi&

(. . -hat -hite /alance Does, and -hy 7ou 2an 1e3er Forget to Set It

ost lighting isn t neutral ost light &ontains a &olor &ast that tints the ob@e&ts in a shot )ven i$ you &ansee the tint ith your eye/ it #a5es a di$$eren&e to the &a#era Depending on lighting &onditions/ the lightin a lo&ation #ay have a blue or a yello tint that &olors everything you see !he hu#an eye and brain do are#ar5able @ob o$ &o#pensating $or di$$eren&es in lighting/ so #ost o$ the ti#e people don t even noti&e atint unless it s really strong I$ you stand ne't to a red light bulb/ you ll noti&e it s turning everything aroundyou red/ but #ost people don t noti&e that everyday light bulbs #a5e things loo5 yello Ca#eras/ ho ever/don t &o#pensate7they re&ord the lighting &onditions in an environ#ent/ $or better or orse

In &ontrast to a light bulb s yello tint/ daylight loo5s blue .ou &an so#eti#es see the di$$eren&e in #i'edlighting situations7i$ you turn on a la#p at dus5/ you #ay noti&e the natural light &o#ing in through the

indo s #a5es the roo# loo5 blue/ e'&ept $or the area around the la#p/ hi&h loo5s yelloCine#atographers des&ribe the di$$eren&e in ter#s o$ &olor te#perature !he &on&ept re$ers to the range o$&olor a light sour&e e#its/ and is #easured as a te#perature in units &alled 9elvin At the lo er end o$ thes&ale/ light sour&es e#it #ore red and yello light At the higher end/ sour&es e#it #ore blue lightDaylight at noon on a sunny day #easures appro'i#ately 00 5/ and tungsten light #easuresappro'i#ately 3 00 5 !ungsten re$ers to the #etal used in the $ila#ent in a spe&i$i& type o$ bulb used in$il# and video lighting other 5inds o$ indoor lighting/ su&h as $luores&ents/ produ&e di$$erent &olorte#peratures and di$$erent lighting tints E

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)a&h o$ the three lighting types pi&tured in "igure -1 $ro# top to botto#: $luores&ents/ &o##onlyavailable household light bulbs/ and tungsten produ&tion lightsE &reates a di$$erent &olor &ast In #i'edlighting situations/ they &an be notoriously di$$i&ult to or5 ith in &o#bination I$ you re shooting in anindoor lo&ation ith #i'ed lighting and your sub@e&t #oves a&ross the roo#/ he ill appear to &hange &olor

hen #oving $ro# one area o$ light to the ne't !his #ight loo5 really &ool i$ you re shooting a #usi&video in a dis&o/ but other than that/ it s a good thing to avoid

Figure ($ . +hotos o a luorescent light i?ture, a i?ture that uses a household light ;ul;, and a tungstenilm 3ideo light.

!o avoid proble#s ith #i'ed lighting/ $il##a5ers o$ten turn o$$ all the household light bulbs and any$luores&ent lights in a roo# and rely on their o n tungsten la#ps to light a shot !urning o$$ $luores&entlights is an espe&ially good idea/ be&ause in addition to #a5ing people loo5 green in video/ $luores&entlights $li&5er !he $li&5er #ight not be visible to the hu#an eye/ but in a video re&ording/ it &an loo5 li5e a



strobe e$$e&t Again/ i$ you re going $or a dis&o loo5/ you re all set other ise/ turning o$$ $luores&ents good habit to get into

!o &o#pensate $or di$$eren&es in &olor te#perature/ reels o$ $il# are balan&ed to shoot in daylight ortungsten environ#ents A $il##a5er shooting outside ould use a reel o$ daylight $il#/ and ould s it&hto a reel o$ tungsten $or an indoor shoot ;se the rong type o$ $il# in the rong lighting/ and you re stu&5

ith dis&olored i#ages D% &a#eras/ as you #ay have noti&ed/ use the sa#e tape regardless o$ lighting&onditions !o &o#pensate $or di$$eren&es in lighting/ D% &a#&orders have a hite balan&e setting

D% &a#&orders ad@ust their &olor by ta5ing a sa#ple o$ hite area or ob@e&t in a s&ene ea&h ti#e the&a#&order setup is &hanged Be&ause lighting varies $ro# lo&ation to lo&ation/ setting an a&&urate hitevalue be&o#es espe&ially i#portant7a bad hite balan&e thro s o$$ all the other &olors in your i#age I$you ever loo5ed at a tape and noti&ed that all the i#ages loo5ed espe&ially yello or blue/ the hite balan&e as probably set in&orre&tly So#e e'perien&ed dire&tors intentionally use a distorted hite balan&e to &reate a desired e$$e&t/ #ost o$ the ti#e a bad hite balan&e si#ply #eans so#eone behind the&a#era #ade a #ista5e

!he &olor te#perature o$ indoor lighting varies depending on the type o$ lights in use/ and &olorte#perature outdoors &an vary by the ti#e o$ day dus5 and da n are lo er on the s&ale than #iddayE It

&an even vary in a single s&ene hen the sun goes behind a &loud any &a#eras o$$er preset hite balan&e#odes $or outdoor/ indoor/ and nightti#e shots/ but the sa$est ay to set a truly a&&urate hite balan&e is touse your &a#era s #anual hite balan&e $un&tion I$ you re using lights in an indoor lo&ation/ daylight&o#ing into the roo# through any indo s &an &reate a #i'ed lighting situation that renders a preset hite balan&e #ode useless any ay

Setting a #anual hite balan&e varies $ro# &a#&order to &a#&order/ but the essential a&tion involvesoo#ing in on a $lat hite ob@e&t so it $ills the $ra#e you &an buy e'pensive hite balan&e &ards or use ahite loose-lea$ binder/ hite $oa# &ore/ illustration board/ or even a blan5 pie&e o$ paperE and then

pressing a button to set the hite balan&e !his #anual $un&tion spe&i$i&ally de$ines hat hite loo5s li5ein a parti&ular lighting situation/ and the &a#era ad@usts all the other &olors a&&ordingly

"or e'a#ple/ to set the hite balan&e on a Sony PD-140/ as sho n in"igure -*:

Figure ($!. 8 Sony +D$ )" rom the rear.



1 "ill the $ra#e ith a hite ob@e&t #a5e sure it s hite and not o$$- hite or light grayE* Press the button labeled O,+! BA8O on the ba&5 o$ the &a#era

3 Press the S)8GP;S+ )J)C heel !he hite balan&e i&on in the display or vie $inderE ill begin to $lash

+old the S)8GP;S+ )J)C heel until the i&on stops $lashing

,hen you re shooting indoors/ a indo be&o#es a light sour&e Daylight/ or natural light/ &an be very bright7even hen you re inside "il##a5ers o$ten use natural light to their advantage/ espe&ially hen&o#posing intervie shots I$ you seat a person near a indo / $a&ing the &a#era/ you &an use natural lightto &reate an attra&tive highlight on the side o$ her $a&e !he parts o$ a person s $a&e $arther a ay $ro# the

indo ill $all into shado / &reating a very ni&e &ontour e$$e&t I$ the shado s be&o#e too dar5/ you &aset up a light or re$le&t so#e daylight to $ill the# in )ven i$ using daylight &reates a #i'ed lightingsituation/ you ll be o5ay as long as you set the hite balan&e and as long as your sub@e&t stays in the sa#e part o$ the roo#

(.!. he Im ortance o Setting an 8 erture

)'posure is a $il# ter# des&ribing the ay light intera&ts ith a negative to &reate an i#age !oo #u&h ortoo little light produ&es i#ages that are either too dar5 or too light In D% &a#&orders/ e'posure or5s in avery si#ilar ay Depending on the aperture you set/ greater or lesser a#ounts o$ light rea&h the sensorsthat produ&e an i#age in a D% &a#era i$ you have a digital still &a#era/ it or5s the sa#e ayE ,iderapertures let in #ore light/ and s#aller apertures allo less light to pass Prosu#er D% &a#eras allo&ine#atographers to #anually set an aperture/ rather than rely on an auto#ati& setting !o so#e people/#anually setting the aperture #ay see# li5e e'tra or57to a pro$essional/ #anual e'posure settings provide pre&ise &ontrol over one o$ the #ost i#portant &a#era settings (a&e&ar drivers don t haveauto#ati& trans#issions under the hood at the Indianapolis 00 E )ven i$ you re not shooting the #osti#portant shot o$ your li$e/ #anual aperture settings provide valuable &ontrol !he aperture o$ a &a#&order



$un&tions #u&h li5e the iris in a hu#an eye7both e'pand to let #ore light in or &ontra&t to 5eep light out"or this reason/ $il##a5ers o$ten say Oiris up/O to &apture #ore light in a dar5er environ#ent/ or Oirisdo n/O to &lose a &a#&order s aperture setting in a bright area

Note: !he 5ey to using ebra lines is to ad@ust your e'posure so the lines are @ust barely visible in the

brightest areas I$ you &an see ebra lines all over your $ra#e/ your aperture is set to allo too #u&h lightI$ you don t see any lines at all/ the e'posure #ay be dar5er than it needs to be I$ you open up the apertureuntil you see lots o$ ebra lines and then gently stop do n/ or &lose the aperture/ until they begin disappear/the point at hi&h they re @ust barely visible ill provide the e'posure you ant

As I #entioned in Chapter */ di$$erent parts o$ a $ra#e o$ten re=uire di$$erent e'posure settings I$ you letthe &a#&order set the aperture $or you/ you have no &ontrol over hi&h part o$ the $ra#e is properlye'posed and hi&h is not I$ you set the aperture yoursel$/ you in&rease the available possibilities "ore'a#ple/ you &an $il# so#eone standing in $ront o$ a bright area and set the aperture so he is properlye'posed/ hile the area behind hi# appears as an abstra&t i#age Alternatively/ you &an e'pose $or the bright area behind the person/ and the person ill appear in silhouette Depending on the situation/ it #ayalso be possible $or you to split the di$$eren&e and &hoose an aperture that properly e'poses the $oreground

and ba&5ground o$ your &o#position

Prosu#er &a#&orders o$$er the option o$ ebra lines that display a visual arning in overly bright parts o$ a$ra#e/ as sho n in"igure -3 "or e'a#ple/ i$ you re shooting an a&tor outdoors against a blue s5y on asunny day/ and properly e'pose $or the a&tor/ the s5y ill li5ely appear blo n out/ or over e'posed A&a#&order set to display ebra lines ould sho thin/ diagonal lines to indi&ate a proble# .ou &ould theneither re&o#pose your $ra#ing/ or stop do n and &hoose a s#aller aperture/ hi&h lets in less light ,henthe ebra lines disappear/ it #eans you re good to go I$/ instead/ you let the &a#&order auto#ati&ally&hoose an e'posure setting $or you/ you narro the range o$ possible shots

Figure ($*. he diagonal green lines in this image are called Be;ra lines, and indicate areas o the rame that aretoo ;right Gnot sur risingly, it's the area around the lightsH.

Care$ul lighting and subtle shado s give an i#age te'ture and depth/ but #any video i#ages are pain$ully$lat So#eti#es $il##a5ers ta5e su&h pains to evenly e'pose all areas o$ a $ra#e/ espe&ially hen lighting







intervie s/ that a shot loses all its shading and nuan&e I on&e read an intervie ith a restaurant o nerho said the only thing orse than a restaurant that s too loud is a restaurant that s too =uiet/ be&ause it has

no &usto#ers I have si#ilar thoughts about video i#ages7out-o$-&ontrol shado s and areas o$i#penetrable dar5ness are no good/ but a &o#plete absen&e o$ shado s isn t the greatest thing either 9eepin #ind that a$ter you learn the rules here/ you #ight ant to o&&asionally brea5 the# $or an e$$e&tSo#eti#es7not o$ten/ but so#eti#es7you #ight ant out-o$-&ontrol shado s and areas o$ i#penetrabledar5ness )spe&ially i$ you re shooting a horror $il# see the dis&ussion o$ dar5ness in 6pen ,ater inChapter 12 E

4.2.1.1. Working with lights

ore o$ten than not/ the lighting in a parti&ular environ#ent #ay not be bright enough to a&&o##odate avideo shoot In that &ase/ you ll either need to buy or rent a light 5it )a&h lighting 5it is &on$igureddi$$erently/ depending on the 5inds o$ lights and stands you re using/ but they all $ollo so#e basi& prin&iples All lights $old up $or storage and transport/ so the $irst step in lighting a shoot is ta5ing yourlights out o$ the 5it and setting the# up

4.2.1.2. Opening a light stand

!he base o$ a light stand is/ essentially/ a tripod $olds up li5e an u#brella !he light stand in"igure - issho n in the open position ,hen the leg e'tended into the idest position possible/ the stand is at its #oststable

!o open a &losed stand/ slide the part labeled A until the legs open to their idest possible position/ assho n in"igure - !his stand is no ready to us &lose it/ slide the part labeled A up until the legs $old in$lush against the body o$ the stand E

I$ you need to raise the light higher/ loosen the that releases the lo est teles&oping se&tion labeled B in"igure - E/ e'tend the height o$ the stand retighten the s&re to hold the stand in its e'tended position I$you need even #ore height/ e'tend the ne't highest se&tion

Figure ($(. 8n o en light stand.





Note: Be sure to tighten the s&re ell enough that the stand ill not &ollapse hen you pla&e a light on top/ but don t overtighten be&ause you &an da#age the threads in the s&re Al ays e'tend a light stand $ro# the botto# se&tion up !he lo erteles&opi& se&tions are thi&5er and #ore stable/ so they &an sa$ely support #ore eight

4.2.1.3. Placing a light on a stand

6n&e you have ad@usted the stand to your desired height/ you &an add the light itsel$ "igure - sho s hoto do this

8ights &ontain a housing labeled C in "igure - E that $its over the top o$ a light stand !he housing&ontains a s&re that holds the light in pla&e DE 8oosen the s&re until there s enough roo# to&o#$ortably $it the housing over the top o$ the light stand ,hen the light stand has been #ounted on thestand/ retighten the s&re so that the light is se&urely atta&hed to the stand

Figure ($%. 8 light mounted to a stand, sho9n rom the rear.



!he #etal $laps hinged to the edges o$ the light )E are &alled barn doors ,hen they re open/ #ore light&o#es out hen they re &losed/ less light &o#es out 6perating a light ith the barn doors &o#pletely&losed &an very easily &ause the light to &at&h $ire7al ays open the doors be$ore turning on the light

Ne't/ &onne&t the po er &able/ as sho n in"igure -2 ost o$ten/ a light s po er &ables are not per#anently atta&hed !he light pi&tured here has a po er &able "E that &o#pletely deta&hes duringstorage Al ays &onne&t the po er &able to the light be$ore plugging it into the po er sour&e

Figure ($#. 8 light 9ith the o9er ca;le connected.

No you &an sa$ely plug the light into a po er sour&e Produ&tion lights use large a#ounts o$ ele&tri&ity/ stry to avoid plugging #ore than one light into the sa#e outlet7you &an easily blo a $use or trip a &ir&uit brea5er Depending on the lights you re or5ing ith/ so#e ill turn on as soon as you plug the# inothers ill have an onGo$$ s it&h



4.2.1.4. Fine-tuning your light set-up

!he 5eys to intervie lighting are di$$usion and light sour&e pla&e#ent In $il# ter#s/ di$$usion is a $abri&#ade o$ spun glass that goes in $ront o$ a light to so$ten the output Di$$usion doesn t &hange the &olor o$the light/ it @ust #a5es the light so$ter and #ore #anageable to a &ine#atographer I$ you pla&e a person in$ront o$ a light sour&e ithout any type o$ di$$usion/ the light si#ultaneously &reates very bright areas and

very dar5 shado s !he sa#e light sour&e ith a sheet o$ di$$usion applied &reates a #ore even light: the bright spots appear as pleasant highlights/ and the dar5 areas sho detail and &ontour hile re#aining lightenough $or a &ine#atographer to or5 ith !he do nside to using this type o$ di$$usion is that lights getvery hot/ and sheets o$ di$$usion &an &at&h $ire7not hat you ant during a shoot

SID>/8R -orking 9ith 5ights: Dos and Don'ts

"ollo ing are so#e things to 5eep in #ind hen or5ing ith lights:

• 9eep the lights turned o$$ until you need the# to shoot or to test your lighting As soonas you turn produ&tion lights on/ they get very hot !his &an =ui&5ly #a5e the roo#

you re in un&o#$ortably ar#/ and it #a5es the lights i#possible to handle• !urn the lights o$$ as soon as you re done shooting and give the# ti#e to &ool o$$ be$ore you try to handle the#E

• Never tou&h the bulb o$ a produ&tion light ith your bare $ingers/ even hen the light iso$$ and &ool .our $ingers &an leave tra&es o$ oil on the bulb that ill &ause it to e'plode

hen it heats up

• Never set up a light under a sprin5ler Sprin5lers $un&tion by dete&ting heat Set up alight or t o underneath/ and your shoot ill probably end earlier than you ant it to7 and not in a ay you d li5e

;ntil re&ently/ $il##a5ers ent to great lengths to produ&e di$$use lighting e$$e&ts7$or e'a#ple/ boun&inga light o$$ a re$le&tive u#brella or pla&ing s=uares o$ spun glass #aterial over the $a&e o$ a light both o$hi&h &an easily &ause a $ire i$ you re not &are$ulE Around the #id-1??0s/ lighting &o#panies began

introdu&ing so$t lighting 5its/ su&h as the Chi#era/ #ade by Chi#era 8ighting sho n in"igure -4E/ or the8o ell (i$a-lite/ hi&h are basi&ally tents that en&lose a light and have di$$usion built into a $ront panel!he di$$use light o$ the Chi#era allo s a &ine#atographer to &reate intri&ately s&ulpted lighting e$$e&ts that$ade $ro# light to dar5 under the &ontrol o$ the $il##a5er !he goal o$ the &ine#atographer #ay be to&reate stri5ingly eye-&at&hing lighting s&enarios/ or to subtly highlight a person s $a&ial $eatures and gentl&apture the audien&e s attention by dra ing a vie er in to the person on s&reen >ood &ontrol o$ lightingenables a nu#ber o$ approa&hes

Figure ($). 4sing a di use light source, such as a 2himera, ena;les you to create a so t, e3en light.



!o use a Chi#era to greatest e$$e&t/ $il##a5ers o$ten pla&e one at an angle/ pointed at the $a&e o$ the person being $il#ed Pla&ing the Chi#era at an angle helps #a5e sure the person on &a#era doesn t have tostare dire&tly into a light sour&e your a&tors ill than5 youE It also #a'i#i es the light s ability togenerate highlights and shado s/ &reating pleasant and attra&tive &ontour e$$e&ts !o #a5e sure the side$arthest $ro# the Chi#era doesn t be&o#e overly dar5/ a $il##a5er ould li5ely pla&e another light on thesub@e&t $ro# another angle "or e'a#ple/ i$ a person is loo5ing into the &a#era/ I #ight use a Chi#era tolight the# $ro# one side and a s#aller light sour&e to light the# $ro# the other !he s#aller light is used to$ill in any unintentional shado s/ and $or that reason/ it is &alled a $ill light !he Chi#era serves as #y pri#ary light/ &reating highlights/ and is &alled a 5ey light !his #ethod is &alled the 5ey and $ill light&o#bination Pla&ing both lights in the right spots ensures you don t get any shado s that are overly dar5 or un#anageable/ and also &reates ni&e highlights so your video doesn t loo5 too $lat See "igure 4-<

Figure ($ . he main, or key, light source is 3ery o ten a di use light such as a 2himera or similar ty e o roduction light. he smaller ill light is used to ill in areas o shado9 that might other9ise get

too dark.



!he ne't ti#e you at&h a ell-produ&ed intervie sho on television/ &he&5 out the lighting .ou #ay

noti&e the te&hni=ues des&ribed in this &hapter ore than li5ely/ you ve seen the# be$ore7audien&esgenerally don t noti&e good lighting on a &ons&ious level/ it s @ust so#ething they e'pe&t to see Badlighting/ o$ &ourse/ stands out instantly/ indoors or out

Note: I$ you re or5ing in a &ontrolled intervie situation/ and you ant to #a5e a shoot loo5 really sharp/you &an add a hair light A hair light adds a ni&e/ &res&ent-shaped shine to the head o$ a person beingintervie ed !he shine not only #a5es your intervie ee loo5 attra&tive and healthy/ but it helpsdi$$erentiate the edge o$ her head $ro# the ba&5ground/ #a5ing her the &lear $o&us o$ your $ra#e"il##a5ers go to great lengths to light their intervie s/ be&ause the better an intervie loo5s/ the #oree$$e&tive it is in a $il# "or a very ni&e e'a#ple o$ a hair light/ go to digitaldo&u#entary orgGa#eri&a and &li&5 on the &lip labeled OChrist#as/O or the one labeled Obathroo#O don t orry it s nothinginappropriateE

People learning to shoot $il# or video o$ten thin5 that bright/ sunny days are the best ti#e to $il# outdoorsAlthough bright/ sunny days are great ti#es to be outside/ they don t o$$er the best shooting environ#ent7 bright sunshine &reates dar5 shado s I$ your $ra#ing &ontains areas o$ bright sun and dar5 shado in thesa#e shot/ say a side al5 partially shaded by a tree/ it s hard to e'pose $or both I$ your shot involvesa&tion that #oves $ro# the shado ed area into the sun/ it be&o#es even harder to $il# Bright sunshine also&reates bright re$le&tions I$ your shot &ontains re$le&ted sunlight in indo s or on shiny &ars/ these areas#ay be blo n out i$ you e'pose $or the rest o$ the $ra#e







6ver&ast days/ on the other hand/ o$$er ni&e/ even lighting and very $e shado s )ven very &loudy dayso$$er a#ple sunlight $or shooting/ hile avoiding the proble#s o$ glare and un or5able shado;n$ortunately/ not even the #ost talented dire&tor has &ontrol o$ the eather !he solution A neutraldensity NDE $ilter and a boun&e &ard

An ND $ilter is a glass $ilter you pla&e over the lens o$ your &a#&order so#e prosu#er &a#eras o$$er a

built-in ND $un&tion &he&5 your #anualE An ND $ilter doesn t &hange the &olor &ast o$ your shot/ thahy it s &alled neutral density/ it @ust #a5es things dar5er I$ you re $il#ing on a very sunny day/ it #ay betoo bright to get a good e'posure/ even at the s#allest aperture setting ;sing an ND $ilter evenly dar5ensthe ob@e&ts in your shot to #a5e the# #ore or5able I on&e ent out $or brun&h on a &loudy day and a$riend re#ar5ed that the eather loo5ed li5e a per$e&t ND $ilterE Be&ause an ND $ilter doesn t &hange the&olor o$ your shots/ the audien&e ill never 5no you re using one7this $ilter si#ply gives you the abilityto &apture i#ages in a ider variety o$ settings 6n&e you get e'posure under &ontrol/ you &an then evenout shado s using a boun&e &ard I$ you live in a sunny region/ you #ay have a $olding re$le&tive s&reenyou pla&e in the indshield o$ your &ar to 5eep the inside $ro# getting too hot hen you par5 in the sun A boun&e &ard or5s the sa#e ay/ it re$le&ts sunlight/ and on a $il# shoot/ you &an use one to redire&tsunlight here you ant it !he sa#e ay you use a 5ey and $ill light &o#bination indoors/ you &an or5

ith natural sunlight and a boun&e &ard to get the lighting e$$e&t you ant .ou don t have to go out and buy an e'pensive produ&t to do this you &an use the sa#e type o$ re$le&tor sunbathers use to re$le&t lightonto their $a&es/ or you &an even use the re$le&tor $ro# your &ar indshield I ve done it #ysel$E7even i$your &ar gets hot/ it s orth it i$ it #a5es your $il# better Co#pose the shot you ant/ and i$ you noti&eshado s that are too dar5 to or5 ith/ use a re$le&tor to boun&e light here you need it

Another situation in hi&h an ND $ilter and a boun&e &ard &o#e in handy is hen $il#ing a&tors in ide- bri##ed hats and baseball &aps/ hi&h &an be very hard to or5 ith on &a#era be&ause they &reate areaso$ dar5 shade In"igure -?/ the i#age at le$t as shot on a sunny day/ so the shaded area o$ the person s$a&e is signi$i&antly dar5er than the rest o$ the $ra#e I$ the &ine#atographer e'poses $or the person s $a&ethe rest o$ the $ra#e ill be too bright I$ the &ine#atographer e'poses to 5eep the #a@ority o$ the $ra#eusable/ the area around the person s eyes ill be too dar5 to see/ as in"igure -? In the i#age at right/ the&ine#atographer has applied an ND $ilter/ #a5ing the hole i#age dar5er/ and positioned a boun&e &ardunder the person s $a&e to redire&t light here it s needed and lessen the i#pa&t o$ the shado s

Figure ($&. 6ere are t9o dra9n igures o a erson 9earing a ;ase;all ca . In the irst igure, the camcordere? oses or the dark art o the erson's ace, shaded ;y the ;rim, so the rest o the image is ;lo9n

out. In the second igure, the entire image is more e3enly e? osed.



As a dire&tor/ you al ays have the option o$ as5ing so#eone to re#ove his hat I$ you thin5 the hat adds tothe shot/ or i$ you $eel un&o#$ortable as5ing/ an ND $ilter and a "le'-$ill are good tools to have at theready

Shooting outside at night presents an entirely di$$erent set o$ issues As opposed to #idday shoots on asunny day/ here a dire&tor has to orry about too #u&h light/ a $il##a5er shooting at night has to #a5e

sure there s enough light to get a de&ent e'posure A good or5around te&hni=ue is to shoot at the end o$the day/ @ust a$ter sunset !here s a ti#e at dus5/ bet een sunset and the $ull arrival o$ nightti#e/ henthere s still enough daylight to shoot Be&ause daylight loo5s espe&ially blue at this ti#e o$ day ta5e a loo5ne't ti#e you re outside @ust a$ter sunsetE/ it loo5s li5e night on s&reen I$ your shot in&ludes any tra$$i&/ e$$e&t is rein$or&ed by drivers ho turn on their headlights7the light $ro# the &ars on t &hange youre'posure/ but hen audien&es see &ars ith their lights on/ it $urther establishes the shot as ta5ing pla&e atnight

!he ti#e i##ediately be$ore and a$ter a sunset is re$erred to as golden hour/ be&ause the setting sun giveso$$ an espe&ially ar# glo !his glo loo5s great ons&reen: lands&apes loo5 s&eni&/ and people loo5healthy and attra&tive any dire&tors intentionally ait until the end o$ the day and s&hedule shots atgolden hour to #a5e their lead a&tors loo5 espe&ially good Ne't ti#e you go to the bea&h/ bring a &a#eraand ta5e so#e snapshots o$ the people you re ith at sunset7 hen they see the results/ they ll love ho

good you #ade the# loo5In lo -light settings/ in&luding shoots at night/ in $og/ or on parti&ularly dar5 and rainy days/ #anuale'posure settings/ &are$ul $o&us/ and a high-&ontrast vie $inder be&o#e espe&ially i#portant %ideo&a#&orders &an re&ord i#ages in in&reasingly dar5 settings/ but the i#ages don t al ays loo5 that good Invery dar5 environ#ents/ so#e &a#&orders produ&e i#ages that loo5 grainy or appear to be #ade o$ verys#all #oving spots I$ a lo&ation is too dar5/ you #ay &o#e a ay ith an i#age that s too grainy to use Agood =uality vie $inder &an help you avoid this proble# I$ you see grain in the vie $inder/ try tore&o#pose your shot in a brighter area or subtly add lighting to your &urrent lo&ation 8arge-s&ale $il# produ&tions heavily light lo&ations at night/ o$ten lighting the $a&ades o$ all the buildings on a street I$ youstory ne&essitates shooting at night/ this #ay be so#ething to &onsider I # not suggesting you bring in$loodlights to light up your entire neighborhood/ but nightti#e outdoor shoots entail spe&i$i& te&hni&al&hallenges

Note: I$ you shoot video o$ a person driving in a &ar at night/ lighting &an be a parti&ular &hallenge ;nlessyou re in a very bright area/ the &ar #ay be too dar5 to get a good e'posure Be&ause the inside o$ a &aro$$ers a li#ited a#ount o$ spa&e/ lighting your sub@e&t ithout &asting shado s or blinding her &an be a&hallenge and i$ you re shooting the driver o$ a &ar/ blinding her is so#ething to avoid at all &ostsE 6nesolution $il##a5ers o$ten e#ploy is to light a driver $ro# belo the dashboard ;sing a battery-po eredlight/ even a ide-bea# $lashlight/ you &an &reate a light sour&e that #a5es the shot loo5 li5e it s being lit by the instru#entation in the &ar s dash Positioning the light ta5es so#e $inesse: putting it in the rongspot ill #a5e your diver loo5 li5e she s telling s&ary stories at a &a#p$ire 6n&e you get it right/ the resultsare orth the e$$ort

In dar5er shots/ depth o$ $ield be&o#es parti&ularly li#ited $or a detailed dis&ussion o$ depth o$ $ield/ seeChapter *E In bright daylight/ a &ine#atographer &an #u&h #ore easily 5eep the $oreground and ba&5ground o$ an i#age in $o&us at the sa#e ti#e At night/ the depth o$ $ield is #ore shallo / hi&h #ay provide you ith an e$$e&t you li5e/ but also #a5es it harder to 5eep all areas o$ a $ra#e in $o&usAuto#ati& $o&us settings on a &a#&order #a5e things even #ore di$$i&ult I$ you have ob@e&ts at di$$eren$o&al lengths7$or e'a#ple/ a person &loser to the &a#era lens spea5ing to so#eone $arther ba&57the&a#&order #ay not 5no hi&h person to $o&us on In this situation/ the &a#&order #ight not $o&us on the person you ant/ or even orse/ the &a#&order s auto $o&us #ight shi$t bet een the t o/ &hanging $o&us$ro# one to the other at pre&isely the rong ti#e I on&e or5ed on a shoot here e intervie ed a #ansitting in a shady area o$ his garden !o save #oney/ #y boss shot the video hi#sel$ and le$t the auto $o&us





on !he shade as dar5 enough to narro the depth o$ $ield &onsiderably/ and the auto $o&us 5ept dri$ting ba&5 and $orth bet een the #an e ere intervie ing and the $lo ers blo ing in the bree e around hi# Itloo5ed li5e the lens as breathing !his rendered the entire shoot unusable the &hanges in $o&us ouldhave #ade audien&es seasi&5

Note: Proble#s ith $o&us and severe over or under e'posure are not repairable in postprodu&tion No#atter ho good the #aterial is/ i$ it s te&hni&ally $la ed at the #ost $unda#ental levels/ there s only so#u&h you &an do ith it So#e hite balan&e proble#s &an be $i'ed in the &olor-&orre&tion phase/ but li$eis #u&h less &o#pli&ated and less e'pensiveE hen things go right $ro# the beginning

;lti#ately/ #y boss and I used the intervie o$ the #an in his garden as voi&eover In the editing roo#/ e paired his re&orded audio ith a &o#bination o$ observational $ootage and still i#ages 6n the dry erase board behind us/ the editor o$ a previous pro@e&t had ritten:

O.ou have to 5ill your darlings O 7"aul5ner OIt s not the pearls that #a5e a ne&5la&e it s the thread O 7"laubertO,e ll $i' it in post O 7Anony#ous

In this &hapter/ e &overed &olor &asts daylight is blue/ indoor light is yello E and the ulti#ate i#portan&eo$ hite balan&e it &alibrates your &a#-era s &olor balan&e to the light in your shooting environ#entE !h&hapter also dis&ussed aperture settings and hy you should al ays #a5e all the ad@ust#ents yoursel$instead o$ relying on your &a#&order s auto#ati& $un&tions !his &hapter also provided tips on shootingoutdoors &loudy days are greatE and $or lighting indoor shoots turn o$$ in&andes&ent and $luores&ent ligtry using a Chi#era and hair lights in intervie sE

!he ne't &hapter e'plores shooting $or e$$e&ts ,or5ing ith digital video enables you to &reate&o#pli&ated spe&ial e$$e&ts that ould have been uni#aginably e'pensive only a $e years ago !oday/ i$you have a&&ess to a digital &a#&order and so#e editing e=uip#ent/ you &an #a5e anything you ant7 espe&ially i$ you ta5e the ti#e to &are$ully plan your e$$e&ts se=uen&es be$ore you shoot

2ha ter %. Shooting or > ectsPreparing a Chro#a 9ey Shoot"ra#ing I#ages ith Co#posites in indPlanning a atte )$$e&t

!here s a se=uen&e in ,ayne s ,orld here ,ayne and >arth introdu&e the audien&e to a ne $eature o$their sho / &hro#a 5ey/ and use it to travel to Ne .or5/ +a aii/ !e'as/ and Dela are ithout everstepping $oot outside the studio Chro#a 5ey/ the e$$e&t they ere using/ is the sa#e te&hnology that allo s#eteorologists to stand in $ront o$ #oving eather #aps on the 2 o &lo&5 ne s

In ,ayne s ,orld/ the &hara&ters stand in $ront o$ a &hro#a 5ey s&reen and as they pretend to be in Ne.or5/ they @o5e about &arrying a gun and going to see a Broad ay sho hi&h is o$ &ourse hat all Ne

.or5ers do/ at least on the ee5endE

!he i#ages in "igure -1 are s&reen &aptures $ro# a &hro#a 5ey se=uen&e &reated in "inal Cut Pro In the$irst i#age/ our young star/ 8u&a/ is running past a &hro#a 5ey s&reen !he &enter i#age sho s the e'terior

ide shot into hi&h he ill be &o#posited !he $inal i#age sho s the &o#pleted &o#posite: the green ba&5ground has been re#oved $ro# the $irst &lip/ and the boy has been added to the e'terior &lip

Figure %$ . In the irst image a;o3e le t, a ;oy stands in ront o a chroma key screen the second hoto de icts astreet scene he 9ill ;e com osited into the third image sho9s the ;oy com osited into the

;ackground cli .









Note: Chro#a 5ey is not only used in older $il#s and television sho s any re&ent blo&5busters/in&luding Spider#an and 8ord o$ the (ings/ #a5e e'tensive use o$ &hro#a 5ey to &reate eye-poppinge$$e&ts and stunning visual environ#ents !his has &reated an entirely ne $or# o$ $il##a5ing in hi&ha&tors intera&t ith i#aginary &ostars ho have yet to be &o#posited into the $ra#e/ and dire&tors &reate

entirely ne orlds out o$ nothing #ore than &o#puter-generated i#ages/ or C>I A he$ty portion o$ S5yCaptain and the ,orld o$ !o#orro as done this ay

Chro#a 5ey also re$erred to as blue s&reen or green s&reenE involves shooting a person or ob@e&t in $ront a &olored s&reen/ then using an e$$e&t to re#ove the &olored s&reen $ro# the shot and repla&e it ith asubstitute ba&5ground !he parti&ular s&reen &olors/ highly saturated blue or green/ are used be&ause theydon t sho up in nature7regardless o$ a person s s5in tone/ you ll never see so#eone ho loo5s that blueor that green "or a detailed e'planation o$ hat saturated &olor #eans/ as ell as ho &olor $un&tions indigital video/ see Chapter 12 E In postprodu&tion/ a te&hni&ian identi$ies the &olor o$ the blue or greens&reen in a shot/ and then re#oves that &olor $ro# the $ootage !his pro&ess is &alled 5eying ,hen you 5eyout/ or re#ove/ a &olor using a non-linear editing syste#/ all the pi'els &ontaining that &olor be&o#etransparent 6$ten/ #ultiple $ilters have to be applied in the postprodu&tion pro&ess to avoid an annoying

glo or shado around the ob@e&t that #a5es the ba&5ground loo5 $a5e "or #ore detail/ seeChapter 1* E

In the ne't step/ a te&hni&ian adds a still i#age or a video &lip to a lo er tra&5 in the editing progra# sti#eline/ &reating a ne ba&5ground $or the shot Be&ause the 5eyed &lip no &ontains areas that aretransparent/ any still or #oving i#age the te&hni&ian adds as a ba&5ground &lip ill sho through !he pro&ess o$ &o#bining t o or #oreE video i#ages into one is &alled &o#positing I$ you ve or5ed ithstill-i#age editing progra#s/ su&h as Adobe Photoshop/ you #ay already be $a#iliar ith &o#positing andtransparen&y

!he &o#positing $eatures o$ digital video progra#s/ su&h as "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ presenttre#endous opportunities $or independent $il##a5ers .ou &an &o#posite still or #oving i#ages into anyshot/ using a variety o$ te&hni=ues 6n&e you #aster the pro&ess/ i#ages ill blend together so s#oothlythat audien&es ill never 5no they re loo5ing at a &o#posite ,ayne and >arth ould be proud

%. . +re aring a 2hroma ey Shoot

In the re&ent past/ or5ing ith blue s&reen or green s&reen re=uired &onsiderable resour&es/ $or e'a#ple/$inding an available s&reen I$ you 5ne the people at your lo&al publi& a&&ess station/ you #ight have beeable to use theirs I$ not/ or i$ the s&reen as already boo5ed by so#eone else/ you ould have to spend the#oney to rent ti#e at a produ&tion $a&ility No / prosu#er te&hnology #a5es it a$$ordable to set up a good=uality s&reen in your ho#e studio or even on lo&ation any $il# and video e=uip#ent stores sell &hro#a5ey s&reens at a&&essible pri&es A &o#pany &alled 8astolite sells &ollapsible &hro#a 5ey ba&5grounds th








it advertises as O&o#pletely &rease $ree O Creased ba&5grounds &an be a proble# $or &hro#a 5ey e$$e&ts be&ause the &reases produ&e shado s/ #a5ing so#e areas dar5er and others lighter7this results in a#ulti&olored ba&5ground instead o$ a solid &olor ba&5ground solid ba&5grounds are easier to 5ey out/ be&ause they &ontain only one &olor to identi$y and re#oveE ,or5ing ith a &reased ba&5ground isn t theend o$ the orld/ but avoiding &reases #ight save you a $e gray hairs

!o &reate the &hro#a 5ey e$$e&ts $or this boo5/ I used a '4 $oot ba&5ground/ $ro# a Colo#bian &o#pany&alled Botero/ that $olds into a *2-in&h dis& $or travel and storage So#e &ollapsible ba&5grounds are alsoreversible/ blue on one side and green on the other/ hi&h lets you s it&h &olors depending on your a&tor s

ardrobe As o$ this riting/ a single-&olor Botero &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground &osts K23 0 a reversible#odel/ su&h as that in "igure -*/ &osts K4? ? E I$ you shoot a #an earing a blue suit in $ront o$ a blues&reen/ parts o$ his suit #ay be&o#e transparent hen you 5ey out the s&reen you #ay have noti&ed thatthis happens on television so#eti#es hen a ne person does the eather $ore&ast and doesn t =uite 5no

hat to earE

Figure %$!. he /otero chroma key screen, sho9n here olded, is ;lue on one side and green on the other. hesame com any sells slightly less e? ensi3e 3ersions in either green or ;lue.

%arious &o#panies also sell reversible &hro#a 5ey &urtains as ell as rolls o$ &hro#a 5ey Osea#lessO paper ba&5grounds OSea#lessO #eans that the #aterial &urves onto the $loor/ ithout #a5ing a distin&t anglethat ould produ&e shado s E 6ther &o#panies/ and so#e hobby stores/ also sell large pie&es o$ blue orgreen &loth you &an use as a &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground at a #u&h lo er pri&e @ust be sure to stret&h the



#aterial tight enough to avoid rin5les and &reases I$ you re loo5ing to &reate a large and per#anent&hro#a 5ey stage/ you &an use &hro#a 5ey paint (os&o International sells spe&ially $or#ulated &hro#a 5ey paint $or K ? a gallon A&&ording to the &o#pany/ a gallon o$ paint &overs 300 s=uare $eet A dedi&a&hro#a 5ey stage &an be help$ul i$ you ant to re&ord large areas o$ a&tion/ su&h as a person running a&rosthe $ra#e/ or i$ you ant to re&ord a nu#ber o$ people in the $ra#e together

Note: I$ you re planning a &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t to &o#posite a person into an outdoor s&ene/ shooting theoutdoor $ootage on a &loudy day &an #a5e lighting #u&h easier As des&ribed in the last &hapter/ &loudy

eather produ&es an even light ithout shado s It s #u&h easier to #at&h the lighting in a shado -$ree&lip/ be&ause you don t have to orry as #u&h about the dire&tion o$ the light sour&e ,e purposely aited$or a &loudy day to shoot the street s&ene e'teriors $or this boo5 e shot in Ne .or5 in De&e#ber/ hen&loudy days are plenti$ul7i$ you re or5ing in a sunnier &li#ate you #ay not have this optionE In additionto the issue o$ shado s/ the &olor te#perature o$ an outdoor s&ene varies by ti#e o$ day and is espe&iallynoti&eable in shots that &ontain bright sunlight I$ the &olor &ast o$ the a&tor doesn t #at&h the &olor &asthe ba&5ground &lip/ the audien&e ill noti&e Cloudy days &reate an even/ $lat light that s #u&h easier toreprodu&e in $ront o$ a &hro#a 5ey s&reen

ust as a &rease-$ree ba&5ground #a5es &hro#a 5ey e$$e&ts easier to e'e&ute/ so does evenly lighting your ba&5ground )ven i$ you or5 ith the per$e&t solid-&olor ba&5ground/ shado s or inade=uate lighting &an#a5e 5ey e$$e&ts #ore di$$i&ult/ i$ not i#possible

.1.1.1. !he "ackground

An editing syste# ill li5ely interpret lighter and dar5er areas as #ultiple &olors/ &reating #ore than one&olor $or you to 5ey out I$ an editing syste# interprets so#e o$ the dar5er areas o$ your ba&5ground assi#ilar in &olor to dar5er areas o$ your a&tor s hair or ardrobe/ the editing syste# ill 5ey out pie&es o$your a&tor along ith the &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground you re trying to re#ove !his &an be really $rustratingunless you re doing it on purpose/ but $ortunately/ there are ays around the proble#

I$ you have "inal Cut Pro installed on a laptop/ the so$t are s do&u#entation suggests bringing your laptopto the shoot/ &onne&ting your &a#era via the "ire,ire port/ and then using "inal Cut s ave$or# #onitorand ve&tors&opes to ensure your ba&5ground is evenly lit you &an per$or# si#ilar tests using Pre#iere Pro/Avid JPress D%/ and Sony %egasE ,ave$or# #onitors and ve&tors&opes addressed in detail inChapter12E #easure the &olor and brightness in$or#ation in a video signal/ and ill reliably point out any potentially proble#ati& areas in your shot .ou &an use the so$t are to #easure &olor in$or#ation ith/ and

ithout/ your a&tor standing in $ront o$ a &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground As they say/ an oun&e o$ prevention isorth a pound o$ &ure )ven i$ it ta5es &onsiderable ti#e and e$$ort to $inetune your lighting be$ore you

start to shoot/ it &an save you i##easurable $rustration in the long run i$ it #a5es your e$$e&t easier toe'e&ute not to #ention the #oney you save by not having to reshoot the s&ene to &orre&t a proble#E 8i5eeverything else/ the pro&ess ill go #ore =ui&5ly as you get #ore pra&ti&e

!o light the &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground in"igure -3/ e pla&ed very po er$ul 200- att tungsten lights ateither end and positioned the# to light the ba&5ground as evenly as possible As you &an see/ the light isnot per$e&tly even So#e areas are slightly brighter than others/ but there are no proble#ati& areas o$e'tre#e dar5ness or shado

Figure %$*. he trick to chroma key is good lighting. I a green or ;lue screen ;ackground isn't lit ;rightlyenough, it ;ecomes much harder to key out.







.1.1.2. !he actor

6n&e you have your ba&5ground evenly lit/ it s ti#e to light your a&tor/ pre$erably ithout &asting shado son your &are$ully lit ba&5ground 6ne preventative #easure you &an ta5e is positioning your a&tor at adistan&e $ro# the ba&5ground/ as in "igure - !his not only helps prevent shado s/ but it also helps to prevent the &olor o$ your s&reen $ro# re$le&ting/ or spilling/ onto your a&tor I$ blue or green light re$le&to$$ your ba&5ground onto a person in the s&ene/ you #ay inadvertently 5ey out parts o$ his body along iththe ba&5ground during the"igure -3 !he tri&5 to &hro#a 5ey is good lighting I$ a green or blue s&reen ba&5ground isn t lit brightly enough/ it be&o#es #u&h harder to 5ey 5ey pro&ess

Figure %$(. o light our actor, 9e laced a 2himera Git's the large light in the le t o this hotoH as ar rom the;ackground as ossi;le. Our goal 9as to e3enly light 5uca as he ran ast the screen, 9ithout

casting shado9s on the ;ackground.



It s i#portant to try and #at&h the lighting o$ the &lip you plan to &o#posite your a&tor into I$ you re&o#positing a person into a shot &ontaining a eather #ap/ or another type o$ ani#ated ba&5ground thatisn t designed to loo5 realisti&/ #at&hing the lighting s&he#e on t be too #u&h o$ an issue I$/ ho ever/you re atte#pting to &reate a realisti& loo5ing &o#posite/ the lighting on your a&tor needs to #at&h thelighting in your ba&5ground video &lip I$ you plan on &o#positing a person into $ootage that &ontains anytype o$ shado s/ it s i#portant to 5eep the dire&tion and the dar5ness o$ those shado s in #ind I$ you havenoti&eably $lat lighting on a person s $a&e/ and dar5 shado s in the &lip you re &o#positing that person int

or vi&e versaE/ the shado s on t #at&h As a result/ the &o#posite on t loo5 believable to the audien&eeven i$ your &hro#a 5ey is other ise te&hni&ally $la less .ou &an or5 ith &olor &orre&tion tools to&o#pensate $or di$$eren&es in &olor te#perature or overall brightness again/ these are addressed inChapter 12E/ but shado s and the dire&tion o$ a light sour&e are not ele#ents you &an readily &hange using prosu#er video-editing syste#s

Cleaner edges yield &leaner 5ey e$$e&ts As a result/ a person ith neatly arranged hair is #u&h easier to 5eyout o$ a ba&5ground than a person ith ild isps o$ hair going o$$ in every dire&tion7the $ine strands &anresult in a $u y edge that s harder $or a &o#puter to separate $ro# a &hro#a 5ey ba&5ground I$ the&o#puter &annot e$$e&tively separate a $oreground ob@e&t $ro# the ba&5ground &hro#a 5ey s&reen/ it leaa thin halo o$ &olor around the edges E Shaggy ardrobe #aterials/ li5e a $u y s eater/ a $lee&y @a&5et/ o&lothing ith $ringes &an be espe&ially hard to or5 ith as ell So#e types o$ dangling @e elry/ su&h as$ine strands o$ gold in a ne&5la&e or earrings/ &an also be proble#ati& i$ they hang a ay $ro# your a&tor s body

Clean edges are parti&ularly i#portant hen you re or5ing ith D% Prosu#er #ini D% is a lightly&o#pressed $or#at7the &o#pression ta5es pla&e in the &a#era/ and #ost o$ the ti#e audien&es and$il##a5ers never noti&e !he &o#pression/ ho ever/ #a5es it even harder to separate $ine or $u y edges$ro# a ba&5ground using a &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t I$ your story absolutely re=uires hard-to-5ey i#ages/ su&hthe hair or ardrobe ele#ents @ust des&ribed/ or i$ it &ontains translu&ent visuals li5e s#o5e/ a $or#at otherthan D% #ight #a5e a better &hoi&e

;n&o#pressed standard-de$inition $or#ats li5e Beta&a# SP or #ore lightly &o#pressed high-de$inition$or#ats allo #ore latitude in 5ey e$$e&ts Don t orry though: i$ you re &are$ul about hair/ &lothing/ andlighting you &an still get good results ith D% I$ you re not sure/ do so#e tests Shoot so#e $ootage o$

your a&tor in a dress rehearsal/ and try out the &o#posite te&hni=ues you d li5e to use ,ith a littlee'peri#entation/ $orethought/ and so#e e$$ort/ you ll get the results you re loo5ing $or

Note: I$ you $ind that your original $ra#ing &auses you di$$i&ulty hen it &o#es ti#e to edit your&o#posite se=uen&e together/ you &an use the s&ale/ #as5/ and reposition te&hni=ues des&ribed in Chapter1* Chapter 1* also sho s you step by step ho to &reate very sli&5 &o#posite e$$e&ts/ in&luding &hro#a5ey

%.!. Framing Images 9ith 2om osites in Mind

ust as the shado s and lighting in your 5ey shot need to #at&h the shado s and lighting in your ba&5ground/ the &ontent and $ra#ing o$ your $oreground &lip needs to or5 ell enough ith the ba&5ground &lip that the &o#bination is believable An obvious e'a#ple is i$ you plan to &o#positeso#eone into a shot on the bea&h/ they shouldn t be earing a inter &oat ;nless you ant to do this $ore$$e&t $or e'a#ple/ to i#ply hu#or/ irony/ or so#eone ho is &ra y or doesn t plan ell E !here are also#ore subtle &onsiderations/ in&luding &a#era angle/ $ra#ing ide shot/ &lose up/ et& E/ and the pla&e#ento$ ele#ents ithin the $ra#e

I$ you shoot an a&tor against a blue or green s&reen and then 5ey out the ba&5ground/ it s o$ten easier to&o#posite her into a shot i$ you don t sho her entire body $ro# head to toe "igure - E +ave you ever














noti&ed that you al#ost never see the $eet o$ a #eteorologist hen he s standing in $ront o$ an ani#atedeather #ap Part o$ the reason is there s no real reason to sho a person s shoes as he $ore&asts theeather/ but it ould also #a5e the &o#posite #ore di$$i&ult !he shot ould re=uire not only pla&ing

so#eone in $ront o$ a green or blue s&reen ba&5ground/ but pla&ing hi# on a blue or green $loor as ell/and then lighting everything ithout produ&ing shado s7no easy tas5

Figure %$%. -e shot our actor so that his eet are ne3er sho9n in the rame.

!here are also aestheti& &onsiderations to not $ra#ing head-to-toe &hro#a 5ey shots I$ the botto# o$ thene s&aster s body is &ut o$$ by the $ra#e o$ the s&reen/ the vie er intuitively understands that the person isstanding in $ront o$ a eather #ap and that part o$ her body has been $ra#ed out o$ the shot I$ e see thene s&aster s $eet/ and the $loor and ba&5ground are 5eyed out/ she ould loo5 li5e she as $loating inspa&e !his ould either loo5 li5e a #ista5e/ or ould @ust plain loo5 strange Again/ there #ight be areason you d ant to do this 6n&e you learn these rules/ you &an brea5 the# E

Note: +B6 has a great series o$ pro#otional spots in hi&h &hara&ters $ro# di$$erent sho s are &o#positedtogether in &onversation In one &lip/ 8arry David dis&usses inti#ate details o$ his se'ual dys$un&tion ithAdriana 8a Cerva o$ !he Sopranos In another/ a bathrobe &lad !ony Soprano al5s in $or brea5$ast iththe "isher $a#ily o$ Si' "eet ;nder All o$ the pairings are e'tre#ely itty and s5ill$ully e'e&uted/ butvisually so#e o$ the &o#posites si#ply or5 better than others !he reasons are si#ple: lighting and$ra#ing !he &o#posites are done by e'perien&ed pro$essionals or5ing ith sophisti&ated e=uip#ent/ and$ro# a te&hni&al standpoint/ they re all brilliant But i$ the lighting in one &lip doesn t #at&h the other/there s only so #u&h an editor &an do Si#ilarly ith $ra#ing/ not all i#ages loo5 li5e they ere shot at thesa#e ti#e Don t get #e rong/ I &ould at&h these +B6 spots all day/ but hen you start planning a&o#posite se=uen&e/ thin5 about all the details it ta5es to bring your or5 to the level o$ =uality you reloo5ing $or

8i5e ise/ i$ you re &o#positing an a&tor into a lands&ape or street s&ene/ it be&o#es harder to &o#positethe a&tor in a ay that loo5s plausible i$ you sho his entire body A good solution is to &o#pose a #ore&lose-up shot/ perhaps sho ing hi# $ro# the aist or &hest up !hat ay/ the a&tor loo5s li5e he s in the$oreground o$ your $ra#e/ ith a realisti& loo5ing ba&5ground behind hi# %ie ers auto#ati&ally #a5eallo an&es $or subtle visual di$$eren&es in $oreground and ba&5ground i#ages/ and are less li5ely to noti&es#all in&onsisten&ies in lighting or &olor te#perature7i$ a o#an is standing a&ross the street $ro# a



building/ it #a5es sense that the shado s #ight $all at a slightly di$$erent angle on her $a&e than on thestru&ture behind her I$ the person is supposed to be right ne't to an ele#ent in your &o#posite ba&5ground/slight in&onsisten&ies be&o#e a proble#

Chro#a 5ey e$$e&ts are not the only &o#posite te&hni=ue at your disposal hen you or5 ith D% .ou &analso add a variety o$ still i#ages to the $oreground or ba&5ground o$ your &o#positions/ in&luding

photographs and titles As you develop #ore &o#pli&ated &o#posites/ it helps to $ra#e your shots ithyour $inished i#age in #ind "or e'a#ple/ i$ you plan on &reating titles in a still i#age &reation progra#su&h as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator/ or i$ you plan on adding spe&ial e$$e&ts to your titles using a#ore advan&ed progra# li5e A$ter )$$e&ts or otion/ you #ight de&ide to $ra#e a shot and leave a spa&e$or the title +B6 s Si' "eet ;nder brilliantly in&orporates titles into the $ra#e7so#e appear distorted as i$ you ere vie ing the# through glass/ others rise and $all in ti#e ith the parts o$ e#bal#ing apparatus"ra#ing a shot ith spa&e $or the title te't enables the sho s design sta$$ to integrate the titles into theopening se=uen&e and &reate a really sli&5/ &oordinated e$$e&t ,e e'plore advan&ed title-&reationte&hni=ues in Chapters 1 and1 E

%.*. +lanning a Matte > ect

As des&ribed earlier/ a &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t re#oves areas o$ &olor $ro# the ba&5ground o$ a shot/ enabling

you to substitute another i#age in its pla&e A #atte e$$e&t de$ines an area o$ the s&reen/ in the shape o$your &hoi&e/ that be&o#es transparent and enables another video i#age to sho through !he shape thatde$ines the transparent area is &alled a #atte "inal Cut Pro and Pre#iere both ship ith ready #ade #attee$$e&ts you &an apply as $ilters to &reate round/ s=uare/ or dia#ond-shaped #attes Both progra#s alsoenable you to &reate an un$ortunately na#edE garbage #atte to &reate &usto# #atte shapes using or < points on the s&reen 8ast but not &ertainly not least/ you &an use a travel #atte to &reate a #atte e$$e&t inthe e'a&t shape o$ a &o#ple' graphi& you ve produ&ed in a progra# su&h as Photoshop or Illustrator

Note: I as su$$i&iently inspired by seeing the original >od illa that I &reated the de#onstration se=uen&ein Chapter 1* In that se=uen&e/ a giant t o-year-old 8u&a pi&tured throughout this &hapterE loo#s over Ne .or5 s histori& 8o er )ast Side 8i5e the #atte in the original >od illa/ I used the tops o$ the buildings to delineate the edge o$ one shot and the beginning o$ another As a result/ tra$$i& $lo s $reely

through the botto# hal$ o$ the $ra#e hile giganti& 8u&a ra#pages a&ross the top !he buildings naturally$ill the botto# hal$ o$ the $ra#e/ and it #a5es sense visually that an oversi ed toddler ould appear behindthe# As in the earlier e'a#ple o$ $ra#ing out a #eteorologist s $eet/ the buildings also provide a natural

ay to obs&ure the lo er portion o$ 8u&a s body/ hi&h helps #a5e a #ore natural loo5ing &o#posite !ogive &redit here &redit is due/ the toddler ra#page se=uen&e in this boo5 as partially inspired by anothert o-year-old/ ho ran a&ross our pi&ni& blan5et last "ourth o$ uly +e stor#ed straight through the &entero$ our #eal/ laying aste to paper plates/ plasti& $lat are/ and #arinated &hi&5en 5ebobs ,hen his $ather/

ho as dining ith us/ $inally &aught up ith hi#/ he turned to #e and said/ O+e s @ust li5e >od illa isn the O

attes have been used in $il#s $or years/ and parti&ularly good e'a#ples &an be $ound in the >od illa#ovies o$ the 1? 0s 6ne a$ternoon/ I too5 a brea5 $ro# riting this boo5 and ent to #y $avorite

independent theater/ "il# "oru# on ,est +ouston Street in anhattan/ to see a reissued print o$ theoriginal >od illa not the ; S version ith (ay#ond Burr edited into an other ise all apanese &astE I sat behind t o grade s&hoolLage 5ids/ ho to #y surprise/ loved the #ovie and even re#ar5ed about hoOrealO everything loo5ed During one o$ the &li#a&ti& s&enes/ a #an in a >od illa suit ra#pages through!o5yo this as the part the 5ids li5ed bestE As I at&hed the s&ene/ I reali ed it as a very ell-&onstru&ted #atte !he botto# hal$ o$ the s&reen sho ed an a&tual !o5yo &itys&ape &o#plete ith tra$$i&/$ire$ighters/ and soldiers $leeing the giant #onster !he top hal$ o$ the s&reen sho ed >od illa breathing$ire !he $il# s e$$e&ts designers &reated the &o#posite by &utting a #atte in the shape o$ the tops o$ the buildings in the &itys&ape the original as released in 1? in those days/ people &ut physi&al #attes todivide the $ra#e into #ultiple shotsE Be&ause the e$$e&t displayed t o separately $il#ed a&tions/ the













$il##a5ers &ould sho a&tual #otion-pi&ture $ootage o$ the &ity in one part o$ the s&reen and art$ully adda&tion $ootage o$ >od illa in another !he end result is a &o#posite that holds up to dis&erning audien&es#ore than 0 years a$ter it as $irst released7and ho do you 5no that s #ore &riti&al o$ $il# e$$e&ts thanan 11-year-old

In (o#an Polans5i s Chinato n/ there s a brilliant shot o$ a&5 Ni&holson at&hing a bad guy through a

pair o$ bino&ulars As Ni&holson holds the bino&ulars to his eyes/ the audien&e sees the bad guy s re$le&tiin both lenses (e$le&tions are a great tool $or $il##a5ers7 hether in #irrors/ &ar indshields/ eyeglasses/ or Ni&holson s bino&ulars !hey allo a dire&tor to reveal a&tion to the audien&e in the #ost art$ulo$ ays By at&hing the re$le&tion in the bino&ulars/ audien&e #e#bers $eel li5e they/ too/ are spying onthe villain/ hi&h heightens the dra#a In retaliation $or being Onosy/O the bad guy later &uts o$$ part o$ Ni&holson s nose E !han5s to a digital editing syste# s &o#positing te&hni=ues/ these 5inds o$ e$$e&ts are be&o#ing in&reasingly a&&essible to independents #a5ing s#all-budget produ&tions

As al ays/ &are$ul planning be$orehand goes a long ay Be$ore you go out to shoot/ thin5 about hatshots ill or5 together as &o#posites 8ater/ on&e you re in produ&tion/ thin5 about ho you &an $ra#eshots so they ll or5 as &o#posite ele#ents

"or e'a#ple/ i$ you ant to sho a person s re$le&tion in a pair o$ eyeglasses:

1 Plan and &o#pose a good &lose-up shot to use as your re$le&tion* (e&ord the &lose-up as large as you &an don t try to re&ord the shot at a si e s#all enough to $it

into a pair o$ eyeglass lensesE3 Shrin5 the shot do n to eyeglass si e using the s&aling tools in "inal Cut/ Pre#iere/ or A$ter

)$$e&ts or5ing at $ull si e and then shrin5ing an i#age provides you ith #u&h #ore detail and&ontrol than atte#pting to shoot so#ething really s#allE

!o #a5e the re$le&tions loo5 #ore realisti&/ and less li5e so#ething you pasted in/ try di$$erent&o#posite #odes &o#posite #odes/ hi&h are des&ribed inChapter 11/ deter#ine ho ele#ents blend together hen &o#posited into a shotE

Co#posite the sa#e re$le&tion &lip into both lenses7that ay/ i$ the re$le&tion &ontains#ove#ent/ the a&tion ill be the sa#e on the le$t and the right side

!he &o#positing &apabilities o$ today s prosu#er digital editing progra#s provide you ith a tre#endousa#ount o$ &ontrol over transparen&y/ pla&e#ent/ and even #otion ,or5ing ith a tripod allo s you toshoot stable i#ages and ta5e $ull advantage o$ the &ontrol these digital syste#s a$$ord you as a dire&tor

It al#ost see#s ironi&/ but even though you have all this &o#puter po er at your $ingertips/ so#ething aslo -te&h as a tripod &an #a5e or brea5 your shot I$ you plan to add a #atte ba&5ground/ using a tripod ill#a5e your li$e signi$i&antly easier I$ you shoot a street s&ene and plan to &o#posite another i#age behindthe buildings in your shot/ the pro&ess be&o#es #u&h si#pler hen the &a#era is held steady (egardlesso$ ho #u&h #otion is in the street/ the &o#posite be&o#es in$initely easier i$ the buildings in the ba&5ground don t #ove

!he ne't &hapter introdu&es te&hni=ues to 5eep your &a#era steady hile e'e&uting &o#pli&ated &a#era#ove#ents 8i5e so #any other things in this boo5/ the te&hnology behind the Steadi&a# hi&h enables$il##a5ers to stabili e a &a#era during even the #ost he&ti& a&tion shotsE is no available to you in a prosu#er version !he ne't &hapter sho s you ho to use it

Note: Ca#era angle is another i#portant &onsideration in &reating re$le&tions I$ you plan on &o#positing are$le&tion into a &ar indshield/ $il# the indshield $ro# an angle that #a5es the re$le&tion believable(ather than si#ply $il#ing the &ar s indshield straight on/ you #ight do better shooting $ro# the side/ soyou &an si#ulate ob@e&ts passing by to &reate a $eeling o$ #ove#ent





2ha ter #. -orking 9ith S ecialiBed 2amera MountsStabili ing a oving Ca#era;sing a Ca#era Dolly

+aving at&hed years o$ pro$essionally produ&ed #ovies and television sho s/ audien&es have highe'pe&tations $or hat they see on s&reen7they ta5e $or granted that all &a#era #ove#ents ill be s#oothand every shot ill be steady I$ your &a#era has the slightest sha5e/ people ill noti&e In addition to#astering the te&hni&al aspe&ts o$ digital video $ra#e rate/ aspe&t ratio/ &olor balan&eE/ produ&ing a goosho re=uires pre&ise &a#era &ontrol to get the #otion e$$e&ts you ant

"or years/ this #eant using e'pensive rigs and elaborate setups ranging $ro# spe&ially e=uipped tru&5s/ to&a#eras #ounted on dollies that rolled along a tra&5/ to roboti& &ranes that #oved &a#eras by re#ote&ontrol Needless to say/ these ere not &heap !he a$$ordable options ere to shoot handheld/ hi&hresulted in sha5y i#ages/ or to #ount the &a#era on a stationary tripod/ hi&h produ&ed s#ooth pans andtilts but li#ited #obility !hen &a#e the Steadi&a#

#. . Sta;iliBing a Mo3ing 2amera

A Steadi&a# steadi&a# &o#E/ sho n in "igure 2-1/ is a &a#era stabili ation syste# that #ounts a&a#era on a rig/ &alled a sled/ and balan&es the &a#era using a #onitor and battery pa&5 that hangunderneath and serve as &ounter eights !he rig lo ers the &a#era s &enter o$ gravity/ and the design o$ theSteadi&a# isolates the &a#era itsel$ $ro# the operator s #ove#ent

Figure #$ . 8 Steadicam and its o erator.

In the $ull/ pro$essional versions/ the Steadi&a# atta&hes to a harness/ hi&h distributes the &a#era s eightand allo s a &ine#atographer to operate a large/ heavy &a#era $or e'tended periods o$ ti#e )ven ith theharness/ Steadi&a# operators have to be $airly physi&ally strong E !he Steadi&a# sled &onne&ts to theharness through a spring-loaded ar# that enables an operator to #ove $reely ithout &ausing any &a#era bobbles/ or sha5y i#ages a pra&ti&ed operator &an even run or &li#b stairsE !he resulting shots loo5 as i$they ere &aptured by a &a#era $loating in #idair A talented &ine#atographer &an a&hieve $airly stable



http://www.steadicam.com/






results ith a handheld &a#era/ but in &lose-up shots/ even the slightest &a#era #ove#ent be&o#esespe&ially noti&eable

A high-end Steadi&a# is by no #eans &heap the list pri&e $or the top #odel is #ore than K2 /000/ but iththe advent o$ high-=uality prosu#er D% &a#&orders/ the &o#pany began to o$$er #ore a$$ordable #odels!he s&aled-do n Steadi&a# ini/ $or &a#eras that eigh to 1 lbs su&h as the 2 lb Cannon J8*E lists

$or K / 00 !here s also a handheld Steadi&a# ( $or &a#eras lbs or less su&h as the Sony %J*100 or thPanasoni& A>D%J100AE !he Steadi&a# (/ hi&h does not atta&h to a harness/ lists $or ell underK1/000/ $alling solidly into the prosu#er pri&e range

!he Steadi&a# ( s setup #anual available online $ree o$ &harge at http:GG steadi&a# &o#E &o#paresthe $un&tion o$ a Steadi&a# to balan&ing a &ereal bo l on the tip o$ your $inger/ as in "igure 2-* !he#anual e'plains that balan&ing the bo l is di$$i&ult/ be&ause its &enter o$ gravity is higher than your $ingerI$ you turn the bo l upside do n/ the #anual points out/ balan&ing the bo l be&o#es signi$i&antly easier

even hile #oving your handE be&ause the bo l s &enter o$ gravity is lo er than the tip o$ your $inger)ven i$ you have no interest in balan&ing a bo l on your $inger/ the &o#parison provides a greate'planation o$ the prin&iples behind the Steadi&a# s operation Pla&ing the eight o$ a #onitor and battery pa&5 at the botto# o$ the rig helps balan&e the eight o$ the &a#era on top/ #a5ing it easier to stabili e

Figure #$!. 8 erson attem ting to ;alance a ;o9l on the ti o a inger. In the irst image, the ;o9l is u right,and the erson's inger is on the ;ottom o the ;o9l on the outside. In the second image, the ;o9lhas ;een turned u side do9n, and the erson's inger is inside the ;o9l, 9hich lo9ers the ;o9l's

center o gra3ity and makes it easier to ;alance.






In both the handheld and body-#ounted versions/ the sled &onne&ts to the rest o$ the rig through a gi#ble/hi&h provides a $ull/ $le'ible range o$ #ove#ent !he &onstru&tion o$ the gi#ble/ hi&h Steadi&a#

operator 8ou (osenberg des&ribes as the OgutsO o$ the Steadi&a#/ enables an operator to s#oothly tilt a&a#era $or ard and ba&5 ard/ lean it $ro# side to side/ pan the &a#era as i$ it ere on a tripod/ or e'e&uteany o$ these #oves in &o#bination A gi#ble is sho n in"igure 2-3

Figure #$*. he gim;le is the guts o the Steadicam.



Steadi&a# is a brand na#e that/ in everyday spee&h/ has erroneously be&o#e a generi& ord $or any type o$ devi&e that 5eeps a &a#era stable during &o#ple' #ove#ents7#u&h li5e 9leene' has &o#e to #eantissue So#e &o#panies love this It #eans they are at the top o$ their $ield 6thers hate it and $eel itdilutes their trade#ar5 E 6ther &o#panies o$$er &o#peting stabili ation syste#s/ both handheld and harness based "or e'a#ple/ a &o#pany &alled >lide&a# sells the >lide&a# *000 Pro handheld stabili er $or&a#eras that eigh up to 2 lbs/ and the handheld >lide&a# 000 Pro $or &a#eras that eigh to 10 lbs!hese t o syste#s retail $or K32? and K ??/ respe&tively !he sa#e &o#pany also sells the >lide&a# %-</ aharness #ounted syste# $or &a#eras that eigh up to 10 lbs/ hi&h lists $or less than K3/000 6ther&o#panies/ su&h as %ari oo# and +olly ood 8ite/ also o$$er si#ilar produ&ts

Note: !here is a eb site &alled OK1 Steady&a# Qsi&R7!he Poor an s Steadi&a#O http:GG -* &s &#u eduG @ohnnyGsteady&a#GE that sho s you ho to build your o n &a#era stabili ation devi&e !hesite gets its na#e be&ause the parts/ #ost o$ hi&h are available at your lo&al hard are store/ &ost aboutK1 ,hile this isn t a true Steadi&a# OSteadi&a#O is a trade#ar5 o$ the !he !i$$en Co#pany/ 88CE/ thisOK1 Steady&a#O o$$ers a possible lo -budget solution/ espe&ially i$ you li5e to build things yoursel$

!he advent o$ the Steadi&a# introdu&ed a ne 5ind o$ shooting In love s&enes and #usi& videos/ it s be&o#e &o##on to see the &a#era #a5e s#ooth 320 degree revolutions around the star/ providing adi yingly beauti$ul shot that never ould have been possible ithout a stabili ation syste# that as easyto #ove In the pre-Steadi&a# era/ $il##a5ers &ould &ir&le around a sub@e&t by #ounting the &a#era on adolly/ and pla&ing the dolly on a &ir&ular tra&5 !ra&5-#ounted dollies &an #ove in e'tre#ely s#ooth&ir&les/ so a dire&tor using one &ould get great shots/ but the &ir&ular #ove#ent as $i'ed7the &a#era&ould only #ove around the set path o$ the tra&5/ and i$ the a&tor #oved beyond the &ir&u#$eren&e o$ thetra&5 the shot ouldn t or5 I$ a dire&tor anted to stage shots in #ore than one lo&ation/ or $ro# #ultipleangles/ the &re ould have to reasse#ble the tra&5 $or ea&h ne shot As you &an i#agine/ this li#ited thetype o$ shots available to a dire&tor/ even in the #ost &are$ully staged produ&tion/ and #ade the use o$tra&5ing shots generally i#pra&ti&al $or #ost do&u#entary or5

!he Steadi&a# and >lide&a#/ ho ever/ enabled s#ooth #ove#ent through &ro ds stable &a#era or5 onuneven sur$a&es li5e stairs or outdoors on rough terrain and &reated a hole ne type o$ &hase s&ene herthe Steadi&a# operator runs along side the a&tors ithout sha5ing the &a#era !he Steadi&a# has also

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/steadycam/






enabled $il##a5ers to shoot great tra&5ing shots $ro# any type o$ &ar/ pi&5up tru&5/ or #otor&y&le/ even$ro# a gol$ &art 8arge-budget shoots o$ten e#ploy &ranes or &herry pi&5ers $or aerial shots/ and art$ul&ine#atographers &an &o#bine the# ith a Steadi&a# to get truly i#pressive results7#ore than oneepisode o$ )( &ontains a breath-ta5ing shot &aptured by a Steadi&a# operator ho al5s onto or steps o$$o$ a #oving &rane part ay through a ta5e

A$$ordable &a#era stabili ation has also #ade its #ar5 on s#all-budget independent or5s/ student $il#s/and even eddings and birthday party videos "luid/ stable shots have be&o#e the nor# to su&h an e'tentthat @er5y &a#era #ove#ent is o$ten reserved $or espe&ially &haoti& &hase s&enes or $or building tension ihorror $il#s In !he Shining/ dire&tor Stanley 9ubri&5 $ollo ed his young protagonist ith a slightly

obbly &a#era as he rode laps around the e#pty hotel on his lo -rider tri&y&le/ evo5ing re#ar5ablyunsettling $eelings in his audien&e long be$ore anything overtly $rightening sho ed up ons&reen Stable&a#era or5 has be&o#e su&h a &onvention that the Coen brothers invented a Sha5y-&a#/ a &a#era#ounted on a plan5 o$ ood ith a person holding ea&h end/ designed to produ&e noti&eably un-Steadi&a#li5e i#ages $or dra#ati& e$$e&t

SID>/8R ruck Versus Dolly

ust as there are na#es $or di$$erent $ra#ings $or e'a#ple/ S/ C;/ )C;/ and others des&ribedin Chapter 3E/ there are na#es $or di$$erent &a#era #ove#ents any o$ the na#es &o#e $ro#the e=uip#ent traditionally used to e'e&ute a spe&i$i& type o$ #ove#ent/ su&h as a tru&5 or adolly ,ith the advent o$ stabili ation devi&es li5e the Steadi&a#/ tru&5ing shots and dolly shots&an no be #ade ithout an a&tual tru&5 or a dolly/ but the na#es still hold

A tru&5ing shot si#ulates the #ove#ent o$ a &a#era #ounted on a tru&5/ and #oves the &a#era parallel to the a&tion !ru&5ing shots don t ne&essarily #ove the &a#era &loser to or $arther a ay

$ro# a sub@e&t A dire&tor #ight as5 a Steadi&a# operator to tru&5 $ro# le$t to right a&ross aroo#





A dolly shot #oves a &a#era &loser to or $arther a ay $ro# the sub@e&t As you &an guess $ro#the na#e/ it si#ulates the #ove#ent o$ a &a#era #ounted on a dolly !o Odolly in/O is to #oveto ard so#ething/ to Odolly out/O is to #ove a ay See O;sing a Ca#era DollyO later in this&hapter E

Dolly and tru&5 shots &an also be used in &o#bination ith pans and tilts A pan #oves the lenso$ a &a#era $ro# side to side a tilt #oves the lens up or do n

I$ you re not satis$ied ith leaning a stabili ed &a#&order outside a &ar indo to get a shot/ >lide&a#o$$ers a vehi&le #ount you &an use to a$$i' your >lide&a# %-< to the outside o$ a tru&5 or another #ovingvehi&le7it atta&hes the >lide&a# to a $i'ed/ vehi&le-#ounted post instead o$ a harness orn by a&ine#atographer !his is an a$$ordable ay to get an a&tual tru&5ing shot

I$ you ant to si#ply atta&h a &a#era to the outside o$ a &ar/ you &an buy so#ething &alled a OSti&5y PodO$or slightly #ore than K100/ hi&h a$$i'es a &a#era to the outside o$ a vehi&le using su&tion &ups yes/su&tion &ups7I don t 5no anyone ho s used one so I # not endorsing it/ I # @ust $as&inated by the ideaE!he Sti&5y Pod #ounts a &a#era on a post "igure 2- E/ hi&h is atta&hed to a s#all plat$or# ith su&tion&ups at the &orners !he &o#pany advertises that its produ&t O ill sti&5 to any &ar/ tru&5/ boat/ plane/ or#otor&y&le/O and stay put at speeds o$ #ore than 110 #iles per hour I$ you re orried about losing ane'pensive &a#era at high speeds/ hi&h is not an unreasonable $ear/ you &an #ount a &a#era inside a &ar$a&ing your a&tors or the road .ou &ould also try using an older or &heaper &a#era and a&&epting the ris5 7you #ight get so#e great tape/ i$ it doesn t &ost you your &a#era E

he +OV Shot

!he ter# P6% #eans a shot ta5en $ro# the point o$ vie o$ a &hara&ter in a $il# (ather than

si#ply displaying a &hara&ter on a s&reen/ a $il##a5er &an use P6% shots to dra the audien&e$urther into the a&tion By sho ing the orld through the eyes o$ so#eone in the $il#/ a P6%shot &an add layers o$ &o#ple'ity/ detail/ and po er to a se=uen&e Spi5e on e uses a greatP6% shot at the end o$ Being ohn al5ovi&h E

A Steadi&a# is espe&ially help$ul $or &reating P6% shots be&ause it provides a &a#era operatorith tre#endous $le'ibility and &ontrol A good Steadi&a# operator &an reprodu&e a $ull range o$

a&tors #ove#ents in&luding al5ing into a roo#/ &li#bing stairs/ and even &hasing or runninga ay $ro# so#eoneE that &an help audien&es $eel li5e they re part o$ the story



Figure #$(. -ith the aid o suction cu s, a Sticky +od attaches a camera to a 3ehicle.

ounting a &a#era inside or outside a &ar enables you to ta5e point-o$-vie shots o$ the vehi&le #ovingthrough tra$$i&/ or o$ the driver and passengers through the &ar s indo s Shooting $ro# outside throughthe indshield o$ a #oving &ar enables you to &apture great re$le&tions that add to the realis# o$ a shot 6$&ourse/ you also have the option o$ $il#ing a stationary &ar and &o#positing in re$le&tions or dra#ati&&hro#a 5ey ba&5grounds seeChapters and 1*E Dire&tors o$ten &o#bine Steadi&a# $ootage ith &hro#a5ey e$$e&ts to &reate driving se=uen&es this provides #ore &ontrol to the $il##a5er and helps sa$eguardagainst high-speed &rashes !he e$$e&ts don t have to loo5 $a5e/ espe&ially i$ you re &are$ul about lightinand other &onsiderations #entioned in Chapter u&h o$ !he "ast and the "urious as shot using&o#posite te&hni=ues to avoid pla&ing the &ast and &re in overly dangerous situations/ and it still loo5sreally &ool

Both Steadi&a# and >lide&a# o$$er Olo #ountO atta&h#ents/ to help you shoot stable $ootage at loangles !hese &an be espe&ially help$ul $or shooting ground-level shots/ $or e'a#ple/ $il#ing s#all ani#alsat their eye level/ or shooting lo -angle shots o$ your a&tors7shots o$ $ootsteps #oving to ard or a ay$ro# the &a#era are staples in suspense $il#s I$ your shoot &alls $or stationary lo shots you &an also use ashort tripod/ o$ten re$erred to as a set o$ Obaby legs O Baby legs o$$er the sa#e bene$it as a tripod/ butthey re #u&h shorter/ so they enable you to stabili e a &a#era only a $e in&hes o$$ the ground/ as in"igure2- !hey also &ost &onsiderably less than a Steadi&a# or >lide&a# E I$ you don t have baby legs availableyou &an stabili e a &a#era by nestling it in so#e sandbags/ or even/ in a pin&h/ edging it bet een so#e&oats or @a&5ets In the days be$ore a$$ordable Steadi&a#-type stabili ers/ I #ade a student $il# that opened

ith a shot $ro# a &ar driving do n a pal# treeLlined road A &lass#ate $il#ed the shot by leaning out













through the &ar s sunroo$ holding a 12 ## $il# &a#era against a sandbag %ery lo te&h/ and ratherun&o#$ortable $or #y &lass#ate/ but the shot turned out great

Figure #$%. /a;y legs, essentially a short tri od.

>lide&a# also sells a portable &a#era &rane/ the Ca#&rane *00 "igure 2-2E/ that #ounts on a tripod andallo s you to raise and lo er your &a#era hile #oving it in 320-degree ar&s It retails $or less than K 0Ca#era &ranes e'tend the range o$ your &ine#atographer by pla&ing a &a#era at the end o$ an ad@ustable boo# !his enables $il##a5ers to #ove a &a#era into parts o$ a s&ene here a &a#era operator #ight get

in the ay/ or to si#ply $il# $ro# an angle beyond a &ine#atographer s physi&al rea&h A &o#pany &alledPorta- ib porta-@ib &o#E #a5es a #ore sophisti&ated and #ore e'pensiveE @ib ar#-type &rane thatenables &ine#atographers to e'tend and retra&t the &rane s ar# during a shot/ dra#ati&ally e'panding the possible options !he Porta- ib is pri&ed at the higher end o$ prosu#er produ&ts it lists $or #ore thanK*/000E but #ight be orth e'ploring i$ you $eel it ould really help your $il#

Figure #$#. he 2amcrane !"".

http://www.porta-jib.com/

http://www.porta-jib.com/



Both the Ca#&rane and Porta- ib &an be used in stationary lo&ations or on &a#era dollies thata&&o##odate a tripod 8os#andy/ the sa#e &o#pany that #a5es the Porta- ib/ also sells a Spider Dolly"igure 2-4E/ hi&h is essentially a base that a&&o##odates a tripod $or tra&5ing shots 8os#andy sells

both three- and $our- heeled versions o$ the Spider Dolly )ither &an be used on a tra&5 or ith $loorheels si#ilar to the heels on a super#ar5et shopping &art but designed to #ove #u&h #ore s#oothlyE

As you #ay have guessed/ the &o#pany also sells tra&5 !heir "le'!ra&5 &o#es in 0-$oot spools that$il##a5ers &an position in straight or &urved paths A&&ording to the &o#pany/ a looped 0-$oot se&tion o$tra&5 provides a 14-$oot run .ou &an also pla&e t o 0-$oot pie&es end to end $or really long tra&5ingshots A three-leg Spider Dolly lists $or about K1/000 the dolly ith $loor heels &osts slightly #ore thanthe tra&5 versionE !he $our- heel dolly lists $or #ore than K3/000 and &o#es ith a rideable plat$or# ands iveling seat/ so your &a#era operator &an ride along ith the &a#era and turn as needed

SID>/8R Finding an >=ui ment Rental 6ouse in 7our 8rea



Not all e=uip#ent rental $a&ilities are orth your business So#e #ay rent out older or evenda#aged e=uip#ent/ so#e #ay not ant to or5 ith an independent on a s#all budget As5around be$ore you rent/ and don t aste your ti#e or #oney on a business i$ so#eone you 5nohad a bad e'perien&e ith the#

+ere are so#e tips to aid you in $inding a rental house:

• oin a pro$essional asso&iation o$ $il##a5ers So#e rent e=uip#ent to #e#bers atdis&ounted pri&es/ and #ost help you get dis&ounts on rentals/ tape sto&5/ and pro$essional servi&es $ro# other businesses in your area !he "il# Arts "oundation

$il#arts orgE and Bay Area %ideo Coalition bav& orgE in San "ran&is&o/Asso&iation o$ Independent %ideo and "il##a5ers aiv$ orgE in Ne .or5/ andInternational Do&u#entary Asso&iation in 8os Angeles do&u#entary orgE are alllarge organi ations open to #e#bership $ro# people around the orld

• Conta&t a lo&al arts organi ation and as5 i$ they have any re&o##endations !here arelo&al organi ations $ro# the biggest &ities to s#all to ns a&ross the &ountry Chan&esare so#ebody at the lo&al o$$i&e ill have so#e good suggestions/ or at least be able to point you in the right dire&tion

• As5 your $riends !he people you 5no are al ays your greatest resour&e I$ you have$riends ho ve rented e=uip#ent/ as5 ho they rented $ro# and hat their e'perien&e

as li5e7it s the best ay to get a straight ans er

Figure #$). 8 5osmandy S ider Dolly and track.

ust about any pie&e o$ $il##a5ing e=uip#ent &an be rented by the day or the ee5 see O"inding an)=uip#ent (ental +ouse in .our AreaOE )ven i$ you live in a $airly s#all &ity/ there s #ore than li5ely arental house nearby i$ you live in &o##uting distan&e o$ Ne .or5 or 8os Angeles you #ay have #orerental options than you 5no hat to do ithE Depending on your &ir&u#stan&es/ renting e=uip#ent &an be $ar #ore &ost e$$e&tive than pur&hasing "or e'a#ple/ i$ you only need to use a K3/000 dolly $or one day/it doesn t #a5e too #u&h sense to buy it )ven i$ you 5no you ll be using an ite# o$ten enough to @usti$y a pur&hase/ you #ight still ant to rent one and use it in the $ield be$ore you &o##it to a parti&ular #odel or brand

http://www.filmarts.org/


http://www.bavc.org/

http://www.aivf.org/

http://www.documentary.org/


http://www.bavc.org/

http://www.aivf.org/




#.!. 4sing a 2amera Dolly

!he arrival o$ the Steadi&a# on #ovie sets has by no #eans #ade the &a#era dolly obsolete So#e o$independent $il# s #ost &reative dire&tors &ontinue to use dolly shots to a&hieve spe&i$i& e$$e&ts

!here s a 5ey s&ene in Spi5e 8ee s * th +our/ hen a 14-year-old high s&hool student played by Anna

Pa=uin glides drea#ily through a night&lub on her ay to sedu&ing her a 5 ardly boo5ish )nglish tea&her/ played by Philip Sey#our +o$$#an Pa=uin is standing on the sa#e dolly as the &a#era/ hi&h $ra#es her$ro# the &hest up/ so she #aintains a $i'ed distan&e $ro# the &a#era as the $urniture and the people in the&lub #ove around her She see#s to $loat As she #oves/ the a#bient light on her $a&e &hanges ith hersurroundings/ highlighting the surreal #otion7i$ she ere al5ing/ the &a#era ouldn t re#ain at her per$e&t eye level through the entire shot/ and the distan&e bet een her and the &a#era ould &hangeslightly as she too5 ea&h step 8ee is a big $an o$ this 5ind o$ shot he in&ludes one in @ust about all o$ his$il#sE and uses the a&tor-on-dolly te&hni=ue again as the s&ene inds do n !he ne't ti#e/ +o$$#an standson the dolly staring up at the &a#era/ loo5ing seasi&5 and be#used as the &a#era #oves ith hi# a ay$ro# the bathroo# here he has @ust &lu#sily 5issed his student As he glides through spa&e ith the&a#era/ +o$$#an stands still/ holding the sa#e $a&ial e'pression and not #oving his body at all !he shot produ&es a si#ilarly surreal e$$e&t as Pa=uin s earlier dolly appearan&e but ith #u&h dar5er e#otionalovertones

artin S&orsese uses si#ilar dolly te&hni=ues in his $il#s/ &areening through a bar ith a drun5en (obertDeNiro in ean Streets/ and using a point-o$-vie dolly shot in >ood$ellas to introdu&e the audien&e to thee'tended $a#ily o$ #obsters as (ay 8iotta narrates 8ee and S&orsese use these te&hni=ues to dra theaudien&e in and #a5e people $eel li5e they re part o$ the a&tion they re at&hing ons&reen In >ood$ellas/the #obsters all loo5 slightly o$$ &a#era as they say hello to 8iotta s &hara&ter/ +enry +ill !he audien&esees the a&tion/ and vie ers $eel as i$ they ere al5ing through the bar along side 8iotta/ living the story$irsthand

;sing shots li5e these doesn t in itsel$ #a5e you the ne't Spi5e 8ee or artin S&orsese their or5 also&ontains a $air a#ount o$ &ine#ati& genius/ not to #ention tight riting/ and stellar a&torsE/ but thin5ingabout &a#era or5 is a great ay to de$ine the visual $eel o$ your $il#

8ee and S&orsese are also both #asters o$ using audio to tell a story !heir $il#s #a5e e'&eptional use o$sound as a tool to #ove a story $or ard and engage an audien&e .ou &an do the sa#e thing !he ne't&hapter o$ this boo5 e'plores the history o$ audio re&ording in $il# and video and introdu&es various audio produ&tion &on&epts available to you as a $il##a5er Chapter < e'a#ines ays you &an use audioe=uip#ent to #a5e sure your $il# sounds as good as you ant it to

SID>/8R 1eogatiating a +rice

All rental houses have a &ard rate/ hi&h they generally post on their eb site !his is theadvertised rate at hi&h they rent out e=uip#ent/ but o$ten it s @ust a starting point $or dis&ussion!he $ollo ing tips ill help you get the #ost $or your #oney:

•

8oo5 up the &ard rate $or ea&h rental house be$ore you &all/ so you 5no theiradvertised pri&e be$ore you tal5 to a rental agent• Al ays as5 $or a lo er pri&e (ental agents get paid on &o##ission/ and they all 5no

they re better o$$ renting so#ething to you at a lo er pri&e than letting it sit on a shel$I$ you as5 ni&ely and be&o#e a repeat &usto#er o$ the sa#e agent/ he #ay even o$$eryou bigger dis&ounts in the $uture to 5eep your business

• I$ you rent on a "riday/ rental houses o$ten let you 5eep the e=uip#ent over theee5end and only &harge you $or a one-day rental Shooting on the ee5ends &an bring

your rental &osts ay do n






• (ental houses generally or5 on a $our-day ee5/ #eaning that i$ you rent $or a $ullee5 onday through "ridayE/ they only &harge you $or $our days instead o$ $ive I$

you rent $or a $ull ee5/ a good rental house ill also let you 5eep the e=uip#ent overthe ee5end at no additional &harge I$ you &an &onsolidate your s&hedule and shootover several &onse&utive days in a one- ee5 period/ instead o$ s&heduling isolated one-day shoots/ you &an save yoursel$ &onsiderable a#ounts o$ #oney

• Don t pay $or days hen you re not shooting I$ you have an early #orning shoot/ agood rental house ill let you pi&5 up the e=uip#ent the day be$ore and &harge youonly $or the day you shoot

• Che&5 all the e=uip#ent at the rental house hen you pi&5 it up and be sure it or5s be$ore you leave the building )ven a good rental house ill so#eti#es #a5e a #ista5eand ill gladly $i' an order that isn t right Also/ i$ a pie&e o$ e=uip#ent is da#aged orso#ething is #issing $ro# your order/ let the sta$$ 5no be$ore you leave7i$ you don t/you have no ay to prove you re not at $ault

• Bring the e=uip#ent ba&5 on ti#e both to avoid late &harges and to establish yoursel$as a good &usto#erE and al ays get a re&eipt

2ha ter ). Recording 8udio, an O3er3ie9Syn&-Sound "ield (e&ording and the Birth o$ Cine#a %erite!he I#pa&t o$ the Ca#&order Current (e&ording 6ptions

"il# doesn t re&ord sound ust li5e audio tape doesn t &apture i#ages/ 3 ## and 12 ## $il# si#ply don t&apture any audio ;nli5e or5ing in D%/ hi&h &aptures i#ages and sound together/ dire&tors shooting$il# have al ays &aptured pi&ture and audio separately/ using #ultiple pie&es o$ e=uip#ent Althoughdigital video no enables $il##a5ers to re&ord i#ages and sound to the sa#e tape/ #any $il##a5ers stilluse spe&iali ed audio-re&ording e=uip#ent/ be&ause it provides greater &ontrol and $le'ibility

In addition/ dire&tors o$ten re&ord a s&ene/ and then a$ter vie ing the $ootage/ de&ide to re&ord additionalaudio to aug#ent the sound design o$ a se=uen&e !he sounds o$ daily li$e aren t al ays as dra#ati& as adire&tor ould li5e the# to be/ so the idea o$ sound design is to &onstru&t an audio environ#ent that#at&hes the e#otional &ontent o$ a $il# !his has been done sin&e the earliest days o$ #odern $il# produ&tion/ and is su&h an e$$e&tive te&hni=ue it s still idely used today/ even by people ho shoot D%

$or #ore detail/ seeChapter 14E At the sa#e ti#e/ re&ording i#ages and sound separately adds layers o$te&hni&al &o#ple'ity to a produ&tion

I$ pi&ture and audio aren t re&orded at pre&isely the sa#e speed/ they on t loo5 right hen played ba&5 $oan audien&e Slight di$$eren&es in re&ording speed be&o#e noti&eable right a ay/ and the di$$eren&e be&o#es that #u&h #ore pronoun&ed over the length o$ a shot7the longer a shot goes on/ the $urther theaudio and pi&ture ill dri$t apart I$ a shot &ontains people spea5ing and the audio and i#ages are re&ordedat di$$erent speeds/ the dialog on t #at&h the lip #ove#ents/ and even the #ost inattentive audien&e illnoti&e It is also #u&h #ore noti&eable in &lose-up shots than $ro# $arther a ay E !o prevent re&ording an playba&5 proble#s/ $il# &a#eras and the audio re&ording devi&es they re used ith are syn&hroni ed also&alled syn&ed/ also spelled syn&hed/ both are pronoun&ed Osin5edOE/ so their re&ording speed re#ains&onstant and the #aterial they &apture re#ains in syn&

Syn&hroni ed sound/ also 5no n as syn&-sound/ is an integral ele#ent o$ $il# produ&tion and has beensin&e silent $il#s ere repla&ed by Otal5iesO years ago In #any ays/ the i#pedi#ent to sound in #otion pi&tures asn t really the di$$i&ulty o$ re&ording audio but the di$$i&ulty o$ 5eeping the audio in syn&

!ho#as )dison invented the phonograph in 1<44/ and it be&a#e idely available in the early part o$ the*0th &entury/ but asn t suitable $or use in #ovies/ be&ause it didn t allo $or syn&hroni ation ith $il# E)ven a$ter the introdu&tion o$ syn&-sound in #otion pi&tures/ it ould be de&ades be$ore portable syn&-












sound produ&tion e=uip#ent be&a#e available 8o&ation sound re&ording as indeed possible/ but itre=uired large and heavy e=uip#ent that #ade the pro&ess #u&h #ore laborious and #u&h #ore e'pensive

Note: Crystal-syn&ed shoots still re=uired $il##a5ers to slate ea&h ta5e/ and then #anually align the pi&ture and audio in post-produ&tion see O aintaining syn&O inChapter <E Be&ause it provided an

a$$ordable ay to ensure i#age and sound ould be re&orded at the e'a&t sa#e speed/ the te&hnology #adesyn&-sound re&ording #u&h #ore a&&essible

). . Sync$Sound Field Recording and the /irth o 2inema Verite

In the early 1?20s/ engineers developed portable syn&-sound te&hnology that $orever &hanged the ay people #a5e $il#s/ and set the stage $or the s#all &re s and #obile $il##a5ing style e#ployed by today sD% $il##a5ers In 1?2*/ a S iss &o#pany &alled Nagra introdu&ed a portable reel-to-reel tape re&order

ith pilot syste# that allo ed it to #aintain syn& ith a $il# &a#era !he pilot used &rystal syn&te&hnology7the Nagra re&order and the &a#era ea&h &ontained a =uart &rystal that resonated at a pre&iseand identi&al $re=uen&y/ and allo ed both devi&es to operate at the sa#e/ &onstant speed the idea is si#ilar to the ay a =uart &rystal helps a rist- at&h 5eep a&&urate ti#eE Be&ause the &rystals don t need to be physi&ally &onne&ted/ the &a#era and the Nagra operated e$$e&tively ithout being &onne&ted by ires/allo ing the &ine#atographer and sound re&ordist to or5 in the $ield ithout being tethered to ea&h other by &ables

6n&e #ounted in s#all/ ine'pensive 12 ## &a#eras li5e the Bole' "igure 4-1E/ &rystal-&ontrolled pilotsenabled a $il##a5er to be truly #obile Independent produ&ers still love the Bole' be&ause it s a$$ordableand easy to use Iara 8ee used one to shoot observational #aterial $or odulations E ,ith the advent o$a$$ordable/ portable &rystal syn& re&ording/ t o or three people &ould go any here and #a5e a pro$essional=uality syn&-sound produ&tion ithout the e'pense o$ a large &re or &u#berso#e e=uip#ent

Figure )$ . 8 # mm /ole? camera and an older model 1agra reel$to$reel audio ta e recorder.

!e&hnologi&al develop#ents had si#ultaneously redu&ed the &osts o$ #a5ing a $il# hile providing$il##a5ers ith greater $reedo# than ever be$ore !he advent o$ 12 ## syn&-sound produ&tion helpedgive rise to ne styles o$ $il##a5ing/ both in do&u#entary see the sidebar/ O%erite and !elevision/ !henand No OE and in $i&tion $il# as ell !he "ren&h Ne ,ave/ or la Nouvelle %ague/ developed at the sa#eti#e as portable syn& re&ording and as/ at least in part/ enabled by the te&hnology 8ed by dire&tors"ranTois !ru$$aut/ ean-8u& >odard I #ention >odard s re&ent $il# Notre usi=ue inChapter 14 he also








dire&ted U bout de sou$$lF/ or Breathless/ in 1?20 and Bande V part/ or Band o$ 6utsiders/ in 1?2 E/ ClaudeChabrol/ and Alain (esnais/ a#ong others/ the Ne ,ave #ade e'tensive use o$ lo&ation shooting usingavailable light as opposed to lighting added spe&i$i&ally $or the $il#E and audio re&orded in the $ield asopposed to studio re&ordings #ade under #ore &ontrolled &onditionsE

SID>/8R VeritK and ele3ision, hen and 1o9

Portable syn& te&hnology gave rise to a ne type o$ $il##a5ing &alled dire&t &ine#a/ or &inF#avFritF/ hi&h #eans O&ine#a o$ truthO in "ren&h !he idea o$ verite $il##a5ing is that be&ausethe result is a syn&-sound $il# &apturing events as they a&tually happen in $ront o$ the &a#era/ itrepresents a dire&t sli&e o$ li$e unin$luen&ed by the point o$ vie o$ its &reator !he a#ount o$a&tual OtruthO in inF#a vFritF has sin&e been debated7any pro@e&t re=uires interpretation andeditorial de&ision #a5ing/ both o$ hi&h undeniably shape its &ontent E

So#e o$ the earliest $il##a5ers to e'peri#ent ith &inF#a vFritF or5ed in the ne lydeveloping #ediu# o$ television/ and their pro@e&ts =ui&5ly began #a5ing their ay onto theair aves !elevision net or5s had al ays used syn&-sound e=uip#ent to &reate their progra##ing/ but the e=uip#ent as li#ited to the studio be&ause it asn t portable CinF#avFritF/ aided by portable audio re&orders su&h as the Nagra/ enabled television produ&ers to&reate sho s in the real orld and bring the# to the s&reen ,hile there are signi$i&antdi$$eren&es bet een the $ollo ing or5s and sho s li5e Survivor/ none ould be possible

ithout portable syn&-sound te&hnology:

• !he Chair/ (obert Dre 1?23E/ &hroni&les the last days o$ a death ro in#ate on hisay to the ele&tri& &hair !his or5 &reated the O ill heG on t heO genre o$

do&u#entary !he in#ate and his attorneys atte#pt to stop the e'e&ution be$ore it s toolate/ hile the audien&e at&hing the $il# aits to see i$ they ll be su&&ess$ul or not

• Don t 8oo5 Ba&5/ D A Penneba5er 1?24E/ do&u#ents Bob Dylan s 1?2 tour and8onely Boy/ ,ol$ 9oenig and (o#an 9roitor 1?2*E/ do&u#ents the li$e and or5 o$ ayoung Paul An5a !hese $il#s &reated a ne genre &hroni&ling the orld o$ pop starson and o$$ stage 8ong be$ore Behind the usi&/ these t o $il#s brought audien&es ba&5stage hile thousands o$ teenage girls s&rea#ed outside Don t 8oo5 Ba&5 also&ontains a #usi&al se=uen&e a silent Dylan holds up hand- ritten signs &ontaining hislyri&s instead o$ singing the#E that has sin&e been appropriated in #usi& videos by a&tsranging $ro# the <0s ro&5 group/ INJS/ to the hip-hop artist/ Co##on

• 8a and 6rder/ "rederi&5 ,ise#an 1?2?E/ hi&h a#ong other things sho ed a poli&edete&tive &ho5ing a prostitute/ sho&5ed audien&es ith its portrayal o$ la en$or&e#ent$ro# the point o$ vie o$ the o$$i&ers it $ollo s !his $il# &learly brought audien&esinto environ#ents #ost never ould have seen/ and in #any ays/ paved the ay $or&urrent popular !% sho s su&h as Cops

• An A#eri&an "a#ily/ Alan (ay#ond/ Susan (ay#ond 1?43E/ as a television

do&u#entary series $ollo ing a $a#ily na#ed the 8ouds through their do#esti& travailsand an eventual divor&e 6ne &hild &a#e out as gay to his sho&5ed $a#ily/ and the i$eas5ed $or a divor&e7all as A#eri&a at&hed !his sho as so novel that/ even thoughthe produ&ers identi$ied the 8ouds as a&tual people/ revie ers still rote about the# as&hara&ters and suggested ays the sho s riters &ould #a5e the# #ore interesting!his sho is easily the progenitor o$ #odern reality television $ro# !he (eal ,orld on

"or the $irst ti#e/ $il##a5ers &ould transport audien&es into real#s too inti#ate $or a large &re / su&h as a person s ho#e/ or lo&ations too re#ote to a&&o##odate a large produ&tion/ su&h as the depths o$ a



rain$orest or the top o$ a #ountain !he results ere very si#ilar to hat e see in D% $il##a5ing today7 people ho &ould never be$ore a$$ord to #a5e $il#s be&a#e $il##a5ers/ and people ho ere already#a5ing $il#s ta&5led sub@e&ts that ere previously outside their rea&h

).!. he Im act o the 2amcorder

Be&ause video re&ords sound and i#age onto the sa#e tape/ #aintaining syn& be&o#es #u&h less o$ anissue than in $il# produ&tion I$ you re re&ording audio ith a &a#&order s onboard/ or built-in/#i&rophone/ you re pretty #u&h guaranteed audio that syn&s up ithout issue/ though the audio =uality illli5ely su$$er/ as the #i& &an pi&5 up the &a#era #otor sound and #ight be too $ar $ro# the sub@e&ts tosound great I$ you use e'ternal #i&rophones to get better sound re&ordings/ you &an also re&ord their audiodire&tly to your video &assette using a variety o$ #ethods des&ribed in the ne't &hapter ;nless you run intoreal proble#s/ you on t need to orry about your audio $alling out o$ syn&/ be&ause the sa#e devi&e is&apturing both pi&ture and sound Chapter < e'plores te&hni=ues $or #aintaining syn& hen re&ordingaudio to other devi&es E

In addition to the bene$its o$ syn&/ be&ause D% tapes are &heap and easy to &hange/ you &an leave the&a#era on and &ontinue to re&ord sound even as your &ine#atographer e'peri#ents ith di$$erent $ra#ingsor al5s $ro# one part o$ the roo# to another I$ you re shooting a do&u#entary/ this &an be invaluable/

be&ause the best #o#ents o$ten happen hen you aren t e'pe&ting the#/ and i$ you re&ord good audio/ you&an pie&e together a strong se=uen&e even i$ you #iss so#e o$ the visual a&tion

Another bene$it o$ digital &a#&orders is that they re&ord digital audio at a higher level o$ sound =uality thana CD/ hi&h #eans that unli5e #aterial you &apture ith analog audio devi&es/ the digital audio re&ordingsyou #a5e ith your D% &a#&order on t degrade in postprodu&tion Be&ause your digital audio and videois stored on a tape as digital in$or#ation/ on&e you &apture the #aterial to your hard drive/ you &an edit/&opy/ and trans$er your audio $ro# one &o#puter to another the sa#e ay you ould trans$er any other$ile !his gives you a tre#endous a#ount o$ latitude/ espe&ially hen you &o#pare the pro&ess ith analogvideo editing in the not-too-distant past7i$ you ere editing on analog e=uip#ent/ the audio ould start todegrade a$ter the $irst generation/ or the $irst &opy you #ade $ro# the original In digital postprodu&tion/you &an &apture audio and video to your editing syste# ithout generational loss 6n&e you ve &apturedyour #aterial/ you &an then &reate dupli&ate &opies o$ a $ile that are identi&al in te&hni&al =uality to the

original Depending on your hard are setup/ you #ay noti&e so#e visual or sound degradation i$ yourepeatedly trans$er the sa#e $ootage bet een an editing syste# and a &a#era or de&5 >enerally spea5ing/you on t need to trans$er #aterial that #any ti#es hen you re or5ing on a nonlinear digital pro@e&t EAlso/ be&ause good digital re&ording shouldn t introdu&e syste# noise/ the re&ordings are generally &learerAnalog audio/ in &ontrast/ is a physi&al pro&ess !he #e&hani&s o$ audio re&ording al ays introdu&essyste# noise/ or ba&5ground hiss/ to analog audio re&ordings/ hi&h be&o#es parti&ularly noti&eable hen#aterial is played ba&5 at louder volu#es I$ you need to/ you &an also #a5e digital audio re&ordingslouder ithout losing =uality/ so#ething you &ould never do ith analog tape be&ause o$ the syste# noise

i$ you #a5e an analog re&ording louder/ the syste# noise gets louder/ tooE

).*. 2urrent Recording O tions

Depending on hat you re shooting/ and depending on your or5ing style as a $il##a5er/ you have a

variety o$ re&ording options available !he re#ainder o$ this &hapter e'plores a nu#ber o$ di$$erent routesyou &an ta5e/ and reasons hy you #ight ant to &hoose one over anotherChapter < provides $urtherte&hni&al details/ and des&ribes ho you &an put the e=uip#ent to use and get the best re&ording possible

ust about all digital video &a#eras ship ith an onboard #i&rophone/ usually #ounted at the $ront o$ the&a#era above the lens "igure 4-*E !hese #i&s o$ten re&ord stereo audio/ and they don t re=uire any spe&ialsetup7as soon as you start re&ording video/ the &a#era #i& re&ords audio onto your tape unless youspe&i$y other ise








Figure )$!. 8n on;oard micro hone.

#.3.1.1. Pros

(e&ording sound ith the onboard #i& is probably the easiest ay to &apture audio I$ you re in a he&ti&situation/ or or5ing by yoursel$/ this is a no $uss/ no #uss #ethod that generally provides good results

;sing the onboard #i& dra s less attention to you during $il##a5ing than so#e o$ the #ore elaborateaudio setups des&ribed later .ou #ay ant to blend into a &ro d $or e'a#ple/ i$ you re shooting onlo&ation and don t have a per#it/ or i$ you re #a5ing a $ly-on-the- all type do&u#entaryE/ and i$ you re

or5ing by yoursel$ ith @ust a s#all &a#&order/ you loo5 li5e an ordinary person

A re&ording you #a5e ith the onboard #i& is re&orded dire&tly to your D% tape/ #a5ing postprodu&tion a#u&h si#pler pro&ess So#e o$ the other #ethods in this se&tion &an get #ore &o#pli&ated/ espe&ially

hen it &o#es to #aintaining syn&

#.3.1.2. $ons

Be&ause the onboard #i& is #ounted at the $ront o$ the &a#era in a $i'ed position/ the sound re&ording isal ays $o&used in the sa#e dire&tion as the &a#era !here are o$ten ti#es in a $il# here i#portant audio&o#es $ro# another lo&ation/ $or e'a#ple/ behind the &a#era or o$$ to the side In these &ases/ the soundre&ording on t be as &lear as i$ you had used one o$ the #ethods des&ribed later

So#eti#es the sound you ant to re&ord ill be $ar $ro# the &a#era "or e'a#ple/ i$ the $o&us o$ your shotis a &ouple spea5ing so$tly on the other side o$ the roo#/ you #ight not get a usable re&ording be&ause thesour&e o$ the audio #ay @ust be too $ar $ro# the #i& In this &ase/ you #ight be better o$$ using anadditional #i&rophone

Also/ as #entioned earlier/ i$ you re using an onboard #i&/ your re&ording #ay also inadvertently &apturethe sound o$ your &a#era s #otor/ hi&h ould distra&t the audien&e $ro# the audio you re trying to re&ord

D% &a#eras enable you to &onne&t an e'ternal #i&rophone and re&ord sound dire&tly to your tape "igure4-3E/ bypassing the onboard #i& Di$$erent &a#eras use a variety o$ inputs/ and so#e &a#eras re=uire anadapter to &onne&t pro$essional audio e=uip#ent Ne er prosu#er &a#eras &o#e e=uipped ith pro$essional audio inputs e'plained in the sidebar OJ8( versus #iniO inChapter <E &he&5 your &a#era s#anual $or #ore details





Figure )$*. 8 camera 9ith an e?ternal mic attached.

#.3.2.1. Pros

;sing an e'ternal #i&rophone enables you to &hoose hat type o$ #i& you use Parti&ular #i&rophonetypes have di$$erent &hara&teristi&s that are better suited to so#e situations than others see O i&rophonetypesO inChapter <E

Separating the #i&rophone $ro# the &a#era enables you to position the #i&rophone to &apture the bestsound re&ording possible Depending on the shot/ this #ay be near the &a#era or $ar a ay

Be&ause an additional #i& is not #ounted to the &a#era in a $i'ed position/ you &an angle the #i& to re&ordthe sound you ant/ and #ini#i e other sounds that you don t ant on your tape See the sidebar O!he pi&5up pattern o$ a #i&O in Chapter < E

#.3.2.2. $ons

!his is #ore than li5ely so#ething you &an t do by yoursel$ ;sing an additional #i& to re&ord good soundre=uires a person s $ull attention and is really hard to do hen you re also running the &a#era

.ou need to buy or rentE additional e=uip#ent Depending on the type o$ e=uip#ent you buy/ you #ight pay less than K100 $or a basi& no $rills #i&rophone/ or several thousand dollars to buy a good =uality #i&and the other e=uip#ent that goes along ith it I$ you re already investing your ti#e and #oney to #a5e a pro$essional =uality $il# $or theatri&al release or a television broad&ast/ it #a5es sense to pur&haseadditional audio e=uip#ent so#eti#es there s no ay around spending #oney on your or5E/ but at thesa#e ti#e/ I don t 5no too #any independent $il##a5ers ith e'tra &ash burning a hole in their po&5ets

SID>/8R Making 7our 2amera /attery 5ast

,hether you re using the &a#era s onboard #i& or a separate #i&/ a &a#era ill so#eti#esre&ord a 20-&y&le hu# hen plugged into a all (unning your &a#era $ro# the batteries ratherthan plugging in is a good ay to avoid this It also #eans that you need to 5eep your batteries&harged

6lder/ non-lithiu# &a#era batteries last longer i$ you let the# &o#pletely dis&harge #eaning








run &o#pletely run outE be$ore &harging the# again I$ you re&harge a battery be$ore it s&o#pletely e#pty it &an develop hat s &alled a #e#ory/ and ulti#ately lose its ability to hold a$ull &harge7you #ay have noti&ed the sa#e &an happen ith the battery on a #obile phone !o prevent this/ instead o$ &harging a partially depleted battery/ $il##a5ers o$ten leave a &a#era onand let the battery run do n until it s &o#pletely e'hausted be$ore &harging it Ne er&a#&orders ship ith lithiu# batteries that are designed to avoid this type o$ #e#ory e$$e&t/ soyou don t need to let the# run do n be$ore you &harge the# )ven hen I # using ne ere=uip#ent/ I still generally try to &o#pletely dis&harge #y batteries be$ore &harging the# again 7&all #e old $ashioned E

Also/ i$ you re not planning on shooting $or a $e #onths/ it s a good idea to let the batteriesear all the ay do n/ and then re&harge the# be$ore you store your &a#era Batteries last

longer i$ you don t let the# go #ore than about 20 days ithout &o#pletely &y&ling

"or even greater &ontrol over the sound in your $il#/ you &an route the audio through a sound #i'er "igure4- E A sound #i'er is a devi&e that enables you to #onitor the audio signals $ro# your #i&rophones and#a5e ad@ust#ents be$ore the sound gets re&orded by the &a#era ;sing a sound #i'er enables you to

re&ord ith #ultiple #i&rophones and enables you to ad@ust ea&h one separatelyFigure )$(. 9o micro hones attached to a camera 3ia a sound mi?er.

#.3.3.1. Pros

A sound #i'er/ su&h as the Shure "P-33/ enables you to &onne&t up to three #i&rophones to a &a#era andseparately ad@ust the sound levels o$ ea&h one see the sidebar O!he i#portan&e o$ audio levelsOE ,hile&a#eras allo you to ad@ust the sound level o$ a #i&rophone s input ithout using an e'ternal #i'er/ usingone enables you to #a5e &hanges ithout tou&hing the &a#era7so#ething your dire&tor o$ photography

ill no doubt appre&iate

Digital &a#eras re&ord stereo audio/ hi&h is essentially t o re&ordings7one plays ba&5 in the le$t &hanneland the other plays ba&5 in the right &hannel #ono audio/ in &ontrast/ plays a single re&ording in both&hannelsE ;sing a Shure "P-33/ you &an &onne&t three #i&rophones to a &a#era and &ontrol hi&h#i&rophone s signal is re&orded to ea&h &hannel !his te&hni=ue is e'plained in #ore detail in the se&tion



O;sing t o or #ore #i&s/ ith a #i'erO inChapter < A #i'er is espe&ially help$ul hen using di$$erenttypes o$ #i&rophones together

#.3.3.2. $ons

,or5ing ith an additional pie&e o$ e=uip#ent &o#pli&ates your shoot ;sing a sound #i'er ta5es pra&ti&e

8istening to audio re&orded by #ultiple #i&rophones and #a5ing ad@ust#ents on the $ly ta5es great&on&entration and probably on t be the easiest thing you ever do although the results are orth it i$ you persevere through the learning &urveE

!he audio you hear i$ you listen to the sound #i'er #ay not be the sound the &a#era is re&ording Sound#i'ers have separate outputs $or headphone audio and $or the audio that goes to the &a#era I$ there s a proble# ith the &onne&tion bet een the #i'er and the &a#era/ or i$ one o$ the settings on the &a#era has been i#properly set/ everything #ay sound great in your headphones but lousy in the $inal re&ording A better solution is to &onne&t your headphones to the &a#era s headphone output7this enables you to listento the sound that s being re&orded to tape !his #ay be an in&onvenien&e sin&e you have to stand &loser toyour DP/ but it ensures you 5no hat your tape sounds li5e +igher-end &a#eras have an audio #onitoroutput that &onne&ts to the #i'er so you &an #onitor the a&tual &a#era sound/ but these &a#eras are elloutside the prosu#er pri&e rangeE .ou &an use headphones ith a long &able/ but #a5e sure no one trips on

it and 5no&5s the &a#era over/ and also #a5e sure the &able doesn t @er5 the &a#era

>ood $ield #i'ers aren t &heap: the "P-33 retails $or #ore than K1/* 0 !hey re also very heavy/ and geteven heavier as the day ears on

SID>/8R he Im ortance o 8udio 5e3els

!he sound level/ or volu#e level/ o$ an audio &lip des&ribes ho loud it is I$ an audio &lip isre&orded at a level that s too lo / no one ill be able to hear it I$ a &lip is re&orded at a levelthat s too loud/ the audio ill distort And digital distortion sounds even uglier than the analog5ind E

!o ensure good audio/ a sound re&ordist &onstantly #onitors volu#e levels during a re&ordingand #a5es ad@ust#ents to 5eep the re&ording in the proper range !he displays loo5 slightlydi$$erent on ea&h pie&e o$ e=uip#ent/ but the general idea is the sa#e $or all: the loudest portiono$ the audio level/ &alled the pea5/ should rea&h L1* de&ibels a unit o$ sound #easure#ent also

ritten as dBE on digital re&ording e=uip#ent I$ a pea5 level #easures slightly #ore or less than L1* dB/ you ll be o5ay/ but you ant to get as &lose to L1* dB as you &an

any re&ording devi&es/ in&luding #ost &a#&orders/ o$$er an auto#ati& setting that isso#eti#es &alled a li#iter A li#iter is designed to &onstrain a sound level to a li#ited range as&lose to the ideal pea5 level as possible !his sounds li5e a really good idea/ and people o$ten gete'&ited hen they learn about it/ but it s got a do nside A li#iter not only lo ers pea5 levels i$they get too hot/ #eaning too loud/ but it also raises the level o$ the =uiet parts o$ your re&ording

so everything is re&orded at a &onstant level !he result is a re&ording that doesn t sound naturala good audio re&ording should have parts that are =uiet and parts that are loud So#e lo -end&onsu#er &a#&orders ship ith an auto#ati& li#iter that you &an t turn o$$7&he&5 your&a#&order s #anual $or details E

I$ you re in a very loud environ#ent/ su&h as a ro&5 &on&ert/ you ll get a #ore realisti& soundingre&ording i$ you #anually lo er the input level o$ your audio re&ording !hat ay/ you &an get agood re&ording o$ even the loudest #usi& ean hile/ the #ore =uiet parts/ $or e'a#ple a pause bet een songs/ ill be re&orded at a naturally lo er volu#e instead o$ being arti$i&ially boosted






by the &a#era So#e &a#eras/ and so#e #i&rophones/ allo you to attenuate the audio andre&ord at a lo er level than nor#al !his is di$$erent than using a li#iter in that attenuating anaudio re&ording does not raise the volu#e level o$ #ore =uiet sounds/ it @ust doesn t re&ord the#

,hen I as $irst learning to re&ord audio/ #y boss told #e that i$ I ever got &aught in a riot/ Ishould use the li#iter on #y tape de&5 6ther than that/ he said/ I should use the #anual setting Not bad advi&e

A &a#era is &learly not the only devi&e &apable o$ re&ording digital audio $or your $il# "il##a5ers o$tenuse separate re&orders su&h as a digital audio tape DA!E de&5 "igure 4- E/ a #ini-dis& re&order/ or a portable hard dis& re&order to &apture sound/ and then later/ in postprodu&tion/ &o#bine the sound and pi&ture very si#ilar to the ay people have histori&ally or5ed in $il#E

Figure )$%. 8 mic attached to D8 recorder.

#.3.4.1. Pros

!he sound re&ordist and &a#era operator don t need to be tethered to ea&h other by &ables/ be&ause theaudio is re&orded by t o separate #a&hines

,hat you hear is hat you get A sound re&ordist listening to the DA! de&5 or hard dis& re&order &an listento the a&tual re&ording/ and 5no ith &on$iden&e hat she has on tape

any DA! de&5s and hard dis& re&orders o$$er level &ontrols and other ad@ust#ents $or #ultiple#i&rophone signals/ eli#inating the need $or an additional sound #i'er

So#e re&orders &an re&ord #ore than t o &hannels/ hi&h #ight be use$ul in a shoot ith &o#pli&atedaudio/ li5e an or&hestra/ or $ive people spea5ing in a panel dis&ussion

#.3.4.2. $ons

!hese units are not &heap Depending on the $eatures you re loo5ing $or/ DA! de&5s and portable hard dis&re&orders range $ro# K1/* 0 at the lo end o$ the prosu#er s&ale/ up to #ore than K /* 0 and ell beyond



8i5e the portable sound #i'ers dis&ussed earlier/ they also re=uire spe&iali ed 5no ledge/ both to operatein the $ield/ and hen you use their re&orded audio in postprodu&tion

,hen you re&ord to a separate devi&e/ syn& be&o#es an issue !here are ays to ensure that syn& doesn t be&o#e a proble# so#e are des&ribed in the ne't &hapterE/ but nothing is as si#ple as using the &a#era sonboard #i&/ or plugging a #i& dire&tly into the &a#era

In the end/ re&ording good audio is @ust as i#portant to your $il# as re&ording good i#ages Anyone ho5no s #e has heard #e say this over and over again yes/ I sound li5e a bro5en re&ordE/ but it &an #a5e thedi$$eren&e bet een a strong $il# and so#ething people $orget as soon as the lights &o#e up !he ne't&hapter e'plores the details o$ prosu#er audio e=uip#ent/ in&luding di$$erent #i&rophone types and hoyou &an use the# to get the best possible re&ording in a variety o$ &ir&u#stan&es

2ha ter . Digital 8udio +roduction echni=ues and Strategiesi&rophone !ypesaintaining Syn&

Strategies $or (e&ording >ood Digital Audio

Shooting a good $il# is all about leaving yoursel$ options/ and re&ording the sound is no e'&eption No#atter ho ell you plan out a shot/ you #ay &o#e up ith a better idea on&e you get ba&5 to the editingroo# I$ you shoot ith an eye and earE to ard $le'ibility/ and re&ord your audio a&&ordingly/ you &ansi#ultaneously avoid te&hni&al #ista5es and leave yoursel$ roo# to ta5e advantage o$ ne ideas as they&o#e to you later on

A $e years ago/ I al5ed by a #an sitting outside his apart#ent building on a su##er night earing a baseball &ap that read O,oulda/ &oulda/ shoulda O It s really easy to $eel that ay hen you sit do n to editI$ you leave yoursel$ options/ espe&ially hen you re&ord your sound/ &utting your $il# together &an be a#u&h happier e'perien&e

. . Micro hone y es

Di$$erent types o$ #i&rophones re&ord sound di$$erently ;sing di$$erent #i&s in &o#bination is ane'&ellent ay to leave yoursel$ options7i$ you re&ord the signal $ro# ea&h #i& separately/ you &an then&hoose hi&h re&ording sounds best/ and best $its the tone o$ your story !he $irst step is understanding thedi$$erent 5inds o$ #i&rophones available to you as a $il##a5er

In the orld o$ $il# produ&tion/ #i&rophones $all into t o broad &ategories: lavalier and shotgun/ sho n in"igure <-1 8avalier #i&s are s#all/ unobtrusive devi&es that atta&h to a person s body to &apture dialog!he art o$ using lavalier/ or lav/ #i&rophones entails pla&ing one &lose enough to a person s #outh to&learly &apture hat he s saying/ hile hiding the #i& so it doesn t be&o#e a noti&eable part o$ the shot/

hi&h ould distra&t the audien&e

Figure $ . 8 shotgun micro hone on a ;oom, and a la3alier attached to the inside o a erson's shirt collar.









Audio should be so good that no one noti&es People al ays &o##ent on good &a#era or5 or visuale$$e&ts/ but noti&e the audio only hen there s a proble#/ or hen a #i& snea5s into the $ra#e

Shotgun #i&s are designed to pi&5 up sounds $ro# $ar a ay and are o$ten pla&ed on a boo#/ or pole/ andheld over the a&tion @ust outside the $ra#e 6lder #odels a&tually did loo5 li5e shotguns/ hi&h is ho theygot their na#e

SID>/8R he +icku +attern o a Mic

Di$$erent #i&rophones have di$$erent pi&5up patterns/ or areas in hi&h they opti#ally re&ordaudio !here are three types o$ pi&5up patterns7&ardioid/ hyper-&ardioid so#eti#es &alledsuper-&ardioidE/ and o#ni-dire&tional As the na#e ould suggest/ a &ardioid pi&5up pattern isheart shaped I$ you pi&ture a heart shape e'tending in $ront o$ a #i&rophone/ that ould be thearea in hi&h a &ardioid #i& does its best re&ording A hyper-&ardioid pi&5up pattern is basi&allya heart shape stret&hed along its verti&al a'is/ so the area o$ opti#al re&ording be&o#es longer

and narro erAll &ardioid #i&s still re&ord so#e sound $ro# the sides and $ro# behind/ but the best and #ost&learly audible sound is re&orded ithin the heart-shaped area in $ront Cardioid #i&s produ&egood re&ordings in noisy environ#ents/ be&ause their pi&5up patterns re&ord sound $ro# isolatedareas +yper-&ardioid #i&s are espe&ially good $or this you &an re&ord &learly arti&ulated dialog$ro# $ar a ay hile lessening the a#ount o$ un anted environ#ental sounds or other audio that#ight distra&t your audien&e

Shotgun #i&s generally use a &ardioid or hyper-&ardioid pattern 8avalier #i&s o$ten use o#ni-dire&tional patterns

6#ni-dire&tional #i&s have a &ir&ular pi&5up pattern and re&ord audio $ro# all dire&tions the&learest re&ordings still &o#e $ro# the area dire&tly in $ront o$ the #i&E !he handheld #i&s yousee people use on !% ne s progra#s are o$ten o#ni-dire&tional/ be&ause they re easy to use inhe&ti& situations/ su&h as a live ne s event +andheld #i&s li5e these are not o$ten used in $il#or video produ&tion/ be&ause they have to be very &lose to the audio sour&e to produ&e a goodre&ording/ and ould be noti&eable in a shot

!he area opposite your #i& s pi&5up pattern is so#eti#es des&ribed as a null area/ be&ause itdoes not e$$e&tively re&ord sound .ou &an use this to your advantage and position your #i& tore&ord the audio you ant/ hile #ini#i ing the presen&e o$ other sounds in the environ#ent



see the se&tion O)'ploit the nullO later in this &hapterE

Be&ause lavalier #i&rophones $un&tion di$$erently than shotguns/ the re&ordings they produ&e don t soundthe sa#e I$ you si#ultaneously use a lav and a shotgun to #i& an a&tor reading lines o$ dialog/ there&ording $ro# ea&h #i&rophone ill have very di$$erent =ualities !he lavalier/ be&ause it s &loser to thea&tor s voi&e and re&ords sound $ro# a s#aller area/ ill deliver a very &lear re&ording o$ that a&tor sdialog I$ there ere another a&tor standing nearby/ the se&ond a&tor s dialog ould not be as &lear in there&ording be&ause she as $arther a ay !he shotgun ould also deliver a &lear re&ording o$ the $irst a&torho ever/ be&ause it re&ords sound $ro# $arther a ay it ould also re&ord other sounds7su&h as tra$$i& onthe street outside/ or the se&ond a&tor

(eality !% sho s o$ten #i& people ith both a lavalier #i& and a boo#-#ounted shotgun I # notadvo&ating the &ine#ati& or #oral value o$ these sho s/ but their te&hni&al produ&tion is very good/espe&ially &onsidering the &ir&u#stan&es under hi&h they re so#eti#es shot E A person using a sound#i'er #onitors the volu#e levels $ro# ea&h #i5e/ and #a5es ad@ust#ents as needed .ou &an easily or5the sa#e ay ith your prosu#er &a#era !he ne't se&tion &ontains a nu#ber o$ sound re&ordingte&hni=ues you &an use to 5eep your options open7this ay/ you ll never have to say O,oulda/ &oulda/

shoulda O

-ireless or 2a;le 2onnections

8avalier #i&rophones &onne&t to other audio e=uip#ent either through &ables or through aireless radio syste# that/ essentially/ or5s li5e a &ordless telephone 8ogisti&ally/ ireless

#i&s are easier to or5 ith be&ause there are $e er &ables to trip over In ter#s o$ sound=uality/ ho ever/ ireless #i&s are highly sus&eptible to inter$eren&e $ro# other radio signals inthe area/ and even $ro# ele&tro#agneti& $ields generated by ele&tri&al e=uip#ent ,hen I as inhigh s&hool/ I had a girl$riend ho had to get rid o$ her &ordless phone be&ause it as pi&5ing upradio trans#issions $ro# a ta'i dispat&her they ould a5e her up in the #iddle o$ the night/

even hen the phone as turned o$$E 8i5e ise/ @ust about every audio re&ordist I 5no hasso#e type o$ story about inter$eren&e on a ireless #i& !here s a good @o5e about this in the#ovie !his Is Spinal !ap/ involving a ireless guitar rig E !his doesn t #ean you shouldn t useone/ @ust be &are$ul i$ you &an/ try a $e tests in the lo&ation here you ll be shootingE/ #onitor

ith headphones as you go/ and bring a non- ireless #i& ith you @ust in &ase

Digital video &a#eras re&ord stereo audio/ hi&h is also &alled t o-&hannel sound one &hannel $or the le$one &hannel $or the rightE Be&ause they re&ord t o &hannels/ prosu#er &a#eras have separate audio inputs$or the le$t and right &hannels "igure <-* sho s the t o J8( audio inputs $or the Sony PD-140E I$ you re

or5ing ith t o #i&rophones on a shoot7$or e'a#ple/ a lav and a shotgun7you &an si#ply &onne&t one#i& to ea&h input !he &a#era ill then re&ord the sound $ro# both #i&s/ separately/ to your D% tape In postprodu&tion you &an use the re&ording that sounds best/ or use pie&es o$ ea&h and edit the# together

Figure $!. 9o <5R audio in uts or the Sony +D$ )".



As des&ribed inChapter 4/ a portable sound #i'er enables you to #onitor sound during re&ording and#a5e ad@ust#ents as needed In addition to &ontrolling volu#e levels/ #i'ers let you &ontrol the pan o$ anaudio signal A pan &ontrol enables you to send an audio signal to the le$t or right &hannel o$ a re&ording/ orto both As a result/ i$ you re or5ing ith t o #i&s and a sound #i'er/ you &an send one #i& to the le$t&hannel and another to the right by ad@usting their pan &ontrols

"igure <-3 sho s a Shure "P-33 sound #i'er in hi&h the pan $or input 1 has been set to the le$t &hanneland the pan $or input * has been set to the right &hannel !he "P-33 has t o audio outputs/ hi&h &an ea&h be &onne&ted dire&tly to an audio input on a prosu#er &a#era I$ the #i'er illustrated in"igure <-3 ere&onne&ted to a &a#era/ a #i&rophone &onne&ted to input 1 ould be re&orded to the &a#era s le$t &hanneand a #i&rophone &onne&ted to input * ould be re&orded separately to the &a#era s right &hannel

Figure $*. 8 mi?er set to record audio to di erent out uts.





.ou &an also &o#bine signals $ro# di$$erent #i&rophones and #i' the# into a single re&ording !hisenables you to or5 ith #ore than t o #i&s at a ti#e "or e'a#ple/ i$ you have three #i&rophones&onne&ted to a #i'er/ you &an #i' the three signals do n to t o &hannels that you then send to the &a#eraIn "igure <-3/ the pan &ontrol $or input 3 is set to the &enter/ so a #i& &onne&ted to input 3 ould bere&orded to both &hannels 9eep in #ind/ hen doing this you have to live ith the results o$ your #i'7 you &an t undo a sound re&ording i$ you don t li5e the ay it &o#es out "or #ore &ontrol/ you d have to ua #ulti-tra&5 re&order see O(e&ording to a devi&e other than the &a#eraO in Chapter 4E and then syn& thesound in postprodu&tion

.!. Maintaining Sync

As dis&ussed inChapter 4/ audien&es noti&e i##ediately hen sound $alls out o$ syn& As a result/#aintaining syn& is a priority during all phases o$ produ&tion and postprodu&tion

I$ you re&ord audio to your D% tape/ hether you re&ord dire&tly to the &a#era or route the audio through asound #i'er/ the &a#era 5eeps the audio in syn& ith the pi&ture by using ti#e&ode !i#e&ode identi$iesthe e'a&t lo&ation o$ any part o$ a re&ording in ter#s o$ hours/ #inutes/ se&onds/ and $ra#es !here areappro'i#ately 30 $ra#es per se&ond in N!SC video/ so N!SC ti#e&ode lets you pinpoint a part o$ yourre&ording do n to 1G30th o$ a se&ond D% &a#eras auto#ati&ally add #at&hing ti#e&ode to the audio and

video that you re&ord/ and hen you &apture your $ootage to a digital editing syste#/ you &apture theti#e&ode along ith it

SID>/8R <5R Versus Mini

Pro$essional #i&rophones &onne&t to re&ording e=uip#ent through balan&ed inputs/ also 5no n asJ8( inputs Consu#er audio produ&ts use unbalan&ed inputs/ also 5no n as #ini inputs Balan&edinputs deliver a better =uality signal but are #ore e'pensive ini inputs are #ore $ragile and &aneasily be da#aged during a shoot ini plugs &an also pop out during a shoot/ be&ause they don tlo&5 in pla&e the ay an J8( &onne&tion does !he headphone &onne&tion on a ,al5#an or iPodis a #ini &onne&tion i$ your headphones pop out hen you re rela'ing and listening to #usi&/ it sno big deal/ but i$ a &onne&tion &o#es loose during a shoot/ it &an ruin your re&ording E Plugs andinputs also &alled @a&5sE are o$ten des&ribed as #ale and $e#ale/ respe&tively A #ale plug $its intoa $e#ale input I on&e e'plained this to a $e#ale &olleague ho responded that se'is# e'ists evenin the na#ing o$ e=uip#ent E

Ne er/ higher-end prosu#er &a#eras su&h as the Sony PD-140E ship ith balan&ed inputs I$ youhave an older &a#era/ su&h as the Cannon J8-1/ or a slightly less e'pensive #odel/ su&h as theCannon >8-*/ you need to pur&hase an adaptor to &onne&t your &a#era to pro$essional audioe=uip#ent

Figure $S/" . <5R lug and mini lug








Figure $S/"!. <5R ada tor on 2annon <5$

In a previous era o$ $il# produ&tion/ be$ore the introdu&tion o$ ti#e&ode/ editors had to #anually line upseparately re&orded sound and i#age and loo5 $or visual &ues to &he&5 $or syn& "or e'a#ple/ an assistanteditor ould &he&5 to see i$ re&orded dialog #at&hed an a&tor s lip #ove#ents/ and i$ it didn t/ she d realithe pi&ture and sound until they #at&hed up !oday/ digital editing syste#s &apture audio and video in syn&$ro# a D% &a#era/ and i$ by so#e &han&e your audio $alls out o$ syn& during editing/ you &an @ust align tti#e&ode o$ the audio and video &lips/ and you re ba&5 in business "igure <- E

Figure $(. his screen ca ture, rom an e?terior shot in our chroma key se=uence, contains an o3erlay thatdis lays the timecode or the 3ideo and t9o audio channels.



,hen you re&ord audio to an e'ternal devi&e/ su&h as a DA! or portable hard dis& re&order/ syn& be&o#esan issue So#e re&orders &apture audio along ith ti#e&ode generated by the &a#era/ but these re&orders&ost a lot o$ #oney and re=uire &a#eras ith a &o#patible ti#e&ode output these are generally elloutside the pri&e range o$ an independent7prosu#er &a#eras don t o$$er a ti#e&ode outputE aintainingsyn& ith a non-ti#e&ode devi&e is still possible/ it @ust ta5es a little #ore or5

As a &hild at&hing #ovies/ I al ays loved it hen so#eone stood in $ront o$ the &a#era/ banged t o pie&es o$ ood together/ and yelled Oa&tion O I thought this as the very essen&e o$ &ine#a/ and so#edayloo5ed $or ard to doing it #ysel$ be&ause it loo5ed so &ool

Note: !i#e&ode appears as hours:#inutes: se&onds:$ra#es "or e'a#ple 01:*0:1 :*< indi&ates a lo&ation 1hour/ *0 #inutes/ 1 se&onds/ and *< $ra#es a$ter the start o$ a re&ording ;nli5e the tape &ounter on a%C(/ the ti#e&ode re&orded onto a &lip never &hanges7no #atter hat de&5 or editing syste# you use to

at&h your $ootage/ the sa#e shot and the sa#e audio ill al ays be at the e'a&t sa#e lo&ation

In #y $irst year o$ $il# s&hool/ I dis&overed that the t o pie&es o$ ood are &alled a slate/ and bangingthe# together helps an editor syn& audio and pi&ture ,hen audio and pi&ture are re&orded separately/ an



editor &an loo5 $or the $ra#e o$ video here the t o ooden pie&es o$ the slate $irst &o#e together/ and &analign that $ra#e ith the start o$ the sound generated by their i#pa&t !he pi&ture and audio that $ollo ill be in syn& $or the duration o$ the shot 6n&e the shot ends/ the editor ill need to redo the pro&ess $or anysubse=uent shots

.ou don t need to buy a slate to use this te&hni=ue although I #ust ad#it/ a slate is $un to useE any

$il##a5ers on a budget have a produ&tion assistant stand in $ront o$ the &a#era and &lap his hands togetheron&e "igure <- E !he single &lap per$or#s the sa#e $un&tion as banging together t o pie&es o$ ood/ it provides a re$eren&e point to syn& pi&ture and sound "il##a5er i&hael , Dean uses a &lap slate in theopening shot o$ D I . or Die: +o to Survive as an Independent ArtistE 6ther $il##a5ers slate a shot byholding a #i&rophone in $ront o$ the &a#era/ and tapping the top o$ the #i& on&e ith their hand7it servesthe sa#e purpose In Bright 8eaves/ $il##a5er (oss &)l ee7 ho also dire&ted Sher#an s ar&h/des&ribed inChapter 1 7re&ruits his son as a sound re&ordist and sho s hi# on &a#era slating a $e shotsusing this last te&hni=ue E

Figure $%. his is a ;asic cla slate. I you 9ere manually syncing an audio recording to a slate like this, you9ould osition the sound o the cla to start 9here the hands come together. Once you'3e

ositioned the cla , the entire shot 9ill ;e in sync.

;n$ortunately/ no #atter ho ell you plan/ there ill al ays be shots here slating ea&h ta5e is eitheri#pra&ti&al or @ust so#ething you $orget to do 6n&e/ during a shoot/ #y dire&tor o$ photography and I&a#e up ith an elaborate plan to &lap slate ea&h shot and unintentionally abandoned it a$ter about *0#inutes7 e @ust got &aught up in all the other details o$ the shoot E

As des&ribed earlier/ hen you re&ord audio dire&tly to your D% tape/ the &a#era &aptures audio and videotogether and 5eeps the# in syn& +o ever/ i$ you re re&ording audio to a separate devi&e/ su&h as a DA!re&order or a portable hard dis& re&order/ you #ay $ind yoursel$ ith audio but no re$eren&e slate to syn& itup ith the a&&o#panying video

he Smart Slate

I$ you really ant to #a5e every slate &ount/ and you have the budget/ you &an use a s#art slateA s#art slate has a large digital ti#e&ode display on its $a&e/ and a built-in ti#e&ode generatorthat @a#s/ or syn&s up/ to the ti#e&ode o$ an e'ternal audio re&order ;sing a s#art slate helps aneditor syn& audio and pi&ture in postprodu&tion by not only providing a visual &ue li5e the#ethods des&ribed earlierE but also by &learly displaying the ti#e&ode o$ an audio re&ording at





the head/ or beginning/ o$ the shot

6$ &ourse/ to use a s#art slate you need an audio re&order that handles ti#e&ode As #entionedearlier in this &hapter/ ti#e&ode audio re&orders are generally ell outside the pri&e range o$ anindependent produ&er a ti#e&ode DA! or hard dis& re&order sells $or #ore than K /000E As#art slate itsel$ sells $or about K1/ 00

"ortunately/ one o$ the basi& ele#ents o$ digital audio/ &alled the ave$or# display/ &an also help you syn&non-slated re&ordings In digital postprodu&tion/ audio re&ordings are displayed graphi&ally on a &o#puters&reen using a ave$or# !he loudest parts o$ a re&ording are represented as pea5s in the ave$or#/ andthe =uiet parts are represented as $lat this #eans the highest points are also the loudestE ,ith pra&ti&e/editors learn to read ave$or#s and &an tell here ords o$ dialog begin and end/ here ba&5ground audio pea5s and $ades/ and here to add #usi& A ave$or# &an also provide a re$eren&e $or syn&ing additionalaudio tra&5s

I$ you ve re&orded audio to an e'ternal devi&e hile you ere also re&ording video to your &a#era/ you#ore than li5ely &aptured audio to your D% tape using the &a#era s onboard #i& ,hen you &apture theaudio $ro# your e'ternal re&order to your editing syste#/ along ith the audio and video $ro# your D%

tape/ you &an use the ave$or# displays to align both o$ the audio tra&5s )ven i$ you re&orded the audioseparately/ using di$$erent #i&rophones pla&ed in di$$erent lo&ations/ as long as you re&orded the sa#eaudio a person spea5ing/ a #usi&ian playing an instru#ent/ et& E/ the ave$or#s ill be si#ilar enough toalign your audio tra&5s In"igure <-2/ the &a#era audio s ave$or# on tra&5 A1 doesn t loo5 e'a&tly thesa#e as the ave$or# $or the separately re&orded tra&5 A / but they loo5 si#ilar enough to line up thetra&5s .ou &an also align separate audio re&ordings by ear7pla&e ea&h on its o n tra&5 in the ti#eline andslide the e'ternally re&orded tra&5 ba&5 and $orth until it no longer Oe&hoesO against the audio re&ordeddire&tly to the &a#era 6n&e you ve syn&ed up your audio tra&5s/ you &an either #ute the one that doesn tsound as good or si#ply delete it $ro# the ti#eline

Figure $#. 8 timeline in Final 2ut +ro 9ith 9ild sound aligned to the 9a3e orm dis lay o the camera.

I$ orst &o#es to orst/ and you didn t re&ord either a slate or a re$eren&e audio tra&5 to your D% tape/ you&an al ays syn& the audio to your pi&ture #anually Capture your audio to your digital editing syste#/ and&apture your video as ell Ad@ust the start o$ your audio &lip in relation to your video/ and play the# ba&5

together Care$ully at&h people s lip #ove#ents to see i$ they #at&h the dialog I$ they #at&h/ you re allset I$ they don t/ read@ust their align#ent and try again !his #ethod ta5es a $air a#ount o$ patien&e/ but itentirely doable 6n&e you nail do n the syn&/ your audien&e ill never 5no the re&ording asn t per$e&t$ro# the start7they ll @ust at&h your #ovie and get rapped up in the story

.*. Strategies or Recording Lood Digital 8udio

I live do n the street $ro# 9at s deli/ here they $il#ed #y $avorite part o$ ,hen +arry et Sally/ theOI ll have hat she s havingO se=uen&e Dire&tor (ob (einer ho also dire&ted Spinal !apE gave his #oth



the eternal gi$t o$ saying the line on &a#era/ and ith those $ive ords/ #agni$i&ently ended one o$ the#ost #e#orable &o#i& se=uen&es o$ any #ovie

!hin5 about everything that ould have been lost i$ the line hadn t been re&orded &learly !he s&ene ould&ertainly have had &o#i& value ithout its &losing line/ but its i#pa&t ould be signi$i&antly ea5ened i$ people didn t understand hat she said +olly ood $il#s li5e ,hen +arry et Sally re&ord ta5e a$ter ta5e

o$ i#portant lines/ and o$ten have a&tors re-voi&e their dialog in a spe&ially e=uipped studio i$ the dire&tordoesn t $eel the lo&ation sound as re&orded ell enough Dialog propels a $il# $or ard/ and i$ an audien&&an t i##ediately understand hat a&tors are saying/ big parts o$ the story get lost ;nli5e a person readinga boo5/ ho &an go ba&5 to the top o$ the page and reread so#ething he didn t =uite $ollo / a vie er

at&hing a #ovie either i##ediately understands the ords in a pie&e o$ dialog/ or the lines get lost$orever .ou &an develop a story so a line s true #eaning &o#es to light only as the story progresses/ but i$the ords are too #u$$led or the audio level is too lo $or people to hear hat so#eone is saying/ the s&eneyou or5ed so hard to re&ord @ust on t #a5e the &ut

Audien&es 5no hat good audio sounds li5e People gro up at&hing big-budget television sho s andgoing to see +olly ood #ovies that al ays sound really good/ even hen the stories are pedestrian!elevision net or5s and $il# studios spend lots o$ #oney to #a5e sure everything in a $il# sounds per$e&t

see Chapter 14E/ and audien&es e'pe&t your $il# to sound @ust as good7in $a&t/ audien&es are o$ten #ore

&riti&al o$ audio proble#s than o$ things li5e sha5y &a#era or5 or so$t $o&us )nsuring the audio in your produ&tion holds up to the standards set by the big shots is no easy tas5/ but it is ithin your ability !hisse&tion o$$ers a $e te&hni=ues to get you headed in the right dire&tion

!his $irst suggestion is very si#ple7bring your #i&rophone as &lose as you &an to the sound you rere&ording As des&ribed earlier/ i$ you re&ord audio $ro# a distan&e/ you also re&ord additional sound in thenviron#ent Pla&ing your #i& &loser to the sour&e helps you get a &leaner re&ording .ou &an also use the pi&5up pattern o$ your #i& to $o&us on the sound you ant I$ you re using a &ardioid or hyper-&ardioid #you &an &on&entrate on surprisingly $o&used areas o$ audio by pla&ing your #i& &are$ully/ and attentivelyai#ing your pi&5up pattern

!he ideal pro'i#ity $or a boo# #i& is @ust outside the $ra#e/ so it s &lose to the sub@e&t but not visible tothe &a#era Be$ore the &ine#atographer starts $il#ing/ it s o$ten help$ul to de$ine the boundaries o$ the

$ra#e by slo ly bringing the #i&rophone as &lose as possible to the sub@e&t and having the&ine#atographer yell out Oboo#O hen the #i& be&o#es visible in the $ra#e 6n&e the boundaries arede$ined and re&ordings starts/ the boo# operator and &ine#atographer &an or5 together to ensure the #i&is as &lose as possible but stays outside the $ra#e

;se the null area o$ your #i& s pi&5up pattern to e'&lude sounds you don t ant see the sidebar O!hePi&5up Pattern o$ a i&O earlier in this &hapterE In an ideal orld/ a $il##a5er ould be able to or5 in&o#plete silen&e and re&ord only the sounds related to her $il# !his is the idea behind a +olly ood studiospending #illions to re&reate a house or even a &ity street on their property rather than @ust using an a&tualhouse or a street that already e'ists I$/ ho ever/ you &an t a$$ord a soundstage/ or i$ you re shooting onlo&ation/ there ill al ays be environ#ental sound to &ontend ith 6ne ay to deal ith un anted soundis to $o&us your #i& s pi&5up pattern in the opposite dire&tion !his is e=uivalent to $ra#ing out anun anted visual ele#ent hen you &o#pose a shot

"or e'a#ple/ i$ you ant to re&ord an a&tor s dialog/ but you don t ant to re&ord the tra$$i& sound &o#ingin through the indo :

1 Position yoursel$ bet een the a&tor and the indo and ai# the pi&5up pattern o$ your &ardioid or hyper-&ardioid #i& at the a&tor

* Angle the #i& so that hile the pi&5up pattern stays $o&used on your a&tor/ the null is ai#ed at thesound you don t ant






!his ay/ the #i& is trained on the sound you ant and pointed a ay $ro# the sound you don t I$ you bring your #i& &lose to the sub@e&t and e'ploit the null/ you &an re&ord e'&ellent audio in noisy lo&ations

Applian&es li5e re$rigerators/ air &onditioners/ and even &o#puters generate substantial a#ounts o$ noise,hile people tune these sounds out in everyday li$e/ they &an #a5e it really hard to re&ord &lean audioBe$ore you start shooting/ unplug anything that #ight &reate un anted sound during your shoot !his

in&ludes phones/ both #obile and land lines7they al ays ring at the orst possible ti#e/ and it s verydi$$i&ult i$ not i#possible to $ilter a ring out o$ a sound re&ording obile phones set to vibrate inter$ereith audio re&ordings hen they re&eive or send &alls/ the inter$eren&e sounds li5e orse &ode E ,hen you

$inish shooting/ #a5e sure you turn everything ba&5 on I$ you re shooting on lo&ation at so#eone s houseand $orget to turn the re$rigerator ba&5 on/ all the $ood ill spoil

!his is so obvious so#e people $orget i&rophones &apture audio di$$erently than the hu#an ear )ven i$you re standing right ne't to a #i&rophone/ you have no idea hat you re re&ording unless you earheadphones and listen I ve or5ed ith a &ountless nu#ber o$ students ho re&orded unusable audio be&ause they didn t ear headphones/ and as they =ui&5ly dis&overed/ there s @ust no ay around this one

ust li5e you ouldn t shoot video ithout loo5ing through the vie $inder or at&hing the 8CD display/there s no reason to re&ord audio ithout headphones .ou &an even 5eep a spare pair o$ tiny ,al5#an-style OearbudsO in your &a#era bag in &ase you $orget your good headphones/ or in &ase they $ail on a shoot

6n&e you ve got everything set and you re ready to re&ord/ do a =ui&5 test !urn on the &a#era/ re&ord a#inute or so o$ audio and video to test your $ull setup/ and then playba&5 the results 8isten to the audiooutput o$ the &a#era using a good pair o$ headphones again/ there s no substitute $or headphonesE I$ youhear everything you re intending to re&ord/ and i$ everything loo5s li5e it s in syn&/ you re all set I$ not/there s no better ti#e to #a5e &hanges

I$ you don t thin5 so#ething sounds right/ start over .ou ve already gone to the e$$ort to asse#ble a &re / pay $or e=uip#ent/ and #a5e a really big personal invest#ent in the shoot ,hy not redo so#e audiore&ording

,hen everything sounds the ay you ant it to/ you re in good shape

!his &hapter #ar5s the end o$ the $irst hal$ o$ the boo5/ hi&h e'plores ays to re&ord the high-=ualityaudio and video you need to reali e your &reative vision At this point/ you ve read about te&hni&alspe&i$i&ations and produ&tion te&hni=ues in detail .ou ve read about $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio at the beginning o$ the boo5/ lighting and &olor te#perature/ the strengths o$ #i&rophones and sound #i'ers/ and

ays you &an use the# to your advantage

!he ne't part o$ the boo5/ Digital Postprodu&tion $or the Independent/ sho s you ho to put everythingtogether Chapter ? introdu&es you to the te&hni&al prin&iples that #a5e digital editing syste#s possible/and ho they bene$it an independent $il##a5er In the &hapters that $ollo / this boo5 e'plores editing

video and audioE/ &reating e$$e&ts/ and outputting your pro@e&t to D%D/ video tape/ or the Internet

Congratulations No / get ready to #a5e the $il# you ve al ays drea#ed about

2ha ter &. 8n O3er3ie9 o 1onlinear >diting!i#elines/ "ra#es/ and !ra&5s+o Nonlinear )diting Bene$its the Independent "il##a5er

a5ing the ost o$ Nondestru&tive )diting: !he Di$$eren&e Bet een Pro@e&t "iles and edia"iles+o !i#e&ode a5es Nonlinear )diting Possible

ust as prosu#er D% &a#eras revolutioni ed the ay independent $il##a5ers shoot their or5/ nonlinearediting syste#s have $orever &hanged the ay people edit "or years/ people drea#ed about the ability to















not only shoot ith an a$$ordable &a#era/ but to edit on an a$$ordable syste# ithout sa&ri$i&ing =uality,hen Avid introdu&ed its digital editing syste#s in the #id-1??0s/ $il##a5ers #arveled at ho easily they&ould &reate #ultiple versions o$ a pro@e&t and ho / suddenly/ it had be&o#e so #u&h easier to insert ordelete #aterial $ro# a se=uen&e Al#ost overnight/ rearranging and @u'taposing shots be&a#e about assi#ple as &utting and pasting te't in a ord pro&essor

!he Avid/ ho ever/ as not &heap In $a&t/ at up ards o$ K20/000 $or a &o#plete syste#/ an Avid easily&ost #ore than #any independent $il##a5ers earned in a year ,hen Apple introdu&ed "inal Cut Pro in1???/ pro$essional-=uality nonlinear editing be&a#e a$$ordable "inal Cut retails $or slightly less thanK1/000/ and unli5e an Avid/ hi&h re=uired users to pur&hase proprietary hard are additions li5e spe&i$i&&apture &ards and hard drives/ "inal Cut runs on standard/ o$$-the-shel$ &o#puters

By the year *000/ $il##a5ers &ould shoot high-=uality video ith &a#eras that &ost appro'i#ately K3/000and edit their or5 on &o#puter syste#s that &ost about the sa#e perhaps a little #ore ith e'tras li5e alarge-s&reen #onitor and so#e additional #e#oryE "il##a5ers or5ing in D% no had a&&ess to pro$essional-=uality e=uip#ent that enabled the# to or5 #ore a$$ordably than ever be$ore/ and ithsigni$i&antly greater e$$i&ien&y

Note: ,hat #atters #ost/ o$ &ourse/ is your ability to use te&hnology to reali e your artisti& vision a $riendo$ #ine $ro# $il# s&hool on&e &o#pared editing a pro@e&t to building a house o$ &ards7i$ you ta5e out therong pie&e/ everything around it &ollapsesE (egardless o$ the te&hnology e#ployed/ arranging your

&ontent to tell a good story re#ains an editor s greatest &hallenge ust as 5no ing all the $eatures o$i&roso$t ,ord does not in itsel$ #a5e so#eone a good riter/ 5no ledge o$ te&hnology does not

auto#ati&ally #a5e so#eone a good $il##a5er

SID>/8R So t9are O tions

"ollo ing the su&&ess o$ "inal Cut Pro/ Avid introdu&ed its o n so$t are-based prosu#erediting tool/ Avid Jpress http:GG avid &o#Gprodu&tsG'press"a#ilyGE/ hi&h is available $or

a& and ,indo s Avid also &ontinues to #a5e high-end/ high-pri&ed/ hard are-basedsyste#s/ hi&h are used by #a@or $il# studios and produ&tion &o#panies E Avid Jpress&urrently &o#es in three versions:

• !he base #odel/ Avid Jpress/ retails $or slightly less than K400 and or5s only ithD% $ootage A&&ording to the Avid eb site/

avid &o#Gprodu&tsGdatasheetsG'pressdv pd$ / Jpress D% re=uires ,indo s JPPro$essional to run on a PC and 6S J 10 * / 10 * 2/ or 10 * < to run on a a&76S J10 3 and 10 ere not supported at the ti#e o$ this riting E

• Avid Jpress Pro/ hi&h retails $or less than K1/400/ o$$ers a ider range o$ e$$e&ts/ ane'panded suite o$ &o#pression options/ and #ost i#portantly/ supports #edia otherthan D% i$ you anted to edit #edia shot in a pro$essional $or#at su&h as Beta&a# SP

or Digital Beta&a#/ you &ould do so in Jpress Pro but not Jpress D%E• Avid Jpress Pro +D enables users to or5 ith +igh De$inition $ootage "or #ore

in$or#ation on +D video/ see the sidebar OStandard De$inition versus +igh De$inition%ideoO in this &hapter and O+D Aspe&t (atio and "ra#e (atesO inChapter *E

In late *00*/ Apple released "inal Cut )'press http:GG apple &o#G$inal&ute'pressGE/ hi&h/li5e "inal Cut Pro http:GG apple &o#G$inal&utproGE/ runs only on Apple &o#puters "inal Cut)'press is designed $or people ho ant to do #ore than they &an ith &onsu#er produ&ts li5e

http://www.avid.com/products/xpressFamily/


http://www.avid.com/products/datasheets/xpressdv.pdf




http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/




http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/



i ovie/ but ho don t ant to spend the #oney to buy a $ull version o$ "inal Cut Pro/ or spendthe ti#e it ta5es to learn the $ull array o$ "inal Cut Pro s pro$essional $eatures "inal Cut )'pressretails $or appro'i#ately K300/ and ne er versions or5 ith D% and +D $ootage 8i5e AvidJpress/ "inal Cut )'press is not &o#patible ith standard-de$inition pro$essional #edia in$or#ats su&h as Beta&a# SP or Digital Beta&a# to edit these/ you ould need to or5 ith"inal Cut ProE

"inal Cut )'press be&a#e a &o#petitor o$ Adobe Pre#ierehttp:GG adobe &o#Gprodu&tsGpre#iereGE/ hi&h had $or years been the standard $or

a$$ordable des5top video editing Pre#iere/ hi&h has been around sin&e the early 1??0s as atool to edit analog video and sin&e 1??< as D% editing so$t are/ no &o#es in t o versions:

• Pre#iere )le#ents http:GG adobe &o#Gprodu&tsGpre#iereelGE/ released in early*00 / retails $or appro'i#ately K100/ and enables basi& D% editing Pre#iere )le#entsis not &o#patible ith standard de$inition #edia

• Pre#iere Pro retails $or appro'i#ately K400 and is &o#patible ith a ider array o$ produ&tion $or#ats in&luding +D and SDE Pre#iere )le#ents and Pre#iere Pro both

run only on the ,indo s plat$or#So#e digital editing syste#s enable a $il##a5er to output an edit de&ision list/ or )D8/ hi&hhe &an then ta5e to a high-end produ&tion $a&ility and/ ith the help o$ the $a&ility s sta$$/ &reate a broad&ast-=uality version o$ his pro@e&t )D8 &reation is des&ribed in #ore detail inAppendi'A E >enerally/ only people or5ing on larger-budget produ&tions ta5e this approa&h/ be&ause the pro&ess &an be very e'pensive

"inal Cut Pro and Pre#iere Pro enable users to output an )D8 "inal Cut )'press and Pre#iere)le#ents do not Avid Jpress D%/ Avid Jpress Pro/ and Avid Jpress Pro +D all support )D8output .ou &an also edit a pro@e&t at ho#e using Avid Jpress/ and then ta5e it to a post-houseto $inish the pro@e&t on high-end Avid gear E

Avid Jpress D%/ "inal Cut )'press/ and Pre#iere )le#ents are all 5no ledge s&alable !his#eans i$ you learn to edit on the lo er-end versions and then #ove up to a #ore e'pensiveversion o$ the sa#e produ&t/ your s5ills ill trans$er $ro# one version to another

&. . imelines, Frames, and racksA6o9 1onlinear >diting /ene its the Inde endent Filmmaker

!he $ollo ing se&tions des&ribe the advantages nonlinear editing provides $or the independent $il##a5er

%ideo editing as not al ays a $le'ible pro&ess ,hile 12 and 3 ## $il# produ&tion enabled editors to&ut a shot $ro# the #iddle o$ a se=uen&e ithout disturbing the #aterial around it/ video as originallylinear see O8inear vs Nonlinear )ditingO inChapter 1 as ell as the se&tion on nondestru&tive editing inthis &hapterE )diting linear video entailed pla&ing one shot a$ter another on a tape/ in the e'a&t se=uen&e/

and at the e'a&t length that ould appear in the $inished produ&t !here as no button #ar5ed Oundo OBe&ause ea&h shot appeared e'a&tly a$ter the last/ there as no ay to go ba&5 and #a5e &hanges to theearlier parts o$ the tape ithout ruining everything else that had been added later !his led to high levels o$an'iety in the editing suite/ be&ause edits ere irreversible/ and an in&reased toleran&e o$ #ista5es it asso di$$i&ult to go ba&5 and #a5e &hanges that people so#eti#es le$t bad edits in a progra#/ even i$ they

eren t satis$ied/ be&ause it as so di$$i&ult to ta5e the# outE

Standard De inition Versus 6igh De inition Video

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/


http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/






http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/






+igh De$inition video/ also &alled +D video/ is a &olle&tion o$ digital $or#ats that o$$er higherresolution i#ages and higher $ra#e rates than traditional $or#s o$ analog or digital video +Dalso e#ploys a ides&reen 12'? aspe&t ratio that gives i#ages a #ore &ine#ati& loo5 "or #oredetails on resolution/ $ra#e rate/ and aspe&t ratio seeChapter * E

All video $or#ats other than +D are re$erred to as standard de$inition video/ or SD videoStandard de$inition video in&ludes all analog video $or#ats/ ranging $ro# &onsu#er hi-< videoup to pro$essional =uality Beta&a# SP/ and #any idely used &onsu#er and prosu#er digital$or#ats su&h as #ini D% and broad-&ast-=uality Digital Beta&a#

In 1?? / at #y $irst @ob editing video/ I or5ed ith an analog editing devi&e &onne&ted to t o de&5s !hias a standard operating pro&edure at the ti#e7i$ you at&h reruns o$ ad About .ou/ you &an

so#eti#es see one o$ these old editing syste#s in the ba&5ground o$ a shot !he #ain &hara&ter is ado&u#entary $il##a5er E I played the $ootage on de&5 A/ $ound the se&tion I anted/ and then set the in point to #ar5 the beginning o$ #y sele&tion Ne't/ I set the out point to #ar5 the end o$ the shot I then hadt o &hoi&es7I &ould hit a button #ar5ed Oprevie O or another #ar5ed Oedit O +itting the previe buttondisplayed a sa$e previe o$ hat the edit ould loo5 li5e but did not &o##it the a&tual edit to tape this le$t#e roo# to &hange #y #indE ,hen I hit edit/ the &ontroller ould play the $ootage on de&5 A/ also &alled

the playba&5 de&5/ and then re&ord the $ootage onto de&5 B/ the re&ord de&5"igure ?-1 sho s a si#ilarsetup

Figure &$ . 8 three$=uarter inch ta e$to$ta e analog editing system.

Be&ause I as paid by the hour/ #y boss spe&i$i&ally instru&ted #e never to hit previe !his as high-sta5es editing Not only be&ause I asn t previe ing #y edits/ but be&ause analog video editing didn tallo going ba&5 to #a5e &hanges I$ I got to the end o$ a sho and then reali ed so#ething as #issing$ro# the beginning/ there as no ay to insert it ithout redoing a day s orth o$ or5/ or #ore/ to $i' it

I on t even tell you about the things I le$t out E !oday/ to the @oy o$ editors around the orld/ adding orre#oving a shot re=uires nothing #ore than a $e 5eystro5es or a #ouse &li&5





Digital editing syste#s display an editor s arrange#ent o$ shots ons&reen using a series o$ $ra#es in ati#eline "igure ?-*E aterial at the start o$ a se=uen&e appears at the le$t end o$ the ti#eline/ and latershots appear $arther do n the ti#eline to the right Spa&es in the ti#eline are #easured in $ra#es/ based onthe $ra#e rate o$ the sour&e #aterial $or e'a#ple/ 30 $ra#es per se&ond $or N!SC video or * $ps $or PA8see Chapter *E

Figure &$!. 2li s in the Final 2ut +ro timeline.

I$ an editor ants a shot to appear earlier or later/ she &an si#ply #ove the shot to another part o$ theti#eline !his provides an editor ith in$initely #ore $reedo#/ and the ability to e'peri#ent ith di$$erent&hanges ithout ris5ing disaster I$ the editor doesn t li5e hat the &hange loo5s li5e/ she &an @ust hitOundo O !his is re$erred to as nondestru&tive editing/ and is e'plained in the ne't se&tion o$ this &hapter E

!i#elines also use a series o$ tra&5s/ arranged verti&ally in the ti#eline/ hi&h enable an editor to pla&e#ore than one audio or video &lip on the ti#eline at the sa#e lo&ation )ditors o$ten layer audio to &reateintri&ately $a&eted &o#positions $ro# #ultiple sounds $or e'a#ple/ the voi&e o$ a $il# s protagonistlayered ith a#bient sound and perhaps so#e #usi& see Chapters 14 and1<E A s5illed editor &an alsolayer #ultiple shots o$ video to &reate &o#ple' title se=uen&es and sophisti&ated &o#posites seeChapters11/ 1*/ 1 / and 1 E

&.!. Making the Most o 1ondestructi3e >diting: he Di erence /et9een +roEect Files and MediaFiles

)diting syste#s li5e Avid and "inal Cut Pro did not provide $il##a5ers ith their $irst introdu&tion tononlinear editing )diting reels o$ 12 ## and 3 ## $il# has traditionally been a nonlinear pro&ess/ butunli5e digital editing/ it s a destru&tive one

"il##a5ers o$ten re$er to editing as O&utting a pro@e&t togetherO or si#ply/ O&utting a pro@e&t O !o a persor5ing on a nonlinear editing syste#/ the idea is #etaphori&al/ but traditional $il# editing involved

physi&al &utting and spli&ing "il# editors literally &ut a pie&e o$ $il# to sele&t the seg#ent o$ $ootage theyant that s here the ter# &lip &o#es $ro#E and spli&e it into a se=uen&e o$ other &lips !he proble# is/

a$ter a $e &uts/ editors =ui&5ly $ind the#selves ith a roo# $ull o$ very short le$tover &lips/ &alled tri#s/that are notoriously hard to #anage I$ you tri# say t o $ra#es o$$ a shot/ you then have to 5eep tra&5 o$those t o $ra#es/ be&ause you #ight need the# later )ditors ho physi&ally &ut $il# 5ne not to throanything a ay/ be&ause then they d be stu&5 i$ they tried to reedit (ather than leaving things on the &uttingroo# $loor/ editors hung strips o$ $il# on individual hoo5s in large bins to 5eep the# organi ed At the endo$ the day/ assistant editors spent hours restoring tri#s/ or pasting very short &lips ba&5 onto the longershots they &a#e $ro# other ise/ you &an only i#agine here they #ight have ound upE

Note: ,hen so#ething is shot/ but doesn t end up in the $inal edit/ it is said to Oend up the &utting roo#$loor/O even so#eti#es still in video/ hen nothing a&tually ends up on the $loor )'a#ple/ O y




























In the past/ independent video produ&ers o$ten used nonLdrop $ra#e ti#e&ode/ be&ause it as very hard to&al&ulate hi&h $ra#es to drop/ i$ they eren t using a &o#puter Digital editing syste#s no per$or#drop-$ra#e &al&ulations as part o$ their general $un&tions/ so or5ing ith drop-$ra#e ti#e&ode is not onlya si#pli$ied pro&ess/ it also #a5es your sho broad&ast $riendly in the event you re invited to s&reen your

or5 on television/ be&ause drop-$ra#e is the standard broad&ast television $ra#e rate

As des&ribed inChapter </ ti#e&ode helps 5eep audio and video syn&hroni ed during re&ording andediting: hen the ti#e&ode o$ a video $ra#e #at&hes the ti#e&ode o$ an audio $ra#e/ they re in syn&

!i#e&ode also enables the rando# a&&ess that #a5es nonlinear editing possible Be&ause ti#e&odeuni=uely identi$ies ea&h $ra#e o$ $ootage in your pro@e&t/ you &an instantly a&&ess any part o$ your &apt#aterial @ust by typing in its ti#e&ode Instead o$ slogging through hours o$ $ootage to $ind a *0 se&ondshot/ ti#e&ode enables you to navigate to the pre&ise lo&ation o$ the shot s $irst $ra#e !he ability toidenti$y and $ind a single $ra#e is des&ribed as being $ra#e a&&urate I$ you re or5ing ith a 1*:1shooting ratio/ #eaning you shoot 1* #inutes o$ $ootage $or every one #inute that inds up in your$inished pro@e&t/ you &an i#agine ho #u&h tape you d have $or a t o hour $il# and ho #u&h ti#e yousave by navigating dire&tly to the $ra#e you ant see the sidebar OAll about the ratioO in Chapter 1E

!i#e&ode in$or#ation doesn t &hange !he ti#e&ode on $ootage you re&ord ith your &a#era stays the

sa#e hen you &apture the $ootage to your &o#puter s hard drive/ and still stays the sa#e hen you editthe #aterial into a se=uen&e In addition to #a5ing nonlinear editing possible/ this &onsisten&y enablesnondestru&tive editing )arlier I des&ribed pro@e&t $iles as a series o$ instru&tions telling an editingappli&ation to play parti&ular se&tions o$ various #edia $iles in a designated order !i#e&ode is hatenables your editing appli&ation to identi$y ea&h se&tion o$ the #edia $iles No t o ti#e&ode lo&ations onany tape are ali5e/ and even though t o tapes &an &ontain the sa#e ti#e&ode/ editing appli&ations alloyou to na#e ea&h individual tape to avoid &on$usion Chapter 10 e'plores te&hni=ues to help you #angeyour $ootage and prevent proble#s E

As a result/ the pro@e&t $iles $or your $il# are essentially a list o$ the beginning and ending ti#e&odelo&ations o$ all your shot sele&tions/ arranged in the order you spe&i$y and updated every ti#e you #a5e&hanges 6n&e your pro@e&t is $inished/ you &an use this ti#e&ode in$or#ation to &reate an )D8/ asdes&ribed earlier/ to &reate a high-=uality broad&ast #aster An editor ho shoots $il# &an also use

ti#e&ode in$or#ation to stri5e a $il# print $or theatri&al release by #at&hing the ti#e&ode o$ #aterial in the#aster to 5ey&ode in$or#ation on the original negatives Both pro&esses are des&ribed in #ore detail inAppendi' A

In the past/ editing an independent $il# or video pro@e&t either #eant paying studio rental $ees/ or or5ingin the #iddle o$ the night hile so#ebody you 5ne asn t using his editing suite7digital editing syste#s

ere si#ply too e'pensive $or #ost individuals to pur&hase !oday/ buying the e=uip#ent to build youro n postprodu&tion studio is not only a possibility but/ in #any &ases/ proves #ore e&ono#i&al thanrenting 6n&e you #a5e the initial pur&hase/ the &ost-per-use o$ your editing syste# lo ers ea&h ti#e yousit do n to edit Depending on the nu#ber o$ pro@e&ts you or5 on and the pay#ent ter#s you negotiate

ith your &lients/ your digital editing syste# &an even be&o#e a revenue sour&e I$ you or5 the balan&e&orre&tly/ you &an not only do hat you love/ but you &an #a5e a living at it7ho great is that E Chapter10 al5s you through the pro&ess o$ &on$iguring your o n studio and gets you ready to edit

2ha ter ". Setting 4 7our Digital +ost FacilityIs y Co#puter "ast )noughCapture and Storage Syste#s!he I#portan&e o$ a ,ell-Calibrated N!SC onitor

Asse#bling your o n digital editing syste# #a5es you the boss .ou &an edit on your o n s&hedule/ithout &o#peting ith other people ho have pro@e&ts to $inish/ or running up your &redit &ard bill to rent
























ti#e at so#eone else s editing suite !his &ost-e$$e&tive $le'ibility not only saves you ti#e and #oney/ butis li5ely both easier and #ore a$$ordable than you #ay thin5

Putting a digital studio together entails setting up a &o#puter e=uipped ith editing so$t are/ &onne&tingyour &o#puter to a de&5 or &a#era to &apture audio and video/ and &on$iguring a hard drive to store andorgani e your #edia 8astly/ be&ause &o#puters and televisions display i#ages di$$erently/ it &an also be

help$ul to &onne&t the output o$ your editing syste# to a dedi&ated N!SC video #onitor ,hether you re buying a ne &o#puter and building your syste# $ro# s&rat&h or opti#i ing a &o#puter you already o n$or use as an editing station/ the speed o$ your &o#puter both in ter#s o$ its pro&essor po er and thea#ount o$ rando# a&&ess #e#ory/ or (A / you installE plays a &entral role in the su&&ess o$ your syste#

". . Is My 2om uter Fast >nough0

A $riend and $ello authorGvideo editor na#ed Bonnie Bla5e on&e &o#pared pur&hasing a ne &o#puterand not installing additional (A to buying a $ast er&edes and not $illing up the gas tan5 +er point asthat even a brand ne &o#puter e=uipped ith a very $ast pro&essor still needs a substantial a#ount o$(A to per$or# at its best )diting video ill ta' the resour&es o$ an e'&eptionally po er$ul &o#puter

ost &o#puters are not used to edit video/ so #ost &o#puters do not ship ith enough (A to do so E,or5ing ith a dual-pro&essor &o#puter and installing additional (A ill enable you to or5 #ore

=ui&5ly/ and to ta5e advantage o$ real-ti#e e$$e&ts playba&5 and other ne so$t are $eatures in digitalediting progra#s li5e "inal Cut Pro

SID>/8R 6o9 Do I Find Out 8;out My 2om uter's R8M and +rocessor0

!o &he&5 the a#ount o$ (A installed on a a&/ and to see hat type o$ pro&essor the&o#puter is using/ use the About !his a& $un&tion

1 Cli&5 on the Apple i&on in the upper-le$t &orner o$ the s&reen/ and hold the #ouse button do n A drop-do n indo opens

* Choose About !his a& $ro# the drop-do n #enu/ and release the #ouse button A



ne indo appears/ displaying the a#ount o$ #e#ory (A E installed on your&o#puter/ along ith the type o$ pro&essor and the operating syste# version

!o &he&5 the a#ount o$ (A installed on a PC/ and to see hat type o$ pro&essor the &o#puteris using/ use the y Co#puter i&on

1 (ight-&li&5 the y Co#puter i&on on the des5top I$ the y Co#puter i&on is notdisplayed on your des5top/ go to the Start #enu/ and right-&li&5 the y Co#puter i&onin the Start #enu E



* Sele&t Properties A ne indo opens

3 !he botto# o$ the >eneral panel displays the pro&essor speed and the a#ount o$installed (A

Note: !he (A in a &o#puter $un&tions in a ay that s very si#ilar to a person s short ter# #e#oryCo#puters te#porarily store in$or#ation in their rando# a&&ess #e#ory and use the in$or#ation henthey per$or# &al&ulations "or e'a#ple/ i$ you roll your &ursor over an i#age on a eb page and the i#age&hanges/ the &o#puter uses (A to store both states o$ the i#age and to &hange $ro# one to the other inresponse to your a&tions Si#ilarly/ i$ you &ut a paragraph o$ te't $ro# a do&u#ent or a video &lip $ro# ase=uen&e/ your &o#puter uses (A to store the in$or#ation in its #e#ory until you paste it so#e hereelse

Audio and video playba&5/ and espe&ially editing/ re=uire signi$i&ant a#ounts o$ pro&essor po erCo#puters ith $aster pro&essors/ or a set o$ dual pro&essors/ per$or# better be&ause they &an handle #orein$or#ation I$/ in the &ourse o$ running through the series o$ $un&tions a &o#puter per$or#s every se&ond/it $inds itsel$ over hel#ed ith a tas5/ the &o#puter pauses to $inish that tas5 be$ore #oving on the ne't"or e'a#ple/ a slo er &o#puter #ight hang up or #o#entarily $ree e hile playing ba&5 a video &lip/ be&ause the pro&essor gets over hel#ed

A &o#puter s pro&essor is not so#ething you ould ordinarily upgrade a$ter pur&hase/ but you &an easilyaug#ent your &o#puter s per$or#an&e by installing #ore (A Adding (A in&reases the nu#ber o$tas5s a &o#puter &an per$or# at a ti#e 6ne i##ediate bene$it to installing additional (A is that it



enables a &o#puter to run #ultiple appli&ations together/ speeding up your or5$lo )ditors building a&o#ple' title se=uen&e o$ten or5 ith Illustrator or Photoshop and A$ter )$$e&ts at the sa#e ti#e/ &reatinggraphi&s in Illustrator or Photoshop then i#porting the# into A$ter )$$e&ts to ani#ate the# Illustrator/Photoshop/ and A$ter )$$e&ts all use signi$i&ant a#ounts o$ #e#ory/ so an editor or5ing on a &o#puter

ithout additional (A #ight have to =uit one appli&ation be$ore laun&hing one o$ the others/dra#ati&ally slo ing do n the editor s or5$lo

)ven i$ you re or5ing ith a single video editing appli&ation by itsel$/ the available (A installed onyour &o#puter be&o#es parti&ularly noti&eable/ and parti&ularly i#portant/ hen you &reate &o#ple'se=uen&es and start to add any type o$ &o#positing e$$e&ts ,hen a se=uen&e &ontains e$$e&ts/ $or e'a#pleseveral video strea#s &o#posited into a #ontage/ your &o#puter needs to render the e$$e&ts be$ore you &an play the# ba&5 (endering a se=uen&e #eans the &o#puter &reates a ne series o$ video &lips that &ontainea&h $ra#e o$ audio and video/ in addition to all the e$$e&ts that ere added to the# As you &an i#agine/generating video $iles/ and in parti&ular generating video $iles that &ontain e$$e&ts/ is no si#ple tas5(endering re=uires all the po er your &o#puter &an #uster In the re&ent past/ even si#ple e$$e&ts too5 atre#endous a#ount o$ ti#e to render/ o$ten $or&ing editors to stop or5ing $or *0 #inutes or #ore hilethey aited !his as great $or editors ho li5ed to ta5e brea5s hile they ere still on the &lo&5 ,hen

or5ing on a deadline/ ho ever/ aiting $or a &o#puter to render &ould be a deeply pain$ul e'perien&e

SID>/8R Rendering +er ormance and 6ard9are Re=uirements

!o enable editors to or5 #ore =ui&5ly/ Apple introdu&ed hat it &alls real-ti#e e$$e&ts playba&5 to "inal Cut Pro (eal-ti#e e$$e&ts playba&5/ hi&h Apple also &alls (! )'tre#e/ #eans that aneditor or5ing on a $ast enough syste# &an previe various e$$e&ts ithout aiting $or her&o#puter to render the# (eal-ti#e playba&5 #a5es signi$i&ant de#ands on a &o#puter s pro&essing po er and (A / as does editing +D video

A#ong the syste# re=uire#ents Apple lists $or "inal Cut Pro editing syste#s are a &o#puterith a 00 #+ or $aster > or > pro&essor and 1* B o$ (A ;sing +D $eatures/

ho ever/ re=uires a 1>+ or $aster pro&essor and a #ini#u# o$ 1 >+ (A Applere&o##ends * >+ E

)ven $or &o#puters that #eet these #ini#u# re=uire#ents/ there are di$$erent levels o$ (!)'tre#e &apability/ depending on the speed and po er o$ di$$erent &o#puters: syste#s ith#ore (A and $aster pro&essors &an vie a greater nu#ber o$ e$$e&ts in real ti#e at higherlevels o$ =uality

(egardless o$ the so$t are you use/ any appli&ation has basi& hard are re=uire#ents I$ yoursyste# doesn t have a $ast enough pro&essor and ade=uate (A / you on t be able to run the progra#

Digital editing so$t are appli&ations list their syste# re=uire#ents on the outside o$ the bo' andon their eb sites Be sure your &o#puter #eets these re=uire#ents7and then so#e7be$oreyou install any ne so$t are any retailers on t let you return so$t are on&e the bo' has beenopened/ even i$ the so$t are on t run on your syste#

Note: A &o#puter s pro&essor operates in &y&les/ 5ind o$ li5e a &lo&5 Co#puters &onstantly per$or# anu#ber o$ $un&tions ea&h se&ond/ and &y&le through all the $un&tions in order be$ore starting over again

ith the $irst !he speed o$ a &o#puter s pro&essor #easures ho #any ti#es it &an &y&le through the$un&tions in one se&ond "or e'a#ple/ an Apple Po erBoo5 ith a 1 33 >+ pro&essor per$or#s



signi$i&antly $aster/ #eaning it pro&esses #ore in$or#ation ea&h se&ond than a &o#parable &o#puter ith a1 >+ pro&essor &hip !he pro&essor speed nu#ber on a PC Pentiu#/ A D/ et& E is not the e=uivalent o$the pro&essor speed on a a& "or e'a#ple/ a dual 1 < >+ > is the e=uivalent in pro&essor speed to asingle 3 3 >+ P Additionally/ an A D 2 "J ith a * * >+ pro&essor is e=uivalent in speed to a dual1 < >+ > !he ar&hite&ture bet een these syste#s is di$$erent ,ith a a& pro&essor/ data gets $ro# one point to another #ore =ui&5ly be&ause it involves $e er stages less or5E than a typi&al PC pro&essor/ su&as a P or an A D

I$ you re buying a ne &o#puter syste# to use $or editing/ it s o$ten a good invest#ent to pur&hase the$astest #odel available )ven i$ you &an t i#agine using all the pro&essing ability o$ a higher pri&ed&o#puter/ you #ay $ind that you need the po er sooner than you thin5 As so$t are progra#s add ne$eatures/ they re=uire additional po er and #e#ory to operate I$ you re &ertain you never ant to upgradeyour syste#/ it s not an issue #any $il##a5ers produ&e great or5 using older e=uip#entE/ but i$ you

ant to leave yoursel$ the option/ it s orth thin5ing about A good analogy is a la yer or bri&5 layer ho&harges a higher hourly $ee but saves you #oney in the long run by $inishing #ore =ui&5ly than a slo er&o#petitor ho bills at a lo er rate 8i5e ise/ it #ay be &heaper to buy a $aster #a&hine no than to buy aless e'pensive #odel today and an entirely ne syste# in the near $uture be&ause the pro&essor is too sloto run the so$t are you ant 9eep in #ind that slo er syste#s &rash #ore/ too7&rashing in the #iddle o$a 10-hour render #eans starting over

Additionally/ &o#puter #anu$a&turers &onstantly &o#e out ith ne #odels that $eature ne er pro&essors/$or e'a#ple a > pro&essor instead o$ a > / and o$ten #a5e video produ&tion so$t are that isn t &o#patible

ith older &o#puters I$ you don t ant to get Beta#a'ed/ or stu&5 ith a dated te&hnology/ it #ight be agood idea to pur&hase the latest/ $astest &o#puter available

".!. 2a ture and Storage Systems

(egardless o$ hether you &on$igure your o n syste# or pur&hase one ready-#ade/ it s help$ul to thin5about &apture and storage be$ore you get started De&isions you #a5e during the pro&ess o$ i#porting#aterial to your &o#puter $ro# your tapes shape the out&o#e o$ your pro@e&t I$ you e#ploy an organi ed&apture and storage syste#/ you ll have a #u&h easier ti#e $inding and 5eeping tra&5 o$ your $ootage later

on

Capturing D% $ootage involves playing the #aterial on your de&5 or &a#era "igure 10-1E/ and thendigitally i#porting the #aterial to your &o#puter via "ire,ire/ also 5no n as an I))) 13? &onne&tion Italso involves repeatedly $ast-$or arding and re inding through the tape to sele&t the individual shots you

ant %ideo de&5s ere #ade to $ast-$or ard and re ind ithout brea5ing do n &a#eras ere not(e inding a tape in your &a#era &an lead to a&&identally da#aging the tape as it runs through the&a#&order at high speeds/ and &ontinually $ast-$or arding or re inding &an burn out your &a#era s interna

or5ings see O!he %ulnerability o$ Any (e&orded ediaO inChapter 1E D% de&5s aren t &heap7they &aneasily &ost #ore than K1/ 007but i$ using one e'tends the li$e o$ a &a#era you re&ently paid K3/000 orK /000 to pur&hase/ it s a good invest#ent

Figure "$ . 8 com uter connected to a DV camera and a com uter connected to a DV deck.





SID>/8R 2on iguring 7our O9n System Versus /uying a urnkey Setu

,hen you pur&hase a ne editing syste#/ you have the option o$ pur&hasing ea&h &o#ponent onits o n in&luding editing so$t are/ a &o#puter/ and asso&iated peripherals su&h as a de&5 anddisplaysE or buying a ready-#ade &on$iguration o$ hard are and so$t are &alled a turn5eysyste# any video e=uip#ent retailers allo you to &hoose bet een #i'ing and #at&hingindividual &o#ponents on your o n or opting $or a turn5ey syste# they &on$igure $or you )a&hhas its o n set o$ pros and &ons

!he advantages o$ building your o n syste# are:

• .ou buy only hat you ant Sin&e you re &on$iguring the syste# yoursel$/ you don thave to buy all the ele#ents o$ so#eone else s presele&ted pa&5age hi&h #ay in&ludethings you don t needE .ou #ay even be able to use your e'isting &o#puter/ instead o$ buying a ne one

• .ou &an shop around and &onta&t #ultiple vendors to $ind the best pri&e on ea&hindividual &o#ponent Be&ause you re not buying everything $ro# the sa#e pla&e/ you#ight save #oney by pur&hasing di$$erent pie&es $ro# di$$erent retailers ho o$$er&o#peting pri&es/ espe&ially i$ you buy so#e online

• Custo#-built &o#puters are #odular/ and s#all parts are easy to repla&e In &ontrast/

&heaper turn5eys li5e so#e Co#pa=-+Ps/ A&ers/ et& E have &o#ponents soldered to the#otherboard/ so i$ you need to &hange a &hip or so#ething/ you have to buy a holene #otherboard/ hi&h is very e'pensive

!he disadvantages o$ building your o n syste# are:

• I$ you re building your syste# $ro# s&rat&h/ it s your responsibility to ensure thateverything or5s Not everyone li5es &onne&ting devi&es and testing &on$igurations/and i$ you don t/ this probably isn t the route $or you to ta5e I$ you have trouble



asse#bling the di$$erent pie&es into a or5ing syste#/ you &an t si#ply &all the&o#pany ho sold it to you $or help/ be&ause you bought ea&h pie&e $ro# a di$$erentvendor A relative on&e pur&hased a Sony #ini D% &a#era and Dell &o#puter ithvideo editing so$t are

+e as unable to &apture video to his &o#puter $ro# the &a#era/ and at his re=uest/ I&alled the te&h support line $or both &o#panies Dell told #e they &ouldn t help #e andsuggested I &all Sony Sony said they &ouldn t help #e and suggested I &all Dell E

• Sear&hing $or the best pri&e and #a5ing a series o$ pur&hases $ro# #ultiple vendorsta5es ti#e and e$$ort I$ you re in a hurry to start editing/ you #ay vie the ti#e youspend asse#bling your syste# as ti#e that you re not spending on editing your $il#

!he advantages o$ pur&hasing a turn5ey syste# are:

• ,ith one pur&hase/ you &an bring ho#e a $ully $un&tional editing syste# !he retailerdoes the or5 o$ sele&ting all the &o#ponents and delivering the# to you as a pa&5agedeal !his &an get you started #u&h #ore =ui&5ly

• Be&ause you pur&hase the entire syste# $ro# one vendor/ you have only one #er&hantto &all i$ there s a proble#

!he disadvantages o$ pur&hasing a turn5ey syste# are:

• A turn5ey syste# &an so#eti#es &ost #ore than pur&hasing the individual &o#ponents$ro# &o#peting retailers so#e vendors #ight &harge you a $ee $or the &onvenien&e o$ buying everything in one easy pur&haseE I on&e or5ed ith so#eone ho saideverything has an e&ono#i& value In this &ase/ the ti#e and e$$ort you save by nothaving to #a5e #ultiple pur&hase de&isions #ay or #ay not #a5e up $or the in&rease in

&ost• .our turn5ey syste# #ay in&lude &o#ponents you don t need and don t use Be&auseso#eone else is #a5ing the de&isions $or you/ the turn5ey syste# #ay &ontaine=uip#ent you ouldn t other ise pur&hase it s li5e the O#oney savingO option pa&5ages on a &arE

• !hey don t al ays or5 right out o$ the bo' .our turn5ey syste# #ay still re=uirevarying degrees o$ asse#bly and e$$ort be$ore you &an get started on your editing pro@e&t

As you set up your &apture syste#/ it s help$ul to thin5 about your storage syste# as ell/ sin&e you ll beusing the t o together In re&ent years/ the pri&e o$ storage has $allen &onsiderably Independent $il##a5ers

&an no buy a$$ordable hard drives that store 1*0 gigabytes o$ in$or#ation or #ore hi&h translates toell over 10 hours orth o$ D% $ootageE and &ost less than K*00 Depending on your &o#puter syste# andho you plan to edit/ you &an pur&hase additional internal hard drives that #ount inside your &o#puter ore'ternal drives that &onne&ts to your editing syste# via "ire,ire "igure 10-*E ,or5ing ith #ultiple harddrives e'pands the storage &apa&ity o$ your &o#puter and helps i#prove per$or#an&e )ven i$ your&o#puter shipped ith a very large hard drive/ or5ing ith an additional drive that you use solely $orstoring #edia helps avoid dis5 $rag#entation see the sidebar/ O!he Proble# o$ a "rag#ented DriveOE and pla&es less o$ a strain on the drive running your &o#puter s operating syste#

Figure "$!. Internal and e?ternal hard dri3es.



Note: I$ you re @ust editing so#e ho#e #ovies/ there s nothing rong ith &onne&ting your &a#era dire&tlyto your &o#puter So#e people use an older &a#era as a de&5 a$ter they upgrade to a ne &a#era E I$

you re e#bar5ing on a $ootage-intensive editing pro@e&t/ or going into business as a video editor/ adedi&ated de&5 be&o#es an i#portant invest#ent ;sing a separate D% de&5 e'tends the li$e o$ your&a#era/ and helps you loo5 pro$essional hen &lients drop by

A good e'ternal drive should &ost about K1 per gigabyte o$ storage !his #eans a 1*0 >B drive should &ostin the range o$ K1*0 ! o good brands are a'tor #a'tor &o#E and 8aCie la&ie &o#EInternal drives should &ost slightly less A eb site &alled dealne s http:GGdealne s &o#E lists the lo est pri&es on various &o#puter e=uip#ent and #edia/ ranging $ro# drives to re&ordable D%Ds I li5e this siteand their a&-oriented site deal#a& http:GGdeal#a& &o#E/ be&ause they don t sell e=uip#ent the#selves7 they @ust list the lo est pri&es advertised by other retailers

1%.2.2.1. &sing internal dri'es

Internal drives o$ten &ost less than their e'ternal &ounterparts/ and be&ause they reside ithin your&o#puter/ they &reate less noise Internal drives &an also provide $aster data trans$er rates than an e'ternal"ire,ire drive/ hi&h #eans they &an #ore =ui&5ly trans$er in$or#ation $ro# the drive to your &o#puter s pro&essor "or #ost video appli&ations/ good e'ternal "ire,ire drives are $ast enough $or storage/ but I ve$ound that hen burning D%Ds or en&oding #aterial $or D%D produ&tion/ I get better results $ro# #ediastored on an internal hard drive "or #ore on D%D produ&tion and en&oding/ seeAppendi' A

!he #ain dra ba&5 to internal hard drives is they &an &reate substantial a#ounts o$ heat Although des5top#odel > and > &o#puters have roo# to install several internal drives/ the do&u#entation $or "inal CutPro advises against installing a total o$ #ore than three drives inside a single &o#puter en&losureA&&ording to the do&u#entation/ heat build-up &an &ause proble#s during &apture and playba&5/ and &anulti#ately lead to the $ailure o$ one or #ore o$ the drives

Note: ,or5ing ith an internal drive #eans so#eone needs to install it It #ight be s&ary the $irst ti#e youopen your &o#puter and start re&onne&ting &o#ponents/ but it saves you tre#endous a#ounts o$ #oney asopposed to bringing it to so#eone else to do it $or you Interestingly/ #any internal drives ill or5 ineither a a& or PC so long as the syste# is &orre&tly &on$igured Still/ be sure to &he&5 that any drive you buy is &o#patible ith your syste# be$ore you open the bo' E 6$ &ourse/ i$ you aren t &o#puter savvy/ orgood at putting things together/ get so#eone else to do this Both $or your o n sa$ety/ and that o$ your

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syste#/ don t try to open your &o#puter i$ you don t 5no hat you re doing

he +ro;lem o a Fragmented Dri3e

+ard drives store $iles in &hun5s o$ in$or#ation ,hen there s roo# on a dis5/ a &o#puter &an pla&e large &hun5s o$ in$or#ation &lose together/ hi&h #a5es the# easy to read ,hen thedrive starts to run out o$ roo#/ the &o#puter pla&es s#aller &hun5s o$ in$or#ation herever it&an $ind spa&e on the dis5 I$ parts o$ a $ile are s&attered throughout a dis5/ instead o$ stored near one another/ the $ile be&o#es harder to read and ta5es longer $or the &o#puter to pro&ess ,henthis happens/ the dis5 has be&o#e $rag#ented and the &o#puter s per$or#an&e su$$ers %ideo$iles are notorious $or $rag#enting hard drives/ espe&ially as you delete older $iles and re&ordne ones

! o so$t are appli&ations you &an use to help #aintain and de$rag#ent your drives areDis5 arrior by Also$t also$t &o#GDis5,arrior E/ and Norton Syste# or5s by Sy#ante&

sy#ante& &o#GsabuGsys or5sGbasi&E Dis5,arrior runs on a& Syste# or5s is no aPC-only produ&t/ although earlier versions ere &ross plat$or#

I$ you re running ,indo s JP on your &o#puter/ the operating syste# in&ludes so$t are &alledDis5 De$rag#enter/ hi&h &an be s&heduled to per$or# periodi& #aintenan&e on your PC

".!.!.!. 4sing e?ternal dri3es

)'ternal hard drives usually don t have proble#s ith heat build-up/ sin&e they re housed outside the&o#puter )'ternal "ire,ire hard drives are also great $or or5ing ith laptops/ as opposed to e'trainternal drives/ hi&h are generally too large to $it inside a portable &o#puter Be&ause "ire,ire drives arehot-s appable/ #eaning they &an be &onne&ted and dis&onne&ted ithout restarting a &o#puter/ they #a5eit easy to organi e potentially over hel#ing a#ounts o$ $ootage or to separate $ootage $ro# di$$erent pro@e&ts .ou &an divide the $ootage $or a large pro@e&t onto several di$$erent drives/ and then &onne&t edrive to your &o#puter only hen you need it .ou &an also use the sa#e e'ternal drive ith #ore than one&o#puter/ hi&h #a5es editing portable I have several $riends ho edit on sophisti&ated syste#s in theirho#e studios/ and travel ith an e'ternal drive &onne&ted to a laptop so they &an edit on the road henti#e allo s or inspiration stri5es

!he #ain do nside to e'ternal drives is their higher &ost/ as &o#pared to internal drives/ and the $a&t thatyou &an hear the# operating be&ause they re outside your &o#puter s en&losure i$ you use a $e together/they get really loudE Another potential &o#pli&ation is that e'ternal drives generally re=uire a po ersour&e to operate/ so you have to plug ea&h one into an outlet !his &an be an in&onvenien&e i$ you $indyoursel$ running out o$ available plugs/ or i$ you $eel li5e you already have too #any &ables and po er&ords strea#ing out $ro# your &o#puter

I$ you re or5ing ith e'tensive a#ounts o$ $ootage/ you #ight &onsider setting up a (AID/ or redundantarray o$ independent dis5s A (AID is a set o$ dis5s used to #irror &opied data to #ultiple lo&ations ,hilethese &an be very e'pensive/ depending on the &apa&ity o$ the drives/ there are ne e'ternal "ire,ire(AIDs that are both reasonably pri&ed and very $ast

1%.2.2.3. Why re(o'a"le (edia is not an e))ecti'e choice

Instead o$ pur&hasing an e'ternal hard drive/ it #ay be te#pting to or5 dire&tly $ro# $ootage stored onre#ovable #edia/ su&h as a ip dis5/ a data D%D/ or a CD !his is a bad idea A &o#puter on t be able toread the in$or#ation o$$ these dis&s $ast enough to play the video you store on the# .ou &an ar&hive #ediaonto a ip dis5/ data D%D/ or CD/ and then &opy the $iles to your hard drive to or5 ith/ but other ise/

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re#ovable #edia @ust on t or5 !o #eet the needs o$ a video editor/ any storage devi&e needs to trans$erin$or#ation to and $ro# a &o#puter at a &onsistently high rate "inal Cut s do&u#entation re&o##endsusing drives/ either e'ternal or internal/ ith sustained data trans$er rates o$ < B per se&ond or #ore thisre&o##endation also applies i$ you re running another editing progra#/ su&h as Avid Jpress or AdobePre#iereE !he do&u#entation also re&o##ends using a dis5 that spins at / 00 revolutions per #inute orhigher #any editors re&o##end an even higher 4/*00 rp#E be&ause the $aster a dis5 spins/ the #ore=ui&5ly it &an trans$er in$or#ation and a&&ess individual $iles on-de#and CDs and ip dis5s don t #a5ethe &ut be&ause they @ust aren t $ast enough

Note: a5e sure you plug the &orre&t po er supply into your drive ost po er supplies loo5 si#ilar/ buti$ you plug into one that has a higher output voltage than your drive ta5es/ it ill $ry the drive !o avoid&on$usion/ you &an &olor-&ode your drives and po er supplies ith &olored tape/ or even label the# I$you re or5ing on a pro@e&t that is your li$e/ you #ight &onsider getting an e'tra drive/ periodi&ally ba&5inup the data and pro@e&t $iles/ and 5eeping it at a $riend s pla&e/ in &ase so#ething happens to your house

$ire/ $lood/ earth=ua5e/ et& E I$ you have #ore than one e'ternal drive/ espe&ially i$ they are all the sa#e#odel/ you &an label ea&h ith the na#e o$ a pro@e&t/ or a pro@e&t na#e and a nu#ber/ to avoid &on$usion

6n&e you ve got your &apture and storage syste# set up/ it s i#portant to establish and #aintain a tapenu#bering syste# !he ine'pensive nature o$ D% $ootage #a5es it easy to shoot hours and hours o$$ootage/ so be$ore you 5no it/ you #ay have a shel$ $ull o$ tapes

Pro$essional &a#eras enable a $il##a5er to #anually set the start ti#e&ode that appears on a tape"il##a5ers o$ten use this to organi e their $ootage "or e'a#ple/ a $il##a5er #ight set the start ti#e&odeo$ the $irst tape to 01:00:00 00/ the se&ond to 0*:00:00 00/ the third to 03:00:00 00/ and so on As a result/ea&h tape ill have a di$$erent sour&e ti#e&ode !his enables a $il##a5er to set di$$erent ti#e&ode on up to* di$$erent tapes a$ter *3: ?: ? *? the ti#e&ode re&y&les to 00:00:00 00E

;n$ortunately/ #ost prosu#er &a#eras don t o$$er a $un&tion li5e this/ so ea&h tape ill have ti#e&odethat s identi&al to the others !his is a potential proble# on&e the $ootage has been i#ported to the&o#puter/ be&ause i$ t o &lips share the e'a&t sa#e ti#e&ode/ it &an be hard to tell the# apart in laterstages o$ postprodu&tion

An easy solution to this proble# is to nu#ber ea&h tape pla&e the sa#e nu#ber on the tape label and the bo'E and use the sa#e nu#ber to identi$y the tape as you &apture the $ootage to your editing syste#Pro@e&t and pointer $iles store not only the ti#e&ode in$or#ation $or ea&h edit you #a5e/ but the tape sour&eo$ all the #aterial in your $il# !his sour&e in$or#ation is espe&ially i#portant i$ you need to re&aptureyour $ootage in the event o$ a syste# &rash/ or i$ you de&ide to output an )D8 and bring your pro@e&t to ahigh-end post $a&ility to do so#ething beyond the ability o$ your syste# seeAppendi' AE

".*. he Im ortance o a -ell$2ali;rated 1 S2 Monitor

,hen you re editing digital video/ the i#ages you see on your &o#puter s&reen on t #at&h hat youraudien&e sees on a television N!SC #onitors and &o#puter s&reens display &olors and #otion di$$erently/and they also display di$$erent areas o$ a video $ra#e

N!SC #onitors display a #ore li#ited range o$ &olor than &o#puter s&reens As a result/ &olors that loo5really good on a &o#puter s&reen #ight not loo5 that great to audien&es at&hing your or5 on atelevision )ven i$ you never e'pe&t a television broad&ast/ the ay your or5 loo5s on television is stilli#portant I$ you plan on distributing your or5 on D%D or %+S/ the people you give &opies to ill al#ost&ertainly be at&hing your $il# on a television s&reen I$ the &olors don t loo5 the ay you ant the# to/sho ing people your or5 #ay turn into a very disappointing e'perien&e "or #ore in$or#ation on thedi$$eren&e bet een video #onitors and &o#puter s&reens/ see Chapter 11E









SID>/8R De3elo ing a a e 1aming 2on3ention

A na#ing &onvention is a set o$ rules you apply to ensure the na#es you give tapes or $iles in a pro@e&t all $ollo the sa#e logi&

A very straight$or ard and idely used &onvention involves nu#bering ea&h tape se=uentially/starting ith 001 !he ne't tape ould be 00*/ then 003/ et& !his enables a $il##a5er to use??? separate tapes ithout repeating a tape na#e I don t 5no anyone ho re&ords that #anytapes/ but it s ni&e to have the option E

So#e $il##a5ers also add the letters OC(O be$ore the nu#ber/ so their tapes are labeled C(001/C(00*/ C(003/ et& C( stands $or &a#era reel/ and is a holdover $ro# the days hen peopleshot reels o$ $il#

(egardless o$ the na#ing syste# you &o#e up ith/ the 5ey is to i#ple#ent a nu#bering syste#at the very start o$ your pro@e&t and sti&5 ith it through the very end o$ postprodu&tion Duringthe &apture pro&ess/ "inal Cut Pro and Avid both as5 editors to enter tape na#es henever they begin to &apture #edia/ or henever they &hange &assettes during the &apture pro&ess )nteringe'a&tly the sa#e na#e that s ritten on a tape s label o$$ers an easy ay 5eep a tape nu#beringsyste# inta&t/ and helps avoid &reating dupli&ate or #ultiple tape na#es At $irst/ entering the

rong na#e $or a tape #ight not see# li5e #u&h o$ a proble#/ but it &an ulti#ately #a5e iti#possible to $ind the original sour&e o$ a &lip Be&ause #any editing syste#s are &ase sensitive/C(001 ould be &onsidered a di$$erent na#e than &r001 )ntering an e'tra spa&e &ould also&ause proble#s/ $or e'a#ple C( 001 and C(001 ould be &onsidered di$$erent tapes All this#ay see# li5e a lot to 5eep in #ind/ but li5e anything else in the orld o$ $il#/ a littleorgani ation and planning at the start o$ a pro@e&t &an help prevent tre#endous heada&hes andhair loss later on

Note: A good D% tape label"igure 10-3E not only &ontains a reel nu#ber but also notes the date o$ theshoot/ the na#e o$ a pro@e&t/ and a very brie$ des&ription o$ the tape s &ontents ,hen you start or5ing

ith large a#ounts o$ #aterial/ it s easy to lose tra&5 o$ hat $ootage is really on hi&h tape !a5ing &are$ulnotes and e$$e&tively using your tape labels al ays pays o$$

Figure "$*. +hoto o a 9ell$la;eled DV ta e.



Note: !here s @ust no substitute $or a dedi&ated N!SC #onitor/ espe&ially hen you re or5ing ith&o#posites and #otion e$$e&ts I$ you re editing video that audien&es ill at&h on a television or video#onitor/ adding an N!SC #onitor to your syste# is the only ay to 5no hat they ll really see

N!SC #onitors and &o#puter s&reens operate at di$$erent s&an rates/ so the i#ages ons&reen re$resh #ore$re=uently on a &o#puter #onitor than on a television !his be&o#es parti&ularly noti&eable hen you startto or5 ith #otion &ontrol e$$e&ts during editing/ $or e'a#ple/ speeding up your $ootage or slo ing itdo n Digital editing syste#s enable $il##a5ers to &reate &o#ple' #otion &ontrol se=uen&es herei#ages #ove a&ross the s&reen in dra#ati& slo #otion/ or at $antasti&ally high speeds/ to &reate so#e very&ool e$$e&ts !he only ay to @udge the e$$e&tiveness o$ a #otion &ontrol se=uen&e is by using an N!SC#onitor "igure 10- E Be&ause the i#ages on a &o#puter s&reen re$resh #ore =ui&5ly than the i#ages onan N!SC #onitor/ the #otion o$ an e$$e&ts-heavy se=uen&e #ay loo5 super s#ooth on a &o#puter/ butappear &hoppy or @er5y hen output to video I$ you previe the results on an N!SC #onitor/ you &an spot potential proble#s long be$ore you deliver your or5 to a &lient or a $il# $estival s&reening &o##ittee I$you rely solely on the i#age on your &o#puter s&reen/ you re ta5ing a big &han&e

Figure "$(. 8n 1 S2 monitor connected to a com uter 3ia a ;idirectional con3erter.



8astly/ &o#puter #onitors display a greater area o$ the $ra#e than you ll see on an N!SC #onitor I$ youloo5 at a $ra#e o$ video on a &o#puter s&reen/ and loo5 at the sa#e $ra#e on an N!SC #onitor/ you llnoti&e the N!SC #onitor &uts o$$ the edges on all $our sides o$ the $ra#e !his #a5es vie ing your or5on an N!SC #onitor espe&ially i#portant hen you re &reating titles !e't you pla&e on the s&reen #ayloo5 great hen you vie your or5 on a &o#puter/ but on a television s&reen/ large &hun5s #ay get &uto$$ be&ause N!SC #onitors display a di$$erent part o$ the $ra#e I$ you re ta5ing the ti#e to #a5e a reallysharp loo5ing title/ it s orth the added step o$ vie ing your or5 on a dedi&ated #onitor to ensure theaudien&e sees hat you ant

.ou &an easily &onne&t your editing syste# to an N!SC #onitor by routing the digital output o$ your&o#puter through a &a#era/ or through a #edia &onverter ;sing a &a#&order or D% de&5 is the easiest ay 7you si#ply &onne&t the &o#puter to your &a#era via "ire,ire/ and &onne&t the &a#era s (CA video andaudio outputs to your #onitor In order $or this to or5/ your &a#era needs to be &onne&ted and turned onI$ you don t ant to use a &a#era/ you &an pur&hase a bidire&tional #edia &onverter/ hi&h &onverts videosignals $ro# analog to digital/ and $ro# digital to analog !he &onverter s analog-to-digital &apabilities alsoenable you to &apture analog video $ootage to your &o#puter/ su&h as older ho#e #ovies shot in hi-< !hedigital-to-analog &onversion allo s you to output your or5 to an analog video de&5 or an N!SC #onitorA$$ordable options $or a bidire&tional &onverter in&lude the Canopus AD%C-110 "igure 10- E/ hi&h sells$or less than K300 &anopus &o#Gprodu&tsGadv&-110Gp#Wadv&-110 aspE Canopus also sells a PC- based prosu#er editing pa&5age &o#plete ith a #edia &onverter/ editing so$t are/ and a video &apture&ard designed to e'pands the video pro&essing abilities o$ your &o#puter !he pa&5age sells $or about K400

&anopus usGprodu&tsG)DI;SWD%WPa&5GptW)DI;SWD%pa&5 aspE

ore e'pensive options in&lude the Io series o$ e'ternal video &apture devi&es $ro# A Ahttp:GG a@a &o#Gprodu&tsWIo ht#lE/ hi&h retail $or about K1/*00 Both options provide good =uality

output/ A A s Io series/ also sho n in"igure 10- / o$$ers a variety o$ pro$essional audio and video outputs/enabling you to &onne&t your editing syste# to a ider array o$ high-end audio and video de&5s

Figure "$%. he 2ano us 8DV2$ " and the 8J8 Io 58 >?ternal Video 2a ture De3ice.

http://www.canopus.com/products/advc-110/pm_advc-110.asp

http://www.canopus.us/products/EDIUS_DV_Pack/pt_EDIUS_DVpack.asp

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http://www.canopus.us/products/EDIUS_DV_Pack/pt_EDIUS_DVpack.asp

http://www.aja.com/products_Io.html



(egardless o$ the setup you de&ide upon/ putting together your o n editing $a&ility provides a level o$$reedo# and a&&essibility that $il##a5ers &ould only drea# about a $e years ago !he &ost o$ a ne&o#puter and the video e=uip#ent that goes into asse#bling an editing syste# is &ertainly nothing tosnee e at/ but i$ you had to rent ti#e at another $a&ility to $inish your pro@e&t/ you &ould easily pay #ore @ust to #a5e one $il# "or years editors yearned $or the ability to edit on a budget/ ithout getting a budget-loo5ing produ&t No / than5s to D%/ you don t have to spend a $ortune to #a5e a $il# that loo5s li5e a#illion bu&5s

Chapter 11 e'plores i#age &reation and transparen&y/ and ays you &an in&orporate graphi&s into yourdigital video pro@e&ts .our editing syste# not only provides you ith the ability to &ut shots together and build a story/ but to add layers o$ polished e$$e&ts to your or57 hether you pre$er a subtle visualaestheti&/ so#ething totally over the top/ or a balan&e bet een the t o

SID>/8R 2onnecting a Monitor: Ste ;y Ste

.ou &an use a #edia &onverter to &onne&t your des5top or laptop editing syste# to the #onitor o$ your &hoi&e Altho pro&ess #ight see# daunting i$ you ve never done it be$ore/ it s really straight$or ard:

1 Conne&t a "ire,ire &able to a &o#patible "ire,ire port on your &o#puter i$ the plug $its/ it s &o#patibleE* Conne&t the other end o$ the &able to your #edia &onverter

3 Conne&t the video output o$ your #edia &onverter to the input on your #onitor





Di$$erent N!SC #onitors use di$$erent types o$ &onne&tions Pro$essional-=uality #onitors use &o#ponent video/ hessentially brea5s an (>B video signal into three separate signals/ one $or ea&h &olor Prosu#er #odels generally use&o#posite video/ hi&h is a single video signal that uses a &o#posite o$ all three &o#ponent video &olors Che&5 yo#onitor s do&u#entation to see hat type o$ input it ta5es and hat type o$ &ables you ll need

2ha ter . 8n O3er3ie9 o 2om osite Images,hat an Alpha Channel DoesI#porting I#ages and Adding !he# to the !i#eline(endering .our ,or5 Creating I#ages in Photoshop $or ;se in Digital %ideo

,hen you edit together a group o$ shots/ they $or# a se=uen&e A se=uen&e is the basi& building blo&5 o$any $il#7an individual shot on its o n #ay be very po er$ul/ but a se=uen&e begins to tell a story ,hen people tal5 about a Os&eneO in a $il#/ in &ine#ati& ter#inology/ they re tal5ing about a se=uen&e E Bystringing together a group o$ se=uen&es/ a $il##a5er &reates an ar&/ a story &o#ponent that builds steadilyto a &li#a' and then resolves to a &lear ending As an editor/ you never 5no ho t o shots ill &o#bineuntil you a&tually at&h the# together ons&reen ,or5ing in the !i#eline o$ your digital editing syste#/you &an pla&e single shots one a$ter another and build a basi& se=uen&e/ or you &an &o#bine shots on#ultiple layers and begin to build a &o#posite

A &o#posite video e$$e&t &o#bines #ultiple i#ages into a single produ&t !he ter# &o#posite &an be usedas a noun as in/ O!his se=uen&e is a &o#posite o$ t o video &lips: a still i#age and a &o#puter-generatedgraphi&OE or as a verb $or e'a#ple/ OIt too5 #e all day to &o#posite the a&tor into the ba&5groundOE

,hen you &o#posite video/ you have &o#plete &ontrol over the pla&e#ent and opa&ity o$ ea&h video &lip/still i#age/ and graphi& that appears in your se=uen&e .ou &an deter#ine hi&h areas overlap/ hi&h partso$ an i#age are &o#pletely transparent/ and hi&h i#ages obs&ure parts o$ the $ra#e behind the# ,ith a&o#bination o$ te&hni&al s5ill and your &reativity as a $il##a5er/ you &an &onstru&t intri&ately layeredvisual &o#positions that provide the per$e&t &o#ple#ent to your story











!his &hapter al5s you through the pro&ess o$ i#porting #aterial into "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts/editing the #aterial into your !i#eline/ and then building and ad@usting a &o#posite se=uen&e "irst/ the&hapter e'plores transparen&y and &olor in digital video and e'plains ho they #a5e &o#posite se=uen&es possible

. . -hat an 8l ha 2hannel Does

Although &o#puters and televisions pro&ess i#ages di$$erently/ they both use the sa#e three &olors to&reate i#ages: red/ green/ and blue ;sing an additive &olor pro&ess/ &o#puters and televisions &o#binered/ green/ and blue (>BE at varying levels o$ intensity to &reate the $ull spe&tru# o$ &olors you seeons&reen Be&ause the pro&ess is additive/ &o#bining all three &olors at their $ullest intensity &reates hite

as in "igure 11-1E ,hen all three &olors display at their lo est intensity/ the result is bla&5 "igure 11-*E

Figure $ . he 2olor alette in +hotosho dis lays, and ena;les you to adEust, the red, green, and ;lue 3alueso any color. In this igure, the RL/ sliders are set to 9hite.

Figure $!. In this igure, the RL/ sliders are set to ;lack.

Pro$essional strength i#age &reation progra#s/ su&h as Photoshop/ and #any digital video progra#s/ su&has "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts/ assign ea&h &olor to its o n &hannel As a result/ (>B i#ages &ontainthree &hannels o$ &olor in$or#ation/ hi&h &an be #anipulated separately/ or in &o#bination/ to produ&evarious e$$e&ts (>B i#ages also &ontain a $ourth &hannel/ &alled an alpha &hannel/ hi&h &ontrolstransparen&y ,or5ing ith the alpha &hannel o$ an i#age enables you to &reate large or s#all areas o$transparen&y/ hi&h you &an use to &reate a ide range o$ e$$e&ts

"inal Cut Pro and other editing appli&ations allo you to &reate an i#age in Photoshop and then i#port thei#age/ in&luding its transparent areas and alpha &hannel in$or#ation/ into a se=uen&e o$ video &lips A$ter)$$e&ts is espe&ially Photoshop $riendly7both progra#s are #anu$a&tured by Adobe/ and they reengineered to or5 together E By &o#bining #ultiple i#ages and &leverly #anipulating their alpha&hannels you &ould/ $or e'a#ple/ #a5e it loo5 li5e t o people ere standing ne't to ea&h other eventhough they ere photographed in separate lo&ations I$ you re not interested in playing tri&5s on your



audien&e/ you &an use alpha &hannels to &reate title se=uen&es or ons&reen te't to introdu&e interviesub@e&ts and identi$y lo&ations/ then superi#pose the te't and graphi&s over $ull #otion video

he Im ortance o RL/

All s&reen i#ages/ #eaning anything you &reate $or display on a &o#puter or video #onitor/ are(>B i#ages Print i#ages/ ho ever/ use a di$$erent &olor pro&ess &alled C .9 &yan/ #agenta/yello / and bla&5E ,hile (>B is additive i$ you add all the &olors together you get hiteEC .9 is subtra&tive i$ you add all the &olors together you get bla&5E

!o #a5e sure your i#age loo5s the ay you ant it to/ and to avoid proble#s hen you i#portit to video/ al ays or5 in the (>B &olor spa&e

In the *00* do&u#entary !he 9id Stays in the Pi&ture/ the dire&tors layered #ultiple still i#ages and editedthe alpha &hannels to &reate both depth and #otion Co#bined ith voi&eover narration about the &areer o$a&tor and #ovie produ&er (obert )vans the do&u#entary e'plored his li$e in +olly oodE/ these i#agese=uen&es added a stunning visual i#pa&t and po er to the $il# I$ the $il##a5ers had used a #ore&onventional approa&h7$or e'a#ple/ pairing still i#ages ith people spea5ing into the &a#era7they still

ould have had an interesting story/ but the use o$ inventively &onstru&ted #ontage se=uen&es #ade the$il# #u&h #ore interesting to loo5 at

.!. Im orting Images and 8dding hem to the imeline

Be$ore you &an or5 ith video $ootage or still i#ages in either "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ you $irstneed to i#port the# into a pro@e&t ,hen you i#port video $ootage or a still i#age into either progra#/your &o#puter doesn t #a5e another &opy o$ the #aterial Instead/ both progra#s &reate lin5s to the#aterial s lo&ation on your hard drive !his saves dis5 spa&e and enables you to edit ithout destroyingyour original $ootage see Chapter ?E 6n&e you ve i#ported #aterial into your pro@e&t/ you &an add it toyour pro@e&t s !i#eline and start &utting a se=uen&e together

Note: !o re&reate the "inal Cut Pro se=uen&es illustrated in this &hapter:

1 Navigate to the Ch11 $older in the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that &a#e ith this boo5 Drag the $older to your hard drive don t try to or5 ith video $iles dire&tly $ro# a CD7 see Chapter 10E

* I#port stopSign)dit psd/ hi&h &ontains an i#age o$ street signs on a transparent ba&5ground/ and ba&5ground #ov/ hi&h &ontains an ani#ated tangerine-&olored ba&5ground

3 "ollo the step by step instru&tions in this se&tion and those that $ollo

!o i#port $ootage to "inal Cut Pro/ $ollo these steps:

1 6pen "inal Cut Pro By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro opens the #ost re&ent pro@e&t &reated on your&o#puter .ou have the option o$ or5ing ith the pro@e&t that opens hen you start the progra#or or5ing ith another pro@e&t

!o open an e'isting pro@e&t/ sele&t "ile 6pen and navigate to the pro@e&t you d li5e to or5 ith

!o &reate a ne pro@e&t/ sele&t "ile Ne









* Sele&t "ile I#port "iles !he Choose a "ile indo opens

3 Sele&t the $ile or $iles you ant you &an sele&t #ultiple $iles by holding do n the Co##and 5eyas you &li&5E

Cli&5 Choose to &lose the indo and i#port the $iles "inal Cut i#ports the #aterial into your

pro@e&t



.!.!. 2reating a Final 2ut +ro com osite

Note: !o edit a se=uen&e o$ &lips together ithout &reating a &o#posite/ si#ply pla&e the &lips one a$teranother on the sa#e video tra&5 ,hen you play the se=uen&e/ the &lips play in order $ro# le$t to right

1 Sele&t a &lip o$ i#ported #aterial in the Bro ser indo / and drag it into a video tra&5 on the!i#eline !he Bro ser lists all the #aterial available in your pro@e&t/ and the !i#eline is hereyou arrange shots "or #ore details on !i#elines and $ra#es/ seeChapter ? E





* Add another &lip to a higher-level video tra&5 in the !i#eline !he easiest ay to do this is to draga &lip $ro# the Bro ser to a lo&ation @ust above a &lip in your &urrent !i#eline ,hen you releasethe #ouse/ "inal Cut Pro adds a ne tra&5 to the !i#eline to a&&o##odate the &lip you re adding!his &reates a basi& &o#posite i#age7i$ the i#age on your top-layer tra&5 &ontains areas o$transparen&y/ the i#age on the botto#-layer tra&5 ill sho through



Note: I$ you re using the $iles provided in the &h11 $older on the D%D/ pla&e the stop sign on topo$ the ba&5ground i#age !his ay/ the ba&5ground ill sho through the transparent areas in thestop sign i#age

3 Previe the &o#posite in the Canvas indo .ou on t be able to play the &o#posite in the!i#eline until you render/ but you &an previe your &o#posite using the arro 5eys on your5eyboard !o s&roll through the se=uen&e and si#ulate playba&5/ bring the Playhead ba&5 to thestart o$ the se=uen&e and use the arro 5eys on your 5eyboard to #ove through the se=uen&e$ra#e by $ra#e



Save your or5

Note: !o re&reate the A$ter )$$e&ts se=uen&es illustrated in this &hapter:

1 Navigate to the Ch11 $older in the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that &a#e ith this boo5 Drag the $older to your hard drive don t try to or5 ith video $iles dire&tly $ro# a CD7 see Chapter 10E

* I#port stopSign)dit <0 psd/ hi&h &ontains an i#age o$ street signs on a transparent ba&5ground/and ba&5ground #ov/ hi&h &ontains an ani#ated tangerine-&olored ba&5ground

3 "ollo the step by step instru&tions in this se&tion and those that $ollo

!o i#port $ootage to A$ter )$$e&ts/ $ollo these steps:

1 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts ;nli5e "inal Cut Pro/ A$ter )$$e&ts does not auto#ati&ally open the last pro@e&t you or5ed on As a result/ you &an either or5 in the ne pro@e&t that A$ter )$$e&ts&reates hen you open the progra#/ or you &an open an e'isting pro@e&t

!o open an e'isting pro@e&t/ sele&t "ile 6pen Pro@e&t and navigate to the pro@e&t you d li5e toor5 ith

* Sele&t "ile I#port "ile X !he I#port "ile indo opens






3 Sele&t the $ile or $iles you ant .ou &an sele&t #ultiple $iles by holding do n the Co##and 5eya&E or the Ctrl 5ey ,indo sE as you &li&5

Cli&5 6pen to i#port the $iles and &lose the indo A$ter )$$e&ts i#ports the #aterial into your pro@e&t Depending on the $iles you i#port/ the Interpret "ootage indo #ay open "or #ore onthis indo / see the sidebar OInterpreting Channels and 8ayers O



SID>/8R Inter reting 2hannels and 5ayers

;nli5e "inal Cut Pro/ A$ter )$$e&ts enables you to spe&i$y ho it handles i#ages ith alpha &hannels or#ultiple layers

Not all i#age editing appli&ations label their alpha &hannel types

Photoshop labels the alpha &hannel in an i#age as either straight or pre#ultiplied $or a detailede'planation o$ these ter#s/ see OAlphas/ &o#posite #odes/ and blending #odesO later in this &hapterE I$A$ter )$$e&ts &annot deter#ine hether an i#age has a straight or pre#ultiplied alpha &hannel/ theInterpret "ootage indo opens



!he Interpret "ootage indo gives you the $ollo ing options:

Ignore !his option disregards any transparen&y in$or#ation in an i#age/ so it appears $ully opa=ue

Straight A$ter )$$e&ts interprets the i#age as &ontaining a straight alpha &hannel

Pre#ultiplied A$ter )$$e&ts interprets the i#age as &ontaining a pre#ultiplied alpha &hannel

>uess A$ter )$$e&ts deter#ines the alpha type ithout your help

,hen you i#port a layered Photoshop i#age/ A$ter )$$e&ts opens a dialog bo' ith the na#e o$ the $ileyou re i#porting In the illustration/ I as i#porting a $ile na#ed stop-Sign)dit <0 psd/ so the na#e o$the dialog bo' be&a#e Sign)dit <0 psd E

!he I#port 9ind pull-do n #enu enables you to treat the $ile as a Co#position/ or as "ootage ACo#position in A$ter )$$e&ts is si#ilar to a Se=uen&e in "inal Cut Pro or Pre#iere7an editor pla&es&lips in a Co#position and arranges the# as he ould &lips in a se=uen&e



Choosing Co#position i#ports the $ile into your pro@e&t ith its layers inta&t

Choosing "ootage i#ports the $ile as a &lip/ hi&h you &an then add to a Co#position ,hen you &hoose"ootage/ the 8ayer 6ptions radio buttons be&o#e a&tive and you &an &hoose erged 8ayers or Choose8ayer erged 8ayers i#ports all the layers Sele&ting a layer o$ the Photoshop do&u#ent $ro# theChoose 8ayer pull-do n #enu i#ports that layer only

;nli5e "inal Cut Pro/ hi&h opens a ne se=uen&e hen you &reate a ne pro@e&t/ A$ter )$$e&ts doesn tauto#ati&ally &reate a ne &o#position So/ i$ you re or5ing ith a ne pro@e&t/ the $irst step is to#anually open a ne &o#position

1 Sele&t Co#position Ne Co#position !he Co#position Settings indo opens

* "ro# the Preset pull-do n #enu/ sele&t N!SC D%/ 4*0J <0 I$ you re using a $or#at other than#ini D% or D%CA / sele&t the appropriate $ra#e si e "or #ore detail/ see the sidebar O%ideo"or#ats and "ra#e Si eO later in this &hapter E



3 )nter 0:00:10:00 in the Duration $ield !his sets the duration o$ the &o#position to 10 se&onds/hi&h is the sa#e length as the ba&5ground #ov &lip



Cli&5 69 to &lose the dialog bo' !he Co#position indo and !i#eline open

Drag a &lip $ro# the Pro@e&t indo into the !i#eline and release the #ouse button !he &lipappears in the !i#eline and displays in the Co#position indo

2 Add another &lip to a higher layer in the !i#eline .ou &an do this by dragging a &lip $ro# thePro@e&t to a lo&ation @ust above a &lip already in the !i#eline ,hen you release the #ouse button/A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a ne layer that &ontains your ne ly added &lip !his &reates a basi&&o#posite i#age7i$ the i#age on your top-layer tra&5 &ontains areas o$ transparen&y/ the i#ageon the botto#-layer tra&5 ill sho through

4 Save your or5

As e'plained earlier in this &hapter/ an alpha &hannel deter#ines hi&h parts o$ an i#age be&o#etransparent and hi&h re#ain visible to an audien&e"igure 11-3 sho s a still i#age o$ a street &orner near#y apart#ent ;sing Photoshop/ I re#oved the ba&5ground/ leaving only the street signs surrounded by an

area o$ transparen&y "igure 11- E As I re#oved the ba&5ground/ I as also #odi$ying the i#age s alpha&hannel

Figure $*. 8n unedited image o street signs, 9ith its ;ackground intact.



Figure $(. 8n edited 3ersion o the image in Figure 11-3 9ith its ;ackground remo3ed.



!he alpha &hannel itsel$ is not visible to a $il# vie er/ but editing appli&ations ill o$ten display an i#age salpha &hannel hile you re or5ing vie ing a &lip s alpha &hannel &an help you #anage transparen&yE"igure 11- sho s a s&reen &apture $ro# "inal Cut Pro that displays the alpha &hannel o$ the edited i#age!he bla&5 areas in the s&reen &apture display as &o#pletely transparent !he hite areas re#ain opa=ue!his i#age uses a straight alpha &hannel/ hi&h #eans se&tions o$ the i#age are either 100 per&enttransparent or 100 per&ent opa=ue So#e i#ages that &ontain translu&ent visuals7$or e'a#ple/ lens $lare7 use a pre#ultiplied alpha &hannel A pre#ultiplied alpha &hannel i#age enables ba&5ground layers to shothrough translu&ent areas/ hile also &ontaining se&tions that are either $ully transparent or $ully opa=ue

Figure $%. he image's al ha channel.



11.2. .1. *+peri(enting with stacking order

"inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts both use layers to organi e/ or sta&5/ i#ages one on top o$ another !hesta&5ing order o$ i#ages deter#ines hi&h i#ages ill be visible over the rest "inal Cut and A$ter )$$e&ts both use the sa#e sta&5ing order as Photoshop: i#ages on higher levels obs&ure i#ages on layersunderneath I o$ten e'plain this by &o#paring the sta&5ing o$ layers in one o$ these progra#s to thevisibility o$ papers on a #essy des57depending on ho the papers are arranged/ the top sheet either partially or $ully obs&ures the papers belo 8i5e ise/ the opa=ue areas o$ a higher-layer i#age hide hatappears behind the#/ hile transparent areas allo a vie er to see through to lo er layers o$ video

Note: "or #ore in$or#ation on straight versus pre#ultiplied alpha &hannels/ visithttp:GG adobe &o#GsupportGte&hdo&sG314 44 ht#l

Depending on the level at hi&h you pla&e an i#age/ and the ays you use an alpha &hannel/ you &an #a5eob@e&ts pass behind or in $ront o$ it I on&e too5 a still i#age o$ a photographer/ re#oved the ba&5ground/then pla&ed the i#age in a se=uen&e to appear behind the end &redits I a&&identally pla&ed the still on ahigher video tra&5 than the te't/ so the i#age o$ the photographer appeared in $ront o$ the &redits/ partially

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/317477.html

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/317477.html



obs&uring the# As I as about to #ove the still i#age to a lo er video tra&5/ I reali ed I had stu#bledinto a &ool e$$e&t by re#oving the ba&5ground ,hen I previe ed the se=uen&e/ the &redits s&rolled up$ro# behind the photographer/ and be&a#e $ully readable as they #oved to ard the top o$ the s&reen Ide&ided to 5eep the i#age and its alpha &hannel on the top video tra&5/ and hen I sho ed the se=uen&e tothe &lient/ he really li5ed it

I &reated a ne se=uen&e to de#onstrate the e$$e&t/ hi&h is pi&tured in"igure 11-2/ "igure 11-4 through"igure 11-< !he se=uen&e &ontains three video tra&5s "igure 11-?E !he botto#-level/ or base-level tra&5/is the ba&5ground i#age !he top-level tra&5 is the stop sign i#age !he te't OSta&5ing orderO appears in bet een As the te't s&rolls up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen/ it s partially obs&ured by the stop sign i#age!he transparent areas o$ the stop sign i#age on the top layer allo the te't to sho through/ the opa=ueareas o$ the i#age blo&5 out anything on the t o layers underneath

Figure $#. he 9ords Stacking order a ear on a layer underneath the street signs image. /ecause o thestacking order o the 3ideo tracks, arts o the te?t are o;scured ;y the signs.

Figure $). he 9ords Stacking order a ear on a layer underneath the street signs image. /ecause o thestacking order o the 3ideo tracks, arts o the te?t are o;scured ;y the signs.



Figure $ . he 9ords Stacking order a ear on a layer underneath the street signs image. /ecause o thestacking order o the 3ideo tracks, arts o the te?t are o;scured ;y the signs.



Figure $&. his screen ca ture o the Final 2ut +ro imeline illustrates the stacking order in the se=uenceictured earlier in this section.

!he )'er&ises $older on the D%D &ontains A$ter )$$e&ts and "inal Cut Pro pro@e&t $iles that de#onstrateho this se=uen&e is &onstru&ted !o a&&ess these $iles/ insert the D%D in your &o#puter/ open the)'er&ises $older/ then navigate to &h11 sta&5ing6rder aep A$ter )$$e&tsE or sta&5ing6rder $&p "inalCut ProE .ou need to have A$ter )$$e&ts andGor "inal Cut Pro installed on your &o#puter to open these$iles



11.2. .2. ,earranging stacking order

In A$ter )$$e&ts or Photoshop/ you &an easily rearrange the sta&5ing order o$ your layers by si#plydragging a layer to a ne position in the !i#eline ,hen you release your #ouse/ the ne sta&5ing orderta5es e$$e&t

.ou &an $ollo along ith this e'er&ise using a pro@e&t $ile you &reated earlier/ or by opening the A$ter)$$e&ts pro@e&t $ile sta&5ing6rder aep in the &h11 $older on the D%D (e#e#ber to drag the $older intoyour hard drive be$ore opening it E

1 Cli&5 the top layer i#age in the !i#eline to sele&t it

* Drag the i#age one layer do n/ bet een Sta&5ing order and ba&5ground #ov/ then release the#ouse A$ter )$$e&ts updates the order o$ your layers/ and the te't no appears in $ront o$ thesigns in the Co#position indo



3 Drag the ba&5ground i#age/ ba&5ground #ov/ one layer up and release the #ouse A$ter )$$e&tsupdates the sta&5ing order !he te't on layer 1 is still visible as the top-layer i#age Be&ause thetop layer &ontains a large area o$ transparen&y/ the orange ba&5ground &lip on layer * re#ainsvisible as ell +o ever/ be&ause the i#age on layer * is &o#pletely opa=ue/ the stop sign i#ageunderneath is no &o#pletely obs&ured



11.2. .3. $o(posite (odes and "lending (odes

In addition to using alpha &hannels/ "inal Cut Pro e#ploys a variety o$ &o#posite #odes/ hi&h deter#ineho a layer o$ i#ages ill intera&t ith the layer beneath A$ter )$$e&ts does the sa#e thing using blending#odes !he de$ault #ode $or both appli&ations is Nor#al In Nor#al #ode "igure 11-10E/ the i#age onthe highest video tra&5 &o#pletely obs&ures any i#ages on lo er tra&5s In the &ase o$ an i#age on atransparent ba&5ground/ the visible parts o$ the i#age obs&ure any #aterial that appears behind the# on alo er tra&5 ,or5ing in Nor#al #ode/ you &an overlap di$$erent i#ages/ video strea#s/ and te't to &reate&o#ple' #ultilayered &o#posites

Instead o$ using nor#al #ode to obs&ure i#ages/ you &an use one o$ the #any other &o#posite or blending#odes to blend i#ages together "inal Cut analy es the &olor values in t o layered &lips and then usesdi$$erent #athe#ati&al $or#ulas/ depending on the #ode you sele&t/ to &o#bine their i#ages in a variety o$

ays In Subtra&t #ode "igure 11-11E/ "inal Cut subtra&ts the #athe#ati&al values o$ the &olors in thestreet signs i#age $ro# the &olor values in the ba&5ground i#age belo !he result is a dar5er &o#posite o$

the top-level &lip/ hile the ba&5ground re#ains un&hanged In +ard 8ight #ode "igure 11-1*E/ the lighter areas o$ the top-layer i#age be&o#e transparent the idea is that hard light si#ulates shining a brightspotlight on the top layerE In"igure 11-1*/ the ba&5ground sho s through the hite areas o$ the one- aysigns/ and the ba&5 o$ the stop sign "inal Cut and A$ter )$$e&ts both o$$er long lists o$ &o#posite #odes/ i$you re not sure hi&h #a5es the best &hoi&e $or your $ootage/ @ust put t o &lips together in your !i#elineand e'peri#ent

Figure $ ". 8 screen ca ture o a layered se=uence in Final 2ut +ro in 1ormal mode



Figure $ . he se=uence rom Figure 11-1% , sho9n in Su;tract mode.



Figure $ !. he se=uence rom Figure 11-1% , sho9n in 6ard 5ight mode.



11.2. .4. !o change the co(posite (ode o) a clip in Final $ut Pro

!o &hange the &o#posite #ode o$ a &lip in "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:

1 In the !i#eline/ &li&5 on the &lip you ould li5e to &hange !his ill sele&t it and #a5e it thea&tive &lip !he &o#posite #ode o$ a &lip deter#ines ho it ill intera&t ith the &lip on the layerunderneath

* Sele&t odi$y Co#posite ode A ne sub#enu opens



3 Sele&t a &o#posite #ode $ro# the list "inal Cut Pro ill apply the &o#posite #ode to the &lip.ou &an then de&ide i$ you li5e the &hange or #ight pre$er another

11.2. . . !o change the "lending (ode o) a clip in )ter *))ects

!o &hange the blending #ode o$ a &lip in A$ter )$$e&ts/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Cli&5 OS it&hesG odesO at the botto# o$ the !i#eline indo !he ode pull-do n #enuappears



* Cli&5 the ode pull-do n #enu o$ the &lip you d li5e to &hange A long list o$ blending #odesopens Blending #odes in A$ter )$$e&ts deter#ine ho a layer o$ i#ages intera&ts ith the layer beneath it !his &o#position has t o layers/ so I # &hanging the blending #ode o$ the top-layer&lip

3 Sele&t a #ode $ro# the list A$ter )$$e&ts applies the #ode you &hoose



.*. Rendering 7our -ork

,henever you &reate a &o#posite se=uen&e/ as you did earlier in this &hapter/ or henever you add atransition or e'e&ute an e$$e&t/ you generally need to render the se=uen&e be$ore you &an play it ba&5(endering a se=uen&e &reates a ne series o$ video &lips that &ontain your sour&e $ootage and any&o#posites/ transitions/ or e$$e&ts you ve added As e'plained inChapter 10/ your &o#puter s renderingspeed depends on the pro&essor and available (A / as ell as the nature o$ the se=uen&e itsel$ the #oree$$e&ts/ the #ore ti#e it ill ta5e to render/ and so#e e$$e&ts ta5e longer than othersE Depending on your&o#puter/ you #ay be able to previe so#e e$$e&ts ithout rendering/ but even the #ost #us&ular&o#puter syste# re=uires render ti#e be$ore you &an vie intri&ate &o#posite e$$e&ts 8onger and #ore&o#pli&ated se=uen&es or &o#positions ta5e #ore ti#e to render/ and i$ you have any other appli&ationsrunning on your &o#puter $or e'a#ple/ i$ you li5e to listen to i!unes hile you or5E/ they ll divert po er $ro# your pro&essor so rendering ill ta5e even longer !o avoid proble#s/ it s a good idea not to doanything else ith your &o#puter hile you render E

(endering a longer pro@e&t/ su&h as an e$$e&ts-intensive $eature $il#/ &an easily ta5e #ore than * hours(endering the short se=uen&es you &reated in this &hapter ill probably ta5e a $e #inutes or less

Be&ause rendering &reates ne video $iles/ it s i#portant to #a5e sure you have enough hard drive spa&eavailable be$ore you start I$ you run out o$ spa&e part ay through/ your &o#puter on t be able to&o#plete the rendering pro&ess "or #ore in$or#ation on storage syste#s and drive spa&e/ seeChapter10 E

Note: So#e editors li5e to render as they go along/ #eaning they render their or5 ea&h ti#e they try ane e$$e&t or #a5e a &hange to an e'isting one 6ther editors li5e to ait until they ve added a $e e$$e&tsto a se=uen&e and render the# all at on&e (endering as you go enables you to see all the details in youre$$e&ts and transitions as you add the# to your pro@e&t/ but it also #eans you have to stop or5ing hile









you ait $or ea&h individual ite# to render So#e people li5e this be&ause it enables the# to ta5e brea5s$ro# editing E (endering all the ele#ents in a se=uen&e or &o#position at on&e &onsolidates your aitingti#e7it doesn t shorten the overall ti#e re=uired $or your &o#puter to render the #aterial/ but it enablesyou to &ontinue or5ing until you $inish a preli#inary dra$t

SID>/8R he +ro;lem o O3ercom ressed Media Files

,hen you output your or5 $ro# either "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ you have the option o$&hoosing various &o#pression settings !he idea behind video &o#pression is that video $ilesre=uire substantial a#ounts o$ #e#ory to store/ and &onsiderable a#ounts o$ pro&essor po er to play on a &o#puter ,hen you &o#press a video $ile/ the appli&ation you re using re#ovesin$or#ation to #a5e the $ile #ore #anageable and/ as a result/ easier to store and to play ba&5

"or an overvie o$ the &o#pression pro&ess/ seeChapter 3 E

Co#pression redu&es the nu#ber o$ bitsGbytes in a $ile In theory/ &o#pression appli&ationsre#ove redundant in$or#ation that vie ers don t noti&e the idea is that un&o#pressed video$iles &ontain #ore visual in$or#ation than audien&es &an #entally pro&essE In pra&ti&e/ ho ever/&o#pressing a $ile o$ten leads to a loss in =uality ,hen #aterial is over&o#pressed/ visuali#per$e&tions &alled &o#pression arti$a&ts appear in the $ootage !hese generally ta5e the $or#o$ blo&5y patterns that appear around areas o$ $ine detail I$ you ve ever tried to &o#press a stilli#age as a @pg $or use on a eb site/ you #ay have noti&ed si#ilar proble#s ith arti$a&ts and pi'elation7parts o$ an over&o#pressed i#age &an start to loo5 li5e a #osai& E

,hen you re outputting a #aster version o$ your pro@e&t/ and espe&ially hen you re outputting#aterial ith titles and graphi&s/ avoiding proble#s ith &o#pression be&o#es parti&ularlyi#portant )ven s#all arti$a&ts in your #ovie ill distra&t the audien&e $ro# your story and ta5ea ay $ro# the =uality o$ your or5 even i$ vie ers don t &ons&iously noti&e arti$a&ts/ they llreali e that so#ething doesn t loo5 rightE

!o avoid proble#s ith &o#pressed $ootage/ output the #aster version o$ your $ile at the highest possible =uality !his &hapter &ontains step-by-step e'er&ises that sho you ho to output your

or5 as un&o#pressed Mui&5!i#e $iles $ro# both "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts .ou &an then bring your un&o#pressed $ile to a postprodu&tion $a&ility or use a spe&iali ed &o#pressionappli&ation/ su&h as Apple s Co#pressor or Dis&reet &leaner/ hi&h is available in PC and a&versions/ to &reate $iles &o#pressed $or spe&i$i& purposes Appendi' A o$ this boo5 des&ribesthe pro&ess o$ bringing your pro@e&t to a pro$essional $a&ility to &reate an +D #aster or $il# print/ and it also des&ribes the pro&ess o$ &o#pressing #edia yoursel$ to &reate a D%D or tostrea# your or5 $ro# a eb site E

"or #ore in$or#ation on &o#pression settings and output =uality in A$ter )$$e&ts/ see OChoosing&o#pression optionsO in the A$ter )$$e&ts +elp $iles

"or #ore in$or#ation on &o#pression settings and output =uality in "inal Cut Pro/ seeO)'porting a Mui&5!i#e "ileO in the "inal Cut Pro +elp $iles

!o render a se=uen&e in "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Sele&t Se=uen&e (ender Both "inal Cut Pro renders any unrendered #aterial in yourse=uen&e this in&ludes both video and audioE








"inal Cut opens a ne indo / displaying the per&entage o$ the #aterial in a se=uen&e that has been rendered so $ar/ and the esti#ated ti#e re#aining in the render pro&ess

,hen rendering is &o#plete/ "inal Cut Pro &loses the ,riting %ideo indo / and your se=uen&e isready to play ba&5

* Play your ne ly rendered se=uen&e/ and en@oy the satis$a&tion o$ at&hing your e$$e&ts playba&in real ti#e u&h ni&er than dragging the Playhead through a se=uen&e to previe an e$$e&t/ isnit E

3 Save your or5

"inal Cut Pro enables you to sele&t the lo&ation here your render $iles ill be stored/ hi&h is &alled thes&rat&h dis5 ,hen you render a $ile in "inal Cut Pro/ the appli&ation generates a ne set o$ video $iles&ontaining the e$$e&ts you ve added Setting a ne s&rat&h dis5 lo&ation &an be very help$ul i$ you have#ore than one hard drive installed on your syste# and one starts to $ill up Be&ause "inal Cut Pro storesyour pro@e&t $iles and #edia $iles separately render $iles are treated as #ediaE/ you &an store di$$erent type



o$ $iles on separate hard drives "or #ore on the di$$eren&e bet een pro@e&t $iles and #edia $iles/ seeChapter ? E

!o set render the s&rat&h dis5:

1 Sele&t "inal Cut Pro Syste# SettingsX !he Syste# Settings indo opens In theillustration/ the %ideo Capture/ Audio Capture/ %ideo (ender/ and Audio (ender are all set to thesa#e lo&ation on the #ain hard drive o$ #y &o#puter

* Cli&5 the S&rat&h Dis5s tab to a&&ess the S&rat&h Dis5s &ontrols3 Cli&5 the Set button in the se&ond ro !he Choose a "older indo opens

Navigate to the $older you d li5e to use $or your %ideo (ender and Audio (ender s&rat&h dis5s





Cli&5 Choose "inal Cut Pro &hooses the $older you ve sele&ted as a ne s&rat&h dis5 and &losethe Choose a "older indo !he Syste# Settings indo re#ains open !he ne't step is todesignate the ne s&rat&h dis5 as the destination $or ne ly rendered audio and video $iles



2 Cli&5 the &he&5bo'es in the se&ond ro under %ideo (ender and Audio (ender !his designatesthe ne s&rat&h dis5 you &reated in step $our as the destination $or your video and audio render$iles

4 ;n&he&5 the bo'es in the $irst ro under %ideo (ender and Audio (ender Doing this desele&tsyour original s&rat&h dis5

< Cli&5 69 "inal Cut Pro $inali es the &hanges to your s&rat&h dis5 settings and &loses the Syste#Settings indo

I$ you ant to output a high-=uality video $ile dire&tly $ro# your editing syste#/ you &an &hoose to e'portan un&o#pressed Mui&5!i#e $ile Depending on your plans and your budget/ you &an also e'port an editde&ision list/ or )D8 .ou &an then bring your )D8 to a high-end postprodu&tion $a&ility to &reate a broad&ast-=uality version o$ your pro@e&t ith the help o$ the $a&ility s sta$$ Be&ause you re or5ing "inal Cut Pro/ you &an also use a a&-only appli&ation &alled Co#pressor to output a &o#pressed versiono$ your pro@e&t to distribute as a D%D or to strea# on a eb site Creating an )D8 and &o#pressing avideo $ile are both &overed inAppendi' AE

As #entioned in the sidebar O!he Proble# o$ 6ver&o#pressed edia "iles/O e'porting an un&o#pressedMui&5!i#e $ile provides you ith $le'ibility An un&o#pressed #edia $ile is the highest =uality video $ileyou &an output dire&tly $ro# your &o#puter ithout using any other e=uip#ent )'porting at the highest=uality possible gives you the option o$ &o#pressing a $ile in the $uture7i$ you e'port at a lo er =uality/you don t have the option o$ in&reasing the =uality level later on

No that you ve rendered your se=uen&e/ you &an also output your or5 as a dis&rete video $ile !hise'er&ise sho s you ho

1 Sele&t "ile )'port Mui&5!i#e ovieX !he Save indo opens






* Navigate to a lo&ation on your &o#puter s hard drive here you d li5e to save the $ile In this &aseI # e'porting the $ile to a $older &alled rendered $iles

3 )nter a na#e $or your $ile in the Save As $ield In the e'a#ple/ I na#ed the $ile se=uen&e1 #ovAdding the $ilena#e e'tension #ov is very i#portant/ it identi$ies the $ile as a Mui&5!i#e #ovieI$ your $ilena#e doesn t &ontain the #ov e'tension/ you #ay have trouble playing it ba&5 later7 espe&ially i$ you re or5ing on a a& and giving $iles to so#eone ho uses a PC



$ull list o$ supported $ile output types/ see OAbout renderingO in the A$ter )$$e&ts +elp $ilesE .ou &an alsore-i#port the rendered video $ile into A$ter )$$e&ts to &reate additional &o#posite e$$e&ts

SID>/8R Setting the -ork 8rea

.ou &an render a sele&t se&tion o$ your A$ter )$$e&ts &o#position by de$ining the beginning andend o$ the or5 area !he or5 area is essentially the a&tive part o$ your !i#eline By #ar5ingin and out points/ you &an render a spe&i$i& area o$ the !i#eline and ignore others

!o #ar5 the start/ or in point/ o$ the or5 area:

1 ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the point in the !i#eline here you d li5e the or5area to begin

* Press the letter B on your 5eyboard

!o #ar5 the end/ or outpoint/ o$ the or5 area:

3 ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the point in the !i#eline here you d li5e the or5area to endPress the letter N on your 5eyboard ar5ers no indi&ate the beginning and end o$ theor5 area in your !i#eline

!his #ethod or5s $or both PC and a& versions

!o render a &o#position:

1 Sele&t Co#position a5e ovieX !he (ender Mueue indo opens



!he (ender Mueue indo enables you to set the render settings $or your &o#position and todeter#ine here A$ter )$$e&ts ill output the rendered $ile on&e it s $inished "or a $ulldes&ription o$ all the (ender Mueue s options/ and there are #any/ see O;sing the (ender Mueue

indo O in the A$ter )$$e&ts +elp $iles E

Note: ,hen you render $or the $irst ti#e/ the 6utput ovie !o indo opens/ pro#pting you to&hoose the lo&ation here your rendered $ile ill be saved

* Cli&5 the triangle to the right o$ (ender Settings !he (ender Settings pop-up #enu opens !his#enu enables you to sele&t a rendering preset



3 "or Muality/ sele&t Best Settings !his sele&ts a render preset opti#i ed $or &reating the highest=uality video $iles !hen &li&5 69

Cli&5 the ord 8ossless to the right o$ 6utput odule !he 6utput odule pop-up indo opens



Cli&5 "or#at 6ptionsX !he 6utput odule indo stays open/ and the Co#pression Settingsindo opens on top o$ it .ou &an no &hoose the e'a&t type o$ &o#pression A$ter )$$e&ts

applies to your &lip



2 Sele&t ;n&o#pressed 10-bit :*:* $ro# the pull-do n #enu at the top o$ the indo !his is thehighest =uality &o#pression setting available in A$ter )$$e&ts



4 Cli&5 69 A$ter )$$e&ts &loses the Co#pression Settings indo !he 6utput odule Settingsindo re#ains open

< I$ your &o#position &ontains audio/ &li&5 the Audio 6utput option Cli&5ing this &he&5bo' e'portaudio along ith the video in your render $ile I$ your &o#position &ontains audio and you don t&he&5 this bo'/ A$ter )$$e&ts ill e'port the video only7leaving your or5 silent In thee'a#ple/ I le$t the bo' un&he&5ed be&ause the e'er&ises inthis &hapter don t use any audio "or#ore on using audio in your or5/ see Chapters 14 and1< E

? Cli&5 69 to &lose the 6utput odule Settings indo10 Cli&5 the $ilena#e to the right o$ 6utput !o









A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally na#es the $ile ith the na#e o$ the &o#position being rendered/ andthe sele&ted $ile type In this &ase/ the &o#position is &o#position1/ and I # rendering it as aMui&5!i#e #ovie/ so A$ter )$$e&ts has na#ed the $ile &o#position1 #ov

,hen you release the #ouse/ the 6utput ovie !o indo opens .ou &an use this indo todeter#ine the output lo&ation o$ your $inished render $ile

11 Navigate to a lo&ation on your &o#puter here you ould li5e A$ter )$$e&ts to pla&e your $ileon&e it s rendered In the e'a#ple/ I # outputting the $ile to a $older on #y hard drive &alledrendered $iles

I$ you d li5e to &hange the na#e o$ your $ile/ you &an rena#e it in the Save As $ield @ust don t&hange the $ilena#e e'tension #ov7it identi$ies the $ile as a Mui&5!i#e #ovie/ and you #ayen&ounter di$$i&ulties i$ you re#ove itE



Note: (endering a &o#position in A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a ne video $ile .ou &an store this video$ile in the sa#e lo&ation as your pro@e&t $ile and #edia $iles/ or in a &o#pletely separate lo&ationI$ you have #ore than one hard drive installed on your syste#/ and one is starting to $ill up/dire&ting A$ter )$$e&ts to output your rendered video $ile to another lo&ation &an help you avoid

the proble# o$ an over$ull dis5

1* Cli&5 Save A$ter )$$e&ts sele&ts the lo&ation you ve &hosen as the destination $or your rendered$ile and &loses the indo

13 6n&e you ve #ade your sele&tions $or (ender Settings and 6utput odule/ and set the lo&ation o$your $inal output $ile/ &li&5 (ender

A$ter )$$e&ts begins to render your $ile/ and displays both ho #u&h ti#e has elapsed sin&e youstarted rendering and an esti#ate o$ ho #u&h ti#e re#ains

1 ,hen A$ter )$$e&ts has &o#pleted rendering/ navigate to the $older on your &o#puter that yousele&ted as the output lo&ation in step 10 In the e'a#ple/ I sele&ted a $older na#ed rendered$iles E !he $older no &ontains a rendered Mui&5!i#e #ovie o$ your &o#position



.ou &an bring this #ovie to a high-end postprodu&tion $a&ility to &reate a broad&ast-=uality #aster/ or evena $il# print .ou &an also or5 ith a &o#pression progra# to en&ode your or5 $or presentation on aD%D "or #ore on output strategies/ seeAppendi' A E

.(. 2reating Images in +hotosho or 4se in Digital Video

Adobe Photoshop is a tre#endously valuable tool $or independent $il##a5ers or5ing in D%/ be&ause itallo s you to add pro$essional-=uality graphi&s to your pro@e&ts +o ever/ be&ause &o#puters andtelevisions display i#ages di$$erently/ ensuring that your graphi&s loo5 the ay you ant ta5es so#e$inesse and a little planning

As des&ribed in the last &hapter/ an N!SC #onitor displays a #ore li#ited range o$ &olor than a &o#puters&reen Bright hites and dar5 bla&5s #ay loo5 great on a &o#puter s&reen/ but they @ust on t display elon !% %ery dar5 ob@e&ts lose detail in video i$ the &olor value e'&eeds the broad&ast-sa$e range o$ &olortelevision &an sa$ely reprodu&e Broad&ast-sa$e &olor is e'plained in detail inChapter 12E I$ dar5 ob@e&tsappear against dar5 ba&5grounds/ their edges &an blend together so that you &an t #a5e out here oneshape ends and the other begins Bright hites &an be e=ually &hallenging !he edges o$ bright hite te't blur i$ their &olor strays too $ar outside the broad&ast-sa$e range/ and &an even bleed into the audio signal o$a pro@e&t and &reate a distra&ting hu# .ou #ay even have noti&ed this hile at&hing poorly produ&ed&o##er&ial spots on late night !% E

6ne straight$or ard te&hni=ue to help you &reate broad&ast-sa$e i#ages in Photoshop is to #anage the#athe#ati&al values o$ the &olors you &hoose )a&h &olor &hannel in an (>B i#age has a #a'i#u# valueo$ * and a #ini#u# value o$ 0 As #entioned earlier in this &hapter/ setting all three sliders to *&reates hite setting all three to 0 &reates bla&5 Both o$ these &olor &o#binations $all outside the range a N!SC #onitor &an reliably reprodu&e !o &reate broad&ast-sa$e &olors/ it helps to stay a ay $ro# eitheredge o$ the spe&tru# Instead/ to produ&e a broad&ast-sa$e hite/ you &an set the (/ >/ and B &hannels to*3 "igure 11-13E to produ&e a broad&ast-sa$e bla&5/ set ea&h &hannel to 12 "igure 11-1 E .ou &an setthe value o$ a &olor you use in Photoshop by dragging the (>B sliders or by entering thenu#eri&al valuesdire&tly in the te't bo'es on the right side o$ the palette A broad&ast-sa$e hite #ay loo5 slightly gray on a&o#puter s&reen/ but ill display as a&tual hite on an N!SC #onitor








%ideo also has trouble displaying bright reds/ yello s/ and greens/ be&ause they &an bleed into surroundingareas o$ &olor see Chapter 12E As a result/ in addition to at&hing your hite and bla&5 levels/ it s a goodidea to use the N!SC &olors $ilter in Photoshop be$ore you i#port any i#ages into your video

Figure $ *. 8 ;roadcast$sa e 9hite.

Figure $ (. 8 ;roadcast$sa e ;lack.

!o apply a broad&ast-sa$e $ilter:

1 Co#pose and edit your Photoshop i#age so it loo5s the ay you ould li5e it to appear in yourvideo

* Sele&t "ilter %ideo N!SC Colors Photoshop ad@usts the &olors in your i#age to broad&ast-sa$e N!SC values






3 Save your or5

In addition to &olor &onsiderations/ it s help$ul to thin5 about pi'el aspe&t ratios hen you re &reatinggraphi&s "or an introdu&tion to aspe&t ratio/ seeChapter *E !he pi'el di#ensions o$ a $ra#e o$ N!SC#ini D% video are 4*0J <0 +o ever/ &o#puters use s=uare pi'els to generate i#ages/ hile videoediting progra#s use non-s=uare pi'els that are taller then they are ide

Note: !he di$$eren&e bet een s=uare and non-s=uare pi'els is des&ribed in detail inChapter * !he sa#e&hapter also e'plains the di$$eren&e bet een video #onitors/ hi&h use lines o$ resolution to displayi#ages/ and &o#puter #onitors/ hi&h use pi'els

A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally resi es a 4*0J <0 i#age to &o#pensate $or s=uare pi'el i#ages &reated in

Photoshop and i#ported into a D% pro@e&t )arlier I rote that Photoshop and A$ter )$$e&ts are engineeredto or5 together this is a per$e&t e'a#ple E

11.4.2.1. ,esi ing )or Final $ut Pro

;nli5e A$ter )$$e&ts/ "inal Cut Pro does not auto#ati&ally resi e an i#age at its &orre&t proportions

As a result/ i$ you &reate a 4*0J <0 pi'el i#age in Photoshop "igure 11-1 E/ it ill distort hen youi#port it into "inal Cut Pro "igure 11-12E and display as an oval









Figure $ %. 8 )!"<( " +hotosho image.

Figure $ #. +hotosho images may distort in Final 2ut +ro, ;ecause Final 2ut +ro does not resiBe imagesautomatically.



!he solution is to &reate Photoshop graphi&s at slightly taller di#ensions than the N!SC s&reen !his&o#pensates $or the di$$eren&e in pi'el aspe&t ratios By &reating graphi&s at 4*0J 3 pi'els/ you &an&reate i#ages that #aintain their proportions hen you i#port the# into a video pro@e&t in "inal Cut Pro or D%D Studio Pro Photoshop even o$$ers a preset you &an apply hen &reating a ne do&u#ent

SID>/8R Video Formats and Frame SiBe

!here are a nu#ber o$ di$$erent N!SC video $or#ats/ and they don t all use the sa#e si e $ra#e/hi&h &an be &on$using !he #ost popular prosu#er $or#at is #ini D%/ hi&h is used by

&a#eras su&h as the Sony %J*100 and the Canon J8-*/ as ell as #any &onsu#er-level&a#eras Another prosu#er $or#at/ &alled D%CA / is used by higher-end prosu#er &a#eras

su&h as the Sony PD-140 !he #ini D% and D%CA $or#ats share a s&reen si e o$ 4*0' <0 pi'els

I$ you re or5ing ith prosu#er e=uip#ent/ this is the $ra#e si e you ll be or5ing ith #osto$ten/ i$ not e'&lusively .ou &an &o#pensate $or s=uare pi'els in your #ini D% or D%CA stilli#ages by or5ing at 4*0J 3

+o ever/ 4*0' <0 is not the only possible s&reen si e Pro$essional video $or#ats/ su&h asBeta&a# SP and DigitalBeta&a#/ use a s&reen si e o$ 4*0J <2 pi'els I$ you re or5ing ith



4*0J <2 pi'el video/ you &an &o#pensate $or s=uare pi'els in your still i#ages by or5ing at4*0J 0

Be&ause o$ the di$$eren&e in $ra#e si e/ Photoshop o$$ers di$$erent si ed presets !he 4*0' 0Std N!SC 201 Photoshop preset or5s ith pro$essional $or#ats li5e Beta&a# SP andDigitalBeta&a# !he 4*0J 3 Std N!SC D%GD%D preset or5s ith #ini D% or D%CA$or#ats !he preset &ontains the ord D%D/ be&ause this s&reen si e is also appropriate $or stilli#ages used in prosu#er D%D &reation progra#s su&h as Apple s D%D Studio Pro E

.(.!.!. 2reating a +hotosho image or use in Final 2ut +ro

!o &reate a Photoshop i#age $or use in "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:

1 In Photoshop/ sele&t "ile Ne !he Ne indo opens



* )nter 4*0 in the ,idth $ield/ 3 in the +eight $ield/ and 4* in (esolution Be sure to &hoose (>B&olor $ro# the ode pull-do n #enu Alternatively/ you &an sele&t 4*0J 3 Std N!SCD%GD%D $ro# the Preset Si es pull-do n #enu

3 Cli&5 69 Photoshop opens a ne do&u#ent at the di#ensions you spe&i$iedCreate your i#age A &ir&le #a5es a good test/ be&ause you &an easily see i$ it distorts a$ter

i#porting it



!o &o#pensate $or the di$$eren&e in pi'el aspe&t ratio des&ribed earlier in this &hapter/ sele&t I#ageI#age Si e X !he I#age Si e indo opens



2 )nter O <0O in the +eight $ield Be sure the Constrain Proportions bo' is un&he&5ed

4 Cli&5 69 Photoshop resi es the i#age

Be&ause Constrain Proportions as un&he&5ed/ the &ir&le distorts into an oval in the resi edversion ,hen you i#port the i#age into "inal Cut Pro/ it ill appear as a &ir&le due to "inal CutPro s use o$ non-s=uare pi'els

< Save your Photoshop i#age



? I#port the i#age into "inal Cut Pro !he i#age on&e again appears as a &ir&le10 Save your or5



At this point/ you ve learned ho to &reate pro$essional-=uality i#age se=uen&es/ ho to render the#/ andho to e'port and &o#posite a $inished se=uen&e All &o#posite e$$e&ts build on the $oundation #aterialaddressed in this &hapter: (>B/ alpha &hannels/ sta&5ing order/ the ability to i#port graphi&s &reated in

other so$t are appli&ations/ and the ability to e'port a $inished produ&t !he &hapters that $ollo ill al5you through the pro&ess o$ &reating &o#ple' &o#posite e$$e&ts and integrating the# into your or5

2ha ter !. 2om ositing echni=ues to Make 7our +roEect 5ook 5ike It 2ost More han It ReallyDid

Creating the +ouston Street Co#posites

As e'plained in Chapter 11/ you &an &o#bine and arrange #ultiple layers o$ video and still i#ages toe'er&ise &o#plete &ontrol over all the visual #aterial in your pro@e&t

!his &hapter and the three &hapters that $ollo Chapters 13/ 1 / and 1 E al5 you through the &reation o$an e$$e&ts-intensive short $il# I #ade $or this boo5/ titled Big 8u&a !his >od illa inspired s&i-$i a&tion pie&e also des&ribed inChapter E uses all the te&hni=ues detailed in this boo5 !he visual &li#a' o$ the$il# is a series o$ &o#posite se=uen&es in hi&h a giant t o-year-old to ers over the 8o er )ast Side!hese shots not only serve as a pun&h-line to the $il#/ but re&reating the# as you read this boo5 providesyou ith an opportunity to pra&ti&e your te&hni=ue

!his &hapter sho s you/ step-by-step/ ho to:

• ;se a video &lip as the ba&5ground layer in a &o#posite se=uen&e

















• (e#ove the green s&reen ba&5ground o$ a video layer/ enabling the &lip underneath to shothrough "or details on ho to set up a green s&reen shoot/ seeChapter E

• ;se the lu#inan&e values in a video &lip to &reate areas o$ transparen&y "or #ore on lu#inan&e/see O;sing a lu#a 5ey e$$e&t to &reate transparen&yO in this &hapter/ as ell asChapter 12E

• Create a #atte to display spe&i$i&/ &are$ully sele&ted areas o$ a video &lip hile the rest o$ the layere#ains transparent

Note: !o re&reate the e$$e&ts se=uen&es illustrated in this &hapter:

• Navigate to the &h1* $older inside the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that &a#e iththis boo5 Drag the entire $older to your hard drive re#e#ber/ don t try to or5 ith video $ilesdire&tly $ro# the D%D seeChapter 10E

• "ollo the step-by-step instru&tions in ea&h se&tion

!he &h1* $older on the D%D also &ontains $inished "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&t $iles that you&an use as a re$eren&e

!. . 2reating the 6ouston Street 2om osites

!he &o#posite se=uen&es Big 8u&a is built around ere shot in t o parts In one shoot/ Dire&tor o$Photography Daniel Baer and I re&orded a series o$ e'terior shots on )ast +ouston Street in anhattan to provide buildings and tra$$i& $or 8u&a to to er over "igure 1*-1E In the other shoot/ e set up a green&hro#a 5ey ba&5ground in the apart#ent that 8u&a shares ith his parents and t o younger brothers"igure 1*-*E !hese interior shots provided us ith i#ages o$ 8u&a to &o#posite into the e'terior &lips

Co#bining the shots into $inished &o#posite se=uen&es "igure 1*-3E re=uired the $ull range o$ 5ey e$$e&tsand #as5ing te&hni=ues detailed in this &hapter

Figure !$ . 8n e?terior shot o 6ouston Street.










!he $inal &o#posite se=uen&e uses #ultiple layers o$ video to #a5e 8u&a appear as i$ he s a&tually in theenviron#ent +e s &o#posited on top o$ one layer o$ video so the s5y appears behind hi#E and beneathanother layer so the buildings appear in $ront o$ hi#E ;sing this #any layers o$ video together &reates a#ore involved postprodu&tion pro&ess/ but ulti#ately leads to a #u&h stronger se=uen&e !he $irst step is&reating a ne se=uen&e in "inal Cut Pro/ or a ne &o#position in A$ter )$$e&ts/ and then adding a ba&5ground layer o$ video

!o build the se=uen&e in "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:

Note: It s a good idea to start saving right a ay/ and to save periodi&ally as you go along !hat ay/ i$ the&o#puter &rashes/ you on t lose your or5



1 Sele&t "ile Ne Se=uen&e A ne se=uen&e/ na#ed Se=uen&e 1/ appears in the Bro serindo Na#e and save the pro@e&t



* Cli&5 the na#e o$ the $ile on&e to sele&t it !he se=uen&e na#e appears highlighted in the Bro serindo

3 Cli&5 the na#e again !he &olor &hanges and a &ursor appears in the na#e .ou &an no give these=uen&e a ne na#e by typing on your &o#puter s 5eyboard >iving ea&h se=uen&e a des&riptivna#e &an help you 5eep tra&5 later as your pro@e&t gro s and be&o#es #ore &o#ple' E



4 Cli&5 the $ile at the top o$ the list/ houston1 #ov/ then shi$t-&li&5 the $ile at the botto# o$ the list/lu&a3 #ov !his sele&ts all the $iles in the $older

< Cli&5 Choose !his i#ports the $iles they no appear in the Bro serE and &loses the indo



? Drag the &lip houston1 #ov into tra&5 %1 in the !i#eline ,hen you release the #ouse/ "inal CutPro adds the &lip to the !i#eline and displays a $ra#e o$ the &lip in the Canvas

10 Save your or5

!o build the se=uen&e in A$ter )$$e&ts/ do the $ollo ing:



1 Sele&t Co#position Ne Co#position !he Co#position Settings indo opens



* Sele&t N!SC D%/ 4*0' <0 $ro# the Preset pull-do n #enu/ or i$ you re or5ing in another video

$or#at/ pi&5 the appropriate pull-do n #enu option seeChapter 11 $or #ore detailE3 Cli&5 in the Co#position Na#e $ield/ and type houston1 on your 5eyboard A$ter )$$e&ts na#es

the &o#position houston1 I$ you don t enter a na#e no / A$ter )$$e&ts ill auto#ati&ally na#ethe &o#position Co#p1 As ith a se=uen&e in "inal Cut Pro/ giving an A$ter )$$e&ts &o#positiona #ore des&riptive na#e ill help you 5eep tra&5 as the pro@e&t develops and you start to &reateadditional &o#positions E

Cli&5 69 A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a ne &o#position and &loses the indo





Sele&t "ile I#port "ileX !he I#port "ile indo opens .ou &an also open the I#port"ile indo by double-&li&5ing an e#pty area inside the Pro@e&t indo E

2 Sele&t the $ollo ing $iles:

o houston1 #ov

o houston* #ov

o houston3 #ov

o lu&a1 #ov

o lu&a* #ov

o lu&a3 #ov



!he easiest ay to sele&t #ultiple $iles together is to &li&5 houston1 #ov/ and then shi$t-&li&5lu&a3 #ov7A$ter )$$e&ts ill auto#ati&ally &ontiguous $iles E

4 Cli&5 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts i#ports the $iles and &loses the I#port "ile indo

Note: A$ter )$$e&ts o$$ers another option/ labeled I#port ultiple "iles/ hi&h is help$ul henyou ant to i#port $iles $ro# #ultiple lo&ations "or e'a#ple/ i$ you had one $ile on your&o#puter s des5top/ another in a $older on your &o#puter s hard drive/ and a third on an e'ternal"ire,ire dis5/ sele&ting I#port ultiple "iles ould be the ay to go I$ you &hoose thisoption and then i#port a $ile/ A$ter )$$e&ts ill auto#ati&ally open a ne I#port "ile indo!his ne indo enables you to then navigate to another lo&ation and i#port additional $iles+o ever/ i$ you re i#porting #ultiple $iles $ro# the sa#e $older/ sele&ting "ile I#port

ultiple "iles is unne&essary "or the e'a#ple in this &hapter/ shi$t-&li&5ing is the si#plest routeyou &an ta5e



< Sele&t houston1 #ov in the Pro@e&t indo / and drag it into the !i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts pla&es the$ile in the !i#eline and displays a $ra#e o$ the &lip in the Co#position indo



? Save your or5

As des&ribed inChapter / an ob@e&t ith &leaner edges is easier to &o#posite into another &lip 6b@e&tsith $ine detail at their edges "igure 1*- E/ $or e'a#ple shaggy ardrobe #aterials/ bushy hair on an a&tor/

or the lea$less tree bran&hes on the right and le$t edges o$ the houston1 #ov &lip/ are #u&h harder to or5ith in a 5ey e$$e&t S&aling the &lip to #a5e it slightly larger enables us to &rop out the edges o$ the shot

hi&h &ontain the proble#ati& tree bran&hes "igure 1*- EAlthough there s no 5ey e$$e&t applied to this layer o$ the &o#posite/ later in the &hapter/ e ll use an e$$e&to &reate transparen&y in another instan&e o$ the sa#e &lip pla&ed on a higher level video tra&5 S&aling both the top and botto# layer &lips to the sa#e si e #a5es the# easier to &o#posite together

"inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts both enable an editor to s&ale a &lip by &li&5ing in the Canvas "igure 1*-2Eor Co#position indo "igure 1*-4E and dragging a &orner o$ the &lip Dragging a &orner to ard the&enter o$ the indo s&ales the &lip do n/ redu&ing its si e Dragging a &orner to ard the outside o$ the

indo s&ales the i#age up to a larger si e

Figure !$(. he tree ;ranches in this shot make the cli more di icult to com osite.

Figure !$%. he same shot, scaled to make the ;ranches much less rominent.





!his #ethod is i#pre&ise/ and in A$ter )$$e&ts/ it &an distort the i#age i$ you &hange the aspe&t ratio seeChapter *E

S&aling an i#age nu#eri&ally enables you pre&isely &ontrol its si e In this &ase/ nu#eri& s&aling isespe&ially help$ul be&ause the &o#posite e$$e&t in this &hapter pla&es the sa#e &lip on #ore than one layerand they both need to appear at the sa#e si e $or the e$$e&t to or5 Plus/ it adds another s5ill to yourrepertoire and helps you develop your te&hni&al &hops as an editor E

SID>/8R 8ction Sa e, itle Sa e, and 4nderscan

;nli5e a &o#puter #onitor/ a television s&reen doesn t display a $ull $ra#e o$ video !elevisions auto#ati&ally &rop vii#ages to sho a s#aller area o$ the $ra#e !he a#ount o$ &ropping varies $ro# #onitor to #onitor E !his #eans thatalthough ob@e&ts at the edge o$ the $ra#e #ay be visible in the "inal Cut Pro Canvas or A$ter )$$e&ts Co#position inthey #ight not be visible to an audien&e at&hing your or5 on a !% s&reen

Pro$essional video e=uip#ent is designed to sho an entire $ra#e o$ video so you &an spot any possible proble#s ith y#aterial the pro&ess is &alled unders&anningE !o help esti#ate hat an audien&e ill see on a video #onitor/ "inal C





A$ter )$$e&ts both use a&tion-sa$e and title-sa$e boundary lines

• !he a&tion-sa$e area is 10 per&ent s#aller than a $ra#e o$ video

• !he title-sa$e area is *0 per&ent s#aller than a $ra#e o$ video

Be&ause di$$erent television #onitors display slightly #ore or less o$ the video $ra#e/ both the title-sa$e and a&tion-saare appro'i#ations I#ages that appear inside the a&tion-sa$e area ill #ore than li5ely appear on a television s&reen Iinside the title-sa$e area ill de$initely appear Be&ause titles and visual e$$e&ts lose their value i$ audien&es &an ti#portant that their edges don t get &ut o$$ "ra#ing your &o#posites ith an eye to ard the a&tion-sa$e and title-sa$a good ay to #a5e sure your vie ers ill be able to see the &o#posites you ve or5ed so hard to &reate

Again/ the title-sa$e and a&tion-sa$e areas are appro'i#ations !o really see hat your or5 loo5s li5e on a television s&it helps to vie your or5 on a dedi&ated N!SC video #onitor "or #ore on &onne&ting a video #onitor to your editinsyste#/ see O!he i#portan&e o$ a ell-&alibrated N!SC #onitorO inChapter 10 E

!o display the a&tion-sa$e and title-sa$e boundaries in A$ter )$$e&ts/ &li&5 the !itle-A&tion Sa$e button at the botto#





Co#position indo

!o display the a&tion-sa$e and title-sa$e boundaries in "inal Cut Pro:

1 Sele&t %ie Sho 6verlays* Sele&t %ie Sho !itle Sa$e

12.1.2.1. Nu(erically scaling an i(age in Final $ut Pro

!o s&ale an i#age nu#eri&ally using "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:



1 Double &li&5 the houston1 &lip in the !i#eline "inal Cut opens the &lip in the %ie er indo* Cli&5 the otion tab in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro displays a series o$ &ontrols $or the &lip



3 Cli&5 the triangle to the le$t o$ Basi& otion to a&&ess the Basi& otion &ontrols !he Basi&otion &ontrols be&o#e visible

)nter 1*0 in the S&ale $ield and press the return 5ey "inal Cut s&ales the &lip to a larger si e/ *0 per&ent larger than nor#al/ and displays the resi ed &lip in the Canvas !he &lip is no larger thana $ra#e o$ video/ and anything that does not appear in the Canvas ill be &ropped out o$ the

$ra#eCli&5 in the &enter o$ the Canvas/ and drag the &lip up and to the right so you &an $ra#e out as

#u&h o$ the trees as possible/ hile still retaining the tra$$i& #otion in the botto# o$ the $ra#eE

2 ,hen you re satis$ied ith the position o$ the enlarged &lip/ release the #ouse !he Center $ieldsin the %ie er display the &lip s ne &oordinates !he de$ault &enter position o$ a &lip is 0/0: the&enter o$ the $ra#e E !he nu#ber in the $irst Center $ield is the &lip s J/ or hori ontal/ &oordinate!he nu#ber in the se&ond $ield is the ./ or verti&al/ &oordinate

4 Save your or5

12.1.2.2. Nu(erically scaling an i(age in )ter *))ects

!o s&ale an i#age nu#eri&ally in A$ter )$$e&ts/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Cli&5 the s#all triangle so#eti#es re$erred to as a t irl-do n i&onE on the $irst layer in the!i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts opens the layer s &ontrols



* Cli&5 the s#all triangle ne't to !rans$or# A$ter )$$e&ts opens the !rans$or# &ontrols $or the &lipon layer1

3 6n the S&ale line/ &li&5 the $irst nu#ber 100 0E !he $ield &hanges &olor and a &ursor appears!his is the hori ontal s&ale &ontrol $or your &lip

!ype 1*0 on your 5eyboard and press return By de$ault A$ter )$$e&ts &onstrains the proportions o$your &lip/ so hen you &hange the hori ontal s&ale value the verti&al s&ale auto#ati&ally &hanges

ith it

Cli&5 in the Co#position indo and drag the i#age up and to the right In the last step you #adethe i#age *0 per&ent larger Be&ause the i#age is no larger than a $ra#e o$ video/ anything thatdoesn t appear in the Co#position indo ill be &ropped out o$ the $ra#e



2 ,hen you re satis$ied ith the position o$ the enlarged &lip/ release the #ouse !he Position $ieldsin the !i#eline display the &lip s ne &oordinates !he nu#ber in the $irst Position $ield is the&lip s J/ or hori ontal/ &oordinate !he nu#ber in the se&ond $ield is the ./ or verti&al/ &oordinate

4 Save your or5

!he ne't step in building this &o#posite se=uen&e is to add a ne &lip/ and then re#ove ne &lip s ba&5ground so that 8u&a appears in the e'terior shot o$ +ouston Street !o #a5e this e$$e&t possible/ eshot 8u&a against a green ba&5ground/ hi&h as designed spe&i$i&ally $or use in &hro#a 5ey e$$e&ts "#ore in$or#ation on &hro#a 5ey/ seeChapter E As a result/ you &an no &leanly re#ove the green ba&5ground using your digital editing syste#

!he $irst step is adding the ne &lip to your e'isting se=uen&e

12.1.3.1. dding a new 'ideo track and editing a new clip into a Final $ut Pro se/uence

Although you &an easily add a ne video &lip to a "inal Cut Pro se=uen&e by sele&ting the &lip in theBro ser and dragging it into the !i#eline as de#onstrated inChapter 11E/ there is another ay that provides you ith greater &ontrol !his e'er&ise sho s you ho edit a ne &lip into the !i#eline at thee'a&t lo&ation you ant/ using the Playhead/ Sour&e/ and Destination &ontrols

1 Cli&5 in the !i#eline and sele&t Se=uen&e Insert !ra&5sX !he Insert !ra&5s indo opens

* !ype 1 in the %ideo !ra&5s $ield in the Insert !ra&5s dialog bo' 8eave the A$ter 8ast !ra&5 radio

button sele&ted this ill add a ne video tra&5 to the !i#eline/ above the video tra&5 &ontaining







the e'terior &lip you added earlierE Cli&5 69 hen you re done

3 Double &li&5 the &lip na#ed lu&a1 #ov in the Bro ser !he &lip opens in the %ie er !his is the

&lip you ill edit into the !i#eline



Drag the Sour&e video tab labeled v1E up to the Destination video tab labeled %*E/ hi&h is ne'tto the e#pty video tra&5 in the !i#eline .our sour&e &lip is the $ootage o$ 8u&a displayed in the%ie er .our destination is the e#pty video tra&5

Note: ;sing the Destination &ontrols enables you to deter#ine the e'a&t tra&5 your sour&e $ootageappears on !his is very help$ul in &reating &o#ple' &o#posite se=uen&es here sta&5ing order&an deter#ine the su&&ess o$ your or5 .ou &an also &onne&t so#e o$ the tabs and leave othersdis&onne&ted "or e'a#ple/ i$ you &onne&ted the video tab o$ a sour&e &lip but le$t the audio tabsdis&onne&ted/ "inal Cut ould add video to the !i#eline ithout adding any audio 8i5e ise/ you&ould add audio to a se=uen&e ithout adding any video by &onne&ting the audio tabs and leavingthe sour&e &lip s video tab dis&onne&ted

Drag the audio Sour&e tabs a1 and a*E to align ith the audio Destination tabs $or the e#ptyaudio tra&5s in the !i#eline A3 and A E

2 Drag the Playhead in the Canvas until the bla&5 S;% appears about hal$ ay through the $ra#e,hen you drag the Playhead in the Canvas/ the Playhead in the !i#eline #oves along ith it!his enables you deter#ine e'a&tly here the $irst $ra#e o$ your ne &lip ill appear in the!i#eline

4 Cli&5 the 6ver rite edit button in the Canvas "inal Cut adds the ne video &lip to tra&5 %* in the!i#eline and adds the asso&iated audio &lips to tra&5s A3 and A / as you spe&i$ied !he audio andvideo o$ the e'terior shot on tra&5s %1/ A1/ and A* re#ains undisturbed

Note: Be&ause the Playhead as positioned al#ost t o se&onds a$ter the start o$ the &lip hen you per$or#ed your edit/ 8u&a does not appear at the very beginning o$ the shot Introdu&ing 8u&a andthe &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t part ay through the shot gives it greater i#pa&t and an added degree o$surprise !he audien&e ill get used to at&hing an ordinary street s&ene/ and then on&e they vegotten &o#$ortable ith the shot/ a giant t o-year-old ill suddenly appear In $il##a5ing/ @ustli5e in telling a good @o5e or starting a ne ro#an&e/ ti#ing is everything

12.1.3.2. dding the chro(a key e))ect in Final $ut Pro

No that you ve added 8u&a to the !i#eline/ you re ready to re#ove the green s&reen ba&5ground and&o#posite hi# into the e'terior video &lip In this e'er&ise/ you identi$y the pre&ise hues/ or #athe#ati&al&olor values/ o$ the green s&reen ba&5ground and re#ove the# $ro# the shot $or #ore in$or#ation on hue/see Chapter 12E As you re#ove areas o$ &olor/ the layer o$ video underneath begins to sho through

1 Sele&t the lu&a1 #ov &lip in the !i#eline !he &lip &hanges &olor and be&o#es the a&tive &lip






* Sele&t )$$e&ts %ideo "ilters 9ey Chro#a 9eyer "inal Cut adds a &hro#a 5ey e$$e&tto the &lip/ but you on t see any &hanges until you set the para#eters in the $ollo ing steps

3 Double-&li&5 the &lip in the !i#eline !he Chro#a 9eyer tab appears at the top o$ the %ie erindo Cli&5 the Chro#a 9eyer tab to a&&ess the &ontrols ;sing these &ontrols/ you &an 5ey out/

or re#ove/ the green ba&5ground

Cli&5 the )ye-dropper tool and use it to sele&t an area o$ &olor in the Canvas ,hen you &li&5 iththe )ye-dropper tool "inal Cut Pro identi$ies the &olor in the part o$ the $ra#e that you &li&5 onand eli#inates that spe&i$i& &olor $ro# the shot %ideo $ro# the layer beneath then begins to shothrough



Note: In an ideal s&enario/ you ould be or5ing ith a per$e&tly lit solid &olored ba&5ground/and you ould only need to &li&5 on&e to re#ove the entire green s&reen ba&5drop !his &lip/ as in



#ost &hro#a 5ey &lips you ll en&ounter as an editor/ &ontains #ultiple shades o$ &olor and re=uires#ore than a single &li&5 to re#ove the# As a result/ it provides a great opportunity $or you to pra&ti&e

Cli&5 the )ye-dropper tool again/ hold do n the Shi$t 5ey/ and &li&5 a ne area o$ the greens&reen ba&5ground "inal Cut re#oves additional areas o$ &olor $ro# the shot



Note: ,hen you re or5ing ith &hro#a 5ey e$$e&ts in "inal Cut Pro/ as in this e'a#ple/ you #aynoti&e a harsh or pi'ilated edge appears around the area o$ a shot that has not been 5eyed out .ou&an $i' this by using the So$tening &ontrol in the Chro#a 9eyer e$$e&t !he So$tening &ontrol blursthe edges o$ the 5ey e$$e&t and helps blend the top layer &lip into the &lip underneath

2 (epeat step until you ve re#oved the entire ba&5ground



* Sele&t the &lip you d li5e to add to the &o#position and press Co##andYG a&E or CtrlYG,indo sE .ou &an also drag the &lip you d li5e to add dire&tly into the !i#eline as you did

earlier in this &hapterE or into the Co#position indo



the e$$e&t



3 Cli&5 the )ye-dropper tool in the )$$e&ts Controls indo / and then &li&5 an area o$ the &lip in theCo#position indo A$ter )$$e&ts identi$ies the &olor you &li&5 on/ and then re#oves areas o$that &olor $ro# the shot7the layer o$ video underneath begins to be&o#e visible



Cli&5 the )ye-dropper tool ith a Y ne't to it/ and &li&5 another area in the Co#position indoA$ter )$$e&ts re#oves additional areas o$ &olor $ro# the &lip/ and an in&reasing area o$ the basevideo layer be&o#es visible

Continue to 5ey out areas o$ &olor until the green ba&5ground be&o#es $ully transparent

!he Previe in the )$$e&t Controls indo displays a bla&5 and hite i#age that &hanges as yousele&t areas to 5ey out !his bla&5 and hite i#age is a #atte/ and deter#ines hat parts o$ your&lip be&o#e invisible !he bla&5 areas are parts o$ the lu&a1 #ov &lip that are set to transparent/and the hite areas are parts o$ the i#age that re#ain opa=ue

Depending on the $ootage you re or5ing ith you #ay $ind that the $oreground i#age you reor5ing ith7in this &ase/ 8u&a7appears to be surrounded by a noti&eably @agged edge I$



4 Cli&5 the $ield ne't to >eo#etri& So$tness/ and enter 4 !his so$tens the edge o$ the #atte you&reated hile #a5ing your 5ey e$$e&t and helps your $oreground &lip/ 8u&a/ blend #ore easily intothe e'terior shot

< Save your or5

As des&ribed earlier in this &hapter/ there is #ore than one type o$ 5ey e$$e&t available to you as an editorSi#ilar to a &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t/ hi&h identi$ies a parti&ular &olor value and re#oves it $or# a shot/ alu#inan&e or lu#a 5ey e$$e&t identi$ies a parti&ular brightness value and re#oves that value $ro# a shot8u#a 5eys are very use$ul in re#oving large/ irregularly shaped areas that are signi$i&antly brighter ordar5er than other i#age areas in the sa#e &lip

At this point/ 8u&a appears to be playing in the tra$$i& on +ouston Street !he &hro#a 5ey e$$e&t has &leanlseparated 8u&a $ro# the green-s&reen ba&5ground/ but he doesn t loo5 espe&ially big at this stage o$ the&o#posite 6b@e&ts that are &loser to the &a#era generally appear larger than ob@e&ts that are $arther a ayso it #a5es sense that a boy in the $oreground ould appear larger than the &ars behind hi# In real li$e/8u&a is very big $or his age/ hi&h is part o$ hat inspired this $il#/ but he s not >od illa si e E !o&o#plete the e$$e&t/ e need to add a layer o$ buildings in $ront o$ 8u&a/ and &reate an area o$ transparen&so 8u&a &an loo5 li5e he s to ering over the street s&ene

In this e'er&ise/ you ll add a ne video &lip to &reate a layer o$ buildings in the $oreground/ and use a lu#a5ey e$$e&t to #a5e the s5y transparent Be&ause the s5y is signi$i&antly brighter than other parts o$ the shot

even on a &loudy dayE the lu#a 5ey e$$e&t or5s ni&ely

12.1.4.1. $reating a lu(a key e))ect in Final $ut Pro

!o &reate the lu#a 5ey e$$e&t/ do the $ollo ing:



1 Add another instan&e o$ the houston1 #ov &lip to a ne tra&5 in the !i#eline you &an either dragthe &lip $ro# the Bro ser into the !i#eline or use the 6ver rite edit 5eyE

* Double-&li&5 the houston1 #ov &lip you @ust added to tra&5 %3 in the !i#eline !he &lip opens inthe %ie er

3 Cli&5 the otion tab to display the &lip s #otion &ontrols



Sele&t )$$e&ts %ideo "ilters 9ey 8u#a 9ey "inal Cut Pro applies a lu#a 5ey e$$e&tto the &lip



2 Cli&5 the &lip s "ilters tab in the %ie er "inal Cut displays the &ontrols $or the 8u#a 9ey e$$e&tAt $irst/ hen the e$$e&t s de$ault settings are applied/ 8u&a loo5s li5e a translu&ent ghost !heentire top layer street s&ene &lip on tra&5 %3 is no translu&ent/ and 8u&a is no di#ly visible behind it

4 Drag the !oleran&e slider all the ay to the le$t Setting the !oleran&e to 0 #a5es 8u&a &learlyvisible behind the buildings !he !hreshold slider/ hi&h you ll ad@ust in the ne't step/ de$ines thelu#inan&e value that "inal Cut Pro re#oves $ro# the shot !he !oleran&e slider de$ines hosi#ilar lu#inan&e values ill be handled: a higher !oleran&e setting re#oves a ider range o$lu#inan&e values/ hile a lo er range re#oves a #u&h narro er range/ leaving the rest o$ thei#age inta&t



< Drag the !hreshold slider to the right in the illustration/ the !hreshold is set to 3<E Areas o$ ashot &ontaining bright re$le&tions/ su&h as indo s or the shiny roo$ o$ a &ar/ o$ten share the sa#e bright lu#inan&e values as the s5y I$ you leave the !hreshold at 0/ so#e o$ the indo s in the buildings #ay get 5eyed out and be&o#e transparent/ allo ing 8u&a to sho through behind the#

? Save your or5

12.1.4.2. $reating a lu(a key e))ect in )ter *))ects

!o &reate the lu#a 5ey e$$e&t in A$ter )$$e&ts/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Add another instan&e o$ the houston1 #ov &lip to the !i#eline* S&ale the &lip to #at&h the instan&e on the botto# layer:

o )nter 1*0 in the s&ale $ield and press return

o )nter 0* 0 and *14 0 in the position $ields

3 Sele&t )$$e&t 9eying 8u#a 9ey !he para#eters o$ your lu#a 5ey e$$e&t appear in the)$$e&t Controls indo !he tri&5 to or5ing ith lu#a 5ey is to si#ultaneously ad@ust all $our o$ its settings/ hi&h are brie$ly des&ribed as $ollo s "igure 1*-<E:



Threshold

!his setting de$ines the lu#inan&e value that A$ter )$$e&ts #a5es transparent

Tolerance

!his slider de$ines ho si#ilar lu#inan&e values ill be handled: a higher !oleran&e settingre#oves a ider range o$ lu#inan&e values/ a lo er value re#oves a #u&h narro er rangeleaving the rest o$ the i#age inta&t

Edge Thin

!his sets the idth o$ the border/ depending on your settings/ $or the #atte &reated by the lu#a5ey e$$e&t

Edge Feather



.ou #ay have noti&ed a slight halo/ or glo / around the edge o$ the lu#a 5ey #atte that you so$tened iththe )dge "eather slider .ou also #ay have noti&ed that 8u&a slightly sho s through so#e o$ the brighterareas in the $oreground +ouston Street &lip $or e'a#ple/ in "igure 1*-?/ you &an see the red o$ his shirt bleeding $aintly through so#e o$ the indo s in the building in $ront o$ hi#/ and through the re$le&tion onthe roo$ o$ the ta'i at the botto# o$ the $ra#eE

I$ you add a ne +ouston Street &lip to the &o#position/ and dra a #as5 along the top o$ the buildings/you &an &reate a &o#posite ith a very &lean edge "igure 1*-10E !he buildings and tra$$i& ill shothrough as solid ob@e&ts in the botto# hal$ o$ the $ra#e/ and the s5y ill be&o#e &o#pletely transparent

In so#e ays/ this te&hni=ue provides an alternative to the lu#a 5ey used earlier 6n&e you get&o#$ortable dra ing #as5s/ you &an use the# to &reate transparent areas o$ any shape/ in any shot o$video E

Figure !$&. he com osite se=uence ;e ore a mask has ;een a lied. 1otice the so t edge at the to o the;uildings.

Figure !$ ". he com osite se=uence a ter a mask has ;een added, the to edges o the ;uildings a ear muchcleaner.



!he $ollo ing steps al5 you through dra ing a #as5 in A$ter )$$e&ts:

1 Add a ne instan&e o$ houston1 #ov to the !i#eline/ then resi e and reposition it to #at&h the&lips you added earlier !o strea#line your produ&tion/ you &an delete the &lip &ontaining thelu#a 5ey e$$e&t/ sin&e you don t need both In this &ase/ I # leaving both in the !i#eline so you&an see ho they or5 in the e'a#ple $ile on your D%D E



* Cli&5 the Pen tool in the !ools palette !he &ursor &hanges $ro# an arro to a pen .ou &reate a#as5 in A$ter )$$e&ts by &li&5ing ith the Pen tool !o #a5e things easier in this e'er&ise/ #a5esure (otoBe ier is un&he&5ed !he (otoBe ier $un&tion auto#ati&ally dra s Be ier &urves/ hi&hyou don t need in this #as5 and &ould #a5e li$e slightly #ore di$$i&ult



I on&e or5ed as assistant editor on a PBS do&u#entary dire&ted by the e'tre#ely a&&o#plished$il##a5er/ Bill ersey People $ro# around the orld ere &onstantly visiting his o$$i&e/ here he ouldregale the# ith stories o$ his adventures behind the &a#era +e as e=ually tal5ative during produ&tionA$ter one very long and &are$ul &o#bination o$ pans/ tilts/ and oo#s a&ross the length o$ a very large headand shoulders portrait on the all o$ a #ansion/ he @o5ed that 9en Burns ould have been able to #a5e anentire $il# $ro# @ust that shot +e as not belittling 9en Burns/ but as #a5ing a re$eren&e to a style o$$il##a5ing that Burns uses e'tensively in his or5

Note: Burns is by no #eans the $irst dire&tor to use still i#ages in a $il#/ it s a ti#e-honored te&hni=uethat s been in use $or years !he 1? 4 do&u#entary City o$ >old/ produ&ed by the National "il# Board o$Canada/ uses still i#ages to tell the story o$ the 9londi5e gold rush !he 1?2* s&ien&e $i&tion $il# 8a etFe/dire&ted by Chris ar5er and #entioned in the sidebar O!he 9it&hen Con=ueror and the Po er o$ StillI#ages/O doesn t use a single #oving i#age7@ust an eerie sele&tion o$ bla&5-and- hite stills and ane'&ellent sound design At the sa#e ti#e/ Burns has #ade still i#ages and &a#era #ove#ents histrade#ar5/ to the point that the &ontrols $or panning and oo#ing on a photo in Apple s i ovie are &alledO!he 9en Burns )$$e&t O

In his epi& series on the Civil ,ar/ Burns relied on still i#ages and dra#ati& readings o$ soldiers letters totell his story !o 5eep the audien&e s attention and develop a visual style beyond a slide sho / Burns&are$ully #oved the &a#era up and do n the length o$ the photos/ oo#ing in on details and $a&es toheighten the e#otion o$ ea&h shot

I$ you ve ever tried to shoot stills/ you 5no this is no easy tas5 !o re&ord a &lean i#age/ the plane o$ the&a#era lens #ust be identi&al to the plane o$ the photo7i$ the &a#era is slightly angled/ the i#age ill5eystone and one edge ill loo5 shorter than the others S#ooth &a#era #ove#ents and oo#s on stilli#ages are also very di$$i&ult Shooting a still so it ta5es up a $ull $ra#e o$ $il# or video re=uires a verytight oo#/ hi&h #a5es the slightest &a#era bobble espe&ially noti&eable to the audien&e )ven ith the best e=uip#ent in the hands o$ a very talented &ine#atographer/ pans and tilts &an &ause a &a#era to @er5/

hi&h is the last thing you ant on s&reen

!o avoid these proble#s in the pre-digital era/ $il##a5ers pla&ed photos on ani#ation stands and shot the#ith e'pensive #otion &ontrol &a#eras that auto#ated ea&h #ove#ent In $a&t/ &ontrolling these #ovesas one o$ the $irst uses o$ &o#puters in $il##a5ing/ long be$ore &o#puters ere used to edit E !he resultsere $antasti&ally s#ooth but $righteningly e'pensive "ortunately/ li5e so #any other aspe&ts o$ $il#

produ&tion/ digital te&hnology no #a5es it possible to get really good results ithout spending big bu&5s

Digital editing so$t are today ships ith #otion-&ontrol $eatures that you &an e#ploy to #ove an i#agethrough a $ra#e o$ video/ dyna#i&ally &hanging its position on s&reen .ou &an even si#ulate &o#pli&ated pans and tilts that ould be e'&eptionally di$$i&ult7i$ not i#possible7to &reate ith a &a#era on a tripod;sing 5ey$ra#es/ #otion paths/ and the s&ale &ontrols in "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ you &an &reatee'a&tly the #ove#ent you ant

ey rames in 8nimation and Video

9ey$ra#es indi&ate the i#portant $ra#es here &hanges ta5e pla&e In the days o$ hand-dra nani#ation/ lead ani#ators li5e Chu&5 ones ould dra the 5ey$ra#es o$ a &artoon7$ore'a#ple one 5ey$ra#e #ight be )l#er "udd pointing a gun at Da$$y Du&5/ and the ne't #ight be Da$$y ith his bill pointing ba&5 ard a$ter )l#er has pulled the trigger !he less-seniorani#ators ould then dra the in-bet een $ra#es/ the &onne&ting $ra#es that &reate the s#ooth#otion bet een 5ey$ra#es otion graphi&s appli&ations and video editing so$t are/ su&h as"inal Cut Pro/ e#ploy si#ilar 5ey$ra#e operations !he editor sets the para#eters $or ea&h



5ey$ra#e/ $or e'a#ple S&ale and Center/ and the &o#puter ad@usts the $ra#es in bet een to&reate s#ooth/ natural-loo5ing ani#ated e$$e&ts

Changes to a 5ey$ra#e i#pa&t the 5ey$ra#e itsel$/ as ell as the $ra#es bet een that 5ey$ra#eand the 5ey$ra#es be$ore or a$ter it I#agine three 5ey$ra#es in a video &lip/ one in the $irst$ra#e/ another at a $ra#e in the #iddle o$ the &lip/ and a third in the last $ra#e I$ the S&alesetting ere set to 100 per&ent in the $irst 5ey$ra#e/ 0 per&ent in the #iddle 5ey$ra#e/ and 100 per&ent in the last 5ey$ra#e/ the i#age ould start at $ull si e/ shrin5 to hal$ its si e/ and thengro to regain its $ull si e I$ the #iddle 5ey$ra#e ere &hanged to a di$$erent S&ale setting/ it

ould not i#pa&t the other t o 5ey$ra#es/ only the $ra#es in bet een 8i5e ise/ i$ the $irst5ey$ra#e ere &hanged/ it ouldn t i#pa&t the #iddle or $inal 5ey$ra#e the &hange ouldapply only to the $irst 5ey$ra#e/ and the $ra#es leading up to the se&ond 5ey$ra#e

.ou &an easily si#ulate a oo# in "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts by &hanging the s&ale settings o$ a stilli#age In Chapter 1*/ e used the s&ale settings to resi e an entire &lip In this e'er&ise/ e use 5ey$ra#esin &o#bination ith s&ale settings/ so that the i#age gets larger over ti#e and $ills #ore o$ the $ra#e/ tosi#ulate a oo#

13.1.1.1. 0n Final $ut Pro

+ere are the steps $or si#ulating a oo# in "inal Cut Pro:

1 Sele&t "ile I#port "iles !he Choose a "ile indo opens

* Navigate to the &h13 $older on your hard drive and i#port oo#102< psd







3 Add oo#102< psd to the !i#eline )ven though the i#age di#ensions are signi$i&antly largerthan a $ra#e o$ video/ "inal Cut Pro s&ales the i#age to $it in the $ra#e In &ase you haven tre&ogni ed hi# yet/ the baby in the pi&ture is 8u&a/ star o$ Big 8u&a !his pi&ture sho s hi# as a pre->od illaLsi ed in$ant E



Double-&li&5 the i#age in the !i#eline !he i#age opens in the %ie er indo



Cli&5 the otion tab in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro displays the Basi& otion settings $or the &lip/in&luding the S&ale setting !he a&tual pi'el di#ensions o$ the i#age are 1 0'102</ hi&h ist i&e the si e o$ a #ini D% $ra#e this in&ludes &o#pensating $or nons=uare pi'els in "inal CutPro see Chapter 11E !o $it the entire i#age on the s&reen/ "inal Cut Pro auto#ati&ally s&ales the

i#age to 0 per&ent o$ its original si e!o si#ulate a oo#/ you &an set the i#age to go $ro# 0 per&ent o$ original si e in the $irst $ra#eo$ the !i#eline/ to 100 per&ent in the last $ra#e

2 Cli&5 in the !i#eline indo / and then press the Oho#eO 5ey on your 5eyboard !his #oves thePlayhead to the $irst $ra#e in the !i#eline






4 Cli&5 the InsertGDelete 9ey$ra#e button ne't to the S&ale $ield in the %ie er !he dia#ond at the&enter o$ the button &hanges $ro# hite to green/ and "inal Cut Pro adds a 5ey$ra#e to the $irst$ra#e in the !i#eline



< Cli&5 the )nd 5ey on your 5eyboard !his #oves the Playhead to the last $ra#e in the !i#eline? Cli&5 the InsertGDelete 9ey$ra#e button ne't to the S&ale $ield in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro adds a

5ey$ra#e at the end o$ the !i#eline

10 Cli&5 in the S&ale $ield/ and type 100 "inal Cut Pro s&ales the i#age to appear at $ull si eBe&ause the i#age is &onsiderably larger than a $ra#e o$ video/ only a tight &lose-up o$ the baby isvisible

11 ove your Playhead ba&5 to the start o$ the !i#eline/ and previe the e$$e&t you @ust &reatedBe&ause you added 5ey$ra#es be$ore &hanging the S&ale settings/ the i#age no gradually&hanges $ro# a redu&ed si e o$ 0 per&ent in the $irst $ra#e to 100 per&ent in the last $ra#e/si#ulating a oo#

1* Save your or5

Note: Depending on your &o#puter s pro&essing po er and the a#ount o$ (A you have installed/ you

#ay be able to previe this e$$e&t ithout rendering $or #ore on rendering/ see O(endering per$or#an&eand hard are re=uire#entsO inChapter 10E I$ your &o#puter doesn t allo you to previe the e$$e&tithout renderings/ you &an use the arro 5eys on your 5eyboard to #anually s&roll through ea&h $ra#e

and see the results o$ your or5 .ou &an also render the se=uen&e by $ollo ing the instru&tions inChapter11

13.1.1.2. 0n )ter *))ects










+ere are the steps $or si#ulating a oo# in A$ter )$$e&ts:

1 Sele&t "ile I#port "ile !he I#port "ile indo opens

* Sele&t oo#?20 psd and &li&5 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts i#ports the $ile3 Sele&t Co#position Ne Co#position !he Co#position Settings indo opens



Sele&t N!SC D%/ 4*0' <0 $ro# the Preset pull-do n #enu or another preset i$ you re or5ingith a di$$erent video $or#at seeChapter 11 $or #ore detailECli&5 in the Co#position Na#e $ield/ and type oo# !his na#es the &o#position

2 Cli&5 69 to &reate a ne &o#position and &lose the Co#position Settings indo





4 Add oo#?20 psd to the !i#eline !he still appears in the Co#position indo

!he pi'el di#ensions o$ this i#age are t i&e the si e o$ a $ra#e o$ video ;nli5e "inal Cut Pro/hi&h auto#ati&ally s&ales a still i#age to $it a video $ra#e/ A$ter )$$e&ts displays the i#age at

$ull si e/ so parts o$ the i#age do not appear on s&reen



< Cli&5 the t irl-do n i&on $or the $irst layer in the !i#eline? Cli&5 the !rans$or# t irl-do n #enu to a&&ess the !rans$or# &ontrols $or the layer "or #ore

detail on the !rans$or# &ontrols and s&aling a layer in A$ter )$$e&ts/ seeChapter 11E

10 Cli&5 the stop at&h i&on ne't to the S&ale &ontrols in the !i#eline ,hen you &li&5 the stop at&hi&on/ A$ter )$$e&ts enables you to &hange a property over ti#e In this &ase/ you ill s&ale the &lipto #a5e it s#aller in the $irst $ra#e/ and then gradually in&rease the i#age to $ull si e/ si#ulatinga oo#

11 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the $irst $ra#e in the !i#eline

1* Double-&li&5 in the $irst S&ale $ield/ and enter 0






13 Press (eturn a&E or )nter PCE A$ter )$$e&ts adds a 5ey$ra#e at the Current !i#e Indi&ator s present lo&ation/ and s&ales the $irst $ra#e o$ the i#age to 0 per&ent so it $its entirely inside the$ra#e

1 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the last $ra#e in the !i#eline

1 Double-&li&5 the $irst S&ale $ield/ enter 100/ and press (eturn a&E or )nter PCE A$ter )$$e&adds a 5ey$ra#e in the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline/ and then s&ales the last $ra#e o$ the &lip to 100 per&ent

12 Previe your e$$e&t As the Co#position plays/ the still in&reases in si e/ until it be&o#es a tight&lose-up at the end o$ the !i#eline

14 Save your or5

,hen you &hanged the si e o$ the i#age in the last e'er&ise/ you also radi&ally &hanged the $ra#ing ,henthe i#age appeared in the !i#eline at 0 per&ent o$ its original si e/ the entire $ra#e as visible7 in&luding a sliver o$ 8u&a s $ather and a ni&e bu$$er o$ e#pty spa&e At 100 per&ent/ 8u&a s $a&e appea&lose to the le$t edge o$ the $ra#e in $il# ter#s/ he s &ro ding the edgeE and there s an unbalan&ed a#ouno$ spa&e at the right edge



.ou &an &o#pensate $or this by repositioning the still InChapter 1*/ you repositioned an entire &lip a$ters&aling it to $ra#e out so#e proble#ati& trees In this e'er&ise/ be&ause you ve already added 5ey$ra#es atthe beginning and end o$ the se=uen&e/ you &an reposition the still in the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline ithout&hanging the position o$ the still at the beginning As a result/ the still ill gradually &hange position overthe &ourse o$ the se=uen&e By &o#bining the &a#era #ove#ent ith the oo# you added in the laste'er&ise/ you &an &reate a very polished e$$e&t

13.1.2.1. 0n Final $ut Pro

+ere are the steps $or si#ulating a &a#era #ove#ent in "inal Cut Pro:

1 Cli&5 the Oho#eO 5ey to ensure the Playhead is in the $irst $ra#e o$ the !i#eline* Cli&5 the InsertGDelete 9ey$ra#e button ne't to the Center $ield in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro adds

a 5ey$ra#e $or the Center value at the start o$ the se=uen&e .ou &an no reposition the &lip at theend o$ the se=uen&e ithout &hanging its position in the beginning

3 Cli&5 the )nd 5ey on your 5eyboard to ensure the Playhead is in the last $ra#e o$ the se=uen&eCli&5 the InsertGDelete 9ey$ra#e button to add a 5ey$ra#e in the last $ra#e o$ the se=uen&e

Cli&5 in the Canvas indo / and drag the i#age to reposition it In the e'a#ple/ I dragged up andto the right to &reate a greater $eeling o$ balan&e Note that as you drag the i#age/ the values in theCenter $ields &hange to re$le&t your ad@ust#ents !o ensure your Bro ser indo loo5s li5e theillustration/ sele&t %ie I#ageY,ire$ra#e and also sele&t %ie Sho !itle Sa$e E






2 Previe the e$$e&t .our se=uen&e no &ontains a oo#/ along ith a panGtilt &o#bination I$ youere using a &a#era #ounted on a tripod/ this &o#bination ould be very di$$i&ult to a&hieve7

using 5ey$ra#es in "inal Cut Pro/ it s a very straight$or ard pro&edure

4 Save your or5

Note: .ou &an use the sa#e te&hni=ue o$ adding 5ey$ra#es and repositioning a &lip to &reate si#ple pansand tilts or &o#ple' or&hestrated #ove#ents in any &lip (e#e#ber/ a pan is al ays a hori ontal#ove#ent and a tilt is al ays verti&al E !o &reate a basi& &a#era #ove#ent/ add one 5ey$ra#e at ea&h endo$ the !i#eline !o &reate #ore &o#pli&ated panGtilt &o#binations/ si#ply add additional 5ey$ra#es atvarious points in your se=uen&e and reposition the &lip at ea&h point

13.1.2.2. 0n )ter *))ects

+ere are the steps $or si#ulating a &a#era #ove#ent in A$ter )$$e&ts:

1 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the $irst $ra#e o$ the Co#position



* Cli&5 the stop at&h i&on ne't to the Position &ontrol A$ter )$$e&ts adds a 5ey$ra#e to the $irst$ra#e in the !i#eline

3 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the last $ra#e in the !i#eline

Cli&5 in the Co#position indo / and drag the i#age to reposition it In the e'a#ple/ I draggedup and to the right to &reate a greater $eeling o$ balan&e Note that as you drag the i#age/ the

values in the Position $ields &hange to re$le&t your ad@ust#ents Be&ause you &li&5ed the stop ati&on in step */ A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally adds a 5ey$ra#e to the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline henyou reposition the i#age As a result/ &hanges you #a5e to the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline don t&hange the position o$ the i#age in the $irst $ra#e o$ the !i#eline

Previe your Co#position/ hi&h no &ontains a oo#/ along ith a panGtilt &o#bination2 Save your or5



Note: .ou &an previe an e$$e&t #anually by &li&5ing on the Current !i#e Indi&ator and dragging itthrough the !i#eline As you #ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the right/ your e$$e&t plays in theCo#position indo I$ you #ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the le$t in the !i#eline/ your e$$e&t playsin reverse .ou &an &ontrol the playba&5 o$ your previe by dragging the Current !i#e Indi&ator atdi$$erent speeds .ou &an also drag it ba&5 and $orth through a short se&tion o$ the !i#eline/ a te&hni=ue&alled s&rubbing/ to &are$ully revie a parti&ular part o$ an e$$e&t

No that you ve #astered a $e $unda#ental te&hni=ues/ try so#e e'peri#ents Create a ne Co#positionusing #ultiple 5ey$ra#es to &reate &o#pli&ated #ove#ents and even #ore nuan&ed oo#s I$ you reloo5ing $or inspiration/ at&h !he 9id Stays in the Pi&ture by Nanette Burstein and Brett orgen it #a5esa truly innovative use o$ still i#ages seeChapter 11E and then build on the te&hni=ues you ve learned so$ar

SID>/8R he itchen 2on=ueror and the +o9er o Still Images

In anuary o$ *00 / I ent to a &on$eren&e on digital te&hnology $or independent produ&ers/sponsored by the Independent !elevision Servi&e I!%S $unds a nu#ber o$ independent pro@e&tsea&h year/ i$ you at&h publi& television you ve probably seen their or5 "or #ore in$or#ation/ta5e a loo5 at itvs orgE !he orld o$ independent #edia is s#all enough that/ at the&on$eren&e/ I ran into an old $riend $ro# $il# s&hool/ along ith several other people I d #et atsi#ilar &on$eren&es in years past "or #e/ one o$ the #ain bene$its o$ going to a &on$eren&e is#eeting people ho are or5ing in areas o$ digital #edia si#ilar to #y o n/ and e'&hangingideas At this &on$eren&e I #et a nu#ber o$ interesting people/ in&luding a #edia designer hohad re&ently earned an "A $ro# Art Center College o$ Design in Pasadena and produ&ed ashort $il# as her thesis pro@e&t that #ade an innovative and e$$e&tive use o$ still i#ages&o#bined ith live a&tion video

In Shereen Abdul-Ba5i s $il#/!he 9it&hen Con=ueror/ the #ain &hara&ter al5s through the isleso$ an ethni& $ood #ar5et and slips into daydrea#s about O#arriage/ love/ independen&e/ and&ultural identity O !he &ons&ious/ tangible orld o$ the #ain &hara&ter is sho n to the audien&eas live a&tion video/ hile Abdul-Ba5i uses still i#ages in various states o$ #otion to e'plore her &hara&ter s drea#s and re$le&tions Abdul-Ba5i points to a nu#ber o$ &reative in$luen&es/in&luding Chris ar5er s 8a etFe/ a story told entirely ith bla&5-and- hite still i#ages/ voi&eover narration/ and so#e sound e$$e&ts the $il# as later re#ade as 1* on5eys/ starring BradPitt and Bru&e ,illisE

In an e#ail e'&hange related to the #aterial in this &hapter/ Abdul-Ba5i e'plained that sheanted to e'plore the &on&ept o$ Design Cine#a a ter# she &oined $or a $or# &o#bining

aspe&ts o$ live a&tion video/ ani#ation/ #otion graphi&s/ and graphi& designE in hi&h visualdesign as not only an aestheti& &onsideration but a driving $or&e to &o##uni&ate hat her story

as about Citing Iranian $il#s/ hi&h O&on&entrate on slo / long shots and &reate a spa&e inhi&h e/ the audien&e/ are given ti#e to breathe/O she said she also anted to use stills to

&reate a slo er-pa&ed &onte#plative environ#ent 8i5ening her or5 to the international Oslo$ood #ove#entO in hi&h $ood is prepared ith &are and eaten a&&ordingly/ as opposed to $ast$ood/ hi&h is produ&ed and &onsu#ed at high speed and in #ass =uantities7 see slo $ood &o#E/ she said she anted to de$ine a uni=ue spa&e ithin Design Cine#aO here e &an let things ste / en@oy the #o#ents/ and allo people to thin5 O

In response to an e#ail in hi&h I as5ed ho she ent about integrating stills into her or5 andani#ating the#/ she rote the $ollo ing:


http://www.itvs.org/

http://www.slowfood.com/






I spent a lot o$ ti#e s5et&hing on paper and in Photoshop be$ore I #oved into #otion I &reated posters/ short ani#ated se=uen&es/ and &ollages I then &reated #any Photoshop $iles/ in theaspe&t ratio o$ the $il# s&reen/ to s5et&h out hat I anted to happen visually ,hen I $ound thatthe style and &hara&ter o$ the s&ene as developing/ I turned these s5et&hes into storyboards/ tovisuali e the $lo in #ore detail I as &onstantly printing out #y s5et&hes/ storyboards/ and

ritten ideas/ and plastered the# all over the alls around #e/ so that I &ould see hat I asdoing as I as or5ing

!he transitions bet een the #ar5et s&enes and the drea# se=uen&es ere born out o$ a total$rustration ith the &o#puter and ho the tools ere di&tating the visual style o$ #y pie&e/

hi&h I as not satis$ied ith I le$t the &o#puter and ran to the Jero' #a&hine/ here severalhundred &opies and photographs later/ I ended up ith transitions that ere $ar #ore interestingand hi&h spo5e a #u&h si#pler and poeti& language I thin5 that it is i#portant to get out o$ the&o#puter/ to try and $ind inventive ays o$ approa&hing things ,e are trained/ @ust by the natureo$ hat e see every day/ to a&&ept a &ertain language o$ visual &o##uni&ation !he nature o$digital produ&tion lends itsel$ to &onstant editing/ t ea5ing/ and re or5ing .ou &an do all sortso$ interesting things ith @ust a digital &a#era

It s very interesting/ i$ not slightly ironi&/ that even though she as or5ing ith digital videoand ulti#ately #astered her pro@e&t to D%D/ Abdul-Ba5i #ade a &reative dis&overy using theanalog te&hnology o$ a photo&opy #a&hine As I rote in the opening o$ this &hapter/ you &anuse stills in e'traordinarily &reative ays7perhaps even ays no one has tried be$ore osti#portantly/ you &an tailor and $ine-tune the presentation o$ ea&h still so it per$e&tly $its the toneo$ your $il# and your artisti& sensibility

.ou &an use the te&hni=ues des&ribed in this &hapter to #ove a still a&ross the s&reen hori ontally/verti&ally/ or in any &o#bination you d li5eE .ou &an also oo# in or out/ and &o#bine oo#s ithsi#ulated pans and tilts to a&hieve so#e very sophisti&ated e$$e&ts

Chapter 1 e'plores the &reation o$ stati& and ani#ated titles using "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts It alsoe'a#ines ays you &an use Photoshop to #anipulate still i#ages in&luding using layer #as5s to &reatetransparen&yE and in&orporate the# into your titlesChapter 1 then sho s you ho to bring your titlese=uen&e into your pro@e&t and use 5ey$ra#e and opa&ity &ontrols to $inesse so#e very s#ooth transitions

.ou never have to use a stati&/ or non#oving/ i#age again7unless you d li5e to







1 Cli&5 the stop at&h i&on ne't to the Position &ontrol A$ter )$$e&ts adds a 5ey$ra#e to the $irst$ra#e in the !i#eline

* Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the last $ra#e in the !i#eline

3 Cli&5 in the Co#position indo / and drag the i#age to reposition it In the e'a#ple/ I draggedup and to the right to &reate a greater $eeling o$ balan&e Note that as you drag the i#age/ thevalues in the Position $ields &hange to re$le&t your ad@ust#ents Be&ause you &li&5ed the stop at

i&on in step */ A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally adds a 5ey$ra#e to the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline henyou reposition the i#age As a result/ &hanges you #a5e to the last $ra#e o$ the !i#eline don t&hange the position o$ the i#age in the $irst $ra#e o$ the !i#eline



Previe your Co#position/ hi&h no &ontains a oo#/ along ith a panGtilt &o#binationSave your or5

Note: .ou &an previe an e$$e&t #anually by &li&5ing on the Current !i#e Indi&ator and dragging itthrough the !i#eline As you #ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the right/ your e$$e&t plays in theCo#position indo I$ you #ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the le$t in the !i#eline/ your e$$e&t playsin reverse .ou &an &ontrol the playba&5 o$ your previe by dragging the Current !i#e Indi&ator at

di$$erent speeds .ou &an also drag it ba&5 and $orth through a short se&tion o$ the !i#eline/ a te&hni=ue&alled s&rubbing/ to &are$ully revie a parti&ular part o$ an e$$e&t

No that you ve #astered a $e $unda#ental te&hni=ues/ try so#e e'peri#ents Create a ne Co#positionusing #ultiple 5ey$ra#es to &reate &o#pli&ated #ove#ents and even #ore nuan&ed oo#s I$ you reloo5ing $or inspiration/ at&h !he 9id Stays in the Pi&ture by Nanette Burstein and Brett orgen it #a5esa truly innovative use o$ still i#ages seeChapter 11E and then build on the te&hni=ues you ve learned so$ar





SID>/8R he itchen 2on=ueror and the +o9er o Still Images

In anuary o$ *00 / I ent to a &on$eren&e on digital te&hnology $or independent produ&ers/sponsored by the Independent !elevision Servi&e I!%S $unds a nu#ber o$ independent pro@e&tsea&h year/ i$ you at&h publi& television you ve probably seen their or5 "or #ore in$or#ation/ta5e a loo5 at itvs orgE !he orld o$ independent #edia is s#all enough that/ at the&on$eren&e/ I ran into an old $riend $ro# $il# s&hool/ along ith several other people I d #et atsi#ilar &on$eren&es in years past "or #e/ one o$ the #ain bene$its o$ going to a &on$eren&e is#eeting people ho are or5ing in areas o$ digital #edia si#ilar to #y o n/ and e'&hangingideas At this &on$eren&e I #et a nu#ber o$ interesting people/ in&luding a #edia designer hohad re&ently earned an "A $ro# Art Center College o$ Design in Pasadena and produ&ed ashort $il# as her thesis pro@e&t that #ade an innovative and e$$e&tive use o$ still i#ages&o#bined ith live a&tion video

In Shereen Abdul-Ba5i s $il#/!he 9it&hen Con=ueror/ the #ain &hara&ter al5s through the isleso$ an ethni& $ood #ar5et and slips into daydrea#s about O#arriage/ love/ independen&e/ and&ultural identity O !he &ons&ious/ tangible orld o$ the #ain &hara&ter is sho n to the audien&eas live a&tion video/ hile Abdul-Ba5i uses still i#ages in various states o$ #otion to e'plore her &hara&ter s drea#s and re$le&tions Abdul-Ba5i points to a nu#ber o$ &reative in$luen&es/in&luding Chris ar5er s 8a etFe/ a story told entirely ith bla&5-and- hite still i#ages/ voi&eover narration/ and so#e sound e$$e&ts the $il# as later re#ade as 1* on5eys/ starring BradPitt and Bru&e ,illisE

In an e#ail e'&hange related to the #aterial in this &hapter/ Abdul-Ba5i e'plained that sheanted to e'plore the &on&ept o$ Design Cine#a a ter# she &oined $or a $or# &o#bining

aspe&ts o$ live a&tion video/ ani#ation/ #otion graphi&s/ and graphi& designE in hi&h visualdesign as not only an aestheti& &onsideration but a driving $or&e to &o##uni&ate hat her story

as about Citing Iranian $il#s/ hi&h O&on&entrate on slo / long shots and &reate a spa&e inhi&h e/ the audien&e/ are given ti#e to breathe/O she said she also anted to use stills to

&reate a slo er-pa&ed &onte#plative environ#ent 8i5ening her or5 to the international Oslo$ood #ove#entO in hi&h $ood is prepared ith &are and eaten a&&ordingly/ as opposed to $ast

$ood/ hi&h is produ&ed and &onsu#ed at high speed and in #ass =uantities7 see slo $ood &o#E/ she said she anted to de$ine a uni=ue spa&e ithin Design Cine#aO here e &an let things ste / en@oy the #o#ents/ and allo people to thin5 O

In response to an e#ail in hi&h I as5ed ho she ent about integrating stills into her or5 andani#ating the#/ she rote the $ollo ing:

I spent a lot o$ ti#e s5et&hing on paper and in Photoshop be$ore I #oved into #otion I &reated posters/ short ani#ated se=uen&es/ and &ollages I then &reated #any Photoshop $iles/ in theaspe&t ratio o$ the $il# s&reen/ to s5et&h out hat I anted to happen visually ,hen I $ound thatthe style and &hara&ter o$ the s&ene as developing/ I turned these s5et&hes into storyboards/ tovisuali e the $lo in #ore detail I as &onstantly printing out #y s5et&hes/ storyboards/ and

ritten ideas/ and plastered the# all over the alls around #e/ so that I &ould see hat I asdoing as I as or5ing

!he transitions bet een the #ar5et s&enes and the drea# se=uen&es ere born out o$ a total$rustration ith the &o#puter and ho the tools ere di&tating the visual style o$ #y pie&e/

hi&h I as not satis$ied ith I le$t the &o#puter and ran to the Jero' #a&hine/ here severalhundred &opies and photographs later/ I ended up ith transitions that ere $ar #ore interestingand hi&h spo5e a #u&h si#pler and poeti& language I thin5 that it is i#portant to get out o$ the&o#puter/ to try and $ind inventive ays o$ approa&hing things ,e are trained/ @ust by the natureo$ hat e see every day/ to a&&ept a &ertain language o$ visual &o##uni&ation !he nature o$







!here are t o 5inds o$ titles/ stati& and ani#ated/ both o$ hi&h are addressed in this &hapter Stati& titlesdon t #ove !hey &onsist o$ te't so#eti#es &o#bined ith i#agesE in stationary positions on the s&reenStati& titles &an be $aded in and out/ and they &an be &o#bined ith #otion ele#ents su&h an ani#ated ba&5ground/ but by de$inition/ a stati& title is not ani#ated

SID>/8R /itma Versus Vector

Co#puter graphi&s $all into t o broad &ategories: bit#ap and ve&tor Bit#ap graphi&s/ hi&h arealso so#eti#es &alled raster i#ages/ &ontrol pi'els individually and enable &o#puters to produ&edetailed i#ages/ su&h as photographs Bit#ap i#ages &an also display very $ine gradations o$&olor/ so they re o$ten used to &reate i#ages &ontaining drop shado s %e&tor graphi&s &ontrolgroups o$ pi'els together/ using #athe#ati&al &al&ulations &alled ve&tors/ and are used to &reatei#ages &ontaining illustrations and te't

%e&tor graphi&s are easily s&aled and &an be in&reased in si e ithout any loss in =uality Bit#apgraphi&s o$ten don t s&ale as ell/ and i$ a bit#ap graphi& is s&aled beyond 100 per&ent/ it &an brea5 do n or be&o#e pi'ilated7the pi'els be&o#e larger and the i#age starts to loo5 li5e a blo&5y #osai& you #ay have noti&ed this i$ you ve tried to enlarge an i#age in PhotoshopE !hesa#e &hara&teristi&s hold true $or te't Bit#apped te't &an brea5 do n hen it s s&aled/ hileve&tor-based te't &an be s&aled and $ine-tuned ithout any loss in =uality

%e&tor-based design progra#s/ su&h as Adobe Illustrator/ are o$ten used by title designers be&ause o$ the $le'ibility they a$$ord in te't &reation and editing So#e designers &reate titles in ave&tor-based progra#/ and then i#port the# into A$ter )$$e&ts or "inal Cut Pro to ani#ate the#using 5ey$ra#es "or #ore in$or#ation on 5ey$ra#e ani#ation te&hni=ues/ seeChapter 13E

Adobe Photoshop is a bit#ap editing progra#/ and is o$ten used by title designers in&orporatingstill i#ages into their or5 Photoshop also enables designers to #anipulate an i#age s alpha&hannel to &reate areas o$ transparen&y see OCreating transparen&y ith a layer #as5O in this&hapterE

In the days be$ore des5top video produ&tion so$t are/ su&h as "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts/ #a5ing evena si#ple bla&5 and hite title as a tough business Creating broad&ast-=uality video titles re=uired aspe&iali ed pie&e o$ e'pensive e=uip#ent &alled a Chyron generator and a highly s5illed Chyron operator torun it In $a&t/ there as a ti#e hen Chyron operators #ade a good living be&ause they ere the only ones

ho 5ne ho to #a5e good/ pro$essional =uality titles !he %ideo !oaster/ a hard are-based titlegenerator/ o$$ered a #ore a$$ordable title &reation solution and as =ui&5ly adopted by publi& a&&essstations and produ&ers on a budget E !hese days/ i$ you re using "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ you havesophisti&ated title &reation ability at your $ingertips

!his e'er&ise sho s you ho to #a5e a stati& title in "inal Cut Pro

1 !o a&&ess "inal Cut Pro s title generator/ &li&5 the >enerators pop-up sele&tor button in the %ie erA pop-up #enu opens






* Sele&t !e't !e't !he ords SA P8) !)J! appear in the %ie er indo3 Cli&5 the Controls tab at the top o$ the %ie er indo !he te't generator s &ontrols be&o#e

visible

Cli&5 inside the !e't $ield/ and then using your 5eyboard/ type the na#e o$ your title In this &ase/I ve typed OBig 8u&a/O hi&h is the na#e o$ the short $il# I #ade $or this boo5



!he te't generator operates li5e a ord pro&essor ,hatever you type on the 5eyboard appears in the te'tgenerator s &ontrols I$ you #a5e a #ista5e/ you &an si#ply press delete/ and retype .ou &an also &hangethe $ont and point si e @ust as easily as you ould in i&roso$t ,ord

!o &hange the $ont/ si e/ and &olor:

1 Cli&5 on the $ont pull-do n #enu/ and sele&t a ne $ont that suits the e#otional $eel o$ your or5,hen you release the #ouse/ the te't generator displays your &hanges

* Drag the Si e slider to the le$t or right to sele&t a ne si e $or your title Dragging to the le$t#a5es the title s#aller/ dragging to the right #a5es it larger !he &hange ta5es e$$e&t hen yourelease the #ouse .ou &an also enter a si e dire&tly in the si e $ield and press return E

Note: "or this e'a#ple/ I ve &hosen a thi&5/ heavy $ont and a large point si e to &reate a substantialtitle that evo5es the the#e o$ #y $il#7a giant t o-year-old on a ra#page As you design titles $or your pro@e&ts/ try a $e di$$erent $onts and point si es to see hat or5s best/ you ll 5no henyou $ind the right one



3 S&roll do n to reveal the "ont Color &ontrolsCli&5 the &olor sa#ple !he Colors indo opens

;sing the sliders in the Colors indo / sele&t a &olor $or your te't In this e'a#ple/ the title is setto a broad&ast-sa$e hite $or #ore details/ seeChapter 11E .ou &an &hange the &olor by enteringne values in the red/ green/ and blue &olor $ields seeChapter 11E

2 ,hen you re satis$ied ith your title/ &li&5 the %ideo tab at the top o$ the %ie er indo "inalCut Pro &loses the te't generator &ontrols and &reates a ne video &lip that displays in the %ie er

,hen you &reate your title/ "inal Cut Pro doesn t auto#ati&ally add it to the !i#eline !o use your ne ly&reated title in a $il#/ you need to pla&e it in a se=uen&e







1 Drag your title $ro# the %ie er into the !i#eline !he title no appears in the !i#eline/ %ie er/and Canvas indo s By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro &enters a title in the #iddle o$ the $ra#e I$ youli5e your title in the #iddle o$ the $ra#e/ you re all set i$ not/ you &an easily reposition it

* Cli&5 in the Canvas indo / and drag your title to a ne position ,hen you release the #ouse/your &hanges ta5e e$$e&t In the e'a#ple/ I dragged the title do n and to the le$t/ so it $its @ustinside the title-sa$e area "or #ore detail on the title-sa$e area and repositioning &lips/ seeChapter 1* E

3 Save your or5







Note: "inal Cut Pro &reates titles on a transparent ba&5ground/ hi&h #eans you &an easily layer your titleover a video &lip to &reate a &o#posite se=uen&e "or #ore on &o#posite se=uen&es/ layering te&hni=ues/and sta&5ing order/ seeChapter 11E

I$ you de&ide at so#e point that you re not satis$ied ith your title/ you &an easily #a5e &hanges






1 Double-&li&5 your title in the !i#eline !he title opens in the %ie er indo

* Cli&5 the Controls tab in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro displays the te't generator &ontrols you used to

&reate the title originally/ and you &an no #a5e ad@ust#ents as needed Instead o$ &reating anentirely ne title/ "inal Cut Pro si#ply updates the title in the !i#eline to re$le&t your &hanges

!o &reate stati& titles in A$ter )$$e&ts:

1 Create a ne Co#position i$ you d li5e to revie ho to do this/ seeChapter 11E* Cli&5 the +ori ontal !ype !ool in the !ools palette





3 Cli&5 in the Co#position indo at the appro'i#ate pla&e here you d li5e to add your te't don torry about &li&5ing in the e'a&t spot/ you &an al ays reposition your title laterE

;sing your 5eyboard/ type the na#e o$ your title !he te't you type appears in the Co#positionindo at the point you &li&5ed on in the last step As in the "inal Cut Pro e'a#ple/ I typed OBig

8u&a/O hi&h is the short $il# I &reated $or this boo5 E ;sing the Chara&ter palette/ you &an noad@ust the $ont and point si e as easily as i$ you ere using a ord pro&essor

Note: ;nli5e &reating a title in "inal Cut Pro/ A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally adds your title to the!i#eline as you &reate it

Cli&5 the Sele&tion tool in the !ools palette A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally sele&ts the te't you typedin step



2 Cli&5 the "ont pull-do n #enu in the Chara&ter palette4 Sele&t a ne $ont $ro# the list o$ available &hoi&es A$ter )$$e&ts updates your title in the

Co#position indo

< Cli&5 the "ont Si e pull-do n #enu in the Chara&ter palette

? Sele&t a ne $ont si e $ro# the list ,hen you release the #ouse/ A$ter )$$e&ts updates your title.ou &an also &hange the $ont si e by &li&5ing in the "ont Si e $ield and typing a ne value on

your 5eyboard E

14.1.4.1. *diting the )ill and stroke colors in )ter *))ects

!here are t o parts to ea&h &hara&ter in an A$ter )$$e&ts title: a stro5e and a $ill "igure 1 -1E A stro5e isthe outline o$ ea&h &hara&ter7$or e'a#ple/ the shape that #a5es a &apital B !he $ill is the &olor inside theoutline

Figure ($ . In this screen ca ture o the 2haracter alette, the ill color is set to a ;roadcast$sa e 9hite, and thestroke is set to trans arent.



A &hara&ter &an have a stro5e and a $ill o$ the sa#e &olor/ or di$$erent &olors It s also possible/ andso#eti#es even desirable/ to &reate a &hara&ter ith a stro5e and no $ill try this out/ it &an loo5 really&oolE ,hatever dire&tion you de&ide to go in/ A$ter )$$e&ts #a5es editing the $ill and stro5e &olors a verystraight$or ard pro&ess

1 ;sing the Sele&tion tool/ &li&5 the title to ensure it s sele&ted* Cli&5 the Stro5e &olor bo' !he Color Pi&5er opens



3 Cli&5 to sele&t a &olor $or the title s stro5e ,hen you sele&t a &olor/ A$ter )$$e&ts displays the&olor you ve &hosen in a s#aller $ield

,hen you re satis$ied ith the stro5e &olor you ve sele&ted/ &li&5 69 A$ter )$$e&ts &loses theColor Pi&5er indo / and applies the stro5e &olor you sele&ted

Cli&5 the Stro5e ,idth pull-do n #enu to sele&t a stro5e eight $or your title the eight o$ astro5e is the idth o$ the sto5e itsel$/ #easured in pi'elsE In this e'a#ple/ the stro5e is set to three pi'els As you ve probably guessed/ a ider stro5e &reates a thi&5er outline

2 Save your or5

5ine -idth and the Im ortance o an 1 S2 Monitor

,ider lines o$ten display better on video #onitors As a result/ s#all te't and te't ith thinstro5e eights ill o$ten $li&5er hen displayed on a television s&reen !he $li&5er results $ro#the interla&ing o$ t o $ields o$ video to &reate ea&h $ra#e see Chapter * E

,hen you re or5ing ith titles/ it be&o#es espe&ially i#portant to &he&5 your or5 on adedi&ated N!SC #onitor7your titles #ay loo5 very di$$erent on a video #onitor than they doon a &o#puter s&reen I$ you $ind that an ele#ent in your title appears to $li&5er/ try #a5ing thestro5e or even the type itsel$ larger "li&5ering te't &an distra&t your audien&e and ta5e the#a ay $ro# the &ontent o$ your $il#

"or details on &onne&ting an N!SC #onitor to your editing syste#/ and hy it s a good idea/ seeChapter 10 "or details on ho you &an ensure the &olor in your te't is broad&ast sa$e/ and illappear the ay you ant/ seeChapter 12










14.1.4.2. ,esi ing and repositioning a static title in )ter *))ects

6ne o$ the #ain bene$its o$ &reating titles in A$ter )$$e&ts is you &an easily &hange a title at any ti#eSi#ply &li&5 on the te't using the Sele&tion tool/ and &hange any part o$ the title you thin5 &ould standso#e i#prove#ent this ay/ you never have to a&&ept a title you re not $ully satis$ied ith I$ onlyeverything else in li$e ere that easy

!his e'er&ise sho s you ho to &hange the si e and position o$ a title

1 ;sing the Sele&tion tool/ &li&5 the title to ensure it s sele&ted* Cli&5 in the "ont Si e $ield/ and enter < !he largest si e in the pulldo n #enu is 4*/ but you

&an enter larger si es dire&tly into the "ont Si e $ield E

3 +it return on you 5eyboard a&E or )nter PCE A$ter )$$e&ts s&ales the title to a larger si e

!he ne ly resi ed title appears in the Co#position indo ho ever/ it s too big to $it entirely ithin the$ra#e at the &urrent lo&ation !he solution is to #ove your title to a ne part o$ the Co#position indo



,hen positioning a title/ it be&o#es espe&ially i#portant to or5 ith the title-sa$e and a&tion-sa$e

guidelines seeChapter 1* $or #ore detailsE A$ter all/ i$ the audien&e &an t see your title/ hat s the pointA$ter )$$e&ts does not/ by de$ault/ display title- and a&tion-sa$e guidelines .ou &an/ ho ever/ easily setthe# to display in the Co#position indo

1 Cli&5 the !itle-A&tion sa$e i&on at the botto# o$ the Co#position indo !itle-sa$e and a&tion-sa$e guidelines no appear in the Co#position indo

* Drag the title to a lo&ation inside the title-sa$e guide In the illustration/ I dragged the title @ustinside the lo er-le$t &orner o$ the title-sa$e area I also #oved the Chara&ter palette out o$ the ayso the title ould be $ully visible in the s&reen &apture E






3 Save your or5

(.!. 8nimating a itle in 8 ter > ects

At this point/ you ve &reated and re$ined a stati& title in A$ter )$$e&ts .ou &an #anually &reate an ani#atio by 5ey$ra#ing the s&ale and position &ontrols see Chapter 13E/ or you &an add one o$ A$ter )$$e&ts pre&on$igured title presets !hese pre&on$igured te't ani#ations enable you to easily add so#e veryi#pressive e$$e&ts to your or5 !his e'er&ise sho s you ho






1 Sele&t ,indo )$$e&ts Presets !he )$$e&ts Presets indo opens* Cli&5 the Ani#ation Presets t irl-do n &ontrol !he !e't $older appears3 Cli&5 the !e't $older s t irl-do n &ontrol A &ategori ed list o$ sub$olders opens/ ea&h &ontainin

an assort#ent o$ pre&on$igured te't e$$e&tsSele&t an e$$e&t and drag it onto the layer your title o&&upies in the !i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts applie

the pre&on$igured e$$e&t to the title you &reated in the previous e'er&ises .our stati& title is noani#ated



Previe your e$$e&t in the Co#position indo I$ you don t li5e the e$$e&t/ sele&t )dit ;ndoApply Ani#ation Preset/ and &hoose another

2 ,hen you re satis$ied/ save your or5

Note: I$ you ant to e'peri#ent/ you &an drag #ultiple e$$e&ts into the !i#eline to &o#bine ani#ation presets and &reate even #ore &o#pli&ated &on$igurations A$ter )$$e&ts ill auto#ati&ally &o#bine the presets to &reate ne e$$e&ts

SID>/8R 2hoosing the Right > ect or 7our +roEect

A title se=uen&e sets the tone $or your pro@e&t As a result/ the title you &reate should re$le&t the &ontent and e#otional eou have a so#ber histori&al do&u#entary/ this #ay not be the ti#e to e'peri#ent ith $lashy title e$$e&ts 8i5e ise/ i$ you re #&o#edy set on a &ollege &a#pus/ you #ight not ant to #a5e a staid hite on bla&5 title that re#inds people o$ the PBS series Aoadsho

or the e'a#ple/ I sele&ted an ani#ation preset &alled S&ale ;p it s in the S&ale sub$olderE Big 8u&a is all about s&ale and hought an e$$e&t that gro s te't to its $ull si e ould be appropriate



At the end o$ the day/ no #atter ho &ool any e$$e&t #ight loo5/ it &arries signi$i&antly #ore i#pa&t i$ it suits the e#otional toour or5 Depending on the tone o$ the $il# you re #a5ing/ the #ost appropriate title #ight be &o#pletely stati& ithout any e

Note: !he #ore &ontrast you have bet een the te't and the ba&5ground/ the easier your title is to read !he

t o easiest-to-read te'tGba&5ground &o#binations are hite te't on a bla&5 ba&5ground/ hi&h is &allednegative te't/ and bla&5 te't on a hite ba&5ground/ hi&h is &alled positive te't As you &reate your titles/5eep in #ind that the dar5est possible bla&5 and brightest possible hite are not N!SC &olor sa$e "or #oredetail on #anaging the &olor in your video/ see Chapter 11 andChapter 12

(.*. 2reating Scrolling or 2ra9ling itles in Final 2ut +ro

At the end o$ @ust about every #ovie and television sho / the &redits roll up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reenand e'it through the top o$ the $ra#e Part o$ the reason $il##a5ers roll &redits is they ve be&o#e a&onvention7 hen audien&es see the &redits roll/ everybody 5no s the sho is over But rolling &reditsalso $ill a pra&ti&al need: they enable a $il##a5er to a&5no ledge everyone ho or5ed on a progra# in arelatively short a#ount o$ ti#e I$ people s na#es ere displayed on s&reen as a series o$ individual title

i#ages/ o$ten re$erred to as title &ards also so#eti#es &alled slatesE/ it ould ta5e $ar longer to &redit the people ho or5ed on a produ&tion

!e't that rolls up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen is generally re$erred to as s&rolling te't ,hen te't #ovesa&ross the s&reen hori ontally/ it s generally re$erred to as &ra ling te't In re&ent years/ &ra ling te't has be&o#e in&reasingly &o##on/ not so #u&h $or use in titles but to announ&e brea5ing ne s stories or severe

eather alerts on television

8i5e stati& titles/ &reating s&rolls and &ra ls on&e re=uired spe&iali ed e=uip#ent and highly trained personnel No / using "inal Cut Pro s title generator/ you &an &reate s&rolling or &ra ling titles @ust aseasily as you &reated a stati& title earlier in this &hapter

!o &reate a s&rolling title in "inal Cut Pro:









1 !o a&&ess "inal Cut Pro s title generator/ &li&5 the >enerators pop-up sele&tor button in the %ie erA pop-up #enu opens

* Sele&t !e't S&rolling !e't A blan5 video &lip opens in the %ie er

3 Cli&5 the Controls tab in the %ie er "inal Cut Pro displays the s&rolling te't generator s &ontrols/hi&h enable you to add te't/ set the $ont/ point si e/ align#ent/ and &olor !he &ontrols also allo

you spe&i$y the dire&tion in hi&h your te't ill s&roll

Figure ($!. he letter M Gle tH is 9ritten in Verdana, a sans$seri ont, and in Leorgia GrightH, 9hich isa seri ont.



Cli&5 in the !e't $ield and type the &redits $or your $il# In the e'a#ple/ I pla&ed an e'tra line o$

spa&e bet een ea&h &redit to #a5e the list #ore readableSele&t a type$a&e $ro# the "ont pull-do n #enu In the e'a#ple/ I &hose %erdana be&ause it s veryeasy to read !he $onts %erdana and >eorgia ere both designed to be legible on s&reen %erdanais a sans-seri$ $ont/ and >eorgia is a seri$ $ont Seri$s are short lines at the ends o$ letter$or#s7$ore'a#ple/ s#all details at the botto# o$ a letter that are o$ten re$erred to as O$eet OE

2 Sele&t a Si e by dragging the Si e slider/ or by &li&5ing in the Si e $ield and entering a nu#berusing your 5eyboard

4 Choose an align#ent $ro# the Align#ent pull-do n #enu By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro aligns yours&roll to the &enter o$ the s&reen .ou &an &hoose to align your &redits to the le$t or right/depending on your visual style

< Sele&t a &olor $or your &redits .ou &an &li&5 the &olor sa#ple and &hoose a &olor $ro# the pop-#enu that opens/ or you &an &li&5 the eyedropper and sa#ple a &olor $ro# so#e here on thes&reen



? De&ide i$ you ant your te't to s&roll up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen and out through the top o$the $ra#e/ or i$ you ant your te't to s&roll do n $ro# the top o$ the $ra#e and out through the botto# Audien&es are used to seeing &redits s&roll up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen/ so that s hatthey ll e'pe&t hen they see your $il# I$ you d li5e to surprise the# you &an try s&rolling yourtitles in $ro# the top/ but so#e people in your audien&e #ight not have an entirely positiverea&tion I re&ently sho ed a &lass ho to s&roll te't do n $ro# the top o$ the s&reen and hen e previe ed the results I $ound it physi&ally dis&on&erting



Note: By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro s&rolls te't up $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen !o &hange thedire&tion/ &li&5 the Dire&tion pull-do n #enu/ and sele&t Do n

10 ,hen you re satis$ied ith your ad@ust#ents/ &li&5 the %ideo tab in the %ie er to display the titleyou @ust &reated !he s&rolling title no appears in the %ie er indo Be&ause the title s&rolls $ro# the botto# o$ the s&reen/ the $irst $ra#e o$ the title that displays in the %ie er ill be blan5 E

11 Press Play in the %ie er to previe your title ,hen you re or5ing ith &redits/ it s espe&iallyi#portant to ensure all your te't re#ains ithin the title-sa$e boundary I$ any o$ your te't $allsoutside the title-sa$e area/ &li&5 on the Controls tab and &hange the $ont si e

1* Save your or5



Be$ore you &an use your s&rolling title in your $il#/ you need to add it to the !i#eline !his pro&ess or5sthe sa#e ay as adding the stati& title you &reated earlier in this &hapter

1 Drag your title $ro# the %ie er into the !i#eline !he title no appears in the !i#eline/ %ie er/and Canvas indo s



* Save your or5

Note: .ou &an &o#posite your s&rolling title onto another layer o$ i#ages by dragging your title $ro# the%ie er onto a video tra&5 above another &lip See Chapter 11 Creating s&rolling te't re=uires a $air a#ounto$ pro&essing po er $ro# your &o#puter/ so #ore than li5ely/ you ll need to render the se=uen&e be$ore you&an play it ba&5 at $ull speed "or details on rendering and previe ing e$$e&ts/ seeChapter 11

Net or5s su&h as CNN/ "o' Ne s/ and espe&ially CNBC use &ra ls te't that #oves a&ross the s&reenhori ontallyE so o$ten they re starting to be&o#e &o##onpla&e Interestingly/ !he !eletubbies uses a &ra l$or their &redits7the sho &an be surprisingly avant-garde E









? Press Play in the %ie er to previe your &ra l and to #a5e sure everything is title-sa$e10 ,hen you re ready/ add your &ra ling title to a se=uen&e by dragging it $ro# the %ie er indo

into the !i#eline the pro&ess is the sa#e as adding a s&rolling title/ des&ribed earlier in this&hapterE

11 Previe the se=uen&e/ hi&h no &ontains your &ra l

1* Save your or5

SID>/8R 2reating Su;titles and 5o9er hird IDs

.ou &an use the stati& title &reation te&hni=ues des&ribed in this &hapter to subtitle your $il#/ orto &reate lo er third and various other $or#s o$ ons&reen te't

I$ you re &reating so#ething $or an international audien&e/ or i$ your pro@e&t has dialog in #ore

than one language/ ons&reen te't be&o#es parti&ularly i#portant Subtitles enable you to bringthe $ull detail o$ your story to audien&es/ ithout dubbing a&tors voi&es or #a5ing other &hangesthat $eel li5e an artisti& sa&ri$i&e I on&e had a @ob dubbing +olly ood #ovies and !% sho sinto Spanish7the end produ&t as al ays stri5ingly di$$erent $ro# the original E

8o er third IDs/ also re$erred to as lo er thirds/ are short lines o$ te't that $il##a5ers use toidenti$y people or lo&ations that appear ons&reen ,hen you re at&hing a do&u#entary andso#eone appears ons&reen $or the $irst ti#e/ his appearan&e is o$ten a&&o#panied by a lo erthird to e'plain ho he is and hy he s in the $il# Another e'a#ple o$ a lo er third is hen



you at&h your lo&al ne s and the reporter s na#e appears at the botto# o$ the s&reen as sheintrodu&es her story "il##a5er Bill ersey also #entioned inChapter 13E developed the O*0-#inute rule/O $or lo er third IDs +is *0 #inute rule as that people should get a lo er third the$irst ti#e they appear on s&reen/ and again i$ they reappear a$ter *0 #inutes or #ore .ou #ayde&ide to use lo er thirds #ore or less $re=uently in your $il#7it s up to you to de&ide hat

or5s best

Although lo er thirds &an be very help$ul/ i$ not essential/ to e'plaining ho so#eone is and putting their appearan&e in &onte't/ i$ overused/ they be&o#e redundant As a result/ you don tneed to add one every ti#e the sa#e person appears in your $il#

Si#ilarly/ i$ you add overly elaborate te't to your s&reen/ your audien&e #ay not be able to payattention to the te't and your story at the sa#e ti#e ,hen you re adding te't to the s&reen/ it sreally i#portant to do it in a ay that doesn t ta5e the audien&e out o$ your $il# a5ing goodons&reen te't is &learly i#portant/ but i$ you overload your audien&e ith in$or#ation/ they #aystop paying attention

(esear&h has sho n that people at&hing i#ages and te't on s&reen pro&ess both as visualin$or#ation People &an pro&ess only a li#ited a#ount o$ in$or#ation at any one ti#e/ and i$ you provide too #u&h visual in$or#ation/ your audien&e ill have to &hoose so#e things to payattention to and others to ignore I$ you sho te't on the s&reen hile people are spea5ing/ it be&o#es espe&ially hard to pro&ess both at the sa#e ti#e/ and people #ay start to tune thingsout I$ the audien&e begins to ignore parts o$ your story/ your $il# loses poten&y

(.(. 8dding Still Images to 7our itles

As I #entioned earlier/ A$ter )$$e&ts and "inal Cut Pro both &reate titles on a transparent ba&5ground soyou &an &o#posite the# into a se=uen&e &ontaining other visual ele#ents "or e'a#ple inChapter / I

rote about the title design $or Si' "eet ;nder/ in hi&h the designers &o#posited the titles intothe#ati&ally appropriate $ra#es o$ video su&h as a hospital gurney being heeled do n a hall ay

.ou &an also add still i#ages to your stati& or #oving titles ;sing an i#age-#anipulation progra# su&h asAdobe Photoshop/ you &an edit your photos so they or5 ith your titles e'a&tly as you d li5e the# to

!he $ollo ing e'er&ises sho you ho to &reate transparen&y in a photo using a layer #as5/ and ho toadd the photo to your title se=uen&e

,hen you dra a layer #as5 in Photoshop/ part o$ the i#age be&o#es transparent hile the rest re#ains$ully opa=ue $or a revie o$ transparen&y and alpha &hannels/ seeChapter 11E .ou &an then i#port youredited i#age into "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ and &o#posite it into a se=uen&e along ith your titleBe&ause you &an dra a layer #as5 in any shape you d li5e/ you &an use this te&hni=ue to edit a still i#ageinto a shape that per$e&tly $its ith your title









Note: !o $ollo along ith this e'er&ise: Copy the &h1 $older $ro# the )'er&ises $older on theStart!o"inish D%D into your hard drive !he $older &ontains t o Photoshop do&u#ents: lu&a 3 psd andlu&a <0 psd Both are stills o$ 8u&a and his $ather lu&a 3 psd is si ed $or use ith "inal Cut Pro use $ile i$ you plan to i#port your edited i#age into "inal Cut ProE lu&a <0 psd is si ed $or use ith A$ter)$$e&ts use this $ile i$ you plan to i#port your edited i#age into A$ter )$$e&tsE "or #ore on &o#pensating$or pi'el aspe&t ratio see Chapter 11

1 6pen the i#age in Photoshop .ou &an do this by si#ply double-&li&5ing on the $ile/ or byopening Photoshop/ sele&ting "ile 6pen/ and navigating to the $ile on your hard drive E

Note: Photoshop or5s ith a series o$ layers #u&h li5e "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts ,or5ingith a layer #as5 enables you to #as5 parts o$ a layer and #a5e the# transparent ,hen you

i#port the #as5ed i#age into "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts/ the i#age retains its transparen&y

* Cli&5 the Add layer #as5 button in the 8ayers palette I$ the 8ayers palette is not visible/ sele&t,indo s 8ayers E






,hen you &li&5/ the Add layer #as5 button Photoshop adds a layer #as5 to your i#age .ou &an node$ine the shape o$ the #as5 using Photoshop s dra ing tools Areas that you dra in bla&5 ill be&o#etransparent !he rest o$ the i#age re#ains $ully opa=ue

In the $ollo ing steps/ I # going to dra a layer #as5 to #a5e everything in the i#age transparent e'&ept$or 8u&a s $a&e ,hen &o#posited into the title/ it ill #a5e a very ni&e e$$e&t

1 Cli&5 the Brush tool in Photoshop !he Brush tool enables you to dra on an i#age by &li&5ing ina lo&ation and dragging the #ouse ,hen you added the layer #as5 in step */ Photoshop set the$oreground &olor in the !ool palette to bla&5 and the ba&5ground &olor to hite !his #eans that

hen you dra ith the brush/ Photoshop ill no dra in bla&5

* Cli&5 near 8u&a s $a&e/ hold do n the #ouse/ and drag around the outline o$ his $a&e



3 Continue dra ing until you ve isolated 8u&a s $a&e $ro# the rest o$ the i#age

Note: As you dra ith the Brush tool in Photoshop/ don t try to dra long/ per$e&t seg#entsevery ti#e Instead/ try dra ing a series o$ &are$ul/ short seg#ents and &onne&ting the#7it s a#u&h #ore a&&urate and $ar less nerve ra&5ing ay to or5

Cli&5 the 8asso tool in the !ool palette .ou &an use the 8asso tool to sele&t very large areas o$ thei#age at on&e

Cli&5 in part o$ the i#age and drag to dra a large/ &losed shape ,hen you release the #ouse/

Photoshop sele&ts the area o$ the shape you ve dra n In the $ollo ing se=uen&e o$ a&tions/ you&an $ill the sele&ted area ith bla&5 It serves the sa#e purpose as dra ing in bla&5 ith a brush but enables you to $ill large areas o$ the i#age #ore =ui&5ly



2 Sele&t )dit "ill !he "ill indo opens



4 Sele&t Bla&5 $ro# the ;se pulldo n #enu !his deter#ines the &olor Photoshop uses to $ill thesele&ted area As #entioned earlier/ $illing the area ith bla&5 ill #a5e it transparent

< Cli&5 69 Photoshop $ills the sele&ted area and it be&o#es transparent

? Choose Sele&t Desele&t Photoshop desele&ts the area you dre ith the 8asso tool in step 2.ou &an no use the 8asso tool to sele&t another area and #a5e it transparent



A$ter )$$e&ts opens a indo na#ed lu&a <0 psd this indo opens henever you i#port alayered Photoshop $ile/ and is e'plained in detail inChapter 11E

* 8eave the I#port 9ind pull-do n #enu set to "ootage and the 8ayer 6ptions radio button set toerged 8ayers

3 Cli&5 69 A$ter )$$e&ts i#ports your $ile and &loses the indo

Drag lu&a <0 psd $ro# the Pro@e&t indo into the Co#position indo A$ter )$$e&tsauto#ati&ally adds the i#age o$ 8u&a to a higher layer in the !i#eline Be&ause 8u&a s $a&eappears on a transparent ba&5ground/ he only partially obs&ures the title





Note: In the e'a#ple/ I pla&ed 8u&a in the top right o$ the s&reen Positioning 8u&a diagonallya&ross $ro# the title &reates a ni&e sense o$ balan&e in the $ra#e .ou #ay noti&e that parts o$8u&a s $a&e $all outside the a&tion-sa$e boundary/ #eaning they ll be &ut o$$ by the edge o$ thes&reen I li5e the ay that loo5s/ as ell as the $a&t that his i#age &uts o$$ the top o$ the OAO in thetitle !hey both $it the $il# s visual the#e o$ a boy ho s bigger than everything around hi#

Position 8u&a in the part o$ the $ra#e here you thin5 he loo5s best .ou &an #ove an i#age inthe Co#position indo by &li&5ing and dragging "or #ore on repositioning a &lip/ seeChapter1* E

2 Sele&t )$$e&t Perspe&tive Drop Shado A$ter )$$e&ts opens the )$$e&t Controls indo$or lu&a <0 psd/ hi&h displays the &ontrols $or a Drop Shado e$$e&t Adding a drop shadolends a ni&e tou&h to the 3D e$$e&t o$ the title &o#posite !he i#age o$ 8u&a is &learly on a higherlayer than the title/ and adding a drop shado gives a ni&e bit o$ depth

4 Drag the Dire&tion dial &lo&5 ise/ so the shado is angled do n and to the le$t o$ 8u&a s $a&e light in the photo is &o#ing $ro# the top right/ and the angle o$ the photo needs to #at&h $or thee$$e&t to or5







< Change the 6pa&ity $ro# 0 per&ent to 40 per&ent !his #a5es the shado dar5er and #orevisible

? Change the Distan&e setting $ro# to 1 !his e'tends the si e o$ the shado $arther a ay $ro#8u&a s $a&e/ and again #a5es the e$$e&t #ore visible

10 Previe your &o#posite !he title rises up s#oothly/ until it s partially obs&ured by 8u&a s $a&e!he drop shado adds a ni&e ele#ent o$ separation bet een the layers and helps &reate a very polished e$$e&t

11 Save your or5

14.4.2.2. &sing your edited still with Final $ut Pro

A$ter )$$e&ts and Photoshop are both #ade by the sa#e &o#pany/ and as I #entioned earlier in the boo5/they re #ade to or5 together Photoshop and "inal Cut Pro are #ade by di$$erent &o#panies/ and eventhough they re &o#patible/ using the# together so#eti#es re=uires a or5around I#porting an i#age itha layer #as5 into "inal Cut Pro is one o$ those ti#es

)ven though you su&&ess$ully added a layer #as5 earlier in this &hapter/ i$ you i#port lu&a 3 psd into"inal Cut Pro ith the #as5 inta&t/ "inal Cut #ay not re&ogni e the transparen&y in$or#ation !he tri&5 to#a5ing the layer #as5 or5 #ost e$$e&tively is to add another layer and then #erge your layers together

1 6pen lu&a 3 psd in Photoshop



* Cli&5 the Create a ne layer i&on in the 8ayers palette i$ the 8ayers palette isn t visible/ sele&t,indo 8ayersE Photoshop adds a ne / e#pty layer to the do&u#ent

3 Cli&5 the button at the top right o$ the 8ayers palette A pop-up #enu opens

Sele&t erge %isible $ro# the #enu



Photoshop #erges the layers/ produ&ing a do&u#ent that has only one Although the do&u#ent retains all itstransparen&y in$or#ation/ it no longer &ontains the layer #as5 you &reated !he i#age is no ready to

i#port into "inal Cut Pro

!o add the i#age to your "inal Cut Pro title/ do the $ollo ing:

1 I#port the re or5ed lu&a 3 psd $ile into "inal Cut Pro* Drag the $ile into the !i#eline above your #ain title "inal Cut Pro adds a ne video tra&5 and

&o#posites the i#age o$ 8u&a over the title te't

3 Cli&5 in the Canvas indo and drag 8u&a to a part o$ the $ra#e you $eel good about In thee'a#ple/ I dragged 8u&a to the upper-right &orner As in the A$ter )$$e&ts e'a#ple/ I pla&ed 8u&adiagonally opposite the title te't to balan&e out the $ra#e I also positioned hi# so he ould be partially $ra#ed out by the edge o$ the s&reen/ adding to the visual the#e o$ a boy ho s biggerthan his surroundings



Save your or5

!his &hapter introdu&ed you to a $ull repertoire o$ des5top title &reation te&hni=ues ,or5ing in "inal CutPro and A$ter )$$e&ts/ you &reated stati& and ani#ated titles/ ad@usted stro5e &olor and eight/ and even&reated s&rolling &redits and a &ra ling brea5ing ne s alert .ou also added a layer #as5 to &usto# tailoran area o$ transparen&y in a still i#age using Photoshop/ and then added the i#age to your title se=uen&e

Not bad $or a day s or5

!he ne't &hapter sho s you ho to bring a &o#pleted title se=uen&e into your $il#/ and brings you one bigstep &loser to $inishing your pro@e&t

2ha ter %. /ringing 7our itle Se=uence into 7our +roEectBuilding .our 6pening Se=uen&e in "inal Cut ProBuilding .our 6pening Se=uen&e in A$ter )$$e&ts

oining .our 6pening Se=uen&e to the Body o$ .our "il#

No that you ve &reated so#e sharp-loo5ing titles/ it s ti#e to bring the# into your pro@e&t (ather thansi#ply slapping the# into the !i#eline/ you &an e'er&ise &o#plete &ontrol over the ay ea&h title appearsto your audien&e7in&luding ho it enters and leaves the s&reen ,hether you re or5ing ith stati& orani#ated titles/ you &an de&ide here they appear on s&reen/ hether they pop on at $ull opa&ity or gently$ade in/ and ho they intera&t ith other ele#ents o$ your opening se=uen&e

!his &hapter al5s you step-by-step through the pro&ess o$ &reating the opening se=uen&e o$ Big 8u&a/using the titles you &reated inChapters 1*/ 13/ and1 !he &o#posites you &reated in the previous three















&hapters no e'ist as separate se=uen&es i$ you re or5ing in "inal Cut Pro/ or #ultiple &o#positions i$you re or5ing in A$ter )$$e&ts !he $ollo ing e'er&ises sho you ho to &o#bine these separate ele#entsinto a single/ $lo ing visual #ontage

.our goal as a $il##a5er and title designer is to dra the audien&e into your story +o you present yourtitles and in&orporate the# into your opening se=uen&e deserves the sa#e a#ount o$ &are you put into

&reating the#%. . /uilding 7our O ening Se=uence in Final 2ut +ro

!his se&tion al5s you through laying out your opening se=uen&e/ using "inal Cut Pro

!he $irst step in &reating a #ain title se=uen&e/ as you #ay have guessed/ is to &reate a ne se=uen&e !hisne se=uen&e enables you to pla&e all your separately &reated title ele#ents into one single &o#position/and then add transitions to sea#lessly @oin ea&h ele#ent to the ne't

1 6pen "inal Cut Pro By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro opens the last pro@e&t you or5ed on At this point/sin&e you re or5ing ith #any di$$erent ele#ents at the sa#e ti#e/ it &an be very help$ul to &losee'isting pro@e&ts and open only the pro@e&t $iles you need/ one at a ti#e/ as you re ready to or5

ith ea&h



* Sele&t "ile Close Pro@e&t "inal Cut Pro &loses the &urrent pro@e&t that s open on your&o#puter I$ you have #ore than one "inal Cut Pro pro@e&t open on your &o#puter/ repeat this stepuntil no pro@e&t is open

3 Sele&t "ile Ne Pro@e&t "inal Cut Pro opens a ne pro@e&t !his ne pro@e&t provides youith a blan5 slate that you &an use to &reate your $inal opening se=uen&e



Sele&t "ile Save Pro@e&t AsX !he Save indo opens

I##ediately saving a ne pro@e&t ensures you on t lose any or5 in the event your syste#&rashes/ and it also helps you to 5eep your pro@e&t organi ed7i$ you &an t $ind your pro@e&t $ile

hen you need the#/ they re o$ very little use



Navigate to the lo&ation on your &o#puter here you d li5e to save the $ile2 )nter a na#e in the Save As $ield in the e'a#ple/ I na#ed the $ile &h1 $&pE4 Cli&5 Save to save the $ile and &lose the indo

By de$ault/ "inal Cut Pro &reates a ne se=uen&e $or ea&h ne pro@e&t $ile In this illustration/ thse=uen&e is na#ed Se=uen&e 1 >iving the $ile a #ore des&riptive na#e ill help you stayorgani ed7later in this &hapter/ you ll have #ore than one se=uen&e open at the sa#e ti#e/ andgiving the se=uen&es separate na#es helps you tell the# apart

< Cli&5 the na#e o$ the se=uen&e in the Bro ser indo on&e to sele&t it



? Cli&5 the na#e o$ the se=uen&e again !he se=uen&e na#e appears in blue !yping a ne na#e onyour 5eyboard ill &hange the na#e o$ the se=uen&e

10 Na#e the se=uen&e #ain!itle11 Press return "inal Cut Pro &hanges the na#e o$ your ne / blan5 se=uen&e

.ou re no ready to start adding #aterial and &o#bining your separate title ele#ents into a $inished produ&t

Note: !o &o#plete the e'er&ises in this se&tion/ you &an use the $iles you &reated yoursel$ as you $ollo edalong ith the instru&tions in the previous three &hapters I$ you pre$er/ you &an also use the &o#pleted"inal Cut Pro pro@e&t $iles $or Chapters 1*/ 13/ through 1 / hi&h are available on the D%D that ships iththis boo5 !o a&&ess the &o#pleted pro@e&t $iles:

1 Navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D !he $olders $orChapters 1*/ 13 through 1 ea&h &ontain one "inal Cut Pro pro@e&t $ile

* Copy the pro@e&t $iles &h1* $&p/ &h13 $&p/ and &h1 $&pE to your &o#puter

"inal Cut Pro enables you to open #ore than one pro@e&t at the sa#e ti#e !his #a5es it #u&h easier to&opy #aterial $ro# one pro@e&t into another/ and to 5eep your $iles organi ed 6lder digital editing progra#s allo ed editors to open only one pro@e&t at a ti#e/ hi&h #ade sharing the #aterial in a pro@e&t&onsiderably #ore di$$i&ult

!his e'er&ise sho s you ho to open t o separate &o#posite se=uen&es you &reated in earlier &hapters/ andadd the# to the !i#eline o$ your ne ly &reated #ain!itle se=uen&e

1 6pen the pro@e&t &ontaining the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent you &reated inChapter 13 .ou &analso open the &h13 $&p pro@e&t $ile on the D%D that &a#e ith this boo5/ @ust be sure to &opy ityour &o#puter $irst E

"inal Cut Pro opens the pro@e&t $ro#Chapter 13 and 5eeps &h1 $&p open at the sa#e ti#e !hesi#ulated &a#era #ove#ent appears in the !i#eline o$ Se=uen&e 1 !he ne't step is to #ove the

&a#era #ove#ent $ro# its &urrent lo&ation into the !i#eline o$ your blan5 #ain!itle se=uen&eBelieve it or not/ this is as si#ple as &utting and pasting





























* Cli&5 the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent &lip in the !i#eline to ensure it s sele&ted3 Sele&t )dit Copy "inal Cut Pro &opies the &lip along ith the s&ale and positioning e$$e&ts

you applied to it earlier !his saves you the trouble o$ repeating all the steps in Chapter 13 henyou paste the &lip into your ne se=uen&e






Cli&5 the #ain!itle tab at the $ar le$t o$ the !i#eline !his sele&ts #ain!itle as the a&tive se=uen&eand enables you to paste #aterial into it

Sele&t )dit Paste "inal Cut Pro adds the &lip to the #ain!itle se=uen&e/ ith all your e$$e&tsinta&t !his #ay a&tually be the si#plest thing you do all day E

2 Drag your Playhead through the se=uen&e to previe the e$$e&t ust as be$ore/ 8u&a s $a&e groto $ill the $ra#e in a very s#ooth si#ulated oo#

4 Cli&5 on the &h13 $&p tab in the top le$t o$ the Bro ser indo No that you ve &opied the

&a#era #ove#ent e$$e&t $ro# theChapter 13 pro@e&t $ile/ you no longer need to 5eep the $ileopen Closing it &an help avoid &on$usion

< Sele&t "ile Close Pro@e&t





"inal Cut Pro as5s i$ you ant to save your &hanges to theChapter 13 pro@e&t $ile Sin&e you didn ta&tually #a5e any &hanges to the $ile7you @ust &opied a pie&e o$ it7there s no reason to save any&hanges

? Cli&5 No "inal Cut Pro &loses the dialog bo' and saves theChapter 13 pro@e&t $ile ithout#a5ing any &hanges !his helps preserve the integrity o$ the original $ile/ in &ase you d li5e to go ba&5 and reuse part o$ it in the $uture

10 6pen the pro@e&t $ile you &reated $orChapter 1 Alternatively/ you &an use the &h1 $&p pro@e&t$ile on the D%D that &a#e ith this boo5/ @ust be sure to &opy it to your &o#puter $irst E

"inal Cut Pro opens your #ain title/ hi&h &ontains the title graphi& itsel$ and the edited stilli#age o$ 8u&a/ in the !i#eline

11 Shi$t-&li&5 both the title graphi&/ on tra&5 %1/ and the edited still/ on tra&5 %*/ to ensure they re both sele&ted

1* Sele&t )dit Copy "inal Cut &opies both &lips/ along ith their positioning in$or#ation andsta&5ing order "or #ore in$or#ation on positioning a &lip/ seeChapter 1* "or a detailede'planation o$ sta&5ing order/ seeChapter 11E


















13 Cli&5 the #ain!itle tab in the !i#eline to sele&t it as the a&tive se=uen&e1 Pla&e the Playhead @ust a$ter the end o$ the oo#102< psd &lip in the !i#eline1 Sele&t )dit Paste "inal Cut Pro adds both the &lips $ro# theChapter 1 pro@e&t $ile to the

!i#eline and #aintains their positioning in$or#ation and sta&5ing order "inal Cut Pro also adds ane video tra&5 to a&&o##odate the edited still i#age

12 Cli&5 the &h1 $&p tab in the top le$t o$ the Bro ser indo to ensure theChapter 1 pro@e&t issele&ted

14 Sele&t "ile Close Pro@e&t and don t save any &hanges to theChapter 1 pro@e&t $ile As I#entioned earlier/ &losing a pro@e&t $ile as soon as you re done ith it is al ays a good idea and&an help you avoid &on$usion7espe&ially hen you re or5ing ith #aterial $ro# #any di$$erent pro@e&ts

1< Drag the Playhead through the !i#eline to previe your results A$ter the si#ulated &a#era#ove#ent $ully oo#s in on 8u&a/ the se=uen&e &uts to the #ain title te't and the edited stilli#age !his #eans that you ve su&&ess$ully oven t o separate &o#posites into a single uni$iedse=uen&e

1? Save your or5

Ni&e @ob

No you re ready to polish the transition by #anipulating the i#ages opa&ity to $ade sea#lessly $ro# oneto the ne't

As things stand no / the title i#age abruptly repla&es the gentle oo# !his is a $airly @arring transition/and you #ight ant to use it i$ you re purpose$ully trying to unsettle your audien&e/ but it s not your onlyoption !his e'er&ise al5s you through the pro&ess o$ easing out o$ the oo# and into the title se=uen&e!he e'er&ise also sho s you ho to $ade the i#age o$ 8u&a onto the s&reen a$ter the #ain title te't











1 Cli&5 in tra&5 %1 o$ the !i#eline here the end o$ the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent #eets the starto$ the #ain title te't "inal Cut Pro sele&ts the end/ or tail/ o$ the $irst &lip and the start/ or head/ o$the se&ond &lip

* Sele&t )$$e&ts %ideo !ransitions Dissolve Dip to Color Dissolve "inal Cut adds atransition that $ades the tail o$ the $irst &lip to bla&5/ and then $ades the head o$ the se&ond &lip up$ro# bla&5 to be&o#e $ully visible

!his $ade &reates a very ni&e/ s#ooth segue bet een the &lips and #at&hes the gentle pa&e o$ thesi#ulated oo# .ou &an #a5e the e$$e&t even #ore polished by separately $ading in the editedstill i#age slightly later in the !i#eline



3 Cli&5 the head o$ the edited still i#age on tra&5 %* and slide it to the right In the illustration/ I positioned the head o$ the &lip @ust a$ter the end o$ the dip to &olor dissolve transition on tra&5 %1Positioning the head o$ the &lip a$ter the end o$ the transition e$$e&t #eans the title te't ill $adeup $ully be$ore the edited still be&o#es visible

;se the arro 5eys on your 5eyboard to s&roll through the !i#eline and previe the se=uen&e!he $irst &lip $ades out gently/ the se&ond $ades in @ust as gently and then the still i#age popsons&reen abruptly !o &reate a s#oother e$$e&t overall/ you &an 5ey$ra#e the still s opa&ity to $adeit in as ell

Control-&li&5 the still i#age &lip on tra&5 %* o$ the !i#eline/ and &hoose 6pen in %ie er $ro# the&onte'tual #enu that opens !he &lip opens in the %ie er indo

2 Position the Playhead in the $irst $ra#e o$ the still i#age &lip4 Cli&5 the otion tab in the %ie er !he &lip s otion &ontrols be&o#e available



< Cli&5 the 6pa&ity &ontrols t irl-do n i&on to a&&ess the opa&ity settings? Cli&5 the InsGDel 9ey$ra#e button in the opa&ity &ontrols to add a 5ey$ra#e in the $irst $ra#e o$

the still i#age &lip10 Drag the &lip s 6pa&ity slider to 0 !his #a5es the &lip $ully invisible "or a detailed e'planation

o$ 5ey$ra#es/ seeChapter 13 E11 Drag the Playhead about one se&ond/ or 30 $ra#es/ to the right !he ti#e&ode indo in the

botto#-le$t &orner o$ the %ie er displays the Playhead s &urrent lo&ation In this illustration/ thePlayhead is positioned e'a&tly one se&ond later than it as in the previous illustration E





1* Cli&5 the InsGDel 9ey$ra#e button in the opa&ity &ontrols to add a ne 5ey$ra#e to the still i#age&lip

13 Drag the 6pa&ity slider to 100 !his #a5es the still i#age $ully visible at the se&ond 5ey$ra#e1 ;se the arro 5eys to s&roll through the !i#eline and previe your e$$e&t or render the se=uen&e

using the steps des&ribed in Chapter 11E !he si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent gently $ades out and isrepla&ed by the #ain title te't that gently $ades onto the s&reen/ $ollo ed shortly by the edited stilli#age o$ 8u&a/ hi&h no gently $ades ons&reen as ell

1 Save your or5

SID>/8R 1esting Versus 2ut and +aste in F2+

hen you re or5ing in "inal Cut Pro/ &utting and pasting is not the only ay you &an pla&e one se=uen&e inside another .ou






ption o$ nesting a se=uen&e/ hi&h pla&es an entire se=uen&e inside another/ not as a series o$ &lips but as one single ite#

n&e a se=uen&e is nested inside another se=uen&e/ you &an no longer #anipulate ea&h &lip individually .ou &an/ ho ever/ll the &lips in a nested se=uen&e at on&e )ditors o$ten nest se=uen&es be$ore applying $ilters su&h as the Broad&ast-Sa$e "or #ore on &olor &orre&tion/ see Chapter 12E

he intervie Sele&ts se=uen&e/ pi&tured above/ &ontains several audio and video &lips edited together ,hen vie ed in the !i#i$$erent &lips are visible inside the se=uen&e

o nest the intervie Sele&ts se=uen&e inside another se=uen&e:

1 Drag the se=uen&e $ro# the Bro ser dire&tly into the %ie er indo !he se=uen&e opens in the %ie er indo as &lip I$ the sa#e se=uen&e is open in the !i#eline/ "inal Cut Pro auto#ati&ally re#oves it $ro# the !i#eline hen an edinto the %ie er E

* Press the Insert )dit button in the Canvas indo "inal Cut Pro edits the entire intervie Sele&ts se=uen&e into the !i#ere one &ontinuous &lip







%.!. /uilding 7our O ening Se=uence in 8 ter > ects

;nli5e "inal Cut Pro/ A$ter )$$e&ts does not enable an editor to open #ore than one pro@e&t at on&e Instead/you &an i#port #ultiple pro@e&ts into a single A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&t to &o#bine #aterial $ro# di$$erentsour&es

!his se&tion sho s you ho to i#port several A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&ts into a single ne pro@e&t and &o#binevarious &o#positions to build the opening se=uen&e o$ your $il#

Note: !o &o#plete the e'er&ises in this se&tion/ you &an use the $iles you &reated yoursel$ as you $ollo edalong ith the instru&tions in the previous three &hapters I$ you pre$er/ you &an use the &o#pleted A$ter)$$e&ts pro@e&t $iles $orChapters 1*/ 13 through1 / hi&h are available on the D%D that ships ith this boo5 !o a&&ess the &o#pleted pro@e&t $iles:

1 Navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D !he $olders $orChapters 1*/ 13 through 1 ea&h &ontain one A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&t $ile

* Copy the pro@e&t $iles &h1* aep/ &h13 aep/ and &h1 aepE to your &o#puter

!o start a ne #aster pro@e&t in A$ter )$$e&ts:

















1 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts ,hen you open the appli&ation/ A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally opens a ne /untitled pro@e&t !his ne pro@e&t ill be the #aster pro@e&t you use to &reate your $inished title

* Sele&t "ile I#port ultiple "ilesX !he I#port ultiple "iles indo opens



3 Navigate to the $irst o$ the A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&ts you d li5e to i#portSele&t the pro@e&t $ile and &li&5 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts i#ports the $ile and then re-opens the I#porultiple "iles indo / enabling you to i#port additional $ilesI#port the additional pro@e&t $iles you d li5e to or5 ith/ and hen you re $inished/ &li&5 Done



A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a $older in the Pro@e&t indo $or ea&h pro@e&t you i#port In this $igure/i#ported pro@e&t $iles $orChapters 1*/ 13/ and1 !he $olders A$ter )$$e&ts &reated $or the three$iles &ontain the &o#positions I &reated in ea&h pro@e&t/ along ith any still i#ages and $ootage the pro@e&t $iles &ontain (e#e#ber/ A$ter )$$e&ts doesn t i#port &opies o$ #edia $iles su&h as stilli#ages or video $ootage/ it si#ply &reates lin5s to the original $iles E









2 Sele&t Co#position Ne Co#position !he Co#position Settings indo opens4 In the Co#position Na#e $ield/ enter #ain!itle !his gives the &o#position a des&riptive na#e/

hi&h ill help you stay organi ed as the pro@e&t be&o#es #ore &o#ple' later on



< )nter 0 00 ? *< in the Duration $ield !his sets the duration o$ your ne &o#position to @ust shoo$ one #inute Be&ause you ll be using this &o#position to &o#bine a series o$ &o#posites you&reated earlier/ a longer duration provides you ith so#e added $le'ibility

? Cli&5 69 A$ter )$$e&ts &loses the Co#position Settings indo and &reates your ne #ain!itle&o#position

!o add the &a#era #ove#ent and ani#ation/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Double &li&5 the oo# &o#position in the &h13 $older to open it in the !i#eline



* Cli&5 on&e in the !i#eline/ to ensure the !i#eline is the a&tive indo3 Sele&t )dit Sele&t All to sele&t the &ontents o$ the oo# &o#position s !i#eline

Sele&t )dit Copy A$ter )$$e&ts &opies the i#age o$ a sleeping 8u&a/ along ith the s&ale and positioning e$$e&ts you added inChapter 13

Cli&5 the #ain!itle tab in the !i#eline to #a5e #ain!itle the a&tive &o#position

2 Sele&t )dit Paste A$ter )$$e&ts pastes the still i#age into your ne #ain!itle &o#position/ith all the e$$e&ts inta&t

4 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator through the !i#eline to previe your results or render the&o#position as des&ribed inChapter 11E !he still i#age slo ly $ills the $ra#e/ ending in a tight&lose-up o$ 8u&a s $a&e

.ou ve su&&ess$ully trans$erred the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent $ro# one &o#position to another Ni&e or5







< Double-&li&5 the stati&!itle &o#position in the pro@e&t indo to open it in the !i#eline? Cli&5 in the !i#eline to ensure it s sele&ted as the a&tive indo / and then &hoose )dit Sele&t

All A$ter )$$e&ts sele&ts both the &lips in the !i#eline o$ the stati&!itle &o#position

10 Cli&5 the #ain!itle tab in the !i#eline11 Sele&t )dit Paste A$ter )$$e&ts adds the edited still i#age o$ 8u&a s $a&e to the !i#eline/

along ith the title te't you &reated in Chapter 1 By de$ault/ A$ter )$$e&ts pla&ed both &lips atthe head o$ the se=uen&e/ obs&uring the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent .ou &an easily $i' this bydragging the &lips to the right

1* Cli&5 one o$ the &lips and drag it past the tail o$ the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent on layer 3 both&lips re#ain sele&ted a$ter you pasted the# into the !i#eline in step 11/ so hen you drag onethey both #ove togetherE







13 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator through the !i#eline to previe the ne #aterial you @ust added!he #ain!itle &o#position no &ontains the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent and the title &o#positeShortly a$ter the $irst &lip ends/ the se&ond t o &lips pop ons&reen

.ou ve su&&ess$ully @oined t o &o#posite e$$e&ts into one &o#position very i#pressive or5/ by the ay No you &an polish the transition bet een the &o#posites to #a5e your opening se=uen&e even stronger

!he ay the #ain!itle &o#position is &urrently put together/ the $irst &lip abruptly disappears $ro# vie /and a$ter a brie$ pause/ is repla&ed by the title te't and an edited still i#age By or5ing ith the opa&ity&ontrols $or ea&h &lip/ you &an ease the transition $ro# one &o#posite to the ne't !his e'er&ise sho s youho

1 Pla&e the Current Position Indi&ator in the last $ra#e o$ the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent on layer3/ hi&h is the botto# layer

* Cli&5 the t irl-do n i&on to a&&ess the !rans$or# &ontrols $or layer 3/ then &li&5 the t irl-do ni&on ne't to !rans$or# to display the $ull set o$ &ontrols asso&iated ith the si#ulated &a#era#ove#ent

!he Position and S&ale &ontrols display the settings you added in Chapter 13 In this e'er&ise/ youuse the 6pa&ity &ontrols to gently $ade the s&reen to bla&5 at the end o$ the oo#

3 Cli&5 the stop at&h i&on ne't to the 6pa&ity &ontrols/ and set the 6pa&ity to 0 A$ter )$$e&ts add

a 5ey$ra#e to the last $ra#e o$ the si#ulated oo# and sets the opa&ity o$ the i#age to 0/ hi&h#eans $ully invisible "or #ore detail on using 5ey$ra#es and ad@usting the !rans$or# &ontrols/see Chapter 13E

ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator about one se&ond to the le$t !he ti#e&ode $ield in the top le$to$ the !i#eline indo displays the Current !i#e Indi&ator s e'a&t lo&ation E










I$ you &reate a ne &o#position and drag the stati&!itle &o#position inside the ne !i#eline as in the illustration aboveE/ thstati&!itle appear as one &lip and not t o Any &hanges you apply to stati&!itle in the !i#eline/ su&h as opa&ity/ position/ orapply to both &lips at the sa#e ti#e In short/ be&ause the se=uen&e is no nested inside another &o#position s !i#eline/ it $single &lip



%.*. Joining 7our O ening Se=uence to the /ody o 7our Film

No that you have a ni&ely e'e&uted opening se=uen&e/ it s ti#e to segue into the rest o$ your $il# Inaddition to the ra $ootage in the Ch1* $older on the Start!o"inish D%D/ hi&h you &an use to polish yours5ills as you design various ne e$$e&ts se=uen&es/ the Ch1 $older &ontains a nu#ber o$ edited intervie&lips you &an or5 into your $il# as ell

!he intervie &lips $eature 8u&a s #other delivering deadpan des&riptions o$ ho large her son hassuddenly gotten !hese lo -5ey intervie &lips #a5e the over-the-top e$$e&ts se=uen&es really stand out"or e'a#ple/ in &ontrast to i#ages o$ a 200-$oot-tall toddler/ his #other appears on &a#era re#ar5ing itha straight $a&e that it be&a#e a proble# hen 8u&a started gro ing out o$ his &lothes !he e$$e&t is si#ilarto a &o#edian ho appears onstage ith a straight#an7ea&h ta5es the other to a higher level o$ poten&y/and as a result/ ea&h pun&h line delivers a stronger payo$$ !hin5 about the &lassi& &o#edy tea#s o$ Abboand Costello or artin and 8e is E +lacing an inter3ie9 cli a ter your o ening title in Final 2ut +ro



!o insert an intervie &lip in "inal Cut Pro/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Drag the intervie &lips labeled intervie 1 #ov/ intervie * #ov/ intervie 3 #ov/ andintervie #ovE $ro# the Start!o"inish D%D to your &o#puter

* Sele&t "ile I#port "ilesX !he Choose a "ile indo opens3 Navigate to the intervie video &lips you @ust dragged into your &o#puter

Cli&5 intervie 1 #ov/ hi&h is the $irst in the list "inal Cut Pro sele&ts the $ileShi$t-&li&5 intervie #ov/ hi&h is the last $ile in the list "inal Cut Pro sele&ts the $ile/ alongith the other t o $iles/ hi&h appear in bet een



2 Cli&5 Choose "inal Cut Pro i#ports the $iles and &loses the Choose a "ile indo !he &lips noappear in the Bro ser indo

4 Double-&li&5 intervie 1 #ov in the Bro ser indo !he &lip opens in the %ie er< Play the &lip in the %ie er !he &lip opens ith 8u&a singing e hear hi# over a blan5 s&reenE

and then e hear his #other in an intervie e $irst see a still i#age o$ a very young 8u&a/ andthen &ut to his #o# tal5ing on s&reenE

? ove the Playhead to the end o$ the title graphi& on tra&5s %1 and %*

10 Cli&5 the Insert )dit button in the Canvas "inal Cut Pro adds the intervie &lip to the !i#elinei##ediately a$ter the title graphi&s



11 Drag the Playhead through the se=uen&e to previe hat you ve &reated so $ar/ or render the&o#posite !he opening oo# segues ni&ely into the title te't/ hi&h is $ollo ed shortly by the$irst intervie &lip this &lip is also the $irst part o$ the body o$ the $il#E Be&ause the intervie

&lip begins ith 8u&a singing over a bla&5 s&reen/ it &reates a natural bridge bet een the title andthe $ollo ing se=uen&e1* Save your or5

Note: Be&ause the se=uen&e is no &onsiderably longer/ you #ay not be able to see all the &lips at on&e inthe !i#eline !o oo# out to see #ore o$ the !i#eline/ hold do n the Co##and 5ey and press the L 5ey)a&h ti#e you press the L 5ey "inal Cut Pro oo#s out to a ider vie o$ the !i#eline !o oo# ba&5 in/hold do n Co##and and press the Y 5ey

!o insert an intervie &lip in A$ter )$$e&ts/ do the $ollo ing:

1 Drag the intervie &lips labeled intervie 1 #ov/ intervie * #ov/ intervie 3 #ov/ andintervie #ovE $ro# the Start!o"inish D%D to your &o#puter

* Sele&t "ile I#port "ileX !he I#port "ile indo opens



3 Cli&5 intervie 1 #ov/ the $irst intervie &lip in the indo / to sele&t itShi$t-&li&5 intervie #ov/ the last &lip in the indo / to sele&t it along ith the other &lips in bet een



2 Double-&li&5 the intervie 1 #ov &lip in the Pro@e&t indo !he &lip opens in a ne indo4 Cli&5 the Play i&on in the intervie 1 #ov indo !he &lip opens ith 8u&a singing e hear hi#

over a blan5 s&reenE and then e hear his #other in an intervie e $irst see a still i#age o$ avery young 8u&a/ and then &ut to his #o# tal5ing ons&reenE

< Close the intervie 1 #ov indo by &li&5ing in the upper-le$t &orner? Drag the intervie 1 #ov &lip $ro# the Pro@e&t indo into the !i#eline/ to the right o$ the

e'isting &lips A$ter )$$e&ts adds the &lip to the &o#position



10 ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator through the !i#eline to previe your ne &o#posite/ or si#plyrender the &o#position A$ter the opening oo# $ades to bla&5/ the title te't s&ales its ay onto the

s&reen/ and the edited still i#age o$ 8u&a s $a&e pops onto the s&reen !he intervie &lip/ hi&h isalso the $irst part o$ the #ain body o$ your $il#/ i##ediately $ollo s

.ou ve &ra$ted a very sli&5 opening se=uen&e and lin5ed it organi&ally to the start o$ your story%ery ni&e @ob

11 Save your pro@e&t

)arlier in this boo5/ you &reated a series o$ intri&ately detailed e$$e&ts and rendered the# to &reate high-=uality digital video $iles In this &hapter/ you learned ho to eave the# together using &usto# tailoredsegue transitions spe&i$i&ally suited $or the loo5 and $eel o$ ea&h &o#posite !he e'er&ises in this &hapter

as ell as in the rest o$ the boo5 so $arE have al5ed you through a series o$ very sophisti&ated/ pro$essional-=uality te&hni=ues/ and I hope you $eel a sense o$ a&&o#plish#ent

I$ you d li5e to $urther re$ine your s5ills/ use the additional $ootage in the Ch1* $older to &reate #ore e$$e&se=uen&es !here s no better ay to i#prove your abilities than through pra&ti&e 6n&e you ve got so#e#ore e$$e&ts that you re happy ith/ use the te&hni=ues you learned in this &hapter to bring the ne e$$e&tsse=uen&es into your pro@e&t7you &an even &o#bine the# ith the additional intervie &lips in the Ch1$older to #a5e an entire $il#/ &o#plete ith a beginning/ #iddle/ and end Don t $orget to add &redits asyou learned inChapter 1 / you &an #a5e use o$ s&rolling and &ra ling titles E





!he ne't &hapter e'a#ines &olor &orre&tion/ hi&h is the pro&ess o$ ensuring the &olors in your $il# loo5e'a&tly the ay you ant the# to .ou no have the ability to #a5e any $il# you ant7the re#ainder o$this boo5 sho s you ho to polish your or5 and bring it to an even higher level o$ =uality

2ha ter #. 2olor 2orrection

+o Color "un&tions in %ideo/ an 6vervieAudien&es Sub&ons&ious (esponse to Color/ and +o .ou Can a5e ;se o$ Ita5ing .our %ideo Broad&ast Sa$e

Color is one o$ the $irst things people noti&e hen they at&h your $il#/ hether they re &ons&ious o$ it ornot As e'plained in detail later in this &hapter/ &olor $un&tions on both aestheti& and e#otional levels/deeply and i##ediately in$luen&ing the ay ea&h vie er responds to your or5 Color is also a parti&ularly&o#ple' te&hni&al pro&ess/ and li5e #any other aspe&ts o$ $il##a5ing/ i$ your pro@e&t &ontains proble#s

ith &olor/ your audien&e ill noti&e right a ay

!he hu#an eye and brain &onstantly or5 together to &o#pensate $or &olor di$$eren&es in the orld aroundus I$ you leave a roo# lit by a standard household light bulb and al5 outside into #idday sunshine/ you#ight not noti&e that the &olor &ast o$ the a#bient light around you &hanges $ro# a yello tint to a bluetint/ but a video &a#era ould &ertainly re&ord the di$$eren&e "or #ore on &olor te#perature and thei#portan&e o$ hite balan&e/ seeChapter E

Color varies depending on lighting &onditions/ &a#era e=uip#ent/ and even ti#e o$ day Audien&es noti&ehen the &olor &ast o$ a shot doesn t #at&h the &olor in the shots that &o#e be$ore and a$ter S5illed

dire&tors &an use &olor di$$eren&es to separate #ultiple threads in a story7as hang .i#ou did in +ero andSteven Soderbergh did in !ra$$i& both $il#s are des&ribed in detail later in this &hapterE7or to a&&entuatean e#otional #oti$ ost o$ the ti#e/ ho ever/ audien&es read di$$eren&es in &olor &ast as a te&hni&al#ista5e and lo er their opinion o$ a $il# a&&ordingly/ even i$ they aren t &ons&iously a are o$ hatspar5ed their negative rea&tion

Cine#atographers &an &o#pensate $or &olor di$$eren&es during produ&tion by #a5ing &are$ul hite balan&ad@ust#ents and/ i$ possible/ &he&5ing their or5 on an e'ternal N!SC $ield #onitor During postprodu&tion/ editors &an use &olor-&orre&tion tools to #at&h the &olor $ro# one shot to another/ or to&reate a desired e$$e&t

In addition to aestheti& &onsiderations/ an N!SC or PA8 video signal &an only display a li#ited range o$&olor in$or#ation I$ the &olor in your pro@e&t $alls outside an a&&eptable range7$or e'a#ple/ i$ a &olor istoo bright or too intense7it on t display the ay you ant and &an even #a5e an i#age unre&ogni ableor inter$ere ith the audio tra&5s in your or5

#. . 6o9 2olor Functions in Video, an O3er3ie9

In digital editing appli&ations/ &olor in$or#ation is #easured in t o ays lu#inan&e or lu#aE/ hi&hre$ers to brightness/ and &hro#inan&e or &hro#aE/ hi&h re$ers to hat #ost people thin5 o$ as &olor7$or

e'a#ple/ red or blue By #a5ing ad@ust#ents to the lu#inan&e and &hro#inan&e levels in a video &lip/editors &an ensure that &olor in$or#ation ill reprodu&e as intended on a variety o$ video #onitors and in atelevision broad&ast !his is analogous to O#asteringO a re&ord in the #usi& orld E I$ you ve ever at&ha ell-produ&ed/ big-budget television progra# here i#ages loo5 really ri&h and $ull/ and then at&hed asho on publi& a&&ess here the i#ages loo5 really thin in &o#parison/ the di$$eren&e is probably due/ atleast in part/ to &olor &orre&tion

!elevision net or5s spend lots o$ ti#e and #oney to ensure &olor levels $all into an a&&eptable broad&ast-sa$e range Broad&ast-sa$e levels are also re$erred to as legal levels and &orre&ting non-broad&ast-sa$e &ois so#eti#es re$erred to as #a5ing the levels legal !here s no a&tual la or statute/ the ter# si#ply











des&ribes levels that are a&&eptable $or broad&ast )ven i$ you never e'pe&t your or5 to $ind a broad&astaudien&e/ broad&ast-sa$e &olor levels are still i#portant/ be&ause they ensure your &olors ill reprodu&e the

ay you ant and ithout &ausing te&hni&al di$$i&ulties $or your vie ers

8u#inan&e #easures ho bright the in$or#ation in a video signal is/ on a s&ale ith the dar5est possible bla&5 at one end and the brightest possible hite at the other "inal Cut Pro uses a s&ale #easuring $ro# 0

to 100 A$ter )$$e&ts uses a s&ale #easuring $ro# 0 to 1*0 !he dar5est bla&5 #easures 0 in bothappli&ations E Any brightness values at the outside ranges o$ the s&ale are not &onsidered broad&ast sa$e/#eaning they ill distort on a television #onitor As des&ribed inChapter 11/ the (>B &olor spa&e used byi#age-editing progra#s su&h as Adobe Photoshop tolerates a ider range o$ &olor than an N!SC videosignal As a result/ bright hites &reated in Photoshop or another (>B progra# #ay not be broad&ast sa$e Non-broad&ast-sa$e hites are &alled super hite/ and &an &ause distortion in i#ages and even bleed ontothe audio tra&5/ &reating an annoying hu# or a bu 8i5e ise/ (>B i#ages &an &ontain bla&5s that are toodar5 to display in video ,hen bla&5 levels in a video i#age are too dar5/ details get lost7$or e'a#ple/shado s and ba&5grounds blend together and &ontours disappear

SID>/8R RL/ Design and the 1 S2 Signal

(>B &olor values e'tend beyond the range o$ hat the N!SC video signal &an sa$ely reprodu&eAs a result/ the dar5est possible bla&5 you &an &reate ith a progra# li5e Photoshop orIllustrator is too dar5 to reliably display on an N!SC #onitor Si#ilarly/ the brightest possible

hite you &an &reate ith Photoshop or Illustrator is too bright

!he solution is to &reate i#ages that don t use the dar5est or the brightest possible (>B values

!he i#age at right sho s the &olor palette in Photoshop/ ad@usted to &reate a broad&ast-sa$e bla&5 !he red/ green/ and blue &hannels are ea&h set to 12/ hi&h ill produ&e the dar5est possible broad&ast-sa$e bla&5 Photoshop enables a designer to &reate a dar5er bla&5 than theone pi&tured here/ but it ould not be broad&ast sa$e E

!his i#age sho s the Photoshop &olor palette set to &reate a broad&ast-sa$e hite !he red/green/ and blue &hannels are ea&h set to *3 / hi&h ill produ&e the brightest possible broad&ast-sa$e hite Photoshop allo s a designer to &reate brighter hites/ but they ould $alloutside the broad&ast-sa$e range





"or #ore in$or#ation on &reating broad&ast-sa$e (>B i#ages/ and the additive &olor pro&essthat &o#puter #onitors and video #onitors both use to reprodu&e &olor/ see OCreating i#ages inPhotoshop $or use in digital videoO inChapter 11

Chro#inan&e/ hi&h #easures the &olor in$or#ation in a video &lip/ brea5s do n into t o parts: hue andsaturation

1 .1.2.1. ue

+ue de$ines a &olor in ter#s o$ its lo&ation on a &olor heel "or e'a#ple red/ green/ and blue/ the pri#ary&olors in a video signal/ are lo&ated at L13 degrees/ L1 1 degrees/ and 103 degrees/ respe&tively 8o&ationson the heel are #easured in degrees be&ause o$ the heel s &ir&ular shape See"igure 12-1

;sing hue to give ea&h &olor a nu#eri& value provides an a&&urate ay to identi$y spe&i$i& &olors I o$ten begin &lass dis&ussions about &olor by as5ing students to thin5 about the &olor red I then e'plain thatalthough everyone in the roo# #ight indeed be pi&turing a red ob@e&t/ ea&h person #ay a&tually be thin5ingo$ a slightly di$$erent &olor 6ne #ight pi&ture the red in a Co&a-Cola logo/ another #ight pi&ture the red o$a bri&5 building/ others #ight pi&ture the red o$ an apple or to#ato hi&h &an ea&h vary greatlyEIdenti$ying a parti&ular &olor ith a nu#eri& value ensures that hen editors dis&uss a spe&i$i& hue duringthe &olor-&orre&tion pro&ess/ everyone shares the sa#e understanding

Figure #$ . he hue o a color measures its location on a color 9heel. he color 9heel can ;e used to ro3ide as eci ic numeric 3alue, or hue, or any color in a 3ideo signal.

1 .1.2.2. aturation

(e#e#ber the ter# OsaturationO $ro# @unior high s&hool s&ien&e &lass ,hen so#ething is saturated itholds all it &an !he &on&ept o$ saturation or5s #ore or less the sa#e ay in video: it des&ribes hointense a &olor is7thin5 o$ a highly saturated red as holding all the red &olor in$or#ation it possibly &ould

Saturation uses a di$$erent &olor heel to #easure the lo&ation o$ a &olor in ter#s o$ its distan&e $ro# the&enter "igure 12-*E A blue &olor ith a saturation level &loser to the edge o$ the &ir&le ould be a dar5 blue A blue o$ the sa#e hue/ lo&ated &loser to the &enter o$ the &ir&le/ ould be a pale blue/ or a light blue






this blue is re$erred to as desaturated +ighly saturated &olors are ri&h in &olor in$or#ation they re o$tendes&ribed as vibrant

Figure #$!. In the saturation color 9heel, colors are located in the same laces around the edge as in the 9heelmeasuring hue. he di erence is, highly saturated colors closer to the outside o the saturation

9heel contain a ear richer in color than those nearer to the center.

ust as there are broad&ast-sa$e standards $or lu#inan&e/ there are standards $or saturation Co#puter#onitors &an handle highly saturated &olors $ar beyond the range o$ hat an N!SC #onitor or television&an sa$ely reprodu&e I$ saturation levels $all outside an a&&eptable range/ &olors &an bleed into one anothor in parti&ularly bad situations/ &reate audio proble#s

Broad&ast outlets have very spe&i$i& standards o$ hat they &onsider a&&eptable lu#inan&e and&hro#inan&e values I$ a progra# doesn t #eet their broad&ast standards/ television organi ations ill o$tenreturn the #aster tape to the produ&er and as5 hi# to $i' the proble#s be$ore airing the or5 PBS has parti&ularly stri&t broad&ast standards/ hi&h so#eti#es in&lude $inan&ial penalties $or produ&ers hosub#it progra##ing that does not pass #uster during te&hni&al evaluation "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts both o$$er tools/ dis&ussed later in this &hapter/ to ensure your or5 is broad&ast sa$e

#.!. 8udiences' Su;conscious Res onse to 2olor, and 6o9 7ou 2an Make 4se o It

+u#ans have a &o#ple' and vis&eral understanding o$ &olor/ and it i#pa&ts the ay e respond to @ustabout everything in the orld Color shapes and in$or#s not only our aestheti& sensibilities about visualob@e&ts but also helps deter#ine our en@oy#ent o$ i#portant everyday a&tivities su&h as eating7&an youi#agine sitting do n to a pleasurable #eal o$ gray $ood

4sing 2olor to 2reate a +ositi3e >motional State

In )#otional Design/ Donald A Nor#an/ a pro$essor o$ &o#puter s&ien&e and psy&hology at North estern ;niversity/ rites that Obright/ saturated huesO and O&o#$ortably lit pla&esO put people in a positive e#otional state in hi&h they re #ore re&eptive to having a positivee#otional e'perien&e A&&ording to Nor#an s boo5/ &olor and lighting $un&tion on asub&ons&ious level/ shaping people s opinions be$ore they ve had a &han&e to #a5e a &ons&ious



or hite !he dire&tor then adds $lashba&5s ith a green tint/ as ell as a $i$th series o$ OtrueO se=uen&es$il#ed in shades o$ bla&5 $or e'a#ple/ the #e#bers o$ the e#peror s &ourt ear bla&5 ar#or that per$e&tly#at&hes the i##a&ulate pala&e de&orE

Note: !o $ollo along ith the e'er&ises in this &hapter using "inal Cut Pro: 6pen the &o#posite se=uen&e

you &reated in Chapter 1 or navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that &a#e ith this boo5/ and &opy the e'a#ple $ile na#ed &h1 $&p to your hard drive along ith the video $iles in the $older!he &h1 $&p $ile &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the se=uen&e &reated by $ollo ing the e'a#ples inChapter 1 !o $ollo along ith the e'er&ises in this &hapter using A$ter )$$e&ts: 6pen the &o#position you&reated inChapter 1 or navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that &a#e ith this boo5/ and &opy the e'a#ple $ile na#ed &h1 aep to your hard drive along ith the video $iles in the $older!he &h1 aep $ile &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the se=uen&e &reated by $ollo ing the e'a#ples inChapter 1

!he $il# is in #any ays si#ilar to A5ira 9urosa a s 1? 0 &lassi& (asho#on/ hi&h also tells one story$ro# three perspe&tives Shot in bla&5 and hite/ (asho#on provides a se#inal #editation on the#es o$truth/ e'perien&e/ and per&eption +ero e'plores si#ilar areas/ using sophisti&ated te&hni=ues to &olor ea&h

storyline both in ter#s o$ its plot and in the appearan&e o$ its visual ele#ents

O)very story is &olored by personal per&eption/O the $il# s &ine#atographer Christopher Doyle told the Ne .or5 !i#es Doyle also shot In the ood $or 8oveE !he $il##a5ers &hose green $or the $lashba&5sObe&ause e ran out o$ &olors O A&&ording to Doyle/ they had already used red/ blue/ and hite in otherstorylines/ so green as all they had le$t/ sin&e O.ou re not going to do anything in orange or pin5 O As thedire&tor o$ your $il#/ you #ay de&ide you li5e orange and pin5/ in hi&h &ase you &an &olor your or5a&&ordingly7as I ve #entioned throughout the boo5/ the dire&tor o$ a $il# is the &aptain o$ the ship E

"or #ore in$or#ation on &onne&ting an e'ternal N!SC #onitor to your syste#/ seeChapter 10 !he$ollo ing e'er&ises al5 you through the pro&ess o$ adding a &olor &ast to your video using "inal Cut Proor A$ter )$$e&ts

SID>/8R he Im ortance o 2ali;rating a Video Monitor

Be$ore you start the &olor-&orre&tion pro&ess/ it s i#portant to &alibrate your video #onitor to display astandard set o$ &olors !he &olors displayed by di$$erent #onitors &an vary greatly/ so ithout &alibration/there s no guarantee that hat loo5s good on one #onitor ill loo5 any here near as good on another


















!o &alibrate a video #onitor/ send &olor bars to your video #onitor So#e pro$essional #onitors generatetheir o n &olor bars i$ your #onitor doesn t/ you &an send &olor bars to your #onitor $ro# your &a#era oryour editing syste#

!o send &olor bars $ro# your &a#era:

• I$ your &a#era generates &olor bars/ run &olor bars in your &a#era Not all D% &a#eras &angenerate &olor bars So#e higher-end prosu#er &a#&orders and #any pro$essional #odels do/ andthe pro&ess o$ generating &olor bars varies idely by #odel Che&5 your &a#era s operating#anual $or #ore details E

• Conne&t the video output o$ your &a#era to the video input o$ your #onitor

!o send &olor bars $ro# "inal Cut Pro:

1 Sele&t the )$$e&ts tab in the Bro ser indo* Cli&5 the t irl-do n i&on ne't to %ideo >enerators

3 Double-&li&5 Bars and !one N!SCE "inal Cut Pro opens a t o-#inute &lip o$ &olor bars in the%ie er indo

)dit the &olor bars &lip into a ne Se=uen&e I$ you have an e'ternal video #onitor &onne&ted toyour "inal Cut Pro syste#/ the &olor bars ill display on your #onitor

Near the botto# right &orner o$ the &olor bar display in your #onitor/ you should see a light grayverti&al bar Ad@ust the brightness &ontrol o$ your #onitor so that the gray bar is @ust barely visible

2 Ad@ust the &ontrast &ontrol o$ your #onitor so that the bar is $ully visible/ and then slo ly re-ad@uthe &ontrast to #a5e the bar dar5er Continue to ad@ust the &ontrast setting until the bar be&o#es @ust barely visible ,hen the bar displays in your #onitor as dar5 gray and @ust barely visibleagainst the bla&5 areas surrounding it/ your #onitor is properly &alibrated

1 .2.1.1. &sing Final $ut Pro to change the color o) your 'ideo

!his e'er&ise uses the Color Corre&tor $ilter to add a &olor &ast to the intervie 01 #ov &lip



1 6pen the #ain!itle se=uen&e in the !i#eline* Drag the Playhead to 01:00:30 10 in the !i#eline or you &an enter 01:00:30 10 in the ti#e&ode

$ield in the top le$t o$ the !i#eline indo E !he head o$ intervie 01 #ov &lip &ontains a still o$ avery young 8u&a/ and the rest o$ the &lip sho s his #other in an intervie 7$ra#e 01:00:30 10 isthe $irst ti#e she appears ons&reen

3 Cli&5 the (a or Blade tool in the !ool palette !he (a or Blade tool enables an editor to separate a&lip in the !i#eline into t o separate &lips In this e'a#ple/ separating the intervie 01 #ov &lip per#its you to #a5e &hanges to the intervie $ootage o$ 8u&a s #o# ithout disturbing the &olor balan&e o$ the still i#age that appears at the head o$ the &lip

;sing the (a or Blade tool/ &li&5 the intervie 01 #ov &lip at the Playhead s &urrent lo&ation"inal Cut Pro splits the &lip in t o

Cli&5 the Sele&tion tool in the !ool palette



2 Cli&5 the se&ond part o$ the intervie 01 #ov &lip in the !i#eline to sele&t it

4 Sele&t )$$e&ts %ideo "ilters Color Corre&tion Color Corre&tor "inal Cut Pro appliesthe $ilter to the portion o$ the &lip in hi&h 8u&a s #o# appears on s&reen

< Double-&li&5 the &lip in the !i#eline "inal Cut Pro opens the &lip in the %ie er

? Cli&5 the Color Corre&tor tab in the %ie er to a&&ess the $ilter s &ontrols10 Drag the outer ring o$ the +ue &ontrol to the right to add a red tint to the &lip A slight red tint adds

a rosy glo to the $a&e o$ 8u&a s #o# ho/ by the ay/ is na#ed DeirdreE Be&ause &o#puter#onitors display &olor di$$erently than video #onitors/ vie ing the results o$ your or5 on adedi&ated N!SC #onitor be&o#es parti&ularly i#portant hen you re #a5ing &olor ad@ust#ents"or #ore in$or#ation on the bene$its o$ using an N!SC #onitor and ho you &an &onne&t one toyour editing syste#/ seeChapter 10






o I$ you drag the outer ring o$ the +ue &ontrol a $e degrees to the le$t o$ the de$ault value/"inal Cut Pro adds a yello tint to the shot

o !o reset the +ue value to its de$ault setting/ &li&5 the reset button to the i##ediate righto$ the +ue &ontrol

11 Save your or5

Note: .ou &an #a5e &olor $ootage bla&5 and hite by &o#pletely desaturating the &lip !o do this/ drag theSaturation slider at the botto# o$ the Color Corre&tor indo E all the ay to the le$t

1 .2.1.2. &sing )ter *))ects to change the color o) your 'ideo

!his e'er&ise uses the +ueGSaturation e$$e&t to add a &olor &ast to the intervie 01 #ov &lip

1 Drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator to 01:00:30 10 in the !i#eline or you &an enter 01:00:30 10 inthe ti#e&ode $ield in the top le$t o$ the !i#eline indo E !he head o$ intervie 01 #ov &lip&ontains a still o$ a very young 8u&a/ and the rest o$ the &lip sho s his #other in an intervie 7 $ra#e 01:00:30 10 is the $irst ti#e she appears ons&reen



* Cli&5 the intervie 01 #ov &lip in the !i#eline to sele&t it



Drag the aster +ue dial a $e degrees to the le$t to add a slight red tint to the &lip 8u&a s #o#DeirdreE/ no appears ith s5in tones that #a5e her loo5 subtly #ore healthy than she did be$ore

the e$$e&t



o .ou &an also ad@ust the aster +ue setting by entering a value dire&tly into the nu#eri&$ield above the dial )ntering a positive nu#ber #oves the dial to the right o$ the de$aultvalue/ entering a negative nu#ber #oves the dial to the le$t o$ the de$ault Alternatelyyou &an s&rub the degree ZE nu#ber in the aster +ue to the &orre&t setting

o oving the dial @ust to the right o$ the de$ault ould give the &lip a green tint

Be&ause &o#puter #onitors display &olor di$$erently than video #onitors/ vie ing the results o$your or5 on a dedi&ated N!SC #onitor be&o#es parti&ularly i#portant hen you re #a5ing&olor ad@ust#ents "or #ore in$or#ation on the bene$its o$ using an N!SC #onitor and ho you&an &onne&t one to your editing syste#/ see Chapter 10

2 Save your or5







SID>/8R 2olor Matching and Darkness in O en -ater

!he husband-and- i$e $il##a5ing tea# Chris 9entis and 8aura 8au used a Sony %J*000 and aPD-1 0 to shoot the very s&ary 6pen ,ater/ hi&h as trans$erred to $il# and ulti#atelyreleased on #ore than */000 s&reens a&ross the &ountry 6pen ,ater brings audien&es the$i&tional story o$ t o s&uba divers ho are inadvertently le$t at sea a$ter their tour boat returns to port ithout the# 9entis and 8au told "il##a5er #aga ine they shot on D% be&ause the lo&ost and $le'ibility enabled the# to &o#plete the pro@e&t entirely on their o n7 ithout the helpo$ produ&ers/ $inan&ial ba&5ers/ or even a &re O,e anted total &ontrol/O 8au said By shooting prosu#er digital video/ 9entis and 8au also e'ploited a strength o$ the #ediu#: the i##edia&yo$ D% #a5es audien&es $eel li5e itnesses to a&tual events un$olding on s&reen

!he realis# o$ the $il# is heightened by the $a&t that the t o lead a&tors really are in the openo&ean/ surrounded by shar5s "or #u&h o$ the $il#/ shar5s s i# un&o#$ortably &lose to thea&tors7and it s real !he s#all s&ale o$ produ&tion resulted in a great e'perien&e $or theaudien&e/ and even $or the a&tors Blan&hard (yan/ ho plays the $e#ale lead/ told the Ne .or5 !i#es/ OIt as the #ost #agi&al or5ing environ#ent7t o a&tors/ t o $il##a5ers/ no hair and#a5eup X @ust get in the ater and do the or5 O

!he approa&h also &reated te&hni&al &hallenges !he a&tors ere in the o&ean ith real shar5s/unprote&ted by any type o$ &age !o redu&e the ris5 o$ an a&tual atta&5 the a&tors 5ept very still



as the shar5s s a# around the# $eeding on &hun5s o$ tuna that had been thro n into the ater!he $il##a5ers then shot the dialog s&enes separately/ a ay $ro# the shar5s/ along ith a&tionshots in hi&h the a&tors 5i&5ed or #oved suddenly in ays that #ight have been too dangerousto try ith shar5s $eeding around the# ,hen they returned to Ne .or5 a$ter they $inishedshooting/ the $il##a5ers brought their $ootage to a spe&ialist ho used A$ter )$$e&ts to &olor&orre&t their #aterial and #at&h the lighting &onditions $ro# shot to shot A$ter a signi$i&anta#ount o$ or5/ they #ade the $ootage loo5 li5e it as re&orded in one uninterrupted series o$events all shot in the sa#e lo&ation at the sa#e ti#e o$ day "or details on hy it &an be di$$i&ultto #at&h the &olor and lighting o$ shots re&orded at di$$erent ti#es o$ day/ see OContinuity andDetail anage#entO in Chapter 3 E

!he $il##a5ers also do a good @ob using &olor early in the #ovie/ to #a5e an other isero#anti& sunset loo5 deeply o#inous Shortly a$ter the lead &hara&ters begin their va&ation/ and be$ore they start their ill-$ated dive/ the audien&e sees a se=uen&e o$ beauty shots establishing theloo5 and $eel o$ the Caribbean resort to n the &hara&ters are visiting 6ne o$ the shots depi&ts asunset in hi&h the light re$le&ting o$$ the ater turns the sea blood red !hrough the e$$e&tiveuse o$ &olor/ the $il##a5ers have turned a benign post&ard shot into an agent o$ $oreboding Anorange-&olored sunset &onnotes $eelings o$ paradise7this sunset &learly &on@ures i#ages o$ blood

9entis and 8au also use dar5ness to great e$$e&t to ard the end o$ the $il# A$ter a day o$ beingstranded in the open o&ean/ the protagonists $ind the#selves still stranded in the #iddle o$ thenight in &o#plete dar5ness (ather than providing an arti$i&ial light sour&e/ sin&e there ould benone on a &loudy night at sea/ the $il##a5ers leave the s&reen bla&5 $or dis&on&ertingly long periods o$ ti#e/ illu#inating the a&tion only ith $lashes o$ lightning Donald Nor#an ritesthat dar5ness &an trigger a negative e#otional state you #ay have $igured that out on your o n 75ids love nightlights $or that e'a&t reasonE In 6pen ,ater/ the $il##a5ers use dar5ness very

ell/ &reating so#e espe&ially s&ary se=uen&es

#.*. Making 7our Video /roadcast Sa e

"or years/ the thought o$ having to #a5e so#ething broad&ast sa$e stru&5 $ear into #any a video editor Noone argued that #a5ing video levels broad&ast sa$e as uni#portant/ or that it asn t orth hile/ but&he&5ing levels and #a5ing the# legal re=uired spe&iali ed e=uip#ent and a spe&ially trained operator)ven ith the introdu&tion o$ the Avid digital editing syste# in the #id 1??0s and its &o#plete array o$$inishing &apabilities/ #any editors still outsour&ed &olor &orre&tion to e'perts at a postprodu&tion $a&ility

"ortunately/ both A$ter )$$e&ts and "inal Cut Pro o$$er e$$e&ts to bring both the lu#inan&e and &hro#inan&elevels ithin broad&ast-sa$e ranges !his se&tion sho s you ho to use both As #entioned earlier in this&hapter/ ensuring your or5 is broad&ast sa$e helps avoid te&hni&al proble#s even i$ you never plan to broad&ast your pro@e&t

6o9 to Determine -hether Footage Is /roadcast$Sa e

!o &he&5 the brightness and &olor levels in a video &lip/ te&hni&ians use a ave$or# #onitor anda ve&tors&ope A ave$or# #onitor #easures brightness/ or lu#inan&e/ and a ve&tors&ope#easures &olor/ or &hro#inan&e

,ave$or# #onitors and ve&tors&opes &an be either hard are-or so$t are-based A hard are- based ave$or# #onitor or ve&tors&ope is a standalone pie&e o$ e=uip#ent &onne&ted to an






editing syste# So#e video editing and &o#positing appli&ations/ su&h as "inal Cut Pro/ shipith a so$t are-based ave$or# #onitor and ve&tors&ope built into the progra# A$ter )$$e&ts

does not ship ith a ave$or# #onitor or ve&tors&ope/ but you &an pur&hase a plug-in thate'pands A$ter )$$e&t s &apabilities to in&lude the# "or a $ull list o$ third-party plug-insavailable $or A$ter )$$e&ts/ visit http:GG adobe &o#Gprodu&tsGpluginsGa$tere$$e&tsG#ain ht#lE

A ell-e=uipped postprodu&tion $a&ility ill have both hard are- and so$t are-based ave$or##onitors and ve&tors&opes available/ as ell as e'perien&ed sta$$ #e#bers ho 5no ho touse the# As #entioned in the sidebar O,hy .ou ight ,ant to +ire a Pro$essional ColoristOlater in this &hapter/ or5ing ith a pro$essional to &olor &orre&t your $ootage and #a5e sure it s broad&ast sa$e &an help raise the =uality o$ your $il# to a highly pro$essional level !his #ay be&o#e parti&ularly i#portant i$ you re see5ing theatri&al or broad&ast distribution althoughso#e $il##a5ers negotiate deals in hi&h a distributor pays $or &olor &orre&tion a$ter a&=uiring a$il#E

!o apply the Broad&ast-sa$e $ilter:

1 Sele&t the &lip you d li5e to #a5e broad&ast sa$e you &an only apply the $ilter to one sele&ted &at a ti#eE

http://www.adobe.com/products/plugins/aftereffects/main.html





* Sele&t )$$e&t %ideo Broad&ast Colors A$ter )$$e&ts applies the e$$e&t and opens the)$$e&t Controls indo I$ the )$$e&t Controls indo doesn t open/ or i$ you a&&identally &losit/ you &an a&&ess the indo by sele&ting )$$e&ts )$$e&t Controls E



!he de$ault setting $or the Broad&ast Colors e$$e&t lo ers the highest lu#inan&e values in your&lip to 110/ hi&h the A$ter )$$e&ts do&u#entation des&ribes as O&onservative O !his #eans thesetting is designed to #a5e your or5 legal ithout signi$i&antly &hanging its appearan&e



I$ you ant to ad@ust the lu#inan&e levels to bring the# $urther inside the broad&ast-sa$e rangeyou &an enter 100 or even ?0E in the a'i#u# Signal $ield at the botto# o$ the )$$e&t Controls

indo

!o ad@ust the saturation values in the sa#e &lip/ you &an add another instan&e o$ the Broad&astColors e$$e&t to the sa#e &lip

3 Sele&t )$$e&t %ideo Broad&ast Colors A$ter )$$e&ts applies a se&ond instan&e o$ thee$$e&t to your sele&ted &lip



Cli&5 the +o !o a5e Color Sa$e pull-do n #enu and sele&t (edu&e Saturation By de$ault/A$ter )$$e&ts ad@usts the highest saturation levels in your &lip to 110 .ou &an lo er the value/ to bring the saturation levels $urther inside the broad&ast-sa$e range/ by entering a lo er nu#ber inthe a'i#u# Signal $ield at the botto# o$ the )$$e&t Controls indo !he e'a#ple sho s thee$$e&t &ontrols set to lo er the #a'i#u# saturation value to 100 E

Save your or5

SID>/8R -hy 7ou Might -ant to 6ire a +ro essional 2olorist

A&&ording to "il##a5er #aga ine/ hen it as ti#e to &olor &orre&t 6pen ,ater/ 9entis and8au too5 their $ootage to a pro$essional $a&ility Although 9entis/ ho earned a living editingtrailers $or $eature $il#s/ &ut 6pen ,ater together hi#sel$ using "inal Cut Pro/ he apparentlyde&ided there are ti#es hen pro$essional servi&es are orth the e'pense



Pro$essionals o$$er an ease and s5ill that enables the# to or5 very =ui&5ly and get e'&ellentresults In addition/ they have a&&ess to pro$essional e=uip#ent beyond the prosu#er pri&erange )ven i$ a pro$essional &harges a high hourly rate/ he #ight be able to $inish a @ob =ui&5ly/saving you &onsiderable #oney in the long run7not to #ention aggravation

I used to or5 ith a #an ho as set on renovating his ho#e hi#sel$/ even hen he didn t5no hat he as doing +e regularly told #e stories about opening up alls to atte#pt plu#bing or light ele&tri&al repairs only to &reate a #ess he &ouldn t &lean up +e ould then &alla handy#an to &o#e to his ho#e and bail hi# out "or a $ee/ the handy#an ould happilyoblige/ a$ter sha5ing his head at the $ias&o #y &olleague had &reated

;n$ortunately/ plenty o$ $il##a5ers operate the sa#e ay +iring a pro$essional be$ore you getyoursel$ into te&hni&al proble#s is #u&h &heaper than paying so#eone to undo a #ista5e you&an t $i'

!o so#e people/ the a&tual pro&ess o$ &o#pleting a #edia pro@e&t is @ust as i#portant as the endresult "or e'a#ple/ I have a good $riend ho al ays en@oys doing his o n te&hni&al or5/ even

i$ it ta5es longer and &osts slightly #ore than outsour&ing part o$ a pro@e&t +e al ays does avery good @ob and derives great satis$a&tion $ro# $inishing things on his o n

As the dire&tor o$ your pro@e&t/ you have to &hoose the path that s right $or you and the #ethodsthat best #eet the needs o$ your $il#

!his &hapter e'plored &olor $ro# aestheti&/ psy&hologi&al/ and te&hni&al perspe&tives It also al5ed youthrough the pro&ess o$ intentionally adding a &olor tint to a &lip and then ad@usting the lu#inan&e andsaturation levels o$ your $ootage to ensure everything not only re#ains broad&ast sa$e/ but loo5s e'a&tly the

ay you ant

Attentively re$ining the &olor in your $il# enables you to ta5e your or5 $ar beyond the bare #ini#u# o$te&hni&al &o#peten&e7in short/ a good use o$ &olor &an #a5e the di$$eren&e bet een a #erely a&&eptable pro@e&t and so#ething that s truly outstanding

Creating the greatest $il# possible #eans $o&using on ea&h detail and re or5ing all the ele#ents in your pro@e&t until you ve #ade everything as po er$ul as you &an ;p to no / you ve &on&entrated on the i#agin your or5 the $inal t o &hapters o$ this boo5 are devoted to #a'i#i ing the e$$e&tiveness o$ your audioChapter 14 e'plores the i#portan&e and intri&a&ies o$ &reating a ri&h sound design/ a #ultilayered audio#ontage that delivers @ust as #u&h o$ an i#pa&t as the visuals in your pro@e&tChapter 1< e'plains ho toadd #usi& to a pro@e&t ithout violating &opyright la sE and also e'a#ines ays to $ine-tune all the layerso$ audio in your $il#

.ou re al#ost ready $or your red &arpet pre#iere

2ha ter ). he 2once t o Sound Design8ayering Audio !ra&5s(epla&ing issing or Poorly (e&orded Audio

!he audio in a $il# doesn t get there by itsel$ ust as ell-edited i#ages and &are$ully e'e&uted &o#positese=uen&es don t instantly #ateriali e in a pro@e&t/ neither does the audio that a&&o#panies the# So#e beginning $il##a5ers treat audio as an a$terthought others ignore it al#ost &o#pletely "il# and video are/a$ter all/ visual #edia/ so so#e $il##a5ers onder hy they even need to thin5 about audio












A&&o#plished $il##a5ers/ ho ever/ 5no that an audien&e s e'perien&e at&hing a $il# depends largelyon the su&&ess o$ the $il# s sound design Audio/ or its &onspi&uous absen&e/ &an shape or even deter#invie er s rea&tion to hat he sees on s&reen Audien&es &an literally $eel an e'plosion hen a sounddesigner adds a thundering lo -$re=uen&y ru#ble to the $il# s audio tra&5 %ie ers are si#ilarly dra ninto the physi&al environ#ent o$ a se=uen&e hen a sound designer adds layers o$ a#bient sound that#ight in&lude tra$$i& noise/ the ba&5ground hu# o$ overheard &onversation/ the rhyth#i& #e&hani&al &lano$ an industrial environ#ent/ or an in$inite nu#ber o$ other ele#ents depending on the nature o$ the produ&tion

!he sound design o$ a $il# re$ers to the ay audio has been re&orded/ edited/ layered/ and #i'ed to providethe audien&e ith the ri&hest possible e'perien&e A good sound designer or5s &losely ith the dire&torand editor to deter#ine e'a&tly hi&h sounds to e#phasi e in a se=uen&e/ hat to repla&e/ hat to o#it/and hat to #anu$a&ture in order to &reate a $il# that not only sounds as good as real li$e/ but sounds li5e agood #ovie !he orld never loo5s as good in everyday li$e as it does in a ell-&ra$ted $il#/ and it doesn tsound as good either !hat s hy good &ine#atographers and audio engineers &an al ays #a5e a living/and it s also hy e pay good #oney to go to the #ovies

!here is perhaps no $il##a5er #ore adept at developing a $il# s ri&h aural te'ture than ,alter ur&h,or5ing $or years ith dire&tor "ran&is "ord Coppola/ ur&h earned great re&ognition as the sound

designer $or Apo&alypse No hi&h he also &o-editedE and $or !he Conversation/ hi&h #ay be the #ostaudio-driven $il# o$ all ti#e +e also did the sound $or >eorge 8u&as A#eri&an >ra$$iti/ in hi&h he #adean innovative use o$ period #usi& blended into ba&5ground sound hen &hara&ters in the #ovie listened to,ol$#an a&5 on their &ar radios/ it a&tually sounded to the audien&e li5e the sound as &o#ing $ro# a &arradioE ur&h later ent on to edit the #ulti-a ardL inning $il# !he )nglish Patient $or hi&h he re&eivedA&ade#y A ards in both editing and sound "ollo ing the su&&ess o$ !he )nglish Patient/ ur&h releaseda version o$ !ou&h o$ )vil in 1??< that he restored to the original spe&i$i&ations o$ dire&tor 6rson ,elles

A$ter ,elles delivered his $inal version/ e'e&utives at ;niversal #ade a series o$ &hanges7in&ludinghiring a ne dire&tor to add s&enes7that ,elles $elt destroyed the heart o$ his $il# E ur&h s restoredversion $ollo s a <-page #e#o that ,elles sent ;niversal detailing his ob@e&tions to the studio s &hanges

ur&h s 1??< !ou&h o$ )vil retains the legendary opening shot/ #entioned in the $irst &hapter in this boo5/and aug#ents it ith a sound design unrivaled in detail/ &o#ple'ity/ and understated te&hni&alsophisti&ation ur&h has in #any ays set the standard $or high-=uality sound design/ and this &haptere'a#ines a nu#ber o$ his $il#s to de#onstrate various sound design prin&iples and te&hni=ues

SID>/8R he Ju?ta osition o 8udio and +icture

!he $irst three #inutes o$ Apo&alypse No (edu'/ the reissued dire&tor s &ut o$ the &ine#ati&&lassi&/ e#ploys a drea#li5e @u'taposition o$ audio and i#ages !he $il# opens ith a bla&5s&reen and the slo ed do n/ e&hoing sound o$ a heli&opter !he s&reen $ades up to a stati& shoto$ trees in the distan&e/ and a heli&opter passes through the $ra#e in &lose-up/ $ollo ed by thehighly saturated yello s#o5e o$ a signal $lare that $loats gently a&ross the s&reen A$ter a $ese&onds/ the highly styled heli&opter sounds dissolve into the opening bars o$ O!he )ndO by theDoors As i# orrison begins his vo&als/ the trees erupt into a $iery e'plosion/ but there s noe'plosion or ar$are sounds/ in $a&t/ no sound at all other than the slo / ironi&ally pea&e$ul

#usi&

!he &o#bat visuals gradually dissolve into shots o$ the #ain &hara&ter/ played by artin Sheen/ passed out in a hotel roo# ith a gun on the pillo ne't to hi# As the &o#bat s&ene begins to$ade a ay/ the sound o$ heli&opter rotor blades returns/ but instead o$ a&&o#panying a shot&ontaining a heli&opter/ Coppola pairs the sound ith an i#age o$ the &eiling $an spinning inSheen s hotel roo# As Sheen s &hara&ter a a5ens/ the up &lose and al#ost tangible sound o$ theheli&opter dissolves into the sounds o$ another heli&opter/ this one e&hoing into Sheen s hotel



roo# $ro# so#e here outside

!his use o$ sound deliberately thro s the audien&e o$$ balan&e Sounds the vie er e'pe&ts tohear/ su&h as heli&opters during the &o#bat se=uen&e/ are noti&eably absent/ and sho upine'pli&ably in the ne't shot o$ Sheen s hotel roo# !his intentionally disorienting sound design brings the audien&e into the troubled #ind state o$ Sheen s &hara&ter and sets the overall&on$using and al#ost hallu&inatory tone o$ the $il#

). . 5ayering 8udio racks

Sounds don t o&&ur in isolation !he audio that people hear in li$e and in $il# &ontains #ultiple soundslayered together to $or# #ultite'tured aural &o#positions )ven in a =uiet roo#/ there s sound ,hen Itea&h a &ourse that involves sound re&ording and editing/ one o$ the $irst things I do is as5 everyone in theroo# to be =uiet and thin5 about the sounds they hear ust as the hu#an brain $ilters out di$$eren&es in&olor seeChapters and 12E/ the hu#an brain also does an i#pressive @ob $iltering out ba&5ground soundthe brain is/ in $a&t/ so e$$i&ient at this that #ost people never even noti&e ba&5ground noise

A$ter a brie$ pause to let students identi$y the ba&5ground sounds in a roo#/ I then as5 everyone to list thesounds they heard hen no one as spea5ing Co##on sounds in&lude the hu# o$ a &o#puter both harddrives and #onitors &reate soundE/ ele&tri& lighting $luores&ent lights o$ten bu E/ any type o$ heating or&ooling syste#/ &hairs #oving on a hard $loor sur$a&e/ even $ootsteps outside or on the $loor above Peoplespend their hole lives tuning out these sounds in everyday li$e/ but i$ any one ere #issing in a $il#/audien&es ould noti&e i##ediately At the sa#e ti#e/ i$ any one o$ these ele#ents appeared in a $il# at alevel loud enough to overshado the others/ audien&es ould noti&e that/ too/ and they d thin5 it as areally annoying #ista5e

8ayering audio in the !i#eline is si#ilar to layering visual ele#ents in a &o#posite se=uen&e In these=uen&e in "igure 14-1/ audio ele#ents are pla&ed on di$$erent tra&5s so they &an be ad@ustedindependently Dialog ele#ents are pla&ed on tra&5s A1 and A* (oo# tone/ or the a#bient sound o$ theroo#/ is pla&ed on A3 and A Spe&i$i& sounds that have been re&orded separately and are being added toaug#ent part o$ the sound design are added to tra&5s A and A2 Be&ause the re&ordings in this illustrationare all stereo audio &lips/ ea&h one ta5es up t o tra&5s

Figure )$ . 5ayering audio in the imeline.

!he layering o$ the &lips in this e'a#ple $ollo s an a&&epted pattern Dialog &lips are generally pla&ed inthe $irst t o tra&5s/ hile #usi& and e$$e&ts are pla&ed on additional tra&5s 5no n/ appropriately/ as the and ) tra&5s and ) stands $or #usi& and e$$e&tsE !his arrange#ent be&o#es espe&ially help$ul i$ youde&ide to &reate a $oreign language version o$ a pro@e&t: i$ all the dialog and voi&e over are on the $irst ttra&5s/ you &an si#ply repla&e the #aterial on tra&5s A1 and A* and 5eep the rest o$ your sound designinta&t









Be&ause the orld &ontains #ultiple layers o$ sound audible to a listener at any ti#e/ &reating a goodsoundtra&5 $or a $il# re=uires using #ultiple re&ordings and layering the# together I#agine you re in a&lassroo#/ and as a tea&her e'plains a &on&ept to the &lass/ she rites on the board !hin5 about the soundsin the roo# at that ti#e: in addition to a#bient sound also 5no n as roo# tone/ hi&h in&ludes things li5ethe bu o$ lighting $i'tures and the sound o$ stea# heat &o#ing through a radiatorE/ you d hear the soundo$ the tea&her s voi&e and/ o$ &ourse/ the sound o$ the &hal5 #a5ing &onta&t ith the bla&5board

!he toughest &hallenge arises hen &apturing the sound/ be&ause a good re&ording o$ any one soundele#ent probably on t yield a good re&ording o$ the other a#bient sounds "or e'a#ple/ a good re&ordingo$ the tea&her s voi&e ould position the pi&5-up pattern o$ a #i&rophone to $o&us on the tea&her s spee&and ignore the other sounds in the roo# see Chapter <E As a result/ i$ this ere the only re&ording you#ade/ you ould have a great tra&5 o$ the tea&her spea5ing/ but you ould lose the other ele#ents in theroo#/ and hether the audien&e noti&ed on a &ons&ious level or not/ the s&ene @ust ouldn t sound or $eright 8i5e ise/ i$ you positioned the #i&rophone to re&ord the a#bient sound o$ the roo# along ith the&hal5 sound and the tea&her s voi&e all at the sa#e ti#e/ the audio =uality o$ all three ele#ents ould beredu&ed to a point that audien&es ould also noti&e !he 5ey is to re&ord ea&h ele#ent separately/ and thento layer the re&ordings in the !i#eline o$ your se=uen&e

8ayering audio enables you to pla&e ea&h ele#ent e'a&tly here you $eel it or5s best ust as pla&ing the

visual ele#ents in a &o#posite se=uen&e on di$$erent layers allo s you to position ea&h one independently/ pla&ing audio ele#ents on separate tra&5s a$$ords you &o#plete and #u&h-needed &ontrol ;sing #ultipleaudio tra&5s enables you to pla&e ea&h sound e'a&tly here you ant it and separately ad@ust the volu#elevel o$ ea&h &lip Positioning audio &lips and $ine-tuning audio levels are both addressed in detail inChapter 1< E It #ay see# both odd and tedious to re&ord all these ele#ents separately/ only to &o#binethe# at a later stage in postprodu&tion/ but it s orth it7espe&ially hen you hear the audien&e ooh andahh over your or5

SID>/8R 5ayering 8udio in ouch o >3il

>ood soundtra&5s are layered to &reate a #ulti$a&eted &o#position/ and that in&ludes goodsoundtra&5s that use #usi& ,alter ur&h layers #usi& ith other sounds in a nu#ber o$ $il#s/and he also uses a te&hni=ue in hi&h he layers di$$erent re&ordings o$ the sa#e song into ase=uen&e

In the opening o$ !ou&h o$ )vil/ the $il# s star/ Charlton +eston/ drives through to n in a&onvertible listening to a song on the &ar s radio In ur&h s version/ the song really sounds li5eit s being played on a &ar radio !his #ight see# li5e a s#all $eat/ but i$ a song ere si#plyadded to the soundtra&5 o$ a se=uen&e/ it ouldn t #at&h the a#bient =uality o$ the &lips aroundit )ven i$ the song had been layered together ith a#bient sound re&orded on lo&ation/ the song

ould still sound li5e the O&leanO produ&t o$ a re&oding studio and ouldn t sound li5e it belonged ith the audio re&orded on lo&ation

A&&ording to a 1??< arti&le in the S" ,ee5ly by i&hael Srago / ur&h &a#e a&rossinstru&tions $ro# ,elles that the #usi& $or !ou&h o$ )vil should be played through the type o$spea5ers his &hara&ters used in the $il#/ and then re-re&orded $or the $il# s soundtra&5 to produ&e greater realis# !he arti&le =uotes ,elles as riting/ O!o get the e$$e&t e re loo5ing$or/ it s absolutely vital that this #usi& be played ba&5 through a &heap horn in the alley outsidethe sound building O !he te&hni=ue ,elles des&ribes is si#ilar to a te&hni=ue ur&h had alreadyused in a nu#ber o$ $il#s

OI as dissatis$ied ith ho I heard #usi& that as supposed to be &o#ing $ro# a s&ene/Our&h told the S" ,ee5ly (ather than ele&troni&ally pro&essing a &lean re&ording to add e&hoes








and other $au' i#per$e&tions/ ur&h ould a&tually re&ord the song in its intended environ#entOI ould @ust play it in a roo#/ and re&ord it ith another tape re&order/ so it ould have thesound o$ a radio or a re&ord player in that roo# O ur&h ould then add both the &lean re&ordingand his re-re&orded version to the se=uen&e/ and #i' the# together to $or# a layered&o#position !his also allo ed hi# to add other environ#ental sounds to the audio o$ a s&ene to&reate a deeply te'tured listening e'perien&e

SID>/8R Sound +ers ecti3e, 6elico ters, and -agner

6ne o$ the #ost #e#orable se=uen&es in Apo&alypse No is the Air Cavalry atta&5 led by(obert Duvall As the heli&opters approa&h the target/ Duvall plays a ,agner opera through a seto$ loudspea5ers #ounted to the outside o$ his heli&opter

Not only is the #usi& per$e&tly suited to the a&tion7a rousingly aggressive opera #a5es thei#pending atta&5 that #u&h #ore po er$ul and e'&iting to the audien&e7but ur&h also &learlyta5es great &are to &hange the sound perspe&tive to #at&h di$$erent shots In $il#/ audio has a perspe&tive @ust li5e visuals ,hen sound is re&orded up &lose/ it sounds louder and &learer,hen sound is re&orded $ro# $arther a ay/ it be&o#es less &lear and other audio &an be heardalong ith it I$ the a&tion on s&reen &hanges $ro# a panora#i& ide shot to a tight &lose-up/ thesound perspe&tive should &hange along ith it to #aintain realis#

ur&h uses a variety o$ sound perspe&tives to a&&o#pany the a&tion as Coppola &uts $ro# shotsinside the heli&opters to a series o$ ide shots sho ing the heli&opters in a $earso#e andso#eho beauti$ulE $or#ation/ and then ba&5 inside the heli&opters again Although the perspe&tive &hanges and the sound design in&orporates other ele#ents/ su&h as the #etalli& &li&5o$ a##unition being loaded into guns and the thundering engines o$ #ultiple air&ra$t $lyingtogether/ the ,agner s&ore never loses its rhyth# even though ur&h &uts bet een #ultipleversions o$ the re&ording to vary the perspe&tive/ he never $alls o$$ beat

!he s&ene builds in visual and #usi&al intensity/ until suddenly/ the audien&e $inds itsel$ loo5ingat a pea&e$ul and =uiet village s&ene )verything is =uiet and still in the early #orning/ until ehear the heli&opters approa&hing/ and an e&hoing opera $ills the air $ro# $ar a ay Coppola then&uts sharply ba&5 to the heli&opters $lying in over the ater/ ,agner at $ull volu#e and &lose up

As the battle builds/ the sound design in&orporates a &li#a&ti& se&tion o$ the opera s&ore/ alongith e'plosions/ gun$ire/ radio &hatter/ and the &ries o$ ounded soldiers ;nli5e the opening

se=uen&e o$ the $il#/ hi&h intentionally #ini#i ed the &onne&tion bet een the sound designand the a&tion on s&reen/ this se=uen&e uses hyper-realisti& audio to bring the audien&e into the$il#/ #a5ing the visuals see# even larger/ #ore intense/ and terri$ying

).!. Re lacing Missing or +oorly Recorded 8udio

!he best ay to ensure a good sound design $or your pro@e&t is to #a5e sure you re&ord good audio $ro#the start !here are ti#es hen you ll need to $abri&ate audio to #at&h visuals in a pro@e&t that don t e'ist inreal li$e/ $or e'a#ple/ laser gun blasts or spa&eship engines !here are also ti#es hen you ll need to addsound to strengthen the audio in a se=uen&e/ $or e'a#ple/ adding $ootsteps or the et thud o$ a pun&hsolidly &onne&ting ith its target !his 5ind o$ sound addition is easily #anageable through the art o$ "oleysound re&reation/ e'plored later in this se&tion .ou #ay also need to re&ord and add voi&e over narration toa se=uen&e/ hi&h is also a reasonably straight$or ard pro&ess &overed in this se&tion



(epla&ing dialog/ ho ever/ is a #u&h #ore &o#pli&ated business Creating a single isolated sound andadding it to the appropriate part o$ a shot/ so it loo5s li5e an organi& part o$ a $il#/ is $airly si#ple: loo5 $orthe $irst $ra#e in hi&h the a&tion o&&urs $or e'a#ple/ the previously #entioned $ist &onne&ting ith anopponent s body partE/ and then line up the start o$ your sound e$$e&t ith the appropriate $ra#e o$ a&tion inthe video tra&5 ,hen the se=uen&e is played ba&5/ the sound begins in ti#e ith the pi&ture 6n-&a#eradialog is #u&h #ore di$$i&ult to repla&e/ be&ause the sounds have to #at&h the lip #ove#ents o$ the personspea5ing A single thud is $airly easy to #at&h ith a single pun&h at&hing $ull lines o$ dialog ith a person s lip #ove#ents is #u&h #ore &o#ple' Syn&ing up separately re&orded i#ages and sound is&overed in Chapter </ and pla&ing audio ele#ents in the right spot is &overed in Chapter 1<E

People don t spea5 at a &onstant rate )ven i$ a person spends &onsiderable ti#e learning e'a&t lines o$dialog/ he is unli5ely to repeat the line at e'a&tly the sa#e speed in a subse=uent ta5e !he less e'perien&edan a&tor is/ the less li5ely he is to #at&h the ti#ing o$ a line s delivery So#e people are OnaturalsO at this/and so#e seasoned a&tors still have to do #any ta5es to get it right I$ you $ind that the original dialogyou ve re&orded in a shot needs to be redone/ the ti#ing o$ the repla&e#ent line be&o#es espe&iallyi#portant/ be&ause it needs to $it the lip #ove#ents in your shot I$ it doesn t #at&h e'a&tly/ people noti&eAnd i$ it s o$$/ it s #ore noti&eable the &loser the shot is/ and the longer the shot lasts

1#.2.1.1. uto(ated dialog replace(ent

6ver ti#e/ $il##a5ers have developed a syste# $or repla&ing dialog ithout &reating a pro@e&t thatrese#bles a badly dubbed #artial arts $il# or spaghetti estern produ&tion &osts are &heaper in Italy/ sodire&tors li5e Sergio 8enone $il#ed so#e &lassi& ,esterns there using a&tors ho spo5e no )nglish andlater dubbed in lines o$ )nglish dialogE

!he pro&ess o$ sea#lessly repla&ing dialog is &alled auto#ated dialog repla&e#ent/ or AD( also &alledOloopingOE/ and it s not easy An a&tor in a re&ording studio at&hes the &lip &ontaining the dialog she nto repla&e/ and re-ta5es the line hile at&hing hersel$ in the &lip Be&ause a&tors vary the ti#ing in theirdelivery o$ a line/ the &lip plays in a loop as the a&tor tries repeated ta5es to deliver a &lean re&ording that

or5s ith the visual $ootage A s5illed a&tor &an #at&h her o n delivery/ but it ta5es great patien&e and a$air a#ount o$ #oney AD( $a&ilities are not &heap: they bill by the hour/ and as you &an i#agine/ the &ostsadd up =ui&5ly A day or t o o$ AD( is usually $a&tored into the &ontra&t o$ a +olly ood a&tor !hey are

paid e'tra only i$ it goes over EI$ you do $ind yoursel$ re&ording AD(/ save all the ta5es you &an de&ide later hi&h to go ithE and donstop re&ording until you 5no you ve got e'a&tly hat you ant I$ you re going through all the trouble tore&ord repla&e#ent dialog/ don t &o#pro#ise by settling $or so#ething you re not entirely happy ith,hether you build your o n $a&ility or rent ti#e at so#eone else s/ an AD( session is orth hile only i$you don t have to in&lude $la ed audio in your $inished produ&t "or suggestions on ays you &an re&ord&lean audio to begin ith/ avoiding the need $or AD(/ seeChapter < !he &hapter also &ontains a se&tion&alled OSyn&ing non-ti#e-&ode audioO ith tips on syn&ing separately re&orded audio and pi&ture E

Note: So#eti#es AD( is si#ply unavoidable u&h o$ the dialog o$ the $il# aster and Co##ander: !he"ar Side o$ the ,orld as re&orded using radio #i&rophones/ and Dire&tor Peter ,eir as =uoted by

illi#eter #aga ine as saying the devi&es did not $air ell in et &onditions this &reated parti&ular proble#s in a $il# set on an o&eangoing shipE OQ!he #i&rophonesR didn t respond that ell to hu#idity or

ater/ so so#eti#es you only got hal$ o$ the ords/ and even then you &ould only hear one or t o over thedin O !o re&reate the lost dialog/ ,eir and his &re set up large-s&ale AD( sessions ith tea#s o$ a&tors onthe set or5ing together O,e had these loop groups o$ 1* in )ngland/ and e d have the# &ho5ing ea&hother and $ighting to get the #ayhe# e needed O













Adding narration to a pro@e&t is &learly #u&h easier than adding dialog Sin&e the sound re&ording doesnneed to #at&h an e'a&t visual &ue on s&reen/ you have #u&h #ore latitude than hen you re atte#pting to#at&h the lip #ove#ents o$ an a&tor s dialog !here are a nu#ber o$ di$$erent approa&hes you &an e#ploy/and all entail &reating a &lean voi&e over re&ording and blending it ith good a#bient sound

Note: I$ you pla&e the #onitor in a roo# apart $ro# other &o#puter e=uip#ent/ espe&ially a ay $ro# noisyhard drives/ you ll be able to re&ord repla&e#ent dialog ithout &apturing your &o#puter s operatingsounds So#e engineers build a soundproo$ &loset to house their &o#puter e=uip#ent I or5ed ith oneengineer ho si#ply #oved his hard drive to another roo# and pun&hed a hole in the all to run the &ablesthrough ,hi&hever route you ta5e/ $lat s&reen #onitors are very =uiet/ unli5e traditional C(! &athode raytubeE #onitors/ hi&h are very noisy/ so $lat s&reens #a5e a better &hoi&e $or AD( use

1#.2.2.1. !he i(portance o) a clear narration recording

%oi&e over/ or %6/ is re&orded narration that the audien&e hears ithout seeing the person ho s spea5ingIt 5ind o$ $eels li5e so#eone is telling you a story ,hen you re&ord voi&e over/ hether it s narration $ro#the point o$ vie o$ a $il##a5er or one o$ the &hara&ters in a pro@e&t/ you &an #a5e the &lip #u&h easier to

or5 ith by ensuring there s no ba&5ground sound I$ you &reate a &lean voi&e over re&ording/ you &aneasily add the narration to the e'isting sound design o$ a se=uen&e/ and its presen&e ill sound natural tothe audien&e I$ instead/ your narration re&ording &ontains ba&5ground sound su&h as a non-#at&hing roo#tone or a #e&hani&al proble# li5e a 20-&y&le hu# due to ele&tri&al inter$eren&e or tape hiss that &o#es$ro# an analog re&ording devi&e/ the additional sound ele#ents &an @olt your audien&e out o$ the #o#ent/shi$ting their attention to the &hange in a#bient sound and a ay $ro# your narration and your story

6ne ay to &on&eptuali e this idea is to &o#pare narration re&orded in a =uiet spa&e to a graphi& ele#ent&reated on a transparent ba&5ground/ and to &o#pare narration re&orded ith ba&5ground noise to a graphi&on a rando# or visually busy ba&5ground ,hen you add a graphi& on a transparent ba&5ground/ it doesn tdistort the #aterial around it/ everything else sho s through the transparent area undisturbed 8i5e ise/ a&lean voi&e over re&ording allo s the a#bient sound o$ a se=uen&e to play behind it/ undisturbed In&ontrast/ i$ you ere to add narration audio that &ontained signi$i&ant a#bient sound/ it ould obs&ure or&olor the other audio in the se=uen&e @ust li5e adding a layer o$ busy visuals inter$eres ith the audien&e svie o$ everything else

1#.2.2.2. *))ecti'ely "lending a("ient sound under 'oice o'er

Audien&es have &o#e to e'pe&t great audio along ith the &o#pelling i#ages sho n to the# I$ you have ba&5ground sound throughout your $il#/ but the a#bien&e suddenly drops out to a&&o##odate yournarration/ the la&5 o$ a#bien&e ill li5ely @ar your audien&e out o$ the story and ill probably $eel li5e a#ista5e

I$ you have a#bient sound that you re&orded along ith your i#ages/ you &an play the a#bien&e in the ba&5ground to ease the transition into and out o$ the voi&e over se=uen&e "or e'a#ple/ i$ you ere&reating a do&u#entary about tra$$i& proble#s in Ne .or5 City/ you &ould sho the audien&e a shot o$stalled tra$$i& and use the a&&o#panying audio you re&orded along ith the shot .ou &ould then $ade thetra$$i& sound do n to a lo er/ but still audible/ level/ and layer your voi&e over on top o$ it By lo eringthe a#bient sound to a level here it doesn t &o#pete ith your voi&e over/ but not eli#inating the a#bientsound entirely/ you ease the transition into and out o$ the narration At the end o$ the voi&e over/ you &ouldthen $ade the a#bien&e ba&5 up to $ull volu#e/ sea#lessly integrating the voi&e over into your &lip

Note: !his is not to say you &an never have a se&tion o$ $il# ithout any sound A 8etter !o !rue/ a poeti&#editation on the $ragility o$ li$e by $il##a5er and $ashion photographer Bru&e ,eber/ and Notre usi=ue/



the latest $il# by ean-8u& >odard/ both begin ith &o#plete silen&e and ea&h one literally brought #e tothe edge o$ #y seat ondering hy there as no sound !his is no a&&ident ,eber is an elegant storyteller/and >odard helped &reate the "ren&h Ne ,ave o$ $il# hen he released Breathless U Bout de Sou$$lFE in1?20 Both dire&tors &learly understand that an une'pe&ted absen&e o$ sound &an be @ust as arresting as th#ost po er$ul sound e$$e&t

%ery o$ten/ a dire&tor ill at&h an edited se=uen&e and de&ide that the audio @ust doesn t &arry the eighe is loo5ing $or aterial shot in the $ield #ight be #issing a &ru&ial sound ele#ent/ or #ight &ontainaudio that doesn t deliver the e$$e&t the dire&tor has in #ind At this point/ $il##a5ers turn to "oley artists

A "oley artist &reates sound to $it a&tions in a seg#ent o$ $il# or video "oley &reation entails re&ordingaudio that sounds li5e it #at&hes hat the audien&e sees on s&reen/ and then editing that sound into ase=uen&e so it $eels organi& A "oley artist or5s on a stage ith a range o$ $loor sur$a&es and props A"oley stage also &ontains a #onitor #u&h li5e an AD( $a&ilityE so the "oley artist &an or5 at &reatingsounds hile at&hing the $ootage "oley artists are &o##only e#ployed to &reate dra#ati& sounds li5e bro5en glass hen glass brea5s in real li$e it o$ten doesn t sound that interestingE/ gunshots/ and otherdyna#i& audio ele#ents "oley is also used to #a5e us hear sounds that in real li$e are #inor oroverloo5ed/ li5e the rustling o$ &lothing

Ironi&ally/ audien&es have gotten so used to "oley sound that non-aug#ent-ed re&ordings no longer soundOrealO enough to satis$y the dis&erning ears o$ the $il# orld !he a&tual audio Odoesn t sound as real asyou d ant it to/O a&&ording to !ony )&5ert ho #i'ed "oley sound $or Star ,ars )pisode I As a result/ hesays on the $il# s eb site/ Othe artist #ust $ind a #ore suitable ob@e&tO to &reate the sound

1#.2.3.1. Footsteps

6ne o$ the #ost $re=uent tas5s $or a "oley re&ordist is the re&reation o$ $ootsteps ;sing a $loor sur$a&e&hosen to #at&h the a#bien&e o$ a s&ene/ a "oley artist steps in ti#e ith the i#ages on s&reen and re&ordsthe sound A "oley stage &o##only &ontains areas o$ &on&rete/ ood/ tile/ gravel/ and other sur$a&es to $it variety o$ situations !he "oley artist also varies her $oot ear to &reate an appropriate sound see OCyborgs/laser blasts/ and tall shipsO later in this &hapterE

!o &reate the sound o$ $ootsteps in sno / "oley artists so#eti#es re&ord the#selves s=uee ing $ive-pound bags o$ sugar in ti#e ith an a&tor s $oot$alls !he &run&h o$ a bag o$ sugar/ espe&ially po dered sugar/sounds re#ar5ably li5e $ootsteps in sno 7try it out ne't ti#e you re in the super#ar5et .ears ago I aslistening to the Steve Allen radio sho / and he des&ribed or5ing ith a ne assistant Allen as5ed theassistant to get so#e bags o$ sugar ready so he &ould re&ord so#e $ootsteps/ hen he entered the studio/ hedis&overed the assistant had poured the bags o$ sugar onto the $loor so he &ould step on the &ontents E

Note: %arious &o#panies o$$er &o#pilations o$ re&orded e$$e&ts/ su&h as rain or ind/ that you &an pur&hand use in your or5 >enerally these re&ordings on t #at&h the a#bient =uality o$ other sound ele#entsin your se=uen&e/ but i$ you layer the# together ith additional audio ele#ents you ve re&orded/ you &an&reate so#e very ni&e a#bien&e

1#.2.3.2. $antaloupe and other (elons to si(ulate punches

,hen it &o#es ti#e to supple#ent the sound o$ a $ight s&ene/ "oley artists don t hit a&tual people/ insteadthey use #elons So#eho hitting thi&5 &uts o$ #eat or dense/ heavy $ruits su&h as &antaloupe produ&es asound un&o#$ortably si#ilar to a person getting hit Sound triggers deeply vis&eral responses in people/ andthe audio o$ a $ight s&ene &an be $ar #ore disturbing to audien&es than the visual depi&tions o$ violen&e on



a s&reen I have a $riend ho as o5ay ith at&hing the ons&reen bra ls in "ight Club/ but al#ost le$t thetheater be&ause she as so disturbed by the realisti& i#pa&t sounds that ent ith the#

1#.2.3.3. reak)ast (eat as rain

I on&e or5ed ith an un#otivated sound re&ordist ho anted to &apture the sound o$ rain/ so he stu&5

his #i&rophone out o$ a se&ond story indo on a rainy day +e as surprised to dis&over later that hedidn t get a good re&ording As his te&hni=ue de#onstrates/ the sound o$ rain doesn t &o#e $ro# drops$alling through the air !he sound o$ rain &o#es $ro# raindrops landing on a sur$a&e I helped #y &olleaguere&ord good rain sound by sitting in #y &ar and re&ording the sound o$ rain $alling on the &ar s roo$7it produ&ed e'&ellent results

I$ they &an t get outside during an a&tual rainstor#/ audio engineers so#eti#e si#ulate the sound o$ rain byre&ording the si le o$ ba&on 8istened to out o$ &onte't/ the ba&on si le sounds surprisingly li5e rain/ anvi&e versa I$ you get too #any grease-pop sounds it ruins the e$$e&t/ but other ise it or5s ni&ely

1#.2.3.4. $y"orgs5 laser "lasts5 and tall ships

As a &hild/ I as =uite ta5en ith Star ,ars/ as ere all #y se&ond grade &lass#ates I eagerly sa the#ovie several ti#es/ and attentively at&hed the O#a5ing o$O spe&ial on television/ hi&h provided #y $irstintrodu&tion to "oley sound 6ne o$ the greatest and #ost $unE &hallenges to a sound designer is &reatingaudio ele#ents $or ob@e&ts that don t e'ist/ su&h as the laser blasts in Star ,ars !he O#a5ing o$O spe&ial&ontained a se=uen&e e'plaining ho the sound had been &reated: e$$e&ts te&hni&ians stru&5 the guy ire an antenna to er ith a ha##er As you &an see/ ell over * years later/ I # still i#pressed

"oley sound o$ten &o#es $ro# rather #undane ele#ents put to i#aginative uses !o &reate the purpose$ul#etalli& $ootsteps o$ the !-1000/ Arnold S&h ar enegger s &yborg ne#esis in !er#inator */ "oley artistDennie !horpe ore boots $itted ith #etalli& soles !he sa#e "oley artist or5ed on Star ,ars )pisode Iand/ a&&ording to the $il# s eb site/ reali ed Othose #onstrous boots I used in !* ould or5 per$e&tlyO to&reate the sound o$ )pisode I s battle androids !o &reate the androids $ootstep sounds/ !horpe ore bootssoled ith brass/ hile another "oley artist ore a pair o$ boots ith steel soles

!he sound &re o$ aster and Co##ander re&orded #u&h o$ their "oley or5 on the sa#e repli&a shiphere the a&tion as $il#ed/ a&&ording to illi#eter #aga ine/ even ta5ing it out on days hen there ere

s#all-&ra$t arnings/ in order to get Ogreat thundering &rashes and aves s#ashing against the side o$ the boat O !he &re also rigged a #ast in the desert to re&ord sail sounds $ree o$ ba&5ground audio generated by the o&ean or the ship itsel$ !his as &learly a group dedi&ated to re&ording e'&ellent audio in $ull detail

SID>/8R he 2on3ersationA8udio hat Dra9s 8ttention to Itsel

In #ost $il#s/ audio is &are$ully engineered not to shi$t the audien&e s attention a ay $ro# thestory )ven in the opening or heli&opter atta&5 se=uen&es o$ Apo&alypse No / the audio is notdesigned as a $oreground ele#ent $or audien&es to ad#ire on its o n but rather to aug#ent the

po er o$ the i#ages on s&reen In !he Conversation/ ho ever/ audio ta5es &enter stage/ be&o#ing both a &entral ele#ent o$ the storyline and o$ the audien&e s vie ing e'perien&e

!he Conversation/ Coppola s 1?4 $il# about a pro$essional eavesdropper/ $ollo s a highlya&&o#plished audio surveillan&e e'pert/ played by >ene +a&5#an/ ho &o#es to =uestion hisresponsibility $or hat happens to the people he surreptitiously re&ords

!he $il# &enters on +a&5#an s e$$orts to re&ord the &onversation o$ a &ouple al5ing throughSan "ran&is&o s ;nion S=uare Par5 !he &ouple 5no s they re under surveillan&e and al5s in



&ir&les to #a5e it #ore di$$i&ult $or any potential eavesdroppers to $ollo the# +a&5#an s&hara&ter/ +arry Caul/ or&hestrates a &o#ple' net or5 o$ under&over audio engineers ho# he pla&es in strategi& lo&ations around the par5 t o use giant shotgun #i&s $itted ith teles&opi&sightsE )a&h re&ordist &aptures a di$$erent part o$ the &onversation as the &ouple #oves in andout o$ #i&rophone range/ and in a later se=uen&e/ +a&5#an syn&hroni es and layers there&ordings together to $or# a &o#pete pi&ture

!o dra#ati e the pro&ess o$ or5ing ith audio/ sound designer ,alter ur&h intentionallygarbles the sound in a nu#ber o$ se=uen&es so +a&5#an &an re$ine the audio ba&5 into &learlyintelligible dialog In #y $avorite Conversation se=uen&e/ +a&5#an plays the three separatere&ordings his agents have gathered/ ea&h on its o n 1G O reel to reel tape re&order/ and#anipulates their speeds so they play ba&5 in syn& As +a&5#an in&reases the speed o$ onere&ording and slo s do n another/ the sounds e&ho and overlap in response to his ad@ust#ents+is a&tions ons&reen i##ediately i#pa&t the &o#ple' sound design o$ the $il# to the point thatit sounds as i$ +a&5#an s &hara&ter is a&tually &reating and #anipulating the soundtra&5 o$ !heConversation hile the audien&e is at&hing

In a si#ilarly inventive se=uen&e/ +a&5#an uses a ho#e#ade e=uali er to $ilter out sound$re=uen&ies and de&ode a line o$ dialog &entral to the $il# s plot Be$ore +a&5#an uses hise=uali ation devi&e/ the audien&e hears the dialog only as unintelligible ele&troni& inter$eren&eAs he #a5es &are$ul ad@ust#ents on s&reen/ the audien&e hears the garbled audio evolve into aline o$ &lear dialog that &hanges the entire #eaning o$ the $il# As in the syn&hroni ationse=uen&e/ the transition $ro# proble#ati& audio to a &lear re&ording highlights @ust ho $la less#ovie audio generally is/ and it also de#onstrates ho #aster$ully ur&hhas intentionallydistorted and restored audio to dra#ati e the pro$essional &o#peten&e o$ +a&5#an s &hara&ter

In another se=uen&e/ one that I never truly appre&iated until I re- at&hed the $il# hile ritingthis &hapter/ +a&5#an plays the sa'ophone along ith a re&ord spinning on the stereo in hisapart#ent In true ,alter u&h $or#/ you &an &learly hear t o di$$erent audio perspe&tives: the&lose-up sound o$ +a&5#an s on-&a#era sa'ophone and the re-re&orded phonograph re&ord o$his a&&o#pani#ent see the sidebar/ O8ayering Audio in !ou&h o$ )vil/O earlier in this &hapterE!he attention to detail in this se=uen&e/ and throughout the $il#/ adds depth to +a&5#an s&hara&ter and the audien&e s understanding o$ the orld he lives in "ro# the sound o$ an eerierush o$ ind in an elevator to the #elodious tapping o$ type riter 5eys and the e&hoing ring o$&arriage returns hen s the last ti#e you heard that in a $il# E/ or the &li&5s and hirs o$ analogre&ording e=uip#ent/ this $il# s sound design doesn t #iss a beat

!o &reate battle sounds/ supervising sound editor (i&hard 9ing e#ployed in&reasingly a#bitiouste&hni=ues +e told illi#eter that he Ogot so#e &rossbo arro s and $ired those over #i&s/O then lo eredthe pit&h in postprodu&tion to &reate hat he &alled Othis very organi& sound O !o &reate Ovis&eralO i#pasounds/ &o#plete ith splintering ood/ they spent t o or three days $iring various pie&es o$ ood ith aslingshot7do els and &ut pie&es and @agged &hun5s and other ob@e&ts7over a #i&rophone

All this #ight sound li5e a lot o$ or5/ and it is/ but it results in a $il# that s orth at&hing +ero/ hi&h I#ention hen dis&ussing &olor inChapter 12/ #a5es a si#ilarly a#bitious use o$ audio: there s a s&ene inhi&h thousands o$ arriors si#ultaneously $ire arro s/ and it sounds li5e you &an hear ea&h one

!heaters are e=uipped ith in&reasingly po er$ul and re$ined sound syste#s/ and audien&es have &o#e toe'pe&t detailed/ and even thundering/ sound design ,hen your audien&e hears a ell-&ra$ted soundtra&5/they ll appre&iate it !his doesn t re=uire #oney/ @ust ingenuity and attention to detail





I al5ed out o$ +ero i#pressed that dire&tor hang .i#ou didn t overloo5 a single detail/ and thati#pression &o#es in large part $ro# his use o$ audio "ro# the arro sounds I #ention earlier to the per$e&tuse o$ #usi& in an opening $ight s&ene not to #ention the It ha5 Perl#an violin s&ore that holds the entiresound design togetherE/ +ero is a $il# that or5s on all levels !he ne't &hapter e'plores ays you &an usea #usi&al s&ore to aug#ent your sound design ithout over hel#ing the other audio ele#ents in your

or5 Chapter 1< also addresses the legal issues involved in using re&orded #usi&/ and introdu&es so$t aredesigned to help you &reate great #usi& $or your or5 ithout in&urring the rath o$ so#eone else sattorney

2ha ter . Sound Design, rom 1uts and /olts to Fine uning(e$ining the Natural Sound in .our Se=uen&eAdding usi& to .our "il#

!he i#ages in the #ain!itle se=uen&e you ve been or5ing on $or the last $e &hapters have no been&are$ully stru&tured and re$ined into a sophisti&ated/ highly polished visual &o#position !he audio o$ these=uen&e/ ho ever/ is still very basi& !here s no sound at all under the opening oo#/ or under the titlei#age/ and other than a very &ute a &appella nu#ber by 8u&a/ there s a distin&t absen&e o$ #usi&

As dis&ussed in detail inChapter 14/ a strong and e$$e&tive sound design has a tre#endous i#pa&t on anaudien&e s e'perien&e Aug#enting the sound in the #ain!itle se=uen&e and #olding it into a &are$ullylayered audio &o#position ill result in an in$initely #ore orth hile opening $or your $il#

!he $ollo ing e'er&ises al5 you through the $iner points o$ layering sounds/ adding #usi&/ using audio to bridge a transition $ro# one part o$ your $il# to another/ and &onstru&ting deli&ately balan&ed $ades to

eave individual sound ele#ents into a ell-&ra$ted and truly e$$e&tive sound #i'

. . Re ining the 1atural Sound in 7our Se=uence

As #entioned in Chapter 4/ 12 ## and 3 ## $il# don t re&ord audio Be$ore the introdu&tion o$ video&a#eras &apable o$ re&ording both pi&ture and sound onto a single tape/ i#ages and audio ere re&ordedseparately In so#e ays/ it &reated an added layer o$ te&hni&al &o#ple'ity $or instan&e/ an editor had t ore&ordings to or5 ith $or ea&h shot instead o$ @ust oneE/ but it also $reed $il##a5ers to i#aginatively&o#bine the sound $ro# one shot ith the visuals $ro# another 6ne e'a#ple o$ ho this is done is usingnatural sound to transition bet een visual ele#ents

Natural sound/ also re$erred to as a#bient sound/ is ba&5ground audio re&orded on lo&ation during yourshoot seeChapter 14 $or #ore detailsE ,hen e re&orded an intervie o$ 8u&a s #o#/ Deirdre/ 8u&a assinging in the ba&5ground (ather than as5ing hi# to stop a$ter all/ he s only t o years oldE/ e si#plyre&orded hi#

In the $ollo ing e'er&ise/ you use the ba&5ground audio o$ 8u&a singing to segue $ro# the #ain title i#ageto the intervie &lip in hi&h his #o# appears ons&reen $or the $irst ti#e In the opening se=uen&e you ve&onstru&ted so $ar/ the title i#age disappears $ro# the s&reen be$ore e hear any o$ the audio $ro# the ne't&lip Sliding the natural ba&5ground sound o$ the intervie &lip to an earlier part o$ the se=uen&e/ so that it

begins to play hile the title is still ons&reen/ ill &reate a s#oother transition

Note: !o $ollo along ith the e'er&ises in this &hapter using "inal Cut Pro:

1 Navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that shipped ith this boo5* Copy the entire Ch1< $older to your hard drive !he Ch1< $older &ontains $ive #usi& $iles you &an

use to &reate a #usi& bed $or your opening se=uen&e !he Ch1< $older also &ontains a re$eren&e

















$ile &h1< $&pE that &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the opening &o#posite se=uen&e &reated by$ollo ing the e'er&ises in this &hapter

3 6pen the "inal Cut Pro pro@e&t $ile you &reated in Chapter 12 or navigate to the Ch12 $older on theStart!o"inish D%D/ &opy the e'a#ple $ile na#ed &h12 $&p to your hard drive/ and then open it!he &h12 $&p $ile &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the se=uen&e &reated by $ollo ing the e'a#plesin Chapter 12

!o $ollo along ith the e'er&ises in this &hapter using A$ter )$$e&ts:1 Navigate to the )'er&ises $older on the Start!o"inish D%D that shipped ith this boo5* Copy the entire Ch1< $older to your hard drive !he Ch1< $older &ontains $ive #usi& $iles you &an

use to &reate a #usi& bed $or your opening se=uen&e !he Ch1< $older also &ontains an e'a#ple$ile &h1< aepE that &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the opening &o#posite se=uen&es &reated by$ollo ing the e'er&ises in this &hapter

3 6pen the A$ter )$$e&ts pro@e&t $ile you &reated inChapter 12 or navigate to the Ch12 $older on theStart!o"inish D%D/ &opy the e'a#ple $ile na#ed &h12 aep to your hard drive/ and then open it!he &h12 aep $ile &ontains a &o#plete version o$ the se=uen&e &reated by $ollo ing the e'a#plesin Chapter 12

!his e'er&ise sho s you ho to #ove the audio $ro# one &lip underneath the visuals o$ another in the "inalCut Pro !i#eline

1 Cli&5 the 8in5ed Sele&tion i&on in the top right o$ the !i#eline indo By de$ault/ the video andaudio o$ a &lip in the "inal Cut Pro !i#eline are lin5ed/ so &li&5ing one auto#ati&ally sele&ts both

,hen you &li&5 the i&on/ it &hanges $ro# green to bla&5 A green i&on #eans &li&5ing in the!i#eline ill sele&t related audio and video &lips together A bla&5 i&on indi&ates that yoursele&tions ill no longer be lin5ed/ #eaning you &an no sele&t a &lip s audio ithout sele&tingthe video and vi&e versaE

* ove the Playhead to 01:00:* 1* in the !i#eline you &an drag the Playhead or si#ply enter01:00:* 1* in the ti#e&ode $ield in the top-le$t &orner o$ the !i#elineE !his is the $irst $ra#e inthe &lip here an i#age appears Although e heard audio in the very $irst $ra#e o$ this &lip/ #ore
















than $our se&onds earlier/ the visuals don t start until this point

3 Cli&5 the head o$ the &lip on tra&5 %1 to sele&t it Be&ause the video and audio are no longerlin5ed/ "inal Cut Pro sele&ts the head o$ the video ithout sele&ting the a&&o#panying audio ontra&5s A1 and A*

Drag the head o$ the video &lip on tra&5 %1 to the Playhead s &urrent lo&ation !he video and audo$ the &lip no begin at di$$erent points in the !i#eline



Shi$t-&li&5 all the audio &lips on tra&5s A1 and A*/ and the se&ond hal$ o$ the intervie 01 #ov &on tra&5 %1 "inal Cut Pro sele&ts the &lips/ enabling you to #ove the# together

2 Drag the sele&ted &lips to the le$t in the !i#eline/ until the head o$ the &lip you shortened in step tou&hes the tail o$ the title i#age &lip on tra&5 %1

!he audio o$ 8u&a singing he s i#provised his o n tuneE no starts about hal$ ay through thetitle i#age &lip/ and provides an organi& transition to the ne't shot !his type o$ transition herethe video o$ a &lip &arries over into the audio o$ the up&o#ing &lip is &alled a -&ut/ be&ause theshape o$ the &lips in the !i#eline rese#bles a letter In &ases here the audio o$ a &lip &arriesover into the video o$ the up&o#ing &lip/ it s &alled an 8-&ut be&ause the shape o$ the &lips in the!i#eline rese#bles a letter 8 so#e people use the ter# 8-&ut to re$er to both 8-&uts and -&utsE

4 Save your or5

Note: .ou #ay need to render your se=uen&e be$ore you &an play it ba&5 I$ so/ $ollo the steps des&ribedin Chapter 11

!he transition you &reated in the last e'er&ise results in a #u&h s#oother se=uen&e Instead o$ a hard &ut$ro# one shot to the ne't/ the 8-&ut signals to the audien&e that a ne shot is &o#ing and eases the# intothe ne't set o$ visuals that appears ons&reen .ou &an #a5e the transition even s#oother by using5ey$ra#es to $ade in the audio as ell

!o use 5ey$ra#es to &reate an audio $ade in "inal Cut Pro:






1 Cli&5 the !oggle Clip 6verlays &ontrol at the botto# le$t o$ the !i#eline indo "inal Cutdisplays the 5ey$ra#e overlays $or the video and audio &lips in your se=uen&e !he audio5ey$ra#e overlay appears as a thin pin5 line that runs through ea&h o$ your audio &lips

ust as you used 5ey$ra#es and the 6pa&ity &ontrol to $ade a still i#age o$ 8u&a s $a&e onto thes&reen in Chapter 1 / you use 5ey$ra#es and the audio 5ey$ra#e overlay in this e'er&ise to $adeaudio into your sound design

* ove the Playhead to 1:00:1< 1</ hi&h is three se&onds a$ter 8u&a s song $irst appears in the!i#eline

3 6ption-&li&5 the point here the Playhead interse&ts the audio 5ey$ra#e overlay on either tra&5A1 or A* "inal Cut Pro adds an audio 5ey$ra#e to both audio tra&5s be&ause the &lip on tra&5sA1 and A* &ontains stereo audio/ the &hanges you #a5e to one tra&5 auto#ati&ally apply to bothE

6ption-&li&5 the &lip s audio 5ey$ra#e overlay at a slightly earlier point in the !i#eline "inal CutPro &reates a ne 5ey$ra#e on both tra&5s

Drag the audio 5ey$ra#e you added in step $our to the botto# o$ the tra&5/ and then drag it to the$irst $ra#e o$ the &lip Pla&ing a 5ey$ra#e at its lo est possible point in the $irst $ra#e o$ the &lipsilen&es the audio at the head o$ the &lip "inal Cut Pro gently $ades the audio up until it rea&hes its







$ull volu#e in the se&ond 5ey$ra#e three se&onds later

2 Play the se=uen&e to previe your &o#pleted transition 8u&a s singing no $ades in s#oothlyhile the title i#age is still ons&reen/ and the audio o$ the intervie 01 #ov &lip begins playing at

$ull volu#e be$ore Deirdre starts ans ering =uestions in her re&orded intervie

!he series o$ s#all audio ad@ust#ents you #ade in this e'er&ise and the previous e'er&ise result ina #u&h stronger and #u&h #ore &ohesive opening se=uen&e Ni&e @ob

4 Save your or5

SID>/8R -orking 9ith 8udio -a3e orms

As you re$ine your sound design/ you #ay $ind it help$ul to display audio ave$or#s in the!i#eline As des&ribed in Chapter </ an audio ave$or# is a graphi&al representation o$ are&orded sound7the pea5s in a ave$or# represent the loudest parts/ the $lat areas represent the=uiet parts ,or5ing ith audio ave$or#s provides you ith visual re$eren&e points in yoursound $iles/ as ell as auditory &ues

1 !o display audio ave$or#s in the "inal Cut Pro !i#eline/ press the Co##and/ 6ption/and , 5eys at the sa#e ti#e "inal Cut Pro displays the audio ave$or#s $or all theaudio tra&5s in your !i#eline

* I$ you have your tra&5 height set to the s#allest possible si e/ "inal Cut ill not displayaudio ave$or#s "or #ore on ad@usting tra&5 height in your !i#eline/ see OInsertingadditional audio tra&5s in "inal Cut Pro/ and layering #usi& ele#entsO later in this&hapter E

!o display the audio ave$or# $or a layer in the A$ter )$$e&ts !i#eline:

1 Cli&5 the layer s t irl-do n i&on in the !i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts displays the Audio&ontrols $or the sele&ted layer

* Cli&5 the Audio t irl-do n i&on A$ter )$$e&ts displays the ,ave$or# &ontrols $or thatlayer

3 Cli&5 the ,ave$or# t irl-do n i&on A$ter )$$e&ts displays the audio ave$or#s $orthe layer you have sele&ted







Note: Depending on the spe&i$i&s o$ your pro@e&t/ you &ould use a re&ording o$ roo# tone hi&h is si#pthe re&orded ba&5ground sound o$ a roo#E to segue into and out o$ audio re&orded in a noisy environ#ent!his &ould in&lude an o$$i&e ith a loud air &onditioner or a restaurant ith a large &ro d o$ people tal5ingin the ba&5ground Pla&ing a &lip o$ roo# tone on a separate audio tra&5 and then $ading it in or out &reatesa gentle transition bet een a &lip ith a noisy ba&5ground and &lips re&orded in #ore =uiet environ#ents

A$ter )$$e&ts or5s di$$erently ith &lips in the !i#eline than "inal Cut Pro A$ter )$$e&ts auto#ati&ally pla&es ea&h &lip on a separate layer in the !i#eline/ as opposed to "inal Cut Pro/ hi&h pla&es &lips on thesa#e tra&5 unless an editor spe&i$ies other ise Be&ause A$ter )$$e&ts pla&es ea&h &lip on its o n layer/sliding one &lip under another be&o#es a #ore straight$or ard pro&ess

!his e'er&ise sho s you ho to slide one &lip underneath another in A$ter )$$e&ts/ and ho to position ite'a&tly here you ant it

1 Pla&e the Current !i#e Indi&ator at the $irst $ra#e in the intervie 01 #ov &lip that &ontains ani#age o$ 8u&a leaning against a red pillo



* Cli&5 the intervie 01 #ov &lip on layer in the !i#eline to sele&t it

3 Sele&t 8ayer Add ar5er

A$ter )$$e&ts adds a #ar5er to the &lip at the Current !i#e Indi&ator s present lo&ation In the$ollo ing steps/ you ll reposition the &lip to begin playing 8u&a s audio underneath the i#age o$the #ain title Adding a #ar5er to the &lip in the $ra#e here 8u&a s $a&e $irst appears helps you to5eep tra&5 o$ the $ra#e s position in the !i#eline as you slide the &lip ba&5 and $orth

Shi$t-&li&5 the se&ond hal$ o$ the intervie 01 #ov &lip on layer E so that both are sele&ted 6 both &lips are sele&ted/ hen you #ove one &lip in the !i#eline the other &lip ill #ove along

ith it

Drag the &lips to the le$t/ so that the #ar5er you added to the &lip on layer appears @ust a$ter theend o$ the #ain title i#age &lips on layers 1 and *



!he audio o$ 8u&a s i#provised tune no starts about hal$ ay through the title i#age &lip/ and provides an organi& transition to the ne't shot

2 Save your or5

Note: Be$ore you &an play your &o#position to see the &hanges you ve #ade/ you ll need to render youror5 or previe it using the steps des&ribed inChapter 11

!he transition you &reated in the last e'er&ises results in a #u&h s#oother transition $ro# one shot to thene't .ou &an #a5e the &ut even s#oother by using 5ey$ra#es to $ade 8u&a s song up to $ull volu#e $ro#silen&e

!o use 5ey$ra#es to &reate an audio $ade in A$ter )$$e&ts:

1 ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator about three se&onds to the right o$ the head o$ the &lip on layer * Cli&5 the t irl-do n i&on to the le$t o$ layer $ive in the !i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts opens the &ontrols

$or layer

3 Cli&5 the Audio t irl-do n i&on to a&&ess the Audio 8evels &ontrolsCli&5 the Stop at&h i&on $or the Audio 8evels &ontrols A$ter )$$e&ts adds an audio 5ey$ra#e to

the &lip at the Current !i#e Indi&ator s lo&ation





ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the head o$ the &lip

2 Cli&5 in the Audio 8evels &ontrol s nu#eri& $ield/ enterL* / and press return on your 5eyboarda&E or )nter PCE A$ter )$$e&ts lo ers the volu#e level o$ the &lip by * de&ibels dBE/ #a5in

the head o$ the &lip silent !he volu#e level then rises evenly until it rea&hes $ull volu#e at the5ey$ra#e you added in step $our

.ou ve &reated a very elegant transition e$$e&t in hi&h 8u&a s singing appears under the #ain titlei#age and gently $ades up to $ull volu#e be$ore the visuals $ro# the ne't shot appear on s&reen

4 Save your or5

.!. 8dding Music to 7our Film

8ate one night hile at&hing +B6/ I sa a great short $il#/ OSlo- o/O in hi&h a pro&rastinating youngriter gets stu&5 in slo #otion as the orld speeds out o$ &ontrol around hi# !he $il# as produ&ed as a

graduate thesis pro@e&t at Ne .or5 ;niversity s !is&h S&hool o$ the Arts/ and uses a nu#ber o$ ingeniousdevi&es to &reate #otion e$$e&ts ithout a #a##oth budget

!o #a5e the protagonist appear visually out o$ pa&e ith the rest o$ the orld/ the $il##a5ers shot hi##oving very slo ly through &ro ds o$ people ho ere al5ing at regular speed ,hen they play the$ootage ba&5 at high speed in various parts o$ the $il#/ the #ain &hara&ter appears to #ove regularly hile people $ly past !o &o#plete the e$$e&t/ hen the protagonist as in slo #ode/ the $il##a5ers sped up the$il# s the#e song OCan .ou >et to !hatO by "un5adeli&E and played the song at nor#al speed hen he asin-step ith those around hi# Playing the song at a te#po =ui&5er than originally re&orded #at&hes thevisual e$$e&t o$ people ipping through the $ra#e/ and interestingly enough/ the song still sounds &ool

!he &lever use o$ #usi& in OSlo- oO provides a natural ay to open the se&tion o$ this boo5 that e'ploresadding #usi& to your $il#7the song &o#ple#ents the story and the a&tion ons&reen/ resulting in a truly#e#orable e'perien&e $or the audien&e As you &an see/ the $il##a5er s use o$ the song as #e#orableenough $or #e that I # riting about it several #onths later Coin&identally/ as I started the $irst dra$t o$ this&hapter/ I stopped into #y $avorite lo&al &a$F to get an i&ed &o$$ee/ and the guys behind the &ounter ere playing OCan .ou >et to !hat O I$ you &an believe it/ hen I ent ba&5 to the sa#e &a$F last night a$terrevising a later version o$ this &hapter/ they ere playing the song again Apparently/ OCan .ou >et to !hatOis destined to be a part o$ #y li$e/ or/ at the very least/ a highlight o$ this &hapter E

SID>/8R -hy 7ou 2an't 4se a Song -ithout +ermission

So#e $il##a5ers try to &ut &orners by si#ply &opying one o$ their $avorite songs $ro# a CD and pasting it into a se=uen&e/ hi&h is proble#ati& $or both aestheti& and legal reasons )ven i$ theaudien&e li5es the song as #u&h as the $il##a5er does/ hi&h is not al ays the &ase/ hen asong is the only ele#ent in a sound design it s unli5ely to provide a satis$ying e'perien&e $or the



vie er As dis&ussed in Chapter 14/ audien&es #ay $ind a se=uen&e in&o#plete i$ it la&5sa#bient sound/ and #usi& $ro# a CD ill rarely #at&h the audio perspe&tive o$ the visualsons&reen E

"ro# a legal standpoint/ using re&orded #usi& ithout $irst se&uring the rights is an espe&ially bad idea usi& is a $or# o$ intelle&tual property7so#eone &reated it/ and so#eone o ns it Asa result/ using #usi& ithout obtaining per#ission $ro# the person or &o#pany that o ns thesong #ay be vie ed as a $or# o$ the$t by a &ourt o$ la 6 ning a CD isn t the sa#e thing aso ning a song/ #usi& publishers #a5e a distin&tion bet een playing a song $or your en@oy#entat ho#e or in your &ar/ and using it in a #ovie usi& publishers also e#ploy large legal sta$$sto prote&t their o nership rights/ so this is an i#portant distin&tion E

9no ing this/ ine'perien&ed dire&tors and student $il##a5ers o$ten de&ide to use unli&ensed#usi& any ay/ assu#ing that $e people ill ever see their or5 so intelle&tual property rights

on t be an issue !his &reates a proble# in itsel$ ,hen a $il##a5er in&ludes #aterial shedoesn t have the rights to/ e'hibition venues #ay not sho the $il# "il# $estivals on t5no ingly a&&ept or5 that &ontains unauthori ed #aterial I$ a $estival publi&ly s&reened the

or5 to a paying audien&e/ the $estival organi ers &ould e'pose the#selves to legal proble#s Asa result/ #any $estival appli&ations re=uire dire&tors to sign a $or# stating they have the $ulllegal right to use all the #aterial in their $il#s/ in&luding #usi& Broad&ast and &able outlets/su&h as PBS and +B6/ ill si#ilarly not a&&ept or5 $ro# a dire&tor ho &an t provide rittendo&u#entation o$ per#ission to use the #usi& in his $il#

As you 5no $ro# your o n e$$orts so $ar/ &reating a good $il# is no easy tas57it ta5es atre#endous invest#ent o$ ti#e/ energy/ and #ore o$ten than not/ #oney So hy &reateso#ething no one ill ever see

!his &hapter &ontains t o sidebars that dis&uss alternatives to illegally using other people s#usi& in your $il# OCreating .our 6 n usi&O des&ribes audio produ&tion so$t are thatenables a $il##a5er to &reate her o n #usi&al a&&o#pani#ent/ even i$ she isn t a #usi&ianO6 nership and $air useO introdu&es the $air use do&trine/ hi&h enables people to use&opyrighted #aterial/ in very spe&i$i& &ir&u#stan&es/ ithout obtaining per#ission

2reating 7our O9n Music

6ne ay to avoid proble#s ith #usi& &opyrights is to &reate your o n Apple/ Adobe/ Sony/and other &o#panies #a5e so$t are you &an use to asse#ble prere&orded #usi& &lips/ &alledsa#ples or loops/ into &usto#-designed audio &o#positions )a&h appli&ation &o#es ith itso n &olle&tion o$ sa#ples/ and additional sa#ples are available $or pur&hase

• Apple #anu$a&tures t o a&based produ&ts Soundtra&5 Prohttp:GG apple &o#G$inal&utstudioGsoundtra&5proE and >arage Band hi&h ships as

part o$ the i8i$e suite o$ appli&ations/ http:GG apple &o#Gili$eGgaragebandGE I usedSoundtra&5 to &reate the #usi& &lips supplied ith this boo5

• Adobe sells Audition http:GG adobe &o#Gprodu&tsGauditionGovervie ht#lE/ aPCbased #usi&-&reation appli&ation designed to or5 ith A$ter )$$e&ts/ Pre#iere Pro/and Adobe )n&ore hi&h is a D%D authoring progra#

• Sony edia So$t are sells A&id usi& Studiohttp:GG#ediaso$t are sonypi&tures &o#Gprodu&tsGa&id$a#ily aspE/ hi&h it bills as the

Oper$e&t tool $or original song &reation/ and A&id Studio Pro/ hi&h o$$ers a greater




http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/


http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/overview.html

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/products/acidfamily.asp


http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro


http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/overview.html

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/products/acidfamily.asp



range o$ e$$e&ts Both produ&ts run only on the PC plat$or#

I$ you re a #usi&ian/ you #ay de&ide the best ay to &reate #usi& $or your $il# is to &o#poseand re&ord it yoursel$ I$ you have $riends ho are in a band/ you #ight de&ide to as5 the# $orhelp ith your #usi&al s&ore7@ust be sure they re not using anyone else s #usi&/ and get their per#ission in riting

.!. . 4sing music to enhance, and not o3er9helm, your sound design

A su&&ess$ul $il# s&ore is &losely tied to the tone o$ the pro@e&t7not @ust in ter#s o$ visual or e#otional&ontent/ but to the rhyth# and pa&ing o$ the edits and the transitions $ro# one shot to another >ood #usi&#at&hes/ i$ not $urthers/ the e#otional i#pa&t o$ a $il# Speeding up a song is $airly over the top/ but thenagain/ so is the entire pre#ise o$ OSlo- oO7 hen s the last ti#e so#eone you 5no got stu&5 in slo#otion By &hoosing a style o$ #usi&al a&&o#pani#ent that as as silly but still as ell e'e&utedE as thevisual @o5es in the $il#/ dire&tor ohn 9ro5idas added to the po er and i#pa&t o$ his or5

(ather than speeding up or slo ing do n a song/ $il##a5ers o$ten &ut the visuals in a se=uen&e to $it &uesin a song In the night&lub sedu&tion s&ene $ro# the * th +our #entioned inChapter 2 to dis&uss dollyshotsE/ Spi5e 8ee does a brilliant @ob o$ using #usi& to build dra#ati& tension !he intensity o$ the #usi& played by the &lub s D gro s as the se=uen&e builds to an ill-&on&eived 5iss bet een high s&hool tea&hePhillip Sey#our +o$$#an and his underage student )ditor Barry Ale'ander Bro n &uts shots o$ the dan&e$loor in ti#e ith the &y#bal &rashes in the #usi& and the rhyth#i& s&rat&hes added by the D By &uttingthe pi&ture to $it the #usi&/ he &reates a tight/ tension-$illed #o#ent

+o ever/ the #usi& doesn t overta5e the se=uen&e !here are other sounds $ro# the &lub #i'ed into thesoundtra&5/ and the #usi& is &are$ully &ontrolled to &reate a realisti& sound environ#ent "or e'a#ple/ the bass thu#ps at a lo volu#e in the ba&5ground hen +o$$#an is inside the &lub s bathroo# a 5 ardly5issing his student/ and the $ull/ loud song be&o#es &learly audible as he opens the door to leave As thes&ene &li#a'es/ the #usi& $ades a ay/ &learly signi$ying along ith a visual &hange in lo&ationE/ that the$il# has #oved on to a ne part o$ the story

)ven in the opening se=uen&e o$ Apo&alypse No (edu' des&ribed in detail in Chapter 14E here #usi&is &learly used as a $oreground ele#ent/ it s not the only sound the audien&e &an hear Coppola and ur&h$ade the #usi& in and out along ith other audio ele#ents/ su&h as &lose-up and $ar a ay heli&opterre&ordings/ to &reate a &o#plete sound design

Note: .ou &an &reate a si#ilar e$$e&t by using 5ey$ra#es to play a song at a lo volu#e under one shot andthen at $ull volu#e under another shot "or #ore detail on 5ey$ra#ing audio levels/ see O!ransitioning $ro#your opening the#e into the #ain audio o$ your $il#/ using "inal Cut ProO and O!ransitioning $ro# youropening the#e into the #ain audio o$ your $il#/ using A$ter )$$e&tsO 8ater in this &hapter

!his se&tion o$ the boo5 al5s you through the pro&ess o$ adding #usi& to your "inal Cut Pro se=uen&e orA$ter )$$e&ts &o#position As des&ribed earlier in this &hapter/ si#ply dropping a song or t o into the!i#eline o$ your pro@e&t is &learly not the #ost e$$e&tive use o$ audio +o ever/ adding #usi& ith &areand attention to detail &an result in an e'traordinarily po er$ul sound design

!he $ollo ing e'er&ises sho you ho to &o#bine and tailor di$$erent #usi&al ele#ents to &reate a polished s&ore $or your $il#








16.2.2.1. dding (usic to a Final $ut Pro se/uence

!o add #usi& to a pro@e&t you &reated in "inal Cut Pro:

1 Sele&t "ile I#port "ilesX !he Choose a "ile indo opens

* Navigate to the Ch1< $older you &opied to your hard drive

3 Shi$t-&li&5 the $irst $ile in the indo / bass ai$/ to sele&t it ai$ is a &ross-plat$or# audio $or#and the $ive ai$ $iles in the Ch1< $older are di$$erent #usi& &lips you &an add to the pro@e&t you



&reating $or this boo5 E

Shi$t-&li&5 the last $ile in the indo / S&i"iSynth ai$/ to sele&t it "inal Cut Pro auto#ati&allysele&ts the additional ai$ $iles in bet een

Cli&5 Choose "inal Cut Pro i#ports the $ile and &loses the indo

!he i#ported #usi& $iles appear in the Bro ser indo

2 Drag the audio $ile na#eddrums.aif into tra&5s A3 and A o$ the !i#eline/ and pla&e it in the $irst$ra#e o$ the !i#eline indo Be&ause the tra&5 &ontains stereo audio/ it ta5es up t o audio



tra&5s

4 Play your se=uen&e !he dru# beat starts i##ediately in the $irst $ra#e o$ the !i#eline and&ontinues through the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent/ the #ain title graphi&/ and into the $irst hal$ o$ the intervie 01 #ov &lip here 8u&a sings and Deirdre begins spea5ing in voi&eover

By itsel$/ the dru# beat is a good start/ but li5e the other ele#ents o$ your opening se=uen&e/ e &an re$ine

it to #a5e your $il# stronger16.2.2.2. 0nserting additional audio tracks in Final $ut Pro5 and layering (usic ele(ents

!o add additional tra&5s and additional #usi&:



1 Sele&t Se=uen&e Insert !ra&5sX !he Insert !ra&5s indo opens Adding additional audiotra&5s to your Se=uen&e enables you to layer additional sound ele#ents over your dru# beats

* !ype in the Audio !ra&5s $ield Creating $our ne audio tra&5s ill a&&o##odate t o additional

stereo &lips

3 8eave the A$ter 8ast !ra&5 radio button sele&ted !his ill add $our ne tra&5s to the !i#elineunderneath the e'isting audio in the se=uen&e

8eave 0 in the %ideo !ra&5s $ield !here s no need to add an additional video tra&5 to yourse=uen&e



Cli&5 69 "inal Cut Pro &loses the Insert !ra&5s indo and adds $our ne tra&5s to these=uen&e

!he additional tra&5s #ay not i##ediately be visible in the !i#eline !o vie all eight audiotra&5s at on&e/ you &an ad@ust the tra&5 height

2 Cli&5 the s#allest i&on in the !oggle !i#eline !ra&5 +eight &ontrol at the botto# le$t o$ the!i#eline indo "inal Cut Pro lo ers the height o$ ea&h tra&5 so they all $it in the !i#eline aton&e Cli&5ing a larger i&on in the !oggle !i#eline !ra&5 +eight &ontrol ould #a5e the heighto$ ea&h tra&5 larger E

4 Position the Playhead at 01:00:0 14 you &an either drag the Playhead or si#ply type 01:00:0 14in the !i#e&ode $ield in the top le$t o$ the !i#eline indo E

SID>/8R



Stereo, Mono, and +an

As dis&ussed earlier in this &hapter/ a stereo audio $ile &ontains t o audio &lips/ one that plays inthe le$t &hannel and another that plays in the right &hannel A #ono audio $ile &ontains one audio&lip/ and that &lip &an be set to play in the le$t &hannel/ the right &hannel/ or in both &hannels,hen a #ono &lip plays in both &hannels/ it s &alled t o-&hannel #ono

.ou &an set the &hannel that a &lip ill play in by ad@usting its pan &ontrol A &lip that s pannedto the right or le$t plays only in that parti&ular &hannel A &lip ith its pan &ontrol set to the&enter plays in both &hannels

.ou &an use 5ey$ra#es to &hange a &lip s pan settings over ti#e ust as you used 5ey$ra#es to$ade audio &lips into and out o$ the !i#eline earlier in this &hapter/ you &an 5ey$ra#e a &lip s pan&ontrol to &hange $ro# one &hannel to another .ou #ight $ind this use$ul i$ you shoot so#ethingthat #oves $ro# one side o$ the $ra#e to the other7$or e'a#ple/ a person riding a #otor&y&le7 and you ant to ad@ust your sound to $ollo along ith the #ove#ent o$ the i#age

!o set the pan &ontrol o$ a &lip in A$ter )$$e&ts:

a Cli&5 an audio &lip in the !i#eline to #a5e it the a&tive &lip b Sele&t )$$e&t Audio Stereo i'er !he )$$e&t Controls indo opens

& )nterL100 in the Pan $ield to pan the &lip all the ay to the le$t/ Y100 to panthe &lip all the ay to the right/ or 0 to pan the &lip to the &enter

!o set the pan &ontrol o$ a &lip in "inal Cut Pro:

d Double-&li&5 an audio &lip in the !i#eline !he &lip s audio ave$or# displaysin the %ie er indo

e )nterL1 in the nu#eri& $ield labeled Pan to pan the &lip to the le$t/ Y1 to panthe &lip to the right/ or 0 to pan the &lip to the &enter

< Drag the audio &lip na#ed bass ai$ $ro# the Bro ser indo into tra&5s A and A2 o$ the!i#eline/ and align the head o$ the &lip ith the Playhead s &urrent lo&ation "inal Cut Pro addsthe bass ai$ &lip to the se=uen&e

!he #usi& no builds as the se=uen&e progresses A$ter a $e #easures o$ the dru# on its o n/ a ni&e bassline begins In the $ollo ing steps/ you add an additional ele#ent o$ detail by pla&ing a &y#bal &rash in the$ra#e here 8u&a s $a&e $irst appears ons&reen

16.2.2.3. dding an audio detail to a Final $ut Pro se/uence5 and placing it in e+actly the right spot

!o add/ and pre&isely position/ a single audio ele#ent to a "inal Cut Pro se=uen&e:

1 Position the Playhead at 01:00:10 1 !he $irst $ra#e o$ the &lip &ontaining the i#age o$ 8u&a s$a&e appears at this point in the !i#eline on tra&5 %*



* Drag the &lip labeled &y#bal ai$ to tra&5s A4 and A</ and align the head o$ the &lip ith thePlayhead s &urrent lo&ation

3 Play the se=uen&e to previe your or5 !he dru# beat starts in the $irst $ra#e o$ your opening/and sets a strong energeti& tone !he bass line that starts a $e se&onds later &reates a ri&her/ $uller#usi&al s&ore and the &y#bal &rash at 8u&a s $irst ons&reen appearan&e sho s that you don t

allo a single opportunity $or &ine#ati& innovation to pass you bySave your or5

16.2.2.4. !ransitioning )ro( your opening the(e into the (ain audio o) your )il(5 using Final $ut Pro

!he end o$ the opening the#e song that you &onstru&ted in the previous e'er&ises no overlaps the beginning o$ 8u&a s singing/ hi&h you so &are$ully positioned and $aded in earlier in this &hapter !he $indru# beats over hel# 8u&a s voi&e/ dro ning out the very ni&e $ade-in you &reated/ and then the dru#stops abruptly In this e'er&ise/ you $ade out o$ the dru# and bass &lips/ and then $inesse a s#oothtransition that not only allo s the audien&e to hear 8u&a start to sing/ but uni$ies all your audio ele#ents to&reate a gentle and $ully nuan&ed transition

1 Position the Playhead at 01:00:1 1</ hi&h is the $irst $ra#e o$ the audio &lip on tra&5s A1 andA* that &ontains 8u&a singing

* 6ption-&li&5 the Audio 9ey$ra#e 6verlay $or tra&5 A3 at the point here it interse&ts thePlayhead "inal Cut Pro adds audio 5ey$ra#es to tra&5s A3 and A

3 6ption-&li&5 the Audio 9ey$ra#e 6verlay $or tra&5 A at the point here it interse&ts thePlayhead s &urrent lo&ation "inal Cut Pro adds additional audio 5ey$ra#es to tra&5s A and A2



.ou ve no added 5ey$ra#es to all $our tra&5s in the #usi& bed at the point in the !i#eline here 8u&a ssinging starts to $ade in In the $ollo ing steps/ you add additional 5ey$ra#es to your #usi& &lips and usethe# to &reate a &ross$ade A &ross$ade is a type o$ audio transition involving t o &lips As the audio in the$irst &lip $ades $ro# $ull volu#e to silent/ the se&ond &lip si#ultaneously $ades $ro# silent to $ull volu#e7 the volu#e levels &ross during the $ade ,hen properly e'e&uted/ a &ross$ade results in a very eleganttransition $ro# one sound ele#ent to another In this &ase/ the &ross$ade you add eases the #usi& out hile8u&a s singing be&o#es $ully audible7a very pro$essional tou&h

1 6ption-&li&5 near the tail o$ tra&5 A to add an additional 5ey$ra#e a$ter the one you added in step3 "inal Cut Pro adds 5ey$ra#es to tra&5s A and A2

* Drag the 5ey$ra#e you @ust pla&ed on tra&5 A to the botto#-right &orner o$ the tra&5 "inal CutPro $ades out the end o$ the bass sound

3 6ption &li&5 on tra&5 A3 dire&tly under the se&ond audio 5ey$ra#e on tra&5s A1 and A* "inal CuPro pla&es audio 5ey$ra#es on tra&5s A3 and A

.ou no have 5ey$ra#es in your dru# tra&5 at the sa#e lo&ation in the !i#eline here 8u&a ssinging rea&hes its $ull volu#e

Drag the 5ey$ra#es you @ust added to tra&5s A3 and A to the botto# o$ the tra&5 !his &reates ani&e/ gentle $ade that lo ers the audio level o$ the dru# &lip $ro# $ull volu#e to silent at the e'a&tsa#e ti#e 8u&a s singing $ades $ro# &o#pletely silent to $ull volu#e !he result is a sea#lesstransition $ro# one audio ele#ent to another .our opening title is no $ully integrated into the#ain body o$ your $il#/ both in ter#s o$ pi&ture and audio

In short/ you ve &reated a #aster$ul audio transition %ery ni&e or5

Previe your ne ly re$ined sound design/ and save your or5

SID>/8R O9nershi and Fair 4se

Copyright la gives people o nership rights to artisti& #aterial they produ&e or pur&hase As anartist/ you #ay $ind that o nership rights help you sa$eguard your livelihood7people &an t useyour or5 ithout paying $or it unless you spe&i$i&ally give the# per#ission .ou #ay also $indthat &opyright restri&ts your ability to use or5 &reated by other people7you #ay have a greatidea that depends on using a song or an i#age &reated by another artist that you si#ply &an ta$$ord to pay $or

!here s an e'&eption to &opyright la 5no n as $air use/ hi&h gives artists and a&ade#i&s theright to use &opyrighted #aterial ithout per#ission/ but only under very spe&i$i& &onditions/

hi&h are listed belo Courts in the ;nited States have histori&ally re&ogni ed the i#portan&eo$ s&holarly &riti&is# and the need to use &opyrighted #aterial in s&holarly or5/ even i$ a&opyright o ner ill not grant per#ission "il##a5ers o$ten &lai# $air use/ thin5ing it ill

auto#ati&ally enable the# to use anything they ant ithout paying $or it/ but in reality/ only ali#ited nu#ber o$ pro@e&ts ill a&tually $all under $air use prote&tion ,hat genuinely does anddoesn t $all ithin the boundaries o$ $air use is sub@e&t to &onsiderable interpretation by attorneysand &ourts o$ la / so i$ you plan to #a5e a &lai# o$ $air use/ be prepared

!here are $our &onsiderations that deter#ine $air use/ and all $our #ust be #et

• !he purpose and &hara&ter o$ the use !his as5s in hat type o$ pro@e&t the &opyrighted



#aterial is being used "or e'a#ple/ i$ I &reate a or5 o$ s&holarly &riti&is#/ I &an #a5ea stronger argu#ent $or $air use than i$ I &reate so#ething $or &o##er&ial entertain#ent purposes/ su&h as a #usi& video

• !he nature o$ the &opyrighted or5 Courts vie the use o$ $a&tual #aterial/ su&h as thein$or#ation in a ne spaper arti&le/ di$$erently than the use o$ an e'pressive or &reative

or5/ su&h as a song or a painting I$ I &reate a or5 o$ s&holarly &riti&is# and =uotene spaper arti&les/ I probably have a #ore substantive &lai# o$ $air use than i$ I ereusing so#eone else s song in a #usi& video

• !he a#ount and substantiality o$ the portion ta5en/ in relation to the &opyrighted or5as a hole ;sing a s#all se&tion o$ a &opyrighted or5/ su&h as a $e paragraphs o$te't out o$ a 00-page boo5/ #ay be easier to @usti$y than using an entire song+o ever/ there s no $i'ed ratio or $or#ula I ve heard people say i$ you use less than 0 per&ent o$ an i#age or less than t o-and-a-hal$ #inutes o$ a song/ it s o5ay/ but $air useguidelines don t spe&i$y any spe&i$i& a#ounts or per&entages

• !he e$$e&t o$ the use upon the potential #ar5et $or/ and value o$/ the or5 being used

,hy buy the &o i$ you &an get the #il5 $or $ree I$ I &lai# $air use and #a5e so#eoneelse s &opyrighted or5 available $or $ree/ people #ay be less li5ely to pur&hase the person s original or5 As a result/ I ould have de&reased the value o$ that person s

or5/ hi&h ould ea5en #y &lai# o$ $air use

A good &lai# o$ $air use ill o$ten hold up in a &ourt o$ la / even i$ a &opyright o ner ta5eslegal a&tion +o ever/ to de$end hi#sel$ against a la suit by a &opyright holder/ a $il##a5er#ust have a solid &ase ,hen e'a#ining a $air use dispute/ a &ourt &onsiders ea&h o$ the $our&onditions above I$ the &ourt deter#ines a pro@e&t doesn t #eet all $our &onditions/ the$il##a5er ould not be able to &lai# $air use

"or #ore in$or#ation on $air use and &opyright la / ta5e a loo5 at the $ollo ing:

• http:GG$airuse stan$ord edu: a very thorough e'a#ination o$ &opyright la / $air use/ andother related issues $ro# the Stan$ord ;niversity Copyright and "air ;se Center

• http:GG itvs orgGdigital$utures: a $ree guide $or #edia produ&ers/ &reated by theIndependent !elevision Servi&e and the Center $or So&ial edia at A#eri&an;niversity !his guide/ available as a PD" do nload/ provides an Oanalysis o$ today slegal/ distribution and $unding lands&ape O

.!.!.%. 8dding music to an 8 ter > ects com osition

!o i#port #usi& $iles into A$ter )$$e&ts and add the# to your &o#position:

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

http://www.itvs.org/digitalfutures


http://fairuse.stanford.edu/




1 Sele&t "ile I#port "ileX !he I#port "ile dialog bo' opens



* Cli&5 the $irst &lip in the indo / bass ai$/ to sele&t it

3 Co##and-&li&5 a&E the re#aining ai$ $iles or Ctrl-&li&5 PCE to sele&t the#: &y#bal ai$/dru#s ai$/ pop ai$/ and S&i"iSynth ai$



Cli&5 6pen A$ter )$$e&ts &loses the indo and i#ports the $iles All $ive o$ the ai$ $iles noappear in the Pro@e&t indo

Cli&5 dru#s ai$ and drag it into the !i#eline beneath the e'isting &lips at the beginning o$ the&o#position A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a ne layer in the !i#eline and pla&es the dru#s ai$ &lip inside

Note: .ou &an easily previe the audio &hanges you ve #ade to an A$ter )$$e&ts &o#position bydragging the Current !i#e Indi&ator through the !i#eline hile holding do n the Co##and 5ey

a&E or the Ctrl 5ey PCE ,hen you do this/ A$ter )$$e&ts plays the audio at the Current !i#eIndi&ator s lo&ation as you #ove through the se=uen&e !his te&hni=ue is &alled s&rubbing/ be&authe a&tion o$ dragging the Current !i#e Indi&ator rese#bles a s&rubbing #otion .ou &an s&rub tothe right and to the le$t in the !i#eline ,hen you s&rub to the le$t/ A$ter )$$e&ts plays your audioin reverse S&rubbing enables you to pinpoint a spe&i$i& audio event/ su&h as a &lap slate

des&ribed in Chapter <E or a dru# beat 6n&e you $ind hat you re loo5ing $or/ you &an add a#ar5er to the &lip see O8ayering audio and i#ages in A$ter )$$e&tsO earlier in this &hapterEAdding a #ar5er enables you to easily $ind the audio event again later .ou &an also use a #ar5erto visually align a sound ele#ent ith other ele#ents in your !i#eline






2 Previe your or5 !he dru# beat starts i##ediately in the $irst $ra#e o$ the !i#eline and&ontinues through the si#ulated &a#era #ove#ent/ the #ain title graphi&/ and into the $irst hal$ o$ the intervie 01 #ov &lip here 8u&a sings and Deirdre begins spea5ing in voi&eover

By itsel$/ the dru# beat is a good start/ but li5e the other ele#ents o$ your opening se=uen&e/ e &an re$ineit to #a5e your $il# stronger

16.2.2. . 7ayering (usic ele(ents in )ter *))ects

!o pla&e additional #usi& &lips in your A$ter )$$e&ts &o#position:

1 Position the Current !i#e Indi&ator at 01:00:0 14 you &an either drag the Current !i#e Indi&ator or si#ply type 01:00:0 14 in the !i#e&ode $ield in the top le$t o$ the !i#eline indo E

* Drag the audio &lip na#ed bass ai$ $ro# the Pro@e&t indo to a lo&ation underneath the dru#s ai&lip in the !i#eline A$ter )$$e&ts &reates a ne layer in the !i#eline to a&&o##odate the bass ai$&lip

3 Align the head o$ the bass ai$ &lip to the Current !i#e Indi&ator s present lo&ation

!he #usi& no builds as the se=uen&e progresses A$ter a $e #easures o$ the dru# on its o n/ a ni&e bassline begins In the $ollo ing steps/ you add an additional ele#ent o$ detail by pla&ing a &y#bal &rash in the$ra#e here 8u&a s $a&e $irst appears ons&reen

16.2.2.#. dding an audio detail to an )ter *))ects co(position5 and placing it in e+actly the right spot

!o add/ and pre&isely position/ a single audio ele#ent in an A$ter )$$e&ts &o#position:

1 Position the Current !i#e Indi&ator in the $irst $ra#e o$ the &lip on layer 1 that &ontains an editedi#age o$ 8u&a s $a&e In the $ollo ing steps/ you ll add a &y#bal &rash to the !i#eline so that



Note: .ou &an easily previe the audio in a se=uen&e by sele&ting Co#position PrevieAudioPrevie +ere "or ardE ,hen you sele&t this option/ A$ter )$$e&ts plays the audio in your &o#position/ beginning at the lo&ation o$ your Current !i#e Indi&ator I$ your Current !i#e Indi&ator is positioned at thestart o$ your &o#position/ A$ter )$$e&ts previe s all the audio in your or5 I$ your Current !i#e Indi&atoris positioned in a later $ra#e/ A$ter )$$e&ts plays the re#aining audio in your !i#eline .ou &an also previe the audio in a spe&i$i& portion o$ your !i#eline by setting the or5 area to en&o#pass only the

se&tion you d li5e to previe / and then sele&ting Co#position Previe Audio Previe ,or5AreaE "or #ore on sele&ting the or5 area in an A$ter )$$e&ts &o#position/ seeChapter 11E .ou alsohave the option o$ rendering your se=uen&e so you &an previe the i#ages and audio together Sele&ting anAudio Previe is a $aster pro&ess/ so you on t have to ait as long to previe your or5

16.2.2.6. !ransitioning )ro( your opening the(e into the (ain audio o) your )il(5 using )ter *))ects

!he end o$ the opening the#e song that you &onstru&ted in the previous e'er&ises overlaps the beginning o$ 8u&a s singing/ hi&h you &are$ully positioned and $aded in earlier in this &hapter !he $inal dru# beatsover hel# 8u&a s voi&e/ dro ning out the very ni&e $ade-in you &reated/ and then the dru# stops abruptlyIn this e'er&ise/ you $ade out o$ the dru# and bass &lips/ and then $inesse a s#ooth transition that not onlyallo s the audien&e to hear 8u&a start to sing/ but brings all your audio ele#ents together to &reate a gentle

and $ully nuan&ed transition

1 ;se the verti&al s&roll bar in the !i#eline indo to s&roll do n so you &an see all three o$ the#usi& &lips you added in the previous e'er&ises/ as ell as the $irst hal$ o$ the intervie 01 #ov&lip on layer

* Position the Current !i#e Indi&ator in the $ra#e here the $irst audio 5ey$ra#e appears on layer

3 Cli&5 the 8ayer 4 t irl-do n i&on to e'pose the layer s &ontrols

Cli&5 the Audio t irl-do n i&on to e'pose the audio &ontrols $or the dru#s ai$ &lip






Cli&5 the Stop at&h i&on to the le$t o$ Audio 8evels A$ter )$$e&ts adds an audio 5ey$ra#e to thedru#s ai$ &lip/ at the Current !i#e Indi&ator s present lo&ation

.ou no have an audio 5ey$ra#e in the dru#s ai$ &lip at the sa#e point in the !i#eline here8u&a s singing starts to $ade in In the $ollo ing steps/ you ll add an additional 5ey$ra#e to thedru#s ai$ &lip and use it to &reate a &ross$ade that eases the dru# beat out hile 8u&a s singing be&o#es $ully audible7a very pro$essional tou&h



2 ove the Current !i#e Indi&ator to the $irst $ra#e in hi&h 8u&a appears in the intervie 01 #ov&lip on layer

4 Cli&5 in the Audio 8evels nu#eri& $ield on layer 4/ enterL* / and press return a&E or )nterPCE

!his &reates a ni&e/ gentle $ade that lo ers the audio level o$ the dru# &lip $ro# $ull volu#e tosilent as 8u&a s singing $ades $ro# &o#pletely silent to $ull volu#e !he bass ai$ &lip ends on itso n/ leaving the dru# beat to $ade out evenly as 8u&a begins singing !he result is a sea#lesstransition $ro# one part o$ your pro@e&t to another .our opening title is no $ully integrated intothe #ain body o$ your $il#/ both in ter#s o$ pi&ture and audio



In short/ you ve &reated a very elegant transition by re or5ing your audio )'&ellent @ob

< Previe your ne ly re$ined sound design/ and save your or5

In this &hapter/ e too5 hat as a very basi& and unsophisti&ated sound design and &ultivated it to produ&e a highly polished and intri&ately nuan&ed audio &o#position By repositioning audio &lips in the!i#eline/ adding 5ey$ra#es to &reate $ades and &ross$ades/ and by layering #usi& &lips and positioningea&h one in e'a&tly the right spot/ you raised the =uality o$ your opening se=uen&e to a signi$i&antly higher

level

!he t o re#aining se&tions o$ this boo5 are appendi&es &overing the pro&ess o$ outputting your $il# andgetting it seen by an audien&e at&hing your or5 in a roo# $ull o$ people ho li5e it is one o$ the #ostgrati$ying e'perien&es any $il##a5er &an haveE Appendi' A &overs the &reation o$ a broad&ast #aster/ a$il# print/ or D%D it also e'plores the $unda#entals o$ strea#ing your or5 on the InternetAppendi' B dis&usses ays you &an bring your or5 to the orld/ and possibly even #a5e ba&5 the &osts o$ produ&ingyour $il#

!his #ar5s the end o$ the last $ull &hapter o$ this boo5 +ope$ully/ it also #ar5s the start o$ a very satis$yingand produ&tive &areer $or you as a $il##a5er At this point/ you ve e'plored digital video $ro# the basi&&on&epts o$ $ra#ing/ lighting/ and $o&us/ all the ay up to the pro&ess o$ developing advan&ed &o#positee$$e&ts/ &olor &orre&ting your or5/ and produ&ing a pro$essional-=uality sound design

.ou no have a &o#plete repertoire o$ te&hni&al and &reative s5ills that you &an use to &reate any $il# youant/ and I do #ean any By using the te&hni=ues e'plained in this boo5/ and &o#bining the# ith your

artisti& &reativity and passion as a $il##a5er/ you &an reali e any idea you &an &o#e up ith I$ you bringthe sa#e &reativity and persisten&e to sharing your &o#pleted pro@e&t ith an audien&e/ your $il# &an tou& people s lives around the orld seeAppendi' AE

A @ourney o$ a thousand #iles begins ith a single step/ and by learning to use the digital tools available toyou as an independent $il##a5er/ you re ell on your ay

As they say in "ran&e/ et voilV7and there it is

Note: I$ you re inspired to pra&ti&e or5ing ith additional #usi& &lips/ i#port the pop ai$ andS&i"iSynth ai$ &lips in the Ch1< $older !he pop ai$ &lip is a &ute/ &artoon-li5e sound e$$e&t you #ight to add hen 8u&a s i#age pops onto the s&reen .ou &an also try pla&ing it so#e here else in your!i#eline Sound design is/ a$ter all/ a highly &reative pro&ess E !he S&i"iSynth ai$ &lip is a very ele&tronisounding pie&e that re#inds #e o$ the #usi& in the independent s&ien&e $i&tion $il#s I re#e#ber $ro# #yteenage years ba&5 in the 1?<0s ;sing this #usi& &lip instead o$ the dru# and bass &lips I used in the



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e'er&ises ould add a very di$$erent $eel to your opening se=uen&e

8 endi? 8. he Release +rintCreating a Broad&ast aster Stri5ing a "il# Printt aster 6utputting .our Audioastering to D%D/ and the Bene$its o$ Distributing .our ,or5 in a Digital "or#atStrea#ing .our ,or5 on the Internet

a5ing .our %oi&e +eard

A release print is the $inal edited version o$ a pro@e&t that $il##a5ers sho to an audien&e !he ter# &o#es$ro# the days be$ore video hen ea&h &opy o$ a $il# too5 the $or# o$ a print &reated by a lab Creating/ orstri5ing/ a 12 or 3 ## release print as the $inal step in the postprodu&tion pro&ess/ and &a#e only a$ter aseries o$ earlier prints had been e'a#ined/ tin5ered ith/ and $inally per$e&ted into a $or# that as ready toshare ith the publi&

I #ention the release print here be&ause even i$ you re or5ing entirely ith digital #aterial/ you verea&hed a si#ilar stage ith your pro@e&t ,hether you de&ide to &reate an +D or Digital Beta&a# #aster touse in a television broad&ast/ to stri5e a $il# print o$ your or5 $or distribution to theaters/ or to #asteryour or5 onto D%D or %+S $or distribution to people in their ho#es and in edu&ational settings/ you re&ra$ting the $inished version o$ your pro@e&t In other ords/ the last part o$ this boo5 is about the last stepin the postprodu&tion pro&ess: &reating the e=uivalent o$ your release print and getting your or5 to anaudien&e

Creating a good $il# is no easy tas5 No that you ve gone through the trouble o$ shooting your drea# pro@e&t and #assaging the ra #aterial into a sea#less &o#position/ it s ti#e to #a5e the #ost o$ hatyou ve got Appendi' A outlines the te&hni&al pro&ess o$ &reating a $inal version o$ your $il# that you &andeliver to audien&es around the orld/ andAppendi' B e'plores di$$erent ays you &an let the orld 5noyour $il# is out there and orth at&hing .ou don t need to #ount a #a@or advertising &a#paign $or your$irst $il#/ but it &an be very help$ul to let the orld 5no that your or5 is available )a&h pro@e&t you#a5e is a step $or ard in your &areer/ both in ter#s o$ hat you learn in the &ourse o$ produ&tion and inter#s o$ establishing a tra&5 re&ord $or yoursel$ as a $il##a5er "or #ore on so#e very &reative aysindependents have brought their or5 to the attention o$ audien&es/ seeAppendi' B E

In #any ays/ these $inal steps in the $il##a5ing pro&ess are the #ost i#portant and perhaps the #ostgrati$ying .ou ve #ade so#ething i#portant/ and it s ti#e to share it ith an audien&e No #atter ho#u&h you loved #a5ing a $il#/ sho ing it to an appre&iative audien&e and listening to their applause isin$initely #ore satis$ying than or5ing on your pro@e&t in the isolation o$ an editing suite

SID> /8R Finding the Right +ost roduction Facility

!o $ind the $a&ility that s right $or you/ as5 around and listen to the advi&e o$ people you trust As

I rote in the sidebar O"inding a (ental +ouse in .our AreaO inChapter 2/ the people you 5noare your greatest resour&e I$ a $riend had a good e'perien&e at a parti&ular $a&ility/ going thereyoursel$ #ight be a good idea Si#ilarly/ i$ you 5no so#eone ho had a bad e'perien&eso#e here/ it #ight be in your interest to stay a ay

6n&e you $ind a $a&ility you #ight ant to or5 ith/ #a5e an appoint#ent to #eet ith so#eo$ the sta$$ Bring a previe &opy o$ your pro@e&t and tal5 about any te&hni&al issues that &a#eup during shooting or postprodu&tion udge the responses they give you by not only theirapparent te&hni&al 5no ledge/ but by their illingness to listen to you and or5 ith you as a

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sa#e servi&es depending on the type o$ pro@e&t and the produ&er s budget• 8oo5 up the &ard rate $or ea&h $a&ility be$ore you &all/ so you 5no their advertised

pri&e be$ore you tal5 to anyone on their sta$$• Al ays as5 $or a lo er pri&e A $a&ility only #a5es a pro$it i$ it boo5s &usto#ers )ven

i$ you pay less than the advertised rate/ the $a&ility ill still #a5e #ore #oney $ro#your pro@e&t than i$ an editing suite sits e#pty

• As5 i$ the $a&ility &harges a lo er rate to or5 on pro@e&ts at night 8arge $a&ilitieso$ten or5 on pro@e&ts * hours a day A$ter the big-budget/ high-pro$ile &lients goho#e in the evening/ #any $a&ilities or5 on s#aller pro@e&ts at a redu&ed rate I$you re illing to start your or5day a$ter 2 p # / you #ay be able to save a signi$i&anta#ount o$ #oney .ou &an also o$$er to boo5 a session as Obu#pableO ti#e/ hi&h#eans the $a&ility s&hedules you in an open blo&5 o$ ti#e/ ith the understanding thatthey #any bu#p your edit to a&&o##odate a pro@e&t ith a larger budget I$ you re patient and have a $le'ible s&hedule/ this #ay be a good ay to save a $e bu&5s

• I$ you re a student/ #a5e sure you get a student dis&ount on top o$ any other pri&eredu&tions you negotiate Postprodu&tion $a&ilities o$$er student dis&ounts $or t oreasons: they ant to attra&t all the students in a parti&ular progra# to use their $a&ility

hi&h generates a steady strea# o$ revenue ea&h se#esterE/ and they ant students to&ontinue to use their $a&ility a$ter graduation a student ho be&o#es a pro$essional$il##a5er #ay bring all her pro@e&ts ba&5 to the sa#e $a&ility $or years to &o#eE I$ a$a&ility gives you a hard ti#e hen you as5 $or a student dis&ount/ it #ay be a sign thatyou should ta5e your business so#e here else

• As5 i$ the $a&ility ill lo er your rate in return $or a #ention in your &redits I$ your$il# be&o#es a su&&ess/ this &ould be really good advertising $or the $a&ility/ and it&ould save you appro'i#ately 10 per&ent o$$ your bill

• As5 $or an ite#i ed bill/ and read it over &are$ully be$ore you pay a5e sure the billre$le&ts all the dis&ounts you negotiated/ and doesn t in&lude any additional &harges

!here are #ultiple routes you &an ta5e to &reate a pro$essional-=uality #aster tape $ro# your des5topediting syste#/ depending on your sour&e #aterial and your budget !he $ollo ing pages &ontain anovervie o$ a $e di$$erent options Depending on the route you ta5e/ &reating a broad&ast #aster &an be&o#e =uite &ostly At the sa#e ti#e/ sin&e the $inal broad&ast #aster o$ your pro@e&t ill be the versiono$ your $il# that people a&tually see/ this stage #ay not be the best ti#e to &ut &orners ,hatever youde&ide/ on&e your $il# is $inished/ you ll have it $or the rest o$ your li$e a5e this pro@e&t/ and ea&h oneyou or5 on/ so#ething to loo5 ba&5 on proudly

Note: I$ you ve &olor &orre&ted your video/ added &o#pli&ated transitions/ or &reated intri&ate &o#positee$$e&ts/ the results #ay not sho up in an )D8 I$ you de&ide you d li5e to $inish your $il# at a high-end postprodu&tion $a&ility/ tal5 to the sta$$ in advan&e and dis&uss hat parts o$ the pro&ess you should do onyour o n editing syste#/ and hat you should ait to do at their $a&ility

An )D8 is an edit de&ision list/ hi&h &ontains the ti#e&ode in$or#ation $or every edit in your pro@e&t !he)D8 is a te't do&u#ent &ontaining:

• !he e'a&t sour&e ti#e&ode o$ ea&h audio and video &lip in your sho• !he na#e o$ the sour&e tape here the &lip &an be $ound in your original/ unedited $ootage• !he lo&ation o$ ea&h &lip in your pro@e&t s ti#eline/ in&luding the tra&5 on hi&h it appears



,hen you bring an )D8 to a postprodu&tion $a&ility/ an editor ill use the in$or#ation in your )D8 toreasse#ble a high-=uality version o$ your pro@e&t dire&tly $ro# your sour&e #aterial "or #ore in$or#ationon ti#e&ode/ see Chapter ? "or in$or#ation on organi ing your sour&e $ootage/ seeChapter 10 E

"or years/ &reating an )D8 and bringing it to a high-end post $a&ility as the only ay get a pro$essional-=uality #aster tape $ro# a des5top editing syste# Be$ore the introdu&tion o$ a$$ordable/ large-&apa&ity

hard drives in the early part o$ this de&ade/ independent produ&ers routinely or5ed o$$line to &reate highly&o#pressed lo -resolution versions o$ their pro@e&ts on a des5top editing syste#/ and then brought their)D8 to a high-end post house At the post $a&ility/ a highly s5illed editor ould then use the )D8 to &reatethe $inished online version o$ the pro@e&t $ro# the original sour&e tapes !his is also &alled onlining oronline editing and is so#eti#es re$erred to as the online

;sing the steps des&ribed inChapter 11/ you &an also output an un&o#pressed version o$ your pro@e&t $ro#"inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts and bring the video $ile on a hard drive to a postprodu&tion house !he post$a&ility sta$$ &an then print the #aterial to tape using their e=uip#ent As part o$ the pro&ess/ they &an also

or5 ith you to &olor &orre&t your $ootage and $urther re$ine your sound #i'

I$ you de&ide to bring an un&o#pressed video $ile to a post house instead o$ bringing your sour&e tapes andan )D8/ be prepared7un&o#pressed standard de$inition video re=uires appro'i#ately 1 >B o$ dis5

spa&e $or one #inute o$ $ootage !his #eans that a 30 #inute pro@e&t ould re=uire appro'i#ately 3 *>B/ and a one hour pro@e&t ould re=uire appro'i#ately <2 >B

SID> /8R Out utting an >D5 rom Final 2ut +ro

!o output an )D8 $ro# "inal Cut Pro/ sele&t "ile )'port )D8X !he )D8 )'port6ptions indo opens












!he )D8 )'port 6ptions indo &ontains an e'tensive array o$ settings/ al#ost all o$ hi&hill vary based on the spe&i$i& e=uip#ent your online $a&ility has available Be$ore outputting an

)D8/ &onta&t your post $a&ility and as5 the# hat type o$ $or#at to use and ho you shoulddeliver the list itsel$ Depending on their e=uip#ent/ so#e post $a&ilities #ay as5 you to deliveran )D8 on a double-density $loppy dis5 no one ever believes #e hen I tell the# this/ but so#every high-te&h syste#s really do read )D8s $ro# a double-density $loppyE



Be&ause the spe&i$i&s o$ e'porting an )D8 vary to su&h a tre#endous e'tent/ you #ight also&onsider outputting a test )D8 a $e days in advan&e o$ your online edit .ou &an then bring it to

your post house along ith so#e sour&e tapes and as5 the sta$$ to veri$y the test )D8 using yourtape to ensure that everything is o5ay I$ there are proble#s/ the sta$$ &an suggest ays to $i'the# be$ore the online edit

Note: !he do&u#entation $or "inal Cut Pro provides a substantial e'a#ination o$ )D8 &reation seeO)'porting )dit De&ision 8ists )D8sE and Bat&h 8istsO in the "inal Cut Pro +elp $iles I$ you re loo5ing$or additional in$or#ation/ a boo5 &alled %ideo )diting and Post-Produ&tion: A Pro$essional >uide &ontainsa very thorough &hapter about on-line editinghttp:GG elsevier &o#G psG$indGboo5des&ription & sWho#eG24 ?4*Gdes&riptionE

;n&o#pressed <-bit +D video re=uires appro'i#ately 4 3 >B $or one #inute o$ $ootage/ or 3 >B $or aone-hour pie&e Depending on the spe&i$i& +D $or#at you re or5ing ith/ un&o#pressed #edia #ayre=uire #ore or less storage spa&e/ but +D $iles by nature re=uire signi$i&ant a#ounts o$ #e#ory I$ youhave a pro@e&t that be&o#es too large to $it on a single e'ternal hard drive hen you e'port it asun&o#pressed #edia/ &onta&t your post $a&ility !he sta$$ #ay re&o##end e'porting the $ile in s#allerse&tions that are easier to #anage/ or they #ay have other advi&e depending on the spe&i$i&s o$ your pro@e&t E

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/675972/description

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/675972/description



8. .*. Out utting to ta e directly rom your system

Depending on the e=uip#ent you have a&&ess to/ and your &o#$ort level ith advan&ed te&hni&aloperations/ you #ay de&ide to output a broad&ast #aster yoursel$/ dire&tly $ro# your o n syste#

;sing a digital editing syste# ith a "ire,ire &onne&tion enables you to output #edia to a &o#patible

de&5 ithout a loss in =uality I$ you invest in additional hard are/ su&h as a high-end bi-dire&tional #edia&onverter or video &ard/ you &an &onne&t an +D or Digital Beta&a# de&5 to your syste# and outputun&o#pressed #aster tapes in your o n studio "or #ore on &onne&ting a de&5 to your editing syste# or$or details on bi-dire&tional #edia &onverters/ see Chapter 10 E

As I #entioned in the sidebar O,hy .ou ight ,ant to +ire a Pro$essional ColoristO in Chapter 12/ bringing your pro@e&t to a pro$essional post $a&ility &an provide you ith a&&ess to spe&iali ed e=uip#enoutside the prosu#er pri&e range A high-end +D or Digital Beta&a# de&5 &an easily &ost bet een *0 and

0 thousand dollars E ore i#portant/ going to a good $a&ility provides you ith the bene$it o$ the sta$$ se'perien&e and te&hni&al 5no ledge )ven i$ you have the #ost highly developed te&hni&al &hops o$anyone you 5no / it &an still help your $il# to or5 ith a s5illed pro$essional spe&ialist7he #ay seethings you don t/ or #ay have a suggestion $or i#proving your or5 !his is espe&ially true i$ you &onsultso#eone ho spends years or5ing 20 hours a ee5 on one spe&i$i& $a&et o$ $il# produ&tion A good

dire&tor reali es she doesn t 5no everything/ and surrounds hersel$ ith e'perts in ea&h sub-dis&ipline sheneeds to or5 in !his is o$ten re$erred to as loo5ing at your or5 O ith a se&ond set o$ eyes O 6$ &ourse/ athe dire&tor o$ the $il# you don t have to listen to anything that anybody tells you/ but it #ight not hurt tohear hat so#eone else has to say

8.!. Striking a Film +rint

)ven though an in&reasing nu#ber o$ e'hibition venues ill s&reen video/ there are still situations that &all$or $il# any theaters don t have video pro@e&tion syste#s/ so depending on here you re s&reening/ you#ay need to stri5e a $il# print to sho your or5 to a theatri&al audien&e 6n&e you &ut together the $inaledited version o$ your pro@e&t/ ho you get the #aterial $ro# your &o#puter onto a reel o$ $il# depends in part on hether you originally shot $il# or video

I$ your original $ootage as shot on video/ regardless o$ the video $or#at/ you &an bring the $inal produ&t toa post $a&ility $or a tape-to-$il# trans$er During the tape-to-$il# trans$er/ the sta$$ o$ the post house&on$or#s the $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio o$ the video #aster to #at&h the $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio o$ a$il# print $or #ore in$or#ation on $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio/ see OChoosing a shooting $or#atO inChapter *E Depending on the type o$ video in the sour&e $ootage/ this pro&ess &an range $ro#straight$or ard to very &o#ple'

%arious $or#s o$ +D video use the sa#e * $ra#es per se&ond speed o$ a $il# print/ and a 12'? aspe&t ratiothat $its ni&ely in a $ra#e o$ 3 ## $il# In these &ases/ stri5ing the print is relatively easy/ be&ause the$ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio are &o#patible $ro# the start I$ the $ra#e rate and aspe&t ratio o$ the videosour&e don t #at&h those o$ a $il# print/ the post sta$$ needs to &on$or# the #aterial to $it

Standard de$inition N!SC video plays at *? ?4 $ra#es per se&ond/ as opposed to * $ps $or $il#Additionally/ N!SC video uses a '3 aspe&t ratio/ hi&h is #u&h s=uarer than the aspe&t ratio in a $ra#e o$ $il# +igher-end prosu#er &a#eras generally allo a $il##a5er to shoot 12'? video/ but only a $e#odels re&ord video at * $ps/ so i$ you re or5ing ith a prosu#er &a#era/ you #ay have to do so#e&on$or#ing to trans$er your or5 to $il#

!o &on$or# #aterial shot at *? ?4 $ps to a $il#-&o#patible $ra#e rate o$ * $ps/ te&hni&ians put the #aterialthrough a &o#puter-aided pulldo n pro&ess here the $ootage is ad@usted to play ba&5 ith $e er $ra#es per se&ond/ hile not appearing to lose in$or#ation !o &on$or# s=uarer shaped '3 #aterial to the ideraspe&t ratio o$ a 3 ## $il# $ra#e/ te&hni&ians #ay use a pan s&an te&hni=ue to $it a sele&ted area inside











Shooting Film and >diting Digitally

ar5 Be&5er started shooting (o#anti&o at a ti#e hen #any independent $il##a5ers had&o#pletely abandoned $il# and ere or5ing e'&lusively in digital video Be&5er planned onediting in "inal Cut Pro and had a&&ess to a good =uality D% &a#era hen he started shooting/ but de&ided $ro# the beginning that he ould or5 in $il# In an intervie $or this boo5/ he told#e he #ade his &hoi&e partly $or aestheti& reasons and added that Opart o$ hat inspires #eabout shooting $il# is the ay $il# in$luen&es the pro&ess O Be&ause $il# is e'pensive to shootand develop/ Be&5er says or5ing in 12 ## leads hi# to shoot &onservatively/ and to envisionthe stru&ture and storyline o$ a $il# as he s shooting/ instead o$ trying to &apture every singlething that happens !he &ost and dis&ipline o$ or5ing in $il#/ Be&5er says/ lead to a #orethought$ul style o$ produ&tion that Ohelps #e ta5e the $il# to a higher level o$ hat I ant toa&hieve O

an 9ra it / ho is a highly a&&o#plished $il##a5er and a pro$essor in the graduateDo&u#entary "il# and %ideo Progra# at Stan$ord ;niversity/ spea5s si#ilarly about the use o$$il# in her o n or5 !he nature o$ $il#/ 9ra it says/ also leads her to shoot &onservatively/

hi&h O$or&es #e to have a very &lear intention $or every s&ene I shoot !he dire&ting o&&urs in both the shooting and editing stage o$ the pro@e&t People or5ing in D% ill so#eti#es use the&a#era li5e a $ire hose and only $igure out hat the $il# is about on&e they have to si$t through a#orass o$ #aterial in the editing stage O

In *00 / 9ra it &o#pleted Big )nough/ a do&u#entary that revisited $ive d ar$s ho appearedin her 1?<* $il#/ 8ittle People Both $il#s ere shot in 12 ## and edited on $il# using a $latbedediting syste# a #e&hani&al devi&e the si e o$ a 5it&hen table/ that enables $il##a5ers to spli&eshots together $ro# several reels o$ $il# and then play the resultsE

During the shooting and editing/ 9ra it said/ or5ing in $il# as opposed to digital video asnot a proble# As she neared the end o$ postprodu&tion/ ho ever/ she en&ountered di$$i&ulties

or5ing ith a &o#poser and a title designer ho ere or5ing ith digital e=uip#ent/ hileshe as or5ing stri&tly in $il# She also $ound it di$$i&ult and &ostly to &reate or5-in-progress previe tapes to share ith potential $unders a or5-in-progress tape is no a standard part o$#any grant appli&ations/ hile in the years be$ore digital editing be&a#e the standard/ peoplerarely as5ed $or oneE 8oo5ing ba&5/ 9ra it says she ould probably edit in "inal Cut Pro butstill shoot on $il# She also sees a de$inite pla&e $or $il# in the &lassroo#

OI still do have a bias to ard $il# as a training #ediu#/O 9ra it said She trained Be&5er toshoot $il# at Stan$ord/ and she also trained #e in the sa#e progra# E OI thin5 i$ people begin in$il#/ and start to thin5 o$ an i#age or a shot as a dis&rete &hoi&e/ and don t auto#ati&ally start in

syn& sound/ hi&h is a given ith video/ they ill possibly thin5 #ore &reatively about theart$ul potential o$ the #ediu# O

Be&5er e&hoes this senti#ent/ e'plaining that his Opersonal pre$eren&eO is biased Oto ard thevisual =uality o$ a #otion pi&ture $il# $ra#e/O as opposed to a $ra#e o$ video a nu#ber o$ other $il##a5ers/ in&luding Daniel Baer/ ho I =uote in Chapter 1 and ho shot the $ootage $or Big8u&a/ say very si#ilar thingsE 8i5e 9ra it / Be&5er appre&iates the $le'ibility o$ digital editing/ both in ter#s o$ the ease ith hi&h it enables a $il##a5er to e'peri#ent ith di$$erent versionso$ a se=uen&e/ and the ability to return to an earlier version o$ a pro@e&t

Be&5er/ ho re&ently be&a#e a $ather $or the $irst ti#e/ also values digital editing be&ause O.ou&an do it in the &orner o$ your living roo# ithout bothering your $a#ily O






8.*. Out utting 7our 8udio

As you get your pro@e&t ready to share ith an audien&e/ you have a nu#ber o$ audio options at yourdisposal/ ranging $ro# &reating a stereo or t o-&hannel #ono #i' to signi$i&antly #ore elaborate #ulti-&hannel #i'es Depending on the e=uip#ent you have a&&ess to/ as ell as your &o#$ort and e'pertise ithte&hni&al pro&esses/ you &an output your $inal audio #i' on your o n or bring your audio to a

postprodu&tion $a&ility!his se&tion outlines so#e o$ the options available to you

"or #ore in$or#ation on e'porting audio/ see OAbout ulti-!ra&5 and 6 " Audio )'portO in the "inal CutPro +elp $iles/ or O(endering a ovieO and O(endering to 6 "O in the A$ter )$$e&ts +elp $iles

As des&ribed inChapter 1</ stereo audio uses t o &hannels to produ&e hat s &alled a stereo i#age: so#esounds are sent to the le$t &hannel/ others to the right &hannel/ and so#e sounds are sent to both (egardlesso$ ho #any tra&5s you have in your pro@e&t/ you &an #i' your entire sound design do n to t o-&hannelstereo by using the pan &ontrols to assign spe&i$i& sounds to a parti&ular &hannel "or #ore in$or#ation onusing pan &ontrols/ see Chapter 1< E

"il##a5ers o$ten &reate a stereo #i' $or a progra# be&ause it or5s on various types o$ audio syste#sust about all ne televisions play stereo sound/ and a stereo #i' ill also be &o#patible ith ne er

surround-sound and ho#e theater syste#s/ as ell as older/ #ono television sets

.3.1.1. $reating a stereo (i+ with the help o) a post )acility

any video produ&tion $a&ilities have audio engineers on sta$$/ so i$ you $inish your pro@e&t at a $ull-serv post house/ the sta$$ &an help you &reate a stereo #i' $or your $il#

As #entioned earlier in this appendi'/ an )D8 &ontains in$or#ation about the video and audio &lips in your pro@e&t ,hen an online editor &reates a broad&ast #aster $ro# your original sour&e tapes/ that #aster&ontains the audio &lips you used in the !i#eline o$ your digital editing syste# A$ter the broad&ast #aster

has been asse#bled/ an audio spe&ialist &an then $ine-tune the sound &lips into a highly re$ined stereo #i'An un&o#pressed Mui&5!i#e version o$ your $il# &an &ontain stereo or #ono audio In addition/ you &anoutput ea&h audio tra&5 in your se=uen&e as a separate ai$ $ile $or e'a#ple/ i$ you have eight un#i'edtra&5s in your !i#eline/ you &an e'port eight separate ai$ $ilesE I$ you output #ultiple ai$ audio tra&5salong ith your un&o#pressed video $ile/ an engineer at the postprodu&tion $a&ility &an re$ine the# into a&are$ully &ra$ted stereo #i' "or #ore details on e'porting un&o#pressed Mui&5!i#e $iles ith audio/ seeChapter 11 E

,hen you boo5 ti#e at a post $a&ility/ tal5 to the sta$$ about the te&hni&al issues related to your sounddesign !hey #ay have a parti&ular $ile type they d li5e you to bring to your online session and sound #i'/su&h as an 6 "/ des&ribed in the sidebar OPro!ools/ 6 "s/ and your $inal #i' O

.3.1.2. $reating a stereo (i+ yoursel)

any video editing and &o#positing progra#s/ in&luding "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts/ enable$il##a5ers to &reate a stereo #i' and output their audio and video together/ dire&tly $ro# their des5tops"or the spe&i$i&s o$ setting the pan &ontrol o$ an audio &lip/ hi&h deter#ines hi&h &hannel the sound i play on/ see the sidebar OStereo/ ono/ and PanO in Chapter 1< "or details on outputting an un&o#pressedMui&5!i#e version o$ your $il# that &ontains audio/ seeChapter 11
















SID>/8R +ro ools, OMFs, and 7our Final Mi?

"or #any years/ Pro!ools has been the industry standard in audio editing/ o&&upying a ni&hesi#ilar to the one Photoshop o&&upies in the orld o$ still i#ages "il##a5ers very o$ten or5

ith a Pro!ools engineer to s eeten their audio #i'/ hi&h #eans &lean up any i#per$e&tions and$ine-tune all the details in a sound design

!raditionally/ audio s eetening and the $inal sound #i' have been the last steps in the $il##a5ing pro&ess During an online edit/ an editor at the postprodu&tion $a&ility ould pull ea&h shot $ro#the original sour&e $ootage and asse#ble the video and un#i'ed audio into an edited #aster tape!he $il##a5er ould then bring the edited #aster tape to an audio engineer ho ould &reate the$inal audio #i'/ and ould also &lean up any i#per$e&tions in the sour&e audio

As addressed inChapter 1</ digital video appli&ations su&h as "inal Cut Pro and Pre#iere Pro noenable an editor to &reate &o#ple' sound #i'es as they re putting a se=uen&e together )ven ahighly s5illed editor &an bene$it $ro# the help o$ a good audio engineer/ and #any bring their or5 to an audio produ&tion $a&ility $or that reason "inal Cut Pro allo s an editor to e'port an audio#i' as an open #edia $ra#e or5 6 "E $ile/ hi&h an audio engineer &an then i#port dire&tlyinto Pro!ools An 6 " e'port outputs a $il# s sound #i' as individual &lips/ hi&h the engineer&an then ad@ust and rearrange in Pro!ools as easily you &an rearrange &lips in the "inal Cut Pro!i#eline

!o e'port 6 " audio $ro# "inal Cut Pro:

1 Sele&t "ile )'port Audio to 6 " !he Audio 6 " )'port indo opens






* Sele&t the sa#ple rate o$ the #aterial in your pro@e&t $ro# the Sa#ple (ate pull-do n#enu

3 Sele&t the sa#ple si e/ or bit rate/ o$ your audio $ro# the Sa#ple Si e pull-do n #enu)nter a nu#eri& value in the +andle 8ength $ield or you &an a&&ept the de$ault length o$ 1

se&ond A handle is an Oe'traO pie&e o$ audio that &o#es be$ore the start o$ a &lip in the!i#eline or a$ter the tail o$ a &lip An audien&e on t a&tually hear the handles you



in&lude in an 6 " e'port/ but they give your editor added $le'ibility "or e'a#ple/ i$ anaudio editor ants to e'tend the length o$ a $ade/ she ll need e'tra audio $ro# the handlesDi$$erent audio editors ill have di$$erent handle lengths they d li5e you to provide/ so&onta&t your editor in advan&e

Cli&5 69 "inal Cut Pro &loses the 6 " Audio )'port indo and opens the Saveindo

2 Navigate to a lo&ation on your hard drive here you d li5e to save the 6 " In thee'a#ple/ I ve sele&ted a $older na#ed audio e'ports

4 Cli&5 Save "inal Cut Pro e'ports an 6 " $ile to the lo&ation you ve sele&ted I$ youdon t have 6 "-&o#patible so$t are installed on your syste#/ su&h as Pro !ools/ you

on t be able to open the e'ported 6 " E

8.*. .*. %. or #. surround sound

I$ you plan on e'hibiting your or5 in theaters ith high-end sound syste#s/ or distributing your or5 viaD%D to people ith sophisti&ated ho#e theater audio syste#s/ you #ight ant to e'plore surround soundas an option ,hile stereo sound uses t o &hannels/ surround sound uses #any #ore &hannels o$ audio to



pla&e sounds in spe&i$i& lo&ations to the le$t or right o$ the listener/ as ell as behind or dire&tly in $ront o$hi#

Note: I$ you &reate a 1 &hannel sound #i' and play it ba&5 on a stereo syste#/ the syste# ill do n#i'the audio to play as t o-&hannel stereo !his #eans the syste# ill &o#bine all o$ the &hannels into @ustt o I$ you re or5ing in si'-&hannel audio/ it #ight be a good idea to play your audio on a basi& stereosyste# to hear hat a do n#i'ed version #ight sound li5e Audio engineers ho #i' on $antasti&ally&lear/ state-o$-the-art spea5ers ill o$ten also have a lo -end sound syste# &heap spea5ers or even a boo# bo'E in their studio to @udge hat their or5 ill sound li5e i$ so#eone plays it ba&5 on poor-=ualitye=uip#ent

A 1 &hannel surround-sound #i' uses si' &hannels: le$t and right as in a stereo #i'/ plus a le$t rear&hannel/ a right rear &hannel/ a &enter &hannel that $a&es the vie er/ and a si'th &hannel that plays onlylo -$re=uen&y sounds Be&ause ele#ents in the #i' are dire&ted to di$$erent spea5ers around the roo#/ itsounds li5e the audio is surrounding the listener7hen&e/ the na#e surround sound !he #i' is re$erred toas 1/ even though it &ontains si' &hannels/ be&ause the lo -$re=uen&y or sub oo$er &hannel plays onlysounds in the lo est 10 per&ent o$ the audible spe&tru# (e&ent develop#ents in audio te&hnology havealso produ&ed 2 1 surround sound/ hi&h uses seven audio &hannels

Creating sound #i'es that use #ore than t o &hannels re=uires hard are and so$t are beyond hat shipsith "inal Cut Pro or A$ter )$$e&ts 6$$-the-shel$ a&s/ and #any bi-dire&tional #edia &onverters/ shipith stereo outputs/ as do #any ne PCs I$ you ant to or5 in surround-sound audio you need hard areith at least si' outputs/ one $or ea&h &hannel/ @ust to #onitor the results o$ your #i' Stereo spea5ers on t

let you hear hat a #ulti-&hannel #i' really sounds li5e/ be&ause stereo e=uip#ent si#ply doesn t outputenough &hannels A #edia &onverter su&h as A@a s I6 ships ith eight outputs/ and you &an send ea&h oneto a di$$erent spea5er "or #ore in$or#ation on #edia &onverters/ see OConne&ting a #onitor to yoursyste#O inChapter 10 E

In addition to hard are re=uire#ents $or listening to your output/ or5ing in surround sound re=uiresspe&iali ed so$t are that lets you assign di$$erent tra&5s to si' or #ore di$$erent &hannels "inal Cut Proa&&o##odates only t o &hannels/ le$t and right/ but #ore spe&i$i& audio produ&tion appli&ations su&h asDigiDesign s Pro!ools or Apple s 8ogi& Pro are $ar #ore #ulti-&hannel $riendly the &urrent version o$8ogi& Pro supports surround #i'es o$ up to eight &hannelsE

I$ you really ant to add a surround-sound #i' to your pro@e&t/ but don t ant to invest in the e=uip#ent orta5e the ti#e to learn all the $ine points o$ using it/ you &an bring your or5 to an audio postprodu&tion$a&ility and have the sta$$ &reate a #ulti-&hannel surround #i' $or you As I #entioned in earlier se&tions o$ this boo5/ or5ing ith an e'pert #ay help bring your or5 to a higher level o$ =uality

8.(. Mastering to DVD, and the /ene its o Distri;uting 7our -ork in a Digital Format

-hy the V6S Is Still a Via;le O tion

!his se&tion o$ the boo5 is &learly not a love story bet een the author and the %+S +o ever/&reating %+S &opies o$ your $il# &an #a5e it #u&h easier to get your or5 to parti&ularseg#ents o$ the publi& Believe it or not/ there are still #any people ho don t o n a D%D player (ather than e'&lude a potentially large nu#ber o$ vie ers/ #a5ing a pro@e&t available on%+S #ay help you rea&h #ore people Depending on the target audien&e you re trying to rea&h 7$or e'a#ple/ older people ho are un&o#$ortable ith ne te&hnologies or s&hools that don thave the $unds to update e=uip#ent7#a5ing your $il# available in %+S #ay be a very





pra&ti&al de&ision

Ba&5 in the old days #eaning be$ore *003/ hen I bought #y $irst D%D burnerLe=uipped editing syste#E/I $ound it very $rustrating to &reate a or5 o$ stunning pi&ture and audio =uality using entirely digital tools/and then distribute lo er =uality &opies on %+S tape ,or5ing in an all-digital do#ain enabled #e to edit

ithout a generational loss in =uality/ but no #atter ho good the trans$er/ #a5ing %+S &opies o$ a $il#al ays degraded #y sound and #y i#ages )ven a$ter a$$ordable digital &a#eras and editing syste#s be&a#e idely available in the late 1??0s/ the #ost &o##on ay to distribute &opies o$ a $il# re#ainedthe un$lattering %+S tape

"ortunately/ e no have other options Co#puters in the prosu#er pri&e range routinely ship ith D%D burners that enable an editor to a$$ordably output a $inished produ&t in a very high-=uality digital $or#at Ne er versions o$ "inal Cut Pro even ship ith a progra# &alled Co#pressor/ hi&h enables an editor to&o#press a se=uen&e into a D%D-&o#patible #edia $or#at dire&tly $ro# the "inal Cut Pro !i#eline

earlier so$t are appli&ations re=uired outputting a pro@e&t as a Mui&5!i#e $ile and then &o#pressing the$ile using a separate appli&ation su&h as Cleaner $ro# Dis&rete so$t areE

Not only is the =uality o$ a D%D $ar superior to that o$ a %+S tape/ but D%D produ&tion is $ar #ore &oste$$e&tive Pur&hased in bul5/ re&ordable D%Ds sell at &ontinually lo er pri&es7I ve re&ently seen pa&5ao$ 100 $or K32/ and by the ti#e you read this/ I i#agine pri&es #ay be even lo er any D%Ds available atthis pri&e are also in5@et printable/ hi&h #eans you &an design a very pro$essional loo5ing label $or the$a&e o$ the D%D and print it dire&tly onto the dis& using a &o#patible/ and o$ten ine'pensive/ in5@et printe

Printing dire&tly onto the $a&e o$ a D%D is #u&h #ore reliable than using an adhesive label D%Ds spin so=ui&5ly during playba&5 that i$ the label is applied even slightly o$$ &enter/ it &an 5no&5 the dis& o$$ balan&e/ &ausing proble#s E .ou &an then use the sa#e printer to &reate a pro$essional-loo5ing &over $oryour D%D &ase/ and hen you pur&hase &ases in bul5/ you &an get the# $or 30 &ents ea&h ,hen you putall this together/ it #eans you &an &reate a very pro$essional produ&t $or less than K1 a &opy/ in&luding a&ase and a label

I # &ontinually i#pressed ith the =uality o$ D%Ds that people #a5e using readily available &o#putere=uip#ent ,or5 shot ith a digital &a#era and output as a D%D &an loo5 surprisingly pro$essional oneven a shoestring budget

I ve o$ten said that a person s &reative ability is #ore i#portant than the #oney she spends on e=uip#ent,hen you #a5e a good pro@e&t and distribute it to audien&es on a ell-&ra$ted and highly a$$ordable D%D/you &an let your &reativity shine ithout going bro5e

!here are three stages to #a5ing a D%D version o$ your $inished $il#: &o#pressing your or5 into a D%D&o#patible $ile $or#at/ building the D%D ar&hite&ture/ and #a5ing &opies o$ the $inished D%D 8i5eoutputting a broad&ast #aster and $inishing an audio #i'/ you &an &o#plete all three stages o$ the D%D pro&ess in your o n studio or you &an or5 ith the pro$essional sta$$ o$ a postprodu&tion $a&ility

! o popular D%D-authoring appli&ations are Apple s D%D Studio Pro $or the a&http:GG apple &o#GdvdstudioproGE and Adobe )n&ore D%D $or the PChttp:GG adobe &o#Gprodu&tsGen&oreGE ;sing one o$ these progra#s/ you &an &o#plete a pro$essional

=uality D%D $ro# start to $inish "or #ore in$or#ation on both appli&ations/ 6 (eilly edia o$$ers t o boo5s7Adobe )n&ore D%D: In the Studio and D%D Studio Pro 3: In the Studio

!his se&tion outlines the pro&ess o$ #a5ing a D%D

.4.1.1. *ncoding

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D%D players read a type o$ video $ile &alled P)>-* 6n&e you ve $inali ed all the ele#ents o$ your $il#/you &an en&ode the $ile into an P)>-* using a variety o$ so$t are progra#s D%Ds also use separate $iles$or video and audio !his enables vie ers to &hoose alternate language tra&5s and dire&tor s and a&tors&o##entary .ou &an en&ode video and audio using progra#s li5e D%D Studio Pro and )n&ore D%D .ou&an also en&ode your video and audio using Co#pressor/ hi&h ships ith "inal Cut Pro/ be$ore i#portingyour $ootage in to D%D Studio Pro E

Creating a D%D re=uires $il##a5ers to &o#press their #aterial so it $its in the li#ited storage &apa&ity o$ adis& A D%D holds 4 >B o$ in$or#ation/ hi&h a#ounts to less than *0 #inutes o$ D%-=uality video !o$it #ore in$or#ation on a D%D/ su&h as a t o-hour #ovie and a &olle&tion o$ spe&ial $eatures/ video&o#pression progra#s re#ove redundan&ies in a $ile7in$or#ation/ that in theory/ audien&es on t noti&e+o ever/ i$ video $iles are over-&o#pressed/ they =ui&5ly lose their visual =uality: blo&5y &o#pressionarti$a&ts &an appear in areas o$ $ine detail or at the edges o$ an i#age !he tri&5 is to 5eep enoughin$or#ation so that your $il# loo5s and sounds good/ but to get rid o$ enough in$or#ation so that your pro@e&t $its on a dis& "or #ore in$or#ation on video &o#pression and &o#pression arti$a&ts/ seeChapters* and 11 E

In addition/ not all parts o$ a $il# re=uire the sa#e a#ount o$ in$or#ation in order to play ba&5 at high=uality Shots ith #ore #ove#ent and detail re=uire #ore in$or#ation than shots &ontaining less

#ove#ent or detail!he a#ount o$ in$or#ation a devi&e is re=uired to read o$$ a dis& ea&h se&ond in order to play it ba&5 is&alled the bit rate Current D%D &o#pression progra#s o$$er a &hoi&e o$ bit rate settings !he &hoi&es vara&&ording to the parti&ular appli&ation you re using/ but they essentially brea5 do n as $ollo s:

One-pass encoding a constant bit rate

!he appli&ation reads through a pro@e&t and &reates an P)>-* version o$ the video $ra#e by$ra#e/ using the sa#e bit rate settings $ro# start to $inish 6$ the three so$t are-based #ethodsdes&ribed in this se&tion/ this is o$ten the $astest ay to &reate an P)>-* I$ you de&ide not touse so$t are-based en&oding/ you &an also use a hard are-based P)> en&oder that &onvertsvideo $iles in real ti#e E

One-pass encoding at a variable bit rate, or one-pass V !

;nli5e &onstant bit rate en&oding/ %B( uses a di$$erent bit rate depending on the visual&o#ple'ity o$ the #aterial Shots ith #ore #otion and areas o$ $iner visual detail are &o#pressedat a higher bit rate than areas ith less #otion and less detail !his saves spa&e on a D%D byen&oding #aterial at lo er bit rates henever possible/ and #aintains visual =uality by en&oding#aterial at higher bit rates hen needed

T"o-pass encoding at a variable bit rate, or t"o-pass V !

! o-pass en&oding #eans the appli&ation reads through a pro@e&t t i&e 6n the $irst pass/ the

appli&ation analy es the #aterial to see hi&h $ra#es should be en&oded at higher bit rates andhi&h $ra#es &an be en&oded at lo er rates 6n the se&ond pass/ the appli&ation does the a&tualen&oding ,or5ing in t o passes enables the so$t are to pre&isely deter#ine hi&h se&tions o$ thevideo should re&eive di$$erent &o#pression rates/ and to ad@ust the &o#pression applied to ea&h$ra#e a&&ordingly ! o-pass %B( generally produ&es the best =uality P)>-* $iles and #a5esthe #ost e$$i&ient use o$ dis5 spa&e Be&ause it involves t o passes through ea&h $ra#e o$ a pro@e&t/ it s also generally the slo est ay to &reate an P)>-*

.4.1.2. uilding the 898










6n&e you ve &o#pressed your video/ the ne't step is to build the D%D ar&hite&ture !his pro&ess is &alledauthoring the D%D !his entails adding a series o$ &o#pressed video $iles to the D%D as tra&5s/ hi&husers &an navigate to using a series o$ #enus !he spe&i$i&s o$ ho to build a D%D vary &onsiderablydepending on the so$t are you re using/ but all D%D &onstru&tion involves &reating #enus and tra&5s

• enus $eature a variety o$ buttons that you &an position and design a&&ording to your artisti&

sensibility and the needs o$ your pro@e&t A vie er &an then use these buttons to navigate todi$$erent tra&5s on your dis& ,hen you &reate a #enu you &an also add still i#ages/ or #ovingi#ages/ that appear in the ba&5ground/ as ell as sounds that play hile the #enu is ons&reen

• !ra&5s are P)>-* $iles that ill play in the order you spe&i$y .ou &an set a tra&5 on the D%D to play auto#ati&ally hen a vie er inserts the dis& in a D%D player/ or you &an set the D%D soea&h tra&5 plays only hen a vie er sele&ts a spe&i$i& #enu option .ou &an also add &hapter#ar5ers that enable a vie er to navigate to di$$erent points ithin a tra&5

.4.1.3. $opying the disc

!here are t o ays to produ&e &opies o$ a D%D: dupli&ation and repli&ation Although they #ay soundsi#ilar/ they re a&tually very di$$erent

• Dupli&ation si#ply #eans #a5ing dupli&ate &opies o$ a D%D/ hi&h you &an do yoursel$ i$ youhave an editing syste# e=uipped ith a D%D burner Apple s D%D Studio Pro and Adobe )n&ore both enable you to build and burn D%Ds $ro# your o n &o#puter/ as do #any other D%D&reation progra#s Properly #ade D%Ds produ&ed using one o$ these appli&ations ill play ba&5on al#ost all D%D players/ although so#e older #odels #ay have trouble reading a dis& burned by a &o#puter instead o$ a repli&ation $a&ility repli&ation is des&ribed belo E 6n&e you ve&reated a #aster dis&/ you &an easily &reate &opies using a progra# li5e (o'io !oasthttp:GG ro'io &o#GenGprodu&tsGtoastGE I$ you have an in5@et printer/ you &an design &usto#

labels and &overs $or the dis&s you burn and =ui&5ly &reate pro$essional =uality D%Ds to sell !heonly &at&h is/ these dis&s are not only easy $or you to &opy/ anyone ith a &o#puter and a D%D burner &an #a5e &opies as ell

Note: Al ays test ea&h D%D on a standalone D%D player &onne&ted to a television also &alled aset-top D%D playerE to #a5e sure everything or5s the ay you ant it to 6&&asionally/ a D%Dyou burn yoursel$ ill play ba&5 per$e&tly on a &o#puter but on t loo5 right hen you play it ba&5 on a set-top player or vi&e versaE 6ther ti#es/ so#ething #ight go rong ith the burn/and your D%D ill si#ply $ail to play ba&5 all together I$ you en&ounter proble#s/ try restartingyour &o#puter and burning another &opy o$ the dis& !urning a &o#puter o$$/ aiting a $ese&onds/ and then turning it on again &an solve a surprising nu#ber o$ te&hni&al proble#s E I$ you burn another D%D and $ind you still have trouble playing the D%D ba&5 on a set-top bo'/ try re-en&oding your #aterial at a lo er bit rate Co#puters &an so#eti#es play tra&5s en&oded at higher bit rates than a standalone D%D player &an handle So#e D%D players that are #ore than $iveyears old &annot play dis&s that you burn on a &o#puter/ but ill play only dis&s &reated at a&o##er&ial repli&ation $a&ility

I$ you don t ant people #a5ing their o n &opies o$ your or5/ you need to bring your or5 to arepli&ation $a&ility to add &opy-prote&tion $eatures

• At a repli&ation $a&ility/ te&hni&ians &reate a glass #aster o$ your D%D and then use the #aster to&reate additional &opies A large $a&ility &an easily produ&e hundreds or even thousands o$ &opieo$ a D%D at on&e Creating a glass #aster is a $airly e'pensive pro&ess/ and be&o#es &ost

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Note: Not all users ant to at&h video hen they &o#e to a eb site I$ you re strea#ing videoon the ,eb/ give your users &ontrol 8et the# &li&5 to load/ instead o$ using so#e type o$ autoload&o##and in the &ode o$ your eb page Also/ i$ it s a really long &lip/ edit the video into seg#entsand enable the user to strea# ea&h part o$ the &lip hen he s ready .ou &an also #a5e your site

#u&h #ore easy to use by &learly labeling the lin5s to ea&h &lip and providing a brie$ des&riptiono$ ea&h &lip s &ontents and its length

• Pro&essor po er re$ers to ho #u&h in$or#ation a parti&ular &o#puter &an pro&ess at any oneti#e %ideo re=uires substantial a#ounts o$ pro&essor po er/ and as #entioned inChapter 10/ aslo er &o#puter #ight $ree e hile playing ba&5 a video &lip i$ the &o#puter s pro&essor be&o#esover hel#ed ,hen you re distributing or5 via the Internet/ understanding the li#itations o$ pro&essor speed ill enable you to #a5e your or5 a&&essible to a #u&h ider audien&e )ven i$the people vie ing your or5 have espe&ially $ast Internet &onne&tions/ they on t be able to

at&h $ull-s&reen video on a &o#puter that doesn t have a po er$ul pro&essor

6pti#i ing a video $ile $or eb strea#ing #eans &onverting it into a $or# that s parti&ularly ell suited $orthe Internet !he tri&5 to #a5ing video $iles a&&essible to a large audien&e o$ Internet users is to #anage both the i#age si e and $ra#e rate

As you &an i#agine/ a 4*0' <0 video &lip re=uires #u&h #ore in$or#ation than the sa#e &lip redu&ed to320'* 0 !he i#ages ould appear noti&eably s#aller/ but they ould also re=uire #u&h less band idth tostrea# e$$e&tively and #u&h less po er to play ba&5 Si#ilarly/ a video &lip that plays at 30 $ra#es perse&ond ill re=uire #u&h #ore in$or#ation than the sa#e &lip redu&ed to a $ra#e rate o$ 1 $ps As notedin Chapter */ &lips played at a slo er $ra#e rate #ay #ot loo5 as s#ooth as &lips played at a higher $ra#erate !he tri&5 is to balan&e the a$$ordan&es o$ the #ediu# ith your goals as a $il##a5er I$ you 5noyou re going to be strea#ing your or5/ you &an shoot #ore &lose-ups they loo5 good at redu&ed $ra#esi esE and shots ith $e er pans and oo#s #otion ithin the $ra#e o$ten loo5s better than &a#era#ove#ents at lo er $ra#e ratesE I$ you re editing a trailer $or the ,eb/ you #ight use #ore &lose-ups and$e er oo#s and pans than you ould $or a trailer #eant $or !% or theaters

. .1.1. $odecs

!he ter# &ode& is short $or &o#pressionGde&o#pression ,hen you apply a &ode& to a video $ile/ you reapplying a &o#pression algorith# that #a5es the $ile easier to trans#it over the Internet A &o#pressionalgorith# is essentially a &o#ple' #athe#ati&al $or#ula E ,hen vie ers play your $ile ba&5/ they need touse a &o#patible &ode& to de&o#press the $ile

!he Mui&5!i#e player/ hi&h is available $or both a& and PC/ uses a variety o$ &ode&s and &o#es preinstalled on all ne a&s and #any ne PCs I$ you re using Mui&5!i#e Pro hi&h is available athttp:GG apple &o#G=ui&5ti#eGE to en&ode #edia/ you &an &hoose the parti&ular &ode& you d li5e to use,hen a vie er plays the &lip ba&5/ the Mui&5!i#e player ill auto#ati&ally &hoose the appropriate &ode&to de&ode your or5 .ou &an also use proprietary #edia players to en&ode your or5/ su&h as (eal Playerhttp:GG real &o#GE or a&ro#edia s "lash Player http:GG #a&ro#edia &o#GE/ hi&h use their o n

&ode&s (eal Player and "lash Player are available as $ree do nloads and are both idely used

A nu#ber o$ so$t are appli&ations en&ode video into $or#ats you &an strea# $ro# a eb site So#e idelyused appli&ations in&lude:

Dis&reet &leaner http:GG dis&reet &o#Gprodu&tsGE






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Available $or both a& and PC/ &leaner en&odes video and audio using a variety o$ &ode&s/enabling you to &hoose the spe&i$i& settings that or5 best $or your pro@e&t &leaner also en&ode#edia $or D%Ds and $or so#e #obile devi&es

a&ro#edia "lash http:GG #a&ro#edia &o#Gso$t areG$lashGE

A strea#ing #edia authoring tool available $or both the a& and PC plat$or#s/ "lash enables youto en&ode video and &reate a &usto#i ed eb-based inter$a&e

Apple Co#pressor http:GG apple &o#G$inal&utproG&o#pressor ht#lE

!his produ&t ships ith "inal Cut Pro and is designed to or5 ith both "inal Cut and D%DStudio Pro Co#pressor is integrated ith "inal Cut Pro/ so you &an e'port audio and videodire&tly $or# "inal Cut using a variety o$ &ode&s

.ou &an also output video $iles using a variety o$ &ode&s dire&tly $ro# "inal Cut Pro and A$ter )$$e&ts SeeO)'porting a Mui&5!i#e ovieO in the "inal Cut Pro +elp $iles/ and O)'porting $ootage using Mui&5!i#e&o#ponentsO in the A$ter )$$e&ts +elp $iles

(egardless o$ the so$t are you re using/ e'peri#ent ith di$$erent &ode&s/ i#age si es/ and $ra#e rates to$ind the settings that or5 best $or your parti&ular $ootage Sele&t a $e di$$erent &lips/ and en&ode ea&h a $e ti#es using a $e di$$erent settings to see ho the #aterial ill play ba&5 Depending on the &ontentso$ the &lip/ di$$erent &o#pression settings #ay produ&e very di$$erent results "or a dis&ussion o$ te#poraland spatial &o#pression as they relate to the &ontent o$ a shot/ see OCo#pression algorith#sO and OShotsthat #a5e &o#pression easierO inChapter 3

Note: I$ you re interested in learning #ore about "lash or A&tionS&ript/ hi&h is the &oding language "lashdevelopers use to &reate intera&tive online environ#ents/ 6 (eilly o$$ers a nu#ber o$ boo5s in&luding:Progra##ing "lash Co##uni&ation Server A&tionS&ript $or "lash J: !he De$initive >uide "lash+a&5s: 100 Industrial-Strength !ips and !ools A&tionS&ript Coo5boo5: Solutions and )'a#ples $or "lash

J Developers and )ssential A&tionS&ript * 0

)ven though they re ea&h #anu$a&tured by separate &o#panies/ you &an use the appli&ations #entionedabove together "or e'a#ple/ I used Co#pressor and "lash in &o#bination to produ&e #y latest online pro@e&t/ i Muerida A#eri&a/ hi&h $ollo s a group o$ i##igrant teens through their $irst year o$ highs&hool in Ne .or5 City I opti#i ed #y video in Co#pressor/ ad@usting the $ra#e rate and i#age si e/ andthen designed an intera&tive inter$a&e using a&ro#edia "lash !he results are online athttp:GG digitaldo&u#entary orgGa#eri&aG

8.#. Making 7our Voice 6eard

,hatever te&hnology you de&ide to e#ploy/ they all lead to the sa#e goal: bringing your or5 to thegreatest nu#ber o$ people I #a5e a living be&ause I 5no ho to use te&hnology/ and on a good day/ Ieven thin5 te&hnology &an be $un ,hat I really love/ ho ever/ is #a5ing so#ething really good and usingte&hnology to share it ith an audien&e

!he previous 1< &hapters ere devoted to #a5ing the $il# you al ays anted !his appendi' e'ploredvarious ele&troni& #edia you &an use to deliver that $il# to an audien&e/ and the ne't and $inal se&tion o$

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the boo5 e'plores ays you &an develop the greatest audien&e possibleAppendi' B dis&usses ays you&an #a5e sure people see the great $il# you ve or5ed so hard to #a5e

"or years I drea#ed about having #y o n produ&tion studio be&ause it ould enable #e to #a5e any $il# Ianted No I have a great digital editing syste#/ and I &an use it to #a5e the $il#s I ant/ in e'a&tly theay that I thin5 is best !e&hnology provides #e ith &ontrol over both &reation and distribution

,hen I present #y or5 at &on$eren&es and $il# $estivals/ I o$ten begin by saying that I don t have enough#oney to buy a television station/ but I do have the te&hni&al ability to #a5e a D%D or a eb site anddeliver #y or5 to anyone in the orld )ven i$ I #a5e the best television sho ever/ I still have to ait $or a television station to broad&ast it7and i$ a progra##ing e'e&utive doesn t thin5 #y or5 is orth hile/that sho ill never see the light o$ day Be&ause I &ontrol #y o n #eans o$ digital produ&tion/ I don thave to ait $or so#eone s per#ission to e'hibit so#ething that s i#portant to #e

And neither do you

8 endi? /. he 5ast Ste : 1egotiating a Sale Gand -hy 7ou Should 8l9ays /argain 4 H>etting .our "il# Seen: +o "estival )'posure and Press Coverage Can >et .ou Noti&ed!he 6ption o$ Sel$-Distribution and the Story o$ ary ane s Not a %irgin Any#oreD I . or Die: !a5ing .our,or5 on !our Don t Sell .oursel$ Short,hy >ood Business Cards Are I#portant

!he three greatest pie&es o$ advi&e I ever re&eived as a $il##a5er are as $ollo s:

• I$ a pie&e o$ e=uip#ent isn t or5ing/ #a5e sure it s plugged in• No $il# is ever $inished/ you @ust stop or5ing on it• ,hen it &o#es to sho ing your $il#/ any $estival is better than no $estival

)a&h o$ these lines is entirely appli&able to this boo5/ and the last is parti&ularly relevant to this appendi'7 espe&ially hen you get to the point here you ve &o#pleted a $il# and have to de&ide hat to do ith it

In&identally/ all three &a#e $ro# A&ade#y A ardLno#inated do&u#entary $il##a5er and&ine#atographer on )lse ho taught part ti#e in #y graduate $il# progra# E

/. . Letting 7our Film Seen: 6o9 Festi3al >? osure and +ress 2o3erage 2an Let 7ou 1oticed

"or #any independent $il#s/ $estivals present the best ay to $ind an audien&e "il# $estivals spe&iali e in bringing audien&es or5 they other ise ouldn t see/ so i$ you ve got so#ething really good/ entering it inthe right $il# $estival is an i#portant $irst step

In addition to the big na#e $il# $estivals/ su&h as Cannes and Sundan&e/ there are hundreds o$ others allaround the orld/ ranging $ro# very large general audien&e $il# $estivals to events that &ater to distin&tni&he #ar5ets !here are Asian $il# $estivals/ A$ri&an A#eri&an $il# $estivals/ 8atino $il# $estivals/ and

e ish $il# $estivals a&ross the ;nited States !here are also $estivals that $o&us on $il#s about hu#anrights issues/ environ#ental &on&erns/ gender issues/ and the#es related to se'ual orientation @ust aboutevery large- to #ediu#-si ed &ity in the ; S has a gay and lesbian $il# $estival/ and so do #any s#alleronesE

I$ you re a student/ you &an enter your $il# in student &ategories hi&h is great be&ause then you don thave to &o#pete ith people ho have years #ore e'perien&e than you doE !here are also so#e $estivalsthat ta5e only student or5/ so i$ you re eligible/ these &an be parti&ularly good pla&es to enter your $il#



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Note: !here are entire $estivals devoted to $il#s that &an be used in an edu&ational &onte't Classroo# useis an i#portant and all too o$ten overloo5ed venue $or $il##a5ers A&&ording to 8arry Daressa o$ theedu&ational distribution &o#pany Cali$ornia Ne sreel/http:GG ne sreel org/ edu&ational video is a K* billion a year #ar5et

!here are $estivals devoted e'&lusively to short $il#s/ $il#s by o#en/ $il#s about history/ $il#s abouts&ien&e/ and pretty #u&h any other &ategory or sub&ategory you &an thin5 o$

In short/ hatever your $il# is about/ there s a $estival out there ith your na#e on it

I$ you get into a big $estival/ there #ay be progra##ers $ro# other $estivals in the audien&e ho li5e youror5 and invite you to e'hibit so#e here else in the $uture "estival s&reenings also give you &lout as a

$il##a5er Anybody ith a &a#&order &an #a5e a $il#/ but i$ you e'hibit your or5/ it #eans so#eone hasgiven your pro@e&t a seal o$ approval 8i5e ise/ i$ so#eone revie s your $il#/ it helps dra attention toyour or5 and builds your tra&5 re&ord as a dire&tor or produ&er

"estivals are also pla&es here $il# distributors loo5 $or pro@e&ts they d li5e to a&=uire "il##a5ers Chris9entis and 8aura 8au #ade 6pen ,ater des&ribed at length in Chapter 12E $or K130/000 and hen the $il# played at Sundan&e/ sold it to 8ion s >ate )ntertain#ent $or K* #illion/ a&&ording to the Ne .or5!i#es Shopping your $il# around to various $estivals probably on t #a5e you a #illionaire/ but arespe&table list o$ $estival s&reenings and so#e good print revie s &an #a5e your $il# #u&h #oreattra&tive to a distributor and bring you so#e #u&h-needed &lout hen it &o#es ti#e to negotiate a&ontra&t

!he do nside o$ sending your or5 to $il# $estivals is the pro&ess opens you up to re@e&tion "estivalso$ten re&eive $ar #ore sub#issions than they have the ability or in&lination to e'hibit !his #eans thatalthough so#e people get a&&epted to @ust about every $il# $estival they apply to/ #ost don t )ven people

ith e'&eptionally su&&ess$ul $il#s o$ten get re@e&ted $ro# a nu#ber o$ $estivals be$ore their $il# &at&heson and starts getting sho n In $a&t/ $il##a5ers o$ten get re@e&ted $ro# one $estival and then re&eive aninvitation to a #ore sele&tive $il# $estival soon a$ter It s also not unheard o$ to get re@e&ted $ro# a $estivand then invited to e'hibit at that sa#e $estival a$ter your $il# has gotten so#e good publi&ity E

;lti#ately/ you have to believe in the =uality o$ your o n or5 and your o n abilities as an artist I$ onesele&tion &o##ittee turns you do n/ $ind a better one so#e here else

SID>/8R he /usiness 2ard +itch

A pit&h is a short su##ary o$ your $il# that you give to a potential $under or distributor Inessen&e/ a pit&h is a ay o$ saying/ O!his is hy #y pro@e&t is really good/ and hy you shouldgive #e #oney $or it O In $il#/ as ell as other &reative pro$essions/ the ord Opit&hO $un&tionsas both a noun and a verb "or e'a#ple/ Ohere s #y pit&h/O or OI # going to pit&h #y pro@e&t atthe #eeting O

,hen you sho your or5 at a $il# $estival or attend a &on$eren&e/ you ll #eet lots o$ peopleand have lots o$ opportunities to deliver your pit&h 6$ &ourse/ $unders and distributors hear tonso$ pit&hes all day long/ so to #a5ing your pit&h both short and #e#orable &an help #a5e it#u&h #ore e$$e&tive ! o na#es $or a ell-rehearsed and su&&in&t pit&h are the business &ard pit&h and the elevator pit&h A business &ard pit&h gets its na#e be&ause it s short enough to $iton the ba&5 o$ a business &ard i$ you rite it do n !he elevator pit&h is &losely related/ and gets

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http://www.newsreel.org/




its na#e $ro# the $a&t that it s short enough to tell so#eone during a brie$ elevator ride

!he pit&h $or #y #ost re&ent pro@e&t/ i Muerida A#eri&a/ is Oa do&u#entary $ollo ing a groupo$ i##igrant teens through their $irst year o$ high s&hool in Ne .or5 City O !he pit&h is short/easy to understand/ and easy to deliver

I pit&hed an earlier pro@e&t/ !ell !he# .ou re "ine/ as Oa do&u#entary $ollo ing three re&entlydiagnosed &an&er patients as they &o#e to ter#s ith their illness O

A good pit&h &an also in&lude details about the $il# s target audien&e Depending on ho I asspea5ing ith/ I ould o$ten add that !ell !he# .ou re "ine Ois ai#ed at &an&er patients andtheir $a#ilies/ as ell as hospitals and #edi&al s&hools O !ell !he# .ou re "ine is distributed by"anlight Produ&tions: http:GG $anlight &o#G I read about "anlight in the !he AI%" >uide to"il# and %ideo Distributors/ #entioned later in this appendi'/ &alled the# up be&ause I thoughtthey d be a good $it $or #y pro@e&t/ and gave the# #y pit&h over the phone !hey li5ed #y pit&henough to vie a &opy o$ the $il#/ and li5ed the $il# enough to o$$er #e a &ontra&t E

(e$ining your pit&h and learning to deliver it ith &on$iden&e is an essential s5ill $or any$il##a5er As you go out into the orld ith an idea $or a $il# or ith a pro@e&t that s in progress or so#ething you ve already &o#pletedE/ your pit&h is the best ay to open doorsBe$ore $unders and distributors &an pay attention to you/ they have to 5no you e'ist/ and the pit&h is your #eans o$ introdu&tion a5e ea&h one &ount

6o9 to Find Out 8;out Festi3als

"il# Arts "oundation lists up&o#ing $estivals in its #onthly #aga ine (elease Print/ and alsolists &alls $or entry in the #e#bers area on its eb site/http:GG $il#arts orgG

!he Asso&iation o$ Independent %ideo and "il##a5ers lists up&o#ing $estivals in its #onthly

publi&ation !he Independent I$ you re serious about trying to get your $il# out there/ it s a goodidea to read both !he Independent and (elease Print/ they o$ten list di$$erent opportunities E

!he International Do&u#entary Asso&iation lists up&o#ing $estivals in a publi& area on its ebsite/ http:GG do&u#entary orgG

/.!. he O tion o Sel $Distri;ution and the Story o Mary Jane's 1ot a Virgin 8nymore

In 1??4/ a $irst-ti#e $eature dire&tor na#ed Sarah a&obson s&reened ary ane s Not a %irgin Any#ore atthe Sundan&e "il# "estival !he $il# e'plored se' $ro# a o#an s perspe&tive and had a strong $e#alelead/ #a5ing it very di$$erent $ro# hat audien&es had seen in #ainstrea# $eatures

Although ary ane s Not a %irgin Any#ore as ell re&eived at both Sundan&e and South By South est/t o very in$luential $il# $estivals/ a&obson asn t o$$ered a distribution deal $or her $il#

O!hese +olly ood people/ these invest#ent ban5ers said girls don t go to #ovies unless their boy$riendsta5e the#/O a&obson told the San "ran&is&o Chroni&le in 1??< Not only did she strongly disagree/ but shede&ided to prove the# rong

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(ather than aiting $or a distributor to bring her or5 to the publi&/ she set out to do it hersel$ ,or5ingith her #other/ (uth/ a&obson sent her $il# to a nu#ber o$ high-pro$ile $estivals and then literally

be&a#e her o n distributor/ boo5ing s&reenings at theaters a&ross the ;nited States !he San "ran&is&oChroni&le des&ribed her daily a&tivity as $ollo s:

She s on the telephone $or hours ea&h day/ s&h#oo ing s#all theater o ners a&ross the &ountry She sends

the# a tape o$ her $il# and badgers the# $or a &o##it#ent to s&reen the #ovie !hat s hen she s notsending out hundreds o$ #ailers/ &onta&ting the #edia and stapling neighborhoods ith posters

O.ou have to be pushy/ you have to be assertive/ you have to be a pest/O a&obson told the Chroni&le Shetraveled to ea&h s&reening/ and brought a print o$ the $il# ith her this as in the pre-digital era hens&reening in a theater #eant delivering an e'pensive 12 ## $il# print to ea&h sho E +er su&&ess as a$il##a5er &learly &a#e $ro# her sheer deter#ination: instead o$ aiting $or so#eone to o$$er her anopportunity/ she &reated her o n A&&ording to an arti&le in the %illage %oi&e/ Sarah and (uth a&obsonOs&raped together 0 grandO to #a5e the $il# Oin part by sending post&ards to &o#plete strangers as5ing $or#oney O

I de&ided to in&lude a&obson s story in this appendi' to inspire you as both an artist and an entrepreneura&obson used her artisti& passion to share her or5 ith the orld at a ti#e hen $il# produ&tion and

distribution ere $ar #ore e'pensive and labor intensive than they are today She had a strong vision o$hat she anted to share ith an audien&e/ and she or5ed very hard to #a5e sure her vision as $ullyreali ed

Sadly/ a&obson died o$ &an&er in early *00 at the age o$ 3* A %illage %oi&e arti&le printed shortly a$teher death des&ribed her as so#eone ho Opa&5ed #ore into her heartbrea5ingly brie$ li$eti#e than #ost doin lives three ti#es as long O

!here s a really good intervie on $il#vault &o# $ro# 1??</ in hi&h a&obson tal5s ith the AustinChroni&le about &reating $il#s $ro# a $e#ale point o$ vie and hat led her to #a5e ary ane s Not a%irgin Any#ore

SID>/8R 7our -ork, 7our 8udience, and the C@8

,hen you sho your $il# in publi&/ you ll o$ten be invited to tal5 ith the audien&e a$ter ard!hese =uestion and ans er sessions/ or M As/ are great be&ause they give you a &han&e to spea5 dire&tly ith people ho ve seen your or5 !hey also give you a &han&e to than5 people hohelped #a5e your $il# possible this in&ludes all the people ho appear in your $il#/ your &re /and anyone ho gave you #oney7a $e ell &hosen ords o$ publi& than5s &an go a long

ayE

6n a good day/ the roo# ill be $illed ith people ho ant to tell you ho talented you areand ho #u&h they love your $il# ;n$ortunately/ there #ay also be so#e very annoying peoplein the audien&e I as on&e at a $il# $estival M A in e'i&o City here an audien&e #e#ber

told a dire&tor that he thought the sub@e&t o$ his $il# as e'&ellent/ and then told the dire&tor thathe thought his $il##a5ing as abo#inable and had absolutely ruined hat other ise ouldhave been a very interesting story !he dire&tor very &al#ly than5ed the audien&e #e#ber $or his&o##ent/ and then #oved on to dis&uss other aspe&ts o$ his $il# ith other less-hostile people I

as i#pressed ith the dire&tor s response7rather than $urther engaging a belligerent personand enabling hi# to deliver additional negative opinions/ the dire&tor 5ept his &ool and shi$tedthe dis&ussion else here

I re&ently traveled to Ber5eley/ Cali$ornia/ to present i Muerida A#eri&a at the International



Con$eren&e on !e&hnology and So&iety !he #orning o$ #y presentation/ I &on$ided to #ygirl$riend/ ho had traveled to the &on$eren&e ith #e/ that I as a little nervous that theaudien&e #ight not li5e #y or5 She as5ed i$ I thought #y pro@e&t as good/ and hen Ians ered yes/ she told #e that i$ I as &on$ident in the =uality o$ #y or5/ it didn t #ater i$so#eone in the audien&e didn t li5e it She also said i$ people didn t li5e #y or5 they erestupid/ hi&h re&on$ir#ed #y opinion that I had $ound #ysel$ a very spe&ial o#an E

I #ention both these stories here be&ause sho ing your or5 in publi& ta5es a lot o$ guts .ou resho ing so#ething that represents your ti#e/ your e$$ort/ and your artisti& @udg#ents7andsharing so#ething that i#portant &an so#eti#es be inti#idating At the sa#e ti#e/ as I ve#entioned be$ore in this boo5/ sho ing your or5 to a re&eptive audien&e is one o$ the greateste'perien&es you &an have as a $il##a5er I$ you believe in yoursel$/ and you believe in your

or5/ get out there and sho it to people I$ you #eet people ho don t li5e hat you ve &o#eup ith/ you don t have to listen to the#

I$ you re interested/ ta5e a loo5 +ope$ully/ it ill inspire you to ne heights o$ su&&ess as an

artist:http:GG $il#vault &o#G$il#vaultGaustinG#G#ary@anesnotavirg1 ht#l

/.*. D.I.7. or Die: aking 7our -ork on our

In *00*/ i&hael , Dean &o#pleted his $irst $il#/ D I . or Die: +o to Survive as an Independent ArtistDI.orDie orgE !he $il# $eatures intervie s and per$or#an&es by artists ranging $ro# 8ydia 8un&h

and "uga i to >,A( and $il##a5er (i&hard 9ern !he &ost-e$$e&tive nature o$ digital produ&tion enabledDean to &reate e'a&tly the $il# he anted to as an independent produ&er/ ithout having to ans er toanyone else

In an intervie $or this boo5/ Dean e'plained that a$ter he $inished his $il#/ he then brought the sa#e senseo$ enthusias# and sel$-deter#ination to #a5ing sure his or5 $ound an audien&e OI sort o$ #ade the $il##y #ission $or about t o years I lived/ breathed/ and slept that $il# I @u#ped out o$ bed every #orninge'&ited to or5 on it I$ so#ething doesn t #a5e #e $eel li5e that/ I on t be involved in it O

Independents o$ten bring tre#endous passion to their or5/ only to $ind that traditional #eans o$distribution/ su&h as a publi& television broad&ast or a large theatri&al release/ #ay not be available to the#At this point/ all too #any $il##a5ers give up in $rustration (ather than aiting idly and allo ing his $il#to sit on a shel$ &olle&ting dust/ Dean &reated his o n distribution plan O)ven though I got turned do n byPBS/ and every indie $il# art distribution &o#pany in A#eri&a/ I too5 the $il# on a tour #ysel$/ sho ing itin &lubs and bars a&ross A#eri&a !hen I did the sa#e in )urope O As a result o$ his sel$-$inan&ed tour/Dean se&ured a distribution deal that got his D%D into every !o er (e&ords in the &ountry/ listed on Net$li'/ and into #any video rental stores !he &o#pany Dean or5s ith/ usi& %ideo Distributors/ $oundDean be&ause they sa his eb site/ and Othey loo5ed at the eb site be&ause so#eone at %D heardabout the $il# be&ause I toured ith it in their state O

Dean told #e that he did D I . or Die on his o n/ and &ontinues to do things hi#sel$/ be&ause he hatesaiting $or per#ission to #a5e art !a5ing &ontrol o$ produ&tion/ and #a5ing hat you thin5 is i#portant/

is in #any ays hat this boo5 is about/ and is hy I # in&luding Dean s story in this appendi' ,hen Ias5ed Dean hat advi&e he had $or $il##a5ers ho ant to get their or5 seen/ he responded as $ollo s:

a5e hat you ant to #a5e/ not hat you thin5 people ant to see Be prepared to su$$er and starveDon t ta5e the $irst o$$er/ and get a la yer to loo5 at anything be$ore you sign it And plan on #a5ingseveral #ovies that ill not get distro/ that ill only be seen by your $riends/ and ill @ust help you honeyour art And don t even loo5 at it as O or5ing to ard a payo$$ O ,or5 li5e everything you re doing is only

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$or the sa5e o$ doing it/ be&ause there s a good &han&e it ill be )n@oy the ride/ then i$ you Ogetso#e here/O it ll be even that #u&h s eeter

"or #ore on i&hael , Dean/ and his #ost re&ent pro@e&t +ubert Selby/ r : It ll Be Better !o#orro ado&u#entary on the author o$ the boo5s (e=uie# $or a Drea# and 8ast )'it to Broo5lyn/

Cubby ovie &o#E/ ta5e a loo5 at his ,eb site: 5itty$eet &o# Dean is also the author o$ K30

"il# S&hool/ a boo5 on no-budget $il##a5ing 30dollar$il#s&hool &o#E/.(. Don't Sell 7oursel Short

,hen the ti#e &o#es/ re#e#ber that you don t have to a&&ept the $irst &ontra&t a distributor gives you AsDean says above/ don t ta5e the $irst o$$er7you have every right to negotiate and re or5 the ter#s to $ind adeal that bene$its both you and the distributor

I on&e sa an intervie ith I&e Cube/ the rapper turned a&tor/ ho said the @ob o$ a produ&er is to get hi#to a&t in a $il# $or as little #oney as possible +is @ob/ he said/ is to get the produ&er to pay hi# as #u&h as possible to a&t in the sa#e $il# Negotiating a distribution &ontra&t or5s pretty #u&h the sa#e ay

It s a &o##on pra&ti&e $or a distribution &o#pany/ or anyone else you re doing business ith/ to initially#a5e a lo er o$$er be&ause it then leaves the# roo# to negotiate up 6$ten/ people e'pe&t you to #a5e a&ounter o$$er and as5 $or #ore #oney up$ront as ell as a larger per&entage o$ your $il# s $uture pro&eedsI$ you don t 5no that/ and a&&ept the $irst o$$er so#eone #a5es/ you #iss out on the &han&e to negotiate a better deal $or yoursel$ and #ay never 5no hat you really &ould have gotten

Negotiations are su&h an i#portant part o$ any &reative endeavor that ea&h se#ester I tea&h/ I set aside anentire &lass #eeting to or5 ith students on developing a budget and negotiating pay#ent $or their or5I start out by as5ing the &lass i$ anyone ever na#ed a dollar $igure/ either as a buyer or a seller/ only to havethe person they ere negotiating ith agree too =ui&5ly Students around the roo# s#ile or $ro n as theyrelive past e'perien&e7 e ve all been there/ you na#e a pri&e that s too lo and the other person @ust snapsit up

OSo#e people be&o#e &o#plete pushovers on&e the $il# is &o#pleted/O i&ha >reen o$ Cineti& edia toldInternational Do&u#entary #aga ine/ the #onthly publi&ation o$ the International Do&u#entaryAsso&iation Cineti& represents individual $il##a5ers see5ing $unding and distribution/ and also representslarge #edia &onglo#erates E OAs soon as they re &onta&ted by a &o#pany that ould li5e to release their$il#/ suddenly they re all ea5 in the 5nees and they basi&ally bend over ba&5 ards to a&&o##odate the#/$orgetting $or a brie$ #o#ent that distributors &onta&t hundreds and hundreds o$ $il##a5ers every year O

6ne suggestion I #a5e to students is to let the other party na#e a dollar $igure $irst/ be&ause i$ you initiatethe bidding you ll never 5no hat they ere prepared to o$$er !he sa#e te&hni=ue is very valuable insalary negotiations hen you start a ne @ob I$ you go $or an intervie and a person as5s hat your salaryre=uire#ents are/ I suggest as5ing the# hat they have budgeted $or the position7they #ay be ready to pay #ore than you ould have as5ed $or

Note: !he AI%" >uide to "il# and %ideo Distributors/ available online athttp:GG aiv$ orgGstoreG/ lists&onta&t in$or#ation and a brie$ des&ription o$ O&lose to *00 $il# and video distributors/O hi&h Oissupple#ented by &o#pany ba&5ground and advi&e $or indies O AI%" also sells a guide to international $il#and video $estivals/ and a sel$-distribution tool5it/ hi&h in&ludes &ase studies and Osu&&ess$ul sel$-distribution #odels O

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6$ &ourse/ your negotiation s5ills be&o#e truly valuable only hen people see your or5 and e'press aninterest in buying it !he $irst/ and #ost i#portant/ step is #a5ing a good $il# Ne't/ send it to $estivals andgo to the s&reenings/ s&h#oo e/ net or5/ and &a@ole yoursel$ into situations here people ill re#e#beryou and your $il# .ou #ight also &onsider &alling a $e distributors and either sending the# a s&reening&opy or/ better yet/ inviting the# to a $estival that s sho ing your or57i$ a distributor sees an audien&erespond ell to your $il#/ it shapes her opinion in a highly positive ay I$ you re an established$il##a5er ith a strong tra&5 re&ord/ you &an also invite potential distributors to a private s&reening I$you ve @ust $inished your $irst $il#/ this #ight not be the best ay to go/ but it &ould be&o#e a good optionlater in your &areer on&e you ve gotten so#e attention E

At the end o$ the day/ getting your $il# seen/ re&ogni ed/ and hope$ully even pur&hased ta5es @ust as #u&h&reativity and e$$ort as #a5ing the a&tual $il# itsel$ 6n&e you ve &ut together so#ething that s truly orth

at&hing/ it s ti#e to #a5e sure people see it

/.%. -hy Lood /usiness 2ards 8re Im ortant

,hen you go to a $il# $estival or a &on$eren&e/ people ill o$ten as5 you $or a business &ard A good business &ard not only enables you to give so#eone your &onta&t in$or#ation re#e#ber/ you al ays antto #a5e it easy $or people to give you #oney7and be$ore they &an give you #oney/ they need to 5no

here to $ind youE but it &an also #a5e you loo5 pro$essional I$ you have a sharp-loo5ing business &ard/ itsho s that you pay attention to detail and you re ready to or5 ith other people 6n the other hand/ i$so#eone as5s you $or a business &ard and you &o#e up ith a good story about hy you don t have any/ ori$ you o$$er to rite your in$or#ation do n on a nap5in/ it doesn t produ&e =uite the sa#e e$$e&t

A good business &ard should have your na#e/ e#ail address/ and a phone nu#ber Pre$erably/ this should be a nu#ber that on t be ans ered by an in&oherentGirritable roo##ate or so#e type o$ bi arre outgoing#essage on your voi&e#ail !he goal here is to loo5 pro$essional E ost o$ all/ a good business &ard shouldre$le&t the i#age you ant to present to the publi& .ou don t need to spend a lot o$ #oney on your &ards/ but everything you produ&e as a $il##a5er should re$le&t your visual aestheti& and pro$essional&o#peten&e Business &ards are no e'&eption

I on&e or5ed at a &o#pany here the o ner had very e'pensive &ards printed up $or everyone on thesta$$/ using hite in5 on a hite ba&5ground Be$ore the design ent to the printer/ his i$e as5ed hi#/ in$ront o$ the sta$$/ i$ hite in5 on a hite ba&5ground ould #a5e the te't invisible !he boss got very #ad/and e'plained to her that he as the boss and 5ne hat he as doing 6$ &ourse/ hen the &ards &a#e ba&5/ she as right

y &ards are espe&ially &lean and si#ple "igure B-1E !hey &ontain #y na#e and &onta&t in$or#ation in astylish-yet-&lear $ont/ and are printed in dar5 red type on a heavy/ natural beige &ard sto&5 !he type issurrounded by a#ple areas o$ blan5 spa&e/ hi&h #a5es the printing easier to read and leaves roo# $or people ho ant to rite notes In the spring o$ *00 / I as a&&epted into a very sele&tive Ph D progra#in )du&ational Co##uni&ation and !e&hnology at N.; I had a very sharp set o$ business &ards printed to&elebrate/ and people $re=uently &o#pli#ent the si#pli&ity and elegan&e o$ their design E

Figure /$ . I'3e s ent years trying to come u 9ith the right ;usiness cardAthis is 9hat my current design looks

like. GMy actual card contains a hone num;er, 9hich I omitted rom this 3ersion, ;ut the emailaddress is real.H



I$ you re not entirely happy ith your &urrent set o$ business &ards/ have another set printed As a$il##a5er/ you never ant to put anything out into the orld i$ it doesn t loo5 e'a&tly the ay you ant itto !hat in&ludes your &ard

6n&e you get a good set o$ business &ards that you re happy ith/ #a5e sure to bring the# ith you ,henI got into #y $irst big $il# $estival ba&5 in 1??4/ I had a bo' o$ * 0 business &ards printed $or the o&&asionand spent hours designing the layout and re$ining the te't ,hen I got the# ba&5 $ro# the printer/ I $elt li5ea big shot and &ouldn t ait to hand the# out I then got on a plane to the $estival and $orgot to bring the&ards ith #e I still have a thi&5 sta&5 !hey provide a very ni&e souvenir o$ #y early days as a #edia produ&er/ but they ould have done #e a lot #ore good i$ I had given the# to people

As I as revising a dra$t o$ this appendi'/ and loo5ing $or the per$e&t ay to end this boo5/ I al5ed a ay$ro# #y des5 to present i Muerida A#eri&a at the *00 N.; Sy#posiu# on !e&hnology and 8earningShortly be$ore #y presentation/ I &onne&ted #y laptop to the roo# s audio video syste#/ and noti&ed thatno sound as &o#ing $ro# the spea5ers Sin&e dialog is an i#portant part o$ #y or5/ this as a &ause $or&on&ern As the sy#posiu# s sta$$ an'iously ran around &onne&ting and dis&onne&ting &ables/ pushing buttons/ and o$$ering advi&e/ I re#e#bered on )lse s advi&e $ro# #y $il# s&hool days and I al5ed overto the nearest po er outlet As you #ay have guessed/ the spea5ers ere not plugged in

)lse as right/ and the advi&e at the start o$ this appendi' applies to @ust about any pro@e&t you ll &reate

a5e sure your e=uip#ent is plugged in a5e a great $il#/ and hen you re ready/ =uit or5ing on it andstart sho ing it to people

.our li$e as a $il##a5er a aits 8et nothing stop you

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