Editing Lesson Blog

Today in class we learned the procedures for getting a camera, filming, and editing. When filming we need to make sure to take good care of the materials provided by our school. These include cameras, tripods, and SD cards. When using these materials there is a specific set of rules we need to follow. For example, when we are using a tripod it is important to remember that we can not walk around with the tripod unless it is closed. Moreover, we must take the camera off the tripod when moving around. These guidelines are important in insuring the materials are taken care of. The cameras we are using also help for specific kinds of filming. With the cameras we are using to film it is easy to shoot hand held shots as the camera is small and compact.

For editing we are going to be using pinnacle studios. Every class we edit our group needs to use the same computer as our footage will save on that specific computer. The first step in the editing process is to take everything we filmed and import it into pinnacle studios. To do this we need to use an SD card reader to move our footage into our folder on the desktop. When the SD card comes up on the computer we have to go into the folder titled DCIM to access our footage. If this does not work then we will go into the folder titled private> AVCHD > next folder> stream and all the footage from the camera should be here. Then we must drag the desired footage into the folder on our desktop. This is known as dumping. Once we do this we need to return the SD card readers to the bin. Then, once pinnacle studios is opened, we have to click import>my computer >desktop and go to our folder that the footage is dumped in and select what footage we want to import.

Once everything is imported to pinnacle studios we can begin editing our raw footage. There will be three separate tracks. The first track will be used for titles as it over laps the second track, this is not required and may be left empty. The second track will be used for our footage even if we aren’t using any titles in the first track. The last track is meant for sound, this can be especially important when adding in a voiceover. We also learned how to delete a clip from a piece of raw footage. We first have to go to the spot where we want to cut the footage and click the razor blade icon. This will split one clip into two separate clips. This allows us to isolate a specific clip and delete it without losing the rest of the footage. Additionally, we were taught how to edit audio. For example if you want to remove the audio from a clip you right click the clip and chose detach audio. This removes the audio from the clip and makes it its own file in track three which we can delete or move. This allows us to do voiceovers as we can detach and audio clip and delete the footage and then move the audio to where we want it.