Advanced editing workshop

We all attended an editing workshop by Matt at school so that we can all learn how to edit, some secret tips and some techniques that will come in hand when we start the process of editing our music videos. The first thing that we got told was the order in which we edit the music videos for bands (which obviously applies to us) - we do the performance cut first, the narrative cut second (dropping in and out), then we do the effects, and then the colouring. One helpful tip that we then got told was that the rubbish bin has the shots inside labelled based on quality of footage as well as the shot number, so you know what the shot is likely to look like. 

We then got told the different techniques for syncing. Firstly, you zoom in to the audio of the first track that you're trying to find, and you find a key point of audio that is easy to see, and find what time that it can be heard. Then, with the second clip you are trying to sync up, zoom in and find the same audio on the second clip, and drag it down into position, with the audio lined up exactly, and the two clips will be synced. Right click to rename the clip. This is a technique called sound sync. 

We then got told the 3 rules of editing that Matt goes by:

1. Let the music tell you, and illustrate for you what you should see alongside the music. For example, the first words that are sung in a music video should always be a close up of the singer, followed by a wide shot of the band (if there is a band) to let the audience know where everyone is standing. 

2. Group your shots together. This should help stop your shots looking so random and can help avoid confusion. Also, another side tip that Matt gave us is that each shot will tell us what should come next (e.g. if we see the guitarist looking to his left in a shot, we follow his sight and the next shot is a close up of his hand on the fretboard, which he was looking at). 

3. Follow the movement. By following the movement of everyone in the music video, it can help the final edit look less stiff, helps the music video flow better and can even add movement through the shots, making the performance seem more lively just from editing.