Prelim Task | Editing

For our Prelim task we had to edit together the shots we got from the week before by using the editing software Adobe Premiere Pro.This is a well know and respected editing software known for its speed and easy to use layout. Despite its reputation it is rarely used for things such as feature length films with Avid being the preferred software. The first thing we learned was making sure we sort out our video clips or rushes as they called in the industry into bins so we can easily access the clips we want.

After this came the actual editing process which I found far more simple than initially anticipated. After quite a detailed demonstration from Matt we then set about doing it ourselves. The software displays two screens, one where you can see the clip you are currently editing and one where you can see the film in its entirety. Below this was then a timeline detailing the changes between clips and sound. Simply you choose a clip from the log bin before then cutting it appropriately and then dragging it down to the time line to slot in with the rest of the film. If you later discover the cut was not accurate enough you can click on the clip in the timeline and then re-cut it on the first screen. After this you can then view it on the second screen to ensure you have changed it correctly.

The element of the editing that I actually found most challenging was just the decision element. When looking through our footage as a group we had to analyse the shots and decide what we thought the best order would be, and also at which point we should make our cuts. This raised debate when the group discussed whether we thought it would be boring to watch if we had three head and shoulder shots consecutively. To combat this we reverted back to our wide shot to apply variation.