Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest! In this edition we cover the Avid / Chrome SIP issue, music visualizer in AE & more.
Media Composer
The Creation Cycle of a Video Editing Project
You probably don’t edit airport employee training videos. You probably don’t edit online marketing videos for healthcare startups. And you probably don’t edit small-budget YouTube comedy series. These are all types of videos I edit. They all have different audiences, goals and styles. Each video contains unique challenges and are different in so many ways from one another. One thing is the same though — the creation cycle of a video editing project.
For just about every video I edit I go through the exact same routine. In this post I’m going to explain what that process is.
I could write about pre-production for hours but I’m going to start from after the footage is shot and we’re in post. Let’s get into it!
Creation Cycle Phase 1: Pre-Production in Post Production
This is the first phase in the creation cycle of a video editing project. But before I begin what many would call “the actual editing” of a video there’s a lot that takes place. The time you spend right now in this phase will reap more benefits than time spent in any other phase. You will in all likelihood edit video faster with more time spent working on the tasks in this phase. It’s kinda like pre-production but you’re already in post.
Review pre-production notes
Read over any notes you have from the client/producer/director/whoever on the goals, audience, specifics, branding guidelines, must-haves, must-have nots, etc. of the video. Alternatively if possible you should talk to the client/producer to go over these details again. Things change during production and sometimes you’re left out of the loop. Tackle any possible surprises ASAP!
I Got A New Job!
It’s been awhile since I’ve truly written something for EVF. Actually it’s been awhile since I’ve written much of anything. My writing muscle was burnt out after letting my former daily blog expire and disappear into a digital black hole back in August. Two years of writing and publishing everyday… Fast forward a quarter of … Read more
May 2017 | EVF Recap
I took this picture of my dog the other day. It appears though that she stole my phone and took a selfie. I swear the world would be a better place if dogs could use phones and we could text our dogs while we were out of the home. It was the last day in … Read more
23 Posts about Video Production, Post Production, Avid and More
I’ve been writing for my friends over at ScreenLight for…well…a long time. It’s been over two years and in the Internet world that’s a really long time. Over that time I’ve been able to stockpile a bunch of writings that I want to share with you today. 23 of them to be exact.
The posts range from Media Composer tips to the Pomodoro Technique for time management to Apps for Editors and so much more. I’ve broken them up into a couple of categories. At the very top are a few of my favorites and ones I think you should definitely read.
My Favorite Posts
The Edit Bay – A Romanticized View of One Editor’s Relationship With Four Walls
Video Editor is Not a Synonym for Motion Graphics Artist
Editor: The Amateur vs. The Professional
Preparing for Vacation: A Quick Guide for Jet-Setting Video Editors
Soon I’ll be taking my first trip out of the United States and I’m making it a big one – I’m headed to Japan! In this post I’m going to go over what I’m doing to prepare for this lengthy vacation. I’d love for you to chime in too with your thoughts on what you do before going out of town. Thanksgiving for us in the US is right around the corner and the other winter holidays are fast approaching so I think the timing of this post is pretty ideal.
There’s nothing worse than being bothered on vacation or someone messing up your projects/media/hard drive/etc. especially when there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m sure I’ll come back to 1500 emails but I’m going to prepare my company and team the best I can for anything that can happen while I’m gone.
EVF Tutorial – Quick Transitions in Avid Media Composer
I am SOOO excited. Today I’m launching my first ever product — an Avid Media Composer Bin with over 50 preset Quick Transitions. In the tutorial below you’ll find out how to create your own preset Quick Transitions. After watching the tutorial go here to get my Quick Transitions Bin. As always I come out with a new … Read more
What marriage has taught me about my NLE
I’ve been married to my wife for nearly two and a half wonderful years. I’ve been married to my NLE, Avid Media Composer, for twice that. What I’ve learned over that time is that the two relationships are fairly similar. I’m going to explain to you how lessons learned through your significant other directly relate to how you should work with your NLE.
Photo by Christopher Michel on Wikimedia Commons
Learn and Observe
In any relationship there is a learning curve. A man or woman never writes a user’s manual for himself or herself. That’s where you have an advantage with your NLE. Everything you need to know about it is right in front of you!
When I began editing on Avid Media Composer I had zero idea of what I was doing. None. I sat there for hours trying to figure out why I couldn’t click a clip in the timeline and move it (this was pre-Smart Tool). Then one day digging around my edit bay I found the software manual. I took it home and after a couple weeks had read the entire thing. This didn’t mean I knew everything about it but it did give me a huge heads up because I knew what it could and couldn’t do.
Set Default Tracks for New Sequences in Avid Media Composer
This tutorial is on how to set the amount of default video and audio tracks are made when you create a new sequence in Avid Media Composer.
Bins Setup for New Projects in Avid
This quick tutorial is on how I setup my bins and folders for new projects in Avid Media Composer. Proper media management starts here.