Editing
Present each part of the lesson in the following order:
KEY VOCABULARY (15 min.):
Editing: the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film. [The Free Dictionary]
Cut: make (a movie) into a coherent whole by removing parts or placing them in a different order. [New Oxford American Dictionary]
iMovie: one of the most popular software programs for editing films on a computer, particularly on an Apple device.
Final Cut Pro: one of the most popular brands of software for editing films on a computer, particularly on a PC or Android.
Postproduction: work done on a film or recording after filming or recording has taken place. [New Oxford American Dictionary]
Sound mixing: taking all the elements of the film’s soundtrack, i.e. dialogue, sound effects, Foley, and music, and mixing them together to create something that sounds good. [5J Media]
Foley: related to or concerned with the addition of recorded sound effects after the shooting of a film. [New Oxford American Dictionary]
Sound effect: a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, movie, or other broadcast production. [New Oxford American Dictionary]
Cut: the most common way to join two shots. In essence, it is the continuation of two different shots within the same time and space. Shot A ends and Shot B abruptly begins. [Wikipedia]
Dissolve: an editing technique where one clip seems to dissolve or fade into the next. As the first clip is fading out, getting lighter and lighter, the second clip starts fading in, becoming more and more prominent. The process usually happens so subtly and so quickly, the viewer isn’t even aware of the transition. [Mental Floss]
Wipe: a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by traveling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape. [Wikipedia]
Cutaway: a film transition in which the filmmaker is moving from the action to something else, and then combing back to the action. Cutaways are used to edit out boring shots or add action to a sequence by changing the pace of the footage. [Mental Floss]
L cut: a film editing technique in which the audio from a preceding scene overlaps the picture from the following scene, so that the audio cuts after the picture and continues playing over the beginning of the next scene. [Mental Floss]
Fade in/out: this type of film transition occurs when the picture gradually turns to a single color, usually back, or when the picture gradually appears on screen. Fade ins generally occur at the beginning of a film or act, while fade outs are typically found at the end of a film or act. [Wikipedia]
Title card: A printed narration or portion of dialogue flashed on the screen between the scenes of a film. [American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]
Editing software tutorial (15 min.):
Show students the appropriate tutorial for their editing software. For iMovie, we recommend “iMovie 10.0 Tutorial (With Complete Demo)” from The AustinBlock Channel. For Final Cut Pro, we recommend “Final Cut Pro X Tutorial Beginners,” by Matthew Pearce. It is best if each student can sit at a computer with the program open while watching this video, in order to best grasp and apply the material.
Film transitions reading (5 min.):
Have students read the Mental Floss article, “5 Film Transitions Worth Knowing” and watch the example videos posted within this piece to see these transitions in action. Make sure that they get the definitions of any words they do not know within the article.
Sound mixing reading (10 min.):
Have students read the FilmEditing Pro tutorial, “How to Sound Design a Video” Make sure that they get the definitions of any words they do not know within the article.
Discussion (10 min):
Review the five basic components of a film that can be adjusted in editing software:
The order of the scenes.
The frame of the scenes.
Transitions between scenes.
Lighting.
Sound.
Ask them how each of the five components above could affect the success of a PSA.
Encourage them to share their tips and suggestions with each other, both artistic (ie. “cutaways can be jarring to audiences watching a PSA”) and technical (“pressing XYZ button in ABC program allows you to insert a dissolve transition”).
Activity (10 min.):
Instruct students to begin editing their PSAs. Usually, the process for editing will go in this order (although it may differ based on the specifications of the PSA or a student’s preferences):
Uploading their footage into the software
Putting their takes in order
Selecting which take for each scene they plan to use
Modifying the frames of their scenes
Deciding upon transitions
Modifying lighting as needed
Mixing sound
Adding credits and sponsorship title cards
Assignment (5 min. in class, TBD. at home):
Instruct students to edit and complete their PSAs. Remind them that their PSAs should be no more than 30 seconds long, including 3 seconds for sponsors’ logos to appear at the end.
∞ End of Lesson ∞