The Start of Cinema
Georges Melies
Born on December 8th, 1861, his
father moved to Paris 1843 and was a shoemaker, beginning to work at a
boot factory. Years into the future, Georges ended up returning to
Paris, France, aiming to study painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts,
without much of a support financially from his father, he ended up
supervising machinery at the family factory to support an income.
This
didn't stop his passion however, as he started to be intrigued by stage
magic, he began to visit performances and also took magic lessons from
Emile Voisin. These combined made him very adept at fooling the eyes of
the common man, he soon was granted the opportunity to perform his first
ever shows. His first shows were held in the Cabinet Fantastique of the
Grevin Wax Museum, and soon after that, the Galerie Vivienne.
Beginning of the Film Career
On December 27th,
1895, Melies attended a private demonstration of the Cinematograph, made
by the Lumiere brothers. Within seconds, Melies instantly offered the
Lumieres 10,000F for one of their machines they they had on offer at the
time.
However, the brothers were
actually hesitant to accept the offer, they then declined the offer
too, they wanted to keep close eyes on their own invention, they also
refused an offer of 20,000F from someone else for the same reason.
Melies
had an intention to find a film projector for the Theatre Robin-Houdin,
many other inventors in America and Europe were trying to experiment
with machines very similar to Lumiere's one.
Melies
ended up in London at one point, he bought an Animatograph from
someone, as well as several short films sold by the seller and by the
'Edison Manufacturing Company'.
After
studying the design of the Animatograph, modified the machine so that
it would perform as a film camera. Raw film stock and processing labs
weren't available in Paris, so Melies then purchased unperforated film
in London, he then personally devloped and printed his films through
trial and error.
Melies
directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from
one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a
'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera
jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a
hearse was there instead.
At the
exact point where the bus had gone, the hearse was at the point where
the bus disappeared at, this lead to making an iconic function in
editing, this was a jump-cut.
Lumiere Brothers
The brothers were around in the
1800's to 1900's, in the 1890's they were one of the biggest
manufacturers of photographic plates. When 17, Louis went and invented
the new 'dry plate' process of developing film.
In
early 1895, they soon came up with their own device, the
Cinematographe. Which was smaller and lighter than the Kinetoscope, it
photographed and projected film at 16 frames a second, as opposed to our
more modern 30-60 frames per second. The same size as a hand-held
camera, it differed from the Kinetoscope in many ways. They were also
quick to patent their invention abroad, thus the chances of copies being
made were very unlikely due to their success.
They were keen on testing and toying with different kinds of plates and such, which lead to their invention coming to be made.
They were keen on testing and toying with different kinds of plates and such, which lead to their invention coming to be made.
This
device was slower than Edison's device (which photographed and
projected film at 48 frames per second). The mechanism had two pins or
claws were placed into hole pinched into the film strip, then they were
moved along the film and retracted. It was based off of the mechanisms
used in sewing machines, which explains the similar kind of machinery.
Their
first public screening was in December 28th, 1894, at the Grand Cafe on
Paris' Boulevard de Capuchines, Named 'Le Sortie de usines Lumiere'.
Edwin Porter
Born
in Connellsville, Pennsylvania to a merchant by the name of Thomas
Richard Porter and Mary Porter. Porter worked many variations of jobs,
including a sign painter and a telegraph operator, he was interested in
electricity at young age, and shared a parent at age 21 for a lamp
generator.
Porter
entered motion picture work in 1896, the first year movies were
commercially projected onto large screens and gaining the reputation
they have today. He was shortly employed in New York City by Raff And
Gammon, agents for films and equipment made by Thomas Edison.
Porter
traveled through the West Indies and South America, taking films and
showing them off at various places including open fields. He also did a
tour through Canada and even The United States, he was one to have a
high amount of creativity on his films, he was in control, he often had
live narration with his films and also music.
Born
in Connellsville, Pennsylvania to a merchant by the name of Thomas
Richard Porter and Mary Porter. Porter worked many variations of jobs,
including a sign painter and a telegraph operator, he was interested in
electricity at young age, and shared a parent at age 21 for a lamp
generator.Porter traveled through the West Indies and South America, taking films and showing them off at various places including open fields. He also did a tour through Canada and even The United States, he was one to have a high amount of creativity on his films, he was in control, he often had live narration with his films and also music.
Edison Manufacturing
By
the year 1899, Porter had come into contact and joined the Edison
Manufacturing Company, very soon after he began to take charge of movie
production at Edison's New York studios, a remarkable feat. He had the
role of operating the camera equipment, directing actors on what to do,
how to do it and when, and making the final print.
Porter
worked with many other filmmakers, one of which was George S. Fleming,
in the next ten years Porter become one of, if not the most influential
filmmaker in the US.
The
earliest film he made in this phase was 'Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly
King', which was a satire film which was made in February 1901. It was
about the Vice President reelection, which at that point was Theodore
Roosevelt. Needless to say he had quite the sense of humour and guts to
make a film such as this.
Porter
created the editing technique of 'dissolves', these are transitions
from one image to another, where the shot you're watching degrades into
the next shot to make a smooth cut. He used it in one of his famous
films, 'Life of an American Fireman', which proved effective to the
audience.
By
the year 1899, Porter had come into contact and joined the Edison
Manufacturing Company, very soon after he began to take charge of movie
production at Edison's New York studios, a remarkable feat. He had the
role of operating the camera equipment, directing actors on what to do,
how to do it and when, and making the final print.
Porter
worked with many other filmmakers, one of which was George S. Fleming,
in the next ten years Porter become one of, if not the most influential
filmmaker in the US.
The
earliest film he made in this phase was 'Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly
King', which was a satire film which was made in February 1901. It was
about the Vice President reelection, which at that point was Theodore
Roosevelt. Needless to say he had quite the sense of humour and guts to
make a film such as this.
Porter
created the editing technique of 'dissolves', these are transitions
from one image to another, where the shot you're watching degrades into
the next shot to make a smooth cut. He used it in one of his famous
films, 'Life of an American Fireman', which proved effective to the
audience.
Dawn of The Great Train Robbery
Without
a doubt one of his most notable films ever made, 'The Great Train
Robbery' was a film made by Edwin Porter, he had made an American
Western story, which was familiar to many audiences and created a visual
story within itself of its own merits.
It
was a one-reel film, with a run-time of twelve minutes, and only
contained twenty shots, one of which was a unique shot for the time of a
bandit firing at the camera. The film was very successful and popular,
and Porter didn't stop there, afterwards he went on to make and create
more techniques.
In
'The Kleptomaniac' he told two stories taking place simultaneously, and
it was quite a spectacle for those who saw what he did and caught on to
what he was doing. In another film 'The Ex-Convict', he made side
lighting, close-ups and changed shots within a scene, and it's known as
one of the first and earliest examples of a filmmaker doing something
new and inventive, driving away from cliches.
Without
a doubt one of his most notable films ever made, 'The Great Train
Robbery' was a film made by Edwin Porter, he had made an American
Western story, which was familiar to many audiences and created a visual
story within itself of its own merits.
It
was a one-reel film, with a run-time of twelve minutes, and only
contained twenty shots, one of which was a unique shot for the time of a
bandit firing at the camera. The film was very successful and popular,
and Porter didn't stop there, afterwards he went on to make and create
more techniques.
In
'The Kleptomaniac' he told two stories taking place simultaneously, and
it was quite a spectacle for those who saw what he did and caught on to
what he was doing. In another film 'The Ex-Convict', he made side
lighting, close-ups and changed shots within a scene, and it's known as
one of the first and earliest examples of a filmmaker doing something
new and inventive, driving away from cliches.
D.W Griffith
Born
on January 22nd, 1875, D.W Griffith was an American film director, he
was well known for being the man who directed the film 'The Birth of a
Nation' in 1915 and 'Intolerance' in 1916.
Born
on January 22nd, 1875, D.W Griffith was an American film director, he
was well known for being the man who directed the film 'The Birth of a
Nation' in 1915 and 'Intolerance' in 1916.
The Start of His Films & 'The Birth of a Nation'
Griffith
began making short films in the year 1908, his first actual feature
film was in 1913, titled 'Judith of Bethulia'. However, his most notable
film 'The Birth of a Nation' used many advanced techniques revolving
around camera and narrative.
The
film was very well-known, very popular and it is considered 'important'
to some film historians, this is most likely due to it's controversial
themes and it is therefore a piece of cinema history. In fact it's
thanks to this film that the standards began to change in certain films.
Griffith himself claimed that he didn't see the issues as he was
brought up believing the standards that were contained in the film.
Another
feat accomplished by this film was the fact that almost all previous
feature length films, were less than an hour long, but this film took
that rule and threw it away. The film is still one of his most memorable
films that he made (for better or for worse) and it stands on it's own
as a film for time to come.
Griffith
began making short films in the year 1908, his first actual feature
film was in 1913, titled 'Judith of Bethulia'. However, his most notable
film 'The Birth of a Nation' used many advanced techniques revolving
around camera and narrative.
The
film was very well-known, very popular and it is considered 'important'
to some film historians, this is most likely due to it's controversial
themes and it is therefore a piece of cinema history. In fact it's
thanks to this film that the standards began to change in certain films.
Griffith himself claimed that he didn't see the issues as he was
brought up believing the standards that were contained in the film.
Another
feat accomplished by this film was the fact that almost all previous
feature length films, were less than an hour long, but this film took
that rule and threw it away. The film is still one of his most memorable
films that he made (for better or for worse) and it stands on it's own
as a film for time to come.
Editing & Transitioning Shots
Griffith
himself revolutionised editing, he was the mind who had the idea of
making lively shots and making it so that action could be perceived from
loads of angles, as opposed to Porter's more discrete cuts on scenes.
This kept the audience more on their toes, this also made it so that
people could understand the situation and scenario better on the film.
He
also created many variations of transitions, and shots, these include:
fade-in, fade-out, close-ups, moving-camera shots, full shots and
flashbacks. These were many things to come up with and it's why he's one
of the more memorable cinematographers as he set some of the things we
use in film even today.
A
close-up shot is when the camera focuses on an actor's face, and this
is usually without showing the body, otherwise that would be a mid-shot,
this kind of shot is effective for a tense situation or to assert a
tone of seriousness to the situation.
A
long shot is a shot where the actors are very minuscule and a lot of
scenery can be seen in the shot, it's like if you can put about ten or
more of the actors to fit the whole picture, it's a long shot.
A
fade-in is something that is a transition from one scene to another, a
fade in is usually where a shot starts out as a block of colour that
covers the whole screen, i.e white or black, the slowly, the scene fades
in. This can be used for dramatic effect or to start of a film
effectively.
A
fade-out is pretty much the opposite of a fade-in, the scene instead
fades into a colour that covers the screen, i.e, white or black, this
can be to end a scene with tension or to end a film with an emotional
feeling.
Moving-camera
shots are self explanatory, it's when a scene is taking place but the
camera moves with the scene, with the actors, or slowly surveys the
scenery and can capture the environment to understand the setting more.
A
full-shot (A.K.A, a wide-shot) is where the actors or subjects in
question take up the whole frame, or most of it, you can see their whole
body and they fit into the camera's shot. Usually it's the actors but
sometimes it can just be objects or animals too.
A
flashback is a transition back to a point to earlier in the film, this
can be to recap a certain event or it can be to just reinforce a point
that the film may be trying to teach.
Griffith used all of these in his projects and we use these techniques today which goes to show how influential he was.
Griffith
himself revolutionised editing, he was the mind who had the idea of
making lively shots and making it so that action could be perceived from
loads of angles, as opposed to Porter's more discrete cuts on scenes.
This kept the audience more on their toes, this also made it so that
people could understand the situation and scenario better on the film.
He
also created many variations of transitions, and shots, these include:
fade-in, fade-out, close-ups, moving-camera shots, full shots and
flashbacks. These were many things to come up with and it's why he's one
of the more memorable cinematographers as he set some of the things we
use in film even today.
A
close-up shot is when the camera focuses on an actor's face, and this
is usually without showing the body, otherwise that would be a mid-shot,
this kind of shot is effective for a tense situation or to assert a
tone of seriousness to the situation.
A
long shot is a shot where the actors are very minuscule and a lot of
scenery can be seen in the shot, it's like if you can put about ten or
more of the actors to fit the whole picture, it's a long shot.
A
fade-in is something that is a transition from one scene to another, a
fade in is usually where a shot starts out as a block of colour that
covers the whole screen, i.e white or black, the slowly, the scene fades
in. This can be used for dramatic effect or to start of a film
effectively.
A
fade-out is pretty much the opposite of a fade-in, the scene instead
fades into a colour that covers the screen, i.e, white or black, this
can be to end a scene with tension or to end a film with an emotional
feeling.
Moving-camera
shots are self explanatory, it's when a scene is taking place but the
camera moves with the scene, with the actors, or slowly surveys the
scenery and can capture the environment to understand the setting more.
A
full-shot (A.K.A, a wide-shot) is where the actors or subjects in
question take up the whole frame, or most of it, you can see their whole
body and they fit into the camera's shot. Usually it's the actors but
sometimes it can just be objects or animals too.
A
flashback is a transition back to a point to earlier in the film, this
can be to recap a certain event or it can be to just reinforce a point
that the film may be trying to teach.
Griffith used all of these in his projects and we use these techniques today which goes to show how influential he was.
Sergei Eisenstein
Born
into a middle-class family in 1898, Riga, Latvia, in his younger years
(young adult), he decided to take on engineering and architecture, like
his father.
In
1920, Sergei moved to Moscow, and began his career in theatre, he
worked for Proletkult. His productions under this organisation were 'Gas
masks, Wiseman and Listen Moscow'. Eisenstein's first full-length
feature film was made five years later in 1925, named 'Strike'.
Another
film made the same year, named 'The Battleship Potemkin' was critically
acclaimed, it was one of mis most successful, if not, the most
successful film he made and it is known infamously.
It
was the film named 'October: Ten Days That Shook The World', that
caused his slight downfall in home territory, in fact, the other
countries outside the Soviet Union praised Eisenstein. However, in his
homeland, he was very well received and soon had to make self-criticism
articles and other commitments to redeem himself.
Come
1930, Eisenstein had gone to American soil, he was offered the
opportunity to work in the United States by Jesse L. Lasky on behalf of
Paramount Pictures.
Continuity Editing
Soviet
Montages are a type of filmmaking that is made to immerse those
watching, and to bring people watching to the edge of their seat with
unpredictability.
The
main focus on Soviet Montages was the editing, cuts can excite the
spectator, and can make those watching excited, stimulated even. Unlike
Continuity Editing, where locations are kept very similar as are the
actions, Soviet Montages are more focussed on cutting, overlapping too.
Soviet
Montages are a type of filmmaking that is made to immerse those
watching, and to bring people watching to the edge of their seat with
unpredictability.
The
main focus on Soviet Montages was the editing, cuts can excite the
spectator, and can make those watching excited, stimulated even. Unlike
Continuity Editing, where locations are kept very similar as are the
actions, Soviet Montages are more focussed on cutting, overlapping too.
Soviet Editing
Soviet Montages are a type of film-making that is made to immerse those watching, and to bring people
watching to the edge of their seat with unpredictability.
The
main focus on Soviet Montages was the editing, cuts can excite the
spectator, and can make those watching excited, stimulated even. Unlike
Continuity Editing, where locations are kept very similar as are the
actions, Soviet Montages are more focussed on cutting, overlapping too.
Sergei Eisenstein
Born into a middle-class family in
1898, Riga, Latvia, in his younger years (young adult), he decided to
take on engineering and architecture, like his father.
In
1920, Sergei moved to Moscow, and began his career in theatre, he
worked for Proletkult. His productions under this organisation were 'Gas
masks, Wiseman and Listen Moscow'. Eisenstein's first full-length
feature film was made five years later in 1925, named 'Strike'.
Another
film made the same year, named 'The Battleship Potemkin' was critically
acclaimed, it was one of mis most successful, if not, the most
successful film he made and it is known infamously.
It
was the film named 'October: Ten Days That Shook The World', that
caused his slight downfall in home territory, in fact, the other
countries outside the Soviet Union praised Eisenstein. However, in his
homeland, he was very well received and soon had to make self-criticism
articles and other commitments to redeem himself.
Come
1930, Eisenstein had gone to American soil, he was offered the
opportunity to work in the United States by Jesse L. Lasky on behalf of
Paramount Pictures.
Metric Montage
Work is done under a certain number of
frames, it cuts to this number even if there's something important in
the shot. This can make it so that certain shots are not long, or drawn
out, also it can be used to draw out the response of the audience
without losing them, keeping them on their toes.
Rhythmic Montage
Work is done based on continuity, the idea
to make visual continuity in the edit. Giving the film it's own sense of
flow that can't be achieved unless you time it with a rhythmic mindset.
Tonal Montage
Work is done based on the emotional impact of the shots, to get more of a response from the audience in a complex way.
Kuleshov Effect
The
Kuleshov effect is a mark in editing history, first made by Lev
Kuleshov, it is a test of the mind to see if situational emotion is
actually real or not. It was first tested when Kuleshov placed an
expressionless man image, cutting to a plate of soup, to him, to a girl
in a coffin, to him, to a girl on a divan.
When
watching, it seems that his single expression shows multiple emotions
when these images are placed with them, which somehow makes sense, it
plays on the way our minds work.
Soviet Montages are a type of film-making that is made to immerse those watching, and to bring people
watching to the edge of their seat with unpredictability.
The
main focus on Soviet Montages was the editing, cuts can excite the
spectator, and can make those watching excited, stimulated even. Unlike
Continuity Editing, where locations are kept very similar as are the
actions, Soviet Montages are more focussed on cutting, overlapping too.
Sergei Eisenstein
Born into a middle-class family in
1898, Riga, Latvia, in his younger years (young adult), he decided to
take on engineering and architecture, like his father.
In
1920, Sergei moved to Moscow, and began his career in theatre, he
worked for Proletkult. His productions under this organisation were 'Gas
masks, Wiseman and Listen Moscow'. Eisenstein's first full-length
feature film was made five years later in 1925, named 'Strike'.
Another
film made the same year, named 'The Battleship Potemkin' was critically
acclaimed, it was one of mis most successful, if not, the most
successful film he made and it is known infamously.
It
was the film named 'October: Ten Days That Shook The World', that
caused his slight downfall in home territory, in fact, the other
countries outside the Soviet Union praised Eisenstein. However, in his
homeland, he was very well received and soon had to make self-criticism
articles and other commitments to redeem himself.
Come
1930, Eisenstein had gone to American soil, he was offered the
opportunity to work in the United States by Jesse L. Lasky on behalf of
Paramount Pictures.
Metric Montage
Work is done under a certain number of
frames, it cuts to this number even if there's something important in
the shot. This can make it so that certain shots are not long, or drawn
out, also it can be used to draw out the response of the audience
without losing them, keeping them on their toes.
Work is done based on continuity, the idea
to make visual continuity in the edit. Giving the film it's own sense of
flow that can't be achieved unless you time it with a rhythmic mindset.
Work is done based on the emotional impact of the shots, to get more of a response from the audience in a complex way.
The
Kuleshov effect is a mark in editing history, first made by Lev
Kuleshov, it is a test of the mind to see if situational emotion is
actually real or not. It was first tested when Kuleshov placed an
expressionless man image, cutting to a plate of soup, to him, to a girl
in a coffin, to him, to a girl on a divan.
When watching, it seems that his single expression shows multiple emotions when these images are placed with them, which somehow makes sense, it plays on the way our minds work.
When watching, it seems that his single expression shows multiple emotions when these images are placed with them, which somehow makes sense, it plays on the way our minds work.
180 Degree Rule
The
180 degree rule is a rule for cinematography, it is the rule that when
you shoot a scene with two actors, you have to make sure the camera
doesn't go past a specific line between the actors as it makes it
inconsistent. You have to make sure that the camera pans around the
actors and doesn't phase through this line otherwise it will mess up
some consistencies.
The
180 degree rule is a rule for cinematography, it is the rule that when
you shoot a scene with two actors, you have to make sure the camera
doesn't go past a specific line between the actors as it makes it
inconsistent. You have to make sure that the camera pans around the
actors and doesn't phase through this line otherwise it will mess up
some consistencies.
Montage Editing
(Due to a formatting error, some parts are underlined and I cannot fix this, apologies in advance)
Montage
editing is best described as a combination of many images, mostly fast
and placed very quickly to zip by. Explaining information and key events
in film within a short distance of time in order to convey screen time
as long as it is readable.
(Due to a formatting error, some parts are underlined and I cannot fix this, apologies in advance)
Montage
editing is best described as a combination of many images, mostly fast
and placed very quickly to zip by. Explaining information and key events
in film within a short distance of time in order to convey screen time
as long as it is readable.
Cinemetographe
The brothers were around in the
1800's to 1900's, in the 1890's they were one of the biggest
manufacturers of photographic plates. When 17, Louis went and invented
the new 'dry plate' process of developing film.
In
early 1895, they soon came up with their own device, the
Cinematographe. Which was smaller and lighter than the Kinetoscope, it
photographed and projected film at 16 frames a second, as opposed to our
more modern 30-60 frames per second. The same size as a hand-held
camera, it differed from the Kinetoscope in many ways. They were also
quick to patent their invention abroad, thus the chances of copies being
made were very unlikely due to their success.
They were keen on testing and toying with different kinds of plates and such, which lead to their invention coming to be made.
This
device was slower than Edison's device (which photographed and
projected film at 48 frames per second). The mechanism had two pins or
claws were placed into hole pinched into the film strip, then they were
moved along the film and retracted. It was based off of the mechanisms
used in sewing machines, which explains the similar kind of machinery.
Their
first public screening was in December 28th, 1894, at the Grand Cafe on
Paris' Boulevard de Capuchines, Named 'Le Sortie de usines Lumiere'.
The brothers were around in the
1800's to 1900's, in the 1890's they were one of the biggest
manufacturers of photographic plates. When 17, Louis went and invented
the new 'dry plate' process of developing film.
In
early 1895, they soon came up with their own device, the
Cinematographe. Which was smaller and lighter than the Kinetoscope, it
photographed and projected film at 16 frames a second, as opposed to our
more modern 30-60 frames per second. The same size as a hand-held
camera, it differed from the Kinetoscope in many ways. They were also
quick to patent their invention abroad, thus the chances of copies being
made were very unlikely due to their success.
They were keen on testing and toying with different kinds of plates and such, which lead to their invention coming to be made.
They were keen on testing and toying with different kinds of plates and such, which lead to their invention coming to be made.
This
device was slower than Edison's device (which photographed and
projected film at 48 frames per second). The mechanism had two pins or
claws were placed into hole pinched into the film strip, then they were
moved along the film and retracted. It was based off of the mechanisms
used in sewing machines, which explains the similar kind of machinery.
Their
first public screening was in December 28th, 1894, at the Grand Cafe on
Paris' Boulevard de Capuchines, Named 'Le Sortie de usines Lumiere'.
Modern NLE Editing Systems
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe
Premiere Pro is one of the many pieces of software that Adobe has made,
this one specifically is for editing film. You can import footage and
audio and the timeline will accept almost any file, there are also many
different video and audio effects that you can use for your session.
Features
"Premiere Pro supports high resolution video editing at up to 10,240 × 8,192[9] resolution, at up to 32-bits per channel color, in both RGB and YUV. Audio sample-level editing, VST audio plug-in
support, and 5.1 surround sound mixing are available. Premiere Pro's
plug-in architecture enables it to import and export formats beyond
those supported by QuickTime or DirectShow, supporting a wide variety of
video and audio file formats and codecs on both MacOS and Windows. When
used with Cineform's
Neo line of plug-ins, it supports 3D editing with the ability to view
3D material using 2D monitors, while making individual left and right
eye adjustments" - take from Wikipedia
Final Cut Pro 7
Adobe
Premiere Pro is one of the many pieces of software that Adobe has made,
this one specifically is for editing film. You can import footage and
audio and the timeline will accept almost any file, there are also many
different video and audio effects that you can use for your session.
Features
"Premiere Pro supports high resolution video editing at up to 10,240 × 8,192[9] resolution, at up to 32-bits per channel color, in both RGB and YUV. Audio sample-level editing, VST audio plug-in support, and 5.1 surround sound mixing are available. Premiere Pro's plug-in architecture enables it to import and export formats beyond those supported by QuickTime or DirectShow, supporting a wide variety of video and audio file formats and codecs on both MacOS and Windows. When used with Cineform's Neo line of plug-ins, it supports 3D editing with the ability to view 3D material using 2D monitors, while making individual left and right eye adjustments" - take from Wikipedia
Features
"Premiere Pro supports high resolution video editing at up to 10,240 × 8,192[9] resolution, at up to 32-bits per channel color, in both RGB and YUV. Audio sample-level editing, VST audio plug-in support, and 5.1 surround sound mixing are available. Premiere Pro's plug-in architecture enables it to import and export formats beyond those supported by QuickTime or DirectShow, supporting a wide variety of video and audio file formats and codecs on both MacOS and Windows. When used with Cineform's Neo line of plug-ins, it supports 3D editing with the ability to view 3D material using 2D monitors, while making individual left and right eye adjustments" - take from Wikipedia
Final Cut Pro 7 is the seventh installment in the Final Cut series of editing software, exclusively on Mac computers. It is used widely by independent filmmakers worldwide and has grown extensively over the years it has been active and been available for use. It is easy to load up and use, and is mainly a substitute to Premiere Pro or is a preference to some who use it. You can use it to do similar things to Premiere like making sequences and manipulating video and audio in one.
Features
Taken from Wikipedia: Final CutTime-compatible video format including DV, HDV, P2 MXF (DVCProHD), XDCAM (via plug-in), 2K, 4K and 5K film formats.[3] It supports a number of simultaneously composited video tracks (limited mainly by video format and hardware capability); unlimited audio tracks; multi-camera editing for combining video from multiple camera sources; as well as standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions. It comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters such as keying tools, mattes and vocal de-poppers and de-essers. It also has a manual 3-way color correction filter, videoscopes and a selection of generators, such as slugs, test cards and noise.[3]
Purposes of Editing
Sound Effects
Sound effects are often used in film to
add some depth or humour to certain situation in film. Often sound
effects are recorded after the filming process, to be added into the
film via editing software. When recording certain noises, many people
use basic utensils and objects, like for when people make an impact
sound or bludgeoning noise, many use the infamous 'Hammer in a Melon'
sound. This sound is perfect as it captures the blunt force impact of
the hammer hitting the outside of the fruit, and the squelching sound of
the 'blood being hit and exposed'.
Jump-cuts
A jump cut is best described as when there
are two shots that are based on the same subject, but make subtle jumps
in order to slightly speed up time. It is sometimes used as a distinct
style and it also is used to keep the viewer's attention.
"Melies directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a 'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a hearse was there instead.
"Melies directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a 'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a hearse was there instead.
At the
exact point where the bus had gone, the hearse was at the point where
the bus disappeared at, this lead to making an iconic function in
editing, this was a jump-cut". As mentioned above, Melies was one of the ancestors of the jump-cut.
Special Effects
Special effects are used to add a
certain layer of depth to your film. If you add special effetcs that are
convincing, you will have a somewhat interesting atmosphere to whatever
you are editing. Like if you wanted to add an explosion, then you could
do so with special effects as opposed to actually risking ruining a
building or something of a similar nature. This would be convincing to
say the least and will also make slight cutting of corners but it is
more of a safe option, they were often more primitive when cinema dawned
but have evolved progressively.
Colour Correction
In premiere pro, there can be
instances where the footage you're watching and using can look too much
of a colour, it can be any colour, but there are usually four primary
colours, these include: red, blue, magenta and green.
If a picture looks too red, it is considered too 'warm', this is because colours like red, yellow and orange are associated with summer and warmth. An example of a picture being too 'warm' is to the right.
This is an example of a warm image, notice how the levels of red on the bottom half of the screen take dominance. This means that more red is being put into the image, and more green and blue is being taken out.
There are still signs of blue and green levels in there, but you can notice which colour has taken priority in this shot when changed to be like this.
If
a picture looks too blue, it is considered too 'cold', this is because
colours such as blue, purple and cyan are colours that people often
associate with winter, coldness and ice for example. As such, many
pictures that are mentioned as cold, contain a lot of blue and such, an
example of this is to the left.
If a picture looks too red, it is considered too 'warm', this is because colours like red, yellow and orange are associated with summer and warmth. An example of a picture being too 'warm' is to the right.
This is an example of a warm image, notice how the levels of red on the bottom half of the screen take dominance. This means that more red is being put into the image, and more green and blue is being taken out.
There are still signs of blue and green levels in there, but you can notice which colour has taken priority in this shot when changed to be like this.
This
is an example of a cold image, take note on how the picture contains a
lot of blue colour and tint. This shows that there is mostly blue in
this image. There are still some bits of red and green, but they're
pretty much consumed by the colour blue.
So
why do we need pictures to be not too warm but not too cold? Well the
picture itself, when balanced out in red, green and blue, it makes it so
that the picture is much more clearer and easier to look at, it looks
like it's taken there and then.
Pictures can turn too warm or too cold due to lighting, natural and unnatural lighting are the factors of this.
The
reason four colours were mentioned, is that they are four of the most
common colours you'll come across when correcting colours like red,
green and blue. When you take out red, you get levels of blue increasing
the more you take out of red. It's also the same vice-versa, when you
take out blue, red ends up increasing.
The
other two colours, magenta and green, are the same for this, in fact
they're the exact same, when you extract levels of magenta, then the
colour green starts to seep in, and vice-versa.
The
picture to the right is s hot of the effects control tab, to which this
is the tool you use to change the levels of red, green and blue in the
clip you've selected. You can adjust what colours and shades of a colour
you can set for the shot, it's a way of equalising the shot if it's too
warm or too cold.
This
shot here is an example of a relatively balanced out shot when it comes
to RGB colour correction. The levels of red green and blue are almost
on par with each other and they've resulted in a cleaner picture that
doesn't look 'off' in colour.
Cutting to the Beat
Cutting to the beat is often done
in many different music videos, and many times it makes the video more
gripping an involving, more energetic and go-getting. The video has way
more life in it and you feel the effort that the editor went through to
match up timings and shots with different parts of the song. Sometimes
it can also be cut with the beat of the music, including tracks without
vocals.
Cutting to the Tempo
Cutting to the tempo is often
done in many different music videos, and many times it makes the video
more gripping an involving, more energetic and go-getting. The video has
way more life in it and you feel the effort that the editor went
through to match up timings and shots with different parts of the song.
Sometimes it can also be cut with the tempo of the music, including
tracks without vocals. These two are so similar hence why the
description is so familiar between the two.
