Lab 4: Intro to Editing

BRING TODAY:  USB Drives & footage

Resources: Vimeo's Video 101: Editing Basics, Setting Scratch Disks in Final Cut Pro

How to set the scratch disks in Final Cut
1) Make a project folder WITH YOUR NAME ON IT on the computer's Scratch disk and call it whatever you want - example: "Laura Hadden Project 1"

2) Make a folder inside of "Laura Hadden Project 1" and call it "Scratch"

3) Make a folder inside of "Laura Hadden Project 1" and call it "Video" - put all of your .mov files into the folder called "Video"

So now inside "Laura Hadden Project 1" should be two folders; "Video" and "Scratch"

4) Open up Final Cut Pro

5) Go up to the top tab and click on "Final Cut Pro" --> "system settings"

A window will open that looks like this:



6) Click on each of the set buttons that are highlighted below (the blue underline points out the folder you are pointing it to) and direct final cut to the folder you made called "FCP"

Setting the scratch disks tells Final Cut where to put all of the files that it generates as you edit. You should set the scratch disks every time you open up Final Cut!

Next week: Finish editing! Bring in music or other sound effects you would like to add to your project. as well as your USB drives(!!!). Project is due at the end of class.

Note: If you want to have more editing time, please refer to the "How to work in labs at Hunter" handout on Blackboard, but you have to use your flash drive or external hard drive to bring your project folder to those computers!

Lab 3: Shoot Project 1, Define Your Space

"Places matter. Their rules, their scale, their design include or exclude civil society, pedestrianism, equality, diversity (economic and otherwise), understanding of where water comes from and garbage goes, consumption or conservation. They map our lives.” 

― Rebecca Solnit, Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics

 
TODAY:

• Create a shot list with your partner! Plan to shoot 12 shots just in case. Hold each shot for at least 10 seconds (you can edit it shorter later). This template might help. Detail not only what you're shooting but how.
• WHAT: Think carefully about what you wish to convey. It could be an emotional tone you feel in the location (claustrophobia, fear, energy); or it could be that you are interested in the quality of light in the space; or perhaps what intrigues you is what goes on there; or maybe you like the architectural details, or the colors; you could also contrast interior with exterior, light and dark, movement and stillness... it’s up to you! 
• HOW: Think about what camera position, shot size and composition will work best for each shot. Do not zoom! 
• Shoot your project with a partner.   
• Download and encode your material, watch your clips. 

NEXT WEEK:
Bring your USB drives to class again next week! We will begin editing.

Lab 2: Intro to 16mm, Camera Exercise, & Media Encoder

Send me your favorite short films to watch & discuss in class! 

Learn more about the Arri 16S here!

Reminder:

• Frame rate = Images (or frames) per second
• Shutter speed = Exposure of each frame (how long each frame is exposed to light)

SHOT SIZE

ANGLES

MOVEMENT (pans, tilt, zoom)

TRACKING

Reminder: No lecture tomorrow!

Extra credit opportunity: “Puzzles” produced by Hunter professor Tami Gold and Hunter student David Pavlovsky.  The screening will be at the Lang Auditorium Hunter North 4^th floor on Tuesday, February 11^th at 6:30PM.  The filmmakers will be present and available for you to ask questions about how they made the film.

Next week: We're shooting project 1! Bring your USB drives, create your Vimeo accounts, and scout your locations before the lab.

Lab 1B: Camera Workshop

Good morning! 



Send me short films (under 5 minutes) that you want to watch in class!

Intro to Camera (Canon FS11)

The camera manual: http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/9/0300000959/01/fs10-11-100nim-en.pdf

Lecture 3 (February 19th) will go into more detail about how various factors influence an image.

P or Program AE (Automatic Exposure) – the camcorder automatically adjusts the aperture (the size of the hole through which light travels) and the shutter speed (the amount of time a single frame is exposed to light) to obtain the optimal exposure (the quantity of light) for the subject. This is the setting we will be using in class. 

Tv or Shutter Priority AE – Allows you to set the shutter speed value and the camcorder automatically sets the appropriate aperture value. Generally, we won't be changing the shutter speed value in film unless we are attempting a special effect. You can use faster shutter speeds to record subjects moving quickly, use slower shutter speeds to add motion blur. 

Exposure: An image can be underexposed (not enough light) or overexposed (too much light). To manually change exposure, press “SET” and then the arrow down until you find “EXP”, adjust the brightness left to right. Then press set again. 

Manual focus

Autofocus might not work well on:

• Reflective surfaces
• Subjects with low contrast or without vertical lines
• Fast moving subjects
• Through wet windows
• Night scenes

To adjust focus manually, press “[SET]” button, scroll to “[FOCUS]”, adjust focus left to right. Press SET to lock focus or press arrow up to return to autofocus. To reset, press SET and go back to [FOCUS].

You can use "infinity focus" to focus on faraway subjects (mountains, fireworks). Go back to [FOCUS] and hold it until an infinity loop appears.

White Balance:

The white balance function helps you to accurately reproduce colors under different lighting conditions so that white objects will always look truly white in your recordings. You can select [AUTO], [DAYLIGHT], [TUNGSTEN] (for fluorescent lighting) or you can set it yourself! 

[FUNCTION] > [SET] > Point the camcorder at a white object, zoom it until it fills the whole screen and press [SET]. Wait for the icon to stop flashing and stay on. It will keep this white balance setting even if you turn of the camcorder, so reset for each environment. Press [FUNCTION] and close menu. 

NEXT WEEK: Camera exercise, intro the Adobe Media Encoder.