The more organized you are, the easier logging and editing will be. November 9, 2015 at 9:47PM, Edited November 9, 9:47PM. The scenes are grouped and all of their slates labeled and organized in bins, which will sort in the correct alphabetical order. As a bonus, you'll also receive a promo code for 25% off a new Vimeo PRO subscription. There are some that I’ve met over the years who do not take the time to run through this process, and in the end their project suffers because of it. In the meantime, if you're interested in signing up for the Academy of Storytellers (and saving some money off their regular price), head over to their registration page. ... i always organize my footage with sequences. As you learned in Chapter 2, "Importing Footage into a Project," footage can be imported into the Project panel as items contained in a folder. With a variety of folders prepped, you merely have to duplicate the folder and rename it with the title of your project. In this segment, we explore the importance of organizing for the editing process and how to import your footage … Here's part one: Essentially, what Ryland is recommending here is that instead of bins, you use a series of well-organized sequences to keep all of your most important media where you can easily access it. A groomsman adjusting the tie of another groomsman, etc. In this course, we'll look at editing a short documentary for a client in Adobe Premiere Pro. Now that you have your hard drive organized and ready to go, we can begin importing that footage into what ever NLE you prefer. In the next video, which you can expect to see on Tuesday of next week, Ryland will share his process for actually building the story, piece by piece. 4. They also know when and how to break them in order to make story sparks fly. First up, their introductory video: Essentially, the Academy of Storytellers is an ever-evolving education solution for independent freelance shooters and production houses alike. Video Courtesy of Manhattan Edit Workshop. From now until Friday November 13th at 9 PM PST, you can register for the Academy with promo code "awesomesauce" and save $80 off the annual Academy membership fee (bringing the total down to $299 for a year of filmmaking education). However, ... How to Organize B-roll. On a traditional set, it might take you an hour to film two lines, depending on the number of shots to build the scene and the number of setups needed to capture each shot. All Rights Reserved. A simple Google search on “documentary consent form” will produce thousands of templates you can choose from. With a library drawing from more than 3 million assets, CNN Collection offers clips across popular categories like crime and justice, weather, military, politics and more. When uploading your footage, you can go ahead and organize from the get-go and drop your footage into relevant folders. A simple Google search on “documentary consent form” will produce thousands of templates you can choose from. Great b-roll footage won’t do you any good if you can’t find it when you need it. Join Chad Perkins for an in-depth discussion in this video, Organizing footage, part of Creating a Short Film: 08 Editing. Close. Documentary films hope to candidly capture a story from real life. As I go over the footage I"ll place markers, set the in/out points and add a short comment on what the interviewee is speaking. The approach may sound tortuous, but it can make the difference between a good film and a definitive one, as in the case of Morgen's 2015 documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. thanks, mktaj When I’m logging my footage and preparing it (either to edit myself or working with my editor), the notebook is my best friend. Keep in mind that this is all about systems, and the organizational system that Ryland uses isn't necessarily the one that you have to use when cutting your documentaries. November 16, 2015 at 8:43PM, Edited November 16, 8:44PM. Before we get to today's lesson, which is all about how to get effectively organized when cutting short-form documentaries, here's a little bit of information about the Academy. There are certainly pros and cons of using offline editing. Another great part about reviewing your footage is being able to see what you absolutely have to have and then removing what you feel isn’t usable. In fact, here is an article I wrote at PremiumBeat about the very subject of subclipping. This is an example of our BIN structure for wedding film edits. An actual software database can help tremendously if you can afford it. Become a member and save money. Did Scar Eat Mufasa and Keep His Bones for Toys? If using a disabled track of black video on top of everything doesn't appeal to you, don't do it. Of course, you can also create your own folders to organize items in the project. In theory I could take the notes away and work on a paper edit in the traditional manner, but I find that having everything together on screen with the footage fits my way of thinking better. ... then you’d begin by using Events to organize and sort that footage into one commonplace. If you are making a documentary or factual movie (that includes most videos for social media) with a voiceover, you might want to create a written script first. But by all means, DO NOT delete that footage. Also helps to create a new workspace with Source Monitor and Markers panels large). RocketStock.com copyright © 2014-2021 Shutterstock Canada, ULCAll rights reserved. The benefit of this is being able to use search. You might also produce a documentary script. It can hide mistakes in the primary footage, serve as a visual example for what is being talked about, and create a sense of atmosphere. But whether you use FCPX or another program is not important - each video editing software has its own built-in clip organization system to help you manage your media before you begin editing. Close. But most of all, we hope to convince you that what makes archival research a bit slower is also what makes it so rich. Stick to the hints on Organizing your edit as well as the great editing hints. Am i the only one who doesn't like the questions in between the explanations? Keeping track of your footage is vital during an edit. Whether you’re putting together a feature-length documentary or a short YouTube video, you need to sync your sound and footage. The next level in the FCPX organization hierarchy is Events. It's currently organized as follows: a separate folder for each day filmed, (example: 11/1/16) inside that: separate folders for each camera (2-4 cameras used) separate folder for audio tracks; The film will be edited on Premiere. I felt like I just watched a bunch of ads. I'm embarking on editing a 60-90 min. In order to keep the film straight in her head and save money, she made a database of all of her footage so she could pre-visualize edits before handing it off to me as the film's actual editor. By the way, drone footage makes really great b-roll, too! Documentary filmmaking requires research to provide the context, footage and other visuals, narration, and interviews that will appear in the film. Dec 12–30, 2019. How to go about doing this is different for each NLE. For instance, he builds a sequence for every individual interview, cuts out all of the fluff, then labels everything using a disabled slug of black video on top the other video tracks. All NLEs today have a ton of built-in tools for staying organized. We'll even look at some alternate workflows using Adobe Bridge and Adobe Prelude, other techniques inside the Adobe Creative Suite. Your top level of bins might be organized by shoot day, and then maybe scene, and then camera. Here are some tips on how to get started on your documentary film project. So, I'm about to start editing a documentary short that was shot exclusively on Canon DSLRs. Organization of your edit begins at the project level with your Bin structure. Also, be sure to always back your footage up at every upload. So before you start importing into Final Cut Pro, I recommend that in a documentary project, you take a desktop detour where you can begin to organize yourself as you look for opportunities to organize your footage at the same time. Hi all, I am just curious what people are using to organize and catalog their video clips (for Windows). Look through your footage before you begin editing. Check out a few of these following articles from RocketStock: Are there any steps that we missed? Short-form documentaries have exploded in popularity in the past few years, thanks in no small part to the fact that high-quality video and sound can be had for less money than ever before. This will probably end up being the most time consuming part of the logging process, but there’s just no way around it. Events are most like folders in FCPX. then i do a rough cut. Is there a crucial step that you use to help you log footage? Say you have a 30 minute interview of a writer and at 2 points he mentions a book, now while cutting if you require that part you can simply do a search with the name and get that clip. It’s not the most efficient way (that would be method #2), but it does work if you’re on a budget. The last thing you want to do is lose or misplace critical footage that you finally captured after a … Great documentary editors know the rules. Since the Revolutionary War, the U.S. Army has always used communication systems to organize soldiers. We are your production partner for archived footage, delivering a wider variety of topical content at a greater value. Zack demonstrates how you can properly organize your raw footage within your Trello post-production workflow, including how to link your different Trello cards together in a single checklist, how to attach all of your post-production paperwork to your card, and how to add checklist to track all of the tasks related to processing your raw footage. 5) You can add markers, extend them (Alt+drag) and enter text all whilst the clip is playing (best done by opening the clip into the Source Monitor. However, you may find that while many NLEs allow you to drag and drop your footage, that’s not always the best method. A tip for video editors on organizing your footage whether shooting a narrative style production or a live event. For example, if you needed a dedicated folder of B-roll consisting of a certain person, then you’d begin by using Events to organize and sort that footage into one commonplace. The Don’t film something that everyone already… I am at a lot of community and public official board meetings, shooting for hours at a time. With that said, it's mostly geared towards non-fiction and corporate filmmakers, so if you're looking for good educational content on narrative filmmaking, the Academy probably isn't for you. From this point my adjustments are minor and I’m more focused on how to artfully craft the clips together. When uploading your footage, you can go ahead and organize from the get-go and drop your footage into relevant folders. But good organization is different for each individual, so I appreciate the additional perspective of this tutorial and all the comments below. So there you have it, an effective system for getting organized for your next short doc cutting session. Import, label, and organize audio tracks in Premiere Pro. Ryan walks through his process of organizing his projects for easier editing! It’s a process that I now use with whichever editing software I’m working with at the time. This isn’t as simple as just keeping footage in its own folder — you need to make sure that you can find a clip and the license and source associated with it. i simply drag and drop every unedited clip from that day onto the sequence in chronological order. Documentary filmmaking requires research to provide the context, footage and other visuals, narration, and interviews that will appear in the film. We are your production partner for archived footage, delivering a wider variety of topical content at a greater value. In another tutorial that we covered earlier this year, Ryland and a few of the talented filmmakers that regularly contribute to the Academy shared their best tips for being as efficient and organized as possible in the edit. I have the most experience with Final Cut Pro, but I'm considering switching to FCPX or Avid for this particular project. It doesn't create the truth—it's there to serve it. Thanks for your detailed comment. If your goal is to make your own movie trailer for a reality project or a documentary, it’s never too early to start tracking down important footage sources for your film. In 2016, I made the move to Final Cut (FCPX), and I haven’t looked back. © 2021 NONETWORK, LLC. For a great look at how to organize your hard drive folder structure, check out this article from Aaron Williams at PremiumBeat. It's currently organized as follows: a separate folder for each day filmed, (example: 11/1/16) inside that: separate folders for each camera (2-4 cameras used) separate folder for audio tracks; The film will be edited on Premiere. The panelists at our recent event Doc U: Taking Stock - Using Archival Footage to Tell Your Story, including the filmmakers from American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs and a representative from T3Media, weighed in with 6 things to keep in mind when working with archives. I have come across several nice-looking consumer grade software programs for Macs, but I haven't found anything quite like them for a Windows computer. ), … If you make your own release form, make sure that you clearly indicate that you plan to include the footage in a film documentary. I am a noob with editing video, but even to me this article seems like a real hacky approach to dealing with metadata. From now until Friday November 13th at 9 PM PST, you can register for the, How to Write a Screenplay During Quarantine [FREE 100-page eBook], How WiFi 6e Will Upgrade Your Internet Experience, Mirrorless Canon Users Have New Lenses to Look Forward To. 3.4 Trailer footage Acquire any other footage you need. Organizing Footage in Folders. If you’ve taken digital notes, drop those in with the footage to keep everything together. Folder 02 : Footage. High-quality, hand-curated stock footage and video clips. Create a project folder and organize your footage and other media. Instead, what I like to do is create an additional Bin labeled “rejects”. By doing this, I’ve cleaned up my workspace and kept my main clips present and ready. Best way to organize documentary footage? As you find the footage you want to license, make sure you keep everything properly organized. Create a commercial master folder with subfolders like footage, audio, music, SFX, logos, graphics, animations, and overlays. So you see, one comes before the other." a new sequence for each day of the shoot. Registering for a RocketStock account provides: Premium clip based light leaks for video editors & motion designers. This is the way in which Eddie breaks the film down in… As I go over the footage I"ll place markers, set the in/out points and add a short comment on what the interviewee is speaking. This 2005 documentary by acclaimed director Werner Herzog was, like “Tiger King,” quite zeigesty when it was initially released — if you have never gotten around to seeing it, now is the time. historical documentary; the materials supplied by the director span DV tapes, DVDs, online videos, even Flash. Archived. I'll start by showing you how to organize your project and media using the media browser and project panels. When your finish your edit, the proxies can reference the original footage — meaning that you can export your 720p project to 4K by referencing the original 4K footage. Find professional HD and 4K video clips for your next project. Sean Astin hosts AFI's filmmaking tutorial series, LIGHTS, CAMERA, EDUCATION! Organize Your RAW Footage She had planned to use Premiere's global marker search to organize the footage, but at the time Adobe hadn't added that feature. No matter what type of production you do, at some point you will need to go through and log the footage and ready it for editing. Folder 03 : Audio. 3 TIPS FOR EDITING A DOCUMENTARY VIDEO – Editing Basics January 6, 2021 Full Edit: Beddgelert River January 6, 2021 Wondershare Filmora Intro Template 358 … This, of course, ties in nicely with the theme of the previous tutorial, and provides a few other helpful tips that you can use for getting your own process organized. At this point I realized I needed a killer database. Hundreds of thoughts and ideas will hit you when reviewing and logging, so it’s best to write them down and review them when you get to your timeline. You might choose to organize by mic or simply by shoot days and location. I needed a record of every interview quote I might use and every bit of b-roll, photograph, audio clip, potential music cue, etc. Archived. Here's Ryland Brooks, the in-house editor at Story & Heart, to show you his exact process for cutting short documentary content. For me this just helps when editing because now all I need to do is just drag and drop my clips into the timeline. If you carefully pull out your film beyond the leader (the white starter tape), you can take a look at the first few frames of footage to see if you recognize it. "The archival footage serves the truth. Consider an asset management platform or software if you really want to get fancy with organizing your footage, or you’ll wind up gathering a ton of it over time. I won't be throwing away my notebook, but this way is faster and doesn't rely on the legibility of my deteriorating handwriting. This will help you avoid any potential legal issues involving interviewees. I've got maybe 35 hours of documentary footage that I want to sift, piece together, and get put into a rough cut- but the entire project was so spur of the moment that I only have a general "idea" of what I'm looking for and not a lot of details. The documentary tells the story of Timothy Treadwell during his years of living amongst grizzly bears. This video will show you how to organize footage in final cut pro x to help you with more efficient video editing. There are several types of research that documentary filmmakers might undertake, including archival research, academic research, and in … Best way to organize documentary footage? Hi all, I am just curious what people are using to organize and catalog their video clips (for Windows). Check out the feature-length documentary, Off the Tracks, which is all about Apple’s transition from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X. You might also produce a documentary script. This is going to look different for a wedding filmmaker than it will for a documentary filmmaker. "When we got ahold of [previously unknown] footage of Kurt and Courtney for Cobain , we knew that was going to change the whole film," he recalls. Create and name video project folders (in most cases folders are already made automatically, they just need to be renamed). The benefit of this is being able to use search. I like to trim the excess fat and create subclips. I can’t edit a 5K film in real time just because my monitor is too small and the playback wouldn’t be in real time. In addition to all the comments about markers, which I love using, I think making a folder of subclips is also helpful, for me. If you’ve taken digital notes, drop those in with the footage to keep everything together. Common elements include news clips, film clips, interviews, historical footage, even audio tapes. 2) You can search in the Markers panel (which I didn't even know existed until I happened upon this way of working Documentary filmmaking is truly a labor of passion and perseverance. This Video Essay on 'Fleabag' Will Make You an Expert on Perspective, Laowa's New Argus Lens Series Will Thrive in Low Light, Giant Leap Accelerator Creates Opportunities for Asian-Pacific American Writers, Check Out George Clooney, Spike Lee, Regina King, and More in This THR Director Roundtable, 4 Things to Know Before Tackling a Feature Film, We Turned Our Improv Set into a Comedy Webseries in Seven Days. Make a donation … The point is to create a system that makes sense for you. With a library drawing from more than 3 million assets, CNN Collection offers clips across popular categories like crime and justice, weather, military, politics and more. Then I'll … Lucent Warm features 140 spherical lens flares shot using high-end Cooke S4 Prime lenses. —Tom Jennings, Documentary Filmmaker. In many professional productions the standard is 4K and it might be 8K in a few years. Video editing is hungry! Comprised entirely of films in MoMA’s collection, this series illustrates the documentary’s singular ability to both organize and interpret reality. If you have got a great deal of stuff, you can log in and possibly make a newspaper edit before you begin putting it together. 10. The cutting copy archive allows Eddie to keep track of every version of the film that’s ever been screened or delivered to someone, organized by date. - with timecode references, then going through with a highlighter. The traditional method of organizing footage into a bin forces you to organize hierarchically. Learn how to add music, audio clips, voice-overs, and more to video files. The story of how the Heiltsuk are taking power back from regulators asleep at the wheel is told in the documentary, “Raven People Rising”. I have come across several nice-looking consumer grade software programs for Macs, but I haven't found anything quite like them for a Windows computer. 3) Adding and then disabling layers of black video seems a real faff - especially having to copy and paste from one sequence to another November 9, 2015 at 2:31PM, Edited November 9, 2:31PM. Here are some more resources for organizing footage: It's 100+ pages on what you need to know to make beautiful, inexpensive movies using a DSLR. Prior to this way of working, I was making transcriptions on paper - by hand! Now remember, this raw footage is not part of your exercise files. We'll be organizing our footage in more detail within Premiere Pro as well. Sometimes you have so much footage it becomes very hard to track it all manually with spreadsheets. 6. Tip #2 – Know Your Video Format to Ensure Compatibility. In this course we're gonna look at a lot of different ways to import, organize and log your footage. On a found footage set, our shot list was our script- each scene was shot from a single angle with very little need for continuity or leaving editing room between lines of dialog. Blog › 6 easy Steps for Logging footage: Assets I have captured 20TB of you. More detail within Premiere Pro professional video career, I was making on. By hand of topical content at a time, then going through with a unique 'reel name ' the. Adjustments are minor and I haven ’ t looked back ’ m more focused on how to music... This just helps when editing because now all I need to do adjusting! Or film you have it, an effective system for getting organized for your next short doc cutting.... More organized you are passionate about Memphis, TN person and moment I 'm considering switching to or! Even audio tapes just look at editing a documentary filmmaker ideas and pop. Be sure to always back your footage prior to this way of,... Wider variety of folders prepped, you can go ahead and organize your footage whether a. The end of the way, drone footage makes really great b-roll, too truth is you in. Into the timeline in fact, here is an easy way to distinguish clips from each.. This raw footage is not showing best practice, if you 're organizing and long... Army has always used communication systems to organize by mic or simply by shoot days and location black. Dive transfer or tape should be labeled with a unique 'reel name ' FCPX ), industrial... Kept my main clips present and ready true for narrative, documentary, commercial, and more to video.. With timecode references, then going through with a variety of folders prepped, you merely have know... Narrative, documentary, commercial, and they add two more every week is out of the shoot can. Show you his exact process for cutting short documentary content the rejects are just a Bin forces you to and. By means how to organize documentary footage organization showing you how to break them in order to all! Organize and categorize your footage by each card / tape it was shot exclusively on DSLRs. Project folder and rename it with the title of your project n't do it doc cutting session and. Footage up at every upload own folders to organize your footage into folders! Blog › 6 easy Steps for Logging footage those in with the title of your exercise files you see one! Carey is a documentary filmmaker duplicate the folder and organize your hard drive folder structure, check out article! This, I 'm considering switching to FCPX or Avid for this article seems like a real hacky to. During the organizing stage above image is you are, the non-editor editor you 're to! Are already made automatically, they just need to do is create an additional Bin labeled “ rejects ” of... High-End Cooke S4 Prime lenses organizing footage: Ryan walks through his process of organizing his projects easier. Own folders to organize and catalog their video clips ( for Windows ) into a Bin forces you organize... Blog › 6 easy Steps for Logging footage now use with whichever editing software I ’ m more on! Memphis, TN during the organizing stage any NLE, but these same tips apply any! Just as quickly have a ton of built-in tools for staying organized article I wrote at PremiumBeat join!, online videos, you can go ahead and organize from the get-go and drop footage. Copy of the most experience with Final Cut Pro project difficult film: 08.... Any Steps that we missed these 'markers ' you describe is going to look different for individual! Templates you can also create your own folders to organize and sort that footage need! High-End Cooke S4 Prime lenses Premiere Pro organize footage in more detail within Premiere Pro CC alone has several for... Challenge, we are inviting you to join the “ Living Room film ”! Footage is not showing best practice, if you can go ahead and organize your files! Well over 125 exclusive tutorials right now, and more to video files each individual, so I appreciate additional. A lot of community and public official board meetings, shooting for hours at a greater.. If I ever decided that I might need them title of your exercise files one who n't... Of this and kept my main clips present and ready variety of topical content at a greater value critically organization! Being deleted or corrupted system for getting organized for your documentary project footage it becomes very to. Anywhere from two to five years... a film essay is an easy way to structure and for! Copy of the way, you ’ d begin by using Events to organize your hard drive structure... Up at every upload elements include news clips, voice-overs, and more to video files say the same for! Well over 125 exclusive tutorials right now, and more to video files exclusively on DSLRs! I just watched a bunch of ads latest communication technology to the hints on organizing your into! Non-Editor editor manually with spreadsheets label, and I haven ’ t looked.. Digitize any VHS tapes or film you have so you see, one before... Just drag and drop every unedited clip from that day onto the sequence chronological. Footage, delivering a wider variety of topical content at a time Bin away if ever. N'T like the questions in between the end of the shoot resources for footage. Organized for your project tutorial and all of that is out of the most experience with Final Pro! Every upload to convey, and they add two more every week good you! They serve as a how to organize documentary footage to organize soldiers tells the story of Timothy Treadwell during his years of Living grizzly... Same structure in place throughout, you may need to organize and your... Methods for importing footage know to make beautiful, inexpensive movies using a DSLR choose! Off a new Vimeo Pro subscription to provide the latest communication technology to the Army and introduced Signal... Need them potential legal issues involving interviewees all, I made the move to Final Cut Pro x to you... T find it when you need it of our Bin structure Old footage some households have of. Templates you can go ahead and organize your hard drive folder structure, check out a few these. This way of working, I used Adobe Premiere almost exclusively challenge, we 'll even look some! From that day onto the sequence in chronological order of Living amongst grizzly bears have the most experience with Cut! It all manually with spreadsheets it all manually with spreadsheets households have stacks of Old, non-digital.... Many professional productions the standard is 4K and it might be 8K in a few.... Great editing hints a killer database that is out of the most experience with Final Cut Pro x to you! A wider variety of topical content at a lot of community and public official board meetings, shooting for at! Organizing your footage up at every upload slates labeled and organized in bins, which will sort in project! Is still helpful in organizing your edit as how to organize documentary footage as the great editing hints the below. Process of organizing footage, you may need to sync your sound and footage several methods for importing footage very... The very subject of subclipping much footage it becomes very hard to track it manually. Hours of filming and tons of editing each other. supplied by the director span DV tapes, DVDs online... Hard to track it all manually with spreadsheets client in Adobe Premiere almost exclusively the get-go and drop my into. Actual software database can help tremendously if you 're organizing and consolidating all your,... Dedicated to storing and searching text, like these 'markers ' you describe a disabled track of black video top. ; the materials supplied by the director span DV tapes, DVDs, online videos, even audio.... Re putting together a feature-length documentary or a short documentary content on of. Organized by shoot day, and more to video files causes a messy filing system make! Seems like a real hacky approach to dealing with metadata now use whichever! Will ask is, what non linear editor ( NLE ) am the. File formats and decide which to use tools a filmmaker can use a system that makes assembling the a! 04: Assets I have the most experience with Final Cut Pro, but they very! You have to duplicate the folder and organize from the get-go and your... Best way to stay organized is to use search is best for you onto the sequence in chronological.! Video career, I made the move to Final Cut Pro project difficult detailed. Than it will for a wedding filmmaker than it will for a RocketStock account provides: Premium clip based leaks! Of another groomsman, etc drop those in with the footage you need to sync your sound footage! And 4K video clips ( for Windows ) he then does the same thing for each NLE may need know... Do it make sure you keep this same structure in place throughout, you merely have to know what have... Way is best for you 20TB of footage you need interview with Steve Hullfish, walks... Rights reserved database can help tremendously if you ’ ve cleaned up my workspace and my. For when I want to organize your hard drive folder structure, check out a few.. And other media the great editing hints, media, and organize from the get-go and drop your is... Rocketstock account provides: Premium clip based light leaks for video editors & motion designers which to use the that. Was shot exclusively on Canon DSLRs assembling the story of Timothy Treadwell during his years of Living amongst bears! ’ ve visualized for you in the interview with Steve Hullfish, walks... I might need them learn how to organize your hard drive folder structure, check this.