Unit 4: More Video Notes

Script/Storyboard

Before you begin editing your draft video project, be sure to create a draft script, or storyboard. You should create a word document with two columns. In the left column, you should have information about the video. You can also put in still frames of the actual video shots if you’d like, but I am not requiring it. You should describe the content of the video frame (what is being displayed) and the type of shot (medium shot/close up). On the right hand side of the column, you should put in Audio information. That is, what is the person talking about? I expect the blog post with your draft video project to be accompanied by your draft script. See these three sites for storyboard information: 1 2 3

Shots

When shooting video, it is best to edit between steady camera shots, rather than zooming and panning in the shot. Follow the 5-shot rule to create a visually interesting video sequence.

Example Videos

We watched and discussed example digital video narratives in class including Common Ground, Home Movies and Learning to Ride from the Center for Digital Storytelling.

Week 12: In-Class Premiere Tutorial

Last week we worked on the basics of video editing in Adobe Premiere. As a reference, here is a reference to the various tools we used.

1. Import files from the Z:\COM499\WSU Experience\ by dragging the two videos, image, and audio file into your project window in the top-left of Premiere. Alternatively, you can go to file->import and find the files.

2. Create and edit subclips. Drag one of the videos into the source viewer in the top-center. You can then set “in” and “out” points in the source viewer to create subclips, or drag the cropped clips into your sequence timeline in the bottom-center. We discussed various ways to create and edit subclips, as well as putting them in Bins. The final project should have a sequence from the WSU experience video (without an interview clip), followed by a football sequence, followed by a second WSU experience clip, followed by a second football sequence. Be sure to resize the clips so the fit in the sequence frame. Tools: Select Tool, Ripple Edit Tool, Slip Tool, Slide Tool, Razor Tool, Subclips, Bins. For reference, see:

Subclips & Bins: http://layersmagazine.com/using-subclips-in-premiere-pro.html
Edit tools: http://layersmagazine.com/clip-trimming-in-premiere-pro.html

3. Transitions. We covered various transition effects between subclips in your sequence. We added a cross-dissolve between your first two clips, and a “fade to black” at the end of the sequence. For reference, see:

http://layersmagazine.com/creating-transitions-in-premiere-pro.html

4. Adding text. We covered various ways to add text to your video, including still text, crawling text (from left to right), rolling text (from the bottom to top), and a still slide based on a template. We added a still, centered text sequence at the beginning of the video followed by a crawling text after a touchdown play in the first football subclip, followed by rolling text as credits at the end of the sequence and lastly, a still slide from a template thanking the viewer for watching the video. For reference, see:

http://layersmagazine.com/premiere-pro-text-rolls-and-crawls.html
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/digital-video/getting-started-11-adding-titles/

5. Panning graphics. Next, we inserted the still image of the bronze cougar at the end of the last football clip, before the credits. After inserting the image into the video, resize the image to it fits in the frame. We then animated a slight upward pan and zoom using keyframes at the beginning and end of the image. For reference, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfy-4hAnDFs

6. Adjusting audio. We unlinked the audio from the original videos and deleted those audio tracks. Then, we imported the music clip from the Z:\ drive. We added keyframes at the beginning and about 5 seconds into the video and faded the music up. We trimmed the music file down to match the length of the video and added two more key frames at the end of the video to fade out the music. We also discussed the “normalize audio” tool. For reference, see:

Adjusting audio: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/digital-video/getting-started-12-adding-and-adjusting-audio/
Normalizing audio: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/digital-video/normalizing-audio-for-the-whole-master-track/

7. Export video. Once we finished with the video, we exported the video to a 720p H.264 file. After the file was encoded with Adobe Media Encoder, we logged into Youtube.com and uploaded the video (be sure it is set to either public or unlisted so you can link it to your blog). Once the video is finished, you can paste the youtube.com link into your blog to embed the video. I have posted my example video below. You should post your in-class tutorial to your blog.

For exporting reference, see:

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/digital-video/getting-started-13-exporting-your-project/

Note: Be sure your video includes 4 different video subclips, 1 image, title from template, still centered text, crawling text, rolling text, at least 2 transitions between clips, panning and zooming effect on image, audio with fade in and fade out.

Example Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxc-3xGPzOA

 

Recording Skype Calls

Last class I mentioned there are applications that allow you to record video/audio from Skype calls. You may find these programs useful for gathering interview footage for your audio/video projects. There are other methods and products available for recording screencasts, so you are certainly not limited to these suggestions. These apps are not free, but they do come with free trial periods:

Windows

Pamela
Replay Telecoder

Mac OS X

Call Recorder
IMCapture for Skype