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How to edit a short News Segment or
Promotional video
Ever
find yourself in the position of
having to quickly edit a short
reality based video? It
could be a news segment for a TV
station or local newspaper
website...perhaps it's a short promo
for a series of educational DVDs.
No matter what the subject..there
are some easy ways to make this
happen with out pulling your hair
out, going crazy
 with
stress....or perhaps
procrastinating for so long the
project just goes away...to another
editor or producer.
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Step One: Evaluate your
footage..find the five best Sound
bites and actuality segments
It
just makes sense to use the best
material you have. Don't get
tied down by WORDS..think best
experiences...strongest Interview
bites...Just watch your footage and
take notes..The
best material needs no
rationalization. It just works
Find
approximately 5-6 pieces,
short Interviews, exciting clips of
your product in action and customer
testimonials (a must).
It
used to be that 3D graphics with
cool music would always grab the
viewer in a promo video..but
how authentic is that?
Is
Authenticity important to your final
product? Customer Testimonials are
some of the best ways to connect
with a viewer.
If
you don't have these as part of your
promo...go out and shoot some!!!
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Don't be trapped to a script...write
around the best elements you have.
To
some the concept of having no script
, and working around your
best material
is
so scary that they will terrify you
with tales of projects gone awry..
But for basic short reality,
documentary, news or promotional
video....working
around the material..instead of
fitting the material into the
script. will make you look like a
genius even if you are not.
That is why it is best to first
select the best elements you
have..than
work
the script/narration around these
pre-existing sound bites and
actualities.
Arrange your elements on 3X7 cards
and
create the organization, flow of
information or story line. Then
start brainstorming the connections
between these elements.
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Scripting a promo or news piece is
just like connecting the dots...
 Once
you have an idea of the flow of your
main elements. You can begin to
script...this is easier and
more fun than trying to be an
Einstein and create a script out of
thin air.
The
elements tell you what to write.
Look
at your sound bites and actualities
..the
best five things....organized
in a rough order ...These
elements are like the dots in the
above image.
Start connecting the dots..
Instead of creating the narration
out of thin air..these "dots" help
tell you what to write.
For instance in a
promo video you may have an
Interview with a customer as
your second 3X7 Card....that
means you need to write a set up
that introduces this person
and what they are going to say.
example
"How do school teachers feel about
our science DVDs?"
then edit in customer testimony.
This technique of finding the best
stuff..organizing a rough order,
than using these as a guide to
writing your script is common in
newsrooms across the globe.
The connections we are discussing
can be narration, on-camera
reporter, voice over, TEXT on
screen,
or even the realization that NO
SCRIPTED NARRATION IS NEEDED..the
piece works fine with the people in
it telling the story.
Remember to keep the attention of
your viewer, you must change the
modality of the their video
experience...mix up the
interviews with the live action
material...
Please click for past
DVworkshops.com article:
Tips on Creating a dynamic edit
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Always end with a BUTTON
TV producers are
always looking for
a sound bite or simple phrase
that when placed over an image
"Buttons up the piece" and adds
closure.
As you are going thru your
footage...you
will most likely stumble upon a
phrase that really does sum it
all up...in an emotional
way..or using humor....you will
know it when you see/hear
it...your mind will say" Hey
that's a nice Button for the
piece"...start searching for
buttons when logging your
footage.
For example:
In the science DVD promo
video... end the promo with a
parent saying:
" Before my son thought science
was like taking medicine..now
it's like a special
treat...thanks to this DVD
program"
You can use that sound bite over
slo-mo images of her son engaged
in a science experiment.
Please click here to view past
article
How to evoke real emotion during
your interviews
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Example of News Report Editing/Scripting
THE NEWS SCRIPT IS WRITTEN TO SET UP THE
3-4 SOUND BITES..FIND THE BEST INTERVIEW
CLIPS FIRST.
..THAN USE Reporter's VOICE-OVER TO SET EACH
SOUND BITE UP.
Editing of a news segment
-
Natural sound and visuals for one and a
half seconds (1:15)
-
Reporters Voice Over or ON_CAMERA with
first Interview"set-up"
-
Interview sound Bite #1
-
Reporters Voice with first Interview"set-up"
-
Interview sound Bite #2 or
Actuality/event
-
Reporters Voice with first Interview"set-up"
-
Interview sound Bite #3
-
Reporter Close on Camera/ live toss back
to studio, or Emotional Button to end
report
Than the editor goes back and edits in
images with natural sound to match what the
report is saying in the Voice Overs.
The edit appears with large black holes
prior to the images being edited back into
the piece.
If, for a short moment on any newscast, you
spot seconds of a black screen...that may
mean the editor ran out of time to edit...or
missed a small section of voice-over that
needed to be covered with images....don't
let that happen to you..double check your
work.
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Sample news
script
Fire destroys a home and 3 people are now
homeless
- First Shot is
Firefighters putting out Blaze...sound
of streets and hoses (1:15)
-
Reporter
On camera
or voice
over. "Three alarm blaze at 44th
street was contained with in 1
hour..Fire captain Jim Jones explains.
-
Firefighter Jones Sound Bite #1
"tough
fire to battle. chemicals in the home
made it more difficutlt than usual"
-
Reporter
Voice over:: Two firefighters
were hospitalized for smoke inhalation
while battling this blaze, but all are
expected to recover
-
Firefighter Jones Sound Bite #2.
" A
ceiling came done near where they were,
no injuries, but they are under watch at
General Hospital".
-
Reporter
Voice over: Five people were
forced out of their home by the blaze.
Resident Alan Jackson was inside when
the fire started.
-
Victim
Sound Bite "
All of a sudden I heard a lo Bang, and
smoke was pouring down the stars..I
thank God I am alive"
-
Reporter
on Camera summaries current state
of victims and fire..tosses back to news
anchors or ends with her name and news
station.
-
Magazine style
segments would end with an emotional
BUTTON. Slo-mo of the victims
hugging each other looking at the burnt
out house and a Sou
 nd
bite over this image
Victim
Sound Bite
" We
can replace our things, but not our
lives..so in a way this is a happy day"
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Summary
-
 Don't
try and be a genius and write the script
first, base your writing around
pre-existing clips.
- Find the best five
sound bites/Actuality
- Arrange them in an
order that tells your main story
- Write short set-ups
for each element end with a button
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training.
Please call
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details (415) 810-5934
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