•The postproduction phase refers to the period of time after the film is shot, but before it is released in its final form. Postproduction includes:

•Synchronizing picture and sound track.

•Creating an assemblage.

•Creating a “rough cut.”

•Creating a “fine cut” and final audio mix.

•Adding optical effects and transitions.

•Creating a “married” print (joining A/B roll and sound into one final print).

 

 

Synchronizing

•Because the information for synchronization on the slate is stored at the beginning (“head”) of each take on the picture and sound track, the first task of the edit is to synchronize these before any cuts are made. This cannot be done later because, if cuts are made first, the labels will be lost separated from what they refer to.

•When synchronizing picture with sound, the editor simply aligns the beginning of the sound for a given take with the beginning of the picture, using the sight and sound of the clap slate for a reference point.

 

Rough Cut to Fine Cut and Final Audio Mix.

–Between the rough cut and the fine cut is where all of the creative decisions are made.

•Rough Cut: Places the film in rough sequence from beginning to end according to the screenplay. Dialog is in place, but sound effects, and music are incomplete.

•Fine Cut: All of the final editing decisions and the final soundtrack mix are complete. The film is ready for laboratory work (negative cutting, effects, married printing).

 

Getting from Rough Cut to Fine Cut.

–Editing is the arrangement of imagery and sounds into a sequence that tells the story of the film.

–An editor may arrange based on different aesthetic styles depending upon the needs of the story.

For example:

•Invisible editing.

•Montage editing.

–Invisible Editing.

•Invisible editing is sometimes referred to as “classical editing” and refers to a style that downplays the transitions between shots and keeps the focus of attention on the flow of events in the story. This form of editing works in conjunction with the Master Shot / Cutaway shooting strategy.

–Transitions

»Cut

-The cut is the most basic form of a transition and refers to the abrupt ending of one shot that is simultaneous with the beginning of the next shot.

–Cutaway: The master shot orients the viewer to the onscreen environment so that the cutaway shot doesn’t appear abrupt or confusing. The viewer recognizes the cutaway as a portion of the larger environment that should be attended to because it contains story information.

–Reaction Shot: The reaction shot transitions from an event to a character’s response to the event. Because we, as spectators, are focused on the event itself and the character’s response to it, we are less concerned with the discontinuity of the cut.

-Shot/Countershot: The Shot/Countershot technique hides the cut by following the flow of events within the scene, transitioning at a particular point based on the spectator’s need for more information. For example, when editing a conversation, the transition between speakers occurs at the conclusion of a statement.

»Dissolve

- A dissolve is the gradual replacement of one shot by the next, in which both shots appear overlapping and blended for a brief period.. 

»Wipe

-Wipes also replace one image with another, but they do so “directionally,” by scrolling over one image with another. Wipes can be either vertical or horizontal..

»Fade

-Fades gradually obliterate the image by overexposing or underexposing until either black or white remains on the screen.

Unlike the “cut” which, strategically placed, can draw attention away from the transition, dissolves, wipes and fades function as conventions to convey narrative information such as the passage of time, memory, and/or emotion.

 

–Montage Editing.

•Pioneered by Soviet filmmakers of the 1920s, montage is a style of editing in which a series of independent images are juxtaposed to create a new context for interpretation. Russian filmmaker, Sergei Eisenstein’s concept of montage resembles the Gestalt Psychology concept that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Transitions in montage editing can be guided by multiple strategies including;

–Rhythm (Pacing)

–Shape (Graphic Matching)

–Color

–Expectations (Trajectory)

 

It is important to note that, although invisible editing and montage editing have been separated into two categories for the sake of analysis, they are no firm boundaries between them. Narrative films make use of both “invisible” and montage transition strategies to achieve the goals of the story.

 

 

Assignment:

Using the clips you assembled in Lesson #3a: The Camera, create a 2-3 minute video that creates a narrative of some event in the school that has happened , is happening or will happen. Be creative with your editing. You will be evaluated on how detailed your editing is and how well you communicate that you undertsnad and apply the editing and production techniques of this lesson.

 

REMEMBER TO CONSULT THE iMOVIE and iMOVIE HD LESSONS ON THE LINKS PAGES IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTIES WITH THESE PROGRAMS.