Just finished editing the film for our final project. It’s a piece Su-Ching and I did on public vs. private space called Neighbors.
In the end, the project taught me a number of things:
1. If you’re shooting with two cameras, make absolutely sure you’re using the same settings (or know better how to resolve those differences in Final Cut)
2. Review footage while you’re shooting to make sure you’ve gotten the takes you need. And it is often a good idea to do more than two.
3. Blocking scenes is not only important for the action between characters but for the light in which you’re shooting
4. We could’ve used some tripods
5. A bit too much footage is a lot better than too little
Some things I already knew. Like that you really need padding before and after scenes; that each minute of edited video can translate to hours on the actual editing; and that learning powerful software is both exciting and, on occasion, maddening.
Speaking of that software, I really like Final Cut. I have done video editing before, but never in Final Cut. (Most of my experience is actually on tape.) So I was pretty happy that I was able to put together a 5 minute piece with music and transitions and credits and effects.
How’d it turn out? Guess we’ll find out tonight.
