Handheld Shooting vs. Stabilized
This is a very good article outlining the different effect you are going to create from an audience perspective when you are using stabilized or handheld shooting.
It is good info to know even if you are not necessarily going to be setting up to shoot in a pro manner.
As an added bonus the article uses the opening Steadicam sequence from the movie Boogie Nights which is just an awesomely good continuous tracking shot.
Getting Sam Kolder Style Drone Shots – The Fly Through Effect
Hmmm… Sam Kolder seems to be getting few mentions this week but then again why not!
He really does put out some amazing stuff on YouTube.
Anyway this is a tutorial on a particular effect he uses a lot which is a drone shot where the drone actually flies backwards though a bunch of things to ultimately reveal a dramatic scene from above.
Of course the obvious point is that he doesn’t actually fly the drone backwards!
He flies through forwards then reverses the footage.
However if you are into getting some footage like this with a drone then there are some technical point you need to keep in mind other than don’t injure or kill anyone!
Check it out.
Sam Kolder Screen Timelapse Effect
Sometimes the most complex sequences you see executed by the pro’s turn out to be far simpler than you think.
In the video below there is a tutorial on achieving what at first appears to be a very complicated effect.
The effect is that the overall scene is playing out in slow motion but within that scene is a computer or TV screen displaying a time lapse video.
The reason it is so effective is that “real time” is going slow but somehow there is something within that “real time” which appears to be running much faster.
When I first saw this effect I guessed that the way it was done was by shooting the scene at a high frame rate then slowing it down to achieve the slow motion.
I also assumed that the screen on the computer must have been “greened out” so that later in post a timelapse video could be overlaid where the screen is… pretty fiddly work!
Well the reality was so much different from what I had imagined.
Actually the entire shot was taken with the time lapse already playing on the computer screen which when you think about it is so much easier!
The only real technical difficulties in repeating this effect are that you have to do a bit of math.
In order to get the frame rates of both the overall video and the time lapse video being displayed correctly you have to play around with it but the video goes into exactly how to calculate all of that.
How to Edit FAST With Hotkeys
Last week I posted a video showing how to map and use hotkeys in CyberLink PowerDirector 17.
The reason I added that link was because apart from becoming familiar with the user interface of your particular editing software the next big step you can take is to switch to keyboard shortcuts.
This week I came across a more generic video covering the subject without particular reference to any type of software brand.
If you check your own video editing software program you will definitely find shortcuts that have already been mapped as a default setup.
Generally these default setups are quite good and are based on a kind of industry accepted arrangement.
However that doesn’t mean you have to stick with it.
Any software that has keyboard shortcuts as a feature (and most of them do) will also allow you to map new shortcuts as well as rearrange existing ones.
Probably the best way to start is to try out the preset shortcuts and see how it all feels to you.
Just understand that it will seem a bit clunky at the beginning.
The other thing to bear in mind is that you will never totally take using the mouse out of the equation so a layout with all the shortcuts mapped to one hand leaving your mouse hand free is the best way to go.
Beginners Guide to Color Theory
This is a quite basic introduction to color theory put out by the guys at Filmora.
It covers some of the basic concepts of color in a general sense but also gives a good explanation of some of the basics.
You may be like most people and have a rather complex set of tools buried deep inside your video editing software for color correction and grading.
And also like most people there have been a number of times you opened that module, taken a look around and then very quickly closed it vowing to never go there again!
By far the biggest barrier to actually cracking those tools is the terminology being used so check out the video and then maybe take another crack at it.
Camera Movement
One of the great unseen effects that is used in cinema is that of camera movement.
Most people don’t realize that camera movement is actually communicating something to the audience so pay little attention to it.
You may have noticed at time when you are putting together a video sequence that although you seen to have all the mechanical steps in place the final result seems to be “feeling” not quite what you thought it should or there seems to be something “not quite right.”
A possible cause of this can be that you have inadvertently added some kind of motion to the shot as you were shooting that is now out of place.
Now don’t get me wrong here.
I am not saying we are all going to start shooting at a Hollywood level!
However what I have found over the years is that if you are aware of the effect something has on your shots you can then play to that advantage to at least some degree and improve what you have to work with when it comes to editing.
How I Edit Trendy Videos for Restaurants!
The video below is a walk through of editing a very specific type of video and as such the steps and editing decisions may not apply to all projects.
Having said that there are still a lot of tips on how to go about things that I think are quite valuable.
For the past few weeks I have been including at least one video on workflow to the Friday Roundup.
Most of them have varied quite a bit but all of them have at their heart the concept of maintaining a logical sequence of steps to follow.
I always think it is worthwhile to watch what more professional editors are doing in these types of videos and more importantly, the reasoning behind why they are doing it that way.
Tutorial Video Tips
One very popular form of video people like to make are “How to” videos or tutorial videos.
Although they would seem to be pretty straightforward from the outside there are a few basic points that separate the good ones for the not so good.
The article linked below is from the guys at Techsmith who make Camtasia screen recording software.
Given that their target market are those at the pro level wanting to make explainer videos and “How to’s” it is worth taking a look at what they have found to be essential.
How To Easily Rotate & Flip Videos With Powerdirector 17
The video below is just a straightforward run through of the various ways you can rotate videos within the PowerDirector interface and also how to flip videos as well.
PowerDirector – Position, Freeze and Colorize Multiple Clips on the Screen – Part 1
This is a full run through of using a split screen, freeze frames and colorization to achieve a particular effect.
The original use of this was quite common in some 60’s T.V. shows and remember it is shown in PowerDirector but is not dependent on you using that particular software.
PowerDirector – Position, Freeze and Colorize Multiple Clips on the Screen – Part 2
Basic Editing in Resolve 15 – DaVinci Resolve Tutorial
If you are at all interested in perhaps moving up to a pro level editor then at the moment DaVinci Resolve would be a pretty good way forward.
You can still download and install the free version and although it is limited in a few ways, for the average person it just may be what you are looking for.
Of course this is a pro editor so when you first open it up it will look quite foreign and just a tad overwhelming!
However once you get the lay of the land you should be just fine… maybe!
Anyway Casey Farris is an editor that has created a mountain of content on YouTube covering all aspects of Resolve.
Last week I posted a video he did just introducing the various parts of Resolve to any newcomer.
This week he has put up a great video which is a walk through of actually using the software to create a project start to finish.
If you are using Resolve already it is very informative and if you are thinking about using it then it is a great look at how the software works.
Original Image: Blurred Business People: By yotily/Shutterstock
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