https://www.sqa.org.uk/files/nu/F3T712.pdf
Traditionally Audio Editing was performed by physically cutting magnetic tape and over-recording.
Non-Linear Editing allows us to easily arrange multiple tracks and temporally adjust the position of audio samples.
Cutting simulates the act of physically cutting magnetic tape with scissors.
Once cut, audio can be easily arranged multiple times with little effort.
There are many DAW's available - you will have access to Reaper in class and ProTools in the recording studio.
Commonly used effects include - Reverb, Dynamic Range Compression, Delay, Equalization ( EQ ), Distortion, Chorus.
In Reaper you can apply and adjust these effects by opening the FX window
Reverb
Reverb is used to smooth over errors in vocal pitch.
It can also be used to make it sound like the audio has been recorded in a different location.
Dynamic Range Compression
Dynamic Range Compression is usually referred to just as compression.
It differs from File Compression in that it reshapes and audio file to make quiet sounds louder, and loud sounds quieter
Delay
Delay is similar to reverb and can be used to create an Echo effect.
Equalization ( EQ )
We use equalization to boost or limit certain frequencies within the audio mix. We can use this to increase Bass or reduce Treble.
Distortion Distortion is when we intentionally push the gain too far - it is commonly associated with the sound of an electric guitar.
Chorus Chorus creates the effect that the same audio is being reproduced from multiple locations.
Mixing is the process of balancing audio levels to create a finished audio product.
There are many types of commonly used audio formats. Some include File Compression.
.wav Uncompressed Waveform
.mp3 MPEG Layer-3, lossy compression and granular control of compression
.ogg Ogg Vorbis - an open source alternative to MP3
.flac A lossless audio format
.aac Apples propriety lossless audio format
Sound Waves We use two-dimensional visualisations to represent the physical phenomena of sound vibrations moving through the air.
The vertical axis of these representations is described as the amplitude, and can be more easily imagined as the volume.
The horizontal axis of these representations is described as the wavelength
When audio waves are converted from analogue to digital they change from continuous representations to discreet points.
This conversion process creates an artifact called stair-stepping which can be partially mitigated by using a higher bit depth and frequency.
https://www.sqa.org.uk/files/nu/F3T712.pdf
In short, the phase problem is cause when multiple microphone record an inverted waveform.
Playing a waveform over another copy of the same waveform, but, inverted, results in no sound being produce.
This is the technology used in Noise Cancellation.
In short, this theorem describes why we need to record at double the rate of our hearing range.
Over 40khz when we can only hear up to 20khz.
A mismatch in electrical impedance creates either low volume or low quality, depending on the sources used.
https://www.sqa.org.uk/files/nu/F3T612.pdf
You will have access to DaVinci Resolve in the class
Resolve is a professional NLE ( Non-linear Editing ) suite used across the Film Industry.
You can cut and move footage in a similar way to cutting and moving audio in Reaper.
MPEG 4 Motion Picture Experts Group
.mp4 H.264 is the most common format for transmission online
H.265 a smaller format but takes more processing power to encode
MPEG 2 Used to master DVD Video ( 4.7 GB ) and Blu-ray Disc ( 50 GB )
WebM An opensource alternative to MP4
Quicktime .mov, Apples propriatry video format
MKV Matroska is an open-source standard mainly used for Blu-Ray rips
Video file are complicated by the facts that we have containers ( file names ) and codecs, which can be different.
For example, you can store a H.264 MP4 inside a .mov
Video containers guarantee compatibility with several codecs.
Codecs compress and decompress video information.
RAW RAW Video can be recorded on high end cameras - RAW files are very large and can be difficult to work with - however, they represent the maximum possible quality and colour depth.
Blackmagic RAW Apple ProRes RAW Cinema DMG Magic Lantern MLV
The resolution is the number of pixels on screen at any one time
720 x 480 NTSC 720 x 576 PAL 1280 x 720 HD 1920 x 1080 FHD 3840 x 2160 4K ( Consumer ) 4096 x 2160 4K ( Pro )
12 Animation 24 Film 25 PAL 48 HFR 30 NTSC 50 PAL 60 Slow-motion
Filming at a high frame rate allows us to reduce the speed of the played back footage in order to create a slow motion effect.
Slow motion is generally used to increase the emotional impact of a scene or to highlight small details that would ordinarily be missed.
Depending on your location you will be exposed to different cameras - the equipment available in class will be
Nikon L340 Bridge Camera Nikon D3300 Canon Legaria HF G40
All Digital Cameras rely on a CCD ( Charge-Coupled Device ) in order to convert light into an electrical signal.
All of these cameras are capable of recording good quality video
A selection of external microphones, lights and cages are available
DSLRs
A Common way to capture video is using a DSLR ( Digital Single-Lens Reflex ) due to their relatively affordable prices and good quality images.
Increasingly Mirrorless and Phone Cameras are becoming viable for good quality video capture.
Common brands for both DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras include;
Nikon Sony Alpha Canon Panasonic Lumix
SD Cards
Not all SD Cards are created equal - contemporary cards are measured in Gigabytes ( GB ).
SD Cards also have different speeds, which can be confusing - SDXC is required for FHD ( Full HD Video ).
Broadcast Cameras Historically broadcast cameras did not need to record footage, only broadcast it.
This has led to them developing independently for news and live television.
Common Broadcast cameras include;
Sony PDW Range Sony EX3 Range Canon XF Range
Dedicated Cinema Cameras
Historically the cameras used for film have been very expensive, however it is now viable for a small company or freelancer to buy or rent a cinema camera. Cinema cameras generally require a lot of additional equipment to use - they are not 'point and shoot'.
Common brands include;
RED Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera Sony CineAlta Arri Alexa Panavision Genesis
Chroma Keying ( Green / Blue - Screening ) allows us to replace all the pixels of a certain colour with another image. This is commonly used to switch in a replacement background or overlay.
Transitions should be used appropriately. A fade to black or dissolve indicates the passage of time.
Quick cuts maintain location.
An establishing shot ( external ) can be used to cement location.
The subject of the scene should be on the left looking right. Characters should respect screen direction and move from left to right.
Rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is a simplification of the Golden Ratio, in short it estimates the ratios that human being intrinsically find appealing in nature. By lining our subjects up with one of the cross sections on the above grid we can have confidence that our composition will have appeal.
Symmetry
Symmetry can be tempting - as it can be visually appealing, however, it can also appear mechanical or artificial. If you are unsure it is best to avoid symmetry in film.
POV ( Point of view )
Point of view footage, sometimes called First-Person footage, shows the action from a characters point of view. This can be used to create a sense of authenticity and is often used in found footage movies.
Titles are graphics and text used to inform the viewer about what the are watching. They commonly include an introduction - location name - Characters name - and credits.
Simple Titles are often more effective than overly complicated Titles.
Colour grading is the process of balancing the colours on screen to give the best output. This process is similar to adjusting the colour / brightness / exposure in photo editing software.
Video compression techniques encompass Image and Audio techniques.
Since some frames, or large areas of frames do not differ significantly from one another there are some compression artifacts unique to video.
As the file expects us the watch the video in linear sequence, unexpected scrubbing can produce unexpected artifacts.
These days we only have to worry about one video cable - HDMI ( High-Definition Media Interface ).
However - there are different implementations of HDMI which give different results.
HDMI 1 specification supports 1080p at 60 fps
HDMI 1.4 specification support 4k at 30 fps
HDMI 2.0 specification supports 4k at 60 fps
Software Video Editing has many advantages - such as being able to randomly access scenes and video.
However, a large disadvantaged is the need to render your footage when you are finished.
Rendering is a CPU, RAM and GPU intensive process - so in order to edit video we should seek out the highest spec computer we can find.
If you have any spoken elements, it is important to write a script or screenplay.
This could include multiple characters or it could just detail a short voice-over
As part of your planning process it is essential to create a storyboard.
A storyboard is a visual layout of how how expect your film to play out.
Extra information including audio and camera movements must be included.
Video Editing Level 6
https://www.sqa.org.uk/files/nu/F3T512.pdf
When this unit is complete you will be able to
Work to a brief Plan the acquisition of Images Identify copyright requirements Complete a Risk Assessment Capture, edit & export finished Images Present Images appropriately
You have been approached by a music video producer. He represents a well known artist. He requires backdrops for their upcoming music video.
They are interested in the natural beauty of your surrounding area.
A portfolio of at least 10 images to choose from is required.
Care should be given to ensure all images meet the technical requirements for a 1080p video output.
JPEG PNG BITMAP GIF RAW SVG
JPEG JPEG ( Joint Photographic Experts Group ) .jpg .jpeg Millions of colours, no transparency, lossy compression, can set level of compression.
PNG PNG ( Portable Network Graphics ) .png Millions of colours, transparency, lossless compression
GIF GIF ( Graphics Interchange Format ) .gif 256 Colours, dithering, transparency, animation
BITMAP BITMAP .bmp Uncompressed Image, Large Files
RAW RAW Image file .cr2 .nef All of the information recorded by the image sensor in a digital camera, Large Files
SVG SVG ( Scalable Vector Graphics ) Vector Graphics Format, Shapes, Paths, Co-ordinates, Great for Logos, Bad for Photos
Resolution is the number of pixels recorded in the image. DPI ( Dots per inch ) defines the image detail in print PPI ( Pixel per inch ) define the image detail on a screen
Colour Depth describes the number of available colours in an image. Colour banding is a result of a low colour depth.
Smart use of dithering can be used to improve the perception of colour.
Raster Raster Image formats record data in a grid. A 1-bit bitmap can be visualized as below. After brief header information ( which will describe how wide and how high the image is ) this image could be written as;
0001111000000100100000010010001111111111111111111101000000101110000111101000010110100001011010000101
Vector Vector Image formats record co-ordinates, shapes, fill colours and curves.
In this example we describe a circle, it's position, it's radius, the outlines, it's width and, it's fill colour.
Adhering to copyright law is essential at all times when working with images. Consequences of ignoring copyright includes fines and imprisonment.
If you take the photograph yourself then you will own the image and can sell and licence it.
Royalty Free License Pay Once for an image and then you can use it as much as you like after that.
Rights-Managed License The images must be use for a specific purpose; such as a specific website, magazine or advert. In order to use elsewhere, you would have to negotiate and purchase the rights again.
Creative Commons This license is free to use for non-commercial work but you will still need to attribute the author. There are many types of Creative Commons licences with different rules so it is important to make a note.
Creative Common Zero has no restrictions over how the images can be used.
Important You must be sure of were your images have come from, you must be able to reference them and prove their licence. There are lot's of websites that claim to host free to use images but are actually stolen from elsewhere. Only trustworthy sources can be used. If you are in any doubt then DO NOT USE the image.
Affinity Photo
Primarily a raster image editing tool, this software includes features for touching up photographs and exporting to a range of formats.
Affinity Designer
Primarily a vector graphics image editing tool, this software includes features for layout and design, and, exporting to a range of formats.
​https://www.sqa.org.uk/files/nu/FN9111.pdf​
Create a Plan
Draw an Object from three extreme views and one perspective view
Produce a Schedule
Produce a Storyboard
2. Produce a minimum of one 3D Object and an environment
Model a 3D Object and an environment
Texture a 3D Object and an environment
Light a 3D Object and an environment
3. Animate a 3D Scene
Apply animation to the object
Render 3D Scene to a Video file
Use the graph editor
4. Evaluate a 3D animated sequence.
Justify the effectiveness of the sequence in relation to produced plans, citing strengths and weaknesses and methodologies used.
Justify any alterations required if applicable.
Identify areas of improvement.
Animation must be a minimum of 15 seconds
3D objects are made up of point called vertices. These point are joined together by lines called edges. Two or more edges can be filled to create a Face.
Box Modelling
In box modelling we use a cube and extrude points outwards and inwards to create a rough form, detail is then added using edge loops and tweaking topology
Sculpting
In the Sculpting Workflow we start with a high poly blob and use sculpting tools to define the form - we don't worry about topology until later
Scanning
We can scan objects into the computer by using a laser scanner or an array of photos - Scanned object have poor topology
In order to give objects colour and details we need to texture them.
We can use Vertex Painting to apply just colour
We can use an existing image tiled across a surface
We can UV unwrap the model to apply texture detail in specific locations
We can use a texture painting feature
We can use procedural textures
We can layer various materials to create a more realistic surface
We can use normal maps to 'bake' in surface data
We can use specularity maps to simulate reflection
We can use a Physically Based Rendering ( PBR )
We always want our subject to be well visible and clear on the screen
Most commonly - a three point lighting system is used
We can use simple real-time lights to illuminate our scene
We can use a ray-tracing system to simulate real light
We can use forced lighting
3D Animation can be achieved in a number of ways
We can create keyframes at different times to vary the location, scale and rotation of an object
We can control surface topology over time used shape keys
We can control mesh deformation by using a skeletal rig
