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Canvassing opinion. Tidiest way to edit single camera interview
Hey folks,
Just wanted to get some opinions on the tidiest way to butt-join two different responses from an interview shot on a single camera.
The footage was shot at 1920×1080, so the simplest way is obviously to upscale one of the responses. However, the interview was shot quite loose and I don’t think I have quite enough ‘play’ in the footage to make it look different enough without losing resolution.
I really don’t want to cutaway to b-roll if I can avoid it…
There’s the ‘white flash’ technique of simply shunting the two responses together with an 8 frame white dissolve between them which gained popularity in the UK after a mini-scandal about TV fakery, but again, it just looks ghastly.
So are there any others? It’s for a documentary on quite a serious theme so nothing too adventurous I’m afraid…
Thanks in advance!
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6 Replies
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dip to black is classier
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A wipe or dissolve could also do it. Jump cuts are not necessarily a crime, people are aware of editing technique, so maybe you’re worrying too much about what is a fait accompli. If you are afraid that scaling up one of the cuts, enough to work for the transition, will make it too grainy, you might try something like Genuine Fractals or other upscaling software to do the blow-up, then use a “grain removing” or “cleaning” plug-in. I saw one recently demonstrated somewhere on the COW, and it was most impressive. If you can make the tighter shot short as possible, I think you’ll get away with it.
Are you sure you’ve thought of eyerything else you could use as a cut-away?
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Hey Mark,
I think you’re right about the jump cuts. A quick test has shown how far I can push the upscaled before it starts getting blocky which is further than I thought.
As for the cutaway options, I don’t mind seeing them when they refer directly to what the interviewee is talking about but in this case, they’d be semi relevant at best simply to hide an edit. A pet hate!
D
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I assume editing in sd isn’t an option. Otherwise you could “zoom in” without losing quality.
Andrew Wilson
WestView Digital Video & Design
http://www.westviewdigital.com -
Also I’ve been known to fade to black and put a simple graphic on the screen that reinforces that the interviewee is taking about. Then you use that technique a few more times so it doesn’t look out of place. Sometimes for the serious stuff that can be effective.
Andrew Wilson
WestView Digital Video & Design
http://www.westviewdigital.com -
I have B-roll that would work, sorta. But as it doesn’t directly relate to what’s being said I want to avoid using it.
As for the shooter, um, that was me. I was one man banding that day, (damn 2011 and its budgets!), having to light, shoot, mic and interview. I left the framing deliberately a little loose to allow for the subject shifting around, but there was no opportunity to reframe the shot while rolling. Pretty successful all round actually. The only thing I’d change if I did it again would be to hide the tangle of wires underneath the guy’s monitor in the background – I didn’t notice it at the time and it is a tad untidy!
If I’d had more time, it was literally wrap one interview then scoot to the next one), I would’ve shot a few extra angles, (hands, eyes etc) but it was literally wrap one interview then scoot to the next.
With regards to the edit, the option is there to upscale the second answer to around 140% without loss of resolution and it looks pretty seamless so I’ll go with that.
Cheers!
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