raw footage

[Mark Suszko]

Some time ago, Roger Ebert developed a product for teaching editing technique in colleges. I believe it was called “The Heist”, or something like that. It consistes of multicamera, time code windowed footage of a staged bank robbery. You used to be able to get it in almost any video format. The idea was a professional director and camera crew shot all the coverage and closeups for you, you had to put the sequences together, and there were many, many ways to do that.

I don’t know if that product is still out there, but it might be worth looking into.

Failing that, if it’s practice you want, contact a local drama group and see what they could perform for you that you could shoot in a similar way.

[Person Lastly]

there are also many stock footage resources out there. you can send a request for a certain types of footage for a small search fee. if you decide to purchase the materal, you have to pay for licensing fees. this would depend on how you intend to use it. but it can add up to a lot very quickly. other than that, it could be a good exercise in editing. not sure if they would have the footage for an entire sequence in raw form however. it’s usually lots of different sources that pertain to your request.
kvl

[Stylz]

I cut the hiest in editing class last year. It really does help you if a) you got someone instructing you on what works and why. b) you already know matching eyelines ect..well. Let me say though the crew must of been amatuers because there is serious continuity issues and bad footage.

[Mark Suszko]

Stylz, bad footage and continuity errors are very realistic, learning on only perfect footage would not make you as strong an editor. I’m glad to hear the program is still out there, do you know how much it costs?

[Stylz]

Well for editors just starting, I think it best they focus on the art of editing as oppoosed to the frustrating pitfalls. When I edited that part(lady drops mask face down,next shot it is face up) I was highly annoyed at the lack of professionalism. Anywho..you do pose a valid point. Funny thing is noone else noticed it in my class but me. Don’t know if you could still buy that footage. (I only edited it last fall) I think my professor (John Marsh) has only been teaching there for 10 years or so.

[Jon Zanone]

[STYLZ] “Well for editors just starting, I think it best they focus on the art of editing as oppoosed to the frustrating pitfalls”

You know the saying “that which does not kill you makes you stronger”? It’s kind of like that. You do have a point, but look at it this way. When you edit only perfectly shot and exposed footage, even as a first time student editor, you learn very robotic ways of editing. The ‘art’ of editing is to find creative ways around continuity mistakes, not blindly edit the way Zettel or Millerson tells you to edit. Learning to think on your feet, 2 shots ahead IS the art to editing. Anyone can put together a long shot, MS, CU, establising shot, etc., but when you can work around those problems effortlessly – THAT, my friend is the art of the edit. Remember, it’s all about the story.

Jon

[Chad Treanor]

I cut the bank robbery footage together on a linear JVC SVHS system when i was in school (august ’03). My class at the Art Institute of Dallas slacked on it, but those of us who were into it put some fun music to it and made it into a trailer, a documentary, and a training video. Fun stuff. Once we learned FCP a few months later we seriously cut it together and made it a whole lot more fun.

chadwik