Avid Media Composer: Documentary Editing

Course details

This course shows how to build a polished documentary using Avid Media Composer and a few essential editing techniques. Author Ashley Kennedy demonstrates documentary editing in a real-world project, breaking down the process into a series of manageable steps and milestones. Discover how to define a project approach based on a client's creative brief, and then effectively review and organize the footage. Then find out how to use script-based editing methods and a wide variety of scene creation techniques to assemble a rough cut. The course also shows how to use effects to repair and enhance your footage, process client feedback, and add the film's finishing elements.

Learning objectives
Interpreting a creative brief
Exploring the documentary postproduction process
Organizing footage and using searching techniques
Setting up and using digital transcripts
Building sequences and scenes to form the rough cut
Adding effects to repair and enhance footage
Fine-tuning the sequence to reach picture lock
Receiving feedback
Finishing the film with titles, color correction, and professional audio

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - Using the exercise files

1. An Overview of the Farm to Table Project

03 - Interpreting a creative brief to establish goals
04 - Examining project assets
05 - Defining the project approach

2. The Documentary Postproduction Process

06 - Understanding the documentary postproduction process
07 - Focusing on the preparatory phase
08 - Focusing on the rough cut phase
09 - Focusing on the picture lock workflow

3. Organization Tools - Assembling Raw Materials

10 - Beginning a project
11 - Screening and assigning qualitative information to clips
12 - Looking for stock footage using the Avid Marketplace
13 - Marrying high-quality audio with video
14 - Using the Find tool and PhraseFind to search the audio in a clip
15 - Understanding transcoding

4. Script Integration

16 - Preparing a script for script integration
17 - Syncing a script using ScriptSync
18 - Manually syncing a script

5. Story and Scene Construction - Telling the Story in the Rough Cut

19 - An overview of the rough cut process
20 - Making the paper edit
21 - Using a two-column script
22 - Assembling the radio edit
23 - Building scenes with B-roll
24 - Editing process footage
25 - Using montage and parallel editing to manipulate time and ideas
26 - Adding natural and environmental sound
27 - Correcting audio
28 - Putting it all together - Completing the assembly edit

6. Using Documentary Effects - Repairing and Enhancing Footage

29 - Dealing with multiple formats in a project
30 - Adding movement to static images
31 - Stabilizing shaky footage
32 - Changing and fixing portions of the video frame
33 - Compressing and expanding time in video and audio
34 - Repairing jump cuts using the FluidMorph plug-in

7. Picture Lock and Finishing

35 - Getting feedback, making adjustments, and receiving approval
36 - Creating multiple titles and lower thirds
37 - Understanding the finishing process
38 - Delivering the project

Goodbye

39 - Next steps