Page 139 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

Part 1: The FCP Interface

the voiceover (VO) just a bit, if you don’t bring good material into the
booth, no technology in the world can save you.
Shooters should remember five simple things to make their editors’
jobs a lot easier:

● Never record anything of importance in the first 10 seconds of
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any reel. Tapes stretch. When we all have hard disk–based ENG
gear this will no longer be a problem, but until that glorious day,
don’t record anything of value in those first 10 seconds of tape.
● Each time you take a new shot, record at least 5 seconds of
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video prior to any actual on-camera action (i.e., an interview, a
stand-up). Digital VCRs, just like their analog cousins, still take
time to “get up to speed.” Do not start a camera recording from
Stop with the idea that you can “grab this great shot” just by
hitting the red button. Also, leaving a video recorder in
“Record/Pause” is a bad idea. The video head will needlessly
have increased wear and the tape may develop some dreaded
“dropouts” at the pause point. Plus, recording “an extra few 129
seconds” prior to the action you really care about will give you
some “pad” footage to use as a part of a video transition.
● Continue to “roll” for 5 seconds after the action is finished.
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This gives you some more pad footage for an exit transition.
● Decide on the shotgun and external microphone channels
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and stick with these choices throughout a package. Better
yet, use a general policy that states something like: “Shotgun
on Channel 1, External Microphone on Channel 2.”
● Know how to set your white balance manually and don’t
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rely on an auto mode. Auto modes only adjust for average
situations. Is your work average or do you want it to be a bit
higher in quality? Also, white balance every time the lighting
changes. This includes changes such as (a) indoor to outdoor,
(b) daytime to nighttime, and (c) fluorescent to incandescent.

Part 1: The FCP Interface

Setup and Storage
The first step in the digital video editing process is to set up your system
for video capture from your field tape. If you are working in a produc-
tion facility or campus lab that has an engineering staff, this part of the