Out of Order: Storytelling Techniques for Video and Cinema Editors

Out of Order: Storytelling Techniques for Video and Cinema Editors

Released July 2014
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780133579635

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Book description

Most video and film editors understand that the story is central to their work and that editing choices need to serve the telling of that story in the best way possible. What they may not know, however, are all the valuable techniques to making this craft appear seamless and part of the busy editor’s normal workflow. This book takes an approach to editing that both beginners and intermediate editors will find refreshing. While other books approach the topic of editing by teaching the functions of the editing software, this book explains how you can make smart choices and use those functions to affect the story.

In the book you’ll learn workflow tips, time saving techniques, linear and non-linear theory, cutting techniques, enhancing emotion through music and sound effects, leveling and mastering audio, color correction, and most importantly, the role editing can have on the telling of the story.

Additional techniques are shown through multiple step-by-step videos available on the author’s site as well as clips from a documentary the author created on editing.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. About the Author
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Contents
  6. Prologue
    1. About This Book
    2. Editing, Old and New
    3. Groove and Flow
    4. Conversation Is the Foundation of Editing
    5. Accessing the Downloads for This Book
  7. Chapter 1. The Story Arc
    1. Why the Story Arc Is So Important
    2. Breaking Down Story Arcs
    3. Story Arc and the Viewer
    4. Exposition
    5. Rising Action
    6. Climax
    7. Falling Action
    8. Resolution
  8. Chapter 2. Conflict and Shot Selection
    1. The Six Types of Conflict
    2. Shot Selection
    3. Connecting Conflict and Shot Selection
  9. Chapter 3. Ordering Clips and Scenes
    1. The Narrative Perspective: Point of View
    2. Nonlinear Storytelling: Telling Stories Out of Order
  10. Chapter 4. Pacing: Timing and Types of Cuts
    1. Defining Pacing
    2. Principles of Pacing
    3. Timing of Cuts: The Pacing Formula
    4. Types of Cuts
  11. Chapter 5. Rhythm and Time
    1. How I Learned About Rhythm
    2. Viewer Digestion: The Viewer’s Need to Process
    3. Separation: Techniques for Giving Viewers Some Time
    4. Transitions: Getting from Here to There
    5. Time: Managing the Illusion
    6. Tying in the Narrative Perspective and Story Arc
  12. Chapter 6. Editing Audio
    1. Learning About Audio
    2. Capturing Audio
    3. Components of Audio in Film
    4. Ambient Sound
    5. Sound Effects in Postproduction
    6. Dialogue
    7. Music
    8. Further Thoughts on Audio
  13. Chapter 7. The Editing Process
    1. Beginning Again... at the Beginning
    2. Step 1: Don’t Do Anything!
    3. Step 2: Logging and Labeling Preliminaries
    4. Step 3: Downloading Footage
    5. Step 4: Labeling Folders
    6. Step 5: Logging Bins
    7. Step 6: Creating the Dump Timeline
    8. Step 7: Building the Narrative Base
  14. Appendix. Film and TV Show References
    1. 21 Grams (2003)
    2. 25th Hour (2002)
    3. Any Given Sunday (1999)
    4. Argo (2012)
    5. The Aviator (2004)
    6. Babel (2006)
    7. The Big Bang Theory (2007)
    8. Blow (2001)
    9. Breaking Bad (2008)
    10. Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
    11. Cosmos (1980)
    12. Crash (2004)
    13. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    14. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
    15. The Dark Knight (2008)
    16. Déjà Vu (2006)
    17. Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal (2008)
    18. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
    19. Fight Club (1999)
    20. Forrest Gump (1994)
    21. Game of Thrones (2011)
    22. The Godfather, Part III (1990)
    23. Goodfellas (1990)
    24. Gravity (2013)
    25. Homeland (2011)
    26. House of Cards (2013)
    27. The Hunger Games (2012)
    28. Inception (2010)
    29. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
    30. Jaws (1975)
    31. Mad Men (2007)
    32. The Matrix (1999)
    33. Moneyball (2011)
    34. The Prestige (2006)
    35. Remember the Titans (2000)
    36. Rocky (1976)
    37. Sicko (2007)
    38. The Social Network (2010)
    39. Star Wars (1977)
    40. Survive and Advance (2013)
    41. This Is the End (2013)
    42. Titanic (1997)
    43. The Walking Dead (2010)
    44. Wedding Crashers (2005)
    45. The Wire (2002)
  15. Index

Product information

  • Title: Out of Order: Storytelling Techniques for Video and Cinema Editors
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: July 2014
  • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
  • ISBN: 9780133579635