Workflow Question - audio/video cutting

[Brian Huether]

I am doing an instructional guitar video. In Vegas I have 4 tracks set up.

1. Video
2. Audio track which will eventually be populated with the audio from an AVCHD file that I import
3. Audio track that is recording my voice from external mic/preamp as I talk into the camera
4. Audio track recording my guitar from speaker in another room

When I hit record on my video camera (HG20) only tracks 3 and 4 are recording. Afterwards I import the video file into track 1 and then track 2 gets filled with the camera's audio.

THe first thing I do is align both tracks 3 and 4 to track 2 to sync audio with video. THat is pretty straight forward. THen I delete track 2.

Next, I find the bad takes based on my playing of a guitar part, etc. I select the audio that needs to be cut. I cut the corresponding selection (can't figure out how to make the rest of the track automatically slide to the left to snap to where the cut began). I select tracks 1, 3 and 4 when I do this so that each track has the same range cut. (Is there a way to have these tracks grouped so that cuts always apply to all without me having to manually select them?).

Here is where my unfamiliarity with video comes in... With strict audio, when I cut things, I can apply fade ins/outs to ensure no audio discontinuities. But the video has a clear jump/discontinuity. What are the video equivalent techniques to ensure smoothness when cutting? Ideally, it would be automatic - i.e. you cut a region, Vegas automatically slides the remainder of the track content to the left and applies crossfades or something to get rid of discontinuities.

Anyway, just trying to figure out a good workflow for these tasks (which I will be doing over and over...).

thanks,

brian

[Perrone Ford]

Ripple Edit will move the tracks left. I think there is an auto-crossfade as well, but I never use it, so you'll have to check that yourself. However, if your stuff is grouped, then as you slide the audio to crossfade it, the video should slide the equivalent amount and crossfade as well.

[Edward Troxel]

If you record it at different angles, you could switch to a different angle making it look like a multi-cam shoot. Or possible one "angle" that's a closeup of the hands.

[Brian Huether]

Yeah, that is exactly what I want to do. I want to talk about what I am about to play and then zoom in on my hands. Maybe apply a transition effect at that point (which I haven't learned how to do yet).

[Seth Bloombaum]

Originally Posted by Brian Huether

THe first thing I do is align both tracks 3 and 4 to track 2 to sync audio with video. THat is pretty straight forward. THen I delete track 2.

Suggest you keep track 2, just mute it (keep it in the group for cutting with the other tracks). You may need to come back to it later if there are any sync errors that crop up.

Originally Posted by Brian Huether

What are the video equivalent techniques to ensure smoothness when cutting? Ideally, it would be automatic - i.e. you cut a region, Vegas automatically slides the remainder of the track content to the left and applies crossfades or something to get rid of discontinuities.

Sometimes a 10-frame dissolve is referred to as a "soft cut". If I'm cutting, for example, an interview, where I'm cutting between matching shots, I'll probably try a 10-frame dissolve.

If that still looks awkward I'll just drop a marker and keep going on my cut of content. Then, in a separate pass, I'll drop in b-roll footage to cover any awkward cuts.

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But this is all really putting the cart before the horse. As Edward hinted, shooting different angles and shots (extreme closeup, closeup, medium, wide shots) to a script and shot plan makes the best product that is not only easy to cut, but also is easy for a viewer to follow because it adheres to the the visual conventions that viewers have learned to accept.

This subject is as deep as you want it to be. In the introductory video course I teach at a local college, I describe this as "'intentional design of the image". Design starts before the first frame is shot, and should include a shot plan that accounts for how the piece will be finished. In professional circles, this is usually called "shooting for the edit".

The practical way to absorb some film theory: Find an instructional piece that you like and want to emulate. Take it apart, reverse engineer it. Take a piece of it and transcribe the script. Put that text into the right hand column of a two-column document (use tables in MS Word). Now, describe each shot in the left hand column, matching it to the script on the right. A couple pages of this work will teach you a lot about how instructional video can be structured.

[Brian Huether]

When I apply a transition between cut events, the right most event slides to the left a little (which I suppose makes sense since a transition requires overlap to be smooth). But with this shift, I would think it would result in audio being out of sync. But on playback I don't notice any problems. Almost seems paradoxal. How is it this shifting of video doesn't result in audio sync problem?

thanks,

brian

[Edward Troxel]

Is the event being EXTENDED instead of SLIDING? Perhaps it just longer now and isn't actually moving. If you use the "/" key on the numeric keypad, it will make it longer, for example.

[Brian Huether]

I am not sure what is really happ[ening but when I apply the transition I visually see the frames from the right event move to the left. But if it were extended that would still imply possible sync issues. THen again, if you extend by say 5 frames over 3 minutes, then the 'drift' would be quite small. Suppose I shouldn't worry about suich things!

thanks,

brian

[Edward Troxel]

If the event is EXTENDED, it will not MOVE so there will be no sync issues because it's still in the same place.