TIPS: Shooting and editing tips for tape to tape linear editing
Shooting
LABEL YOUR TAPES: Before you leave home, put your name on all of your tapes. As soon as you eject tape from camera, label its content (i.e. Smith interview)
Don’t shoot into windows or have lights behind subject.
Make sure faces are well lit, have person move to brighter location for interview.
Use a tripod
Hold camera steady. Avoid pan-zoom frenzy. Treat it like a still camera first, then add movements
Use lavalier or hand held mic, not camera mics whenever possible
Make sure you shoot enough set up shots, sequences, cutaways, reversals.
Before editing
Log all field tapes carefully. Transcribe best soundbites. Write down best shots and mark them with a star or other ranking method.
Label your tapes. An unlabeled tape is a recipe for disaster. Label everything with your name and the content of the tape (i.e. DONOHUE – Smith interview, Harvard b-roll)
Have a well marked script before entering edit booth. Know where your shots are and what you will cover each track with. Mark where it is on the field tape so you don’t have to fast forward and rewind constantly trying to find the SOT or shot you want.
Preparing for Editing
1. Label tapes: field, master and track. At least three tapes (more if you have multiple field tapes).
2. Lay down Color bars/control track/black onto master tape.
FOR REPORTER PACKAGES:
3.Record your voice tracks/narration onto track tape. (preferably not on field/b-roll tape) then build piece. Take multiple takes to get best narration possible. Mark script “use take 3”
4. Field/Source tapes go in left machine
5. Record/Master/Final tape in right machine
6. Lay down countdown: audio and video onto master tape
BUILD main audio SOUND FIRST
1. PREVIEW. Check audio levels from TRACKS/NARRATION tape going to RECORD/MASTER/FINAL tape before making edit. Make sure levels are high enough. Adjust levels accordingly.
1a. If you want to start with nat sot up full, which I highly recommend, go in a few seconds before laying down first narration track.
2. Lay down first narration track. Audio only. Put main audio on channel one.
3. Then lay down first soundbite, again, PREVIEW, check levels to make sure they are the same level as first track, using same channel as first track. ***But you want audio and video this time. YOU WANT TO SEE THE PERSON TALKING.
4. Repeat: tracks –soundbites – tracks – and sign off, “for BUTV, I’m (name) in Boston”
ADD B-ROLL and nat sound SECOND
1.Then go back to the beginning and lay down pictures with Nat/sot under to fill in black holes and cover tracks. PREVIEW EVERY EDIT. BE CAREFUL TO SET OUT POINTS SO YOU DON’T ACCIDENTLY COVER UP SOUNDBITE.
2. Make sure all b-roll has NAT SOT. Put that ON CHANNEL TWO, UNDER, LOW BUT AUDIBLE. NOT SO HIGH THAT IT COMPETES WITH VOICE NARRATION.
In the future, after the first package, you will learn to use nat up full at tape and throughout piece. But for the first assignment, let’s keep it simple.
3. Don’t make an edit on a camera move, wait till pan or zoom stops.
Cut to the punctuation in the script.
CHECK YOUR WORK. PLAY IT BACK. LOOK FOR FLASH FRAMES OF BLACK OR COLOR BARS. MAKE SURE AUDIO LEVELS ARE EVEN AND AUDIBLE.
FOR EDITING AN ANCHOR VO/SOT
1. Black Master tape, as above.
2. Time script to know EXACTLY how many seconds of b-roll you need.
3. Lay down a few shots to the EXACT time on script. Rule of thumb: edits last 3- 6 seconds. If you have a ten second vo, you’ll need about 3 shots. Ideally b-roll matches or complements words in script. All b-roll shots should have NAT SOT under low, not full, not silent.
4. Next, lay down SOTs, sound up full on channel one.
5. ON last SOT, at outcue, turn DOWN volume, but leave face on screen silent for at least five seconds pad.
Read script aloud in edit room as you roll tape to make sure you’ve timed it correctly. YOU DO NOT NEED TAPE TO COVER ANCHOR ON CAMERA LEAD. YOU DO NOT NEED TO RECORD YOUR VOICE TRACKS ON AN ANCHOR VO/SOT…..JUST ON REPORTER PACKAGE
anneedonohue 
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