Producing a rushes log

What is a rushes log?

A rushes log is a form of video logging. Video logging is a process in which video footage is watched and labeled according to its content.


Why should you use a rushes log?

You should use a rushes log because overall it saves time in the editing process. Finding a particular shot by searching through hours of video during editing is very time consuming, as well as using expensive editing equipment and using up the editors time. Producing a rushes log means that you can you go through the source video material, label it according to its content and then store it until it needs to be used. This makes the video material easy to access and is available during editing, therefore making the editing process more efficient.

Software based logging systems allow clips to be imported directly into a computer based editing system (AVID). This makes a huge difference in the timescale of editing, this is because instead of logging the clip, importing it and then importing the clip onto an editing system you can simply log the clip and import it onto the editing system from the log.

Furthermore, after you have produced a rushes log it gives the ability for the director to look over all the rushes with the crew to analyze what happened. This means that the rushes can be checked an due to them being organized and easy available the analysis is not time consuming. It would be if you did not have a rushes log, then you would be searching through hours of footage to find a clip only to analyse and move on to the next.


What would a log look like? 

A video shot log is a written record of the shots on a tape or disk. The shot log can be made either before or after the shooting process however would be easier if it was made during the shoot, this is because it will be easier to log as you go down so you do not miss anything out and will save you time later.

A shot log consists of how many takes the clip took, the duration of the clip, the description of the clip, the audio and further comments. As you can see, the shot log is created in detail so each clip can easily be identified when needed in the editing process.




In the video above it gives a simple tutorial on how to create a shot list. As you can from watching the clip, each shot that he takes down is written in detail so the editor knows exactly what the clip consists of.

Importing clips

Importing clips is when you transfer files from one item of software to another. The main thing to consider when importing clips is importing them into the right place.

The video above demonstrates how to import media. When importing media such as footage or music, you need to create a "bin". A bin will successfully store your files and keep them safe.

One thing to consider when importing files into a bin would be importing them into the right bin.
In my previous post on bins i state that you should have multiple bins to store different types of media in, this will make it easier to access and identify files that are needed. The main thing to consider would be making sure that you import the file into the right bin, once you have created your bins importing files that are not supposed to be in there really confuses the whole process.

Storage and folder management

Storage and folder management is crucial when importing clips because it makes the footage and other materials safe and secured. Without it, files would be everywhere and editing would be a nightmare.

The first thing you should do when importing files is make sure they are safe. It is important to make sure your files are safe because if they are not you obviously have the risk of them being lost or damaged. Importing the files into a folder on avid means they are no longer a physical piece of material, they are now a digital piece of material that is secured on a computer file.

As you can see in the video above, having folders that are well organized makes it easy to transfer files and access them. As a whole, it makes the editing process quicker therefore giving time for other areas of the production process that need to be improved. From the folder that you will create you can import from the folder straight to the AVID software so it is ready to edit.


An important thing to remember with folder management is that once you transfer footage into a folder, you cannot... i repeat cannot move the folders around. Once the footage is imported into the folder you need to keep it there. You might wonder why? The reason is to keep the folder safe and and in once place, when you start moving files and folders around that is when you start losing track of where everything is and where you put it. This means that the editing process becomes longer and that is something we do not when it can be resolved.


The more detail the name of the clip has the easier you will be able to i find it within your folders.
An example of naming your clip if the clip is a scene that consists of a character looking at his phone would be phone face, Jason, vibrate text message. This is a clear example of naming a clip that you can easily identify because the name has detail about the content of the clip.

Producing an edit decision list

Explain the importance and historical context of the edit decision list.


lets start with the basic cuts.



 In editing, there are two types, there is offline and online. 

• Offline editing is part of the post-production process of film making and television production in which raw footage is copied and edited, without affecting the camera original film stock or video tape.

• Online editing is a post-production linear video editing process that is performed in the final stage of a video production. It occurs after offline editing. For the most part,online editing has been replaced by video editing software that operate on non-linear editing systems. 

What is an EDL?

An edit decision list or EDL is used in the post-production process of film editing and video editing. The list contains an ordered list of reel and time-code data representing where each video clip can be obtained in order to conform the final cut. - (google)


Why would we use an EDL? 

An edit decision list is used to allow the editor to know what footage to keep and what footage to clear out. At the same time, they keep the edit together as is passes through various parts within the post-production pipeline. EDL allows you to cut in an offline way, then export it to a better and higher quality software.










How would an EDL work? 

In the tape-based past, editors would create their edit by playing one tape and recording the shot they wanted onto another tape. So now the editor has made a copy of the master tape (source).

When the clip was recorded onto the other tape, they would have the next tape ready to record the clip they wanted. This process would repeat and repeat. Whilst this process is forming, the editor would keep a detailed log of every clip used. The log would contain information about where the tape came from and the time-code of the footage.

This process is a very long process to complete. In terms of film making, it is very important to meet deadlines and dates so this process of editing would be a tense task to get done in time. However, in the past they did not have the technology we use today so the editor would spend long amounts of time combined with vast amounts of attention in order to get it perfect.

Bins

What are bins? 

Bins are where we can store footage or other materials such as music and titles. We use bins when importing files from the camera to the computer software to be edited.


How do you create a bin? 

Creating a bin is an easy process. The process is you click on file, then click new bin.

Why would you create a new bin if you already have one? 

You might think if i have already got a bin to store my footage and other materials... why would i need another one? Creating more than one bin means that all material you store can be spread out into organized sections. 

If you had one bin and stored all files within the bin, you might have a hard time selecting which file to use and it is not very time efficient due to the editor having to search through all the files every time he selects one.  

Creating more than one bin means that your files are separated and can easily be identified. It conveys that you are organized and will be more efficient when finding files because you have them in an organized fashion. For example, if you had more than one camera operator, there will be more than one memory card with the footage on it. Having multiple bins means you can have a bin for each camera operator, this will be much quicker than searching through one bin trying to find clips to use. 

Furthermore, naming the files makes it even more easier to identify what one you need when editing. It represents good housekeeping and it enables you too quickly find desired clips. Overall the more organized your files are, the quicker you will be able to get the work done. This can link to meeting deadlines because the quicker this process is, the quicker deadlines can be met and we all know that deadlines are extremely important in film making.