In case you don’t already know me, my name is Bob Strahle, Operations Manager for QPTV’s Production Unit. I’ve been with QPTV since 1989. I’ve trained new Access Producers in every aspect of television production that QPTV offers, including studio production, field production, lighting for television and editing. At the present time, I’m mostly involved in training and development of non-linear editing systems for QPTV. I’ll be writing an article for QPTV’s newsletter from time to time, and I’ll try to give you a few tips and maybe an opinion or two. I hope you’ll find them helpful.

Non-linear Editing. I hope no one is staying away because they may not feel totally comfortable with non-linear editing. Many people work daily with computers on programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. Being able to use these applications gives you more computer knowledge than you might think you have. So, if you’re a little shy when it comes to editing with a computer, think about this: When tape-to-tape editing was all the rage, we all struggled in the beginning, trying to master linear editing techniques; and after a while we got pretty good at it. But let’s face it; linear editing has serious drawbacks.  If you think back about when you wanted to produce a layered effect or (yikers!) you put some incorrect “cg” on your video or the worst sin of all, “YOU BROKE YOUR CONTROL TRACK. . .” It could be depressing.

Then, non-linear arrived. Suddenly all those limitations were gone. Let’s say you’ve put about 12 instances of a lower-third graphic on one of your guests on your talk show.
If it’s linear, you would not only have to re-record your master, but you would need to insert all your graphics a second time. Rather time-consuming, not to mention how frustrating this could be. You pretty much had to re-edit the whole show. 

In the world of NLE, you would need only to change that particular graphic file once, and all the instances of the graphic would be updated at once: not bad! As a matter of fact, if you had not yet put your show to tape, that would be all you would need to do. Believe me, that’s only one small example. It’s amazing how much more powerful an NLE system is than old-fashioned tape-to-tape editing. It would take a great deal of space and time to list all the possibilities.  If you struggle a bit at first, just keep plugging at it. After a while, you’ll be surprised; it’s easier than you think and a great way to edit.

On another subject, I’d like to share a tip with you about shooting to edit. When you take equipment on location there are lots of things to think about: electricity, audio, video, lighting and, of course, planning out all the little details that make for a successful shoot.
Actually, it’s all part of PRODUCING. Sometimes, it can seem a bit daunting, or even demoralizing, but when the results are there, I think you’ll agree: it’s worth it.  After all, when your viewers are watching your show, they are probably not thinking about how much work you’ve put in to it, if they’re enjoying it. People don’t really think about those things so much; but they will remember the impression that the show made upon them.
On the other hand, if it’s bad, they’ll probably forget the show in about a minute.

So here’s one more thing to think about.  When you’re shooting with multiple cameras, be sure to use a clapper when you start each take. You know, that little slate that makes a sharp audible sound that is then used to “sync up” your multiple tapes for editing. Really, you don’t need an actual clapper. If you don’t have one, you can make a sharp audible sound just by clapping your hands. Make sure all the cameras are rolling and recording audio. When you go to the editing room with multiple video tracks that have this kind of reference, it will be easy to sync up all the tapes and will save you lots of time.

Neatness counts (A workspace, on an NLE application’s interface, is an arrangement, on the screen, of the various components – usually windows - of the application) I’ve seen many editors who often use a disorganized workspace while they edit. This drives me crazy. It’s trying to work in a confusing environment with tools and palettes all over the place. It’s hard to be creative under such circumstances. Additionally, when you have a large space to use such as dual monitor displays,  (two monitors act as a single display) available, such as we have at QPTV, it’s seems almost a crime not to take advantage of such a convenience.

Creating a personalized workspace is one of the first things I teach in the NLE workshops. It’s real easy to create a nice, organized looking space: first:  Place or group all your windows and palettes as you want them to appear on your screen. Individual windows can be re-sized by hovering over either the lower right or left hand corner with the pointer until you see a little diagonal arrow. Than, left click and hold while moving in or out. Most windows can be moved by left-clicking and holding on the title bar – the very top of the window – while dragging the window to where you would like it. The way that you arrange your workspace is your choice, but I would like to suggest that your timeline – which is the heart of any NLE interface – be stretched over both monitors when using a dual display. Give the timeline more space than any other window, regardless of what type of display you have. The timeline is where you will do the most work. Second: select “window,” from the pull-down menus then, “workspace,” then “save workspace.” In the box that appears, give the workspace a name such as: “bob’s space.” That’s it! Now every time you start Premiere you can load your workspace by selecting “window, workspace,” etc., and the name that you gave it when you saved it.

As you work – if your space becomes messy, you can repeat the selection process as many times as you need to restore that nice personal and organized look.