Workflow for video

[markrichardson]

I'm about to embark on my first multi camera edit. I've got one camera which is a steady long shot, and then a series of eight to ten minute clips from a second camera. I've also got a separate audio track.

Synchronising the clips seems the obvious the first step. But do I do the multi camera edit down to a master sequence and then make any adjustments needed to clips (exposure tweaking etc) or the other way round?

I'm using Premiere Pro and planning to use PluralEyes for syncing if that makes a difference.

 

[SimonUK]

Like whenever i do anything with more than one camera, which isn't often but i've done it a few times. I bring all my footage in to the mac, in its raw format. Then Batch run it through MPEG Streamclip to bring it all to a workable file format. Then make sure i'm running the same settings on all the clips. Bring it into the editor, make my cuts and selects, and then edit and export out.


If you've got separate audio which you seem to have, that makes life hella easier as well

 

[OwenP]

Mark,
I'm guessing this is the show you've been discussing that you filmed the other evening?

Can't help you with Premiere but I can help with a workflow that should work regardless of editing system.

Firstly concentrate on your audio. If your separate audio is good get it in the system and onto a timeline.
If it's bad, needs EQ'ing etc consider using Audacity (free) or Reaper (free) to correct.
You can probably do this in Premiere as well but as mentioned, I don't know the system.
Whatever you do don't cut anything out of it yet!

From there you can add pictures to it.

I would suggest you add your master shot to V1. Once you have it in sync with your audio master track you
might want to consider any resizing and colour correction.
Do this before you cut anything out of the recording otherwise you will have to resize and CC each section.

Once you have your master in place and looking nice add your 2nd camera to V2.
You will need to line each take up (or sync them if you can)
but you will probably need to CC (colour correct) them take by take if you were moving around.
In Premiere you should have the ability to CC a shot and save the settings to apply to another shot.

Once you have all the material in place save and make a copy of your timeline.

Open the copy and make any cut downs of the show to the copy, keeping your master
to go back to if you need to start again or you have a new idea on how to present things.

Pound to a penny you have a time line that looks like this

Now with everything in the right place, CC'd, resized as needed you can chop the show together.

The gaps in the top video tracks represent where you moved position or stopped recording to change
cards, batteries etc.

With a master audio track, one master shot and about 10 2nd camera shots you might want
to consider saving £90 on DualEyes and syncing by hand. Fiddly but easy once you get the hang of it.
(akin to manually stitching photos together to make a panorama)

If your master shot and 2nd camera have guide audio recorded with it, take that into premiere.
Find a sync point in you master audio that also exists on your master wide shot guide audio.
(you need to be able to hear it on both)
1st beat of music, little Johnny throwing up from stage fright...

With the master audio on tracks 1+2 put the picture from wide camera on V1 with
it's guide audio on 3+4. You should be able to shuffle V1,A3,A4 along to line up with the master audio.
When you get close you should have a function that allows you to nudge V1,A3,A4 backwards and
forwards against A1.A2. At first it might sound like an echo. Nudge a couple of frames in one direction.
The echo will increase or decrease and you want it to decrease. Keep going until it decreases until
you hear it start to increase again and then your on the money.
Once the wide shots in sync you can turn off A3+A4.
Follow the above for your 2nd camera but put the audio on A5+A6.
Make sure when you have finished syncing that you delete, turn off or mix down to zero
all the guide audio from your cameras

Sorry it's a long post. I intended it to be short but one thing lead to another...

 

[markrichardson]

Thanks Owen - appreciate the time you spent helping! Very useful!

The main sound recording was done in audacity so probably will do some editing to clean it up a little - e.g. I noticed while recording that the audience applause seemed a lot louder than the performers probably due to the mic location (The tech guy at the theatre wouldn't let me run an output from the desk so it's recorded so it's recorded using a mic).

It was the school show that I was talking about on the other thread.

As both cameras were recording sound and you can get a fully functional 30 day trial of PluralEyes I figured I might as well try that before I resort to manually syncing. The show was 2 1/2 hours long so quite a few shorter clips!

Took me a second to realise that you weren't suggesting having the audio duplicated on two separate tracks but just that they are stereo - then it all made sense! (Assuming that is what you meant, otherwise I'm puzzled again!)

 

[OwenP]

The main sound recording was done in audacity so probably will do some editing to clean it up a little

Get your files in sync with DualEyes first, if I were you. Depending on what
version of DE you use you may end up with a new master audio track.

I noticed while recording that the audience applause seemed a lot louder than the performers probably due to the mic location

If it's just a level adjustment I would do it in Premiere. Either way make sure you back up
your original files before you do any editing.
You can probably find an audience clap track (no sniggering at the back...)
sound effect on the net to cover any little cuts etc

The tech guy at the theatre wouldn't let me run an output from the desk

What a wombat...

Took me a second to realise that you weren't suggesting having the audio duplicated on two separate tracks but just that they are stereo

Indeed, I'm so used to the fact that nowadays everything is Stereo, even when it isn't!
My EOS 60D produces a 'Stereo' track in the QT movies it makes.
That's a really neat trick since it only has a mono mic!
They're not stereo at all, they're twin track mono - it's just easier to say stereo.

Just there to guide you syncing up by hand (or ear)
It's essentisally what DE's does. It looks at the waveform of the master sound,
then at the waveform of the guide audio and sees where the peaks match.

Good luck with the edit

 

[Keltica]

I've never shot video with a DSLR, I have a Sony Z5 and I've also never shot events BUT if I did, then I would either pay/bribe or threaten with violence the sound guy so I could capture the sound from the desk, without that then everything else you will do is downgraded.

For music then you lay down the audio track (oh by the way, I'm using CS6) first then if you are just using one camera, use a clack board or flash-gun to help you sync the footage with the audio. It sounds tricky but once you have done it a few times, it all falls into place.

I have CS6 Cloud membership, so I have Adobe Audition to handle the audio file if I so wish but normally I would have a track either a wav or MP3 file to play with, so no need to tweak it at all.