Movie on the timeline: Photos, titles & special effects
Pan & scan photos
Panning and zooming on a photo is a
technique often used in documentaries and biographies. It adds motion to an
otherwise inanimate object. Plan for panning and scanning when you prepare your photos for video.
Some editing programs will automatically put motion on your
photos if you choose animate. You will probably have to pay $100 or more for a
program that will allow you to control the motion with keyframes. Keyframes
are little nodes that you place on a motion line at points where you want the
motion to change. If you cannot animate your still images in your editing
program, you can still produce a nice video.
Titles & subtitles
Every story must have a title. There
should be one at the beginning of the video and possibly at the beginning of
each section as well. Allow at least 6 seconds for your viewer to read the
title. Keep them short, simple, and easy to read (no fancy fonts). Refer to free graphic design rules for colors and fonts.
Don’t use red or bright yellow for
titles. I like to make my titles white with a black outline when I put them
over video. That way it can always be read.
Subtitles are used to
identify the person in an on-camera interview. They should be short, smaller
text than the title, and go in the lower third of the screen. Keep them on the
screen for 4 – 6 seconds.
Title-safe is the inside 80%
of the frame. Outside that, there is a risk that your title will be cut off
when viewed on a television. There is usually a title-safe guide when making
titles in your editing program. Keep your titles and subtitles within this
zone.
What would a movie be without ending credits. Good way to
acknowledge your contributors. Most editing software has a rolling credit feature.
Transitions
Soft transitions (computer-edited)
and Hard transitions move the
viewer from one place or time to another. They are a type of special effect. Keep
them simple and meaningful.
Pushes/slides mean something
is taking place at the same time. One video clip appears to push the previous
clip out of the frame.
Cross-dissolves imply a lapse
in time. As one clip fades out, the next clip fades in and the fades cross
over. This gives a morph effect. Commonly used for slide-shows.
Fade-in/Fade-out used for
segment breaks and at the beginning and end of the video.
All the other transitions (opening
doors, stars, etc.) are best saved for videos of Junior’s birthday party, your
summer vacation, or the new puppy.
Video filters/effects
Use filters to correct minor flaws
in your videography—lighten, darken, or color correct. You can also add effects
like old movie or sepia. Consider carefully what your purpose is
for using special effects. They should only be used for correction and to advance
the story. Video that has too much luminance
(light) or color will cause compression and/or playback problems. If you have a
vectorscope tool in your video editing program, use it to monitor and adjust
these aspects of your video. Some editing programs have a Broadcast-safe filter that brings oversaturated spots into acceptable limits. When color-correcting, use flesh
tones as your guide to correct color.
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