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Non-linear Editing (NLE) is a slightly elaborate process but also the most sought after editing system these days owing to its flexibility.
NLE is like putting together a jig-saw puzzle-we arrange and rearrange pieces of scattered footage into a meaningful film. Editing video on a computer is basically NLE, that is, the film can be assembled in any order from beginning to end and changes can be made in the cut anywhere at any time. This is similar to working with word processing in Microsoft Word.
We key in a couple of paragraphs on a new document. After keying in, we realise that the fourth sentence sounds better in the first paragraph and the twentieth sentence sounds better in the fourth paragraph. All we do is select the sentences and 'cut' and 'paste' them at the desired place. Something similar happens in NLE. Little wonder it is called cut-copy-paste editing! But it is also not as simple as it sounds.
There are scores of inexpensive to very expensive and simple to very complex software available in the market for NLE,. However, they all follow some basic procedures, which are
- Digitizing, compressing, and storing
- Labelling stored information
- Juxtaposing, rearranging, and applying effects to audio and video files
- Copying edited programme back onto tape or burning onto a CD/ DVD
Figure 8.12 gives a schematic representation of an NLE setup. A nonlinear edit setup requires a fairly high-end computer that can handle audio, video, graphics, and a host of audio and video effects. A video recorder that also serves as a player is connected to the central processing unit (CPU) of the computer using a FireWire cable (Fig. 8.13). Depending on how high end the computer is, it could have one or two monitors to work on. The keyboard and mouse' enable us to control the software. The editing software also works as an interface between the recorder/player and the editor, that is, the recorder/player can be controlled by the keyboard and mouse.
NLE central processing unit
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Video tape player/recorder
The raw footage on tape is first digitised, that is, captured in digitised form onto the computer's hard disk (Fig. 8.14). Each shot needs to be named and arranged in different bins for easy editing. The software enables the editor to organise shots in different bins (Fig. 8.15) to facilitate easy editing. If our film has about three 'sections' -the opening, the middle, and the end-we can divide the footage required for the three sections and digitise footage onto the computer in three different bins. Further, we can import music into another bin and store all the graphics/titles we create in another bin. The bins must follow a nomenclature that will facilitate easy location.
project window (Fig. 8.16) that shows the timeline. Now we are finally ready to do some editing. Because our footage is all digitised, we can access them any number of times. To do such a thing in linear editing, we would have to insert the tape that many number of times, rewind it, and then access the shot! Also, if we wanted to place a transition between two to three shots, we would require three VTRs in linear editing. In NLE, the process is simplified because all we would do is access a file like we would on our desktop computer.
Therefore, on the time line we can arrange shots side by side at random and rearrange them to suit our needs. Our shots and audio are arranged in what are known as audio and video layers.
If the client or the channel accepts the video without any corrections, the production is deemed to have been completed. Our production file should have
- Programme proposal and budget
- Details of the production schedule, facilities request, production personnel
- The shooting script
- Working stills (photographs taken on location)
- Contracts and permits
- One VCD/DVD of the video
We can now close the file on the production and move on to our next project.
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