The camera is full of beautiful photo and video images. But that doesn’t mean you have a successful film. This will work in these ten steps.
Film more than necessary
If you’re filming more than you strictly need, you won’t get in trouble for editing the video later. If you shoot too long, you simply cut off the excess material. So film slowly for a few seconds. Is there a bad recording? Then it is useful if you have multiple versions of the same shot.
Also always shoot some intermediate shots. These are images that you later use for a transition in the film. Think of a close-up of a subject or an image of the environment (total shot). When planning a longer film, it is wise to think in advance about the images that should be included, so-called ‘slice shots’. These are usually from the area to create a little more atmosphere: streetscapes, a beautiful park or a close-up can help enormously.
Try video editing programs first
To make a movie from multiple videos, you need a video editing program. You have a lot of choice (see the box Programs for editing videos). If you have shot everything with the smartphone, you can also edit the film on the smartphone. There are good apps for that, but the options compared to programs for the PC are limited. For best results, edit the video on a PC or laptop with free or paid software. With payment software you get more extras such as transitions, filters, sounds and music. Also, you have more options for editing videos.
Some people need a simple program like Video Editor in Windows 10. Others want as many options and tracks for audio and video as with Pinnacle Studio.
It is a matter of trying out which software best suits your needs. So feel free to test some programs. You can often try payment software for free for a limited period.
Put all video files together on the PC
Before you can start making the movie, you must first import the video files from the camera or smartphone to the PC. You can do this directly from the video editing program, but it is more convenient to first put the files in a separate folder on the PC. You don’t have to connect the camera every time to edit the film. Moreover, you work faster from the hard disk and you immediately have a backup copy of the video files. Handy if something goes wrong.
You connect the camera or smartphone to the computer using the USB connection. Note that sometimes the smartphone asks for permission to connect to the PC. Give that permission, otherwise the PC will not be able to download the video files. With a video or photo camera, you sometimes have to set the device to a certain position before you can import videos. If necessary, save the manual of the camera here.
Go to DCIM
Video and photo files on a camera or smartphone are in the DCIM folder by default. If you want to import the files to the PC, go to this folder. It is sometimes hidden in another folder, so you have to click through.
Make a list
Before you start assembling the video images, it is useful to first make a list of the separate video files. Give it the name of the file and the image it contains. You can see that image by playing the video with a double click. With a list you get a better overview of what you have in mind and you can already roughly think of a sequence for the film. Since files often have a number as their file name, it’s a good idea to immediately change the name to something more obvious. For example, name the file img0023 June 2020.
Use the storyboard first
On the basis of the overview with video images you make a preliminary version of the film in the video editing program. You focus on the sequence first, without cutting the images to the right length right away. The storyboard display in the program is well suited for this. You can easily see in which order fragments are placed. In the storyboard view, gently slide the images and try out different possibilities. With the video player in the program you can easily view the result.
When you’re happy with the order, switch to the timeline view. This consists of different channels or tracks in which you mix the video images with other components, such as titles, transitions and sound. On the timeline you cut the images to size with the cutting or editing tools. This won’t affect your original video files, so you can experiment without any problems.
Watch out for jumpers
A jumper is an image that jumps between two scenes for the viewer. This happens, for example, if a person is in the picture one after the other from two different camera positions. In the first image he is wearing a hat, in the second he is not. That looks strange. You can sometimes prevent this by inserting a scene with a different image from the environment or a transition (fade out/fade in). Sometimes you just shouldn’t put the staggered video images together.
Feel free to use extras, but in moderation To create a good rhythm in your video, background music is a handy tool. Put a music track that matches the images on a sound track first. You can then mount and crop the images on it. Adding opening titles, ending titles and sometimes transitions to the movie is also a good idea. But use transitions sparingly. Inserting a transition between all video scenes does not look pleasant.
Watch out for copyright
If you use video footage, photos and music from the internet in the film, make sure that it is not copyrighted. If the video doesn’t go public somewhere, there’s usually no problem. But if you put it on YouTube, for example, there is a chance that it will be blocked. Search the internet for royalty-free music and you’ll find background music that won’t cause any problems.
Render the movie at night
When your film project is finished, let the program make the final film. That’s called rendering. Because rendering can demand a lot from the computer, it is wise to have this done if you do not need the computer. For example at night. The next morning the film is waiting for the premiere.
Useful Video Editing Programs
Video Editor: Part of the Photos photo editing app in Windows 10, free.
kdenlive: MacOS, Linux and Windows, free. kdenlive.org
Apple iMovie: MacOS and iOS, free. www.apple.com/imovie
Pinnacle Studio: Windows and iOS (iPhone and iPad), from €54.95. www.pinnaclesys.com/nl
Adobe Premiere Elements: Windows and MacOS, from €100.43. www.adobe.com/nl/products/premiere-elements.html
Magix Movie Edit Pro: Windows, from €69.99. www.magix.com/nl/video/video-deluxe
Magisto Video Editor app: iOS and Android, free and paid (from €4.99 per month). www.magisto.com
Kinemaster app: iOS and Android, free and paid (from €5.49 per month). www.kinemaster.com
CuteCut app: iOS and Android, free and paid (€6.99 per item). cutecut.mobivio.com
