LESSON 05 – OUR FIRST SCENE

 

INTRO

 

Today’s lesson involves you recording your first footage.  You will then transfer that footage to a computer with a video editor, edit the footage and render a final copy.

 

RECORDING

 

Our focus today will NOT be on recording.  To limit the time requirements of this work, you will not have to use lighting equipment, audio recording equipment or even a tripod. 

 

Of course, all of these tools greatly enhance the quality of a video and will be used in the future.

 

Double Bracket: TRANSFERING

 

Video cameras now mostly record video files on SD cards.  Such cards are very useful as they allow you to store and remove data quickly.  Also, most computers have slots called card readers that allow you to plug the SD card directly into the computer.

 

CARD SIZES

 

The card in the image on the right has a size of 16 GB or 16 gigabytes.  A gigabyte is one billion bytes of data.  One gigabyte is equal to 1024 megabytes (although, for simplicity, we often say it is equal to 1000 megabytes.)

 

MORE ON BITS & BYTES

 

You have probably heard that computers only understand zeros and ones.  That is true.  This language of zeros and ones is called binary.  In the language, each space that can take up either a zero or a one is a bit.  A sequence of eight bits in a row is called a byte.  Computer memory (whether it’s a hard drive, RAM, a USB key or an SD card) is broken down into billions of tiny little circuits that store either a zero or a one.

 

Try this…

 

Open a text file in Notepad.  Add your name in it and save the file on your desktop.  Go to the icon of the file, right click on it and choose properties.  You will the file size.  You should notice that each letter in your name takes up a byte of data.

 

So, if your name is Roberto, then the file size should be 7 bytes.  On the other hand, if you entered Hollie The Queen Gillis into the file, the size should be 23 bytes (because spaces also take up a byte).

 

 

 

 

FILE TYPES

 

Some video cameras store their video files in a format that is not understood by many video editors.  There are three possible solutions if this occurs:

 

1 – Some file extensions can simply be changed

 

Some video cameras write their files in strange formats such as MOD.  This format cannot be read by most editors.  However, the MOD format is essentially the MPG format.  So, all you have to do is rename your file so that it now has an MPG file extension instead of an MOD one.

 

2 – Convert your footage to a different format

 

The disadvantage is that you will likely lose out on video quality during the conversion.

 

3 - Add codecs to your computer.

 

Codecs are files that contain instructions for your computer on how to decode (read) or encode (write) a video file.  In a way, it serves as a translater between your computer and the video file.

 

ESTABLISHING SHOT

 

An establishing shot is simply a shot at the start of a scene that is used to tell the viewer about the location of the scene.  Almost every scene needs on (unless it’s a revisited location or it is very clear).  It is often a shot taken at a distance.

 

For example, you have surely seen a common establishment shot used before a scene at a school which consists of a shot from outside the school often with school busses dropping off students.