Video Editing

To promote a number of upcoming plays and events, I’ve created a large number of trailers. Over the past few years, the trailers have become both more expansive and more numerous. In many cases, the publicity for the play must start long before you have actors in their costumes with actual sets. So, creative promotion is a must. Additionally, there is an art to building up excitement without giving away the performance they’ll be paying to see. Check out the playlist of trailers below to see examples of my work.

I’ve helped create a short documentary about a trip to Israel. It begins with a custom trailer for the trip and the documentary. The trailer was also used separately for promotion and advertisement. The documentary combines interviews with some of the participants on the trip along with both video and still footage from the trip. The interview footage with shot with two cameras and done as a multicam edit. Additionally, a number of the promos I’ve created have also been in the short interview and documentary style.

I’ve setup a full video recording, mixing, and editing for live events including a number of musical plays. Often, these shoots include several performances of the play. These have grown more and more ambitious over time. The latest included a 9 camera shoot and multi-cam editing. Four live cameras with operators plus several cameras mounted at various locations.There were three separate sets of sound sources: main characters on mic, orchestra, and chorus. These were then mixed to a full stereo soundtrack.

Want to know more about what goes into editing a play? Listen to Chris Fenwick interview me on The Final Cut Grill Podcast: Episode 156: Adopted Events.

During the Coronavirus / COVID-19 stay-at-home time, I was asked to help coordinate and edit a Virtual Choir music video. 30 different singers all recording video and separate audio from home according to the info I sent to them. I then synced the final, mixed, audio track (thanks Paul Rossen!) to the different video tracks and laid them out in a basic grid. Plus, I added different effects for different sections such as the 6 soloist’s parts and the one singer riffing at the end against the entire chorus background.

I’ve got a list of equipment suggestions if you want to sound and look like this in your home recordings, Zoom calls or FaceTime sessions. Check out my equipment suggestions page.

I’ve filmed a number of live concert performances. Many of them high school band, orchestra and jazz band. Most of the time they are done as two camera shoots and a multicam editing. I aways record sound through an external mic (usually my Rode mic). Multiple cameras lets me cut away to different parts of the action and keep a smooth visual when moving from a close-up on one side of the band to a close-up on the other. Knowing where and when to focus on the different parts of the band is one of the interesting challenges.

I’ve conducted, recorded and edited interviews. Some of these are one camera shoots, but many are two camera setups. The indoor shoots include lighting the talent. Editing the interviews to build the most engaging storyline and creative use of B-roll are only two of the many challenges for this form of video. Click the video below at 1m 37s to see my interview of Susan Pollack.

I have also created several sets of visual effects. The most recent was as part of the production of a live performance of The Wizard of Oz. I helped create a number of effects projected on a screen behind the actors on stage. The example below is a set of effects for the Wizard as he interacts with Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man (whose lines are supplied live during the pauses in the dialogue)