Anyone who frequently views talking-head style YouTube videos/vlogs will often notice the jump-cut style of editing that many creators employ in order to cut out mistakes like dropping something, long pauses, or word salads. When videos with mistakes are edited without much care or thought, they end up being quite jarring if not downright frustrating to watch. So, if you're a creator who wants to mask a jump-cut as best as possible, what should you do?
Coming to you from YouTube educator Gerald Undone, is a succinct and incredibly useful video which explains how to go about masking a jump-cut using a variety of methods. I'm not one to put myself in front of the camera, but I still found the video interesting and I did come away with some good tips that I might employ in the future, wether or not I put my face in the frame. Not only does he give advice on how to record for a jump-cut, but he also goes over a few handy way to edit the footage so it appears seamless. He uses Davinci Resolve in the examples, but the methods can also be applied to Adobe Premier with ease
The short video is well worth a watch, not only because of the handy tips that Undone offers us, but it's also a great behind-the-scenes look at how the best creators on the platform pay attention to the small details.
I usually am a one-man show doing interviews. I typically do a 3 camera setup for interviews and cover areas with B-Roll. I like doing the third camera because it gives me another opportunity in case the person being interviewed is out of focus or decides to slouch or sit up too high during the interview. Its a fail-safe just like having a second mic recording. If I am confident in the person I am interviewing not moving around too much, I will carry the third camera on a gimble or put it on a slider to add some motion to the interview.
Can you say a little about how each of your 3 cameras are placed and framed, Dan? Cheers in advance.
Typically I tell the talent I have the front and center as the main cam. It's a lock-off that is the safest cam set at a higher f-stop. Then the other 2 cams are set on either side at about a 45-degree angle to give a different perspective. I only really want 2 of the cams for the output but I have a third set up just in case. If I have worked with the talent before, I still will use the third camera but as a floating cam with a gimbal or on a slider. Not going to lie, this is all very tricky to do while also monitoring audio levels and watching the other cameras to make sure they are still recording and still in focus (not to mention color-matched, frame rates match... etc). I am leaning towards getting a new setup like the Z6 where I can trust the camera to follow focus automatically and know that recording times run 30 minutes as opposed to 10 or 20 minutes. I try to not suffer from g.a.s. but lets face it, sometimes the technology does make sense to make the changes needed. Currently using my D800 and my Canon 60D and always renting the Z6 filmmakers kit for the third cam.
Acquiring gear which makes the job more efficient and adds convenience makes total sense. Solid setup mate. Do you find it difficult matching the Nikon to the Canon in post at all?
I try to get as close as I can in-camera and then match tones in FCPX.
Gerald Undone is an amazing individual. I highly recommend binge watching his content. He doesn’t mess around and he is very thorough with his tests. Really solid content
These were awesome tips! Thanks for sharing.