On the other hand...
My wife teaches a basic video production class at one of our community
colleges - so far she has taught this class over the last 6 semesters. The
students range from just out of high school to middle aged. Some of them
want to learn just enough to make skateboard videos, some are interested in
much more and a few are on a career path into our industry..
Each semester I do a 3 hour guest lecture on the craft of editing. I play
clips from a variety of film and TV shows to get them thinking about
editing techniques and how they affect story. We don't talk about NLE
platforms & which buttons do what - it is about the craft and how editing
can advance storytelling.
I set my expectations at the beginning of the class - that this is a
discussion class and I want them all to try to think like editors or
filmmakers and be ready after each clip to talk about what the editor and
director/producer accomplished.
And BTW, my wife has already talked to them throughout the semester about
not texting or using lab computers to surf the web while class is in
session (it is held in a computer lab). But I emphasize it with something
like this: "Out of respect for other members of the class and your guest
presenter, please turn off the computer in front of you and refrain from
any texting or other use of your smart phone". And that works :-).
My experiences with these classes have been great - people paying attention
and staying engaged, lively discussions, some sharp insights from the
students. Some of the clips I play are 5 - 7 minutes long, and often they
are from shows that many of the students haven't seen before. Yet based on
the discussions afterwards - they clearly are paying attention to nuance
and detail.
As it turns out, tonight is my night to teach for this semester - and I am
looking forward to it.
One other BTW - I don't think this type of thing is taught as much as it
should be - the emphasis at these schools is on "easy" teaching - that is,
teaching software button-pushing (FCP) instead of craft. Many of the
students truly get their eyes opened by my presentation and start thinking
in new ways about editing.
Rich Ford
Film & Television Editor
Hot Sprocket Films
San Diego
At 07:49 PM 4/3/2011 -0400, you wrote:
>
>
>The following is a comment I posted on youtube about a promo of the CMX600
>system in the 70's
>
>You know what I love about this CMX promo? The Editor has the music chart
>in front him as far as I can see. LOVE IT! The pacing of this video shows
>the reality of actually making edits that make sense. It is tedious and
>boring to watch it happen if you're not an editor, which is not a bad thing.
>It's the reality of sitting in an edit session where lots of thought goes
>into the edit before a keyboard is touched. It does not show the bull sh-t
>prebaked demos that most of todays NLE manufacturers put together. You
>actually have to have an attention span to watch this. I love this, but I'm
>almost 50 so it's to be expected at my age.
>
>I then share the youtube video with my son who is in RTA (Radio Television)
>at Ryerson University. Now the key is, the video is in 2 parts equaling
>about 15 minutes worth of on screen content showing the CMX600 making 2 or 3
>edits.
>
>3 minutes go by since I email the youtube link to him. I go up to his room
>and asked if he was watching it. (the rest of us would have another 10 or 12
>minutes left on the video)
>
>He said "yes, I saw it", I asked him how? the first part of the video is *10
>minutes long*!
>
>"I SKIMMED THROUGH IT" This is exactly the audience I'm speaking of!
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