- Over the years I've worked with a lot of clients
that want to improve the speed
that they produce their video content.
The majority of them,
even the ones that have been editing for years
start it with a huge amount of duplication
or waste in their video editing process.
With all the extra time and effort
required to produce every single video,
it's no wonder that people get so easily overwhelmed
by the editing process.
The Primal Video method is a tried
and tested video production process
that removes all unnecessary double handling and rework
so the result is that you produce videos
faster and easier.
It's a very simple process
but the impact of following it step by step can be huge.
Just like all good things, it's so simple,
that after been introduced to it
most clients can't believe
they hadn't figured it out before.
In this video I'm gonna run
through the process step by step
so I'd recommend printing out a copy if you can
and referring back to it whenever you're producing video
so you can use it like a checklist.
I won't be going to too much detail
on how to perform each specific step in this guide,
it's just a process after all.
But for tutorials and how to complete the steps in detail
like color correction,
then check out primalvideo.com
or check out the Primal Video YouTube channel.
Step one, determine your goals and objectives
before shooting a video.
Yup, it sounds simple
but this is critical to ensure
that the rest of the process flows smoothly
and happens to be one of the most that the people skip.
Having a good plan means you can capture
the right footage in less takes
which makes a huge difference when editing.
Before you film, just run through these questions.
What is the purpose of the video?
Who is your target audience?
What do you want to communicate?
How long should the video be?
What's the desired action
that you want your audience to take
after watching your video?
And, what's your call to action?
What will actually spur your audience
to do what you want them to do
after they've watched your video?
Step two, shoot your video.
You can massively reduce the time needed in post production
and your shooting by filming smart
and only capturing what you need
in the most logical order.
So, follow these steps.
Mark your best takes while shooting.
After finishing each take mark your best ones
so they're easy to find amongst all the footage
when you're editing.
You can do this a couple of ways.
After you finish a take you're happy with
clap three times before you move on to the next section,
so when you're editing you'll see the three spikes
on the audio waveform
in your timeline on your editing software
which mark where each good take finished,
so then you can skip straight to the best shots.
If your video editing software
doesn't show the audio wave forms
then you can visually mark the shots by making a gesture.
It's easy to spot when you're scanning through your footage.
It could be as simple as raising both hands in the air
or maybe putting your hand up towards the camera lens.
So when you're scrubbing through your footage,
that's the marker that you're looking for
so that's highlighting to you
that your best shot is just before that mark.
Another way to streamline your video creation
while you're actually filming
is to try and control or remove any variables
possible while you're shooting.
Tidying up your lighting, colors or audio in your editing
can consume a huge amount of time
and the results are never as good
as if the issues were prevented in the first place.
If you pay close attention to the following,
a, background noise.
Anything like air conditioners, fans, cars,
traffic outside, mobile phones,
doors opening, people moving around.
Noises like these can be easily picked up in your footage
and most of the time you wouldn't even know.
It's about being aware of what's going on
when you're filming
and trying to remove as much background noise as you can
so that you don't have to do it in your editing.
Setting up your lighting correctly
before you start shooting is absolutely critical.
Things like color correction is great for making tweaks
or fixing minor issues with your lighting
or with the picture in your video
but it just can't make up for poor lighting
when you're filming.
It's absolutely important that you
set your lighting correctly.
Take the time and make sure it's right
before you start filming.
Another thing you should do is a quick test
before you actually start shooting your video.
It may be that one of your lights is off
or the camera height or the angle is wrong,
or that you forgot to turn your microphone on.
Yup, we've all been there and done that.
Finding out in your editing that you've made a mistake
or there's something wrong with your footage
is a huge waste of time.
So, wherever you can, just do a quick test run,
record a short clip, go and check it,
play it back, make sure everything's how you want it
before you actually start recording your content.
Step three, import your video footage
and all the assets onto your computer
and then organize them into folders.
If all your files are in a logical place
you'll save a heap of time looking for everything later.
So, I'd recommend organizing everything
into this basic folder structure.
Have a folder for your footage
which you could name by date or title
or the camera make or the camera number,
or the camera operator.
You have a folder for your audio
which will have all your music, your voiceover,
sound effects, any temporary audio.
You have a folder for graphics
which will be your images, animations, titles.
You'll have a folder for screen captures,
you'll have a folder for draft files
and a folder for your completed video files.
Step four, import all assets for your video
into your video editing software.
By doing this upfront, you just make sure
that you've got everything there for your video
all in your editing software ready to go
before you actually start editing.
Some video editing software like Adobe Premiere
will let you import your entire project folder
and it'll keep all the existing folder structure
that we created in step three
and let you use it in the application.
Other software will actually remove
all the folder structure
and import only the actual files,
the music, the JPEGs, the video files
when you're importing.
And so, it's important then if that's the case
for whatever software you're using
that you create the folders,
the folder for your footage,
the folder for your music, for your graphics
so that everything is really organized
and easy to find for you in case you've got to come back
and work on this project at a later date.
Or also anyone else that may need to come in
and work on this project,
everything is found in a logical place.
Step five, create a new timeline
and drop in all your video files
in the same sequence or same order
that they were shot at.
Step six, sync up any multi-camera
or external audio tracks.
Getting this out of the way
at this point in the process
saves so much time and the pain of potentially
having to do it later in the editing process.
Step seven, complete a quick scan of your footage
and start refining by removing anything
that you definitely won't use.
On this first pass as you're going through,
you wanna focus on removing as much as possible
but if you're unsure about any clips
then leave them in for now.
Here's three ways that you can help speed up this step.
Edit backwards.
Start from the end of your timeline
and work your way back to the start.
Your best takes are generally the last ones that you do
before you move on to the next take.
Starting from the end means
that you're more likely to save time
by jumping straight to the best shot first.
Look for the markers that you left when you were shooting.
If you followed step 2.1 and you have markers
throughout your video footage identifying your best takes,
keep an eye out for these
because they're the best place to start.
Use keyboard shortcuts to play, rewind and stop.
Try using the J, K and L keyboard shortcuts
to help you speed through your reviewing process.
Step eight, reposition any clips on the timeline
that are out of sequence
to a logical position on the timeline.
The aim here is to get everything roughly
in the right order before you start
getting into any detail.
Step nine, create a duplicate copy of your timeline
so we've got a backup before you actually start
getting into the detailed edit.
Step 10, repeat steps six and seven
until you've refined your clips down
close to your ideal video length.
Step 11, add your audio into the project.
Step 12, where necessary,
trim, reposition and further refine
your video and your audio.
In this step, complete a detailed pass of the timeline
until you're happy with the final product.
If using music or sound effects
then this is when you wanna make sure
that your music is positioned in the right spot
to match the feel of your video,
or if you've got any sound effects
that they're coming in at the right times.
Step 13, add in any text or titles
or graphics elements to your video.
Step 14, add in any video effects or transitions.
Step 15, color grade your video.
Step 16, adjust your audio levels for all your tracks.
So, now it's time to make sure that
all your audio is correctly balanced and sounding right
so we're just going through in this step
and adjusting all the volumes accordingly.
Step 17, apply any audio effects.
If you've got any effects that you're going
to apply to your video to
maybe blend audio tracks to change how the audio sounds,
what to remove things like background noise,
they're done in this step
Step 18, export and review.
You wanna test your video on multiple devices
and screened as it can look and sound slightly different
on different devices.
I'd also suggest to test it on a mobile or smartphone
if you can as well
to make sure that it looks and sounds
exactly how you want it.
Step 19, make any required tweaks
and final changes to your video
and then export it for release.
That's the Primal Video method
and I know it sounds simple,
but you'd be amazed by how much
time and effort that you'll save
by following this process step by step.
And I guarantee you,
every time you stray away from this process
and maybe get a bit excited and start audio editing
or adding some effects as your first step,
you'll always create rework for yourself
and waste a lot of time.
Don't forget to download The Primal Video Method as a PDF,
there'll be a link in the description below.
You can print it out and use it as a checklist
to help you with your video creation.
I'll see you soon.