Post-Production

Editing, exporting and uploading the video essays can take time. Please ensure this is carefully included in your work timeline. If your video essay is not in English, save some time to subtitle it, as this can foster broader dissemination of your work.

Editing software varies. Some of the most popular professional programmes are: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier, Avid Media Composer and DaVinci Resolve. There are various free access programmes which are easier to use, that can serve as starting points, such as the free version of DaVinci Resolve (Mac and PC), iMovie (Mac) and Windows Movie Maker (PC). There are various free access programmes which are easier to use, that can serve as starting points, such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. There are very useful tutorials on YouTube. When formal training is not provided, you are invited to become a self-taught video essay maker and editor. Your ability to learn and research independently will be greatly valued. If you are affiliated to an institution, make sure you are familiar with the range of resources you have access to, as these may contain excellent short tutorials. Learning LinkedIn is one such online learning space, with great insight on software use.

You may also want to use audio editing software for the sound editing and mixing. Some of the most popular professional programmes include Pro Tools and Adobe Audition. Alternatively, Audacity is a free user-friendly software that can be very helpful to start with.

In order to choose one, take into account the following factors:

1. Access: Which software do you have access to thanks to various affiliations?

2. Compatibility with your computer: Certain editing software (such as Final Cut Pro) only works with Mac (or certain versions of Mac). Find one programme that is compatible with your computer. Please note that editing software will require a large amount of memory space.

3. Degree of understanding of the interface: See which one better communicates its functions to you. Have a look at their interfaces, or watch tutorials if you cannot access them all to decide your preferred one.

4. Future projections: Think about whether you want to take this skill further and apply it to professional contexts. If so, it may be useful to start familiarising yourself with some of the professional ones.

Remember that once you have familiarised yourself with one, you will acquire a new “language”. This may lead to certain frustration when encountering another editing software for any reason. Do not worry. Even if it takes a bit of time, you will then be able to transfer your skills to the new software. They are all fairly similar, so it is just about finding where is what, and what the shortcuts are for each of the programmes.

Basic tips to edit in different software:

1. Use a hard-drive to store your project and file. Editing tends to take a large amount of memory, not just due to the stored files, but also to the rendering tasks while the software allows you to preview your work..

2. Have an online back-up storage space. If you have an affiliation to an institution, this may already have one, such as Microsoft OneDrive. Editing often leads to various “unknown” errors and loss of data, so backups are essential to avoid disappointment and to guarantee the confidentiality of your work, particularly if you are working on sensitive issues.

3. Your whole footage should be located in one folder in your hard-drive. Organise your files within folders following a logic, such as theme, location, scene, or day of shooting. Then, do the same in the media browser of your editing software (if possible). This will allow you to easily find your material. Have a separate folder for sound.

4. You may need a compressor such as Handbrake or MPEG Streamclip to compress your file to send it online. H.264 is the preferred compression setting. Remember to de-interlace your video to avoid the appearance of stripes.

5. The quality and size of your file will also depend on the bitrate, which you can set when exporting your video and is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). Higher bitrate means higher quality, but also bigger files which are slower to stream or download.

6. Leave enough time for the exportation of your file, as you may encounter various error messages. Some journals, such as Tecmerin, recommend the use of certain software and platforms, such as Vimeo for the file upload, and Aegisub or Jubler for subtitles.

Completion of Supporting Statement:

This is the writing-up moment. You may want to start a new document instead of editing over your “diary”. Informed and inspired by the latter, you should reorganise it. While the guidance on the content is still scarce, these are some of the aspects to include, based on a compilation of various guidelines across different journals. However, please amend accordingly, depending on your target publisher:

1. Reflexive Introduction: Situate your video essay within an existing film and screen media and debate. Feel free to adopt a reflexive tone, which may read slightly narrative, for instance, by drawing on what motivated you to produce this video essay, or how you came across the cited screenwork for the first time.

2. Research Question: Your video essay should be addressing a main research question. Be as specific as possible and state explicitly what is it that you are trying to achieve through the production of the video essay.

3. Theoretical Framework: What is it that you are building on in order to contribute to an existing debate or discussion? How useful it is to look at the analysed work through the selected theoretical term?

4. Research Method: is this textual analysis or are you applying any other methods? How are you looking at your chosen film(s) or screen media and reflecting on them in order to seek to reply to your main research question?

5. Findings: your contribution to knowledge is a crucial aspect in the evaluating criteria, as this is what will make your video an academic piece of work.

6. List of references: include the bibliography and filmography at the end of your written statement. Check if there is a preferred Referencing system. Otherwise, choose one and be consistent throughout.