Task 4: From Analogue to Digital Editing

Analogue Editing

Analogue editing is the cutting and sticking of pieces of celluloid film to create a sequence. Traditionally films are made up of images printed onto this paper in acetate negatives which are then spliced together to form a complete reel of film. These reels are then fed through a projector at the constant speed of 24 frames a second (that's a little bit fast) which makes a moving image appear on the screen.

The Moviola 

The moviola is a machine that was invented in 1924 by Iwan Serruier that was the first device that allowed a film editor to view the film as they were editing. This meant if mistakes were made, the editors were able to pick them up at an earlier stage. However, a reel could only be passed through a number of times before getting scratched, torn or unglued, therefore editors had to be selective when checking certain scenes. This machine was the first used for feature length motion picture editing.

Video Editing

Before any digital technologies were available, magnetic tapes were used to store information. These tapes are known as video tapes or, in modern terms, VHS tapes. Video editing itself is the process of editing segments of film using a device that mechanically puts the pieces of video tape back together, which means each piece has to be edited in order using a process known as Linear editing. Commonly, and every 90's child will remember, in order to re watch the film printed on the tape, it had to be rewound by hand, or you had the 20 minute wait of your video player rewinding it. 

Digital Editing 

Digital editing is a form of electronic  media where data is stored in digital form. This form of editing uses computers and programmes in order to manipulate the digital data, for example Adobe premier, Avid and Final Cut Pro. It uses bits and bytes (strings of 1's and 0's) to record, transmit and reply images instead of using chemicals on film, which means the whole process is electronic. Due to the popularity of the editing form, it soon overtook video editing as it was much cheaper. easier to store and much quicker. The only con was that if the computer were to shutdown, or a file was lost, that section of work is gone forever unless backed up elsewhere.