A Mouthful of Words for the Wise

This month's Edit Points will dazzle you with terms guaranteed to transform you from a groveling neanderthal to a serene and confident techno-master. With this jargon in your mouth, you need never sound ignorant again.

Ready?

Let's go:

When dissolving or effecting from one moving picture to another, the images must come from different sources-live cameras, computers, character generators, or VCRs. The two tapes are called the A-Roll and the B-Roll. They're edited with the same audio, but when there's a picture on the A-Roll, the B-Roll's in black, and when there's a picture on the B-Roll, the A-Roll's in black. The tapes are rolled simultaneously; the dissolve or effect kicks in where they overlap.

The audio you pick up in the field. On-camera dialogue would be primary sound; traffic noise, surf, falling rain, and the like would be ambient. Picking up ambient sound can be good or bad, depending on whether it strengthens or distracts from your images.

A handy edit for those in a hurry, but potentially dangerous. The assemble edit erases everything on the tape while putting down new control track. When an assemble edit is completed, the playback head needs several seconds to find more information. The result is garbage video following the edit. Use an insert edit instead.

The sound on the tape. There are usually two channels-1 and 2. Use one channel for announcers or actors and the other for music or sound effects.

Recording "black" onto a tape with a signal generator or switcher. This insures continuous control track throughout the tape and allows the editor to use insert edits.

Drink consumed by editors during all-night workathons.

The lower portion of a videotape where sync control information is placed. Machines use this information to control the tape. When you black a tape or assemble edit you're laying down new control track. When you insert edit you're putting video down over existing control track.

Scenario one: You're the editor in a TV newsroom. A reporter rushes in the door, throws a tape your way, and says, "Crash something together for the six o'clock." You look at your watch. It's 5:45.

You crash through the door to the edit bay, crash some video together, crash on a voiceover, crash into the producer, and crash into edit control just in time to hit the air.

These kinds of edits are seldom previewed and you run the risk of erasing video you wanted to save.

Scenario two: You're running tape in a live remote truck. You've put together a presentation that lacks just one shot and you have to put that shot in live. If you miss it you crash and burn. If you get it you're a hero.