Edit Suite: Linear Editing: Ten Tips for Success (page 3)

7. Master A/B-roll Editing

As soon as you can spring for a second source deck, go to true A/B-roll editing for professional transitions between shots. Unless you have an edit controller to automate the process, the trick is to synchronize the tapes so that the transition occurs at the right spot on each. To do this:

  • Set both decks at the transition point and null their counters. Back the A (outgoing) shot to several seconds before its start point and pause it.
  • Back up the B (incoming) tape to exactly the same counter number as on the A deck.
  • With the mixer feeding the A shot to the assembly deck, roll both source decks at once and then perform a normal source-to-assembly transfer.
  • As the A and B source deck counters approach zero, perform the transition between them on the mixer and continue recording, now feeding the B source.

With a little practice, you'll hit it perfectly almost every…

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