Notes (for the more advanced reader)
There is one iMovie feature, in particular, this book does not cover: Cinematic mode. Cinematic mode allows you to change what areas of your shot are in focus during the edit. It’s certainly powerful and allows you to draw the audience’s attention to certain people or objects without having to reframe. Unfortunately, it’s only available using iPhone 13 and later – something I don’t have access to. However, if you can access it, do! The following links are Apple’s official guides for editing Cinematic mode clips on iOS/iPadOS (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/imovie-iphone/kna09b78e8dc/ios) and macOS (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/imovie/movafa5244eb/mac).
One wider topic that’s absent from this book is production advice. This is because I’m not a videographer, and I’m never going to pretend to be. I use my iPhone camera because it’s foolproof, but I wouldn’t say that my shots are particularly artistic. If you want to learn how to shoot something beautiful – as well as how to frame, balance, and adjust using more advanced cameras – there are plenty of great resources online. Examples include No Film School (https://nofilmschool.com/rules-of-cinematic-framing-and-composition) and Studio Binder (https://www.studiobinder.com/category/directing/cinematography/). However, I will suggest a couple of rules to live by during production to make the editing process more flexible:
- Film more than you need – a wider-framed shot, filmed for much longer than you think you need to
- Film in a higher resolution than you need so that even if you reframe or compound effects together on your clip, the end quality of your video will still be high
Finally, know that the websites and resources I suggest in this book are not prescriptive – they’re just examples to get you started. I watch and enjoy far more YouTubers than I refer to, and there are many alternatives to programs such as HandBrake and Blackhole, which you will see in Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, respectively.
If you come out of this book with a passion for editing, fantastic! Going forward, have a look at channels such as This Guy Edits (https://www.youtube.com/user/svenpape) and the work of Walter Murch for guidance on editing fiction narratives. Telling a convincing story – while also convincing an audience it’s real – requires you to juggle loads more considerations when editing: emotion, story continuity, and even tracking how your audience’s eyes will move from one shot to the next.
If what I’ve just said sounds like gobbledygook, please don’t be alarmed. Give the book a read before coming back to these notes. If this book has done its job right, it will make a lot more sense when you read it for the second time.
