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I cannot actually recall who I was talking to about this at Vividcon, but it's a trick I picked up back in the days that my poor betas were staring at a lot of my timing wondering if I was cutting on a silent oboe or something, and I was constantly getting lost trying to wrestle timing. So I'm sharing here. Sadly, it involves math. But it's easy math, so there's that. Also, caveat, since people are not actually metronomes, there is always some eyeballing and fiddling that goes with this. But, I have found it particularly useful when the music goes particularly crazy on a bridge, or in songs where there isn't a super clear backbeat throughout (and a lifesaver on slower songs when I don't want to use a crossfade, but need to identify the right place for a hard cut that isn't jarring).
Okay, so, it goes like this and it's really simple. Find a spot in the music where the beat is clear and place the scrubber right at the beginning of a beat, then count the frames between that beat and the next. Say it's 12 frames. And now I know that my clips should be (close to) some multiple of 12 frames. It's not exact, like I said, so sometimes 36 frames will end up being 38 or 48 ends up 44 once the fiddling starts, but it gets you really, really close and makes those adjustments easier. And for me, at least, it helps me avoid the 'all the clips are the exact same length' trap because varying by multiples of the same number is easier than just winging it for me. And, weirdly, once I started doing this, I noticed that if I went and checked the areas that I hadn't had trouble with and the timing looked good without me doing math, lo and behold, even though I hadn't done it on purpose, the multiples rule was holding strong and those clips were within a few frames of the numbers.
Anyway, yes, so...this is what I do whenever I'm struggling with timing or when it looks off but I can't quite identify where or how just by eyeballing. It isn't foolproof by any means, but it is a starting point for those moments when I'm banging my head against things and cursing my lack of natural rhythm.
Okay, so, it goes like this and it's really simple. Find a spot in the music where the beat is clear and place the scrubber right at the beginning of a beat, then count the frames between that beat and the next. Say it's 12 frames. And now I know that my clips should be (close to) some multiple of 12 frames. It's not exact, like I said, so sometimes 36 frames will end up being 38 or 48 ends up 44 once the fiddling starts, but it gets you really, really close and makes those adjustments easier. And for me, at least, it helps me avoid the 'all the clips are the exact same length' trap because varying by multiples of the same number is easier than just winging it for me. And, weirdly, once I started doing this, I noticed that if I went and checked the areas that I hadn't had trouble with and the timing looked good without me doing math, lo and behold, even though I hadn't done it on purpose, the multiples rule was holding strong and those clips were within a few frames of the numbers.
Anyway, yes, so...this is what I do whenever I'm struggling with timing or when it looks off but I can't quite identify where or how just by eyeballing. It isn't foolproof by any means, but it is a starting point for those moments when I'm banging my head against things and cursing my lack of natural rhythm.
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I've definitely done something pretty similar to this with counting frames between beats. I get thrown a bit though when musicians decide to change the tempo or the time signature.
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On tempo changes I've found the multiples rule still holds (though the length of clips generally gets longer, the math is still the same in that it will remain some multiple of x). Time signature changes can BITE me though. Fucking creative musicians. :D
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When I watch a vid and can always tell when the next cut will come, I tend to lose interest really fast, regardless of whether or not there's a decent narrative, because part of my brain just disengages. And that doesn't only happen with "all clips are the same length" cutting; always cutting to the same beats within a musical phrase can end up looking just as unvaried and metronomic.
I realize not everyone is down with this, because someone said as much after I brought it up in Jarrow's pacing panel (after someone else had him explain the concept of cutting to the same beats), but I really do think it's something to consider.
And FWIW, you may say you lack natural rhythm, but I would never have known, because both your cutting and narratives hold my interest.
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And that doesn't only happen with "all clips are the same length" cutting; always cutting to the same beats within a musical phrase can end up looking just as unvaried and metronomic.
*nodnods* when it comes to which beats I cut on, I usually let either the instrumentation or the lyrics determine where that's going to happen. It's like...the beat structure tells me where I can cut, and everything else determines where I will if that makes any sense.
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It's like...the beat structure tells me where I can cut, and everything else determines where I will if that makes any sense.
Yep, it makes total sense. Just because a song has a strong or distinct phrase rhythm doesn't mean you should always cut to it. It actually distresses me to watch vids with interesting, complex rhythms that the vidders have totally ignored.
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You are directly responsible for me not only being able to identify the bassline but to use it. Saved my timing bacon more times than I can count, that has.
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I've tried that before but...well...no natural rhythm and a complete lack of physical coordination and it rarely goes well. Mostly I can only manage it on a song with a really strong and prominent backbeat. I am always super envious of people who can tap out a beat like that. *envies you*
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