The impact of technology may be seen in a wide range of industries, including retail, real estate, healthcare, transportation, media, and journalism, among others. Similarly, technological advancements have had a paradigm-shifting effect on the video industry. Technology has had a profound influence on many elements of the film business, from production methods, video editing software, sound design, and post-production.
With video editing software like Shotcut, LWKS, and FXhome, video making and editing have today reached every device in the world. There is even video software designed for specific purposes. For instance, Impactr is a women-led video app for advocates or volunteers. Using the app, people may share videos of little acts of kindness, social challenges, and other activities.
This is just an example of how we’ve come into the video industry. To appreciate this journey and where it may go in the future, you must first grasp where it all began.
Scissors, Tapes, and Linear Editing
Filming and editing a video is, to be honest, a novel idea. The first footage was trimmed with scissors and tape over a century back, and now non-linear video editing techniques are used exclusively on computers.
During the first eighty years of editing, the linear technique was used. Linearly editing pictures and audio requires placing them in a chronological sequence. Initially, this required cutting the material with scissors and taping it back together again in the proper order. Until the Moviola editing machine was created in the 1920s, people employed methods like these.
Video editing used to be as simple as locating the appropriate location on the tape to clip, then taping it to another piece of video, and hoping for the best. The first electronic editing controller emerged in videotape recorders in 1961. For the editor, the EECO 900 employed timecodes to help them know when to stop or rewind a tape. AMPEX developed the first electronic editors about the same period. As a result of these developments, non-linear video editing today has risen to the top of the video editing game.
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Of course, the art of editing is the same whether you cut on film, tape, or non-linear, but technology impacts how you work and how fast you can put things together. Because of non-linear editing, we’ve been able to try out new concepts by experimenting with alternative cuts.
Owning to improvements in computer power, storage, and codecs, it’s now feasible to perform things on a conventional computer that would have required a roomful of equipment just a few years ago. Web-based applications may now be used to edit documents owning to the exponential rise in computing power and the corresponding increase in Internet connectivity speed. This has led to the demand of employees learning new digital skills through training videos while staying employed. To stay rooted in the competitive video-making industry, this is a vital step.
ALSO READ: REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO VIDEO FOR CORPORATE TRAINING
Notable Technological Innovations in the Video Industry
It’s mind-blowing how much the video industry has changed thanks to digital technologies. Five cutting-edge technologies are driving this transformation:
1. Drone Cameras
Autonomous drones have altered the game in the film business. Filmmakers worldwide are using them to capture amazing footage and photos without sending a camera operator up in a helicopter and shooting the movie from that position. And the best part is that despite its small size, this device can already record high-quality videos fit for a theatre.
Thanks to the ease of use, even a single person may capture the same or more viewpoints by simply flying the gadget from one location to another. Also, it’s capable of capturing incredibly clear videos that would ordinarily be inaccessible to the average individual.
2. Algorithmic Video Editing
In algorithmic editing, video is edited according to a plan or a schema. Algorithmic editing is built on the premise that video will follow a pre-determined roadmap or take a straight procedural route. It refers to a method of chopping and reassembling video material according to a blueprint. In the film ‘We Own The Night,’ a high-speed automobile pursuit occurs in the rain. Thanks to algorithmic video editing, the amazing part is that all of the rain effects were created in post-production.
3. 3D Printing
Hollywood increasingly utilizes 3D technology to produce realistic costumes, props, and other set pieces for its films. Remember Hela – Thor’s sister in the Marvel movie? And remember her iconic horned headpiece? It was 3D printed. Another example is the Black Panther movie. The costume of the Queen of Ramonda of Wakanda was 3D printed.
4. Digitalization of Audio
The earliest recording devices used horns instead of microphones. By 1925, electronic microphones had entered the industry. By 1945, magnetic tape recording had begun. In 1975, the digital era has begun and can be seen in the current times as well. We have seen the introduction of CDs, digital audio files in different formats, iTunes, useful and simple tools to remove background noise from video, and more.
5. Cloud
Many cloud-based services have emerged in recent years, allowing users to work on and store their files in the cloud. A couple of such examples include online project management tools and cloud accounting software. Other resource-intensive jobs, such as video editing, are also increasingly migrating to the cloud.
Moreover, the availability of cloud-based video editing solutions eliminates the need to install resource-intensive and large software. This can assist you in using only the most basic screencasting or video rendering tools and completing the remainder of your work online.
Looking into the Future
How long do you think the digital trend will last until a new technology comes along and replaces it? If history is any guide, a better technique to assist with video editing will arise and take it to new heights, considering the current advancements in AI and ML.
