Basic Betacam Camerawork, 3rd Edition

Non-linear editing

Video and audio can be recorded on a number of mediums: tape, optical, hard disk, or high density memory chips (integrated circuits). Tape has been the preferred method of acquisition because of its of storage capacity and cost.

Cameras recording on tape are recording in a linear manner. When the tape is edited it has to be spooled backwards and forwards to access the required shot. This is time consuming with up to 40% of the editing session spent spooling, jogging and previewing edits. Although modern VTRs have a very quick lock-up, less than a second, allowing relatively short pre-rolls, normally all edits are previewed which involves performing everything except allowing the record machine to be switched to record. The ...