The Digital Paper Edit web application uses the 大象传媒's internal speech-to-text service to automatically generate time-coded interview transcripts.
When journalists assemble their final scripts by highlighting, cutting and pasting from these automatically generated transcripts, the tool preserves the time codes from the original audio or video content. It then generates a media preview based on the journalists' final script.
The preview can be exported in a format that is compatible with craft editing software, so that specialised audio and video editors can refine the 'rough cut' once a producer has already selected the content they want in the programme.
The opportunity
Traditional production workflows typically involve the following steps:
- Manually transcribing interviews with corresponding time codes;
- Cutting and pasting segments of the transcribed interviews into a master document, either in a word processing application or using physical paper;
- Importing interview audio and/or video into a craft editing software programme, such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro;
- Using 'skim and search' methods to navigate to the time codes corresponding to interview segments in the master segment and cutting them to the appropriate length.
The benefits
Digital Paper Edit will allow video producers with no knowledge of video production software to efficiently create initial cuts of a documentary or long-form programme. This frees up specialised editors to focus on making refined versions of programme packages.
In addition to time-saving benefits when producing long-form programmes, we believe this tool could also improve the efficiency of creating shorter content clips, such as daily production for the Six and Ten News.
Open source resources
Results
- We will soon begin user testing our initial prototype, working with journalists across various 大象传媒 radio programmes.
