Final Cut Express- N Square

Today I was put into a group and faced with the challenge of working out how to use n-square on the programme Final Cut Express, with the intention of gaining enough knowledge to be able to present it and teach it to the rest of the class in our Media lesson tomorrow. First of all we realised that we needed some footage to use for it, so we went out onto the field and filmed me and Holly running towards the camera because we were told that for the grid effect (n-square) in the editing process, the shot needs to be quite strong. Afterwards, we went back to the computer, uploaded our footage onto FCE and then proceeded with working out how to do it. We worked out that you need to copy the footage as many times as you want it to be shown on the screen, and then drag one of the clips onto the timeline at the bottom and another onto the main screen where you can alter its size. This needed to be done many times which was quite time-consuming and repetitive, but in the end it comes out with a quirky grid effect, which looks interesting because it is different to the standard effects on iMovie. I think that this process has been helpful in preparing us for our real coursework piece because I know that n square is an effect that we are adamant that we will use, and therefore I am glad we have learnt how to do it early.

n-square

     In the past two media lessons, I have been learning how to use 'n-square' on Final Cut Express. At first it was difficult as there was not much information about how to use it on Google or Youtube. However, we then realised that it was similar to using split screens- except, you generally use the same shot and you split it into more squares. (e.g. 4 or 16) 
     Firstly, we went on to the school field and filmed a simple long shot of two of us running. Then, once it was uploaded, we copied the same piece of footage 16 times. We dragged one copy onto the timeline, then on the screen on the right we could change its size and position. With the following copies, you simply had to drag them over the top of the first copy on the timeline. We did this to all 16 copies (ensuring they were the same size) and then re-arranged them to form a grid of 16 squares. Although it was time consuming, I feel that n-square is really effective to use in our own music videos.