Computer-based video editing system

An editing-controllable computer-based system for electronically splicing selected picture and sound track segments of a video recording of an artistic work such as a dramatic work consisting of the performance of a plurality of written lines of dialogue of a script to form an edited version of a recorded work from an operator-selected sequence of such segments;

• the system comprising:
• means in said computer for numerically correlating said picture and sound track segments to respective lines of dialogue in the recorded work,
• means for selectively switching between various takes of picture and sound track segments for generating an edited video version of said work, and
• means for generating a computer data file corresponding to the identities of the selected takes of said segments in said edited video version, said data file providing the information to prepare a final version of the artistic work.

An editor-controllable computer-based system for electronically splicing selected picture and sound track segments of a video recording corresponding to respective lines of dialogue in a written script to form an edited version of a recorded work from a selected sequence of such segments;

• the system comprising:
• a system computer,
• a plurality of video machines for storing said video recording,
• display means associated with each said video machine for viewing said work,
• means for automatically detecting splice points in said video recordings, said splice points being regions free of said dialogue between said sound track segments,
• said computer controlling means for automatically switching between said video machines for generating said selected sequence of said segments, and
• means for generating a computer data file corresponding to the selected sequence of segments which file may be used for preparation of the final version of said recorded work.

A system for editing a dramatic work by selecting a sequence of picture and sound segments derived from a plurality of takes of a scene of the work corresponding to a written script having a plurality of lines of dialogue, the system comprising:

• a plurality of picture and sound segment storage devices each receiving at least a different one of said takes,
• means for correlating each line of dialogue in the script of said work with a corresponding picture and sound segment in each take of the work,
• means for playing a selected line-correlated picture and sound segment of each take on a respective video monitor and audio system whereby to permit simultaneous presentations of all related picture and sound segments of the available takes of the work to facilitate selection by an operator of a sequence of segments comprising a final edited version, and
• means for generating a data file of sequential picture and sound segments selected from the available takes of the work providing a permanent computer record of said final edited version.