Tech: making a video

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: MikeL2
Date: 20 Nov 10 - 11:48 AM

hi leenia

A lot of very goos advice here....I will use some of it myself !!!

My advice for you at the moment would be to play around with the clips you already have on Windows Movie Maker. It is free and relatively simple to use and will give you the basic idea of how to organise and arrange and present your vidoe shots and compile them into a movie.

Don't expect to be perfect at first. Like most other things it does need practice.

Regards

Mikel2

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Nov 10 - 09:17 AM

This is getting more interesting all the time.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: open mike
Date: 20 Nov 10 - 03:35 AM

The video editing classes I took at the local community college used equipment from this company: http://www.macrosystem.us/ the casa blanca has a removeable hard drive "sled" which can store projects.

there is a similar piece of equipment used by other
classes called a screenplay it is made by this company http://www.applied-magic.com/p_screenplay.html

these non-linear editing devices allow you to manipullate the images and audio in many ways.

here is a magazine published locally which has lots of info for
pro and amateur videographers http://www.videomaker.com/article/8078/

good luck and i hope you will let us know when you have a video!

here is one of the first videos i did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YURweQ2__Q

i recommend when choosing a camera, make sure it has audio out
(earphone/headphone jacks) as mine only has a mic. jack for sound
in, but no way to listen..

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: Tootler
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 04:48 PM

You should be able to buy a more than adequate digital video camera for a lot less than you quote, leeniea.

I bought myself a Panasonic video camera about a year ago. It cost me just over 200 GBP (say ~300 USD). It's not HD, but I am not worried about that. It records on SD cards which are readily available. It has a more than adequate optical zoom. Many of the exposure settings are automated, but most can be adjusted manually if you wish, it has a built in stereo mic - not wonderful, but adequate and if you wish you can use a separate audio recorder (see Desert Dancer's post above). There were plenty of other cameras in the same price band.

Most of the failings I have had so far are nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with me but I'm having fun learning and it produces acceptable results. I find it an excellent way of recording my granddaughter growing up as you are less likely to miss those magic moments. The number of times I have missed something because the still camera has a perceptible delay between pressing the button and the camera actually taking a picture. with the video camera, you just need to set it running.

This was almost the first time I had used it. It may not be brilliant, but shows what a beginner can achieve with modern hardware and software. I used a Linux video editor called Kino. It's a bit quirky, but it works for me. The audio was obviously recorded separately (I have an Edirol R09), edited using Audacity and dubbed on afterwards.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 02:11 PM

Okay. Thanks for the additional insights.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 01:58 PM

if early Edwardian era pornographers could produce such cinematic masterpieces
by only editing 'in-camera';
that's plenty good enough for any promo vids I might ever inflict on Youtube...

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: Simon G
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 01:52 PM

I would use what you have until you start hitting it limits. You can tell great stories in video with a digital camera and Windows moviemaker. When you find it won't do something you need to do it will be time to get better software or a better camera.

Most of all have fun doing it.

Simon

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 12:20 PM

I have a friend who is a professional photographer who has in recent years added video to his repertoire. Out of his own interests, he does a fair amount with musicians and dancers. He shoots with his digital SLR camera, and does sound with a Zoom H4 digital recorder and synchs it afterward. He's on a Mac, but probably some useful details/suggestions or at least ideas can probably be found at his blog, and the ones that he likes: http://www.dougplummer.blogs.com.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: beeliner
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 11:35 AM

For example, could I make a nice video of my friend playing her small harp?

To record any sort of music you would probably want a camera with an external mike jack - or jacks, some are capable of recording in stereo.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 09:20 AM

Thanks, everybody.

I see that Windows Movie Maker is on my list of programs, down in the W's that I never looked at.

It seems that if I'm not content with my little camera, then Step 1 is to buy a Digital Video Camera, starting at $600, but being realistic, probably the next grade up, at $1299.

I don't believe I'm that interested right now.

What about these webcams I read about? Do people use those to make good videos? For example, could I make a nice video of my friend playing her small harp?

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: Will Fly
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 04:01 AM

I've never used Windows software for video - I have a Mac Book and use either iMovie or Final Cut Express. But the broad principles are the same, and I'll try and explain each step as simply as possible.

1. Having shot your footage - either pre-planned or as it comes - assemble the clips in the order in which you want them, or parts of them, to appear in the video. You can do do this on paper but many video editing programs, even simple ones, have (a) an "event" screen, where the raw clips are gathered, and (b) a "project" screen, where you can take all or part of each raw clip and arrange the selections in your chosen running order. So, however simple or basic your software, the principle is the same: set out the material which will form your movie into a running order.

2. The next step is to decide how each clip will fit with the next - known as "transition". Most programs have some basic transitions built in, such as: cross-dissolve, fade to black, fade up from black, wipe left, wipe right, etc. You can, of course, just have a straight cut from one clip to the next, with no transition. If you do choose transitions to divide clip, you can normally set the length of each transition - but remember that the transition time will eat into the clip time

3. The next step is to add titling and credits. Most movie editing programs have a titling facility. You can usually have a title as a separate screen, or superimpose the titling over a clip. There's often a choice of fonts, sizes, background colours, fades in/out, etc. For whole screens of text, another option is to create a still screen shot - a JPG file, for example, on your computer - and insert this as a still into the project. Some programs allow stills to be timed as required, for them to be cropped, and whether or not to use the "Ken Burns" effect - where the camera wanders over the image (an effect I can't stand!).

4. You may want to get clever and over-dub sound on to the movie, or remove the camera sound completely and substitute your own sound. Many programs allow two sets of sound to be used - a camera sound, and an overdub - with level mixing between the two.

5. Some programs allow visual editing of project clips - raising and lowering brightness, contrast, colour balance, etc.

When all is assembled, then the movie has to be exported in whatever format suits, i.e. compressed as required. Nil compression gives you best quality with large file sizes. One minute of full video is around 1Gb of hard drive space so, for example, a 3 minute movie will work out around 3Gb. Most programs allow a series of higher compressions from nil to very high - with correspondingly smaller screens and perhaps some sound quality loss - and corresponding savings in file size.

I hope this is of use.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: beeliner
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 03:01 AM

I have been marketing my own line of railfan videos for several years with considerable success. I guess I would consider myself a semi-professional.

Windows Movie Maker and similar programs are strictly for amateur and family use.

I personally use MAGIX Video Deluxe and COREL Video Studio with excellent results. The former takes some getting used to, but once mastered can do about anything you would want. It will stabilize a shaky scene, manipulate brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis. It even includes a graphic equalizer for the audio. Titles and text are a breeze.

Subject: RE: Tech: making a video
From: open mike
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 01:24 AM

there are several programs available..
the most common one may be windows movie maker..

the basic actions that most programs help you perform are:
cutting into clips...and editing the clips
(esp. trimming frames from the "front" and "back" of the clips)
adding transitions between the clips...fade in/out, or other
images that blend from one image to another...

and the title and credits can be added

there are many other programs...

final cut pro, pinnacle, adobe premier, apple I-Movie,
video editing and authoring utilities..
they range from 30 - 100 dollars..
http://video-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
here is a comparison'
http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/top-5-free-video-editing-software-review.html
and here is another.


your computer probably has windows movie maker..if it is XP or more recent..

and if it dies, you can "capture " video from your camera and
work with it..

good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

i studied video production for a few years...
and have created an uploaded several videos
on you tube, my space and face book.
the place where several of my videos can be seen is
www.myspace.com/laurelwoodsorrel
i have a small czmera...a panasonic, not high definition,
a mini dv tape camera.. and have been able to do a few
videos with it...

Subject: Tech: making a video
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Nov 10 - 12:22 AM

What does a person need to make a nice video? I have a digital camera and have made some short, simple videos. But what do the people use who make long videos with lots of beautiful scenery?

And how do people get writing in their videos? Some images look very professional. They are not writing it on a piece of typing paper and pointing their camera at it.

I already tried to find out on YouTube, but no soap. The instructions started with How To Upload.


Bedtime now - back tomorrow.