Making Mini-Movies

[Checkmate-Chris]

Hey everyone,

I had a question about some of the videos that I see kicking around here. I know Greg has put a bunch together for sure, but there are also a bunch of others that members have made as well. The ones I'm referring to are usually a bunch of clips of boats running with music overdubbed.

So my question is this.....

How are y'all putting these together. What software/editing software do you use? What is the process?

I'm always dreaming of putting one of those together with a bunch of nice Checkmates running but unfortunately I don't have the foggiest as to where to begin. I do have a nice camcorder all ready to go though! :D

Chris

[10.5' Tunnel]

Chris, I've been messing around with flash lately, and it can do it. I'm sure there is more suited programs out there, but it would probably do what you want. You can download a 30 day trial at http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=flash It can publish them in a bunch of different formats (avi, wmv, gifs, etc) and is pretty easy to get used to.

[Checkmate-Chris]

Thanks 10.5. :)

I wonder what Greg uses to get those cool fadeouts etc. when he switches from shot to shot. I would probably be taking a bunch of shots and putting them together from different sources so I'd need something that did that too.

[Spd-Kilz]

Hey Chris,

I use Adobe Premiere 1.5. The problem is that it retails for $700 US, just as much as Photoshop CS. If you have Windows XP Windows Movie Maker works great for a beginner.

Like I said Adobe Premiere is the top notch video program, and is very hard to learn. I think that is what Greg uses.

[merklebob]

use pinnacle studio. almost as good as adobe but gets the job done. its bases on hollywood movie software and is less then $100.

[sho305]

I been wondering about that also. I got some software with my camcorder, but I have to load it on another machine with a firewire and have not done it yet.

[Checkmate-Chris]

700 is a bit steep.

But 100 sounds reasonable!

I guess that'll be next summers project, that is if we get a summer unlike this year. :rolleyes:

[Spd-Kilz]

Originally posted by Checkmate-Chris
700 is a bit steep.

But 100 sounds reasonable!

I guess that'll be next summers project, that is if we get a summer unlike this year. :rolleyes:

How true. :rolleyes: :eek:

[at100plus]

I use Pinnacle Studio 8 too. If you don't have a firewire card in your computer, make sure you buy the Studio 8 package that comes with the firewire card. It is best to have a firewire output on you Camcorder too. USB is not a good method for capturing video.

The Pinnacle software is a little overwhealming at first but if you spend some time with it, it gets easier every time. Movie making is hard work and time consuming particularly when you want to add music, sound effects and get everything to come together right.

A final note, it is best to have a rather powerful computer and keep that computer running clean. You don't want applications running in the background while you are editing and finalizing video. This includes virus protection and screen savers among other stuff that people tend to have running wildly on their computer.

[pirogue]

i also use pinacle studio version and it is nice, i only have the 7 version and found it pretty easy to get used to and also enjoyed using it.

[Scream And Fly]

Chris,

As Mike mentioned, video editing can be tedious work, but it's not that hard once you understand the basic techniques involved. For what you will do, you obviously do not need professional software. Even Windows Movie Maker 2 is very good at making clips - and it's free. Although it does not have many of the features other entry-level software solutions have, it's rock-solid and offers very good output (only to WMV format, though).

I'm on Adobe Premiere Pro these days. I would use either that or Pinnacle Liquid Edition for what I do. I had Studio 8 and grew to dislike it for its limitations on video tracks. Although it's very easy to use, it's slow, and rendering quality is just not that good - especially when using their effects (which are a total joke, if you ask me). But that becomes more of an issue if you're interested in writing to DVD or 16:9 widescreen format. It makes me wonder where QA was on Studio, knowing how good Pinnacle Liquid Edition is.

But...

It's good for little clips and things like that. Just don't expect too much out of it. There are other options from Ulead in that price range that offer good results. Also, you might want to check out Premiere Elements, which is new and sells for about $100.

My favorite file output type is WMV (Windows Media Video). It offers better quality than MPEG or AVI at the same bitrate. Although AVI is best for archiving your video "negatives". Never store your digital tapes, thinking they will last forever. They won't, so back them up!

Cameras and computers are another issue entirely - we can get into that if you want ;)

If you need any specific help, just let me know.

Greg

[Checkmate-Chris]

Thanks Greg! :)

I've got to get some film collected and then give it a go.

Hopefully, next summer I'll get motivated to get out of the boat and run the camcorder. :D

[Checkmate-Chris]

Originally posted by at100plus
I use Pinnacle Studio 8 too. If you don't have a firewire card in your computer, make sure you buy the Studio 8 package that comes with the firewire card. It is best to have a firewire output on you Camcorder too. USB is not a good method for capturing video.

The Pinnacle software is a little overwhealming at first but if you spend some time with it, it gets easier every time. Movie making is hard work and time consuming particularly when you want to add music, sound effects and get everything to come together right.

A final note, it is best to have a rather powerful computer and keep that computer running clean. You don't want applications running in the background while you are editing and finalizing video. This includes virus protection and screen savers among other stuff that people tend to have running wildly on their computer. Thanks for the tips Mike. :)