Sorry for the misleading title - had to get you in here to read.
I'd like all the avid vid makers out there to post their best practices and techniques (regarding web vids) here. A centralized talking shop sorta area - some of this info may be repeated elsewhere, but now we'll have it in one spot. I'm not sure how to make this "sticky" but it might be a good idea (mod help me?).
Example questions/topics:
- compression..
- file formats
- best FREE software
- best PAY software
- stylistic features
- camera angles
- lighting
- music vs. natural sound
- storage concerns
- hosting
- other
I know very little of these topics myself and am interested in the information. Definitions, tips, personal preferences.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE only answer questions if you know what's up. Please no "I would have to guess..." answers.
-i downloaded premiere 6.0 (i think)
-if i was a mac user i would prolly use final cut
-i like to use slomo. its hip
-tripod footage sucks ASS. i like wormeye perspective a lot. and trying to move around somebody during a run, keeping the camera from shaking. i like to get my lense as close to the ground as possible. i always try to keep my subject completely on the screen. head almost touching the top and feet almost touching the bottom. i hate footage that is just feet. or a cut off head. or just the ground....*cough cough*..
-later in the evening is hip. with the dark blue light kind of effect. you know? if its later in the day. try to shred facing the sun and film facing the other way. its easier if youre not tripodding. but always keep in mind the sun when you consider from which angle you film.
-you need big harddrive. on average a video will take up 20-30gigs for me to work on. i usually have a couple going at once before i output to vhs. and can delete my project files.
-free servers suck. so i bought a domain and space at www.phpwebhosting.com very cool. and a good price!
-mpeg is the best. but my premiere is fucked up and i havent been able to output to mpeg lately. and wmv works fine for me. so i use that.
-download photoshop and learn how to do stuff. it helps.
-wideangle lense is GOOD. but i dont have one
-long-lasting battery = good. i just bought two 4 hours batteries for the hackrifice tournament. i needed them. camera stuff is expensive. $340 for the two batts. and i want that lense too...fisheye is hip too. but i think id rather wideangle.
Having a real title would definately help in making this thread a useful resource.
Other than that, I think the thread is a good idea, even if it is a little broad. It ties into that other thread on the best codec I put up last night.
As far as "free" editing software, there isn't really such thing that is useable by the average geek. There is a free editor for Linux out there, but it's quite complex (as you would expect of anything Linux).
Many capture cards or web cams come bundled with "free" software, but you tend to get what you pay for. They can be generally useful if you just want to put yourself out there without any of the fancy-schmancy editing. Pinnacle Studio v.X seems to get the most votes for "free" bundled software that is actually useful, though I find it limiting.
Moving along, I totally agree with Chan that tripod shots suck, but they are somewhat necessary sometimes if you want to capture the best combos. What I mean is that many people don't play all that well when they've got someone standing there pointing a camera at them. Setting the thing up on the tripod in the corner allows you to forget the camera is rolling. Once you've done this for a while, you'll notice it helps you get used to playing when someone is actually holding the camera.
More later -- back to work for me
EDIT
Oh and Premiere 6.5 RULES over 6.0 -- realtime preview rocks.
i am gonna say a few things about editing...
i am using iMovie3, it's a mac program, and is a very user friendly program. it comes free with all newer macintosh computers. it has everything you need to put out simple videos, it has simple effects, and the file sizes aren't too big. I have, in the past, used Final Cut Pro and Premier. Final Cut Pro is the industry standard for digital editing. it has more effects, transitions, filters and options than you know what to do with! The cost for it is, how ever, through the roof. Final Cut Express is the same program, but with fewer effects and such, and there for is much cheaper. Premier is a good program, i can't say too much about it, as i haven't used it too much. i found it to have pretty much every thing you need, but was a little complicated.
i hate when people try to do too much during shred, it just gets too busy. i don't mind slow mo, b&w, or frames, but i do hate mirror effects, and other goofy effects during shred. i don't mind mind ghost tails as long as they are done tastefully, like in intros, or in credits, during shred is iffy...
i just don't like it when the effects take away from what it is you are watching... inversing the colors is a definate no no...
i don't mind the occasional tripod shot, erik put on a wide srceen effect in his shred zero film (you know the big black bars at the top and bottom of the screen) and it looked pretty good.
If you are going to like make your movies into DVD or VCD format then Ulead Movie Factory 2.0 is a pretty cool program i found. I dont know how powerful u would want it but it does what i need, like splitting footage into chapters very easily, making multiple menus and background music for your menus, basically everything really, and you can do a preview using the programs mock DVD player interface which is handy. Its all heaps easy to use, but it took about 15 hours for it to convert and burn to cd for me but it could just be my shit computer
Yeah Allan, sorry about the subject line. Like I said though, it's hard to get people in to read the posts sometimes. Maybe one of the mods can edit that..
Anyhow, I think what I'll do is to continue monitoring everyone's ideas for awhile (which btw are great so far.. keep em coming).. Then I'll put them together into some sort of guide (similar to the "how to run a jam" guide I've got up in my resources page.. or I'll beg Hood to do it since he's got a great info service building on his site). Only if you all think this would be handy to have that is.
Hi
I use my DV-Cam mostly for filming footbag action. what else
I edit the footage with Adobe Premiere 6.5. So I can say a few things about video editing.
1 hour of uncompressed DV need 13 GB space on your harddrive. You could compress the files but then you have to accept a loss of quality.
Wich is acceptable when you produce your videos for the web only.
It just seems like this might be a good place to have my opinions on editing software, if you have already read this in another post, I have updated to include Adobe After FX and more:
Intro: There are lots of simple, cheap editing programs out there for your home DV camera. These include iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. If you are not experienced, and want to just piece together some footage quickly, these are fine. If, however you are more interested in 1) fine tuning your edits, 2) doing effects that don't look like 80's educational films, 3) editing to music by closely examining waveforms and 4) being able to control WAY more about the way the video looks and sounds, you probably want a more professional software program to use. Here are some I have worked with:
Final Cut: For the new Macs it's great program that basically comes with the higher end ones. Much cheaper than the high end programs but still pretty expensive for the average joe. It'll do you just fine for professional video editing, especially with some sort of output card like a matrox or something. This is where things get expensive though. If you're using just the software though, it's far better then premiere for layering and titles.
Premiere: It's the adobe equal to Final Cut. I use it's software at home, because it's really stable on my PC (thank you kazza). Basically the only place you may find it annoying is having to make all your titles outside of the program. One you get to know the program it works great (and with a mid-end video capture card the effects are a breeze.) I recomend a seperate video harddrive, though, because I found that playback can get jumpy when all the captures are stored on the main drive.
Avid: Ahhh... yes the mother of all video-edit systems. It is top-of the line, and priced to break the bank. If you are really into the cadilac of video software, this is it. I warn you though, it's quite a bit more tricky to learn, and runs quite differently then many other programs. You almost need to do a tutorial to learn this one. I found that it lets you do amazing things, once you really get deep into the features, like title effects that are worthy of Lord of the Rings. But, alas, it is not somehting that is designed for home computers, and begs for a 2 monitor setup with external drives and a rediculous capture setup. If you want the maximum compatibility with an easy learning curve, this might not be for you.
Final cut is user friendly, and runs fantastic on a Mac. Premiere is PC friendly and is great if you like Photoshop. Avid is super solid but different and complex. I've never tried avid on a weaker system.
I should also add that Adobe After FX is perhaps one of the best effect making programs you can use. You will definately need a tutorial to learn all the features on this one, but let me just say that the speed control is superb. It also has a great function called "frame-blending" which will make that slow motion shredding look seamless. Some other editing software has this too. If the software can do it, USE THIS FEATURE!
I hope this rediculously huge post can help you in some way. Some people out there may not agree with me, but hey, it's just a matter of opinion right. Just post your experiences.
I should also saw that I highly recomend playing around with the software as much as you can. This is how I have learned almost all of the knowlege I have in regards to editing.
Take it easy, and keep making those videos. I'm addicted to this section of the forum. It is where I get my inspiration. Keep it up... all of you!
chan wrote:and trying to move around somebody during a run, keeping the camera from shaking
I do not have the steadiest hands when it comes to filming. If you see any clips on Dan [Klokow] or [Eric] Reile's videos that look like a freezing epileptic in the middle of an earthquake was holding the camera...that was probably me filming.
My video teacher showed us how to make a ghetto stedi-cam. A technique wich I had almost completely forgotten until now. Basically you use your tri-pod as a counter weight underneath the camera as you move around and shoot, making the shot a bit more stable.
I used a Sony mini DV cam with a cheap Ambico $20 tripod. I attatched the tri-pod to the camera as normal and extended the neck one length, or extend the full length if there will be no low angle shots taken. The legs were spread out to the side but not extended. I held it at the top of the neck, just beneath the camera with my arm slightly outstretched so as not to trip on the tri-pod legs.
Laterz,
Zeke
Zeke
Funny movie titles if the movie were about poop:
Red
Fast & the Furious
The Green Mile
Children of the Corn
There Will be Blood
If anyone here is new to Adobe Premiere 6.0/6.5 you should absolutly check out http://www.wrigleyvideo.com. I learned almost everything I know about the prog there!
i hate these cut of heads that come out lately. i want to see either the lower part of the body (below waist and some floor) or totals (including the head and the floor). in some of the latest movies there are some duckings in that you simply cant see. the bag goes out of the screen, then you see some certain body movement that you know this must be a duck and then the bag does return onto the screen. using shoots with this perspective should exclude ducking etc.
heres some tips for filming:
-use the zoom (for the love of god use the zoom!!)
-actually look through the camera when you film. dont just point.
-film entire bodies. not just feet. not just legs. and most definately not just legs with half the screen and ground with the other half. gaaaahhhh!!
-walk around -- dont let people get in the way (but dont get in the way yourself)
-try different angles
-experiment
there is nothing worse than making someone film for you. then watching 2 hours of cement when you review the tape later. also not cool when the person who filmed for you didnt zoom and you have 2 hours of dancing specks. so another point is:
-give directions when you let others film for you @______@ (most importantly "use the zoom", and "please dont film only feet"...)
EDIT: wait -- premiere 6.5 has real time previewing??? omg!! i need! 6.0 SUCKS!!!!
Yeah Zooming is whack. When you're watching a video you can tell what's zoomed and what's not. Also professionals very rarely use zoom, the camera is right up in the action.
Also, you don't tell people how to film, or never told me so you can't say it's important! Practice what you preach brother!
this is the 44 Wand, the most powerful Handwand in the world, so did i fire 5 or 6 fireballs? now you got to ask yourself one question pal, do i feel lucky? well do ya punk.
For some cool, low-to-the-ground, moving shots, ther is an option out there. Unlike the tripod-as-a-counterbalance option mentioned above, to get even lower, put your camera in a plastic shopping bag and cut a hole for the lense.
A bit of a warning here, though. Only do this when sound is not important, unless you like the constant hissing of a plastic bag when you watch it back. Also, it's next to impossible to see what you're filming and you may get stuck with the legs and ground shot that Erik hates so much. So, as far as effects are concerned, use it only for filler footage... intros and such, and keep well back to be sure you get all the action in.
