Making better movies
Discussion
Theres a few guides dotted around on the net for photgraphy. Had a quick browse and appears there some for video filming too.
A very simple one at www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A745904
A very simple one at www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A745904
As a video producer/director, I can only suggest that you need to work backwards. Don't just shoot miles of film with no rhyme or reason and then slap it together. You need to have a plan. If you're going to use music, play it first and keep it in mind when you film. If you want to do fast stuff, ie cut to the beat, you'll need lots of short, dramatic shots. Each shot needs a start, middle and end - a pan, a pull-back, a tilt, a zoom or whatever, but make every shot distinct - and try it at varying speeds so when you start to edit, you can find a take that fits nicely.
Making a good video is like a making a jigsaw puzzle (sorry Swiss Toni), excep that you have to make the pieces as well. Make the pieces well, and remember the picture on the box, and you have a much better chance of success.
NB If you want music that's actually legal to use, see me!
Making a good video is like a making a jigsaw puzzle (sorry Swiss Toni), excep that you have to make the pieces as well. Make the pieces well, and remember the picture on the box, and you have a much better chance of success.
NB If you want music that's actually legal to use, see me!
PetrolTed said:
I've been using Royalty Free loops to date. What are the other options?
If you've got copyright free music (ie you pay once for the disk then use it as much as you like) that's fine - if you like the music. For my work I use MCPS music - it's written especially for the video/AV industry - and I've got about 2,000 CDs here. You pay per 30 second chunk - roughly £25 per chunk.
I guess that's not cheap if you're paying for it yourself and you use a lot of it, but there's some good stuff to be found.
simpo two said:
I've been using Royalty Free loops to date. What are the other options?
If you've got copyright free music (ie you pay once for the disk then use it as much as you like) that's fine - if you like the music. For my work I use MCPS music - it's written especially for the video/AV industry - and I've got about 2,000 CDs here. You pay per 30 second chunk - roughly £25 per chunk.
I guess that's not cheap if you're paying for it yourself and you use a lot of it, but there's some good stuff to be found.
I hope you've got all mine!
(Chappells, Bruton, KPM & BMG)
simpo two said:
OK ...I'll try elsewhere. Ta anyway.
Well if you sell it, send me some details and I'll happily pass it on to my button-pressing buddies
Wish I did sell it - it's blimmin' expensive!
I'm looking for a video production studio that uses it, as I may have some work to put their way.
Steve
PetrolTed said:
Pinnacle Studio.
This bad workman can't blame the tool
studio is okay, if you like the way it works you may want to look at pinnacle edition. there is a demo cd of it available from pinnacle.
i'm working on the S2N2004 DVD at the moment, i have 17 hours of material that is being chopped down to 90 minutes max.
the key thing that i discovered this year - its nothing to do with what camera you are using (within reason), its about the quality of the picture you use.
so digital8 or mini dv is fine, but the first issue is to keep the shots static, either monopod, or full tripod. if you want to wander round with the camera, a cheap stabilser is simply to use a monopod and hold it in the middle of the pole.
you still get the "hand held" feel, but your image becomes much more stable as much of the horizontal shake is reduced.
if you have the optionon the cam, always keep sound at 16bit, and if you have a frame mode use it. can't decide about the 16:9 stuff at the moment as only the latest cams do proper 16:9 - they all tend to cheat at the moment, so i'm not sure what benefit you get.
the other thing i found out was to keep the clips short, anything between clips of 4s to 15s. this doesn't mean you only record for 10s for a 10s shot, leave plenty of tape either side - but be brutal in the final edit.
the next thing is - get people to talk to the camera. if the dvd you are creating is an event, imagine it as a story, and get the people whose cars you looking at to talk to the camera. they then tell the story, and makes the final output much more viewable.
one thing i've been told is to decide what is the subject matter, and to focus on that. the subject matter in this case is a) the people b) the cars c) the place. figure out which one it is, and follow that apparently. S2N2004 is following the people rather than the cars.
Tin
It's great what you find on here 
I've had a mini Dv cam for a few years now, i used dazzle's movie star program to try and put it together, but it sucked big time. So now armed with pinnacle 8, my creations were easier to thread togther, but the quality of the finished article still doesn't hold your attention.
I'll be keeping tabs on this thread.....after all, if it helps one, it'll help all.
I've had a mini Dv cam for a few years now, i used dazzle's movie star program to try and put it together, but it sucked big time. So now armed with pinnacle 8, my creations were easier to thread togther, but the quality of the finished article still doesn't hold your attention.
I'll be keeping tabs on this thread.....after all, if it helps one, it'll help all.
it sounds strange, but once you've mastered getting decent images and decent sound, the bit left is actually in the editing.
if you have got enough material, the editing is where it really counts. this is the bit that holds peoples attention. even if you have really bad footage, the editing can keep your audience interested.
the only bit of advice i discovered this year when planning my DVD, was to keep the clips short. the clip can only be long if something interesting is being said, or you are building some sort of character within your presentation.
short clips are everywhere. watch virtually any programme with a stop watch in your hand.
alot of what i read about documentary and film making revolved around single issues that the film maker had overcome, rather than a single piece of advice that made everything come good. trying to find any thing that would tell me about filming people with cars was near impossible.
personally, if you are creating something about cars - and you want a really good intro - disect Top Gear and 5th Gear.
when i say disect, i literally mean record it to video, and review each clip, writing everything down with pen and paper. you'll soon discover that there is a rythmn to the production, the editing, and the type of shot used for each edit.
i reviewed a couple of car dvds and started to discover certain similarities.
I'm sure a professional will come on in a second and tell me that I'm wrong. Apologies in advance.
if you have got enough material, the editing is where it really counts. this is the bit that holds peoples attention. even if you have really bad footage, the editing can keep your audience interested.
the only bit of advice i discovered this year when planning my DVD, was to keep the clips short. the clip can only be long if something interesting is being said, or you are building some sort of character within your presentation.
short clips are everywhere. watch virtually any programme with a stop watch in your hand.
alot of what i read about documentary and film making revolved around single issues that the film maker had overcome, rather than a single piece of advice that made everything come good. trying to find any thing that would tell me about filming people with cars was near impossible.
personally, if you are creating something about cars - and you want a really good intro - disect Top Gear and 5th Gear.
when i say disect, i literally mean record it to video, and review each clip, writing everything down with pen and paper. you'll soon discover that there is a rythmn to the production, the editing, and the type of shot used for each edit.
i reviewed a couple of car dvds and started to discover certain similarities.
I'm sure a professional will come on in a second and tell me that I'm wrong. Apologies in advance.
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