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Top Make4fun Users |
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Taking home movies to the next level
More tips
By Wayne Rice
With the powerful, yet easy to use video editing software on
the market today, it's easy to just shoot, drop it in the
editor, and burn it to a disk. What's even easier is ending
up with mediocre results. With just a little more attention
you can turn average into spectacular. Most standard video
editors, such as the one that comes bundled into Windows,
Microsoft's Movie Maker, have many features that, if used
with some restraint, can help polish the finished product.
With a little planning and some time spent in planning
before compiling, you can make some memorable videos, and
enhance your memories and your video records.
Here are some general rules that I like to follow:
* Keep it simple; a
well-thought out five minute video is far more effective
than a thirty-minute, no cuts, no-breaks-taken video. It's
OK to think in terms of chapters and to make each one a
separate file. You can always combine them into longer
works.
* Keep everything
simple; pick just a few transitions and reuse them
sparingly; avoid the temptation to apply all those radical
filters. If you choose to use a special effect, use it once
and make it count. If you are using still images, a simple
fade transition works best.
* Choose a reasonable
scene length. If you shoot ten minutes of video without
pause, experiment with breaking it up into much shorter
clips. Avoid the 3-second rule currently in vogue in
commercials, where each scene only lasts 3 seconds. Some
software will allow the program itself to break up any video
file into several scenes, either by a detection algorithm,
or by a set time span. Most can do this automatically.
* Edit edit edit. Good
film making results in a fairly cluttered cutting room
floor. Don't be afraid to edit out uncle Henry's silly
dance. Consider editing out any really noticeable camera
shakes. The idea is communicate the overall event or
experience, not to record every single detail.
* Visual presentations
must sound right. If you underestimate the power of sound,
try watching a movie without the sound. You probably won't
last five minutes. Most of us live in a world filled with
sound, and your videos should pay as much attention to the
sound as any other feature. You should consider an audio
editor program that will allow you to do several things; you
should be able to strip out the original sound; you should
be able to overdub, or add your voice to the recorded video
sound track; you should be able to enhance your voiceovers
or the original sound. Video recorders are not the best
sound recorders.
*Titles, not family
genealogies. Titles are a very effective tool; they can set
the mood, position the presentation, and focus attention.
They should be brief and this is one place where it's OK to
get a little crazy/creative. Slide in, fly out, different
colors, interesting typefaces, go for it. Just don't overdo
it.
A final word; you don't have to spend a fortune to have a
full-featured video editing studio. I got ShowBiz, an
ArcSoft product bundled into some burner software; it is a
fully capable video editor. Avnex makes audio and video
editors and morphers that you can download and try for free
at www.audio4fun.com. Their AV Voice Changer Software Diamond 5.0 is one of my
favorites, as it does for audio what the video editors do
for visuals. Microsoft's Movie Maker and Movie Maker II are
also very capable video editors. And finally, don't be
afraid to experiment and to try altering the combinations of
elements as you develop your video. Most programs will let
you save elements as 'projects', which allows you access to
the individual elements over and over. By following these
simple steps and thinking creatively you can raise your home
videos to a new level.
Summary: Today's software allows users to create
their own polished video productions. By following some
simple steps, home videos can reach to a higher level of
presentation. Simple steps and restrained use of special
features can enhance most videos. This can all be
accomplished with minimal cost to the user if they choose
their software wisely.
Author: Wayne Rice is a freelance journalist,
copywriter, photographer and artist. He currently resides in
the United States. |
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