Part 1: http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?t=52
Part 2:
EDITING
I am going to delve into the art of editing this time around, but I won't act like a spokesperson for specific editing programs (well maybe a couple) because all editing takes is time and patience. A good editor can make a masterpiece using Windows Movie Maker. It simply takes effort, don't think you can pop in a clip and edit it effortlessly. Editing takes practice.
I am studying Film in College right now, and we use every editing program. From Final Cut Pro to Adobe Premiere, but I ALWAYS eventually come back to Windows Movie Maker... why?... because it's what I'm most comfortable with. And I can say from experience, a lot can be done with a simple program like Windows Movie Maker. At home I use Pinnacle and WMM, but I use WMM 10X more than I use Pinnacle.
There are two vital features to editing, Splits and Cuts. Windows Movie Maker contains a split option and this option is the one needed the most. Using a split allows for a clip to be cut (or split) in any area of the clip. So let's say a split is need at 1:07, then stop the clip at 1:07 and click split. It's as simple as that. This will allow for cuts to different tricks, flourishes, and effects.
One thing I see in many magic videos is ridiculous special effects such as spinning or shaking of the film at the climax of the effect. You want the people watching the video to see what the spectator would see. The spectator wouldn't see a vivid complete colouration distortion of entire reality in front of their eyes, then why put those effects on film? It's O.K. to slow down the film at the climax because the person viewing the film will still see a clear shot of what is happening on screen. As long as the viewer can see the end or climax CLEARLY, then that part of the film should be fine.
If the editor wants to put sound, then it should be put at the right time. The film viewer wants to hear the patter, not the heavy death metal playing in the background. I am guilty of doing this and I have learned from my mistakes. It's O.K. to have music playing throughout the film but even with Windows Movie Maker it is possible to mute, lower, and raise the volume of a clip and/or song. So there are no excuses for not being able to hear patter.
I often hear many people complaining about compression, conversion, and the size of their files. (The size of my files are bigger than all of yours
*Wink wink*). I found two VERY simple solutions to this problem. If your video is in finished editing in .AVI format, import it into Windows Movie Maker, put it into the time line and click "File -> Publish Movie" then click "Best format for playback on this computer". It will save it as a .WMV and a MUCH, MUCH smaller file. I also know many people complain about conversion, do not fret! Simply go to this site:
http://media-convert.com/
And choose the conversion file you want. If your file is ultra huge, I would recommend converting the file to .AVI and follow the previously mentioned steps for .AVI files. The site that I mentioned allows changes the quality of the video and sound. Simply choose the sound and video quality needed and the video should convert without any worries.
This is a very basic introduction to editing, but once again I would like to state, don't be angry if you don't have the highest quality video editing program. I use Windows Movie Maker daily because it is the most simple way to edit a video. It just takes time.
Happy filming and editing.
Mitchell
Part 2:
EDITING
I am going to delve into the art of editing this time around, but I won't act like a spokesperson for specific editing programs (well maybe a couple) because all editing takes is time and patience. A good editor can make a masterpiece using Windows Movie Maker. It simply takes effort, don't think you can pop in a clip and edit it effortlessly. Editing takes practice.
I am studying Film in College right now, and we use every editing program. From Final Cut Pro to Adobe Premiere, but I ALWAYS eventually come back to Windows Movie Maker... why?... because it's what I'm most comfortable with. And I can say from experience, a lot can be done with a simple program like Windows Movie Maker. At home I use Pinnacle and WMM, but I use WMM 10X more than I use Pinnacle.
There are two vital features to editing, Splits and Cuts. Windows Movie Maker contains a split option and this option is the one needed the most. Using a split allows for a clip to be cut (or split) in any area of the clip. So let's say a split is need at 1:07, then stop the clip at 1:07 and click split. It's as simple as that. This will allow for cuts to different tricks, flourishes, and effects.
One thing I see in many magic videos is ridiculous special effects such as spinning or shaking of the film at the climax of the effect. You want the people watching the video to see what the spectator would see. The spectator wouldn't see a vivid complete colouration distortion of entire reality in front of their eyes, then why put those effects on film? It's O.K. to slow down the film at the climax because the person viewing the film will still see a clear shot of what is happening on screen. As long as the viewer can see the end or climax CLEARLY, then that part of the film should be fine.
If the editor wants to put sound, then it should be put at the right time. The film viewer wants to hear the patter, not the heavy death metal playing in the background. I am guilty of doing this and I have learned from my mistakes. It's O.K. to have music playing throughout the film but even with Windows Movie Maker it is possible to mute, lower, and raise the volume of a clip and/or song. So there are no excuses for not being able to hear patter.
I often hear many people complaining about compression, conversion, and the size of their files. (The size of my files are bigger than all of yours
*Wink wink*). I found two VERY simple solutions to this problem. If your video is in finished editing in .AVI format, import it into Windows Movie Maker, put it into the time line and click "File -> Publish Movie" then click "Best format for playback on this computer". It will save it as a .WMV and a MUCH, MUCH smaller file. I also know many people complain about conversion, do not fret! Simply go to this site:http://media-convert.com/
And choose the conversion file you want. If your file is ultra huge, I would recommend converting the file to .AVI and follow the previously mentioned steps for .AVI files. The site that I mentioned allows changes the quality of the video and sound. Simply choose the sound and video quality needed and the video should convert without any worries.
This is a very basic introduction to editing, but once again I would like to state, don't be angry if you don't have the highest quality video editing program. I use Windows Movie Maker daily because it is the most simple way to edit a video. It just takes time.
Happy filming and editing.
Mitchell