Help School Project

[wanhjb]

My teacher got me and a couple of other students to make a video 30 mins long covering the places we have been to in a recent trip to china. We are quite lost how to go around doing it. We have many questions to ask and we hope someone can help to answer them . By the way, "target" audience for the clip is the school and the cluster.

Firstly, we gotta choose the software to use. We have made short clips using Windows Movie Maker but are unsure if we should use it this time because of the length of the clip. I downloaded another software called Avid some time ago but I realised I do not know how to "transfer" the clip from the tape to the clipboard/timeline.

I would like to know if there are other free softwares(we have no money, we're doing this for free) which are good and easy to use. They have to be able to play on windows run computers-- as in, the files in the end should be in avi. wmv. etc formats.

Also, the video camera when given to us came with a CD called Panasonic Motion DV studio 5.6E LE for DV SweetMovieLIfe 1.0E which allows us to "burn" from tape to computer in different portions. I wonder if it would be better to "burn" part by part and paste onto clipboard or to "burn" the whole tape and cut it up. I know there are pros and cons to this, but please state your views.

Secondly, we found some websites containing certain sound effects and we wanna download them but are unable to. Can anyone share some websites that allow us to download them?

Thirdly, we have to cover our 10-11 day trip in an half and hour video, it is sorta impossible to us. Would it be better to completely not show some attractions and focus on the more important ones or to cover a little of everything. Covering a little of everything might be hard and we are afraid that the viewers would not understand the clip at all (we came up with a storyline)

Lastly, we want to know how to add subtitles to it. I know there are certain softwares that allow me to do that but some need codecs to be able to view, as the video is going to be shown on different laptops, we cannot be installing them onto every one of them. Being a big fan of anime, I seen such things called "hard subbing" (wonder if its the right term) meaning the subtitles are "inside" the clip, there is no need to use codecs or any hj-split stuff. I'd like to know the softwares and how to insert and time the subs corectly.

Thanks for reading my long essay of questions and answering them

 

[ilovehouse]

My teacher got me and a couple of other students to make a video 30 mins long covering the places we have been to in a recent trip to china. We are quite lost how to go around doing it. We have many questions to ask and we hope someone can help to answer them . By the way, "target" audience for the clip is the school and the cluster.





I would like to know if there are other free softwares(we have no money, we're doing this for free) which are good and easy to use. They have to be able to play on windows run computers-- as in, the files in the end should be in avi. wmv. etc formats.

Also, the video camera when given to us came with a CD called Panasonic Motion DV studio 5.6E LE for DV SweetMovieLIfe 1.0E which allows us to "burn" from tape to computer in different portions. I wonder if it would be better to "burn" part by part and paste onto clipboard or to "burn" the whole tape and cut it up. I know there are pros and cons to this, but please state your views.

Secondly, we found some websites containing certain sound effects and we wanna download them but are unable to. Can anyone share some websites that allow us to download them?

Thirdly, we have to cover our 10-11 day trip in an half and hour video, it is sorta impossible to us. Would it be better to completely not show some attractions and focus on the more important ones or to cover a little of everything. Covering a little of everything might be hard and we are afraid that the viewers would not understand the clip at all (we came up with a storyline)

Lastly, we want to know how to add subtitles to it. I know there are certain softwares that allow me to do that but some need codecs to be able to view, as the video is going to be shown on different laptops, we cannot be installing them onto every one of them. Being a big fan of anime, I seen such things called "hard subbing" (wonder if its the right term) meaning the subtitles are "inside" the clip, there is no need to use codecs or any hj-split stuff. I'd like to know the softwares and how to insert and time the subs corectly.

Thanks for reading my long essay of questions and answering them

hello bro. my humble answers are highlighted in red.



Firstly, we gotta choose the software to use. We have made short clips using Windows Movie Maker but are unsure if we should use it this time because of the length of the clip. I downloaded another software called Avid some time ago but I realised I do not know how to "transfer" the clip from the tape to the clipboard/timeline.

Firstly, you have WMM and then you downloaded Avid (i assume you're using dv xpress?) , there is an option for you to capture straight from camera into Avid. Via windows, hmm, i believe it just could be this way : camera - capture card (canopus / matrox / pinnacle) - ingesting to NLE, in this case Avid. Try to hook it up in this manner, firewire i believe, or from the camera dock - firewire - capture card and look under the Avid menus to find the option called capture or digitse. You should be presented a window which has a small preview monitor and VTR controls. scroll to set your mark in and mark out and then hit digitise! i think. heh.

Also, the video camera when given to us came with a CD called Panasonic Motion DV studio 5.6E LE for DV SweetMovieLIfe 1.0E which allows us to "burn" from tape to computer in different portions. I wonder if it would be better to "burn" part by part and paste onto clipboard or to "burn" the whole tape and cut it up. I know there are pros and cons to this, but please state your views.

My suggestion here would be to mark the good takes (this is where logging during on location shooting would help). Meaning, identify the good shots and then digitise them into your computer for further editing. by whacking in all the tapes is not a good sign of media housekeeping and i can only imagine if you have more than 7 tapes of footage (rushes) to look at and to cut up to last half hour.


Secondly, we found some websites containing certain sound effects and we wanna download them but are unable to. Can anyone share some websites that allow us to download them?
There are certain tracks online availble for download called royalty free music and these cover sound effects also.

Lastly, we want to know how to add subtitles to it. I know there are certain softwares that allow me to do that but some need codecs to be able to view, as the video is going to be shown on different laptops, we cannot be installing them onto every one of them. Being a big fan of anime, I seen such things called "hard subbing" (wonder if its the right term) meaning the subtitles are "inside" the clip, there is no need to use codecs or any hj-split stuff. I'd like to know the softwares and how to insert and time the subs corectly.
Subtitling can be done via Avid and just look out for the 'T' icon, usually, that means text. and you can lay out your text on the timeline. by doing so, after your subtitles are laid on the timeline, together with the video and audio, and with the final step of exporting your whole timeline into 1 whole consolidated movie, its already 'hard subbed' as you called it. If you require more hardcore subtitling, i suggest you download this software called Lemony. I think u have to pay a small sum though. but its very effective for subtitling. Normally, we use it for dramas.
Usually, if all the laptops are on a Windows Platform, download Windows Media Encoder from Microsoft's website. its free and it helps you guys to come up with a smaller and friendly size for distribution to everyone in school. a good quality setting would be 640 x 480 (screen size) @ 1.5mpbs - note, this is slightly big, and not email friendly at all. but for copying to laptops for playback , its good enough. Or use Quicktime Pro and try out H.264


Thanks for reading my long essay of questions and answering them

No worries. Do feel free to PM me should you have more questions. Hope i helped.

 

[tommon]

Wow ambitious project for school kids. Secondly, AVID is a tough NLE (non Linear Editing) to use while Win Movie Maker is never going to help you along. Why not ask the school to invest in a easy to use NLE that comes with training. Sony Vegas Suite is one good example.

 

[samvision]

Consider FCP .

Sound professional. But i have taught in primary school kid
to do video with fcp. i must say that they pick up the basic
really fast.

Learning the skill is easy, is the storyboarding ..skill that is
hard for them to pick up.

Cheers

 

[niki]

hi wanjhb,

u should ask ur teacher to get the help from the school TA. they should be available to help u guys since its the school hols now.

 

[ywh]

These are not that tough for students these days! Some of them are actually provided with pretty good systems...one of them do have a fully equipped G5 Mac lab (if I recall correctly).

To the TS,

Help has got to come from somewhere....and getting the answers online will not really help much. My advice will be to approach your teacher and request them for a editing system (a Mac-based Final Cut Studio will be what you want and can fufil your needs with ease). Schools should have allocated budget for media production. Ok lah, this part may be impossible...however....

If your school has taken part in the School Video Awards, then you all should at least have a NLE system and someone who has the ability to guide you through the process. Ask your teacher! Either that or you can PM me your school's name and I will check whether you all have submitted any videos for the SVA next year....

 

[SolBadGuy]

write to a film sch n ask for help! if u can write well enough, n provided u have luck, u might be granted a small time frame to use the facilities available.. i understand tat some schs are quite helpful.. :devil: just be sure the time slots u wanna use do not clash with the sch's students, esp the 3rd yrs.

 

[Chris Lim]

write to a film sch n ask for help! if u can write well enough, n provided u have luck, u might be granted a small time frame to use the facilities available.. i understand tat some schs are quite helpful.. :devil: just be sure the time slots u wanna use do not clash with the sch's students, esp the 3rd yrs.

dream on. it will never happen lah bro. LOL

 

[SnapJaX]

if ur school has a mac laptop that would be great as iMovie is very user-friendly,
Bukit View sec has won awards in the CVA by using them ^^

P.S : i was involved hehe.

Good luck guys. ^^

 

[ywh]

write to a film sch n ask for help! if u can write well enough, n provided u have luck, u might be granted a small time frame to use the facilities available.. i understand tat some schs are quite helpful.. :devil: just be sure the time slots u wanna use do not clash with the sch's students, esp the 3rd yrs.

Haha! Impossible! Having done film studies both local and abroad, I would say that even I as a paid student have difficulties getting the eqpt at times! If this is possible, then all the schools will just go to polytechnics or Tisch to do their shooting and editing.

 

[SolBadGuy]

dream on. it will never happen lah bro. LOL

lol... can try mah.. my sch very helpful at times 1... lol... but i also think a tad impossible. lol..

 

[SolBadGuy]

Haha! Impossible! Having done film studies both local and abroad, I would say that even I as a paid student have difficulties getting the eqpt at times! If this is possible, then all the schools will just go to polytechnics or Tisch to do their shooting and editing.

lol... hmm to book filming equipment.. yes i had that problem... to edit.. so far havent faced tat prob... lol... but i've got 2 more yrs to go.. lol.. but by last yr.. we have priority so.. :devil:

 

[palvin]

hi wanjhb,

u should ask ur teacher to get the help from the school TA. they should be available to help u guys since its the school hols now.

Hey, this is not part of a school TA's job scope!
They are forever so busy already, still wanna "kacau" them with student's work, for free?

 

[palvin]

My teacher got me and a couple of other students to make a video 30 mins long covering the places we have been to in a recent trip to china. We are quite lost how to go around doing it. We have many questions to ask and we hope someone can help to answer them . By the way, "target" audience for the clip is the school and the cluster.

Firstly, we gotta choose the software to use. We have made short clips using Windows Movie Maker but are unsure if we should use it this time because of the length of the clip. I downloaded another software called Avid some time ago but I realised I do not know how to "transfer" the clip from the tape to the clipboard/timeline.

I would like to know if there are other free softwares(we have no money, we're doing this for free) which are good and easy to use. They have to be able to play on windows run computers-- as in, the files in the end should be in avi. wmv. etc formats.

Also, the video camera when given to us came with a CD called Panasonic Motion DV studio 5.6E LE for DV SweetMovieLIfe 1.0E which allows us to "burn" from tape to computer in different portions. I wonder if it would be better to "burn" part by part and paste onto clipboard or to "burn" the whole tape and cut it up. I know there are pros and cons to this, but please state your views.

Secondly, we found some websites containing certain sound effects and we wanna download them but are unable to. Can anyone share some websites that allow us to download them?

Thirdly, we have to cover our 10-11 day trip in an half and hour video, it is sorta impossible to us. Would it be better to completely not show some attractions and focus on the more important ones or to cover a little of everything. Covering a little of everything might be hard and we are afraid that the viewers would not understand the clip at all (we came up with a storyline)

Lastly, we want to know how to add subtitles to it. I know there are certain softwares that allow me to do that but some need codecs to be able to view, as the video is going to be shown on different laptops, we cannot be installing them onto every one of them. Being a big fan of anime, I seen such things called "hard subbing" (wonder if its the right term) meaning the subtitles are "inside" the clip, there is no need to use codecs or any hj-split stuff. I'd like to know the softwares and how to insert and time the subs corectly.

Thanks for reading my long essay of questions and answering them

Hi wanhjb, not sure if i'm late to reply you. But i've done some personal motion picture editing. Hence i might be able to guide you.

I used a Panasonic digital video cam. (Forgot what model cos its a loan set. 3 CCD. Storage is on the DV tape.) I bought myself a Firewire card as my pc don't have. The card cost $35 then, comes with a firewire cable and Ulead Video Studio 7. Its a very user friendly tool.

I used Ulead Video Studio 7 to "download" the clips from the DV cam via a firewire cable. I also used Ulead to edit the movies, they got a story board base and a time-line based. You might consider using Ulead.

As you said you wanted to "squeeze" all the important stuffs into a 30 min clip. Nero Vision express has the ability to "break-up" the sequences of the file. Which means, a big file can be divided into smaller files. So, you can select individual smaller clips instead of a big file with so many unwanted parts.

Also, the video camera when given to us came with a CD called Panasonic Motion DV studio 5.6E LE for DV SweetMovieLIfe 1.0E which allows us to "burn" from tape to computer in different portions. I wonder if it would be better to "burn" part by part and paste onto clipboard or to "burn" the whole tape and cut it up. I know there are pros and cons to this, but please state your views.

IMO, its better to download everything and the edit on your computer.

As for subtitles, using the time-line mode may help?

My knowledge is up to here. Sorry that i can't help much. Good luck for your project!

 

[niki]

Hey, this is not part of a school TA's job scope!
They are forever so busy already, still wanna "kacau" them with student's work, for free?

ooppss.. i mean the school IT guy. forgot the term for them.. normally they work together wif the TA. TA is for the AV equipment.. my bad.. palvin, r u a TA?

 

[palvin]

ooppss.. i mean the school IT guy. forgot the term for them.. normally they work together wif the TA. TA is for the AV equipment.. my bad.. palvin, r u a TA?

I was once a TA but now no more.
I think you're referring to IT Manager, IT Trainer, AV Tech? There are so many terms for IT Support Staffs but the teachers always mixed them up. They don't care who you are as long as you can solve their IT problems asap can already.

Actually the positions mentioned above got their own job scopes. TA only handles MOE rollouts, school purchased IT equipments and their own company's rollout (Eg. HP or NCS). By right they should not handle AV stuffs too.

Sorry for this lenghty reply. Just to let you guys know the job scope of a TA, if you're a teacher. Very jia lat one! Salary also very little. Increment? You won't see the figure jump one. :cry:

 

[niki]

yea..i meant the IT trainer..

 

[tommon]

Video editting is a specialised area, so most IT people will simply as to buy a consumer typed software like Ulead, etc. or even try using freebies like Movie Maker, etc. Anything else will require certain amount of post production knowledge.

So my advise get the concept, scripts & story board done 1st. Then go and see what's in the market that you will find it confortable to use without spending too much time trying to get it right.

 

[wanhjb]

Wow, so many replies. Well for now, the fliming is all done, the subs are prepared (though not inserted into the video yet), we thought the sound quality sucks so we are gonna record it again, right into the mic.

Still dno what software to use, hmm, mac pc, but we dno how to use the software. Tried the capture button and capture more than half the tape (cus halfway no space liao) and it was super long, kinda hard to cut it.

TA to us is teaching assistant, their job is to play with us when the teacher is on leave. The IT guy in school provided us with the stuffs, didn't help more than that.

 

[xray]

Instead of making a 1/2 hour long video, why not make a <10min short? It is more difficult to produce a 1/2 hour long video, and you need a lot of film knowledge to keep the audience interested. For my poly's 2 week trip to China to specially make some documentary shorts, we just made four 5 minute videos (20 min altogether). Quality is always better than quantity.

Your storyline is very important here. Focus on the big points, and be really consise. The audience doesn't need to know how much fun you had there, if it is meant to be educational. Tell people why the place is important, why is it, and some consise facts.

And yah, if your school has a mac, use iMovie (as Snapjax has mentioned). It's better than Windows Media Player, and equally easy to use. As for the sound effects, try not to use them unless they help advance the storyline. They distract, and they are also a mark of unprofessionally made videos.