Skelmersdale Prize Band in Southport Botanic Gardens.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

This show has been a test bed to try to hone my video skills in PTE. The original videos were shot using a monopod so contain some jerky actions. The video clips have been trimmed & optomised in PTE,video sound edited in Video Pad, background music recorded with an Olympus LS10 & edited in Audacity. It's not perfect but better than I could acheive last month.

Mechanics, it's on Youtube so doesn't need downloading. according to Youtube it's a 102/112MB clip, the exe file is 150MB. Cameras Panasonic FZ150 & Nikon D90, it's just over 5 minutes, 3 video clips, 22 slides. By the way, the ice cream kiosk does lean to the left, but not as much as it looks in the video's, it's been straightened in the close up still.

Yachtsman1

link removed by author, PM me if you want the link.

PS Scouse translation available if required.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Thanks Tom

I made so many alterations I got fed up hearing the same tune, so I let it go as it is. The moral is, you can't make a good video from a mediocre one, get it right first time or throw it in the trash.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

BTW YT pulled me over some previous uploads, they didn't delete them just advised me, so I've deleted them.

[David Porter]

Hi Eric,

As you know I am not a great fan of mixing video and stills but your band show could work if you used the stills as "cut away" shots between video shots, perhaps like this storyboard:=

1) Video Wide shot of band

2) Still shot of park

3) Video close up conductor

4) Still shot person in desk chair

5) Close up of Trumpeter

6) Still shot children playing

7) Video Tuba player

8) Still shot General spectators

9) Video close up trombone with gentle zoom out to show that section

etc, etc.

You, of course, keep the camcorder going to record the music but the hurried pans, zooms etc will be cut out and covered by the still shots. It needs planning ahead and a "storyboard" will help a lot. I hope this helps and if so look forward to the next time the band is in the park.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Mick

I'm sorry but what you are suggesting is a mammoth task, unless you've tried to do what you suggest you probably wouldn't know.

First off, to keep the camera running would produce a mammoth file, possibly in excess of the cards capacity, (mine's 16 GB).

Secondly you'll have to strip off the sound from the video, which in my experience would need some expenditure purchasing software, (the freebies are for limited use).

Thirdly, trying to match the video action to the revised edited sound track is damn near impossible without specialist equipment.

Fourthly, if I have understood what you said about zooming, using PTE's zoom as opposed to the camera's would mean the shot would probably be out of focus when zoomed in, particularly a close up.

Finally, you mentioned a camcorder, this show was done using a bridge camera, with a few shots from my wife's D40, which is not a dedicated camcorder & has primitive controls for the zoom & video actuation.

I now have a video head for my tripod & a windgag for my sound recorder & intend to record the sound via the Olympus recorder, connected to the camera so will have a continuous sound track which will be a reasonable size & easily edited in Audacity. This will continue recording sound whan the camera is paused. Hopefully I can then produce something better than you have seen.

BTW when uploading PTE shows to Youtube, the quality is degraded, particularly the fades between shots which appear as pixelated transitions, nothing like the originals, which tends to make them unconnected, if you saw my Media City show, there were a number of fades & quick transition which spoiled the effect of the original.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[David Porter]

Hi Eric,

Please try to be a bit opened minded about this.

Certainly I am not an expert but I have done a lot of video work in the past and my Pinnacle software (£95) confortably uploaded 60 minutes of video, processed it and downloaded 15 minutes of it quite confortably even though it took a bit of time (but not HD at that time but perfectly acceptable to watch on large screen TV). You could also strip out the audio.

Anyway I am not suggesting that you video the whole show - just one tune or maybe two, say five minutes at the most which should be just right for an A/V and should not be much more than 2gb. You also miss the point about pans and zooms. the idea is that you edit these out as they are likely to be jerky and replace them with the stills. I don't think syncing the sound should also be a problem especially as slight imperfections would bprobably not be noticed.

Tell you what - my wife Canon 1100D has video facility so I'll do a test and let you know how it comes out. give me a day or so.

Best wishes,

Mick

[David Porter]

Hi Eric,

I've done a little demo of how one could use still shots as cut away shots between clips of video. The idea is to hide what can generally be quite ugly camera movements when switching between long, mid and Close up shots whilst not having the problem of syncing the sound. The video is kept running throughout to record the music and the re-sizing of the various shots is done on the fly. The video is then added to one blank slide in O & A and the timing of that slide adjusted to the length of the video the various still shots also added in front of the video. The opacity slider and key frames are then used to bring the stills into and out of the video to suit. Of course it is also possible to edit the video either whilst taking it or later and put each on its own slide and treat as above. Took me about 90mins to record and edit.

I just feel that this gives a reason for mixing still and video rather than just having chunks of each for no particular reason.

Sorry, I can't find how to embed Youtube (help) so here is the link.

Youtube

Ps, if ever this orchestra is in your area I can highly recommend them.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Sorry Mick, but that is a cop out. I can't believe you think what you have produced is better than mine. I think this may be another case of not reading the original post, and comments about swiching off or some such similar remark you made previously. The clue was in the first line of the original post ( This show has been a test bed to try to hone my video skills in PTE. The original videos were shot using a monopod so contain some jerky actions)

From what I saw, all you have done was use a professional broad cast, add a few zooms & stills & present that as your own work, come on Mick get real. If you want to put yourself up as someone who can demonstrate his work is superior to anothers, at least use your own work.

Regards Eric.

Yachtsman1.

[David Porter]

For goodness sake, Eric, it is a demo of the priciples not meant as a proper show. I can't beleive you do not understand that! But as you seem not to be open to any suggestions it is time time give up.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Mick

I know the principles, it's acheiving them with what I have, is the problem. Now I've found Audacity can edit video sound it solves a number of things. However, an email from BT today told me I had used 7.5GB of my 10 GB monthly limit, so it will be next month before I post any more of my shows.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.