Video for Sedstar's "Forgotten Guitar"

[gecko zzed]

A little while ago, Sedstar posted an instrumental called "Forgotten Guitar".

A few days ago I put together a video, taken (mostly) from a camera onboard an radio-controlled boat, and composed some music to go with it.

However, I didn't like the connection between music and video at all. Rather than toss the whole thing out, I remembered Sedstar's instrumental, and it seemed just the right thing to go with the vision.

In case you are interested:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=DPpfuCYTc2U&fmt=18

[SEDstar]

wow, thanks Geck...

"I'm not worthy" (waynes world, lol)

Now I just gotta figure out how to get something I made on a hunting video... a lot of hunting videos seem like they will use anything for music...

[stevieb]

I will agree, the music seems to go well with the vid, but I have two issues with the video:

1. The bow of the rc boat being visable on screen is a MAJOR distraction, and

2. You switch from scene to scene way too quickly. Before anything starts to happen (closer view of the sailboat, crossing under a bridge, etc.) you have switched to another view.

[Whatmysay]

Should we ask Dragon to start a music video category?

I like your stuff Gecko!

Are you using Premier?

[up-fiddler]

...of you guys that are doing video. I am just an old sound guy and simply can't comprehend how it is all done. I need to get a start somewhere and get busy with this portion of the art. I simply don't know how to get started. Great work.

[mikeh]

I too respect people who have developed some skill on the video end. Like up-fiddler, I'm a dinosaur who has never developed any real apptitude on the video end. I'm still trying to reach satisfaction with jm audio efforts

[gecko zzed]

I appreciate the complementary remarks on my videos.

Up until a handful of years ago, I too was a video dinosour. Just before I retired from normal (i.e. non-musical) employment, the place was celebrating its centenary. Each office was asked to do a feature about the office on video. Our office called for volunteers. No one did, so I said I'd have a go, knowing nothing about video.

I found someone who knew how to work a camera (I didn't), and got them to accompany me while I found things to take clips of.

I figured out how to upload this onto a PC, and then used Moviemaker to edit and assemble a ten minute video.

From that moment I was hooked. When I retired I treated myself to a reasonable camera, and started experimenting. My main interest has been in music videos, and it was fun and exciting learning more about video techniques.

I've loaded about 30 or so videos to YouTube, of very degrees of success, in the nearly three years I've been retired.

I tried various applications for editing. I started with Moviemaker, which is a damn fine program . . . but it kept crashing on my newer machine. I bought Ulead's VideoStudio 11, which wasn't the best purchase. It's okay for straightforward things, but is clunky and trying more complex things. I then discovered Vegas (someone gave me a copy of an old version), which is, as far as I am concerned, sensational. So I bought Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, which does everything I need. At times I discover some limitations (for example, only four each of audio and video tracks, where the earlier Vegas had unlimited tracks). However, I usually manage to get around this ok. If anyone has used Reaper, then they will immediately be familiar with Vegas, because they are extremely close in how they operate.

I've had a look at Premier, but like other Adobe products, I find it difficult to get my head around it.

I'll just briefly respond to Stevie B.
1 I was always ambivalent about the bow of the RC boat being visible, and I often crop to remove as much as possible. But I've always left a bit there as a point of reference. I would like to try it being absent without resorting to cropping, but the camera position is such that I can't do it with this particular boat. (But I am building another!).

2 I agree that there are scene shifts that are too quick. Sometimes this is because there isn't enough footage. For example, in closing in on the yacht, the RC boat veers away just when you want to get a bit closer. (The reason is because I'm on shore, about 50 yards away, trying to judge its proximity to the yacht, and not doing a good job of it.) So I had to cut away there . . . there wasn't anything else worth looking at. At other times, I was striving for effect, but that effect was diminished by the inexactness of the clips (for example, the boat went under the jetty about three times, and I wanted to get a kind of deja vu thing happening . . . but it didn't quite work).

[Whatmysay]

I attached a doc I developed for a recent workshop I led for educators in my school.

I have been in film and video production of and on for 20 years. I have taught video production for the last 10 years in secondary schools. I have worked in all mediums with all sorts of equipment. The digital age has made film making accessible to all, in the same way Midi brought music to all.

My only tip is care more about what the image looks like through the view finder (or screen) before you hit record. Get a tripod with a universal head and a spirit level and edit out your 'zooms' (particular digital ones) and you will improve your videos by a 200%

I have just bought this camera primary for my daughters to use but hear Flip cameras are now very popular. Nice article here on Flip and small cameras of the same ilk.

Always happy to help if people have questions, just PM, but there are probably more video on YouTube that will give you quicker and better answers.

Burt