Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion FoLC Productions Trailer Addicts Recovery Co-dependent E-group

As the newbie in the TARCE group, I wanted to share a few things and ask some questions.

First, can we share what we use for programs?

I capture my video footage using Canopus Storm but do most of my editing on Adobe Premiere 6.5. Since I have Windows 2000 Pro, I can't get the Premiere Pro. Anyone use it? Was it worth the upgrade?

I recently purchased (due to company bought my favorite Dazzle Complete and offered me a big discount) Pinnacle's Studio 9. I haven't used it much but it was very useful in coloring and lightening some of the video footage and also the blue sky at the end of FTGG Trailer was from their stock video footage.

I used Ulead's Cool 3-D to make the Krypton Productions footage but I wasn't very good at it and I couldn't figure out how to make the background transparent.

Anyone else's experiences would be fun to hear!

Hey Trenna!

Well, I have to confess to being the amateur in this little group. I know that Pel has some training in this (or I think she does, anyway) from a general media/communications stand point. And it is apparent from how saavy you are that you surely know what you're doing!!

I jumped on board when Pel said that she'd used Movie Maker to do her first trailer. Since MM came with our new computer, I sat down to give it a try. I had a lot of trouble at first with the videos, so I aquired Adobe Premiere Pro hoping it would be more versatile. And boy, is it ever! In fact, it's so versatile that I haven't even used it since I haven't had the time to play and learn. Looks like that thing could pretty much create Jurassic Park if you had the know-all to do it.

I spent the better part of December learning the best way to convert my DVDs to usable files and am even now still in the process of getting all 88 epis converted. I need to save up and buy an external hard drive to house all of this memory-eating media.

In the meantime, I've been playing with MM and really learning what it can and can't do. Pushing the envelope, so to speak. And I can see a difference from my earliest attempts to the ones I do know. I've learned about transitions and fades and other cool stuff. It's pretty amazing how powerful this little program is considering it's a tack-on.

At some point, I'm hoping to sit down and dig into Premiere. But y'all better hope it takes me a very long time to figure out or I might start posting entire "shows" made from great stories <g>. I keep saying we ought to start a petition to see if Teri and Dean might be willing to do a few scenes for our library.

And speaking of library...that's one thing I was very much interested in doing/starting/finding/co-authoring. Some kind of "log" or "index" that referenced scenes and episodes. Something along the lines of a place to go if I asked the question "Where's a scene of Lois falling from a building" or "when was a time when Clark and Jimmy were walking down the street." Does anyone know of such a log or would anyone be interested in helping me compile one? I think it would be kind of time-intensive. Going through each episode and making notes scene by scene of characters, wardrobe, general action, etc.

Hope to hear some great tips and secrets here!

Lynn

Ooh, can I be an honorary member of TARCE, pretty please? Because when I saw this...

...my compulsive list-maker's heart just began to race with anticipation! Lately I don't have the time to devote to my L&C obsession as it rightly deserves, but I'd love to help...

Kathy

<lol> I wish I could brag all about what great knowledge I have about video editing and such, but to tell you the truth, even if I do have experience with making videos, I know nothing more about editing than the rest of you.

The trailer I made for Masques was my first try at *anything* where I was "behind camera." I've done four music videos/movies/documentaries so far, but since I'm the only girl on our group, I was the obvious choice when we needed a hooker to stand by the subway, a trashy talk show host with a cleavage or someone who could ride a horse. Bottom line, so far I'm the actor, not the director or editor.

I'm finally directing the short film we're making now though , but that's my first try.

Anyway, like Lynn here, I'm using Windows Movie Maker 2 as well. I absolutely *love* the program - the whole concept, it's so easy! - but I'd also want to have another program with more options, more effects and transitions etc..

I even thought about buying, but I can't afford it yet anyway, so in the meantime I'll stick with WMM.

Pelican

ps: Great idea about that "library", Lynn!

I've far from a professional here but I've been messing around with DVDs and video editing for a couple of years. I didn't really learn Premiere until I needed it for Lois and Clark music videos. It was a terrific motivator.

I agree with your idea of a list, Lynn. I have 2 1/2 seasons of MPG files with just scenes with Lois and Clark by episode. They don't work for using for video because the quality is degraded but I can quick look to them to identify what episode something is in.

I think a list and someone (or someones ) who know the scenes well would be great. Just looking at the caption competitions and phrases over on the Lois and Clark board, there are obviously many who can help in this department

Where I get stuck is the suitable songs. How do you find songs on amazon (or Winmx) by subject..not title or artist

Hope more FoLCs join us here!

Well, there's a good place to start -- go to the L&C section and make a game of it... "Name all the episodes where Lois falls off a building" "all the ones with shirtless Clark" "all the ones with Clark *not* in glasses" etc... whatever you need. People enjoy showing off, I mean, sharing their knowledge

PJ

Oh, Trenna, I'm sure that if you ask here, the song-mongers among us will be more than delighted to give you plenty of suggestions.

Kaethel

Good idea, Kaethel. In the meantime, TARCERS I've started a thread on the Lois and Clark boards and its been very productive for me so far

Any scenes you'd like researched

Okay, I know I've been in semi-lurker status lately, but this thread was enough to pull me out, even if it's just a little bit. I got a program called Roxio VideoWave 5 for free at one of those get-up-at-3-am-and-stand-in-line-the-day-after-Thanksgiving sales and I made my first music video on that. Then about a month ago I got a laptop as a graduation gift from my parents, and it came with WMM. That program is SO much easier to use, so I've been having a field day with videos lately.

My new obsession is a WB show called One Tree Hill and there are a few websites where I can download clips of the show, so it was easy to start there. (Shameless plug: you can view my videos here ) I have yet to figure out how to capture video from my VCR in a high enough quality for my satisfaction, so downloading the clips is my only option for now.

That means that I have no way of making Lois and Clark music videos because I don't have access to high quality clips. I've tried downloading them off WinMx and Kazaa, but I've never been successful, and frankly I'm tired of trying. I have a number of ideas for music videos and trailers, but due to the lack of clips, I haven't been able to make any of them.

I guess the point of this post is that it is an SOS. Is there anyone who would be willing to send clips to me over AIM, MSN messanger, or IRC? I've found that my computer handles file transfers over AIM the best, but MSN or IRC would work too.

My muse would really love to get some of these ideas out of my head and into digital format. If any of you could help out, shoot me an email or reply here. I'd be forever grateful!

~Anna

Anna,

a video file of even a short scene can be very big when in .avi format. Compression is what makes the quality not so good. For instance, the scene with Lois rejecting Clark in the part in BatP is .5 Gigabyte.

My advice is to get an inexpensive video capture device such as the table top ones from Pinnacle Systems, etc and put the scenes you want on your computer. The quality may not be topnotch but when you make a WMV file from it, it will lose quality anyway.

We are not yet up to where a top quality file can be sent over the internet without way to much bandwidth involved.

Trenna,

I'm not really talking about super high quality like an avi file. I'm just talking about something that doesn't drop frames throughout the video, or look fuzzy. The clips I use for One Tree Hill are mpeg format. They're pretty big, but not so big that they can't be transfered over AIM, and they quality is pleanty good enough to work with.

My dad has an internal capture device (I can't remember what it's called, but I think it's a Pinnacle), but it drops frames during capture and the picture is fuzzy. I also bought a Dazzle because I thought I remembered hearing that that's what you used, but I can't seem to get it to work with my laptop. I can get sound, but no picture.

Sas has a few eps she's going to send to me... we're on AIM now, and it seems to be working smoothly... /me crosses her fingers

~Anna

Anna,

Any particular episodes you are looking for?

I can snail mail you a CD with MPG files for many of the episodes if that would help?

Or if you can read DVD data files, I can include all on the same CD

Let me know what episodes you want and your mail address.

Trenna

Yeah, this just figures. For the longest time I didn't say anything about me making music videos because I thought if I just tinkered with it enough, I would figure out how to get my capture equipment to work. Then when I saw this thread, I basically gave up and put out that SOS. Of course, the very next time I tinkered with that stuff, I figured it out. I'm getting picture and sound, and the quality is great!

Long story short: I can now capture video. The possiblities are endless! Yay!!

Thanks to Sas and Trenna for your help! Now I'm off to the LnC forum to ask for some help with finding clips...

~Anna