| Getting the most out of your digital video camera | | | | business. You can record any length of video you |
| can mean being able to create some really cool | | | | want (subject to the limitations of your tape |
| stuff. You just have to step outside the manual a | | | | length) and then import it into your editing |
| bit and find the cool things you can do with your | | | | program. |
| digital video camera and your editing software. | | | | Sidebar: |
| We have all seen them in a movie or a TV show, | | | | I use Adobe Premiere Pro for my editing jobs, |
| those very cool shots where they speed up time | | | | but I have also used Avid DV Express, Final Cut |
| and capture a long segment of time and | | | | Pro, and others in the non linear editing world. |
| condense it into a very short amount of video. | | | | These are all great programs and are very |
| My very favorite example of this technique was | | | | powerful products that can create some very |
| an arty movie of many years ago that was called | | | | professional looking videos. You don't have to |
| Koyaanisqatsi. (view trailer) In that movie they | | | | have these products to create your own videos |
| had some very interesting segments where they | | | | but if you are serious about digital video editing it |
| did time lapse effects to show driving on a bridge, | | | | might be a good idea to take a look at these |
| flowers growing, clouds flying by and so on. | | | | options. |
| Another example is many of the TV news | | | | I digitize my raw video of the scene I am doing |
| stations nowadays have a camera that captures | | | | time lapse on into my computer (big hard drive, |
| the day's weather and then they process it down | | | | video eats up GB's of space) and then import the |
| to a 20 second clip to show the clouds and | | | | clip into my time line. From th3e timeline you can |
| weather racing by on screen. | | | | then select the clip with a right click. From there |
| Well this technique is not just a tool in the hands | | | | you will be given a menu with options depending |
| of the movie makers or the big TV stations. You | | | | on the software you use. Select the option that |
| can do this with your digital video camera gear | | | | says "duration", "speed" or something similar. |
| too. I will go into two ways that you can | | | | Change the speed of the clip so that time will |
| accomplish this effect and get some cool results | | | | speed up considerably. If you have an hour of |
| for your next video project. This one is worth | | | | video in the clip and want to shorten it to 2 -5 |
| playing around with in order to find the right | | | | minutes then you need to increase the speed of |
| settings to get the most dramatic effect. | | | | the clip to 3 or 4 thousand percent of normal. |
| Technique number one is to use the camera itself | | | | This will require your software to render the clip |
| to do the time lapse recording for you. Almost all | | | | at the higher speed and may take some time top |
| digital video cameras have the ability to do an | | | | process depending on the speed of your |
| interval recording. What this means in a nutshell is | | | | computer. |
| that you tell the camera how long you want to | | | | Once you have rendered the video clip at the |
| record for and how long in between recordings | | | | new speed you will want to play it to see if the |
| and it will go on autopilot for you for as long as | | | | movie flows evenly or if you will want to readjust |
| the battery lasts or the tape runs out. This is | | | | the speed setting to make it better. Sometimes |
| what those cameras at the convenience store do, | | | | you may want to shorten your raw video and |
| they record a few seconds of motion every | | | | adjust the speed down somewhat in order to get |
| 30-60 seconds giving the overall view of the | | | | a smooth flow of action. Once you have rendered |
| traffic in the store over time. | | | | the clip at the new speed you can now cut and |
| Now if you want to capture some time lapse in | | | | splice it as you see fit with the speeded up action |
| your digital video camera you will need to get into | | | | intact. There are some things you will record that |
| your cameras menu and find Interval Recording | | | | might only need a slight speed change, take for |
| (or in my case Int Rec, as I use a Sony PD 150 | | | | instance some digital video of your kids playing |
| for my camera) When you select this option you | | | | sports. Double or triple the speed of the clip and |
| will decide how long of an interval between shots | | | | show it to them and you might have them rolling |
| you want and how long to record each time. If | | | | on the floor. |
| you are trying to capture something that takes a | | | | You can also use these techniques to capture the |
| long time to occur and in which not much happens | | | | growth of a flower or plant over the course of |
| quickly you will want to set the interval at around | | | | days or weeks. Simply set you camera in exactly |
| a minute and the record time as short as possible | | | | the same place at the same time each day and |
| on your camera. An example would be if you | | | | record an interval that works each day fro |
| wanted to record a day in the life of a flower or | | | | however long you want to document. May be |
| the clouds rolling by in the sky. Suppose however | | | | you get the seedling just breaking soil and follow it |
| that you want to capture an event that has lots | | | | all the way through turning into a full grown plant. |
| of action and occurs over a much shorter time | | | | Another interesting idea is to capture the path of |
| frame. Then you would want to shorten the | | | | the moon across the night sky. Set up your |
| interval between recordings and increase the time | | | | camera on a tripod in a spot that can see the |
| of each recording. So in this case you might | | | | path of the moon for several hours. Set the |
| record every 15-30 seconds and record up to 2-3 | | | | camera to interval record and put the moon on |
| seconds of video each time. | | | | one side of the frame so that it will pass across |
| I used this technique to capture an afternoon of | | | | the frame as the night passes. This one may |
| work being done by a team of carpenters on my | | | | require some testing in order to get the exposure |
| house remodeling project. The result was a flurry | | | | and framing right as well as the right interval to |
| of activity as workers raced hither and yon nailing | | | | record at. Most likely you would want to set the |
| boards, carrying equipment and building walls. I | | | | interval as long as you can and the record time |
| have added it to my photo collection of the | | | | as short as you can but do a test run first to see |
| project. (Hey I had to live through the project so | | | | what works. |
| I might as well have a great record of it for | | | | I can't stress enough that using your digital video |
| posterity!) | | | | camera can be great fun and you can achieve |
| Now suppose you have one of the great | | | | some cool results. Play around and test. You just |
| software video editing packages on your | | | | might find yourself creating some very creative |
| computer to work with your digital video camera. | | | | digital video to share with the rest of the world. |
| Now you can do it in post as they say in the | | | | |