Carlton Rahmani
Forum Replies Created
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Hi John,
I left the properties of the original projects mostly at their default settings, and have previously (and since) been able to render full versions of the videos as AVIs and mpeg2s with all the audio intact.
To try and resolve this issue–or at least experiment around and see what was going on–I tried changing the project from stereo to surround, while also increasing the number of busses. I have to be frank and I’m not exactly sure what the deal with busses is/are–posting here is one of the ways I was hoping to learn a little more about how to deal with things, since I’ve already rendered out a .WAV of the audio for the new project–only that I know for sure that the audio is all controlled by the master volume, and comes with the rendered project, etc.I also tried changing the order of the audio tracks, just in case that had anything to do with it. (The audio–even the ‘nats’–are on a few separate tracks. It is all included except for the music.) No change, however.
. . .meh?
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Thanks for the info. The PD150 is my introduction to manual video recording–my previous video cameras were strictly consumer–so I’m having a lot of fun experimenting with it. Nice to hear that in working with it, at least I’m getting something right, as composition hasn’t been an issue.
Nonetheless, I would assume that the data displayed on the mini-LCD would be a little more consistent with what’s being printed to tape–meaning that resolutions that exist there would also be in the final product. It’s probably something I’m doing wrong, or a lot of things. Okay. . .cool. -
There are stylistic, financial, experimental, and perhaps even ‘spiritual’ reasons I’ve decided to try this out. And my question was posed, mostly, to anyone who has experience with Ultra16mm, or even super16, particularly when it came to effects and action. Period. Admitting that I’m not a cinematographer–out of deference to the craft at its highest form; any idiot with a camera and some lenses can say call themselves a ‘cinematographer–has nothing to do with it. I’ve DONE about as much research as I have time or resources for (evidenced by the futility of posting here), and know enough of what I’m talking about to not be dissuaded by a few words of someone who otherwise has no interest in MY project.
I didn’t want to leave my choice of format up for debate–again, I was only looking for some actual information, not opinion–because no matter WHAT I put, someone’s always going to say, essentially, “That’s a stupid idea, you should try *this*. . .” Seriously, I could put the same question up, though talking about Super16mm, and someone would chime in about using REDs–because only an IDIOT would use film these days, and you can get even greater resolution and a more convenient workflow sticking to all digital.It is not ‘ruining a perfectly good camera’ when all you do is shave off a little from the film gate. Firstly, these are older cameras that no one uses, unless they’re film students wanting to do something ‘artsy/authentic’. Secondly, the 4×3 aspect ratio is basically extinct; and even if I get that an ugly image bleeding out past where it should be, all I have to do–like you all said–is crop it.
Richard, I’ve checked out your stuff, and have to say you are not the person to tell ANYONE they don’t know what they’re doing. I guess you gotta bend your neck back pretty hard in order to look down your nose at people from where you’re at.
The only reason why I’m bothering to reply to any of this–I guess it was pretty foolish of me to think I could get any real input–is so no one unfortunate enough to come across this threat thinks that one can be reasonably cowed into not standing by their vision only because a couple of equally unremarkable persons said they should. There’s no good to try and convince otherwise.
I don’t intend any of this for you Andrew. Like you, I’m looking forward to seeing the end result. As an example, here’s a cool colorreel I find to be inspiring:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ceruleanfx
Moderators: If my tone is unsavory, feel free to kick me off the forum. I doubt I’m going to post here again, anyhow.
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While there risks being a ‘religious’ aspect to the ‘debate’ I nonetheless think it would be good to have the various NLEs–their strengths and weakness, compared–discussed by the people who use them, and have the knowledge and experience to back up their claims. I went and examined the links provided again–I’ve gone through them before–but they only say so much.
I’m somewhat reassured by what people put here, in addition to my own research and work. But keeping the matter in the Sony Vegas forum feels rather insular, which is counter-productive when what I’m looking for–what I think people would benefit from–is an actual comparison. Otherwise, it risks just being a self-validation which I’m not keen on because I WANT to learn Avid and FCP.
Or, to use the ‘religious’ analogy. . .it’s easy for people to feel comfortable about their righteousness when everyone else in the pews is chiming Halleluah! along with them; it’s another thing when they find themselves out in the world.
Personally, I would like to see some myths dispelled. -
Thanks Douglas. . .and I’m a big fan of your work (I was just thinking, today, how I should bust into my Vegas Training DVD I got from you). Ironic, too, that you brought up how FCX is a lot like Vegas since one of the things that prompted me to start these threads are some of the negative remarks coming from an Adobe and FCP-certified trainer I recently encountered (we use Premiere at my job). FCX is so different from previous versions that she’s going to have to get recertified if she wants to teach. Nonetheless–and I really can’t say anything good about her otherwise–she talked crap about Vegas.
BUT, I wish you guys had answered in the original thread I gave the link to. I think a good way to find answers is to have a rigorous debate. -
Thanks John. . .by ‘uncompressed’, do you mean something like an AVI? That almost sounds TOO easy. I was thinking about, perhaps, motion JPEG, or even exporting one at a time as TIFFs. . .
Like I said, this is just hypothetical. . .tentative at best (planning, in theory). Put it up, here, because I don’t want to bother around with those HIFI transfer labs who got more important clients to deal with.
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I’m a big Vegas fan–versions 7, 9, & 10, which I only got because it uses the GPU; I don’t care for 3D myself–and personally aspire to one day break the FCP/Avid panopoly on cinema using Vegas (but that’s another story). But something quick I want to chime in on, here, is not recently I checked in on one of Sony’s media websites for curiosity’s sake. Basically I wanted to see if ANYTHING media created by Sony uses Sony Vegas. Only position I saw looking for an editor–something with commercials or something–required FCP.
Now, I’m not one to say that corporate mentality HAS to be incestuous, but. . .man!
That is all. . . -
I’m relatively new–only a few years in–to the field, but your questions are pretty relevant to anyone whose curious. Here’s my two-cents:
How do you manage your speed
I work in broadcasting, where speed/output trumps artistic merit (though I still love it when it all comes together); and it doesn’t matter how big or small my load is–it all has to be done on time.
Something I do which I think would make every other editor cringe is that I do just about all my trimming on the timeline–I put the whole segment of raw video down–using the trimmer window as only a space to preview the raw footage to see if there’s anything I want to use. Keeping usable footage on the time line gives me a handy and accessible scratch bin nearby, rather than having to re-sort and review all over again.
It might look messy as a dumpster, but it’s the final outputted project, not the timeline visuals, that count.
Also, at the beginning of the work day, I warm myself up with the easiest segments on the list, or what I feel is the least challenging part; that way I’m still accomplishing something off the to do list without overwhelming myself at the beginning. Then when I get my rhythm going, I go for the headier stuff. It feels less like ‘work’ this way. (The nice thing about non-linear editing is you don’t have to do things chronological order.)
Aside from that, I almost never allow myself to stress out on the job. Having a sense of urgency is one thing, but stress will interfere with your ability to perform.How do you avoid distractions?
Geez. . .are you serious? You know you’re having time management issues (as evidenced by your first question), but you’re nagging around the net when you’re supposed to by on the job? Are you seventeen? I got all sorts of social media I’m on, but to have this be an issue–AT WORK/while at task–is something else altogether. In all honesty, I know you’re not the only one who falls for this; I got fellow staffers who are always running late b/c of this kind of thing. So kudos on your courage for admitting this.
More seriously, my best advice (again) is to start with the easier stuff. . .that way you won’t get to feeling so daunted that you’ll want something to distract you.
(Breaks are necessary, but not frequently so. Two to three a shift is about what’s needed to walk around, chat, smoke, etc.)Multi-tasking:
Keep notes–pen on paper (or even on hand)–of what you need. I’ve found that just the act–the time and ‘effort’–of writing something down help etch the matter in my mind, even if I don’t need to refer to the note afterward.
Honestly, I feel kind of rebellious against this term. There’s been more than a few studies that reveal that multitasking is actually conterproductive in the amount of time (and materials) that is wasted on botched jobs due to not staying on task. Working previously as a chef–where you can have up to six items on the range, three items in the oven, two in hand, and one proofing in the back–I’m used to this kind of thing. But I also know that any boss who’s looking for a ‘multitasker’ is likely an idiot who knows how to manage only through the use of cliches. Learn to manage your time, and try and keep to two or three tasks at a time, and you’ll do just fine.How do you explain to your boss the time wasted on technical problems and computer freezing and conversion problems…
You’ve kind of already answered your own question by stating it: You know you can expect technical errors along the way, factor that in your work day. I plan for 5% to 10% of my time at work to be wasted dealing with crashing computers, printing errors, and so on. . .particularly when it comes to crunch time. (Murphy’s Law, baby.) There’s a great proverb which goes: It’s a poor musician who blames his instrument. I take that to heart, and try no to make excuses, and accept my own blame. Otherwise, if it all falls apart, I just tell them: It all broke down.
Are you ever satisfied with the final edit
Yes and no. I can nitpick my own stuff over and over again, wasting hours to ‘perfect’ a few microseconds worth of work, when you’re already finished. Get objective about what you’re doing: if you were some ordinary joe seeing this for the first time, would you notice what’s presently ailing you? If your answer is Yes, then fix it. Otherwise, leave it alone, see how the whole thing gets you, and try and keep it in mind for future work.
To say ‘If you like it (as a whole), just leave it alone,’ might sound sort of haphazard and even amateurish, I’m also using this in reference to the whole “For artists, a work is never really finished, only finally abandoned at some point” thing. The only time I ever heard that was George Lucas, ca. 1995, when he was talking about Why he was working on the Special Edition of the Star Wars Trilogy. And many of us know how that worked out–seriously, you want to put in a song and dance number? God bless him.What do you do when your taste is “simplicity”
I’m going with the assumption that by ‘simplicity’ you mean simply cutting from one clip to another, with nothing elaborate than a simple fade for a transition. From what I’ve seen these days, about the only field where simple cuts are utilized is cinema, and perhaps the kind of videos they show you during your orientation at Burger King. Other than that, understand that the technology we’re using today all but demands that editors do more than ‘cut’ footage, since the tactile demands of editors of yore–actually having to cut and splice film, while also having to worry about destroying material in the process–makes ‘simplicity’ an anachronism these days. Personally, I’ve never had a producer tell me that they want me to use flashy effects and what not–I have used these in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, previously–but you have to understand that as long as you’re working for someone else, you gotta do what they tell you. No one’s saying you can’t abide by your preferences if you edit your own stuff on your own time.
But don’t be afraid to experiment, since this is a way you can get more technically proficient at what you’re doing. For inspiration, I love to check out the Discovery Investigation channel. They got the cheesiest stuff going on there!How to become more technical, what to read, what softwares to use?
Meh. . .this issue is still vexing to me. I go check out catalogs, read forums, go online and check out product demonstrations and tutorials, to see if there’s any reason WHY I should want to spend my time/money getting any deeper into anything made by Autodesk, Boris, Adobe, etc.
So far I’ve come to a few conclusions:
1) That unless I see any need (at the time) for said product/technique, I won’t bother myself with it, right then.
2) That as soon as you determine you need Just This One Thing to make it right(!), you soon realize that you’re going to need a few other peripheries to actually make it ‘work’.
–and–
3) That years and years of complete crap has been produced using the finest materials the industry has to offer.
But if you just want to dabble around, a lot of software companies have trial versions you can download and use for a couple of weeks or so. . .and for a lot of things that you can buy, it’s almost guaranteed that someone’s made a freeware-type available.
However, the argument ‘I’m more of creative-type’ is a cop-out if you ask me. Every real artist knows what type or even brand of *thing* they like to use, and can give an explanation as to Why. Musicians, painters, photographers, you name it. . .they can work with anything, but they know what they like. If you got a passion for something, you’ll also have a curiosity that will lead you to check out new things.Motion graphics …
I share your pain. I hate motion graphics, and the fact that most people employers are looking for *AfterEffects Gurus* when searching for editors. Not that it’s done me any good–because I still don’t know crap, and haven’t felt the need to push myself to learn–but I’ve at least stymied some of my resentment and indignation on the matter by making myself learn to appreciate the fact that there’s a place for graphic design. We all have that one poster, cereal box, logo (and even font), and so on that has caught our eye and evokes something in us. . .So there’s its merit. Yes, most of the stuff done these days is cheesy, but motion graphics existed LONG before Adobe and computers.
Technically, the Warner-Brothers logo zooming up at the beginning of old Looney Tunes can count as ‘motion graphics’–not to mention the Star Wars scroll and so on. . .
The job of an artist is to wrestle an emotion (and sometimes though) from the viewer. If it works right, motion graphics can achieve this.
Aside from all this, I’m mostly grateful I got a job where the graphics department is a long walk away from the editing bays.Where can I ask my silly questions about editing without being judged? like ..
I think you don’t have to worry about that. . .I think your question about how to get off facebook so you can work is about the silliest question I’ve seen in a while. Otherwise, don’t worry about it; or preface your questions with something like: “I know this is going to sound stupid, but. . .”
Otherwise, don’t worry about it. The only reason why someone might (or should) resent a noob question is that it’s reflective of someone who obviously hasn’t done enough work or research on their own. Then again, What’s the point of having forums?
Personally, the only reason why I hesitate to ask stupid questions is because I don’t want a potential employer/client googling my name only to see I got a slew of stupid questions, and for this reason I’ve CONSIDERED opening accounts on forums under a pseudonym. Other than that, know that probably no one knows everything pertinent to their field, and are ignorant of at least one really simple matter. . .and that the answers that people stick dogmatically to are typically just something arbitrary, and they don’t really know why.HOW CAN I BECOME A BETTER EDITOR?
This might seem a little Zen or something taken from the Tao, but as soon as you figure out how to answer that question, you’ll be a better editor.
I’m saying this because, ultimately, it’s the editor’s job to take all the raw material from whatever sources they have available and tweak and distill it and put it in sequence that makes sense. So, when you find out what you need to know and why–dismissing all the superfluous all the stuff you don’t need, or can be cached for later use–you’ll become a better editor.
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I had Sony Vegas 7 running on my old XP (32-bit) laptop, which had only 2Gb of RAM. When I tried installing it on my new Windows 7 laptop, didn’t run–driver issues–and didn’t think it would.
I know Vegas 9 is available 32 and 62-bit versions, maybe 8 is also. If he’s just learning, and likes Vegas, maybe you could recommend he tries out the ‘Platinum’ version, which he can get new for a fraction of Pro’s price. Not all the bells and whistles, but, from my own perspective, a consumer NLE is a great way to get your feet wet.
Hope this helps. -
I’m using CS5. I’ll try what you recommended, only that the program doesn’t seem to like taking cues to ‘find’ the stuff once I tell it to. (Or so it seems that way.)