[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Actually I have noticed a precipitous DROP in the number of posts on the Forums I frequent on the COW (including this one).

Audio Professionals forum has virtually evaporated.

Even Event Videographers and Broadcast Video sections are mostly vacant.

I’m not sure where everyone has gone, but it can’t be good for the operators of the COW.

And what’s with the “COW MAGAZINE”?
I can’t believe someone needs (another) tech rag when everything I need to know is available (and more up-to-date) on line.

Sorry, Kathlyn and Ron, but when I saw you were going the “pulp and ink route” I knew something wierd must be happening to the on-line COW.

I hope I’m wrong, but the pasture seems to be thinning.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Better to set the PLAYER to downconvert and send down the FW already as SD so FCP doesn’t have to do it later.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

[Mark Suszko] “”The Kid Stays In The Picture” is also rollicking good storytelling; watch the first ten minutes and you will HAVE to see the whole thing thru.”

I’d forgotten about that film (and missed it in the theater).

I’ll try to get it this week.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Look here:

https://www.macworld.com/2004/03/reviews/ajaio/index.php

https://www.canopus.com/products/videoconversion.php

And there are many more.

Many editors here say to stay away from the “Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge”.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

I’m not sure that you mean the kind of anmation Dave LaRonde posted about.
Although its very good, it is not necessarilly a “series of stills”, but ONE still, either “panned/zoomed” or “re-layered” in Photoshop (lots of painstaking “filling-in” of blank spaces) and each LAYER is then “panned/zoomed” at a different rate.

Since video and film are ALL a “series of stills” then I think you might need to be more specific about what you are looking for.

Conventional “cel animation” cartoons are a series of stills, of course.

I’m also thinking of a “still camera” locked on a tripod and taking a series of stills as a person moves in front of the lens. Then, those photos could be arranged in order on a timelind and “played” as an animation.
In the same manner, “claymation” is a series of stills (shot one exposure at a time) and then played in order on a film or tape.

So, if you can be more specifc as to what you want the students to create, that whould help us answer more specifically.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Check out the popular Belle Nuit subtitling package
https://www.belle-nuit.com/subtitler/

And there is a VERY INEXPENSIVE ($10 !!) subtitle plug-in from Digital-Heaven
https://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/indexflash.htm

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Beta/BetaSP does not use FW. It is an analog format.

If you shoot and edit in DV, just output from FCP back to your camcorder via FW and take/ship that DV tape to a production/dubbing house and pay them to transfer it to BetaSP.

That will save you MUCH $$ and hassle.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

A “LINE” input is not suitable for a microphone (which is many thousands of time “softer” than a “line” source.

You either need to:

a) plug the mic into a MIXER that has a line-level output that matches the computer’s input level, or

b) plug the mic into a camcorder and capture via the FW from that camcorder, or

c) plug the mic into a Griffin iMic (or similar device) that converts the mic input to USB and capture via a USB port.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Just duplicate the same footage on two video layers, one on top of the other.
Adjust one with the Color Corrector to make it darker.
Crop it (use a soft edge) so only the top half (or so) is visible over the lower (unretouched) footage.

Make adjustments until it looks “right”.

Render.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Are you attempting to use mp3 audio files?
FCP is not compatible with mp3’s.

As to the lack of “scrub” audio, look under the “View” menu and see if audio scrubbing is selected.