Home Moviemaking in the Digital Age
My very first newspaper column- published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 4, 2002! I planned on a Q&A column, but the first one had to be a feature to introduce myself and ask that questions be sent in, which I did in the footer.
Home Moviemaking in the Digital Age
Digital camcorders and a home computer make everyone a movie producer
Digital home entertainment and communication is entering its third decade. The 1980s saw the introduction of the compact disc, which introduced consumers to a new level of audio quality and convenience at an affordable price. The 1990s saw the advent of the internet and the establishment of the DVD as the new standard for home movie viewing. In the 2000s, another exciting new technology has reached an affordable level for consumers: digital video, or DV, camcorders and computer software.
NEW FORMAT, NEW POSSIBILITIES
If you have seen “The Blair Witch Project”, you have seen the new DV format, which was shot and edited completely on DV. Unlike analog VHS and 8mm formats, DV camcorders record a digital signal with over 500 lines of resolution and extremely pure and vivid color. (In comparison, VHS-C is only 240 lines.) DV camcorders can be linked to a home computer to download footage to the hard drive for editing. . Because the information is digital, there is no quality loss throughout the download, editing, and saving process. Using inexpensive software, unwanted footage can be eliminated and clips created and sequenced in any order desired. Special effects and titles are added, and transitions can be placed between scenes and storylines, and music, voiceovers, and sound effects added to the soundtrack. Once the movie is complete, a blank tape is placed in the camcorder, and the computer saves the edited production back to the tape. The camcorder is then connected to a television for playback and viewing. If you have a DVD burner, you can make a DVD for playback at full quality. Computers with CD burners can create a Video CD that will play on most DVD players, though with lower picture quality than a DVD or the original tape. In addition to creating videos for television viewing, you can also create smaller movies in QuickTime or Realmedia formats for emailing and use on websites.
DV FORMATS
Consumer DV camcorders are available from $499 and up. The two dominant consumer formats are Digital 8 and MiniDV. Digital 8 models record a DV signal onto Hi8 or 8mm videotapes. Most Digital 8 camcorders also play conventional analog 8mm and Hi8 tapes, making it a good choice for current users of those formats that want to move up to digital. Currently only Sony and Hitachi manufacture Digital 8 models. MiniDV camcorders use tiny videotape that can record one full hour of video. MiniDV camcorders are made by a wide variety of manufacturers, such as Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon, Samsung, and RCA, among others.
COMPUTER HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
In order to import DV into your computer, you need a Firewire (also called iLink or IEEE1394) connection. Invented by Apple Computer and recipient of an Emmy Award, Firewire technology allows the great amount of digital information coming from the camcorder to be imported into the computer without data loss. All current and most late model Apple computers have Firewire ports, as do many newer Windows PCs. If you do not have a Firewire port on your computer, a DV editing kit can be purchased for as little as $30. These kits typically include a PCI Firewire card that goes in your computer, a Firewire cable to connect the card to your camcorder, and an easy-to-use DV editing program. More expensive kits offering advanced software and other features are also available, but for most users an entry-level kit will offer all the capability they will ever need. Processor and memory requirements vary between kits, so be sure to check the box before you buy. No matter what software you use, there is one computer requirement that is absolutely essential: lots of free hard drive space. One hour of DV will use up over 12GB on your hard drive once it is downloaded. You will need more space available as you edit. If you don’t have enough free hard drive space for a full download, you will have to download and edit in smaller pieces. If you plan on doing a lot of DV editing, consider adding an additional hard drive to store your footage.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS
Apple Computer’s iMovie offers an extremely intuitive and easy-to-use interface as well as top-quality output, with very polished effects and titling. For the novice video maker, no software is as easy and enjoyable to use. iMovie 2 and a Firewire connection are included with all new Apple computers, and owners of older Apple G3 computers can purchase it for $49.99. Unfortunately iMovie is only available for Macintosh, so Windows users are left out Apple has been producing outstanding and innovative products lately so if you need a new computer and want to edit video, be sure to check out a Macintosh before you buy.
Windows users have a wide choice of software available, such as Ulead VideoStudio series and Roxio Videowave III and IV. These programs are typically included in inexpensive editing kits offered by D-Link, Dazzle, Pyro, and a few others. More advanced software offering more capability is available from Adobe, Avid, and others.
Want to give it a try? If you have a computer, you can get started for as little as $530.00. Sony offers the TRV140 Digital 8 camcorder for only $499, and Panasonic’s PV-DV52 MiniDV model is available for the same price. Both are great values and will produce excellent video. D-Link offers an editing kit that bundles a Firewire card for your Windows computer, a Firewire cable, and Ulead VideoStudio editing software, all for under $30. The kit works well and is a fabulous deal for the money. Most Sony and Macintosh computer users will only need a DV camcorder to get started, as most of their computers include Firwire connections and editing software at the factory.
Home videos have been part of American life for a long time, and the new DV products promise to take them to a whole new level. For the home moviemaker, it comes down to four simple steps… shoot, download, edit, and save to tape!
Have questions about audio, video, computers, or photography, or need some help using and enjoying what you already own? Don Lindich welcomes your questions and will be answering them in this column.
