My movies, and where I learnt I went wrong!

[Alan]

I've made a few Windows MovieMaker 2 movies over the past year, and finally
collected them all on one page!
http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/mad/video.shtml
With each one, I've tried to be critical and say where I think I've gone
wrong (or right).
But one thing I always try and do is to make the movies have some energy; a
good beat, plenty of action. Never any titles without something else going
on at the same time! I see webspace and bandwidth as currently still being a
precious resource, and a lot of the movies I download seem to be nothing but
still image transitions with extremely high bitrate music in the background.
Surely Flash is better for something like that? I'm guilty of some stills in
my first movie, but still I think it's "tight". Anyway, my flame-retardant
jacket is now on, so feel free to be as critical or complimentary as you
want!

 

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

Just read the whole page through and I love your wit.... I'll be adding a
link to your page in my Online > Video page.... my new collection of
countdown clock clips need some good company.


PapaJohn

 

[Alan]

Just read the whole page through and I love your wit.... I'll be adding a
link to your page in my Online > Video page.... my new collection of
countdown clock clips need some good company.

Why, thank you! I've just been scouting around your site-I noticed a lot of
new stuff since I last looked (lurkers take note!) Good work on the
Photostory section too. Now all we neeed is MovieMaker 3 and the world would
be near-perfect (except for Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, the French, George Bush,
Martha Stewart etc etc)

 

[John Kelly]

Hi there,

Surely Flash is better for something like that?

If you can find us all a program that will create flash video from AVI or
similar and still images for nothing, I am sure we would all agree with you. Do
you know of such a package??? or was it just something to say, its some times
refer to as a throw away remark. Such remarks devalue everything else you said.
I can tell you that there is a package to create flash files with still
images, or do you know that already...they are not free either...So I guess we
will all continue using Movie Maker

Why are you worried about having your flame proof jacket on. If you have
knowledge of your own use it, even share it, that's great, if you are here to
steal it and make money out of it....Oh Dear...Nah! I don't believe you are
that type.

I am curious though about why you felt the need to use a secure HTML link for
your website, why have you done that then?

Give my regards to you know who.Ha!

 

[print_maker]

Great stuff - thanks for sharing them. I just watched the whole bunch (good
armchair travel), you're getting better and better as you go. Nice music
too, and usually fun.

Personally I don't see anything wrong with using stills - I just try to put
some motion on them and keep them onscreen for a short amount of time. I
like mixing stills with video.

If I had any advice to give - I'd say try treating your video camera a bit
more like a still camera - quick pans and zooms make the viewer dizzy and
it's hard to see what the camera sees when it moves fast. Sometimes I can
tell when you are taking video and hunting around for something to point at
to frame up the shot - I recognize that from my own video It's hard to
remeber to do, but framing up before you start shooting can save you from a
lot of editing later - and makes your tapes last longer.

-- Happy Editing --

 

[Alan]

Do
you know of such a package??? or was it just something to say, its some times
refer to as a throw away remark. Such remarks devalue everything else you

said.

http://www.openswf.org/ - not a package per se, but the Flash specs.

I can tell you that there is a package to create flash files with still
images, or do you know that already...they are not free either...So I guess we
will all continue using Movie Maker

Fair point, MM2 comes as part of an OS, Flash does not. I just said that
some of the presentations were better suited to Flash. This is because you
can pan/zoom/title photos in time with music from one photo source, with the
"hard work" being done by the PC, rather than storing the still image
hundreds of times over (as a series of a/b/i frames anyway).

Why are you worried about having your flame proof jacket on. If you have
knowledge of your own use it, even share it, that's great, if you are here to
steal it and make money out of it....Oh Dear...Nah! I don't believe you are
that type.

Where have I sought to "steal" MM2????

I am curious though about why you felt the need to use a secure HTML link for
your website, why have you done that then?

Er. I haven't. On thinking about this, I see what you thought here....you
saw the .shtml extension.
OK, quick newbie guide to the web:
The first bit is called the "resource type" (ie: http/fpt/news etc) , the
very last type is called the "filetype" and can help to give an idea as to
the "MIME type" (ie:.avi, .swf, .html etc).
https:// denotes a secure (ssl) connection.
..shtml means the page uses server side includes: see
http://bignosebird.com/ssi.shtml

Give my regards to you know who.Ha!

Who? Oh, and as for the email address, there is a "contact me" page on my
site. You can send all the info you speak about in your link to that
address. Thanks

 

[John Kelly]

)

 

[John Kelly]

http://www.openswf.org/ - not a package per se, but the Flash specs.

But the flash specs what....????

some of the presentations were better suited to Flash. This is because you
can pan/zoom/title photos in time with music from one photo source, with the
"hard work" being done by the PC, rather than storing the still image
hundreds of times over (as a series of a/b/i frames anyway).

As I thought dross, who are you trying to convince here...changing this
conversation to include photo shop...is something wrong with you.

Where have I sought to "steal" MM2????

Who said you had?

the "MIME type" (ie:.avi, .swf, .html etc).
https:// denotes a secure (ssl) connection.
.shtml means the page uses server side includes: see
http://bignosebird.com/ssi.shtml

So you know more than someone else does...good for you thats the kind of
answer I was looking for Andrew, sorry Alan

Who? Oh, and as for the email address, there is a "contact me" page on my
site. You can send all the info you speak about in your link to that
address. Thanks

As requested I have sent the first page only of web links....I recommend
that you do not open any of them and have only sent them so that you will
see my abilities to search the net are not too bad after all.

And finally, FU's set to alt.timewasters

Best Wishes...........

 

[Alan]

If I had any advice to give - I'd say try treating your video camera a bit
more like a still camera - quick pans and zooms make the viewer dizzy and
it's hard to see what the camera sees when it moves fast. Sometimes I can
tell when you are taking video and hunting around for something to point at
to frame up the shot - I recognize that from my own video It's hard to
remeber to do, but framing up before you start shooting can save you from a
lot of editing later - and makes your tapes last longer.

I totally agree with that point. However, in mitigation, when I shot most of
the footage, it was with a Nikon Coolpix 2000 which allows 20 seconds of
dodgy video, and not a lot of that on a 32Mb card at that! I had no idea I
was going to turn it into a movie.

However, that doesn't excuse the footage taken on the DV Camcorder!
(Talking of which, for those in the UK, one of the "big and nasty" chains is
doing a VERY good deal on a digital dv in/out camcorder until Monday. I
forget which..have a look in the papers. Also, http://www.dixons.co.uk/
(ugh) are doing a 512Mb SD card for £99 which might be worth a look)