

Preproduction

Capturing

Basic Editing

Effects

Output

Terms & Tools
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To capture is to bring media (audio, video, or image) into one's
computer, in the form a media file. In many cases, this means
converting data from analog to digital form, but you can also capture
data from your computer screen. For example, you might record the
manipulation of a 3D model on your screen.
Movie, image, and basic audio capture can be done with Media Recorder.
Media Recorder can choose appropriate audio and video recording
parameters for you, such as compression schemes,
but you can also specify parameters as desired.
If you want to use a more powerful sound editing tool, you can also
record sound directly into Sound Track. Sound Track has a feature
that helps you synchronize your recordings to your movie.
To capture audio from a CD in your CD-ROM drive use CD Player.
Recording Examples:
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If you want to make a movie that demonstrates a software program, you
can capture the demonstration directly from the screen, using Media
Recorder. Media Recorder can capture audio as it records from the
screen, so you can include narration in the demonstration.
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Media Recorder can capture media from a camcorder, microphone, or VCR
connected to your workstation.
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If you have a camera attached to your system, you can use Media
Recorder to capture live video.
Captures the Video
With a friend's help, he videotapes the scenes he planned in
preproduction, then:
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He connects his VCR video outputs to his workstation inputs (the Media Recorder
Help menu contains information on how to do this under "Recording
Video"). This way, he is able to view the movie over his
workstation in Media Recorder, make a time log of shots that he wants
in his movie (noted on the VCR counter), and selectively capture those
shots with Media Recorder. For example:
05:27 Good overview shot
09:45 Best take of adding hot water
11:22 Good stir! Use this one.
Note: He uses Media Recorder to capture the video without
the sound. Since lip-synching wasn't an issue for his movie, he knew
it would be easier to edit the movie and the sound separately. He
didn't have to worry about any sound/movie synchronization getting lost
in the editing process.
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Before capturing the audio, he goes forward to editing the video
track so that he will have it trimmed down to its
actual length before he starts adding audio.
After the movie has
been edited to its final length and he knows how long
the audio track can be, Kam creates a Sound Track audio
composition containing three different tracks, which he labels Narration, Sounds, Background
Music.
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Narration
He uses the microphone connected to his system to record a voice-over
into Sound Track while watching the movie.
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Sounds
He identifies the other sounds he wanted in his movie, such as:
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ramen breaking
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ramen pouring into a container
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hot water spraying from the espresso machine
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steam hissing from the espresso steamer
Because the sounds came out well on the videotape, he uses Sound Track
to selectively capture audio clips of the hot water and the steam
sounds from the videotape. Other sounds he re-creates and records into
Sound Track, using a microphone.
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Background Music
He has some music he composed himself, which he records into the
Background Music track.
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Compressing and lowering media quality is easy, but improving basic
quality once material is captured is virtually impossible. Therefore,
always capture at the highest quality level, frame size, and frame rate
that you think you might use. For example, if you are creating a movie
for more than one kind of output, such as for the Web and for
videotape, capture and edit the movie at the higher quality level and
frame size (for videotape), then use Movie Maker's "Export
As..." function to create a copy of the movie in a smaller,
compressed form for the Web (see the Output section for more
information).
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When creating a narrative (voice-over), it's easiest to improvise a
"scratch recording" as you watch the movie play (using Sound
Track's movie synchronization feature). Then, write down the script as
you play back the scratch recording. Use the script to record your
final narrative track.
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Higher sample
rates, sample
widths, and frame
rates create better sound and movie quality, but
they take up more disk space. For Kam's output purpose (a Web page),
his movie was recorded at a 22.05 kHz sampling rate, 16-bit sample
width, and a 15fps frame rate. These rates worked well, but if he had
wanted to put a longer movie on the Web, he might have tried lowering
the sample and frame rate even more, to economize the file size.
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In the Media
Recorder Help menu, under "Customizing Record
Settings," you'll find an informational table on the uses and
characteristics of various compression
schemes, which you can print out.
Copyright © 1998 by Silicon
Graphics, Inc. |