Hi. I know a few of you guys here do video editing (john ). I was hoping you guys can help me out.

This is for my gf. She wants to put together a documentary. She basically wants to film her subjects, then take the clips and complile them into a file to distribute via DVD or VHS. Also, doing little effects like fading, music, yaddayadda.

She has no idea where to start, and I am not much help. All she has is a computer to do the editing on, nothing else. So here are the questions.

-Should she invest in a digital or analog camcorder? Pros and Cons of each?
-What type of program will she need?
-Is there some sort of easy tutorial?

thanks.

 

digital camcorder. no reason to buy analog unless you want an extra step to capture all the footage for editing.

she will need a video editing program to edit video and then a burning program to burn

i believe john uses a software called Vegas? I have a copy and it's very easy to use. I would recommend that one.

 

Looks like Rick hit the answers.

Vegas 4.0
and a digital vid cam with firewire transfer...do not get USB transfer...IT SUCKS!

 

Oh yeah and I have to correct your spelling of "editers"....it is editOrs :slap:

 

thanks rick and john. now with digital footage, how big are the files? does the camcorder compress the footage, or will the software on the computer do it? i just want to know how big of a harddrive will be needed. the final documentary will be ~ 20 mins long.

 

In raw format the video is pretty big. I would say to get an external drive (again on firewire) or a second hard drive just for raw footage and your progress.

For a 20 minute video more than likely you are going to end up with nearly 3 hours of footage.

 

MiniDV is the format you want. Also, if you have some money to spend on the project, get yourself a Powermac G4 or G5 and a copy of Final Cut. If its a PC you can use Adobe Premier, which isn't as good as Final Cut but doesn't require you to buy a new computer.

If you get a Mac you can use iMovie to make a DVD and its a breeze. I'm not sure whats available for PC.

 

yeah what john said.

if i remember correctly 100MB = 1min? or was it 200MB =1min...

either way you will need about 3-4hrs of footage to go through and edit.

if needed she can always come to my house and use the Dual Xeon... it should be back up and running in about 1 week ehhe I'm upgrading the MB right now

 

Vegas 4.0 eh? I might have to look into that.

 

Its a great program with all the power and function of Premier but a much more intuitive interface than Premier.