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WORLD FUTURE FUND GUIDE FOR ASPIRING FILMMAKERS

HOW TO BEGIN MAKING FILMS AT HOME AT A REASONABLE COST

Recent radical advancements in computer chip technology have now made it possible to create video that before could be done only with very expensive equipment.  The advent of the new mini-DV format and the development of new digital video producing equipment means that now anyone can create professional quality videos at a fraction of the previous cost.  Mini-DV format is used by both amateurs and professionals, so upgrading equipment means you won’t have to throw away all your old footage, or deal with expensive transfers.  The really good news is that you can start right now and make a good quality video for under $1000, including all stages of production.

The production of a digital video includes the following stages:

DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS

Digital video cameras are often classified into three groups: professional, prosumer, and consumer.  While professional-grade cameras can cost more than $50,000 and prosumer-grade over $5,000, you can now buy a consumer-grade camera for as little as $500.  The difference in quality will not be noticeable to a lay person unless you plan to screen your film on a huge multiplex cinema screen.  Today’s consumer camcorders offer the quality that professional videographers ten years ago could not even dream of.

Mini-DV camcorders use mini-DV cassettes, which can be purchased for about $5 each, or for cheaper still if you get them in bulk. We recommend well-known brands like Sony, Panasonic, and Maxell.

Low-cost digital camcorders deliver excellent video.  However, to get clear audio and to reduce extraneous sounds, you might want to invest in an external directional microphone, such as an ECM-Z37C ($149.99).  If you plan doing a lot of interviews, you may also want to purchase a Lavalier microphone, like the ECM-T145 ($59.99).

Be sure that your camera is USB 2.0 or FireWire compatible.

DIGITAL VIDEO:  IMPORTING TO YOUR COMPUTER

Twenty years ago, in order to transfer video to post-production equipment, it was necessary to use a whole room filled with bulky, scary-looking machines that were dedicated uniquely to this task.  Now all you need is a generic desktop computer or even a laptop!

The high quality of digital video today comes from the fact that it is shot in digital mini-DV format on your camcorder and it will remain digital after you transfer it to your computer.  This means that your video will not degrade to a lower quality format, which is what used to happen before the advent of digital video.

First, here are the minimum requirements that your computer will need to be able to capture, edit, and play digital video.

MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

PORTS

DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING

Editing is crucial to making a good video.  The editing stage is when you can divide your footage into clips, which you can subsequently shorten, modify or combine; add music, narration, sound effects, special effects, and more.

VIDEO FORMATS

Since video editing programs differ widely as to what input and output formats they can support, you will have to understand different video formats in order to be able to choose the right editing software.  Currently the two most common video formats are Microsoft AVI and QuickTime.

• AVI is a file extension (.avi), standing for Audio Video Interleaved.  It is a simple format best suited for most video editing purposes.
• QuickTime files, which are defined by Apple's QuickTime standard, are native to the Macintosh platform but will also run on Windows PCs with the QuickTime for Windows drivers installed.  They have an .mov extension.

Among the other video formats are:

• MPEG, which is a compressed digital video format named after the Motion Picture Experts Group which developed it. MPEG-1 is used for high-quality multimedia videos and older video discs. MPEG-2 is the standard now being used for new DVDs, which are destined to replace audio CDs and CD-ROMs.
• MMV stands for the new Sony MicroMV format used by some new high-end consumer Sony camcorders.
• Windows Media format is a deliberately low quality, low data-rate format designed specifically for Internet use (extension .wmv for video files and .wma for audio files). Some Windows Media Format files may also have the extension .asf (advanced streaming format).
• Real Media format is also specifically designed to stream video over the web.
• Digital audio files have an extension .wav, .mp3, or .mpa.

Most video capture cards (see Digital Video Capturing) come with basic editing software which will enable you to tie together video sequences.  If you want to experiment further with video editing then you could look at some of these programs.

EDITING SOFTWARE

Ulead Video Studio 7 ($99.95), is currently the most popular video editing software for beginning and intermediate videographers.  It is amazingly simple to use, but it also delivers all the fundamental tools needed to capture, edit, add effects, music, add titles and output in multiple formats.  Previous video editing training is not necessary to start using this software.  The Ulead website also offers a comprehensive video tutorial that takes you through all the steps from capturing your video to the computer to outputting in on CD or DVD.

Pinnacle Studio 9 ($99.99) is similar video editing software.

The differences between the cheaper and more expensive versions of editing software are related to how well they can do four basic tasks involved in editing:

• Capture
• Mix Sound
• Transitions
• Output.

The more expensive and powerful video editing programs used by intermediate to advanced videographers are Adobe Premiere Pro ($699) or its previous version, cheaper but still very powerful Adobe Premiere 6.5 (Adobe website doesn’t carry it anymore but you can buy it from many online retailers for about $450).

Excellent video editing and finishing products can also be at Avid.com

Lastly, Apple’s Final Cut Pro ($999) is an industry standard for professional videographers and documentary filmmakers working on a Macintosh platform.

Once you’ve shot and edited your film, you will probably want to show it to other people.  The old way to make your video available was to export it back to mini-DV tape and make VHS copies from it.  Now, however, with the availability of the DVD format, you can burn your movie directly on DVD.

DVD (Digital Video Disk) has become the most popular and powerful consumer electronics format.  Due its small size, versatility, large storage capacity, and low price, it will eventually replace CDs, which can hold only 600MB.  DVDs can hold up to 4.7 GB, which is enough for a 2-hour feature film.

DVD authoring is the process of collecting video, audio, various menus, submenus, and options, subtitles, etc. into an interactive branching structure that will eventually become a playable DVD. You need two things in order to make a playable DVD: DVD authoring software and a DVD burner.

DVD AUTHORING SOFTWARE

Several companies offer this software, including Sonic Solutions, Apple, Ulead, Pinnacle, and more.

Consumer authoring software ranges from $50 up to around $250.  All of the available programs have the same basic functions, meaning you can put your video on a DVD with some rudimentary chapter points and a menu.  The interface is very simple as most use a template-driven system where you choose a pre-designed interface and then customize it for yourself.

The most popular budget DVD-authoring software is Sonic MyDVD 5 for $69.99. 

MyDVD 5 will convert videos into DVDs from almost any source, including AVI, MPEG-1 and -2, QuickTime, and Windows Media.  The clear but elegant interface will allow you to capture and burn video in a matter of clicks and create custom menus, submenus, and chapter menus.  A slightly more expensive $99 version (MyDVD Studio Deluxe 5.2 ) includes CD-burning capability, archive/backup software, and a media player.

Popular budget DVD-authoring programs with similar capabilities include Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3 ($50); Pinnacle Systems Instant CD/DVD ($80); and iDVD 3.0.1 for Apple ($50).

Some of the more expensive programs, such as Sonic Solutions DVDit! 5 ($299), or the even fancier Ulead Systems DVD Workshop 2 ($495) offer support for 16:9 (widescreen) video, surround sound audio streams, region coding support, advanced error checking, motion menus, etc.

DVD BURNERS

Some high-end computers today already come with a built-in DVD burner and most likely, in a few years, it will become the norm for all computers as the prices go down.  There are two kinds of DVD burners: internal and external.   You must have Windows 98 Version 2 or higher (not Version 1 to record DVDs.)

This year the speed increased from 4X to 8X.  However, as with the introduction of 4X it is hard to find the 8X media right now.

If you prefer not to worry about opening your computer and installing an internal burner, you might want to get an external one.  External burners receive data from your computer through either the USB 2.0 port or FireWire port.  External burners are available from Sony and Hewlett-Packard.  We suggest the following models: Sony PCGA-DDRW2 ($399.99), the HP DVD Writer 420ve ($159.99), or the HP DVD Movie Writer dc4000 ($299.99) (includes RCA jacks for importing video).

Here is what you can expect to spend using this guide to purchase some of the products we suggest.

Camera: $499

Optional microphones: $60-150

Editing software: $100-300

DVD Burner: $100-$300

DVD Authoring Software: $70-300 (may be included with DVD burner)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Videomaker Magazine

PC Magazine

CNET

ZDNET

Digital Producer

DV Magazine

Desktop Video