You are on page 1of 27

www.avid.

com Xpress Yourself (in HDV) It's difficult to discuss an Avid product without paying homage to the company's preeminent position within the professional video and film editing world. Avid's flagship video editing solution, the Media Composer, has long been the de facto standard in the film and broadcast television world--at least among those editing firms that can generate enough income to afford its $24,995 entry-level price tag. Nonetheless, trends in the video and film editing industry have moved away from the centrally-controlled, hugely expensive, full-featured video editing suite that belongs to a major production company, and toward the less-expensive independent shop running low-cost hardware and software. A few years back, to keep up with this trend, Avid released its own (relatively) low-cost editing software, dubbed Avid Xpress. The most recent version of the Xpress software family, Avid Xpress Pro HD 5.0, is the subject of this review.

It's worth noting that Avid Xpress Pro HD 5.0 has enough bells and whistles to generate a review larger than this entire issue of Videomaker. Because we have other things to do in this issue besides discuss this product, we'll focus our review on the high points of this version of the software, and point you to Avid's Web site (www.avid.com) for further inquiries. To summarize our findings, we'll say right now that it's a real gem, worth every penny of its $1,695 price tag. Furthermore, its attractive educational pricing ($295) make it a real steal for film and television students and teachers who want an inexpensive way to learn the basics of the Avid editing interface. First Looks When you first open the box and prepare to install the software, you'll notice right away that Avid includes an impressive bundle with the Xpress Pro HD package. Sonic Solutions' ReelDVD for DVD authoring, SmartSound Sonicfire Pro with Full Spectrum and Contemporary Insights add-on discs for soundtrack creation, Boris Graffiti LTD

for titling, and Sorensen's Squeeze 4 Compression Suite are included, as are a number of useful Avid utilities.

Installation of the software is simple and straightforward, provided your computer has the somewhat beefy hardware requirements Xpress Pro HD calls for--not surprising, since working in HD is one of the most hardware-intensive tasks you can set for your desktop computer. For our test, we installed the software on a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 machine with 1GB RAM and a 128MB ATI video display adapter. Familiar Interface? Xpress Pro HD's editing interface will look very familiar to anyone who has done any editing on a professional-level Avid system in the past. If you have never edited on an Avid system before, you may well find the interface a bit difficult to master at first, but take heart--this interface represents a tried-and-true system that video editors have come to know and love over the years. Once you get past the learning curve, it's a very user-friendly system that's well-designed to save time and effort. Each time you run the software, you find a Project window prompt from which you can select an existing project or create a new one. When creating a new Project, you're given a wide array of presets to choose from, among which are all standard HD configurations. (Avid informs us that native HDV presets are coming soon, but they weren't available at the time of this review.) Once you choose a preset, the program takes you to the Avid editing interface. We commend Xpress HD for incorporating methods for working with numerous different types and resolutions of footage on the same timeline. You can, for example, line up HD footage alongside DV25 and uncompressed standard-definition footage in the same sequence. This is potentially a great time-saver, especially for fledgling post-production companies who haven't gone pure HD yet and want to incorporate piecemeal. Also worth noting is Avid DNxHD (Digital Nonlinear Xtensible High Definition), the underlying HD encoding technology that powers Avid Xpress Pro HD. Avid DNxHD is, in a nutshell, a technology that allows manipulation of video, graphics, titles, etc. without having to deal with compression issues that can reduce image quality. Because this technology renders edit decisions in an uncompressed format, exporting

projects to DNxHD makes for higher-quality output, especially for any kind of project that requires re-encoding (DVD authoring to MPEG-2, for example). And then there's Avid Multicam Editing, a technology that allows video editors to perform one-button live cuts between up to 4 sources of footage just as though they were performing live cuts on a television show. The live cuts are then saved as an edited sequence that you can quickly fine-tune and export back to tape--another great time-saver for over-worked editors. Great Deal for Students We could go on and on about the other great features in Avid Xpress Pro HD 5.0-features like 10-bit encoding support, metadata support and real-time effects with Avid Mojo hardware ($1,695, available as bundle for less). The only drawback to the software is its high price and steep learning curve, but we can assure you that both are well worth it, and students have no excuse because it's only $295 for them, and it's a great way to learn the industry-standard interface. Bottom line: if you're serious about HD editing, you can't go wrong with Avid Xpress Pro HD 5.0. It's everything you would expect from Avid, and more. TECH SPECS Platform: Windows (Mac support planned for future) Processor: Pentium 4 1.6 GHz (desktop) OR Pentium M 1.8 GHz (laptop) OS: Windows XP Professional w/Service Pack 2 RAM: 1.5 GB minimum, 2.0 GB recommended Video Display Adapter: OpenGL 2.0, AGP 8x or PCI Express Firewire card: required, with TI chipset STRENGTHS Avid interface Uncompressed rendering 10-bit color support WEAKNESSES Expensive Difficult learning curve SUMMARY Costs more than Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro HD, but delivers more bang for the buck.

Camcorderinfo.com is proud to feature a new column from professional editor, teacher, and writer Steve Mullen. Look for this column to appear every other Wednesday. Introduction I suspect that most folks who buy a camcorder truly believe they will edit the video they shoot. For some, editing means removing video where something has gone wrong. (Unless youre doing a Bloopers Reel!) For others, video editing is a way to create a polished visual story. For the majority of shooters, their

intentions likely lie somewhere in between. They want to cut bad video out, fix shots, rearrange shots, and add titles. Despite the best of intentions, some of us find ourselves shooting more and more video and somehow never quite getting our editing projects completed. Worse, as we get further and further behind in editing our work, we lose our motivation. For many, the obstacle is the complexity of modern editing software and the inadequate documentation provided by the software manufacturer. The Edit to the Maxx column is for these folks. Every other week, I will provide you with real, straightforward information that will enable you to edit video and audio. As the weeks progress, I will go deeper into the art and technology of video editing. You can provide feedback by using the Comments option at the bottom of each column. Our prime objective will be to focus on learning to edit video using a non-linear editor (NLE). Although we will primarily work with standard definition digital video (DV), we will also use various NLEs to edit high definition video (HDV). Right now, I can hear a chorus of questions. Is this tutorial for folks who have never edited? Yes. And dont worry; I will introduce all the necessary NLE terminology (Capture, Bins, Timeline, Export) as we move through the tutorial. Is the tutorial for folks who already have some editing experience? The answer is, again, yes, but if you use a different editor than we will be using, you will need to be open to new ways of working. Is the tutorial for folks who have PC? Yes. A Mac? Yes, we will be using a cross-platform NLE. Will I have to buy an NLE? No, we will be using Avids FreeDV NLE. I have picked FreeDV for several reasons, most obviously because it is free! Now that Adobe no longer markets Premiere for OS X, FreeDV is also the only NLE that runs on both XP and OS X. Moreover, unlike most low-cost NLEs, FreeDV functions almost exactly like Avids professional products. Does this mean I will be learning to be an Avid editor? Yes and no. You will be learning to use an Avid. Moreover, you will be able to easily move-up to Avids professional XpressDV or XpressDV Pro. However, the tutorial will not teach you to edit in the Avid way. Instead, I will be showing you how to use an Avid NLE in a far simpler way than if you took a course in Avid editing. Now Im hearing screams from users of Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Vegas, and EDIUS about what may seem like my endorsement of XpressDV and XpressDV Pro. Relax, guys and gals. Whats important about learning to edit with a product compatible with professional systems like XpressDV is not that these are best NLEs, or that they are even my favorite. Rather, these products have most of the capabilities a professional requires. Moreover, they function in a manner similar to other editing systems. That means you will be able to transfer most of what you learn to your favorite NLE. With these questions answered, here is what you can expect from The Art of the Digital Cut. Simply put, this is about the steak and not the sizzle of editing. Each year, NLE designers add dozens of capabilities to their products that enable editors to create dazzling videos. In the industry, these capabilities are called sizzle. Sizzle is typically used to punch-up poorly shot video and/or inadequate storylines. The Art of the Digital Cut tutorial will focus on both shooting great video and editing this footage. The NLE capabilities we will focus on are those that support logging, capture, organizing, trimming, color correcting, and audio EQ, as well as timeline creation. These fundamental capabilities support digital cutting that advances your story rather than distracting your audience with cheesy effects and transitions (a wonderful description coined by my students). Of course, you will also learn how to use filters and transitions to add a little spice.

Avid FreeDV's registration page. Now that we have previewed what is ahead, it is time to download FreeDV. The main site for Avid FreeDV is www.avid.com/freedv/index.asp. However, I'll save you time by providing the system requirements for FreeDV. Please that confirm your system meets minimum requirements before proceeding, as this can save you hours of frustration. PC owners, you need to confirm that your system has at least: Windows XP Professional; a 933MHz Pentium III, a Pentium 4, or a Pentium M processor; 1GB system memory (1.5GB recommended); a qualified graphics card (Avid recommends an NVIDIA Quadro 980 XGL or an NVIDIA QuadroFX 1100); plus an IEEE-1394 port, or a qualified DV I/O PCI card. Im not sure why Avid specifies XP Pro, because I am running XP Home with no problems so far. Despite Avids suggestions, I would recommend at least a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 or a 1.8GHz Pentium M. (Im using a 3.2GHz P4.) For Mac owners, the requirements are: Mac OS X 10.4.2 or later; 1GB system memory (1.5GB recommended); 667MHz or faster G4 or any G5 system (single or dual processor); a graphics card supported by Apple; (Avid recommends the NVIDIA GeForceT4 Titanium); plus a FireWire port. I have installed FreeDV on both an iBook G4 (with 1GB RAM) and a 2.0GHz dual G5 (with 2GB RAM.) You should also consider joining Avids Support Forum at www.avid.com/exchange/forums/38/ShowForum.aspx. I recommend you do so after you download and install FreeDV but before you start the application for the first time. That way, should you receive any warnings or errors during startup, you will be able to search for help immediately. At that page, look for the Avid Free DV folder. Inside the folder, you will find hundreds of messages from FreeDV users. Before you download FreeDV, I need to alert you to the fact that Avid Free DV software is provided as is. This means Avid does not guarantee this software's compatibility with any particular computer system or various components installed on it. Additionally, Avid does not assume any technical or customer support responsibilities for Avid Free DV by phone, e-mail, or fax. Likewise, I will not be able to provide support for FreeDV, nor will I be able to answer questions about the Tutorial. Ready? To download FreeDV version 1.6.1 for the PC or FreeDV version 1.8.1 for the Mac, click to this download page: www.avid.com/forms/freeDVRegDownload.asp. You will need to provide all the information requested. When you have done so, click the Submit button and then download the version you want.

An install screen from Avid FreeDV Once downloaded, you install FreeDV as you would any XP or OS X software. When requested, supply the two authorization keys that were emailed to you. Now it is time to start FreeDV by double clicking its application icon. When FreeDV is launched, you will see Yes, and dont show again plus Yes and No buttons. Click the Yes, and dont show again button. Next you will be presented with a box in which you must type the name Avid sent email to. For example, Karna Kat. Now, the application will connect to the Internet and present Go or Later buttons. Unfortunately, every time you launch FreeDV this dialog box will appear to give you the opportunity of buying XpressDV or XpressDV Pro. I suspect by the time you have encountered this message a dozen times youll vow never to buy an Avid product (a fact seemingly lost on Avids marketing department). Unless you want to spend the money, click the Later button.

Avid FreeDV's new project window

Now you will be presented with the Select Project dialog box. Be sure to write down the folder path displayed, for example: /users/Shared/AvidFreeDV/Avid Projects/steve (OS X) or C:Program FilesAvidAvidFreeDV/Avid ProjectsSteve (XP). I know you will want to enter the application, but we will have to postpone that until next time. (The screenshot above shows an example of a New Project called Camcorderinfo 1.) So, go ahead and click the Quit button. Coming up... Over the coming weeks we will cover the following topics: Planning Your Shoot, Logging Your Tapes, Planning Your Edit, Capturing DV/HDV, Create a Sequence, Clip Trimming, Add Clips to a Sequence, Basic Timeline Editing, Precision Timeline Trimming, Add Video Effects (Filters) to a Clip, Work with Audio, Add Transitions, Use Video and Audio Inserts, Create Titles, Export to DV/HDV, Color Correction, and many more. This Week's Shooting Tip During the next week, you can get ready to begin editing by shooting one scene. A shot covers one topic, such as getting a milk carton from a fridge. A scene, in turn, is composed of one or more shots. When shooting, be sure to cover the scene from multiple angles without zooms and with only a rare pan or tilt (sweeping the camcorder from side to side or up and down). Here is a tip on how to easily do this. Rather than shoot many short shots; shoot the entire action from beginning to end from three or four different positions around the fridge. At each position, use a wide-, mid-, or close-up as appropriate. For example, from the rear you should use a wide-shot, while a shot of the hand grabbing the carton should be a close-up. Good shooting! Next Column...

Edit to the Maxx is an semi-monthly introductory course in video editing, aimed at beginners. We use a free, downloadable software program. This column appears every other Wednesday. Capturing In this episode, you will capture the video you shot over the last two weeks. So, get your tape and camcorder ready. Be sure the tape is rewound. Windows XP and OS X FreeDV executes under both Windows XP and OS X. Operation is essentially the same under both. There is one key differencemodifier keys: [XP combinations will be in braces] while Read Previous Columns: Part 1 - Introduction Most computers operate with a display aspect ratio of 4:3. Some computers, however, have wide displays. Screen-shots in this tutorial are from Free DV running under OS X on a widescreen iMac. Therefore, if you have a 4:3 display when you are setting up Free DV, your screen will not look exactly like the screen-shots in this document. Likewise, depending on your computers display resolution, you screen may look different. Thus, when learning Free DV, my screenshots should be used only as rough guides. Use your computers display for detailed information.

Naturally, Project names as well as the names given to objects seen in my screenshots will not match those you will see on your computer. Whenever you need to issue a command, you will see the command written as Menu > Tool. This means select the command Tool found under Menu. Power-up Your Camcorder Power-up your camcorder. Plug the FireWire cable into it and then into your computer. Launch Free DV Launch FreeDV. When FreeDV is launched, the application will connect to the Internet and present Go or Later buttons. Click the Later button.

Now you will be presented with the Select Project dialog box.

Each time you launch Free DV you will see your previously created project(s). Simply select the Project you want to work with and click the OK button. (The screenshot above shows I have already created a Project called Camcorderinfo 1.)

Now click the New Project button. Type the projects name into the dialog box. I named my new project Thaipusam. Select either 30i NTSC or 25i PAL depending on which DV format you use (North America and Japan use NTSC, most of Europe uses PAL). Click OK. The New Project dialog box will close and youll see your new project highlighted in the list of projects. Click OK. You may now see one or more informational boxes, for example, the warning below. Click OK.

You may also see this dialog box appear. Click Cancel.

FreeDV will now open multiple windows on the screen. You will immediately see how great the Avid human interface looks. Unlike the Final Cut Pro interface that has been designed to look elegant to the novice, Avid interfaces are designed to meet the needs of professional editors. Note, for example, the interface is designed to be easy on the eyes when used in a semi-darkened room. Get Ready to Capture Now well transfer the footage from your camcorder to the computer. Use the Tools > Capture command to open the Capture Tool window. As shown below, you should see the following status information displayed in the Capture Tool.

Video: OHCI Audio: OHCI Res: DV25 411 OMF Generic DV DeviceNTSC.

If you do not see the latter status message, you will likely see a NO DECK indication. Click on the No Deck button. Select the Auto-configure option. Answer Yes to the auto-configure question. If you still see a NO DECK indication, power on and off the camcorder. You should now see a Select Tape dialog box. Click the Cancel button. If you have a problem with FireWire, remember this is the time to use Avids Support Forum at www.avid.com/exchange/forums/38/ShowForum.aspx. If you didnt experience any problems, we can get ready to capture video. First, carryout these five steps:

Close the Timeline window by clicking the [Close button] or . Set the SuperBin to Frame-style by clicking the Frame tab. A SuperBin is indicated by the blue symbol in the upper left corner of the windowas shown below. (Because Im sure you want to capture video as soon as possible, for now I will skip an explanation of SuperBin. Think of a SuperBin, as well as a Bin, as video lingo for a folder.)

Drag and resize the SuperBin and place it under the Composer and/or Capture window as shown in the screenshot below.

Click the Speaker icon on the Capture Tool and position the Audio Tool (VU Meter) as shown

above. Drag and resize the Project window as shown above. However, if you do not have a widescreen display, you may need position the Project window at the bottom of the screen to the left of the SuperBin window. You may also need to reposition one, or more, of the windows so everything looks neat.

Issue the Toolset > Save Current command so the next time you issue the Tools > Capture command, youll get the same window arrangement. In the Project window, click in the SuperBins name field and then type in the name of your Project (followed by return). It is best to use a short name like Thaipusam Bin. Click the V, A1, and TC buttons in the Record Tool. This will cause video and timecode, plus the left audio channel, to be captured to disk. Do not click the A2 button. You want to only capture monaural audio. In a future column, we will learn about how professionals record audio. Capturing DV To capture video and audio, follow these steps:

1. 2.

In the Record Tool, check the Bin: name. It should be based on your projects name, for example, Thaipusam Bin. In the Record Tool, click the Tape Name? button.

3.

The Select Tape dialog box will open as shown above. As shown below, click in the New Tape field and type in a tape name (e.g., T01) followed by return.

4.

5.

Load the DV tape into your camcorder if it is not loaded. Click OK.

6.
7.

8.

Click the tape Play button on the Capture Tool. You should see and hear your video. You should also see a green bar bouncing up and down for the A1 channel in the Audio Tool (VU Meter). Play your DV tape until you see the start of the video you want to capture. Click the Capture Tools red Record button. This square indicator to the right of the button will blink during capture. You should see and hear your video. You should also see a green bar bouncing up and down for the A1 channel in the Audio Tool (VU Meter).

If you receive a warning or error message, click on the Generic DV DeviceNTSC button. Select the Check Decks option. Now, click the tape Play button and then click the Capture Tools Record button.

9. 10.

When you have captured what you needand before the end of video on the tape is reached press ESC or click the Record button. Click the Stop button.

The tape contents will be stored on disk as one Clip. (If, however, there are timecode breaks on the tape, you may find multiple Clips.) After the Clip is captured, it will have its Bin Name appended by a number, for example: Thaipusam Bin.01. Note that the icon will be an image of the first frame of the clip. As you likely already know, every segment of video and/or audio is called a Clip. Clips, plus Titles and Graphics (photos and drawings), are represented by icons. (SuperBins and Bins are, of course, themselves icons.) Clip, Title, and Graphics icons represent data files stored on your computers hard disk. There is an invisible link between each Clip, Title, and Graphics icon and the data file it represents. No matter what you do to a Clip or Graphics icon within Free DV, the original data within a file are not altered! Dont be afraid to play around with editing; the original files will always be there, safe and untouched. Whenever you delete a Clip, you will be offered the option to also delete the data file. It is up to you to decide if you want to keep the data. To View the Captured Clip To view the captured clip, double-click on the clips icon located in the SuperBin. A small monitor window will popup.

In the monitor, you will see the first frame of the clip. Now press the spacebar to start the clip playing. To stop clip playback, press the spacebar. To rewind the clip, press the Home key. Close the monitor window by clicking the [Close button] or . To quit Free DV, issue the [File > Exit] or command. In the next episode, we will learn another way to capture the same video that you just captured. This Week's Shooting Tip Hold the shot! If you're shooting a large, moving subject - say, a person walking, a car, or a train - keep shooting until the subject has left the screen. Then count to three before hitting the stop button. This not only gives you more space to play with in a clip, but will often make for a more natural cut. Next Column... *

Edit to the Maxx is an semi-monthly introductory course in video editing, aimed at beginners. We use a free, downloadable software program. This column appears every other Wednesday. Bins, SuperBins, and Other Ways to Capture In this episode we will learn a second way to capture media. Well also learn to create and use Bins. Power-up your camcorder or deck and plug the FireWire cable into it and then into your computer. Launch FreeDV. When FreeDV is

Read Previous Columns: Part 1 - Introduction Part 2 - Capturing

launched, the application will connect to the Internet and present Go or Later buttons. Click the Later button.

Now you will be presented with the Select Project dialog box.

Select the Project you previously created and click the OK button. You may now see one or more informational boxes. For example, the warning below. Click OK.

You likely will then see a dialog box appear. Click Cancel.

Multiple Free DV windows will now open on the screen. They should be in the same arrangement you used the last time you used Free DV. If the arrangement is not the same, issue the Tools > Capture command to open the Capture Tool window. Youll see the Select Tape dialog box open.

You should see tape T01 listed and selected. Because you are going to work with the same tape, click OK. If the windows are not in the same position, drag and resize the windows as shown in the screenshot below. The clips in the SuperBin will be those you captured last time.

You can view clips in a Bin, three ways. You are currently looking at picons (picture icons) that represent a frame of video in a clip. Click on the Brief tab and you will see a list of information about clips. You will also see the SuperBin become smaller. You should drag the SuperBin higher on the screen, resize it, and then drag back into its original position.

Then click on the Text tab and youll see a list of more extensive information about clips. You should drag the SuperBin higher on the screen, resize it, and then drag back into its original position.

Then click on the Script tab and youll see a box into which relevant script can be entered. You should drag the SuperBin higher on the screen, resize it, and then drag back into its original position.

Now click on the Frame tab to return to picons. To Open a New Bin To Open a New Bin, click the New Bin button in the Project window. The new Bin will open in the SuperBin. In this case, name it Lesson 2 Bin. The new Bin will open in exactly the same location as the SuperBin. Why does this occur? This is the magic of a SuperBin. To learn about SuperBins and to also learn how to use the Free DV Help function, select Help > Avid Free DV Help. Click the Index button and then the s item. Scroll down to SuperBin. A list of notes will appear. You may have to look at several notes to find a definition. (This is an example of why on-line documentation is so often useless. The item SuperBin should lead directly to a definition.) Nevertheless, you will find lots of information on the use of a SuperBin. Make the new Bin a Frame-style Bin by clicking on the Frame tab. Next, click in the Bin and press [CTRL+L] or 3 times to increase the size of clip icons. If you have a low resolution screen, the values should be 3 while if you have a super high resolution increase you could use 4. You Can Use Bins You can use Bins to hold the contents of multiple tapes. Since each tape has a short name like T01, you could give each Bin the appropriate Tape Name. For example, T01 Bin. However, by choosing other alternatives you can better manage your clips. For example, if the tape contains media shot at only one event, you could give it a compound name. For example, Thanksgiving.T01 Bin. If, however, your vacation occurred in multiple cities and a tape contains shots from several cities, you could create multiple Bins. Assuming the first shots on the tape are from Boston, you would create a Boston.T01 Bin and a second New York Bin. You will capture the whole tape into Boston.T01 Bin. Later, you will move the New York shots from the Boston.T01 Bin to the New York Bin. Conversely, if the shots for a given subject are on several tapes, you can use a different strategy. For example, for two tapes of Boston you could make one Bin: Boston.T01.T02 Bin. For a complex production, youll want to create a Bin for each Scene (e.g., Beach Bin) or Topic (e.g., Red Wines Bin) in the project. You can leave the word Bin off if you wish. For a complex project, you can create Bins inside of Bins. For example, the Red Wines Bin could contain a Merlot Bin, Shiraz Bin, and a Chianti Bin. Get Ready to Capture Get ready to capture by confirming the following status information is displayed in the already open Capture Tool. Video: OHCI Audio: OHCI Res: DV25 411 OMF Generic DV DeviceNTSC

If you do not see the latter status message, you will likely see a NO DECK indication. Click on the No Deck button. Select the Auto-configure option. Answer Yes to the auto-configure question. If you still see a NO DECK indication, power on and off the camcorder. You should now see a Select Tape dialog box. Click the Cancel button. If you have a problem with FireWire, remember this is the time to use Avids Support Forum at www.avid.com/exchange/forums/38/ShowForum.aspx. Capturing DV Click the V, A1, and TC buttons in the Record Tool. This will cause video and timecode, plus the left audio channel, to be captured to disk. To capture video and audio, follow these steps: 1. Select, by single clicking in its window, the Bin that will hold the DV tape, e.g., Lesson 3 Bin. 2. In the Record Tool, check the Bin: name. It should be the name of your new Bin, for example, Lesson 3 Bin. 3. In the Record Tool, check the Tape Name? button. It should be the name as last time, e.g., T01. If not, click the Tape Name? button. The Select Tape dialog box will open as shown below.

4. Click in the New Tape field and type in the name of the tape you captured last time (e.g., T01) followed by return. Load the DV tape into your camcorder if it is not loaded. Click OK.

5. Click the tape Play button on the Capture Tool. You should see and hear your video. You should also see a green bar bouncing up and down for the A1 channel in the Audio Tool (VU Meter). 6. Play your DV tape until you see the start of the video you want to capture. Click Stop. 7. Click the Capture Tools } button or press i to mark the In-point. 8. Fast-forward (>>) to the end of the video you recorded on your tape. Click Stop. If you have gone past the end, backup (<<) until you can see the last few seconds of video. Click Stop. 9. Click the Capture Tools { button or press o to mark the Out-point. (Yes, I agree the shape Avid chose is the opposite of what makes sense.

10. Click the Capture Tools red Record button. This square indicator to the right of the button will blink during capture. You should see and hear your video. You should also see a green bar bouncing up and down for the A1 channel in the Audio Tool (VU Meter). 11. When you have captured the marked clip, the capture will automatically halt. The tape contents will be stored on disk as one Clip. (If, however, there are timecode breaks on the tape, you may find multiple Clips.) After the Clip is captured, it will have its Bin Name appended by a number, for example: Lesson 3 Bin.01. To View the Captured Clip To view the captured clip, double-click on the clips icon located in the Lesson 3 Bin. A small monitor window will popup.

I am dedicating my Edit to the Maxx tutorial to Cookie Monster who died this week, at the age of 15, from Kidney Failure after suffering from breast cancer three years ago. She is survived by her brother Karna, the big cat on the right. In the monitor, you will see the first frame of the clip. Click once in the window. You can then drag the blue bar to move through the clip. You can also use the keyboards left and right arrows to move frame-by-frame. Avids keyboard-driven j k l Shuttle control is a fast way to look at a clips contents: j Reverse Edit by watching/ listening at rates from 8fps to 240fps k Stop l Forward Edit by watching/ listening at rates from 8fps to 240fps Close the monitor window by clicking the [Close button] or the . To quit Free DV, issue the [File > Exit] or command. In the next episode, we will learn a third way to capture video. This Week's Shooting Tip Sometimes your videos need more than talking heads. Next time you're shooting, try to get some "B-roll." This is the secondary, cutaway footage that you'll see in any news report, TV show, or movie. An interview

with an architect would be mixed with B-roll of buildings they designed. Your child's baseball game could be mixed with B-roll of the coach, the crowd, and the dugout. B-roll breaks the monitony of boring shots; good B-roll also helps to tell the story. *

For those filmmakers who are now making first broadcast programme, this article briefly describes what happens in the online edit. Throughout this article, I will only refer to work done on a programme's picture. Audio issues are usually addressed as part of an audio dub. Assuming the offline editor has done a great job, the programme must still be packaged according to the broadcaster's requirements and meet its technical standards. The online is best described as the final checking, tidying or polishing of a programme before a programme is mastered to its final format. The amount of work involved can vary immensely. It may be no more than putting bars and tone and a clock at the front of a programme and then mastering to a tape for broadcast. Or it may involve recapturing an entire programme at High Definition and then building sophisticated effects or titles that could not have been made on Final Cut Pro or an Avid Xpress Pro system. Broadcasters supply programme-makers with "technical requirements" documents. The online editor must understand these and make sure that the programme complies with them. The following is a list of tasks commonly carried out in the online. Line-up Put bars and tone and a countdown clock on the front of the tape. The broadcaster will have specified the type of bars, the level and frequency of tone and their durations: In Britain, the programme itself will typically start on a timecode of 10:00:00:00. If the programme has part breaks, bumpers will have to be created. Each subsequent part will typically start on a round timecode minute including the bumper. There will be black video in between the parts and a countdown clock for each separate part. Titles and subtitles The editor should check that text elements conform to the broadcaster's house style and that all graphic elements are within title safe. In the UK, national television usually requires programmes to be 14:9 title safe. This is a more stringent title safe requirement than is indicated by the typical title safe grid in Avid and Final Cut Pro. Conforming aspect ratios In many programmes, especially archive-based documentaries, footage will have come

from a variety of sources. The online editor must check all footage and should pan and scan any shots with aspect ratios different to the delivery specification. Legalisation of picture and sound Broadcast master tapes require that the programme's video and audio levels do not drop below a certain minimum, or rise above a certain maximum. The picture can be run through a legaliser and the audio through a compressor in order to achieve this result. However, it is essential that the audio is first mixed to these levels to achieve the best clarity. It is preferable that shots are individually graded to avoid clipping or crushing of white and black details by the legaliser. Touching up The online editor must often correct for mistakes in shooting. For instance some shots may contain objects that shouldn't be there. The editor may be able to remove them by scaling the image up slightly, or by "cloning" out a part of the image. Shots that are not level can be rotated, shaky shots can be stabilised. Slightly blurred shots may be sharpened. Field problems, speed effects, freeze frames Field-based footage can sometimes display artefacts if field order has been reversed or if the offline editor has made speed changes to the footage. When this is the case the footage generally looks jittery rather than smooth. The online editor must be able to correct these problems, by applying a field shift effect, by deinterlacing, or by changing the method by which speed changes are calculated. Building effects The online editor must be able to check and rebuild any visual effects that were made in a rough or provisional way. For instance, chromakey effects from the offline may be rebuilt using a superior keying plug-in. Masks may have to be drawn to cut transparent areas out of an image. The online machine may have sophisticated visual effects plug-ins that can be applied for added visual impact. Colour grading Often the grade is done separately to the rest of the online by a dedicated colourist on specialised grading equipment. However, online systems such as Avid Symphony and DS Nitris, amongst others, have good grading capabilities and the online editor will often do the grade. Final Cut's three way color corrector and Xpress Pro's Color Correction mode are all capable of performing basic grading perfectly adequately. It is however important to have a good quality, correctly aligned monitor to judge the picture. Both FCP and Avid now have internal video scopes that can help the editor make colour decisions quickly. Credits Credits are often the last thing that is finalised. Broadcasters have very precise specifications as to how they want credits to look and how long they should run. Master to tape

The programme must be played out to the final delivery format; in the UK this is usually a digibeta tape. Specialised online systems are able to play out with precise deck control and if a mistake is spotted whilst recording to tape, then the shot can be seamlessly inserted without having to play out the whole programme again. Basic DV systems can only play out to miniDV or DVCam, tape formats not usually accepted for broadcast. Record Report One of the most important documents that must be placed with the master tape is the record report. This document contains the technical information about the programme, along with the timecodes at which the programme and all its parts begin and end. Information to be included will be: Timecodes, aspect ratio, programme and part lengths, tape format, frame rate. Any non-solvable, or unusual features of the programme should be noted here. For instance, if some of the footage was shot with a faulty camera and cannot be corrected, it may still be allowed in the programme for its content. The notes will alert the broadcaster that the online editor saw the problem and that it was not an error introduced in the post production process. Conclusion When considering where and how to do the online, it may or may not be necessary to move the project off the offline editing work station. Low budget DV work is often finished on Avid Xpress Pro or Final Cut Pro, particularly if there are no particular problems with the footage and no special effects requirements. The online will probably be quicker on more specialised equipment but will more than likely be more expensive. However, it is important to employ an experienced online editor who knows and understands all the standards that are required. For more demanding finishing, bespoke systems such as Avid DS Nitris or Autodesk Smoke might be considered. They are able to handle many layers of effects in real time and offer high quality compositing tools. Particularly for HD work or for graphics heavy programmes, a great deal of time can be saved in these systems and an experienced operator will bring added quality to the production. John McMullin is a London-based editor with hundreds of broadcast and cinema credits including "The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off" and "Taking Liberties". He brings both artistic flair and technical expertise to his work on Avid, Final Cut Pro and DS Nitris systems. For more: Wired

THE SUPRAMENTAL MANIFESTATION UPON EARTH 29 February 1956 (During the common meditation on Wednesday)

This evening the Divine Presence, concrete and material, was there present amongst you. I had a form of living gold, bigger than the universe, and I was facing a huge and massive golden door which separated the world from the Divine. As I looked at the door, I knew and willed, in a single movement of consciousness, that "the time has come", and lifting with both hands a mighty golden hammer I struck one blow, one single blow on the door and the door was shattered to pieces. Then the supramental Light and Force and Consciousness rushed down upon earth in an uninterrupted flow. - Thr Mother

Henceforth the 29th February will be the day of the Lord. - Thr Mother

was in the midst of this intensive yogic effort that on February 29, 1956, the unprecedented and long-awaited "Golden Day" finally arrived. As the story goes, it was a typical Wednesday evening, and all of the disciples had gathered at the ashram playground for the Mother's weekly talk and meditation. But as she later wrote in a message to her disciples, what happened that fateful night was much more than a meditation:

This evening the Divine Presence, concrete and material, was there present amongst you. I had a form of living gold bigger than the universe, and I was facing a huge and massive golden door which separated the world from the Divine. As I looked at the door, I knew and willed, in a single movement of consciousness, that 'the time has come,' and lifting with both hands a mighty golden hammer I struck one blow, one single blow on the door and the door was shattered to pieces. Then the supramental Light and Force and Consciousness rushed down upon earth in an uninterrupted flow. Later, after the writer has returned from his visit to Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, he tries to sum up the spirit of what he learned:
"Well, what I think Sri Aurobindo has to say to humanity today, which I think will be relevant until the day the entire world has indeed become divine down to the quarks, is that evolution needs our participation. In a way, this is the most inspiring and empowering part of his vision: That through the choices we make every day, we can help to move evolution forward toward this glorious, divine end he spoke of. It's as if he was saying, in some sense, that the direction is already set, but the power to bring it about lies entirely in our hands.

And that's the good news. We can bring it about. In fact, given the state the world is in, we have to. There's so much that's possible. So for any of us who still think enlightenment is about waiting for the big blast that will get us out of here, he's saying, 'Wake up and join the revolution. The revolution of consciousness. The revolution of evolution.' Because there's something to bring into being here that the world hasn't seen yet. And that, to me, is where Sri Aurobindo is going to be relevant for a long time to come."

FULL ARTICLE:

When I speak, there is a Consciousness which is expressed, and that Consciousness is what's important but people catch the words and leave the Consciousness! - I am trying to make Auroville a link between the old way of being and the new. - There are some - a few - who are good, but the majority is a subhumanity, an altogether animal humanity. - To be at every moment as expressive of the Divine Consciousness as one can be. That's the only important thing. - People aren't ready. - Those who are left to their freedom are worthless. - Either we have to manage to make this body more plastic so it can be transformed, or else it will be for another life. - Sri Aurobindo said to me, "I shall return when it can be done in a supramental body." - "Duration of life at will." I have the feeling that that is possible. Provided ... the body itself thinks only of one thing - transformation. - I sense I am on the threshold of a great Secret ...

You might also like