Linear editing -dvd menus?

[AndyMan 7]

For those people using editing boards, how are you creating DVD menus? Do any of the menu titles have customer specific info - like their names, or do you just us standard menus?

Or... have people doing DVD's gone completely NLE?

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[skyfly 0]

I honstly have a VERY HARD TIME believing that people can use NLE system today, and present the students/first timers any product to take home with them. I see in Perris that they use a linear DVD recorder, and do it on the spot. the student goes home with the DVD in 10 minutes after the jump. from what I've seen its pretty basic menus, with a play all, and chapters menu if I'm not mistaken (I havent been around to see too many tandem dvds lately - but I will soon)

they put in some default Perris footage at the beginning of each video, but that is standard procedure. the menus are VERY basic (text only) if I'm not mistaken, please correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

for what it's worth - i think it's great that we can produce this type of media to the students. NLEs should be kept for End-Of-The-Year videos, or boogie videos. it DOES take a longer time to prepare.

for what it's worth , my 2 cents.

Be Simple, Be Creative, Bee!
Sharon.

[prost 0]

It takes longer but looks a lot better. You can do a lot more with the NLE. The amount of time it takes me to edit is shorter on a NLE system. It takes the computer a while to render everything and write the dvd so the overall process is longer, but my amount of work time is shorter. I will soon have two systems up and running so that we will be able to edit a video while another is being rendered.

[skyfly 0]

yeah, I'm familiar with NLE systems as I've been working with them for over 3 years now
(lookie at my video) but even if you have a designated video editor on the DZ, it will still be a huge overhead producing a DVD with such a system, in comparison to a linear editing station

think about it - for every student you will need to:
IMPORT -> EDIT (yay, you've got some material pre-ready , but still you've gotta edit some stuff) -> RENDER to Mpeg2 -> Import to your DVD authoring app -> Edit that (yay, you've got some menus waiting, but still you have to do some small changes) -> RENDER THAT -> BURN

I'm all up for that, but you need to arrange the timing right. you want the clients/students/whoever to be oblivious to this whole procedure, as far as they care - they want the video given to them as they touch the ground. (or maybe 2 minutes later, when they recover)

I'd love to hear about DZs that use NLE and how much time it takes them to present the student with the DVD

Be Simple, Be Creative, Bee!
Sharon.

[prost 0]

I produce the DVDs with a NLE now. You can cut out a lot of those steps by using the right software. The biggest time factor for me right now is the rendering. I have to capture the video. On my 2.4ghz non hyperthreading system it takes a little bit to convert to MPEG but on the new hyper threading system this is instantaneous. I edit the video which takes 6 minutes including dvd authoring(after a lot of practice). The software I use has the DVD editor built in. Then I need to let the computer render and output the DVD. Now that I have two systems, I can edit another one while the first is rendering and writing the DVD. The computer only has to render once and I do not have to import the work to any other apps. My actual work time is very small. The whole process takes about 45 minutes but with two systems I can put out a DVD about every 25 minutes. With a linear editor you are still looking at 20 minutes best case if you are running freefall footage through in slow motion and again in real time with titles music and putting an intro on the front.

William

[AndyMan 7]

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You can cut out a lot of those steps by using the right software.

and

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The software I use has the DVD editor built in.

What software?

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Cacophony 0]

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With a linear editor you are still looking at 20 minutes best case if you are running freefall footage through in slow motion and again in real time with titles music and putting an intro on the front.

It takes me 7 to 8 minutes to edit a tandem video, which includes the leader and slow motion spots in freefall. At my home DZ we pre-order tapes with the leader at the beginning so therefore you don't have to put it on there every time.

I totally agree that NLE editing systems produce much much better videos, but as previously stated, I don't think that the general consumer really cares and would just rather get their video quicker.

[skydivejersey 0]

We will be using Adobe Premier for editing and Adobe Encore for menus. The pre intro speel, end 'how about doing AFF' and Menus are pre rendered in Encore so we just have to inser the premier part in the middle.

We came to the conclusion that the extra time is worth the effort. The DVD is what they will show to their friends and family and we want it to be an advert for what we do.

[ffejdraga 0]

There is one dude at our dz using Avid to edit and produce videos. He runs it out to a transcoder to make VHS or if it is a dvd, he make a dvd straight outta Avid. The only downside is that there are no menus for the dvd.

The time it takes is about the same, it is just managed differntly. Import the video, add edit points, render (only the effects in avid), then output. Once he is at the output stage, he is free to go, and ususally has the student watching, and tells them when the screen goes black (video is over) take the tape out, or remove the dvd which has ejected. By that point he is already on the plane again, ready to do it all over again.

jeff D-16906

[prost 0]

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It takes me 7 to 8 minutes to edit a tandem video, which includes the leader and slow motion spots in freefall.

Our videos are longer than 7 to 8 minutes so you could not wven run it through in that amount of time.

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I totally agree that NLE editing systems produce much much better videos, but as previously stated, I don't think that the general consumer really cares and would just rather get their video quicker.

Videos are one of the main advertisements for the DZ. I want that advertisement to be as good as possible.

[prost 0]

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What software?

I am using Pinnacle studio DV8. Edition also has this built in DVD authoring software. I use Studio because it is easy to teach someone else and I am wanting to make quick videos. I will be going to version 9 as soon as I am done testing it on another machine.

William