iMovie for tandems

[pierre3636 0]

Hi there - quick question - does anyone use imove for editing tandems ect. Busy learning the software and it seems that leaving a tandem "template" and simply pasting in the clips after every tandem could be super quick. any thoughts?

~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~

[DSE 3]

iMovie would work acceptably well, your idea is no different than some of the Premiere templates and Vegas templates that others here use.
It's not a fast app by any means, so speed isn't going to be there, but it certainly does output vid.
One of the guys at our DZ tried doing this and gave up fairly quickly.
FWIW, one of the secrets of the way that I work (posted earlier) is that I have access to VBscripts. I don't believe there are any hooks in iMovie for Apple script, but I could be wrong.

[pierre3636 0]

clearly i have a mac - what would you suggest ? what is cheap and good to use?

~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~

[DSE 3]

For the Mac....iMovie is essentially all you have to choose from in the "Cheap and easy" category.
From there, you can step to FCP Express. Cheap, not necessarily easy. Adobe Premiere Elements should be making it's Mac/Apple debut soon. But it will not offer Applescript support, so iMovie would still be your best "cheap/easy" solution.

[pierre3636 0]

cool tx bro - ill give ita go and see how i go.

~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~

[stratostar 5]

Yep been doing that for a couple years now and a template is the way to go so all you have to do is drag and drop and slide the music and fade some audio in place and your done.

imove is all you really need to do a kick ass and fast job, it will take you a little bit to get fast and find what works best for you. There are some pretty cool add ons from Gee three you can get but I find it best to apply K.I.S.S.

The only thing I really don't like in imove is the slo-mo looks to jerky, other then that it friken rocks for tandem production in the right hands. If you would like more info PM me.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[Cashmanimal 0]

I use iMovie for all my AFF and tandem videos.

To be completely honest, I don't think most people who get the videos care much about the editing quality of the video. 90% of people completely overlook perfect music timing (which after an entire summer of videos, I have kinda given up on. VEry time consuming).

Anyway, as far as iMovie goes, it works fantastic for me. Import the clip, drag and drop, a few fade in/outs, and done.

One other videographer made a very nice intro/outro to his movies. He was kind enough to let me have those, as they were done rather professionally. So now I just have a template and basically copy and paste. It looks like:

Into--student interview--fade to student practice climb outs-- fade to plane taking off (stock footage with an iMovie effect-sepia tone or somthing)--fade to student in the plane interview--black screen with fun text reading "and now... your skydive!!-- cue song #2 (timed approximately with the exit)-- fade to climbout/skydive, fade out during my opening--slow-mo skydive-- stock footage of my canopy flight and landing (with another iMovie effect, B&W or something)-- student landing/post-jump interview-- fade to outro-- raw jump footage (with original sound and all)

they come out nice. But yes, very time consuming. The first save is always very, very slow. And then exporting it to iDVD makes the DVD itself very flashy and desireable, but once again, very slow. It is not the most efficient system, but it was free, and it works.

Also, the files tend to be very large. Somehow the trashcan in iMovie HD always fills up with 1g+ of random crap. Also, when you adjust the length of a clip, it retains the entire clip instead of actually shortening it. Maybe this is normal, IDK. But it makes for huge file sizes.

Overall coming from somebody who uses it, iMovie is a good free option. You bet your ass as soon as I get some spare cash I'll pick up Final Cut, though.

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[Cashmanimal 0]

oh, and as stratostar pointed out, the speed adjustments in iMovie can be jerky. I find that they look actually pretty shitty on my computer (quad G5 with 8 gigs of ram and 23-inch Cinema HD display and Radeon XT900 graphics card-- it's not the computer).

However, once exported through iDVD and played on a regular television, it looks perfect. Still choppy on the computer though. Glad it's not just me!

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

[stratostar 5]

Quote

VEry time consuming

And

Quote

The first save is always very, very slow. And then exporting it to iDVD makes the DVD itself very flashy and desireable, but once again, very slow. It is not the most efficient system,

I would have to say IMHO you might not be the most efficient editor or are not using the system in the most efficient manner.

How long have you been shooting tandem videos and editing them?

I have been at now for almost 15 years and this would be the 4th season using only imovie. I would guess I have a few more tricks in my bag of tricks then you do, not to say that makes me a video god like DSE, but I find with imove set up the right way I produce a 10 to 12 min tandem video in about 20 to 30 minutes out the door to the customer and a cd with 80 to 140 stills too.

***90% of people completely overlook perfect music timing***

I would have to disagree here again, in the many years that customers have returned to jump again or bring family/friends to jump, I get many requests to be the video flyer over the other staff, for their friends and family and I get many complements from them, sometimes years later.

Seeing that each and every video that walks out the door is a commercial for the DZ, I like to make the best product as we can in a speedy and efficient manner, our customers are very happy with the service provided.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[DSE 3]

I wish more vidiots/editors saw it this way, Stratostar...every video that goes out is a commercial for the DZ, and it also is a commercial for your work, and expression of your interest in the student's "special" moment.
Having done everything I can think of to speed the process, I'm now interested in the best product I can create within a reasonable amount of time.
Yes, overall I can sometimes take longer than an analog edit on an MX console, but then again, my vids repeat the exit at least once, repeat the deployment at least once, and repeat a key moment/fun moment in the skydive at least once. They get a menu with their name on it, they get a lengthy "This is what skydiving is" video on their DVD, they get their name titled into the video, and sometimes fun/funny graphix, etc.
The quality difference has been noted more than once on our DZ, in one case one customer wanted some sort of compensation, because he was on the same load as his buddy, and his video was standard fare, while his buddy not only got his DVD first, but it included his photos, and alll of the above vs "ground, climb, alt, interview, freefall, post jump" and some music taken from iTunes.
It's not just about doing the job, IMO. It's about doing the best damn job you can for the allotted amount of time. If you can't change the amount of time (which most of us can't) then you've got to change up the way you accomplish the goal, no matter how it's achieved.
All that said, there are many ways that the workflow in iMovie (or any other NLE) can be used to speed and improve the video editing process.
No point in fighting it, as in the next season or two, you'll be doing HD at some level anyway, almost guaranteed. And there is no, and will be no, analog editing of HD the way things are being done with DV.

[DSE 3]

An addendum to the thread; Apple today announced iMovie supports AVCHD, so now you can own a CX7 and shoot AVCHD and edit the footage on your MacBook Pro or other fast Apple computer.

[skymedic 0]

I don't know if you saw the preview of the new iMovie but it is MUCH easier to use now...totally new software with new interface, new way of editing, etc...very impressive.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[DSE 3]

yes, I've seen (and worked with) the new iMovie. I don't agree that it's "totally easier" etc, but it is a significant improvement over what was there before. In another thread, I referenced it, as I've been working with the new iMovie for a couple weeks now (beta) for purposes of AVCHD.