So, just what exactly is the BEST solution???????

[tsalnukt 1]

........for editing a tandem video as quickly as possible?????? So far for I haven't found anything that is faster than good ol' linear editing. I can put out a 7-ish minute video in 10-ish minutes, complete, finished and in the students hands. I haven't been convinced that there is a machine out there that can equal the speed of me and my "shoot-to-edit, linear system". I shoot about 4.5 minutes of tape for an average tandem video. 3 times I talk to the student, I show the freefall once in real time and then show it again with some slow motion and then the landing and the end with titles at the beginning and the end and I use 3 songs.

Now, can someone please tell me if this is at all possible to do, in less than 12 minutes, with a computer??? If the answer is yes, then what camera/machine/software are you doing this with? I would like to hear from all the people that can produce a video, on the computer, and still make every 15 minute calls all day long.

[freefalle 0]

If you are editing from a camera that uses tape, you are not going to be able to edit any faster with a computer than with the system you have now. Many people have gone to camera which use the sd cards. For people using cameras (like the sony cx series) that record to an SD card it is faster to edit using a laptop.

Which system is best, well, that would be the one that works for you. For me, it is using my computer and a cx 100, why you may ask? because I had a computer so therefore it was less expensive for me to buy a cx100 and edit with my computer. Additionally, It is easier for me to carry my laptop to a dz than to carry editing gear. i.e. what works best for me.

Can you edit a tandem video in less than 12 minutes? Depends on what you want to do with the video and how good you are with your editing program. On it's face, I would say the answer to that question is yes you may be able to edit a simple tandem video in 10 to 12 minutes. However, you would have to wait for it to render which would take about another 10 minutes depending on your computer. So you could edit, make the next load and the rendering would be done by the time you were ready to start the next video. YMMV

Do what works best for you. And be safe, that works best for everyone.


Chuck Bryan

[idrankwhat 0]

Is it worth five more minutes to be able to deliver a dvd with a DZ specific root menu and trailer video, still photos, credits, follow up contact and continuing training information, and pretty much anything else you might want to add? Going the NLE route you're pretty much unlimited in your capability.

[DSE 3]

Camera-CX100, CX7, CX12, CX110 (takes longer, becasue camera has to be removed from base to extract card)

Computer: Quadcore PC ssystem

Software: Sony Vegas with Production Assistant

From moment of ingest to finished customized DVD with student name and extra features on the DVD: 6 minutes (depending on person running the software). I've yet to meet anyone that can't do it in less than 10 after a little training. This includes a repeat/Slo-mo of the exit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HocJS6ckLp8 This was Jumptown's first Youtube upload. Edited/created on DVD in just over 4 mins, but they also have a monster fast editing system.

[keithm 0]

Quote

This was Jumptown's first Youtube upload. Edited/created on DVD in just over 4 mins, but they also have a monster fast editing system.

Do you have any idea what they are running in the monster fast comp? what key components make it fast? thx

[mircan 0]

Quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HocJS6ckLp8 This was Jumptown's first Youtube upload. Edited/created on DVD in just over 4 mins

Is this "industry standard" over there for editing tandem vids?
I ask because it has nothing "special" if you can understand what i`m trying to say. It`s just clips copied from camera, some have speech audio, the others have music audio. No sync to the music, entry and exit animations are pre-rendered. Just slow-mo of exit. Plain vanilla.
I could do this type of editing work in less than 2 minutes. And the rest is up to the computer speed.
I guess that if you have large number of tandems, than that`s the norm...
Still, I`m interested can a Production Assistant be used to automatize more custom video edit?
Like the one that we currently do:
1. normal exit
2. slow-mo exit
3. freefall continued
4. slow-mo of something nice in freefall
5. freefall continued and deployment
6. slow-mo of deployment
7. whole freefall again in normal speed.
Transitions are synchronized with music.
Can it automate to do something like this? Or just close?

dudeist skydiver #42

[flr169 0]

mircan.....can you post a link to a video of yours to compare with what is posted above....

thanks

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting - "fcuk me what a ride!"

[mircan 0]

Quick find on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA5ACVlaJqY

Disregard short freefall, it was a C-172. Preflight interview and proposal part are cut out. But you could get the picture. There are 3 slow-mos in freefall and the same three at the end video. Music are to some extent in sync with changes in the video.

OTOH, I just watched one of the Production Assistant training videos and it seems to me that I could do semi-automated slow-mo parts.

dudeist skydiver #42

[DSE 3]

Quote

Quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HocJS6ckLp8 This was Jumptown's first Youtube upload. Edited/created on DVD in just over 4 mins

Is this "industry standard" over there for editing tandem vids?
I ask because it has nothing "special" if you can understand what i`m trying to say. It`s just clips copied from camera, some have speech audio, the others have music audio. No sync to the music, entry and exit animations are pre-rendered. Just slow-mo of exit. Plain vanilla.
I could do this type of editing work in less than 2 minutes. And the rest is up to the computer speed.
I guess that if you have large number of tandems, than that`s the norm...
Still, I`m interested can a Production Assistant be used to automatize more custom video edit?
Like the one that we currently do:
1. normal exit
2. slow-mo exit
3. freefall continued
4. slow-mo of something nice in freefall
5. freefall continued and deployment
6. slow-mo of deployment
7. whole freefall again in normal speed.
Transitions are synchronized with music.
Can it automate to do something like this? Or just close?

It can automate *most* of what you're asking for.
If markers are embedded in the music, syncs are quite possible too.
However...exit shots can't be accuratedly predicted for each video, as they're all different.
Yes, these are "plain vanilla" because the idea is to get the video into the hands of the customer immediately after they've removed their gear. Editing shouldn't take longer than 2 mins, burning takes approximately 3 mins, plus about 1 min to insert the customer video into the customized DVD menu that has additional media on it to encourage a return to the DZ for AFF or more tandems, and a leader for the DZ. In all, about 15 mins of video content.
There are three parts to the process;
Ingest
Edit
Deliver

They are each longer than the other. If you want to deliver vids in under 6-7 mins, it's easy. You can also add complexity to the automation and/or templates (there is room for 10 in this version of the system) but bear in mind that adding more processes adds more time. For example, adding multiple slo-mo's and color correction or FX is gonna add at least 15-20% to your render time. While this is no big hit on a small DZ, it has an enormous impact on a DZ that is doing 100 vids a day.
Another benefit to this system that I'd failed to mention is that it allows one editor to work on multiple videos at once. One ingesting, one rendering, one editing (or more, if the person is fast enough, sounds like you probably are).
I've run as many as 22 instances of the app at one shot, but it does get kinda confusing looking at all those similar windows.

[mircan 0]

Yup, I understood completely. Big DZs and lots of tandems and they all just got to go home with DVD in their hands. It`s sure fast and automatic.

After I watched PA video on timeline markers and empty events, it seems to me that I could get something like I already do almost automatic with slight manual adjustments afterwards.

P.S. I could not install PA from "Tandem videos made easy" even for a trial... And my "slow transitions" problem is CPU related

dudeist skydiver #42