How to connect a digital camcorder to your computer?

Before you can edit video on your computer, you need to get the video into the computer somehow. Sorry, a shoehorn won’t work — usually you connect a cable between your camcorder and the FireWire or USB port on your computer. Of the two, FireWire (also called IEEE-1394) is usually preferable. FireWire ports have two basic styles: 6-pin and 4-pin. The FireWire port on your computer probably uses a 6-pin connector, and the port on your camcorder probably uses a 4-pin connector. This means you’ll probably have to buy a 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable if you don’t already have one. The FireWire connector on your camcorder may not be labeled “FireWire.” It may be called IEEE-1394 (the “official” term for FireWire), DV, or i.Link. Whatever it’s called, if the camcorder is, it’s FireWire-compatible. FireWire is a “hot-swappable” port technology. This means you don’t have to turn the power off on your computer when you want to connect a camcorder or other FireWire device to a FireWire port. Just plug it in, turn it on, and away you go. (Meanwhile, you may want to practice saying buzzwords like “hot-swappable” with a straight face.)

Connect the FireWire cable between the camcorder and your computer, and then turn on the power on your camcorder. Your camcorder probably has two power modes. One is a camera mode, which is the mode you use when you shoot video. The second mode is a player or VTR mode. This second mode is the one you want to turn on when you prepare to capture video from the camcorder’s tape into your computer.
When you turn on the camcorder, your Windows PC will probably chime and then display the Digital Video Device window, which asks you what you want to do. This window is one of those handy yet slightly-annoying features that tries to make everything more automatic in Windows. Click Cancel to close that window for now.
One really cool feature of FireWire is a technology called device control. In effect, it allows software on your computer to control devices that are connected to your FireWire ports — including digital camcorders. This means that when you want to play, rewind, or pause video playback on the camcorder, you can usually do it using Play, Rewind, Pause, and other control buttons in your Pinnacle Studio or Apple iMovie application. Some camcorders can use USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports instead of FireWire ports. The nice thing about USB ports is that — unlike FireWire ports — virtually all PCs made in the last five years have them. The not-sonice thing is that most USB ports are too slow to handle full-quality video. Pinnacle Studio and Apple iMovie can capture from USB cameras using the same procedures described in this chapter for FireWire capture, but you may find that the video quality is reduced. Thus, I recommend that you use FireWire whenever possible.

Making room for video files

Video files need a lot of space. Digital video typically uses 3.6 MB (megabytes) of space per second, which (if you do the math) means that 1GB (gigabyte) will hold about five minutes of video. You’ll also need working space on the hard disk — so figure out approximately how much video you want to capture and multiply that number by four. For example, if you want to capture about 15 minutes of video, you’ll need at least 3GB of disk space to store it. Multiply that by four (as a rule of thumb) to figure out that you should have at least 12GB of free space on your hard disk to get the job done.
When I say you need at least 12GB of space for 15 minutes of video, I do mean at least. Even though hard disk space may appear empty, your operating system — as well as your video-editing program — has to use that empty space periodically while working in the background. When it comes to harddisk space, more really is better when you’re working with video. The first thing you need to do is figure out how much free space is available on your hard disk. In Windows, open My Computer (Start➪My Computer). Right-click the icon representing your hard disk; choose Properties from the menu that appears. A Properties dialog box appears. It tells you (among other things) how much free space is available. Click OK to close the box.
On a Macintosh, click the icon for your hard disk just once; then press Ô+I. An Info dialog box appears, showing you how much free space is available. Click the Close button or press Ô+Q to close the Info dialog box. some things to consider:

• Take out the garbage. Empty the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac).
• Clean up unneeded Internet files. The cache for your Web browser could be taking up a lot of hard-disk space. The Windows Disk Cleanup utility can help you get rid of these and other unnecessary files. On a Mac, you can empty the cache or control how much disk space is devoted to cache using the Preferences window for your Web browser.
• Add a hard disk to your computer. Adding a second hard disk to your computer can be a little complicated, but it’s certainly one good way to gain more storage space.

Preparing for Digital Video Capture

The process of transferring video into your computer is often called capturing. Capturing digital video is pretty easy, but you should take some specific steps to ensure everything goes smoothly:

• Install your hardware. Your computer needs the right components to capture video — which means (among other things) having a FireWire or other capture card installed.
• Turn off unnecessary programs. If you are like most people, you probably have several different programs running on your computer right now. Video capture requires a lot of available memory and processor power, and every running program on your computer uses some of those resources. E-mail, Web browser, and MP3 jukebox? Close ’em down. Cute desktop schemes and screen savers? Disable those too. I even recommend that you temporarily disable your antivirus software during video capture. If you’re using Windows, take a look at the System Tray. (That’s the area in the lower right corner of your screen, next to the clock.) Every little icon you see down there is a running program. Right-click each icon and close or disable as many of them as possible. You don’t have to get rid of every single item, but do try to close or disable as many as possible. After all, it’s a temporary arrangement. You should also disable your Internet connection during video capture as well. You can reactivate System Tray items later— including your antivirus software— by simply restarting your computer. If you’re using a Macintosh, look at the OS X Dock to make sure your programs are closed To quit a program, click its icon in the Dock and press Ô+Q. The only icon you won’t be able to quit is the Finder, of course.
• Defragment your hard disk. When your computer’s operating system puts files on your hard disk, those files may wind up spread all over the place. This means that even if you have 60GB of free space, that 60GB might be broken up into little chunks here and there. This can cause trouble during video capture, especially with Windows machines, and most especially with version of Windows before Windows XP (such as Windows Me). Even if you have a Mac, it’s still a good regular computer maintenance practice, and if you experience dropped frames during video capture, defragmentation can only help. I recommend you defragment your hard disk monthly, or right before video capture if the disk hasn’t been defragmented recently. Defragmentation organizes the files on your hard disk so that the empty space will be in larger, more usable chunks. Some computer experts will probably tell you that defragmentation isn’t as important with modern operating systems like OS X and Windows XP, but that advice does not really apply when you’re working with video. Video is one of the few remaining tasks which still requires a defragmented hard disk. To defragment a hard disk in Windows, choose Start➪All Programs➪ Accessories➪System Tools➪Disk Defragmenter. Choose the hard disk you want to defragment, and click Defragment (Windows XP) or OK (Windows Me and earlier). The Macintosh OS doesn’t come with a built-in defragmenter, but you can use an aftermarket defragmentation utility such as Norton Disk-Doctor or Apple Disk First Aid.
• Make sure you have enough hard-disk space. Why is the process of transferring video to the hard disk called capturing instead of just copying? Even though the video is stored as digital data on your camcorder tape, that data must be turned into a computer file in order to be stored on your hard disk. Capturing is the process of turning video data into a computer file.

Advanced checklist of Video Production

If you’re planning a slightly more format video shoot, you’ll probably want to bring the items on the basic checklist as well as these more advanced items:
• Lights
• Clothes/wardrobe for the cast
• Make-up and hair-care items
• Fans (to simulate wind and mess up that hair you just combed)
• Extension cords
• Reflectors
• Stool
• Backdrop
• Clamps
• AC adapter and/or battery charger for camcorder
• Microphone
• Audio recorder (don’t forget batteries and blank audio tapes or MiniDiscs)
• Slate
• Script

Basic Checklist of a Video Production

This basic checklist includes important items that you’ll need on virtually any shoot, no matter how informal:

• Camcorder
• Your camcorder owner’s manual
• Extra charged batteries
• Spare blank tapes
• Lens cleaner
• Lens filters
• Tripod
• Duct tape
• Camcorder accessories (remote control, telephoto lens, and so on)
• Scene list

How to create your own sound effects for digital video production?

As you watch a TV show or movie, it is easy to forget that many of the subtle little sounds you hear are actually sound effects that were added in during editing, rather than “real” sounds that were recorded with the video image. This is often because the microphone was focused on the voice of a speaking subject as opposed to other actions in the scene. Subtle sounds like footsteps, a knock on the door, or splashing water are often recorded separately and added to the movie later. These sound effects are often called Foley sounds by movie pros, and someone who makes Foley sounds is called a Foley artist. Foley sound effects are named after audio pioneer Jack Foley, who invented the technique in the 1950s.

Recording your own sound effects is pretty easy. Many sounds will actually sound better in a video project if they’re simulated, as opposed to recording the real thing. For example:

• Breaking bone: Snap carrots or celery in half. Fruit and vegetables can be used to produce many disgusting sounds, and they don’t complain about being broken in half nearly as much as human actors.
  
• Buzzing insect: Wrap wax paper tightly around a comb, place your lips so that they are just barely touching the paper, and hum so that the wax paper makes a buzzing sound.
• Fire: Crumple cellophane or wax paper to simulate the sound of a crackling fire.
• Footsteps: Hold two shoes and tap the heels together followed by the toes. Experiment with different shoe types for different sounds. This may take some practice to get the timing of each footstep just right.
  
• Gravel or snow: Walk on cat litter to simulate the sound of walking through snow or gravel.
• Horse hooves: This is one of the classic sound effects. The clop-clopclopping of horse hooves is often made by clapping two halves of a coconut shell together.
• Kiss: Pucker up and give your forearm a nice big smooch to make the sound of a kiss.
• Punch: Punch a raw piece of steak or a raw chicken.
• Thunder: Shake a large piece of sheet metal to simulate a thunderstorm.
  
• Town bell: To replicate the sound of a large bell ringing, hold the handle of a metal stew pot lid, and tap the edge with a spoon or other metal object. Experiment with various strikers and lids for just the right effect.

Some sound effects might be included with your editing software or are available for download. Pinnacle Studio, for example, comes with a diverse library of sound effects, which you can access by clicking the Show Sound Effects tab or choosing Album➪Sound Effects. If the sound effects aren’t currently listed, navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Studio 8\ Sound Effects, and then open one of the thirteen sound-effect category folders such as \Animals or \Squeaks.
Apple iMovie 3 also includes some built-in sound effects. Open iMovie and click the Audio button. To view a list of sound effects, make sure you have iMovie Sound Effects listed in the menu at the top of the audio browser). You may also be able to download additional sound effects periodically from www.apple.com/imovie/audio_effects.html. If you use Windows Movie Maker, you may be able to download free sound effects from Microsoft. Visit www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ and look for links to downloadable sound effects. If you are using another video-editing program, check the documentation or visit the publisher’s Web site to see whether free sound effects are available.

How to manage ambient noise during digital video production?

Ambient noise is the general noise that we don’t usually think much about because it surrounds us constantly. Ambient noise might come from chirping birds, an airplane flying overhead, chattering bystanders, passing cars, a blowing furnace, the little fans spinning inside your computer, and even the tiny motor turning the tape reels in your camcorder or tape recorder. Although it’s easy to tune out these noises when you’re immersed in them, they’ll turn up loud and ugly in your audio recordings later on. If you’re recording outdoors or in a public gathering place, you probably can’t do much to eliminate the actual sources of ambient noise. But wherever you are recording, you can take some basic steps to manage ambient noise:

• Use a microphone: I know, this is about the millionth time I’ve said it, but a microphone placed close to your subject will go a long way towards ensuring that the sound you actually want to record is not totally overwhelmed by ambient noise.
• Wear headphones: Camcorders and tape recorders almost always have headphone jacks. If you plug headphones into the headphone jack you can listen to the audio that is actually being recorded, and possibly detect potential problems.
• Shield the camcorder’s mic from wind: A gentle breeze may seem almost silent to your ear, but the camcorder’s microphone may pick it up as a loud roar that overwhelms all other sound. If nothing else, you can position your hand to block wind from blowing directly across the screen on the front of your camcorder’s mic.
• Try to minimize sound reflection: Audio waves reflect off any hard surface, which can cause echoing in a recording. Hanging blankets on walls and other hard surfaces will significantly reduce reflection.
• Turn off fans, heaters, and air conditioners: Air rushing through vents creates a surprising amount of unwanted ambient noise. If possible, temporarily turn off your furnace, air conditioner, or fans while you record your audio.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers: You know how annoying it is when someone’s cell phone rings while you’re trying to watch a movie; just imagine how bothersome it is when you’re making a movie! Make sure that you and everyone else on the set turns those things off. Even the sound of a vibrating pager might be picked up by your microphones.
  
• Shut down your computer: Obviously this is impossible if you are recording using a microphone that is connected to your computer, but computers do tend to make a lot of noise, so shut them down if you can.
  
• Warn everyone else to be quiet: If anyone else is in the building or general area, ask them to be quiet while you are recording audio. Noises from the next room may be muffled, but they still contribute to ambient noise. Likewise, you may want to wait until your neighbor is done mowing his lawn before recording your audio.
• Record and preview some audio: Record a little bit of audio, and then play it back. This might help you identify ambient noise or other audio problems.