Video Production, Post-production, and Distribution BKMs
Here are some of my personal "BKM"s (Best Known
Methods) for recording video, editing, and producing DVDs. In all cases there are multiple alternatives so these are by no means the ONLY
way of doing things.
These are just the ones I have arrived at from experience, budget, and
resulting from external conditions...
- Video Production
- Video Post-production
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Video Production: Single-camera
I use two different camcorders for videotaping various kinds of events.
Primary camcorder is a Sony DSR-300, backed up by a Sony "Handycam"
DCR-TRV900 All my work is in NTSC primarily for North American
distribution, but there are PAL versions of all this equipment available.
The Sony DSR-300
has great low-light performance which is important
in many places I am shooting. With a standard ENG-style camera/lens, I can use
the handle-mount lens focus/zoom controls, which makes it easier to follow
speakers as they wander back and forth for hours(!) The DSR-300 also has
flexible audio input facilities with XLR balanced inputs for both channels,
each channel independently switchable for balanced line-level, or mic level
(with or without 48V phantom power). The DSR-300 is very useful for
long-form programs as it will take 184-minute DVCAM tapes.
The Sony DCR-TRV900
was one of Sony's better small 3-chip camcorders
(from the "golden-era" before HiDef, etc.) It has the reputation of one
of the best of breed for picture quality, etc. Follow-on models (TRV950, etc.)
are reputed to have lower performance, for whatever reason. The TRV900 is
useful for on-the-run or situations where a smaller, more "tourist-like"
camera would be less intrusive, etc. The TRV900 uses mini-DV tape, up to
80-minute length (with Sony DVM80 tapes). Lots of good info about the TRV900
at John Beal's website.
Video Production:
Multi-camera, live-switched
Pre-History We started out with small consumer camcorders (like the
TRV900) and a Videonics MX-1
switcher, but soon discovered that the artifacts
of the MX1 (the one-line video jitter, and the lag-time in the "fly-by-wire"
panel controls) made this a very problematic combination. We also learned from
first-hand experience why commercial cameras use Camera Control Units (CCU).
We tried using consumer "proc amps" (Studio 1, now "Sign Video"
ProcAmp) but discovered that they were no
substitute for real remote control of lens iris and camera video gain, etc.
Especially in the conditions where we frequently tape where there is no budget
for proper video lighting.
"Real" Equipment We then decided that "real" cameras were in order
and Dave bought a couple of higher-end Sony cameras (Sony DXC-537), and
I ended up with several DXC-3000
cameras. These cameras required
14-pin camera cable
(which runs well over $1 per
foot) and Camera Control Units (Sony CCU-M3
and CCU-M5
)
Next was a "real" video switcher. We found a "pre-owned" (but hardly used)
EchoLab switcher with more busses and inputs than we will likely ever use. It
is pretty large and we made a road case for the switcher panel, and put the
rack portion into a mobile rack with the camera CCUs and other equipment. You
can see photos of the larger production unit
here. In
order to have a smaller unit that I could fit into my mini-van, I found a
Sony SEG-2000
switcher on eBay which I
refurbished. Video is recorded on a Sony DSR-20
DVCAM
VCR which uses the same tapes/format as the DSR-300 camcorder.
Communications is handled by a home-made "clone" of the ClearCom-style
industry-standard intercom system. There is a separate web for this project
here.
Video Post-Production: Video Editing
Capture Once the video has been recorded on the camcorder or the
DSR-20 VCR, the same DSR-20 is used to transfer the video into the computer. I
started out using a name-brand Firewire card (ADS
Pyro Firewire), but nowadays most any generic IEEE1394/ Firewire card
will work just fine.
Editing I have used
Adobe Premiere
since version 5.1. The current version (as this is written in Summer 2005) is
Premiere Pro 1.5 (which corresponds to version # 7.5). I also use
Adobe Audition
to do "audio sweetening" or processing that is beyond the capabilities of
Premiere.
Video Post-Production: DVD Authoring
DVD Authoring is the process of creating menues and linking buttons to
the video timelines and "chapter cues". I use
Adobe Encore to
do this authoring and to render an ".IMG" (DVD image) file.
VHS Distribution
I am pretty much getting out of the VHS business as it is much more time
consuming to make VHS tapes in real-time, and most everybody has DVD players by
now (2005). Back when I was doing VHS copying, I used three Panasonic AG-1980
S-VHS
VCRs to record three tapes at once (since we can record VHS cassettes only in
"real-time") I fed them from either a DVCAM master tape, or directly from the
Premiere timeline on the computer.
DVD Distribution: Disc Burning
I started out using Adobe Encore to burn DVD discs, until I discovered that
the Encore ".IMG" files were just standard "ISO" files, and that a freeware
program called DVDdecrypter
would write discs directly from the Encore IMG files. It seems faster, but
even if it weren't, it has the advantage that it gives much more feedback about
what is happening, how long it will take, etc. etc. Another advantage of
using this free-ware program is that I can run it on several machines at once
when I have a lot of discs to burn. Certainly if I had 100 or more discs
to produce, I would send them out to be duplicated or replicated.
DVD Distribution: Disc Printing
Paper labels are to be avoided on DVD discs because of the high
rotation speed and the effects of not getting the label exactly centered. From
what I have heard/read, these combined with the much finer pitch of the data
track make tracking much more difficult with an off-center paper label spinning
around. So...
Direct disc printing is what makes sense to me, and I resisted buying
anything until Epson came out with their
Stylus R200 and
Stylus R300 printers. These are very inexpensive and come with a tray
that will hold a CDR or DVDR "inkjet printable" disc. Check the Epson website
for direct-sales refurbished units. As this is written a R200 is available for
$77 with free shipping. Now that I have the Epson printer, I am using it
for audio and data CDRs also as it is more professional looking and likely
cheaper than paper labels. The printers come with bundled software to create and
print directly on the discs. Other software can be used, but will require
creating a template first to get the image in the proper position for the
surface of the disc.
Replacement ink is one of the big expenses. The MSRP of the
replacement ink cartridges approaches the cost of the whole R200 printer (at
least the refurbished price). However, the particular version of
cartridges for these printers is now being sold at the Costco warehouse stores,
so it brings the cost of a set of ink cartridges down to around $50.
Continuous Ink Supply retro-fit kits are available for these printers
and are recommended for cutting down on the cost of printing discs and
associated printed materials. I bought one that was recommended on VideoHelp
from an eBay vendor in HongKong named "JLWsales"
and
it was delivered to my door four days later. I have had slower delivery from
just across town! A similar unit is available from a vendor named "PCwirl"
but I
have no information about it. Suggest researching before buying.
DVD Distribution: Case Printing
DVD "Amray" cases make a very nice package and customers expect something
like that for a DVD disc. Of course, the disc is the same size as an audio CD
and DVD discs can be packaged in CD "jewel cases" or even in paper sleeves. The
Amray cases take a paper insert that can be printed on the same printer (The
Epson Stylus R200 or R300) as is used for the discs. I use Microsoft
PowerPoint to create the inserts. I have published PowerPoint templates for
several kinds of media on
this web page.
Materials Sources: DVD Discs
I now use exclusively
Taiyo
Yuden discs and purchase them from
SuperMediaStores.
Information from www.digitalfaq.com was
my source for learning not only which brands are most reliable, but also which
vendors are less likely to sell counterfeit discs. Specifically, their
"Blank Media & Quality
FAQ" and their page listing
"Where to
Buy Good Meda" I thought were invaluable. The T-Y discs are very
popularly priced and the reliability is very much worth the few cents extra cost
of each disc. The cheap (and annonymous) discs will end up costing more
because of the reject rate even if you catch them while burning. If you start
getting customer returns, it will REALLY cost more than whatever premium the T-Ys
are going for.
Materials Source: DVD Cases
Amray style DVD cases are available in many places, as are traditional
CD-style "jewel-cases" and many other types of disc enclosures and mailing
materials. I like the "slimline" (1/2 standard thickness) cases available from Comp-USA which are
available in both single-disc (SKU
306116) and dual-disc (SKU
306117) versions but there are a great many alternatives out there, almost
too many to choose from.
Materials Source: DVD Case Paper
"Photo paper" really makes a visible difference in the appearance of
the DVD case wraparound insert. But this tends to be expensive. I have been
experimenting with various sources of "bargain" papers and I am currently
pleased with the Premium
Photo Glossy Paper from
Meritline.
Information Sources:
Here are several sources of information which I have found to be valuable...
Vendors Mentioned
© 2005 Richard Crowley
Revised: 03-Jun-2005
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