Edit to the Maxx - The Art of the Digital Cut - Part 2

 

Capturing
In this episode, you will capture the video you shot over the last two weeks. So, get your tape and camcorder ready. Be sure the tape is rewound.

 

FreeDV executes under both Windows XP and OS X. Operation is essentially the same under both. There is one key difference—modifier keys: [XP combinations will be in braces] while

 

Most computers operate with a display aspect ratio of 4:3. Some computers, however, have “wide” displays. Screen-shots in this tutorial are from Free DV running under OS X on a widescreen iMac. Therefore, if you have a 4:3 display when you are setting up Free DV, your screen will not look exactly like the screen-shots in this document. Likewise, depending on your computer’s display resolution, you screen may look different. Thus, when learning Free DV, my screenshots should be used only as rough guides. Use your computer’s display for detailed information.

 

Naturally, Project names as well as the names given to objects seen in my screenshots will not match those you will see on your computer.

 

Whenever you need to issue a command, you will see the command written as Menu > Tool. This means select the command Tool found under Menu.

 

Power-up your camcorder. Plug the FireWire cable into it and then into your computer.

 

Launch FreeDV. When FreeDV is launched, the application will connect to the Internet and present Go or Later buttons. Click the Later button.

 

 

Now you will be presented with the Select Project dialog box.

 

 

Each time you launch Free DV you will see your previously created project(s). Simply select the Project you want to work with and click the OK button. (The screenshot above shows I have already created a Project called “Camcorderinfo 1.”)

 

Now click the New Project button. Type the project’s name into the dialog box. I named my new project “Thaipusam.” Select either “30i NTSC” or “25i PAL” depending on which DV format you use (North America and Japan use NTSC, most of Europe uses PAL). Click OK. The New Project dialog box will close and you’ll see your new project highlighted in the list of projects. Click OK.

 

You may now see one or more informational boxes, for example, the warning below. Click OK.

 

 

You may also see this dialog box appear. Click Cancel.

 

 

FreeDV will now open multiple windows on the screen. You will immediately see how great the Avid human interface looks. Unlike the Final Cut Pro interface that has been designed to look elegant to the novice, Avid interfaces are designed to meet the needs of professional editors. Note, for example, the interface is designed to be easy on the eyes when used in a semi-darkened room.

 

Now we’ll transfer the footage from your camcorder to the computer. Use the Tools > Capture command to open the Capture Tool window. As shown below, you should see the following status information displayed in the Capture Tool.

If you do not see the latter status message, you will likely see a NO DECK indication. Click on the No Deck button. Select the Auto-configure option. Answer “Yes” to the auto-configure question. If you still see a NO DECK indication, power on and off the camcorder. You should now see a Select Tape dialog box. Click the Cancel button. If you have a problem with FireWire, remember this is the time to use Avid’s Support Forum at www.avid.com/exchange/forums/38/ShowForum.aspx.

 

If you didn’t experience any problems, we can get ready to capture video. First, carryout these five steps:

  

Issue the Toolset > Save Current command so the next time you issue the Tools > Capture command, you’ll get the same window arrangement.

 

In the Project window, click in the SuperBin’s name field and then type in the name of your Project (followed by return). It is best to use a short name like Thaipusam Bin.

 

Click the V, A1, and TC buttons in the Record Tool. This will cause video and timecode, plus the left audio channel, to be captured to disk. Do not click the A2 button. You want to only capture monaural audio. In a future column, we will learn about how professionals record audio.

 

To capture video and audio, follow these steps:

 

 

If you receive a warning or error message, click on the Generic DV Device—NTSC button. Select the Check Decks option. Now, click the tape Play button and then click the Capture Tool’s Record button.

 

The tape contents will be stored on disk as one Clip. (If, however, there are timecode breaks on the tape, you may find multiple Clips.) After the Clip is captured, it will have it’s Bin Name appended by a number, for example: Thaipusam Bin.01. Note that the icon will be an image of the first frame of the clip.

 

As you likely already know, every segment of video and/or audio is called a Clip. Clips, plus Titles and Graphics (photos and drawings), are represented by icons. (SuperBins and Bins are, of course, themselves icons.) Clip, Title, and Graphics icons represent data files stored on your computer’s hard disk.

 

There is an invisible link between each Clip, Title, and Graphics icon and the data file it represents. No matter what you do to a Clip or Graphics icon within Free DV, the original data within a file are not altered! Don’t be afraid to play around with editing; the original files will always be there, safe and untouched. 

 

Whenever you delete a Clip, you will be offered the option to also delete the data file. It is up to you to decide if you want to keep the data.

 

To view the captured clip, double-click on the clip’s icon located in the SuperBin. A small monitor window will popup.

 

 

In the monitor, you will see the first frame of the clip. Now press the spacebar to start the clip playing. To stop clip playback, press the spacebar. To rewind the clip, press the Home key.

 

Close the monitor window by clicking the [Close button] or .

 

To quit Free DV, issue the [File > Exit] or command.

 

In the next episode, we will learn another way to capture the same video that you just captured.

 

Hold the shot! If you're shooting a large, moving subject - say, a person walking, a car, or a train - keep shooting until the subject has left the screen. Then count to three before hitting the stop button. This not only gives you more space to play with in a clip, but will often make for a more natural cut.

 

 

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Steve Mullen owns Digital Video Consulting located in Las Vegas. DVC has been supporting videographers for over a decade with seminars, consulting, training, and tutorials. A Contributing Editor for Video Systems for many years, he has also written for A/V Video, Camcorder, DV, Etown, millimeter, The Perfect Vision, Video Pro, and Video Review. Steve taught at Rutgers University and the University of the Arts, and most recently has published two eBooks: the Sony HDV Production Guide and the JVC ProHD Production Guide.