How did you get started in video editing?

[Ron Hunter]

I started playing with camcorders in 1990 but my first try at video editing came in 1999. I had a Digital8 camcorder and I had heard you could make movies on a computer, so I called Electronic Videoguys and ordered a Pinnacle FireWire capture card that came with something called Adobe Premiere 5.1. I asked the sales rep what the software was for and he said "So you can edit your clips." I asked "What does 'edit your clips' mean?" I had no idea what I was doing, but I read books and tutorials and finally learned how to drive the software.

I got tired of updating the pro version after a while so I switched to Premiere Elements when version 5 was released. I've been an Elements user ever since. Now I'm learning FCPX and will probably get Motion soon. So I guess I've been doing this for 14 years.

I've gone from a VHS camcorder, to a Digital8 camcorder, to a HDV miniDV tape camcorder, to an HDV camcorder with SD card, to a DSLR and a GoPro. Still have all of them in working order except the VHS camcorder.

I've never had a paid gig but I have made around 20 technical training videos for my company, all of which are on our YouTube channel. I've done one wedding (gratis) and some church stuff, but nothing for money; it is just a hobby for me.

What about you?

[Dave McElderry]

Premiere Elements version 5? Hmmmmm....don't think so.

My interest in video goes clear back to my dad, who had an 8mm Kodak film movie camera. He edited those movies by cutting the parts out that he didn't want and gluing the pieces together until he filled large reels that he'd play back endlessly on a ruthless projector that would just as soon eat the film as play it for you. And look out if it slipped the sprockets and stopped moving because the intense heat from the bulb would melt the film in seconds.I'll never forget that smell.

When VHS came along my dad bought one of those monster camcorders and started taping everything in sight. Eventually he transferred all of the 8mm film movies to VHS by projecting them on the screen and videotaping the picture. Crude, but it got the job done, and years later I would capture his VHS tapes, do a little editing of my own, add some titles, and put them on DVD. So all those old home movies are still around, nearly 60 years later.

Transferring those tapes got me interested in creating video of my own, and I bought a Panasonic GS400 MiniDV tape machine, which of course required that I start looking for editing software and Internet resources to learn how to use it. Enter Muvipix. I started with Premiere Elements 2, and learned enough about Photoshop Elements to support some of the things that I needed to do in my PrEl projects. I loved what i was doing, enjoyed the challenge, and got pretty good at it as far as I knew. Then I found out what other people were doing and I got humbled. Nonetheless, I've done some projects for our church, a lot of family events, graduations, and a fair amount for my wife and me. A while back I moved to a Canon Vixia HF G10 (AVCHD) and never looked back.

Edit: Oh yeah, I did have a Sony Digital 8 machine for a while but my ex wife made that disappear during the divorce.

[Kent Frost]

I got my start as a junior in high school when they first offered video as a class in 96/97. Super VHS shoulder-mount camcorders and editing decks.


(not the same decks exactly, but close enough to get the point^^^)

I continued with the classes into my senior year, and after graduation I bought a cheap 8mm analog camcorder. Crappy VHS quality @ about 240 lines of resolution, while Hi8/SVHS weighed in to closer to 400.



Anyway, after high school I attended Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) for the 97/98 year, and took a couple of video classes there, again with Super VHS. It was actually during my year there when I was introduced to digital video via a Casablanca standalone non-linear editor. It didn't need a computer, it was VCR sized and connected direct to a TV. It had up to a 36GB internal hard drive and an on-board OS that you used. I actually kinda miss that thing.



We also had access to one of the original Sony VX-1000 MiniDV camcorders, their flagship 3CCD camcorder from back then. And that thing really opened my eyes to the possibilities of digital when compared to the issues we faced using analog. I didn't get a whole lot of time to mess with that, but enough to get the point. We also studied about the upcoming high definition revolution and I vicariously became familiar with that technology.



Then in May of 99 I hit the jackpot and scored a job working at Lawrence Photo & Video here in town as a salesperson. So then not only did I have all kinds of cool toys to play with as all the new stuff came out, but my photographic knowledge exploded. I tried to continue with video for a while, but anytime I tried doing anything in darker areas, the footage stunk. Not only that, but dealing with tapes, ripping them to the computer in real time was very annoying and exorbitantly time consuming. Photographically, I was still shooting film, and I eventually sold all that stuff (just the photo stuff, not the video gear) and got into DJing in late 2002. That was fun. It was about that time Canon came out with their first affordable DSLR, the 10D. So I set my sights on that, and just before I had enough money to get it, they came out with the first Digital Rebel in late 2003, so I got that instead. 6 megapixels. I was in heaven. That's when I really honed my skills photographically. The learning curve basically vanished, and no more did I have to pay or wait for my photos. So then I became the party photographer in town, and built up a collection of some 40,000 event photos over the course of a little less than 10 years. But, in 2008, I noticed that the technology with video had vastly improved in terms of the media being used. The idea of shooting directly to a memory card excited me, and I ended up purchasing a Canon Powershot S5 IS. This thing was known for its photo capabilities, but had a beastly video feature. Standard definition still, but it was a good 30fps and amazing stereo sound for what it was. I miss that camera.



I ended up trading up to a similar model called the Powershot SX1 IS, which was basically the same thing, but shot full 1080p HD footage. That was technically my first experience with HD footage, but 2 things fought against me at that time: 1. My computer power was very limited and it couldn't really handle the HD footage. 2. Almost immediately after I bought it, Canon released the EOS T2i. I quickly sold the SX1 IS and bought one. I've been shooting on that ever since.



I also bumped up my computer power and have been having a great time with everything. I also have owned the GoPro HD Heros 2 and 3 Black. Both of those are sold now. But I won't sell my DSLRs. We have 2 of the T2i's and we use them mostly to shoot photos professionally (although I'm in desperate need of an upgrade - you really shouldn't try going pro with entry level gear like that - we use them to their maximum abilities).

So that's basically my history in a nutshell. I know the question was "how did you get started" but I tend to get carried away. ;-)

[Ron Hunter]

Thanks Dave for sharing that great story! 60 years of video tape? WOW! I'd love to see footage of my Dad (or Grandad?) when he was a kid, that would be absolutely priceless, but no such luck in my family.

[Ron Hunter]

So that's basically my history in a nutshell. I know the question was "how did you get started" but I tend to get carried away. ;-)

Thanks Kent for taking the time to write all of that down. I think your history is fascinating, and I'm envious of all of your photo and video experience. I wish they would have had video classes at my high school but they did not (graduated in '85).

So what are you planning to upgrade to? 5D Mk III? Maybe a mirrorless camera?

[Kent Frost]

Well, I've invested in some decent Sigma glass over the past couple of years, so I'll probably stick with Canon's EF-S mount. I think the 7D MkII is due out sometime soon, and it's about time. That thing has been around for going on 5 solid years. But the 70D also looks like a good option. We just need something that's more solidly built and has a quicker photo fps rate.

As far as mirrorless goes, I will just say that the GH4 is drool-worthy.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

As far as mirrorless goes, I will just say that the GH4 is drool-worthy.

I just love those technical terms!

[Steve Grisetti]

I started by making scripted movies on Super 8 film several decades ago. We did what we could with the technology, editing (which was murder on those little filmstrips!) and even synching up tape recorded sound. They were pretty awful, but they kept me busy through my adolescence. I may post some samples here some time.

I fell in love with the art of visual storytelling and even majored in film and video production in college -- using that degree to leverage my way into feature film development at a couple of Hollywood studios. During that time I bought my first camcorder -- a bugle-sized 8mm Sony that I payed $800 for -- ostensibly so that I could shoot video of my baby daughter and send them back home. I even experimented with some primitive video editing (namely recording from one camcorder to another) and sometimes would even try to shoot scripted or narrative shorts.

With the change in the millennium, along came consumer digital video and non-linear editors, and I was hooked! Suddenly I could edit video like I'd always dreamed of editing, and the results would look terrific! I could finally tell the stories I'd always wanted to tell.

I've also got a closet full of old camcorders in a variety of formats. They're gathering dust, just like the scratchy old Super 8 movies I shot back in high school.

[Kent Frost]

Very cool! Hey, that brings up an idea: Let's take pics of our old camera collections.
Granted, my collection also consists of old cameras that were given to me or that I found at places like the DAV, but I plan on getting an old wood & glass display case that my late father used to use for his brass & crystal elephant collections that I want to use for my camera collection.

[Steve Grisetti]

How did you know that I've affectionately clung to my old Super 8 camera, Kent?

[Francesco Carzedda]

Ciao to everyone,

I am very glad to introduce you to my first video equipment, my very first video was by chance a description of the village I live in.
(Shall I be so bold to share it on Muvipix? It was november 2011 ).

Welcome to Yashica EZ Digital 7032.



I will never abandon her (translated from Italian): some defocused, granulated landscapes with diffonded blue-s are not to be recreated in another way (thanks God, one may say, but ...).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6AYFu37nBw[/youtube]

My software-progress was:
- PhotoFilmStrip (the great discover of the Ken Burns effect),
- VideoPadEditor free edition (actually used),
- ProShow Gold (actually used),
- for a while Sony Vegas in the office I used to collaborate with (I hope I'll start again next months).

[Ron Hunter]

Wow Francesco, that was nice! Very relaxing and enjoyable. How did you do that "explosion" (not sure what else to call it) at the end?

[Francesco Carzedda]

Ron, it is a transition on VideoPad Editor.
If I'm right it is called "Squares", but I promise I'll check very soon (I am on Ubuntu now ).

Few more lines to complete my videomaker's story until now: in february 2012 my handycam arrived



and soon the tripod (very simple, now I have two plus a pocket one for the compact photocam).

In september 2013 I ordered my Canon 600d and soon I started with the intervalometer



and a nice, cheap viewfinder

.

It is really all for now

[Francesco Carzedda]

Ron,

it may be



"Squares" or "Checker Board" transition in Videopad Editor.

Francesco

[Ron Hunter]

Thanks Francesco! How much did that LCD viewfinder cost?