New to this but ready to learn!

[Big Creek]

Hi, My name is Mike Keller and I know absoultly nothing about video editing.
I am 37 years old and have been married for 16 years to my wife Vanessa. We have a son Drew who is 8 years old and a daughter Michaela who is 5 years old.

I worked for my Dad and Uncle on a large farm for 13 years. When we decided to have children I knew I was not giving life my best shot (farm hand = no money and no time) I had always worked on cars at night and on the weekend to help pay the bills. I decided to persue my dream and open a shop that built Street Rods and restored classic cars. My wife has always been supportive of me and my dreams. I had to work a lot of hours but with her support and help it has been a successful business for the last 5 years.

My wife worked for her Dad's accounting firm for the first few years we were married and then went to work for a local bank as a teller. When we had kids she went to a part time schedule working three days a week and every other Saturday until noon. Now that our daughter is getting read to go to kindergarden she will be free on Thursday and Friday. That brings me to why we are here.

I had an idea to produce some "How to" dvd's and market them to the classic car market. My wife is going to be the Videographer and editer of this info. I am going to be in charge of writing the script and all the content.

We know next to nothing about this but we are fast learners. Our goal is to produce a very professional dvd that is not only very informative but entertaining and easy to watch. Sold on ebay or a website as a dvd or a download if possible.

This is a commercial venture and the purpose is to replace my wife's income at the bank and fund a larger house(currently 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom and 990 square feet). Basically want just a 3 bedroom 1500 sq ft house, nothing fancy just a seperate bedroom for our kids.

I know we will need a new computer, a new camera, as well as the right software to even have a shot at success but I don't know what to buy to get started. I am a quality minded guy and am not afraid to spend the money for the right equipment but I don't want to throw money away on stuff we won't need. Any suggestions would be appericiated.

I have been trying to read as much as I can and learn as fast as I can. Lots of good info on this site. It has been very helpful already. I would like to send a big Thank You out to all the contributers.

[Big Creek]

I thought I would post a few customers cars I built in the shop and our family pic with a car we sold in Feburary.

I have built around 15 cars from the ground up from a 25 Dodge roadster to a 68 Mustang High Country Special and worked on too many to count.

I am not able to contribute much about video editing yet but If anyone needs classic car advice, send me a message.

[Maxine370]

Welcome to the site. I think you will find everyone very helpful around here. As a group, there is much knowledge and all are willing to share what they know which is one of the great things about this forum.

As for software, you would do well with Premiere Elements which can do an excellent job at a very low price point (typically $100) but if you could I'd suggest the Pro Version (CS3) which comes with Encore which is a high end DVD authoring program (Pro version is high end editor). This might pay off in the long run as you can do a lot more including with these two programs.

Sorry can't really weigh in on cameras except to say DON'T go with a mini-DVD camera as they are not well supported for editing in these programs. I'm sure others will weigh in with more to say on this.

Along the way when you get to editing I can help with effects as will others and you can even post your work in progress on this site for critiques and feedback before you finalize your work.

Again, welcome and best of luck as you begin.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Hello Mike. You have homed in on a 'good bunch' here.

There will be plenty of advice offered about cameras. As Beth says, avoid DVD based cameras. The best bet on present technology is miniDV (tape) although solid state (SD type) card based technology is starting to appear. The tape based cameras are still the professional staple and will probably remain so for a few years yet. Ignore the often quoted (for example) '400 times digital zoom'. The zoom feature that you should look for is the more useful optical zoom, typically 10x or thereabouts. My recommendation would be to buy an HD camera. Although delivery of HD material is presently limited - not many people have blu-ray players, this will likely change so it is best to be ready for it. Key players in the video camera market include Sony, Canon, JVC and Panasonic. Think about what features you need from a camera (is size important? weight? low light? manual controls? etc.) Once you have a 'must have features list' the best way to evaluate camares before you spend your hard earned cash is to handle the cameras in the shop (I always leave my credit cards etc. at home when I do this so that I am not tempted on the spot). Also post any questions on this site - someone will have the camera that you are moving towards and will be able to offer advice based on user experience. Also check reviews on this site http://www.camcorderinfo.com

About PCs. Recommended specs will include a fast processor and 2Gb of RAM. A number of us here use a dual monitor set up which pays dividends but isn't necessary from day 1. Hard drive space is key so I would suggest that you have some expansion room in the PC as you will probably end up wanting to add hard drives as the work grows. You can use external drives. Some good bargains can be had from the Dell outlet so it is worth keeping an eye on that.

I have a slightly different perspective on software to Beth. I do agree with her that Premiere Pro and Encore is where you may well end up but to get started Premiere Elements is perfectly adequate as well as being a lot cheaper. If the business progresses as you wish it to you can always upgrade to Premeiere Pro later, meanwhile restricting cash outlay in the initial set-up.

As a starter for ten I hope this has helped.

[Paul LS]

Welcome Mike, I would echo the comment to go with a mini-DV based camcorder... a high definition camcorder would give you some "future proofing" with also the ability to downconvert in the camcorder and capture and edit in standard definition.
Take a look at the Sony and Canon models in the Camcorderinfo link that Twosheds posted. Good consumer examples would be the Canon HV30 or the Sony HDR-HC9, both sub $1,000. If you want more professional features take a look at the Canon and Sony ranges, these start at £2,000+.

Regards,
Paul.

[jackfalbey]

Hi Mike, and welcome to Muvipix!

I started a video production company as a home-based business a little less than a year ago, so I recently went through the same process you are beginning.There are 3 categories of equipment you'll need: Camcorder & Accessories; Editing Software & Computer; and DVD Production. The Camcorder will help determine the other choices. For commercially-marketable videos you'll need top-quality video AND audio capability, so you'll want to skip the consumer-grade camcorders and go with a prosumer model (meaning 3 chips (CCD or CMOS) of at least 1/4" size and 2 XLR inputs for the microphones). Before we discuss brands and models, there is a big question for you to answer, in order to determine the best equipment for your needs:

Will you be producing Standard DVDs (SD) or High-definition Blu-Ray discs (HD)? Keep in mind your target audience; approximately 20% of American households have HDTVs, and only some of those have Blu-Ray players. With the economy struggling, how many people are likely to buy a new HDTV and Blu-Ray player in the near future? If the average consumers for your how-to videos are blue-collar middle-class, then Standard DVDs are going to reach a much broader base, and those with HDTVs can still watch your SD videos with an upscaling DVD player. I've done quite a few jobs so far, from weddings to TV commercials, documentaries, and corporate training videos, and no one has asked for HD video yet.

On the other hand, you can shoot in HD now and deliver the final product in SD, and you'll always have the original HD video to go back to later on and produce Blu-Ray if you find there's a demand for it. The downside to this is that you will end up spending much more right now for HD capability that you probably won't be using right away, whereas if you wait a few years the HD technology will be better and cheaper, and there will be a larger audience for it.

A rough estimate for minimum total start-up costs would be $5,000-$7,500 to begin SD production and $10,000+ for HD. Of course, once you have the equipment you can recoup some of your investment by offering other services such as wedding videos, TV commercials, etc. These are just my opinions based on my own experience, but it's better to get the right equipment at the start rather than find out later that you need to buy better gear.

So, determine if you need HD capability right now, or if you are going to start out with SD video, and then we'll talk about the various options for camcorders.

[Big Creek]

Thanks for the welcome. I have read through your suggestions and would like to thank you for posting.

I know HD is coming on strong but this will be more of a information based video. I think most viewers will be buying for the info contained in the dvd. I will need very good audio.

I am reading and trying to absorb as much as I can but I think it might take awhile to get a grasp on some of the terms used and their meaning. This place is great.

Thanks Mike

[Steve Grisetti]

You're a wise man, Mike, to have a plan BEFORE you go shopping for the equipment! And there's no better place than here to come for advice on virtually anything you could ever need to know about home video production.

So welcome aboard!

Those are very nice looking cars too! What part of the country are you in?

[momoffduty]

Welcome Mike! You came to the right place. There are very many talented people here that are willing to share their tips. They taught me everything I know and if I can be helped then anyone can.

A friend had a red mustang too back in the 70's. There was a hole in the passenger floor board and had to be careful not to lose a shoe!

[Steve Grisetti]

My first car was a ten-year-old 1965 GTO convertible!

I wish I could tell you that I completely restored it -- but, as a 19 year old with limited funds, I just puttied over the rust, gave it a nice paint job, but spent most of my time trying to keep pieces from falling off.

And, after the price of gas creeped from 35 cents a gallon to over a dollar, I decided this classic was too rich for my blood!

[Kerrie]

Hi Mike! Welcome, this site is the best. I can't believe how much I have learned in a year.....I am doing new and exciting things I never dreamed of!

Cheryl, I have to laugh at the "mustang with the hole in the floor" story. In high my best friend had a 1975 bright orange mustang that had been passed down from sibling to sibling. By the time, she got it, there was that hole in the floor......we use to spend our weekends driving around the backroads of Wisconsin, with no particular place to go! Until her dad took it away in fear of us getting "fumagated". We then ended up driving a Renault! Amazing the memories a car can have!

[Steve Grisetti]

hey! Look! I found a picture of my old Goat! (Complete with the "baby moon" hubcaps in front because I couldn't afford mags for both the front and back.)

I guess I didn't just dream it!

[Cinde]

Hi Mike, I don't have anything to add to the expert advice you have already received.

Just wanted to say Hi and welcome you to THE best forum in the known universe.

[Big Creek]

Man I just love car stories. My first car was a 1966 Mustang that I bought when I was 12 years old (1982) with lawn mowing money. ($800) It was junk and I was determined to fix it up. I got the motor running and by the time I was 14 I actually had a running driving car. The first day of school (restricted liscense) I got in an extreme amount of trouble in this car. My best friend and I decided not to take the most direct route home and ended up in a race on the fair grounds road. I won (the race) but rolled through a stop sign and saw the chief of police driving in his private pickup. He came after us but as 14 year olds we reasoned that he wasn't in the cop car and not on duty so he could not do anything to us. Long story shot...4 tickets and a police escort home to present them to my parents.

Not a great day, but it did start my restoration career. Again at 14 I reasoned since I would not be driving for a year it would be a good time to restore the outside and the interior so I started to take it apart that night. Two days later it was totally striped with not a nut or bolt left on it. My dad walked in and said "Who in the he## is going to put this back together?"

I had it totally restored and ready to run, fresh paint, new interior in nine months with no help.

When I met my wife she was driving a 68 Mustang. I guess it was just Karma.

I have worked on quite a few Mustangs with the Fred Flintstone option. It is so common you would swear that they came from the factory that way.

I have also restored a 65 Goat. Black, 389 tri-power and a four speed. Neat cars. Thanks for posting the picture. I bet there are a lot of great memories in that car.

I love working on cars because I get to see 65 year old men and women who have the look of a sixteen year old in their eyes. It is a very emotional thing for someone to buy or build something they have dreamed of their whole life and my job is to make sure it is fun for them.

[Bob]

Welcome to Muvipix, Mike!

Your mention of the 1966 Mustang brought back memories. I owned a 1966 Mustang, bought it new. Not the best car I ever owned and not the first one either, but definitely my favorite.

I wish you the best in your new commercial venture.