I want to make a video

[Scoutcraft Piratess]

All right, y'all are so talented!

Anyone want to teach me the basic of awesome video making?

[Lord FunkyHoof]

I can't really think of any perfect advice, but make good use of what software you have and plan ahead on how you want your video to look, sound and present overall.

[ss3dj]

first find out what kind of vid software you have. PC owners who use Microsoft have windows movie maker. apple have i movie. Now find a song you really like, I like any song with strong beats. lets use one of my old vids as an example, go here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGiKgEo0Rw4
As you can see i used a bunch of vid clips and effects but each and everyone came along with the songs beat. thats the key for making a good vid, timing. second when you choose your song listen to it so you can understand what message its getting across or what mood it sets. If its a happy but slow song, its best not to use clips that have fast fights and such. same goes for fast songs, no clips that are too slow or go over too many beats. Now this is just in my own opinion but make sure that for example your making a KP vid try not to use songs that cuss too much. thats all i can think of right now, if you need any more help pm me.

[Deleted]

Probably the most essential thing to take into consideration is, like ss3dj mentions, timing. You can either go with the beat of the song or with the lyrics (and in very few cases, you can get both to mesh), depending on the message you're trying to deliver. It's also best not to keep the same clip longer than about 10 seconds, otherwise it grows repetitive.

Windows Movie Maker is probably one of the better 'free' programs you can use. Stay away from NeroVision! You'll end up with several headaches since it crashes frequently. So many of my videos were scrapped because of it. "Everything Fades, we hardly knew ye..."

[Scoutcraft Piratess]

Thank-you for the muy good advice. It sounds like I'll have to find the golden touch, but hey, it is an art.

EDIT: Okay, I'm taking out the question. No intention of going into the gray area. Moderators, no harm intended. Sorry.

[Deleted]

Umm... nowhere?

Seriously though, I think the only clips you can actually legally use at your own leisure are ones you capture through your computer, like with a TV tuner or VIVO card. Just as long as you don't share the episodes with others. Of course, there are other ways to get them, but then we'd be treading into dangerous waters.

[ss3dj]

yeah its not legal sorry. there are computers that hook up to tv's and you can record the shows. hp media center is one of them but they're a little up there in price :-( i do know of ways but like will said bad water...

[Scoutcraft Piratess]

Gotcha. Then I shall practice with what I have.

[ss3dj]

hey i just posted this in new vid section but maybe if enough people ask the head people in charge here, they might be willing to give people clips that they can use for their vids. just an idea.

[morefood2001]

ss3dj said:

yeah its not legal sorry. there are computers that hook up to tv's and you can record the shows

How about a cheap TV Tuner card off from ebay (mine was 35 bucks) If you have a 1.5 Ghz processor or better, Windows Movie Maker will work fine

[Scoutcraft Piratess]

What are y'alls thoughts on intros before the music actually starts?

[Robbie Valiant, P.I.]

I like an opener, as long as it's <25 seconds.

[morefood2001]

Preferably I do text over the first 5 seconds of my video, credits at the end I typically make 30 seconds. Does that help?

For bitrate, I usually stick to 512Kb/s or 400 Kb/s