EASILY SYNC YOUR AUDIO TO VIDEO WITH SONY VEGAS

When we record our videos, we usually just rely on the in-camera mic to pick up sound - which is fine, up to a point.  The problem is, (apart from the fact that most in-camera recording tends to be very poor quality), that it's very restrictive. The mic must stay with the camera, whether or not the sound source is close, or miles away.

To get good sound, we must do what the professionals do, and record our sound seperately, and with reasonably priced, high quality recorders like the Zoom H1 (much beloved by indie film makers) available, there's no reason not to.

Seperate recording however, does leave the problem of how to match the two files together afterwards? So, in this video, I take a video clip, and an audio recording from a Zoom H1 recorder and show how to synchronise them together in post production.

It's not complicated or difficult at all, but the difference in sound quality is very impressive - Try it yourself.

HOW TO MAKE GHOST EFFECT WITH SONY VEGAS PRO

The Ghost Effect is a staple of movie making and remains impressive despite being one of the easiest to create. In this tutorial you will see not only how to use Sony Vegas Pro to create the Ghost effect but also how to add some echo enhancement to the sound track for extra spookiness.

This really is an exceptionally simple effect to pull off and yet most satisfying to observe. Once you have understood how the effect works you will no doubt see endless possibilities for plenty of other similar effects that can be produced simply by tweaking the basic technique.

So, delay no further, Watch the video and try it for yourself - and you may find yourself creating Ghosts just for the fun of it :)

EASY DIY AUTOCUE/TELEPROMPTER

When doing a piece to camera, you can save yourself a lot of time, grief and video footage (not to mention the neccessity of learning lines), by using an autocue/teleprompter. "But aren't they massively expensive"?  I hear you cry!  Well professional ones certainly are, but if you own a smartphone or tablet computer, then there are apps available that will turn your device into something very similar to an autocue/teleprompter.

If when using these apps, you place your device just above the camera lens, the it is very difficult for your audience to detect that you are looking at the device and not at the camera. The problem, of course is, how do you get your device to hover in that sweet-spot above your camera lens?

This video will show you an easy an inexpensive solution to that problem. Build one yourself and never again be lost for words in front of a camera.

Jumping through closed door effect - In Sony Vegas Pro

It's a surprising and humerous effect. Jumping through a closed (in this case, car) door.  In this video I show how to make this nifty little effect using Sony Vegas Pro. The version I used for the tutorial was Sony Vegas Pro 13, but any of the Pro versions should be able to do the job just as well.

When I first tried to make the effect, I thought it would just be a basic jump-cut - cutting from the actor on one side of the door, jumping against it, to the actor on the other side of the door. When I tried that approach however, the results were somewhat less than convincing...

So I used the last few frames of the "Jump" side to "blend"  the actor into the door - a bit more with each frame, until they were completely on the other side and this produced a much more convincing effect. But don't take my word for it, check it out in the video below.

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Sony Vegas Easy Effects - The Matte Effect

Ah the magic of the photgraphic Matte.  This technique allows filmmakers to literally build castles in the air.  In the old days, nary a film went by without some spectacular matte-ing taking place. In the days before CGI it was THE magic technique which could turn a tiny studio into a canyon or huge spaceship

In the old days, mattes were created by painting the scene or effect onto a pane of glass. The film would then be shot through the glass, making whatever was painted on it look like part of the scene. The mattes were painted by skilled artists who could match the tones and colours of their imaginary scenery almost perfectly with the surrounding area making for an almost undetectable blend.

These days of course, mattes can be created digitally by anyone who has a computer, an editor and a couple of hours to spare. This video will show you how to do that very technique for yourself. I use Sony Vegas Pro 10 in the tutorial, but the method should be the same for any of the Sony Vegas Pro series. It's not difficult and the results can be very impressive - Why not try it 
yourself?

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If you like this sort of thing, why not subscribe to the Meejah Youtube Channel - It's free!
SUBSCRIBE

Sony Vegas Easy Effects - The Matte Effect

Ah the magic of the photgraphic Matte.  This technique allows filmmakers to literally build castles in the air.  In the old days, nary a film went by without some spectacular matte-ing taking place. In the days before CGI it was THE magic technique which could turn a tiny studio into a canyon or huge spaceship

In the old days, mattes were created by painting the scene or effect onto a pane of glass. The film would then be shot through the glass, making whatever was painted on it look like part of the scene. The mattes were painted by skilled artists who could match the tones and colours of their imaginary scenery almost perfectly with the surrounding area making for an almost undetectable blend.

These days of course, mattes can be created digitally by anyone who has a computer, an editor and a couple of hours to spare. This video will show you how to do that very technique for yourself. I use Sony Vegas Pro 10 in the tutorial, but the method should be the same for any of the Sony Vegas Pro series. It's not difficult and the results can be very impressive - Why not try it 
yourself?

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If you like this sort of thing, why not subscribe to the Meejah Youtube Channel - It's free!
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How to make a Cool Intro with Windows LIVE Movie Maker

I'll be honest with you - Windows LIVE Movie Maker is not my favourite beast. The Old Movie Maker at least looked a bit like a real Video editor and had a timeline. The new one does have editing abilities but is nowhere near as flexible or intuitive as it's ancestor.

Having said that, Windows LIVE Movie Maker is the only editor that some people have. After all. if you want to try your hand at video editing, you are not going to shell out hundreds on a program that you may decide not to use after all - you are going to try it out on something that's available, and hopefully, free!For anyone who runs Windows, then the free and available option is going to take the form of Windows Live Movie Maker.

One of the most popular videos on the Meejah Channel is  How to make a Pro Intro with Windows Movie Maker which was a tutorial using the Original Windows Movie Maker but it has prompted a torrent of messages asking for a tutorial showing how to do this with the LIVE version.

I ignored the situation for a long time hoping it would go away, but it looks like it never will, so I have finally taken the bull by the horns and produced the video they were all asking for. It's a complete how-to, from sourcing your background clips, through editing them on Windows LIVE Movie Maker, and finally rendering into a Video. Hope you enjoy it.

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If you like this sort of stuff, then why not subscribe to the Meejah Youtube channel - It's Free!
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