Forums Forum: Conferences, Workshops and Other Events

Forums Forum: Conferences, Workshops and Other Events http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ Forums Forum: Conferences, Workshops and Other Events en Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:59:23 +0000 TimMoore on "Newark Summit" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/newark-summit#post-40678 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:09:57 +0000 TimMoore 40678@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ The summit was a great opportunity to network and learn what's new. The presenters Dr. Bob and Maxwell were on their game, and the location was convenient. Might I suggest a nosh table and a list of area amenities for future summits? gornboy on "Local Videographer Intern at BREATHEcast.com" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/local-videographer-intern-at-breathecastcom#post-40180 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:31:31 +0000 gornboy 40180@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ As a Christian videographer, I was appalled to see this post and the duplicate of it elsewhere on the 'net. Breathecast is apparently partners with some online sites that have paying advertisers. I don't want to appear to be bearing false witness, so I must confess that I did not check the paying status of their advertisers thoroughly. It just looks at first glance like they have paying advertisers. Perhaps it would have been better to allow God to provide them with non-paid help if that is what He desires for Breathecast, instead of Breathecast actually trying to get one on their own. Aspyrider on "Local Videographer Intern at BREATHEcast.com" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/local-videographer-intern-at-breathecastcom#post-40161 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:24:06 +0000 Aspyrider 40161@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ With no pay I doubt they will get many takers. birdcat on "Local Videographer Intern at BREATHEcast.com" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/local-videographer-intern-at-breathecastcom#post-40159 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:58:11 +0000 birdcat 40159@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ But apparantly not so large and extensive as to be able to afford a fee paid to videographers? BREATHEcast on "Local Videographer Intern at BREATHEcast.com" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/local-videographer-intern-at-breathecastcom#post-40157 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:25:31 +0000 BREATHEcast 40157@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ BREAHTEcast InternshipÂ Program 2008!(Christian Music Broadcasting) The Christian Music Internet Broadcasting Network BREATHEcast.com is seeking a videographer intern to impact the world through providing Christian resources to the Christian community as well as non-Christian via the internet. Title : Videographer Intern Employer : BREATHEcast.com Location : 15 cities Employment type : Lo/No Deferred Age Requirement : Â Â No age requirement. Â Period of internship : Oct. 2008 - Mar. 2009 Expected coverage of the Christian music scene includes : Concerts, Interviews, Worship Seminars, etc. Â Responsibilities : -Covering 1-2 events per month. -Upload recorded material onto the BREATHEcast server within 2 days after each event. Â Compensation : none Â Apply for the BREATHEcast 2008-2009 Internship at : <a href="http://www.breathecast.com/2008Internship/">http://www.breathecast.com/2008Internship/</a> Â If you have any questions, check out the FAQ at: <a href="http://www.breathecast.com/2008Internship/faq.htm">http://www.breathecast.com/2008Internship/faq.htm</a> Â About BREATHEcast.com BREATHEcast.com is the largest and most extensive online source for Christian music in the nation. Opened to the public on October 30th, 2004, BREATHEcast.com houses the latest and greatest in all things Christian music including news, radio, videos, interviews and more from the best artists in every genre, including Contemporary, Rock, Worship, Gospel, Urban, and Southern Gospel. An active member of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) as well as a partner with other established ministries, BREATHEcast.com operates as a non-profit organization dedicated to the expansion of Godâ��s Kingdom through the medium of music and entertainment. We look forward to hearing from you! Email : <a href="mailto:faq@breathecast.com">faq@breathecast.com</a> Mail : 74 Trinity Place, Suite 1400 New York, NY 10006 Phone : 212-602-9903 HOGWILD on "Chicago Workshops" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/chicago-workshops#post-39829 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:27:48 +0000 HOGWILD 39829@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I'd consider attending one if it were in St Louis area. I live about 3 hrs from there... augiecrazy8 on "Chicago Workshops" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/chicago-workshops#post-39752 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:07:56 +0000 augiecrazy8 39752@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I'm wondering if Chicago, or any other large city in the midwest (St. Louis, Kansas City) might be on the list of cities that videomaker will produce a workshop. I've noticed that the midwest seems to be getting slightly snubbed, haha. I would be very interested, and I'm sure there would be a large number of other folks that would also like a few opportunities around here. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36954 Wed, 28 May 2008 19:31:37 +0000 mrjman 36954@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ just click on his link for his website... it has his email and phone number chrisColorado on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36947 Wed, 28 May 2008 17:38:57 +0000 chrisColorado 36947@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ BarefootMedia: I want to talk with you. Do you have email, or even better, a gmail account so we can use gmail chat? I'd like to hear your critiques. BTW, the credit sequence is for a real film, the fifth short film I've worked on. All names in the credits are real people. My address is <a href="mailto:mexenzoaiire@gmail.com">mexenzoaiire@gmail.com</a> BarefootMedia on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36932 Wed, 28 May 2008 10:33:03 +0000 BarefootMedia 36932@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ Strangely enough, there two more question raised rather off the track of this thread. But I'll address them here anyway. To chrisColorado, your link attaches to the opening credit sequence for an imaginary movie. A demo reel would have several examples of the work you are hoping to find. I also checked out a couple of the other videos you had posted there. If your demo is all of the stuff on the site, I have one question. You're not serious about getting work from this material, are you? If you really want to be getting the graphic jobs you're "promoting" on the page, I'd be happy to provide some in-depth critique. But you'll have to ask for it. Now let me address the issue of music for video. There are three basic routes to legal music on your video productions. You can purchase a license to use a finished piece composed by a professional. You can create your own music, most easily done by combining "loops." Or you can combine purchasing a single song with modifying it to meet your unique situation. I have used all three methods, and will likely continue to use each according to my needs. But to detail how to decide which method & how it works, I'm going to start a new question in the "Sound Advice" forum. If you're curious please join in the discussion over there. BarefootMedia on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36910 Tue, 27 May 2008 20:19:54 +0000 BarefootMedia 36910@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ mrjman & other fun folks, If you ask me what is the best quality consumer (or prosumer) video acquisition, I wouldn't hesitate to say miniDV (aka DV25) beats the pants off of even the highest bit-rate MPG2 files. When you do the real-time capture through the Firewire (aka IEEE 1394) port you can create an NTSC AVI file. These files run over 12 gigs per hour of video. As I understand it, the DVD camcorders put 30 minutes of their best quality video on the 1.4 gig miniDV's, or less than 3 gigs per hour. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that a 12 gig file will look better than a 3 gig file of the same thing. And although I don't know much disc space an hour of the best quality video on a hard drive camcorder would need. I've got the feeling it isn't much more than the DVD camcorders need. I suppose there are other ways to capture the miniDV video other than an IEEE 1394 (aka Firewire) port. But it would surprise me if buying a Firewire card for a desktop computer would cost anything more than any other interface. And with the camcorder connected to your computer through a Firewire port, then you can send your NTSC video program out from most NLE's (I know Vegas does & other replies indicate other NLE's do the same.) So I believe the Firewire port is essential for a quality conscious video producer. When we started this thread, you were looking for a camcorder to attach to your computer, as is, with just a USB 2.0 port. As you can see, you will get the best quality images most easily input into a computer through the IEEE 1394 port. AND you have a simple route to view your actual video while you are editing it. Also something I believe essential for a quality conscious video producer. So if you want to get the best quality video images you can, the easiest route is to get a miniDV camcorder & install a Firewire port on your desktop computer. And since you're going to have to buy the computer card in addition to the camcorder, I'll let you in on one of my tips on saving money on video production without compromising on quality or reliability. Purchase a reconditioned camcorder on eBay. A few years back, I wanted a second camcorder to use with the Digital8 camcorder I was using. I purchased another Digital8 camcorder in an auction from a camera warehouse. It was newly refurbished by Sony and carried a 30 day warranty by Sony. I still use it from time to time. (After all, miniDV and Digital8 are recorded in the same DV25 format, just recorded on different tapes.) Now I wouldn't buy a camcorder from an individual and I'm not sure I buy a used camcorder at all. But there are a lot of good choices in the refurbished category. But since they are generally not the camcorders in the stores any more, I went to the manufacturer's web site. Under customer support, I could access a PDF of the manual. And the manual has all the specs so I made certain the camcorder had the functions and inputs & outputs I wanted. So this is route for getting your best quality video. And by the way, the audio portion of the various video formats are identical (or can be identical.) So all the compression is all in the video image. For individuals distributing only on the web (and possibly to DVD) doesn't have to record in the DV25 format to have the same quality on output. But since I have a higher quality image on my archive data DVD's, at some point I'il be able to put that quality on a Blue-ray disc. So I'm not going to create anything less than I have to. Good Luck mrjman! chrisColorado on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36887 Tue, 27 May 2008 09:46:05 +0000 chrisColorado 36887@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ mrjman: Adobe After Effects can do just about any video thing you can imagine, from text effects to green screen, to 3d space stuff to making puppets out of shapes. You can do ANYTHING! especially if you combine with Photoshop/Illustrator. I combine After Effects with Sony Vegas to make some cool stuff. Vegas has really cool audio stuff to use. I have not used Cinescore, but Sound Forge and ACID are really cool. To see After Effects, Vegas and ACID in action, check out my demo reel at <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/968225">www.vimeo.com/968225</a> Which reminds me, any problems with my demo reel? I've had it up for a month or so now and still no job. FallingStarFilms on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36867 Mon, 26 May 2008 19:50:48 +0000 FallingStarFilms 36867@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I just got Cinescore. It works flawlessly with Vegas. I tried the free download first and it was really limited in function and selection of tracks, but I can understand that. I ordered from some guy off ebay and got the full version cheap. You can generate royalty free tracks that are very custiomizable (real word?). The only thing is many of the tracks are kinda "bam-chika-wow-wow". Nevertheless, I think it would be money well spent if you need royalty free background music. Trey film814 on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36865 Mon, 26 May 2008 19:35:13 +0000 film814 36865@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <blockquote>whats a good soundtrack program to make music for your videos?</blockquote> Try Sony Cinescore. You can get a 30 day trial version here: <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/cinescore">http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/cinescore</a> Jeremy mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36859 Mon, 26 May 2008 18:12:59 +0000 mrjman 36859@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ whats a good soundtrack program to make music for your videos? DaneLGIN on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36856 Mon, 26 May 2008 14:20:33 +0000 DaneLGIN 36856@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I'd like to throw my hat in the ring if I could... When starting out, we used a Sony Handi-cam 1 chip DV camera with Pinnacle Studio 8.0. Over the past few years, we have steadily upgraded our video, audio, and editing equipment. The point is, just get a decent camera - doesn't have to have all the bells & whistles. Then buy a copy of Adobe Premier Elements 4.0 or an earlier version...2.0 still works fine as a backup for us. You can find this program for less than a $100. Then try connecting all this to your computer - you may find that you will need to do some PC upgrading...video card, capture card, sticks of RAM, etc.... My point is...you may need to roll with the punches a little bit. When trying to make all this technology work together, sometimes it takes a little trial & error.....and $$$. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36854 Mon, 26 May 2008 13:31:26 +0000 mrjman 36854@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ barefoot do u think i should get a firewire card or go with hard drive? mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36842 Mon, 26 May 2008 09:19:51 +0000 mrjman 36842@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ what does adobe after effect do?... and how much does it cost? chrisColorado on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36837 Mon, 26 May 2008 08:18:17 +0000 chrisColorado 36837@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ BarefootMedia mentioned that he thought I had OS on Vista. Nope. I use XP on PC like most people I know. I don't capture realtime video. I have no reason to. Hopefully, it didn't sound like i said that. Oh, well. I think Flash Media cameras are the greatest (I have one) because there's no firewire, only USB. I would suggest mrjman get a Flash Media camera because they are so easy to use. They're very small and don't look "professional" but they work great for lazy people like me. The picture quality works good enough for me. Especially when you combine it with Adobe After Effects. Magic Happens. I put my fourth film in a festival and one of the judges told me he liked the picture quality I got. Flash Media. It's the greatest. No tape, No Firewire, No hassle. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36820 Sun, 25 May 2008 22:30:27 +0000 mrjman 36820@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ Yea but I've heard some not so good things about hard drive picture quality and if dvd camcorders have the same quality well then they can't be as good so do you think I should just get a firewire card put onto my computer? BarefootMedia on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36817 Sun, 25 May 2008 21:36:08 +0000 BarefootMedia 36817@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ Now you've got me. I've had no experience with either a DVD or an hard drive camcorder. From what I know of how they work, I would guess they are pretty much equal in picture quality. Both systems are writing MPG2 files, so you do have to make sure you use the highest bit-rate for encoding. That being the same, the images should be nearly identical. Hopefully someone with DVD & hard drive camcorder experience can help us out with better info than my educated guesses. Which one is easier? Again, I'm just guessing. Well actually I'm more like extrapolating from hopefully similar experiences. I archive all my digital video on DVD's as AVI files. So when a client wanted to update information on their PSA, all I had to do was pull my archive discs, copy the files back into the computer (including the NLE editing file) and change the text & voice-over. No problem. But when I'm editing a program, I keep all the source files on a portable USB drive. Then when I want to edit on one sute or the other, I just plug in the USB drive and I'm off. The nice thing about the USB drive is I have 250 gigs instead of 4.4 gigs per DVD. So I can transfer continuous video files of longer than 20 minutes (well 19:30) without a problem. So here's what I think you'll find easiest to use in the field & in post. And the logic behind my opinion. I think I would use a hard drive camcorder so I can shoot extended scenes without having to change discs. When I record a conference or an event, I hate missing nearly a minute while I get the filled tape (or miniDVD) out of the camcorder & my blank prepped tape (or miniDVD) in and recording again. Even at the highest image quality, the hard drive camcorders have hours of recording space. So no more tape changes during a speech. Then when I'm transferring the source video to my computer, I don't have to mess with source video on several discs. So now you know it, I'm lazy, really lazy. And importing video from hard drive camcorders via the USB port requires the least amount of effort on my part. But best of all, I don't have to compromise on quality to be lazy. Now that's a win-win in my book. So what do you other folks think? Would you agree or choose another option? And I could have a faulty assumption someone could point out to me. I have to admit, I'm a bit out of my experience here. But like all fools, I'm willing to have an opinion without actual facts to support it. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36813 Sun, 25 May 2008 20:43:48 +0000 mrjman 36813@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I do have a DVD drive... so which one is easier to use and has a better picture quality? The USB 2.0 or the DVD camcorder? Or should I invest in getting a firewire card for my computer... but I would have no idea how to put that in or I guess the computers geeks at the local stores will do that for me... FallingStarFilms on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36795 Sun, 25 May 2008 15:07:32 +0000 FallingStarFilms 36795@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <blockquote> In addition, even the cheapest consumer versions of Vegas provide a feature I find essential to video production. Vegas can send the program out signal to a video monitor via the Firewire port. This enables you to see what your program will look like on an actual TV screen, by far the best way to judge colors & contrast. Although you can buy video monitors with a Firewire input, I find it easier (and cheaper) to run the Firewire to my camcorder (set in the play position) and use the video outs on the camcorder to connect the monitor. Good Stuff. I'm setting it up now. Where were you 15 years ago when I was trying to teach myself this stuff. (or better asked, where the hell was I?) </blockquote> BarefootMedia on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36794 Sun, 25 May 2008 14:37:23 +0000 BarefootMedia 36794@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ No, if you don't have a Firewire port, you can't use it to capture video or display the program out from Vegas, no matter what kind of monitor or camcorder you buy. The critical interface is between the camcorder and the computer. If Firewire isn't an option, you might be better off not using miniDV to acquire your source footage. There are other options. If you have a DVD drive on your computer, you could purchase a DVD camcorder. Then just put the DVD from the camcorder into the DVD player on your computer and copy the files. (That makes it sound more simple than it is, but once you work out the details I understand it works great.) Or you could purchase a hard drive camcorder that would let you connect it to the computer via USB 2.0. Then you can copy the files to the computer hard drive, or as I understand it, just use the camcorder like a USB drive. But neither option requires you to have a Firewire port. (There is also the option of purchasing an analog-to-digital converter. I know Pinnicale & Dazzle both have a device you can connect to your computer via the USB port. But these devices are designed to convert analog video from VCR's & older camcorders into the DV format. You would lose a lot of quality if you connected your digital camcorder to the AV inputs and I don't think they have the capacity to take in DV from a Firewire port on a camcorder and redirect the stream to their USB out.) But since you're committed to your current computer that doesn't have a Firewire port, you either need to purchase a Firewire card to go in your computer or purchase a camcorder that doesn't need a Firewire port. Then you can download your copy of Vegas (you'll have no need of the DVgate program) and just load your source video into Vegas using a file selection tool. Easy, peasy. Hope I'm less confusing this time. But just keep at me until it all makes sense to you. Sometimes it's hard to see where someone else is confused when the interconnections are so familiar to me. But I want to help and you have asked very valid questions. I know you will suddenly see the way it works and it will all make sense to you too. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36783 Sun, 25 May 2008 11:32:10 +0000 mrjman 36783@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ ok so I got a little confused when you said: I find a program called DVgate my preferred capture option (it was included on my Sony VAIO's.) But Vegas does have an included plug-in that will capture video (thru the Firewire port) and let you "print to tape" your finished programs I have an XP and I don't believe that I have a firewire port on my computer. you said Vegas can send the program out signal to a video monitor via the Firewire port. This enables you to see what your program will look like on an actual TV screen, by far the best way to judge colors & contrast. Although you can buy video monitors with a Firewire input, I find it easier (and cheaper) to run the Firewire to my camcorder (set in the play position) and use the video outs on the camcorder to connect the monitor. So if I buy a tv that has a firewire along with a camcorder that uses mini dv's and firewire for windows XP and download DVgate and vegas that will work... or is there an easier way to get a good quality picture? BarefootMedia on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36782 Sun, 25 May 2008 11:11:14 +0000 BarefootMedia 36782@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ First, lets get our nomenclature straight. USB & Firewire are ports, more specifically they are IO ports (for Input/Output.) A plug-in is a software package the "plugs in" to another program to add extra features or controls to that program. Plug-in's I use on Vegas add a cartoon effect to the standard video effects of Vegas and another helps automate the process of multi-cam editing. To use Vegas itself, requires neither any plug-in's nor any IO ports. Once the video has been captured to the hard drive, you just add the media to the media bin through a file selection box. (There are a couple of IO port possibilities I'll describe in a moment.) I think chrisColorado is able to use his USB 2.0 port to capture real-time full-frame video because his OS is Vista. I'm using XP and I've been unsuccessful in capturing anything except "web" video through my USB 2.0 port. My theory has been that none of my camcorders are equipped to send NTSC DV out of the USB port. And all of my software seems to acknowledge video only through the Firewire (or IEEE-1394) port. But the point here is that you can capture your video with one program and import the video files into Vegas. I find a program called DVgate my preferred capture option (it was included on my Sony VAIO's.) But Vegas does have an included plug-in that will capture video (thru the Firewire port) and let you "print to tape" your finished programs. There is nothing wrong with the plug-in, I just prefer the features I get with DVgate for both capture & "printing to tape." So if you don't want to fool around trying to locate software to do your video IO through the USB 2.0 port, you will require a Firewire port on your computer. In addition, even the cheapest consumer versions of Vegas provide a feature I find essential to video production. Vegas can send the program out signal to a video monitor via the Firewire port. This enables you to see what your program will look like on an actual TV screen, by far the best way to judge colors & contrast. Although you can buy video monitors with a Firewire input, I find it easier (and cheaper) to run the Firewire to my camcorder (set in the play position) and use the video outs on the camcorder to connect the monitor. The first time you add text graphics that look great on the computer screen but are unreadable on a TV screen, you'll know the value of video monitoring during the post process. And that's why I always recommend having a Firewire port on computers running an NLE (esp. Vegas.) Even if you don't use it for video capture, it is the most frequent port used for video program displays. Pus my somewhat limited research on the issue indicates that every new DV (or HDV) camcorder has a Firewire port, there appears to be many that don't support full-frame NTSC video through the USB port. But this is definitely a factor in flux right now. USB 2.0 is just as fast as standard Firewire, so getting the option to use either port will be common fairly soon. But if you want to use some footage your uncle shot on Digital8, your only option will be Firewire. So here's the brass tacks. I know of no digital camcorders that don't have a Firewire port. And it seems the majority of computers now come with a IEEE-1394 (or Firewire) port. So I'm thinking you won't need to search around to find a camcorder & computer that can't communicate through the Firewire port. But I cannot say the same thing about USB ports. I can say that it is unlikely you will find camcorders that communicate only through the USB 2.0 port for at least several years. So the Firewire port will always be available through the life of your hardware. Hope this helps. If I've raised questions or confused you on any point, let me know. I can explain it in several different ways. mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36753 Sat, 24 May 2008 14:00:35 +0000 mrjman 36753@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ What kind of plug in do you need for Sony Vegas on Windows XP? Does it have to be Firewire or can it just be a regular USB plug-in? chrisColorado on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36739 Fri, 23 May 2008 19:56:37 +0000 chrisColorado 36739@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ As BarefootMedia said, everybody on here are "absolute killers" at good suggestions and stuff. Look around and learn. I got into video 15 months ago and through reading magazines, websites, books and taking a years worth of college classes and I'm starting to get pretty good. I'm still looking for the "best possible camera". I'm beginning to think it's like a medieval knight's quest: "Farewell my lady, I am off to seek the perfect camera." LOL! Good luck on that one. chrisColorado on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36738 Fri, 23 May 2008 19:37:59 +0000 chrisColorado 36738@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ <blockquote> I'm used to using Final Cut Pro at our school, but I don't even have a mac. I'm not to sure about what programs to download for Windows XP except Movie Maker which doesn't seem that good anyway. You shouldn't have to download Movie Maker for XP. It's free because it's already on there(click on Start>Programs>Accesories), which is probably one reason it isn't so good. I'm a Windows guy. My favorite software is Sony Vegas. You can get a free, 30-day trial of Vegas from <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/">www.sonycreativesoftware.com</a> I understand what you mean when you say to choose a Camcorder that fits perfect for you, but even if I do buy a decent camcorder how will I put it on a computer to edit it? Some cameras hook up to the computer by a cable known as "Firewire". I personally have a camera that hooks up by USB cable, which I like a lot. With USB, you plug it in and a window comes up where you can move or copy files to your computer harddrive. Then in Final Cut, you would go in and select File>Import...you get the idea. In Vegas, it's not actually like that. Vegas has no "Browser" window, you just grab your files right off your hard drive using the "Explorer" tab and throw 'em on the timeline. I like it because there's no "importing", unless you have a gigantic file where your computer has to think for a bit. Hope this helps and isn't too confusing. Chris </blockquote> mrjman on "New To video making" http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/new-to-video-making#post-36737 Fri, 23 May 2008 18:34:42 +0000 mrjman 36737@http://videomaker.com/community/forums/ I'm used to using Final Cut Pro at our school, but I don't even have a mac. I'm not to sure about what programs to download for Windows XP except Movie Maker which doesn't seem that good anyway. I understand what you mean when you say to choose a Camcorder that fits perfect for you, but even if I do buy a decent camcorder how will I put it on a computer to edit it? I guess what I'm saying is I need some guidelines on a Camcorder and editing program. I don't exactly know what kind to get that will have the right automatic and manuel controls and be able to be downloaded on to a computer. If you have any more suggestions or advice please let me know.