Slowly Going Insane

After the basic film editing is complete, the next step is to send the movie on to the composer/audio mixer. This requires a process called rendering. This process changes a video editing file into a final video output (such as DVD). It seems like a fairly straightforward process, but it is riddled with problems: what format file do you need? how large can the file be? what kind of video output? what kind of audio? stero or mono? how many pixels? The requirements go on and on. All these things are slowly driving me insane.

At some point, I'll have a good file that fits on a flashdrive and can be used on Mac software, the kind the composer uses. Hopefully that will happen soon!

Final Tweaks

Every time I think I'm doing the final tweaks on the video, I find more things that need tweaking. I discover spots where a few more seconds of lag time are needed; there are headings that are coming in too slowly; another screen of black is necessary; and many more.
Even so, it looks like the editing portion of the project is truly nearing its completion. The last step will be to export it in an appropriate format for the composer.

Editing, editing, editing

Editing is in full swing now. The soundtrack is on its way and waiting for me to send a completed cut. The composer, Chuck Duncan, will "sweeten" the audio along with adding the soundtrack, which is a great thing since the audio is less than perfect. Next time I will pay better attention to stereo vs. mono when filming. What an annoying glitch to have some in stereo and some in mono. It feels weird when listening on headphones!

Sony Vegas Movie Studio is working out fine once again. There are some limitations that FinalCut did not have such as limited tracks for pics, audio, etc. But for the most part it's doing what I need it to do.

Raw Material

We've got all the raw footage, stills, and audio we need to make this film. Special thanks to Pam Newsome, voiceover extraordinaire, who volunteered her time to do voice for us. Now that we've got everything we need, I'll be focusing on the editing in Sony Vegas. As soon as I have a final cut, the whole thing goes to Chuck Duncan who will create the soundtrack.

Getting closer!

Editing

Sony Vegas Movie Studio is pretty great for most editing. It's more powerful than iMovie and less expensive than FinalCut (and you can use your PC), although there are still some issues with it (like I would prefer more video tracks). Next step is to learn how to export the audio.

I'm also happy to report that outtakes and bloopers will be making their appearance while the credits roll. It's always good to have a reason to stick around for the credits.

Editing in Full Swing

The video editing of this second film is going much faster than the first one. Vegas Movie Studio is very user-friendly and not having to navigate a Mac (as I did with Final Cut Express from Apple) is helping.

I have an entire rough cut that's about seven minutes, including credits. My fearless composer now has the footage and will work on an appropriate theme for this admittedly nerdy video.

Fine tuning and some voiceover are the big tasks now.

Capturing Footage

Despite the fact that one of the lessons I learned from the first video was to look at "dailies," today is the first time I'm seeing the footage I shot last week and last summer. Luckily, the footage looks great; it looks like we have enough takes of everyone that we'll find something workable. I wish I could post some outtakes right now, but they'll be coming soon.

Now, time to edit! I'll be using Sony Vegas Movie Studio on an HP Compaq laptop. Looking forward to seeing the project take shape.

Filming, Part 2, Day 1

First day of filming (not counting some footage from last year) went smoothly. A special thank you to our fearless actor Jo Ann Holonbek, associate professor in the St. Kate's theater department, for her outstanding work. Thanks also to Jenny Peters, cinematographer extraordinaire. We got about 9 minutes of footage and it only took a little over two hours. One more day of shooting left if all goes well.

Count down...

The BIG day is coming! Next week we'll be filming most of the footage for "Everything You Ever..." A St. Kate's prof is going to be heavily featured as well as a well-known librarian (not me). I'm collecting equipment, volunteers, and sending out scripts. Looking forward to getting it down...

Believe it or not...

Filming is scheduled to begin in June! After a struggle I've finally coerced enough people to "volunteer" to be actors in this new film. I don't know if everyone got scared away by the overwhelming stardom that "The Library: Uncatalogued" brought the previous actors, but it's been very difficult getting volunteers this time around. Is it fear of YouTube? I don't know.

In any case, I've got some victims--err, actors lined up. Most of them will have very small parts. I've done away with much dialogue because of the problems we've had with audio. It's easier to have action and voiceover, so I've gone with that for much of the film.

Can't wait to post photos of the action! Stay tuned...

You heard it here first...

Remember that new video project? It's really going to happen. Several minutes were filmed last August and filming (and casting) will resume this summer. Know anyone who wants to be a library film star? Contact: alfajardo@stkate.edu

We still need a professor, groups of students, and extras. This could be YOUR line:
Professor: I heard that St. Kate's has a really great library that everyone can use -- even adjunct faculty like me!

The Never Ending Instruction Film

Work never ends for The Library: Uncatalogued. Although the original film was made in Apple's FinalCut Express, we are now doing post-edits in the PC-friendly Vegas Movie Studio from Sony. Since the video was created with short chapters that focus on one concept, they are easily pulled out for use elsewhere. The latest "chunks" that were pulled are:

• The Real (Library) World : Avoiding Plagiarism
• Tour of the St. Kate's St. Paul Library

They are featured on the Library's website and hosted on YouTube.

Preparation for the March ACRL Conference is under way. Presenting a Poster Session on the original film didn't sound like something that would be that much work. But in a poster session, you must grab your audience's attention without words or actions; your images and text alone must entice visitors.

Check out the ACRL blurb on the session.

Poster Session

Going to Seattle in March! ACRL is having its National Conference in March and The Library: Uncatalogued will be presented in a poster session.

This is truly the video that will never die! Now, if only the next one could get going...Filming should resume in June.