What is the hardest 5 seconds of footage you've worked on?

Quiet Cannon · Post by **Quiet Cannon** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 3:41 pm

I've seen a lot of videos that have used some great effects or edits that look like they may have been very difficult to create. While most videos may not use these complex effects, there are still moments in editing that can still prove to be difficult to try to get a small portion done. I wanted to ask if there were any moments while editing where a small segment of your video stood out as being a bigger task than most other parts in the rest of the video, either through complex effects, editing, or simply bad luck. Shameless plugs are welcome.

Since I’m rather new to editing, I haven’t worked with effects yet, but I did have some problems with editing. Toward the end of my video The World is Square I changed the scenes to match the fast beats in the music using 9 different games. The problem was not in the editing, but in getting the footage. Most of the short clips I used there could not be ripped directly from the CD and I had to play through the games to set up some of the shots. This probably wouldn’t have taken too long had I not run into a few problems such as my Dex Drive not working and loading my saved game at the spot that I wanted. I sent a long time getting some shots that would only be shown for about half a second. Anyway, I figure it took me about 4 hours to get the clips I wanted and edit it together.

AquaSky · Post by **AquaSky** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:07 pm

During my latest video, it took me quite a while to figure out the best way to get a split-screen (and have both of the halves moving, rather than using a still image for one). Of course, as it turns out, I was searching for some complex way of doing it while completely missing the simple "Crop" feature.

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:09 pm

The longest 5 seconds I've spent would probably be for me 'Awaited' vid (a random action vidlet not worthy of a direct plug, it's on my profile page). The problem was the footage and the fades. I didn't like the way the fades meshed the first four scenes I was trying to put together. So I capped them and used my photoshop to overlay the images using stillframes and then moved them so it played like the animation itself. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken so long if I hadn't had to use Showbiz for the reanimation. Of course, no one knows it was done by hand unless they've actually tried to use a regular fade to get the scenes to change like they do in my vid. It looks clean and smooth - the only difference is the background doesn't fade the way it would if I'd just overlapped the clips. Altogether, that tiny section took about as long as the rest of the video. And no one will even recognize it. ^_^ But it was good practice.

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:37 pm

Well, it's either that or a scene in my ddr track that I don't have a screenshot for, which involved twelve simultaneous layers of video work and long effect chains. The part that made it difficult was the fact that previewing any tweaks took my computer about 30 seconds to render.

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:43 pm

trythil wrote:Well, it's either that or a scene in my ddr track that I don't have a screenshot for, which involved twelve simultaneous layers of video work and long effect chains. The part that made it difficult was the fact that previewing any tweaks took my computer about 30 seconds to render.

Are you talking about what I think you are and did I bring about this pain? I sure hope so

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:44 pm

Err..I should answer the question. I guess mine is a bit biased, but the last 5 seconds of my Iron Chef video for ACen. I got two hours to edit and thus 5 seconds was done very quickly and stressfully. I'm sure Kusoyaro or anyone else who has done it would agree.

Pie Row Maniac · Post by **Pie Row Maniac** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:36 pm

In my Human Suffering video, there is a section where Shinji playing in the sand is split in two and moves away from each other. I originally wanted to show the evil-looking dolls that sit with him to be in those shots, by having the first clip of the doll on one side and the other clip on the other side, so this way it would make Shinji's face look whole in the clips. However, to do show both Shinji and the dolls at the same time, I'd have to do a zoom-out effect for both of them and the clips would be damn small. In the end, it didn't work out.

It's irritating as hell to describe, much less do. 8)

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:53 pm

The hardest five seconds i've experienced so far are the ones right after i finish a big scene. after that, either i keep going or don't, and so far, i haven't gone on.

SarahtheBoring · Post by **SarahtheBoring** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:54 pm

I've never done anything super-complicated, but sometimes there are just parts that don't look right, even though I keep trying different things. It's very frustrating.

In the vid I'm uploading today, the beginning of the second verse was pretty troublesome. It just didn't flow right. I finally resorted to taking nearly everything out of it and fading to black and back for a moment to make a complete break from the scene before it.

So usually it's not a matter of "OMG I used 823947329482 effects at once" but "DAMMIT why won't this come together?! It doesn't make sense. ARG."

Which might be worse, because it's hard to know where to start.

Dannywilson · Post by **Dannywilson** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:56 pm

For the first M:I I figured out AD's psychadelia effect. The theory is, you just set up Vdub to render with 2 filters. God is in the fucking details. Took me about 4-5 hours to get it the way I wanted it to look.