Category: Video Making & Post Production

My Video Making & Post Production

S-L-O-W TV – Superimposed Vingetteing

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

24th Oct 2016

Opening shot from “All Aboard the Canal Trip”

In an earlier blog – http://tomndi.blogspot.ca/2016/10/s-l-o-w-in-racing-digital-world.html . I wrote about this style of film . One of the things that caught my attention was the way they incorporated interesting tidbits of historical information onto live imagery without audio.

This was done very softly using a combination of effects; the first being a vignette of the overlay was applied then a very slow subtle slow fade in and out effect added so the live footage was gradually and partially supplanted by the monochrome image containing text or images.

I have been able to replicate this to some effect in FCPX using two Effects built into FCPX – ie Vignette and Fade to Colour.

Here is a link to a 4 min excerpt of the original BBC screening I think you will enjoy the opening sequences :  https://vimeo.com/147144860

Maybe Larry Jordan will do us a tutorial on how to do this properly 🙂

Tomt

S l o w !- Escapism in a racing digital world

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

5 th Oct 2016

Nice and  S  l  o  w  & Easy does it !

The current enthusiastic embracing of “S L O W  TV” by the England’s populous was highlighted when 800,000 tuned in to watch a 2hr , 38 mile journey aboard the Northern Dalesman through the Yorkshire Dales on a Sunday evening. This is 1 in 60 and 20% of those over age 65.

This follows an amazing response to recent films of a similar nature ” Sleigh Ride ” made following a Simi Herder walking with a Reindeer sleigh across the Arctic Circle. Later a 2 hour canal boat journey was filmed in real time on the Avon-Kennet Canal . There is no commentary to these films, nor music in the background ,just the eerie near silence of the scene drifting by.

A Brit magazine summed it up with , “Viewers who find the pace of modern life a little too frenetic may seek solace on BBC4 as it embraces the concept of “slow TV”.
A two-hour canal trip down one of Britain’s historic waterways, an hour of uninterrupted birdsong and a close-up, real-time examination of the making of a glass jug are among the “deliberately unhurried” programes beginning on BBC4 on Sunday.
The season of programmes is intended as an antidote to the digital age, reflecting a recent Scandinavian TV phenomenon that can be traced back to the earliest days of film.” 
tomt

 

Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) -LUFS Loudness Level Metering

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

4th Oct. 2016

Update 19 Feb 2017

Larry Jordan writen a valuable in depth adition to this  :

https://larryjordan.com/articles/why-lufs-and-lkfs-are-essential-to-video/

Thanks Larry !

Loudness standards are gradually being required around the world with all broadcast media . These are defined in LUFS or LKFS .  Media producers are or will be required to ensure all media meets this requirement.

So firstly what is LUFS ? and secondly how do you measure it ?
The answer to the first is way over my head ( so best you look at this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LKFS ) .
The answer to the second is far simpler, you need a LUFS Meter .

There are several available via Google , but let me save you some time and a lotta money. They range in cost from well over $500 to $25 .
Cost effectivness is me, so I purchsed LUFTS Meter plugin from https://www.klangfreund.com/lufsmeter/ for $25 . Which seems to do the same or better job as the more expensive ones .

Having installed it on my Mac mini on opening FCPX it was found under Effects > Audio > Klungfreud As below :

LUFS Meter Plugin in FCPX

I am not an audio tech. and my audio knowledge is limited to working with audio in my video projects and since audio is 60% of the message it is important to get it as good as can be . 
An audience will tolerate poor imagery, but NOT lousy sound -’nuff said !!!
 
The plugin should be placed at the end of any effects chain to achieve accurate readings . The really neat thing is that the plugin will also modify or correct the audio to comply with the standard set in the plugin’s Settings .
 
Larry Jordan is a highly respected FCPX guru and here is a demo of how to access and adjust audio effect and meters  in FCPX – 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kssDFDG6IkU

Update 5th Oct.: 

Wow! – I have just been trying out this plugin on past projects. 
First I reloaded a project in FCPX from my 2016 fcpx.library .
Using Command A, to select the entire movie, I then clicked on the selected clips and created a “New compound clip” Next I applied the LUFS plugin using drag’ndrop .
Now opening the LUFS Plugin graphic from the Inspector window I clicked the ” Adjust to ” My -23 setting and played the full length . FCPX then saved the revised/ corrected audio in the video project . 🙂

Now could that be any simpler ?


tomt

A Grand Day Out & A Train Robbery

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

19th Aug 2016

Bowmont Gang !

My step son and his family from Southport UK were joined by their aunty Sarah from Wisconsin and presented an opportunity for a Grand Day Out .

Nearby Port Albernie is home to two unique attractions , one being the National Historic Site – Mc Lean;s Mill –http://www.alberniheritage.com/mclean-mill/welcome-mclean-steam-sawmill   which can be reached via a 1/2 hour Steam Train ride on No7 . Also close by at Sproat Lake is the present home of The Mars Water Bomber owned and operated by Coulson Flying Tankers –  http://www.martinmars.com/

Here is link to my record of the adventure – the kids loved it 🙂

https://youtu.be/fbHUdJ-E8Og

Tomt

Video -RC Sailing – IMO – Vancouver Island – Port Alberni

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

22 nd April 2016

This is an introduction to RC Sailing on Vancouver Island.

A series of 5 races called the Coast Series which is held annually here.
This event last weekend was the 2 nd regatta of 2016 held in Port Alberni.

Here is the link to a 26 min Video covering the event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEgV-0Hf2IY

My local group meet at Long Lake – Long Lake Inn ,  Nanaimo usually on a Friday morning ( weather dependent ) for a dozen or so races. Drop by to watch or join the fun .

tomt – thornton.tom1@gmail.com

Happy U Near 2016

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

30th Dec 2015

 

Bang! there goes another one !

I have compiled a VBlog to convey our best wishes to friends and family.

Here is link to it :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy9KOrT2Fcs

For all those who sent newsy letters and sent cards for christmas we thank you all .
This is my way of sharing a year in our lives with you .

Wishing you all a very Happy and healthy 2016

Did you spot Dian on the kite board I bought her for Christmas – ?

Tom and Dian

OLD Video Tapes – Digitizing with Roxio Capture USB – Software for Mac Download

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

Sunday October 18th 2015

I was tasked with rescuing 20 Video8 tapes recorded during the ’80’s. A friend loaned me a USB Roxie Capture device , but had misplaced the software Mac 🙁

The process here is to create a digital copy of the original tapes and then edit them into individual movies using iMovie then export them to DVD’s for distribution with either Toast or iDVD

I have Roxie Toast Titanium 11 but surprisingly it did not recognize the device .
After weeks of searching I found a response to a similar situation with a download link for the software here :

http://www.roxio.com/enu/support/easy-vhs-to-dvd-mac/software_updates.html?ClickID=blsv6eneuk1q1szm6geuqm61sndvfyvdmvsl

Two versions are available for download both worked perfectly for me 🙂

Since this software is so difficult to find, I thought it a good idea to spread the word 🙂

Happy digitizing

tomt

Parksville – Canada Day – Dawn ’till Dusk

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

3 July 2015

The First of July was 148th birthday for Canada.

In a world witnessing so much pain and suffering we are so privileged to enjoy a life of relative plenty living in peace and tranquility off Canada’s West Coast – Vancouver Island .

Here is a link to a 9+ min video in which I try to capture our community and its spirit .

Parksville – Dawn ’till Dusk  –   https://youtu.be/i66tTYa7PUs

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

Tomt

Fire & Ice 2015 – Qualicum Beach Vancouver Island BC

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

7th May 2015

Our Fire and Ice Street Festival combines a Chilli Cook off with an Ice Sculpting competition. Large crouds are drawn to strolling the streets of Qualicum to enjoy samples of the many chillis offered by local groups and watch the sculptors craft their artworks to the sound of local musicians.

Here is a link to my video which captures the vibrant atmoshere of the day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut_QlEVZYVk

Enjoy !

Tomt

Fire & Ice Qualicum Beach 2014

Tom Thornton Leave a comment

7th May 2014

Fire & Ice returns

This past weekend saw the happy return of a Qualicum community event which had stalled because of volunteer fatigue in 2013. I took along my video camera and captured some of the carnival atmosphere.

This centers around Chilli Tasting & Ice Sculpture.

Here is a link to the 10 min video :  http://youtu.be/d-vpwU4bFGw
Enjoy !