Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #33

India 2000:  Laughing Through India

You might have guessed from Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #32 that we were having a great time on this trip to India.  And you would be correct!

I used Pinnacle Studio DV to compile this assortment of crazy clips soon after our return from the trip.  Even today, twelve years later, I smile at the memories.  Please be assured that we are good tourists, and absolutely love India.  The language and cultural differences create challenges, but our ability to laugh at ourselves makes world travel fun!  I hope no one takes offense from this video, as none was intended!

I like this video.  It's certainly not a typical travel video; sights, sounds, and landmarks go unexplained.  It's more a video explanation of, "Why do you people like to travel together?"

The musical selection, Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now [, I'm having such a good time!]" perfectly establishes the tone of the movie.

The video is already well-paced.  If re-edited I would likely sweeten the natural sound and adjust color for consistency.  It would become one vignette within a larger collection of more typical videos that describe the trip.

Lessons Learned:

Pacing and humor make vacation videos enjoyable.

Good music makes video more watchable.

Suggestion:

Replace the music with a royalty-free selection.

Enhance/balance the sound.

Color correct the scenes for consistency.

Music Copyright Considerations:

This is a short excerpt from one of my older edited videos.  It contains some identifiable music that is regrettably used without permission.  But remember the time this video was created; in 1997 the audience for this production was usually sitting in my living room.  "Fair Use" allowed me to use the music without consideration of copyright.

Today, with digital distribution, artists' rights deserve more attention.  Since this video is intended for non-profit illustration and educational purposes only, I believe that valid arguments can be made for its "Fair Use" in this situation.  Please understand that I do not encourage improper use of copyrighted material.