Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #74

Pompeii 2007:  In Ruins

This is the first of two videos that I created with our nieces' help during a trip to Italy in 2007.  It was edited on a MacBook laptop computer with Final Cut Pro 5 while we waited for transportation at the Civitavecchia cruise ship terminal.

We had staged a few shots while touring the ruins.  Learned how to use the speed control tool in Final Cut, added some Pointer Sisters, and we had a fun 49-second video.

Lessons Learned:

Experiment.  Try something crazy.  Keep it short.
We actually planned some shots in Pompeii so there was some raw material to work with.  (That's not typical for most of the movies on this blog.)  This video is as fun to watch as it was to make, and the girls enjoyed participating in the edit decisions.

Suggestion:

Our video editing programs are incredibly powerful, it's difficult to unlock all of their potential. Learn about one tool at a time by practicing on a short video.  In this case, I worked the time tool to slow, fast, and reverse some of the scenes.

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 2004 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.