Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #75

Mr. Slinky Goes to Sea

Mr. Slinky Goes To Sea is the second of two videos that I created with our nieces' help during a cruise in 2007.  It was edited at home following our return, using a PowerMac with Final Cut Pro 5.  I found video of the original Slinky television commercial on the Internet, and borrowed the music, Magic Trumpet, from Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  (See comments below regarding copyrights.)

It was a fun family effort to shoot this video.  We used an inexpensive wireless microphone, and spent hours searching for shots on the ship's decks.  While editing I extracted some natural sound of the ship's horn and Slinky spring, then enhanced a bit with FCP's audio tools.

The family loves this little video, and it received some nice comments when I showed it to my videomakers' club.

Lessons Learned:

Involve your friends and family, invite them to participate when you shoot the original footage of your travel video.

An external microphone really enhances the sound versus your camcorder's built-in sound capture.

Suggestion:

The videos made with my nieces are actually exceptions to the rule.  I usually arrive home with a lot of unplanned shots that need to be "rescued".  These were planned in advance, so editing was pain-free.

Apology

My apologies to those who attempted to watch the YouTube clip that was attached to my previous post, Pompeii In Ruins.  I had forgotten to enable it for public viewing.

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.