Saturday, August 24, 2013

Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #84

Asia Cruise 2008:  Bangkok



After returning from Cambodia to Bangkok we were welcomed aboard Oceania's Nautica.      The ship was our hotel for twenty-four days, including this first night in Thailand's capital city.

I divided the Asia cruise video/DVD into 16 chapters, narrating most of them.  This one introduces the ship, shows some sights and sounds of Thailand, and pokes fun at the hurry-up nature of ship's tours.

It's less than three minutes long, and well paced.  The sound mix is good ... you clearly hear the tour guide, ambient noise, and studio narration.  I created a countdown clock with sounbd effects which helps sell the joke that ship's tours are on a tight schedule.  Video is stable, and stills are mixed to fill-in any gaps in motion coverage.

I think this is a good opening for the cruise chapters of my Asia trip DVD.  It establishes location and sets expectation for the format and pacing of upcoming chapters.

Lessons Learned:
Make sure the video establishes location.  Use still photos or scans of postcards if you don't have the video coverage.
Pacing.  We come back to this often when discussing vacation videos.  Never let your audience get bored.  Show the video to a test audience; if their eyelids drift shut then pick up the pace and cut ...cut ... cut! 

Suggestion:
I narrated this video in a very straightforward way.  There are a few wisecrack gems buried within the script.  Wonder if I should add a laugh track?


Music Copyright Considerations:
This video contains a few bars of identifiable music that is regrettably used without permission.  
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.



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