Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #91

Asia Cruise 2008:  Cruising on Oceania's Nautica

We were on-board Oceania's Nautica for twenty-four days.  This video is less than a minute long; rather than focusing on the ports it tells the story of the ship.  The cruising portion of  the DVD has sixteen chapters.  I placed this right in the middle, at a logical break point after the Vietnam segments.

It's short and informative, with some attempt at humor.  Listen to my wife eating in the dining room.  I created that ugly sound by holding a microphone near my mouth while chewing a stalk of celery.  She hates it ... exactly the reaction I was hoping for!

Lessons Learned:

Try making your own sound effects.  It's easy and fun!
As an editor, the sound effects give you immense power.  Try not to make your wife too angry!

Suggestion:

A short segment like this can provide a nice breather in the middle of a long production.  If you're hosting an audience, this is an obvious place to hit the "pause button".  Give them a time-out for refreshments, bathroom, questions and comments.

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.

HENBC.COM is here to help those of us who have already taken hours of long boring vacation video.  It's too late for advice on how to use your camera; you need help to transform your boring footage into something that friends will enjoy watching!  WWW.HENBC.COM