Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #106

China 2001:  Gezhou Dam on the Yangtze River

Chapter 5 of the China vacation DVD provides a nice look at the first dam on the lower Yangtze River.  Good motion video of the rising water level and opening of the lock gates.  Still photos fill in the gaps of coverage, and the ending montage provide a look at our six vacationers.  Music is a pleasant selection (Leon Redbone's Up a Lazy River).  Just 150 seconds long, then we're ready to see Chapter 5.

Titles and narration are informative, one attempt at humor is a bit lame.  Not a "great" video, but views of this small dam set the stage for an upcoming look at the massive Three Gorges Dam project.

Lessons Learned:

Still photos can provide visual content when there's not enough video coverage.

Suggestion:

This chapter seems to have been edited to match the length of the song.  Also consider matching the music to the video content.  It's a balancing act; this vignette is on the edge of being too long.

FYI:

All of the China trip vignettes are already loaded onto YouTube.  They may be viewed on one of my YouTube channels: HENBCtravel

I have three other channels that might be of interest:  HENBCvideo (miscellaneous videos that try to look professional, with particular respect for copyrights), RAGEAIR (advertises the licensing availability of my newsworthy videos), and this YouTube Channel of Shame (an odd collection of stuff, not respectful of others’ copyrights).

Music Copyright Considerations:

This original audience for this video was friends and family who would view the DVD in my living room.  It contains 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.