Friday, March 28, 2014

Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #116

China 2001:  Beijing Hot Pot Restaurant



"Hot Pot" involves cooking your food at the table in boiling water.  Perhaps this chapter could serve as an instructional video for visitors to China?

The opening scene with "Santa Claus" seems out of place in this chapter about eating.  (At least until Steve makes a reappearance near the end.)

Inside the restaurant, food was served on a rotating lazy susan.  This is the first of several movies where I placed the camcorder on the turntable and spun it around to capture everyone at the table.  "Cheeseburger in Paradise" is a good choice for music, especially when American-style fast-food franchises are discovered later.

The close-ups of food are interesting and a nice change from the wider-angle shots typical of the daytime tourist footage.  I still don't know what that wiggly thing is at 00m:40s!


Lessons Learned:
There were no "brilliant" editing trick here.  Some fairly entertaining clips were simply cut together and mixed with some fun music.  If you've read some of these blog posts you know that I think pacing, music, and humor are the most important elements which keep your home audience in their seat.  Although I post my videos on the Internet, I love seeing friends and family enjoy my work in person.  [See: "What Makes This Hobby Fun"]

Camera Hint:  That turntable trick works pretty well if your friends cooperate.

The close-up of the yarn spinning & rug making was a nice variation compared to mostly wide and medium shots.  These "accidental gems" create interesting edits, be sure to flag them for use in your edit!

Suggestion:
Camcorder tip:  Look for opportunities to get your camera into unusual places.  Here I had a "brainstorm" to spin it on the lazy susan.  It worked fairly well, but would have been better if I propped the camera to better frame people's faces.  If you use this trick, rotate the LCD screen so that your "talent" can see themselves.


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.


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