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(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

NZ is a young country so our history is  relatively recent.  A recent visit to a historical village for "A"Glimpse Of Nostalgia" https://vimeo.com/845670430

Cheers Eric I enjoyed that, being informative as well as being well filmed/edited.
I probably have said in the past that in the UK we live in a 500 year old oak beamed house that is a listed building so we are looking at history every day.
I had to chuckle when we were in the States many years back and were looking around inside a "historic" building. The majority of the other people that day were American and were all "OOOs & RRRs" when looking at the fittings and furniture. my wife whispered to me "it looks just like the inside of our house !

102

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

Alfred wrote:
pberk wrote:

Thanks Alfred for keeping this thing going!  It's still a valuable resource for us old Serif people.
I'm still running WebPlus X8, and  PagePlus x9  .. if it an't broke, don't fix it

https://punster.me/images/thumbup1.gif

I am still running MoviePlus X6 and edited this little number with it that I filmed at one of my local pubs at the weekend.
I have known these guys for years in my area from various bands who always put on a good show. Have a listen through a decent sound system or headphones for best audio. I filmed this with a Panasonic camcorder and a GoPro with a Zoom audio recorder. It wasn't the best setup for the band as we kept having intermittent rain all evening.
https://youtu.be/7AlK3a4vTuU

103

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

Being an old Hippie aged 76 I still love this type of music that I filmed in a local beach bar down here in Spain the other week. All of the band have been friends of mine for quite a while.
Not the best video that I have made but I like it.
https://youtu.be/bZd8IJo8mpc

104

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Thanks Paul.  Cemeteries are interesting places.

I've been having to sit around lately resting a leg, playing 50s and 60s music on CDs and reminiscing.  It's over two years now since I made the move into my retirement village.  A bigger change in lifestyle than I realised.  A good move, so here from 2021 "On the Move".  https://vimeo.com/513632928 I probably posted it on the old Serif forum

One of our walks from our house in the UK from our garden is solely across fields and the river to a small graveyard where my parents and lots of people that I grew up with are buried. It's only when I look at the ages of some of them that I realize I'm living on borrowed time !!!!    It's quite well kept but unfortunately the local badgers love digging it up! I often sit for a while and reminiscing of those days from the early 50s when everything ran at a different pace and life seemed perfect for me growing up.

The "moving" film was very well filmed and I thought that I had seen it before? and of course I had on the old Serif forum as you said.

105

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

Just 3 minutes of wildlife taken in the evening sun off the big bridge in Mojacar. We were amazed at the number of Terrapins that appeared yesterday evening as only 3 or 4 normally show up. However we counted 15 !  I always love the Swamp hen with it's huge feet !
https://youtu.be/SxZtJghqs8c

106

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Tell us more about the external power packs please.  I've seen them mentioned but never come across them.  Are they battery powered?

Yes they are basically a "battery" for charging a phone or anything else that will work via a USB connection and is a similar size to a mobile phone, also it will fit in my pocket.
This is the one that I use with the GoPro or the Panasonic 900 as they are 5 volt. However I would only ever use them with the battery in the camera and not a "dummy" and plugged into the camera charging socket so as to protect the onboard circuits. I have used them for about 3 years and never had a problem and you can get them that will charge at higher voltage and wattage but at a higher price.
Also of course it will charge your phone if needed !
   


https://i.postimg.cc/bD2NYyrS/Screenshot-1309.png
9000000mAh Power Bank Fast Charger Battery Pack Portable 4 USB for Mobile Phone

107

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Yes technology has changed dramatically.  The most expensive item nowadays is your cameras Li-ion battery.

My older Panasonic batteries for my old SD tape camera are lasting much better.  They appear to be keeping their capacity better and keep their charge for long periods.

I only have genuine Canon and Panasonic batteries.  I recall Albert Ross having a bad experience with alternatives.

Agreed with the above, however I use one of these external power packs to run my GoPro and my Panasonic HC VXF990 that will run for hours that cost peanuts (like £15). I normally use my GoPro on a tripod when using it for filming bands for the whole set so that I have a fixed overall wide shot to go back to when editing.

108

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Devonport - I nearly forgot.  My short 1979 film was for my movie club's "50 ft uncut competition".  That is no editing allowed.  It all had to be done with your camera at time of shooting.  With Std 8 you were allowed one splice being the one Kodak made after developing your film and splitting and joining the two halves.  Std 8 reels were 16 mm in width.

Making uncut films did require planning.  I'd take my title, then go out and shoot, then do the end title(s).  When converting to digital a few years ago I redid the title on the timeline and removed any flash frames.  These are the overexposed frames you sometimes got at the start of a scene as your camera got up to speed.

Doing superimposed titles was an extra challenge.  The film needed to be wound back and run through the camera a second time.  A nightmare with Super 8 cartridges.  I recall having a gadget that allowed me to wind back the film a short amount but it had to be done in a "changing bag".  That's a black bag with arms so you could work by feel in the dark.  Plus the hardest part was shooting twice on the same area of film.  We have it so easy nowadays.

I had a friend who worked at Kodak who used to get me large unexposed lengths of 16mm B&W film that he would split and double perf that I would then develop it in my dark room during my 8mm days. Also I remember winding back the S8 cassettes to superimpose titles, you actually had to break the internal ratchet to do it after taking it out of the camera in the dark room, and of course it had to be completely dark as it was colour film (so no safety light of any kind) Incidentally S8 is the same external dimension as Std 8 but has a slightly bigger picture size because the perforations are smaller.
As has been mentioned, people today have no idea what a lot of time and expense and thought it was back in those days to make a film. I remember a 400ft one that I made and edited for a Motocross club that I belonged to back in the 70s that used 10 S8 cassettes. I can't remember how much they cost but it seemed a fortune at the time. It's just so easy these days as you can film as much as you like to get it right.

109

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Whilst going through some old videos to show at my monthly video group meeting I came across this old SD video I made of Devonport https://vimeo.com/50461456.  Only 5 minutes. An interesting corner of Auckland.

Thanks Eric, a very good quick roundup of a beautiful part of the world. Unfortunately it doesn't happen in lots of other places that just flatten the terrain and build square and oblong monstrosities that have no character and are designed by 5 year old architects.

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(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

"You've capture the way it was and how ordinary people gathered in good fellowship in a time when you'd think that spirit had long departed from modern life.

Good job of shooting faces for historical record."

Exactly how I wanted to show it!  Totally for the people that were there as it wouldn't be of much interest to anyone else, except possibly the local villages (including mine) the didn't put anything on !

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(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

Hi, I went to a local street party for the Coronation on Sunday and took a few shots that I strung together on Sunday night. I could have made a better job in editing but the residents wanted it quickly.
Obviously it is interesting to the locals as it is a bit of history, they were the only village in our area to actually make an effort to organize it. At least the weather held out and we actually had some sun towards the end of the day.
Sue and I are of to Spain for a while at the weekend where I shall endeavor to try and make some decent films.           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nO4x0BDlB4

112

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:

This brings up a thought about YouTube.  How long will they keep my videos?  It's hard to imagine how much stuff they actually have.  The sheer weight of the stuff must someday collapse the Universe.

I've got some going back 15 or so years, however I think that they won't show up on my site.  I seem to remember them sending me an email to say that they were not going to keep them after a certain time but I can still see them. YouTube was launched in 2005 and I joined in 2008 ?

113

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

Apart from bands and wedding videos I don't tend to make many videos that would appeal to many others. We came back from Spain on Tuesday and as the weather has started to buck up today in the UK  I had a look around the garden at the flowers. I normally try and do time lapse of the plants opening but they are not that far advanced this year.
This is a short film from last year that I made at a similar time from still images that I took off of my camcorder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzESpcoWgpI

114

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:

Speaking of A.I. .. Here's my little A.I. Movie .. This is the same one I recently posted on the Vegas Forum.  Eric saw it over there.  But what the heck, I'll post it here too. 

This little robot story was written with the help of ChatGPT.

Romulus 13 min.
https://youtu.be/tBE2qAcqmuc

Yes a good bit of green screen and editing well done Paul.

115

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:
GStree wrote:

OK I have now processed the original.
https://youtu.be/sLNVtRj1v3s

WOW.  Pretty good.  It doesn't sound natural -- but it is clear and not a hint of the piano.  That means separating those piano frequencies or something. 

What's the software?  Same as Alan is using?

I use the Splitter Studio software that is free but I believe that the upgrades (that you have to pay for) are better. However the problem with most of this type of software is that although it can remove the background sound of certain frequencies it wont remove the other background human voices of people talking at the same time as you. Obviously it could be possible as human voices are different, but it would mean it would have to be more sophisticated and be more "hands on" to control it.
I agree that it doesn't sound "natural" but have found that most times that I have used it (like for wedding videos) I have then put in the same background music (but at a lower volume) that disguises it somewhat and I have got away with it. Something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcoU62njOE4

116

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

OK I have now processed the original.
https://youtu.be/sLNVtRj1v3s

117

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:
GStree wrote:
pberk wrote:

I say it again .. amazing ..

I sometimes have to get rid of background noise in my music videos and it seems to work in your film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrNIjErtMs

Dialogue replacement is easy compared to reducing background when taking "live music sync sound". 

I'd say you already know that a sound mixer and as many separator mic's you can get are the best way to control the background sound.   You want some of the audience sound, don't you?

Of course, however I will record from an audio recorder from up in the audience as well to get the complete acoustics of the venue. I will then mix it in with the "clinical" sound from the desk that also does pick up some of the audience via the bands microphones. Did you watch the link  that I sent on my last post regarding your Looped film ? I think you will notice the improvement ?

118

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:

I say it again .. amazing ..

I sometimes have to get rid of background noise in my music videos and it seems to work in your film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrNIjErtMs

119

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Gordon - mp3 is a pain to synchronise due to the nature of its compression.  It's not suitable for accurate editing.  Years ago I used mp3 for my first digital video narration using MVPX6.  I cut my narration mp3 file (recorded outside MVP) on the timeline so each piece started where I wanted. After rendering I found most of it was out and cut in the wrong place.  Converting my mp3 to wav and using that solved the problem.  Converting your mp3s might help you but of course wav are much larger files.

Yes I do convert between the two and if It's all my recordings I am ok as I have been doing it for years. However the problem sometimes arises when I use someone else's audio recording that is sent over the internet, depending on what rate it has been recorded at can make a fair bit of difference over a 3 minute song and I have to do a bit of test converting with kbps to get it right especially with 3 or4 timelines.
As for wav being much larger, compared to video they are small so it doesn't really matter and I don't bother to keep them anyway.

120

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

I to have been used to sync with just about all the videos that I make because I always use a separate audio recorder in wav for recording bands and (if I can) put a flash drive in the mixing desk (as long as the sound man knows what he is doing) ! I also normally use at least 2 cameras with one fixed and often 3 with 2 fixed depending on the venue (and space available) as tripods often get kicked by over exuberant dancing !
I don't bother using a decent separate mic on the hand held camera as I constantly move about that obviously alters the sound from different speakers. The only problem that I sometimes have is the waveform on the timelines is completely different visually between MP3 and wav so I have to use headphones to get it exact.
Sometimes when it is loaded onto YouTube it is rendered by them actually out of sync !!
And I also noticed that Eric's video was dubbed, the wind blowing the plants was a giveaway. Next time add a small amount of wind noise on the track and we wouldn't have noticed !!!!!!

121

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

ericlnz wrote:

Thanks Gordon.  It looks very brown and barren compared to my green corner of the planet.

I wonder what the metal frame near the end of your video is, or was, used for?

Part of the site was the old Mojacar football ground that was just a dirt surface like a lot of the villages were, that is one of the original goals !
I am always amazed at how resilient some plants and bushes are that grow in bone dry sand/dirt.
Loved your well filmed (as usual) and informative video. Although I have an extended family in NZ I have never been there. However my father did a trip when he was 95 so I have time !

122

(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

I have been spending the last week or so filming bands down here, but today Sue and I went for a walk out the back of our "Place in the Sun" where I was amazed at how much has grown on the ground since it was bulldozed and flattened to make way for even more holiday homes.
This was done about 4/5 years back but stumbled because of a right of way problem from the main road that no doubt will be sorted out when someone receives enough money !
As it is right on the side of very high ground, huge drainage culverts have been installed that you can actually walk through under the complete site. Although we don't tend to get much rain down this part, when it does it causes flash floods that have to be seen to believe !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnZ__XBcwQ8

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(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

pberk wrote:

Quiet here so I will post a video hoping to wake things up. 

This one is about a great little museum in Pasadena, The Norton Simon.

Only about 6 min.  https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/11197112

Interesting video. It is good that some people actually spend their vast fortunes on something that others will enjoy for years long after they have past on.
At this moment I am in Spain making videos for various bands for another week after a horrendous couple of months in the UK with 5 funerals, I also got an email at the weekend to say that another of my old friends has past away last Friday !

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(676 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

I noticed that there are some temporary traffic lights just along the road by our house and I could see that there is a film set being built in the old farm yard, it is often used for that purpose so I went in and asked about it. It's for a scene in a new TV series called  Horseface. It's a period Dick Turpin thing and staring Hugh Bonneville, the filming is starting on Monday and the lights are to keep the traffic from sodding the background up. I might try and get on the set and take a few shots !
Over the years many scenes for period films (and complete films) have been been made in our village and I used to go on to the sets, as I had decent photographic gear I used to snap away at the actors who would often pose for me. I once got paid a lot of money to get a picture of a "starlet" that was appearing in a film in her costume after the Sunday paper photographer had got thrown off the set trying to get a "sneak preview"

125

(20 replies, posted in MoviePlus)

I am still using Movieplus but do use this for certain parts. Free download and no watermarks.
https://www.videoproc.com/video-editing-software/