Rob Kirk Log

Sunday 3/24/13

Video is complete, although I have a zillion disclaimers and things I'd fix. I've had so many problems doing the output, so I'm going to leave it alone for now.

Obviously, it's technically primitive, to say the least. I'll detail all my thoughts on that below.

It's up on YouTube: http://youtu.be/SfSjLA5EBSI

I worked on two tracks to create the video. 1) the content for the video 2) the technical side of creating it.

CONTENT

My idea in producing it was to essentially document a "case study" of building the Paper Model, then create the Instructional to reflect the lessons learned in the process.

I was the guinea pig. I took Marcin's basic instructions and then set out to complete the task. I made notes on what happened along the way and built my script to give others the benefit of my experiences.

An interesting challenge in producing a video that involves web research is how best to guide people to the information. This is something I never really thought about. Many (most) links are pointless say, or write out in video, so I think the best bet is to pass along search terms. Probably means it's a good idea to offer very clear links... and/or links to the links.

Also a side note... It's probably just me, but I kept having trouble getting back to the same spots on the OSE site. I needed to do a better job of bookmarking when I found important locations, but I never imagined I'd have trouble returning. I wonder if this is unique to me?

This obviously wasn't a very visual assignment, so I decided to start with the fun time lapse video of the brick press. I hoped to download the video but the Vimeo download link wasn't working for me and I didn't want to get hung up figuring out where to get it. (I was hung up on enough other things!). So I went with a screen capture program... the result was a small frame but I think it still worked.

I also wanted to treat this like a real, complex building project, but I resisted doing a demonstration of how to operate a scissor... although I thought about doing it.

I tried to break down the process into very clear, simple steps. I included everything that was a stumbling block for me, and showed how I solved it. For instance, downloading a DXF viewer... and then having the initial files display white on black. Also the numbering of the DXF files caught me a little off guard at first.

It wasn't really necessary for this but I wanted to show closeups of different tasks, as needed. In a real video there would be lots of closeups (and extreme closeups), slow motion and plenty of detailed, explanatory graphics. (More on web explanations in my technical side.)

I think there might also be a need for graphic "tips" that would be in addition to the main through line of the script. It would be nice if all the graphics were a unified style and we could supply a graphics template package to remote editors etc.

As for narration, I tried to make it very simple and clear. Fancy writing is not a value here. -- I often tell the story of my first boss/mentor in television told be that for TV writing, no sentence should be longer than 13 words... he was kinda kidding, but not really.

The CEB Press video has a narrator with a British accent. The accent always makes them sound smarter. My Long Island accent doesn't have the same impact.

I also included a section at the end inviting people to support the effort and share their knowledge. I'm sure I don't have the right language for that, but it's an important point that should be stressed whenever possible.

TECHNICAL

The technical side was very challenging, but also very eye-opening and a lot of fun.

I've spent many years making films and videos and I am a very hands on filmmaker. It comes with the territory in the low budget, documentary world. That said, I typically do work with camera people and editors.

The goal of this project was to do it as a complete "one man band" -- and to use open source and easily accessible tools. As I've written earlier, I found it difficult to get open source editing going on my Mac and installing Ubuntu on a PC laptop allowed me to install the Kdenlive editing program. I'm experiencing a serious love/hate relationship with the program.

I got use to basic editing pretty easily but haven't learned the shortcuts and quick keys etc. Overall it seems good. -- However, there is some frightening instability! There's nothing like the feeling of losing all your work after a 15 hour edit session.

I definitely need to join the Kdenlive "community" and start finding some experienced people who can offer good advice.

As for the filming. I already wrote about my disappointment with the iPhone. I know there's a community of people trying to use it for larger projects, but it must involve a lot of after market gadgets to really make it viable in any kind of real production environment. I'm curious to learn more about it. --- So, bottom line, the live shooting is downright crappy... especially trying to be the cameraman and the subject at the same time. Tried to be stable on tripod, but eventually did some handheld just to cover what I needed. (you'll see one shot that's even upside down! I hope you think it's artistic, but it just came out that way... and I didn't want to stress the rendering any more than I had already and didn't flip the shot)

In my effort to be as bare bones as possible I also tried shooting computer screens with the iPhone but after editing it all together I scrapped the idea and started from scratch. I then went with a program called iShowU. You may already know it, but it records the screen and can also show mouse clicks with a Halo or other effects. It was my first time using it so I didn't really maximize it's functions. I'm sure it can look much better than what I have in the cut. ---- It's not an open source program but I've checked a little and it appears there may be alternatives...not sure yet.

Overall, this was a great exercise in learning the pitfalls for a team of inexperienced shooters and editors. I'm confident there can be a complete "style guide" and tutorial that will help them succeed in the field.

I'll be attaching the script and the video here in Wiki soon.

=Saturday 3/23/13

Long day. I hoped to have everything completed today but was frustrated by my lack of experience on Kdenlive. Progress was very slow but made it through. Then a big blow at the end when the project wouldn't render.

I've been on the forums but no luck yet. Hopefully a simple setting will solve the problem.

Still feel good about the edit system as a viable tool but....

More in the morning.

Friday 3/22/13

Completed the Production phase, all the shooting and now deep into Post production, editing, sound work, titles etc.

After becoming enthused about using the iPhone as the camera, the frustrating reality set in. Main problem is the lens. Getting closeups on an instructional is critical and the basic lens is not really capable of easily getting in tight.

I downloaded an App called VideoZoom2 and it created a digital zoom function. Not bad, but diminished quality and focus was soft. Also a different file system that's a little clunky and builds much larger files that filled the phone quickly. Any viable system is going to need some form of external storage.

Will complete project Saturday with full detail.

Thursday 3/21/13

I'm working on creating a very simple "one man band" production studio that can be replicated by anyone in the field.

Important aspects of these tests for me are:

1. Ease of use for one person... allowing them to even shoot themselves, if necessary. (that's what I'll be doing)

2. Sound quality. This is so important in any video. Relying on the just the camera microphone can spoil even the most visually compelling imagery. In professional settings we have access to all types of microphones. I usually like an inexpensive radio mike. Simply clip it on the subject and you can follow them anywhere. I'd always recommend having a couple of these around. Obviously I won't use one for this project.

3. Stable imagery. A tripod is very nice to have... especially in an instructional film when you might need to shoot very closeup to show a process. Also I'm going to be shooting myself in this video without a camera person so some kind of tripod is critical. Fortunately, I have one.

I've experimented with three cameras at three different levels.

First I tried a Sony Z1U HDV camera. This is a "Pro-sumer" level camera that I've used as the "B" camera on many television programs. It's very easy to use and not much bigger than a home video camera. The image quality in my "set" is very nice even with low light, but, of course it's not viable as a tool for everyone. This camera allows for connection to professional grade microphones.

Second option is an old Canon ZR10 basic home video camera that I've owned for at least ten years. Super simple. OK image quality and has a thread on the bottom to attach to a tripod. Tough to get good sound. -- Most point and shoot still cameras nowadays shoot video at much better resolution than this old workhorse. I'd consider shooting with one of these still cameras, but good sound is usually an issue.

So... the best option for what I'm doing here is... you guessed it... my iPhone 4. I have a little plastic stand that came with the protective case I have for the phone. I attached it to the tripod with a rubber band. The Facetime view allows me to set it on the tripod and see what I'm shooting... really handy. And best of all... the earphones that come with the iPod have a microphone and a pretty long cord... so I can tape it to my shirt and have a very nice lapel microphone, with very clean sound quality.

Video files from the iPhone imported easily into Kdenlive. Although, in my first test the image was upside down... so had to turn the iPhone the other direction (button on the left if you're facing the screen.)

I know there's a very active community in iPhone cinematography, with lot's of cool tools. I need to explore this more... and other phones too. Some simple tips and perhaps a few extra tools could be a great way to many involved in good quality production.

Wednesday 3/20/13

Practiced with Kdenlive. Comfortable with my tools so tomorrow will move from Pre-Production to Production Phase.

Focus now will be the actual building of the Hopper... writing a script around that...then shooting to the script.

More to come.

Tuesday 3/19/13

Breakthrough day. After knocking my head against the wall trying to install and run open source editing programs on Mac and PC, I've discovered that the secret is Linux. Tried to get Ubuntu running on the Mac and didn't have much luck. But was able to get it running side by side with Windows 8 on a PC laptop and then install of Kdenlive was easy. Only "trick" was needing to Boot in Legacy mode.

Continue to be impressed with the Linux world and especially Ubuntu. Kdenlive appears to be a solid editing program and I'll be able the write the script now in LibreOffice Writer.

Have to admit I'm very excited about getting all this working. Actually kinda giddy!

Monday 3/18/13

Downloaded and reviewed all the models and plans. All went very smoothly. System looks really good.

Worked this evening on installing Ubuntu. My first Linux experience. Very impressed with their tools and instructions. Will try some Linux editing options tomorrow.

Sunday 3/17/13

Spent the day experimenting with various open source editing tools on Mac and PC. Very interesting and challenging day. Can't say that I've come to a conclusion on what is the best solution or, in fact, if any of them are really viable for the general purpose editing with material coming in from a wide variety of sources. -- I'd certainly love to hear from anyone who is experienced with these tools.

Here are a few of my observations. -- I got Avidemux running on a Mac with 10.6.8. Ran well but doesn't seem to have the appropriate editing tools. (unless I'm missing something)

I tried Lightworks on a PC (Windows 8). It's a program with a long history. I like the interface and it appears to have the tools, but because of licensing it seems to have trouble importing a lot of very standard video formats. There is a "Pro" version that allows for these formats. I think it's about $60. Supposedly they're soon to have Linux and Mac versions available. -- More testing to come on this one.

From videos online I like the look of Kdenlive. I'm working on getting that running now. Looks like it involves some scripting. Certainly not my expertise...but we'll see what happens. Learning a lot!

Interesting note that I'm not sure I know any editor here in Hollywood that would know how to deal with these tools. Most use high end AVIDs or Final Cut Systems...many started editing film. I find that often the best editors have a music background and they are not necessarily highly technical people... they know rhythm and pace and, of course, have strong visual senses. - Different parts of the brain than programming. They'd probably have their assistants get the program working and then step in later.

Saturday 3/16/13

At 3:50pm I set out on a Test Assignment to create a 1.5 minute video to explain how to build a model of a GVCS component.

An important goal for me in this process is to learn to navigate the OSE wiki system. First I want to start my Work Log. I stumbled upon "Rob Log" that is already set up but it requires a login.

I’m not experienced with using a wiki, so I’m very curious how quickly I can get this going. This may be important as I’m not sure all OSE users will be experienced in this process either.

It’s now 4pm and I’ve scouted around... but I’d sure love to see a clear “laymans” page on how to get started!

In “Join” I’ve found the Wiki Contributors section. Let’s see...

4:15... I'm in! Open ID has nice instructions.

Back to the assignment. On Tuesday, March 12th I first received info on the assignment. I clicked around to get a sense of it. Lot's of interesting elements here.

My instinct is to approach this like any video or television project. There are three stages... Pre-production. Production. Post-Production. Pre-production planning is critical to the success of any project. Pre-production starts now.

In this stage I'll learn the topic, create my production plan, write a preliminary script and gather the necessary tools.

I use a standard two-column script format for these kinds of project. The two columns are Audio and Video. I also include a thin 3rd column for numbering. (I'll work on embedding an example.)

I'm very intrigued with reviewing and testing open source editing software. Hopefully I can find one that's user friendly.

10:15 PM Spent several hours with open source editing tools... at first look I'm worried they may actually be a barrier to editing for the "non-welder" but I'll reserve judgement until I get more data. -- This is important. It will be first up in the morning.