Summer Project

Hey everyone, I'm new here. I'm just looking for some advice/tips for a summer movie project I will be working on. I've made a few short movies and played around with iMovie enough to know how to use it, so I've got that part covered. What I'm going to be doing is making a promo video for a camp I will be working at. Here's the catch: I will be far, far away from internet access. Therefore, I'd like to have everything I might need ahead of time so that I can do a good job without having to travel 3 hours to get online or anything.

My two basic questions are: 1) Does anyone have any good tips for making a good promo video like this? and 2) Can you think of anything I might want to prepare/download before I leave "civilization" ? Thanks!

Well think of it as a highlights video - put in what makes the camp great and that would make others want to go. Maybe include some pictures with the video. Get some information on the camp and include that also.

Just mess around with it - it should all come together fine.

You should scan camp logos and media before you leave so you can use them for intro/outro graphics or lower 3rd icons.

Download royalty free music for you to use as the music (unless its just for your own personal use then you can practice with the songs)

(if you are planning on learning more about video and moving on and have a extra $200 i would invest in final cut express and download a few tutorials, its a good thing to know)

well id say use final cut, but i understand that it is not avalible to all of you.

in the case of making a promo vid, make the shots quick but not to fast, you want to keep the viewers attention maybe edit to the beat of a song. make the shots colorfull and attractive

Thanks for all the tips. Powerbook G4, do you have any suggestions for places to get royalty free music? Also, I do actually have a copy of Final Cut Express, but I really am not very good at using it yet. Can you suggest some good sites to find/download tutorials?

sounds like the new man on campus, campayne, should be able to help you out with some good tutorials.

my suggestion is to throw in the random 20 second clip of a camper just standing in the woods, in front of a soccer game or lake or whatever kinda camp you got giving some sort of 'i love this camp it is so fun i love the soccer and sneaking into the girls bunks at night' type of thing

also shoot way way way way way more footage than you plan on using, dont be surprised if you use an hour of tape for a 2 minute segment....the first project i ever did, music video, shot 45 minutes of film for a 4 minute video

for lessons just google Final cut forums and message boards if not i could put up a link but people on thoes forums are usualy pretty helpfull.

if worst comes to worst you can purchase the book on amazon, which is what i had to do to under go the certaficaton program

good luck

If you can, make backups of all of your install disks and take them with you. Just in case of a catastrophe.

I believe the last time I bought something it was from here: http://www.aabaca.com/ but i can not remember, it might not have been, it doesn't look familar, if i find the right one i will edit my post. or post later..

google kenstones final cut tutorials, his are good for the beginner, but once you become really good there is not much there you don't already know.

http://www.postforum.com/forums/list.php?f=37


http://www.dvshop.ca/dvcafe/dv/fcutpro.html

the second one has a bunch