Video Production
There are three vital stages to video production; pre-production (storyboarding, scripting, creating a shot list), production (filming stage) and post production (editing, grading footage and adding VFX). Editing is a vital component in assembling the final video. The editing process takes the various amounts of recorded footage and slims it down (by cutting, slicing, overlaying and trimming) into a masterlyfinal product. On a fundamental level, video editing is the process of readjusting or transformingclips of video to form part of an entire sequence. The object of video editing is the same as in film editing - the removal of unwanted footage, isolation of desired footage and arrangement of that footage in time to create a consistent and continuous final sequence (called the “final cut”).
Until just recently video editing was only achievable with the help of expensive equipment and a considerable amount of training. Through the traditional “non-linear” editing days Quadruplex videotape was edited by visualising the recorded track with Ferro fluid and physically cutting the film with a razor blade or guillotine cutter and joining it with tape. In this day and age, modern non-linear editing systems use video which is digitally captured onto a hard drive from an analogue or digital video source. On the other hand, despite the end of “linear” editing and introduction of these “non linear” editing systems, video editing still works with the same key principles of motion picture film editing.
With advancements in computers and technology, video editing is a frequently changing environment, fedby the quick development of new hardware and software. Computer video editing software, also known as Non Linear Editing (NLE) composedof application software which handles the entire process of editing video sequences. Using software such as Sony Vegas, Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Adobe’s Premiere, footage is first recorded natively into the proper codec and stored on the computer (this stage is known as “capturing”). The footage is then logged, i.E. The editor makes note of the scene, shot number, take number and any additional information. It is then arranged in folders (”bins”), which is where proper clips (if they are part of the same scene) are grouped as one. Once this stage is completed the editor moves on to the actual cutting of the footage.
NLE software is generally based on a timeline interface where clips are dragged onto a video track and laid out in sequence. They carry a range of tools for trimming, splicing, cutting and arranging clips across the timeline. As digital NLE systems have advanced there are now features for colour manipulation, title animation and visual effects, also including tools for mixing audio. After the Clips have been arranged on the timeline, music tracks and titles added and special effects formed, the final sequence is “rendered” into a finished video. The video is then spread in a various number of ways such as DVD, Blue-ray, web streaming (QuickTime h.264, flv) or even mobile devices (like iPod’s, Blackberry’s).
ATT Uverse Reviews - the Good and the Bad
I went online and did a a couple of searches for what I would be receiving with AT&T U-verse in comparison with what my old company provided, the station line up and the cost. There are a bunch of sites with ATT Uverse Reviews on them. There were many bundles suggested. I determined that I liked the middle pack which allowed more than two hundred stations as well as premium stations, every local station, and thirty-four digital music channels. It also included 3 receivers, one with DVR at no extra charge. The charge for the plan (without my discount) cost $68 (+ $25 for Internet). I was paying $70 a month to TW for less channels and only premium channel. I did not get a digital video recorder - only 1 device. There was really zero trouble in determining that AT&T represented the top option, and so I made the phone call and settled my order..
The AT&T installer made it to our condo on the afternoon we scheduled. I was given a 2 hour range to be home and he arrived 2 hours past that. I had placed an order two receivers, he came with only the DVR. He informed me to call his home office and set a different installation day for the other unit, since his info showed I ordered 1 and that was all they shipped him out with. The installer worked rapidly and once the install was all done he spent some time to explain how the DVR and remote control worked. He also unplugged the DSL and hooked up a wireless connection, made certain I had access to the Net, and departed.
It’s been some time now since ATT U-verse was set up. I am really happy with the A300 bundle and the mix of channels. Everything is a breeze to use and I love the DVR. You never have to miss a broadcast you enjoy since you just tape them and watch it as you have time. The Net is another story. For you guys who aren’t PC savvy it could be a really baffling experience, especially the first moment you lose a connection, it might not reconnect, and you can’t work out how to fix it. The best thing you can do when you order ATT U-verse is make certain you question the installer about the wireless connection, how it works and what you will do if and when it goes out. Also, remember before you order the service, if you’re searching for an ATT Uverse Code some affiliate sites offer some pretty great individual discounts!
Green Acres (DVD) Review
A spin-off of the CBS program Petticoat Junction (1963), Green Acres surpassed its predecessor in audience popularity - spending four of its six seasons as a Top 20 Nielsen-rated program. Its family-friendly humor puts Green Acres in the same nostalgic category as shows like The Andy Griffith Show, back when TV sitcoms were all about humor and not as serious as they would later become with the introduction of 1970s stalwarts MASH and All In The Family. The brainchild of creator Jay Sommers, writer for shows such as The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet and Petticoat Junction (where Green Acres characters Sam, Doris, Fred, and Arnold make their first appearances), Green Acres’ unique brand of comedy lives on through a successful and ongoing syndication run, and its catchy theme song even captured the pop culture for a second time when Old Navy incorporated it into one of their trademark clothing commercials…
The Green Acres DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere “Oliver Buys a Farm” in which New York attorney Oliver Douglas decides to live out his dream of living on a farm. So, without telling his wife, he quits the law firm of Felton, O’Connell, Clay, Blakely, Harmon, Dillion & Pasteur (whew!) in favor of a rundown tract of land in rural Hooterville. When his wife Lisa sees the farm, she goes ballistic… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “You Can’t Plug in a 2 with a 6″ in which Oliver must continually remind Lisa never to use an appliance(s) that will push the generator over a 7 on the power scale, and “Lisa Bakes a Cake” in which Lisa decides to bake a cake and ends up with a twenty pound cake…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Green Acres (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (Oliver Buys a Farm) Air Date: 09-15-1965
Episode 2 (Lisa’s First Day on the Farm) Air Date: 09-22-1965
Episode 3 (The Decorator) Air Date: 09-29-1965
Episode 4 (The Best Laid Plans) Air Date: 10-06-1965
Episode 5 (My Husband, the Rooster Renter) Air Date: 10-13-1965
Episode 6 (Furniture, Furniture, Who’s Got the Furniture?) Air Date: 10-20-1965
Episode 7 (Neighborliness) Air Date: 10-27-1965
Episode 8 (Lisa the Helpmate) Air Date: 11-03-1965
Episode 9 (You Can’t Plug in a 2 with a 6) Air Date: 11-10-1965
Episode 10 (Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You) Air Date: 11-17-1965
Episode 11 (Parity Begins at Home) Air Date: 11-24-1965
Episode 12 (Lisa Has a Calf) Air Date: 12-08-1965
Episode 13 (The Wedding Anniversary) Air Date: 12-15-1965
Episode 14 (What Happened in Scranton?) Air Date: 12-22-1965
Episode 15 (How to Enlarge a Bedroom) Air Date: 12-29-1965
Episode 16 (Give Me Land, Lots of Land) Air Date: 01-05-1966
Episode 17 (I Didn’t Raise My Husband to a Fireman) Air Date: 01-19-1966
Episode 18 (Lisa Bakes a Cake) Air Date: 01-26-1966
Episode 19 (Sprained Ankle, Country Style) Air Date: 02-02-1966
Episode 20 (The Price of Apples) Air Date: 02-09-1966
Episode 21 (What’s in a Name?) Air Date: 02-16-1966
Episode 22 (The Day of Decision) Air Date: 02-23-1966
Episode 23 (A Pig in a Poke) Air Date: 03-09-1966
Episode 24 (The Deputy) Air Date: 03-16-1966
Episode 25 (Double Drick) Air Date: 03-23-1966
Episode 26 (The Ballad of Molly Turgis) Air Date: 04-06-1966
Episode 27 (Never Look a Gift Tractor in the Mouth) Air Date: 04-27-1966
Episode 28 (Send a Boy to College) Air Date: 05-04-1966
Episode 29 (Horse? What Horse?) Air Date: 05-11-1966
Episode 30 (The Rains Came) Air Date: 05-18-1966
Episode 31 (Culture) Air Date: 05-25-1966
Episode 32 (Uncle Ollie) Air Date: 06-01-1966
About the Author
Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Green Acres (DVD).