The Blog for Video 2.0

In Part 1 of Movie Making On a Budge we looked at cameras. Now let's take a look at video editing software.

Home Video editor: This is the person who just wants to edit home videos of birthdays and soccer games. Most consumer packages are affordable and more than powerful enough for their targeted user base. The trick is to find a package that is easy to use.

Pinnacle Studio 10 $99. Studio packs a ton of features under the hood. There is a very basic learning curve but for the most part the package is user-friendly. Past versions have suffered from crashes and compatibility issues with non-standard PCs. Includes DVD authorting.

Ulead VideoStudio $99. Ease of use makes this a great package. Very powerful, complete with DVD creation.

Sony Vegas MovieStudio + DVD. $89. Three easy steps to capture, edit and share. Focuses on ease of use and fun. Worth a look.

Apple iMovie HD ($79 as part of iLife suite). Mac users need to look no farther than iMovie. This great beginner package now offers HD support. Apple designed themes provide motion graphics for intros and lower-thirds that rival the most expensive tools in the market. Third party developers provide a series of plugins (at extra cost) to expand iMovies capabilities even further. DVD authoring included in iDVD, a separate iLife application.


Hobbyist: This person is taking things to the next level. Maybe creating DVDs for school events, sports, or weekend movie making.

Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0. $99. Premiere Elements is going to really put pressure on the consumer packages. It really brings the power of Premiere, a great application, down to consumer users. Sceneline feature makes video editing similar to slideshow creation. Includes DVD authoring.

Apple Final Cut Express HD $299. Not ready for the full power of Final Cut? FCE gives users nearly everything they could want/need. Soundtrack and LiveType are bundled. Excellent entry into the world of pro NLE systems.


Filmmaking/Video Producer: You know who you are...

Adobe Production Studio. $1299 - $1799 Adobe After Effects® 7.0 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro 2.0, Adobe Photoshop® CS2, Adobe Audition® 2.0, Adobe Encore® DVD 2.0, and Adobe Illustrator® CS2. What more could you need?

Apple Final Cut Studio. $1299. Final Cut Pro 5, Motion 2, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro 4, Compressor, LiveType. Battling with Premiere to become the standard for DV and HDV editing.

Sony Vegas+DVD. $600. The Vegas+DVD Production Suite combines Vegas 7, DVD Architect 4, and Dolby Digital® AC-3 encoding software to offer an integrated environment for all phases of professional video, audio, DVD, and broadcast production.

Labels: adobe, apple, camcorder, equipment, filmmaking, final cut, ilife, imovie, indie film, NLE, sony vegas, video editing

Most of us don't have unlimited funds. For those of us on a budget, here is my list for great budget-minded movie making gear.

Camera:

The just announed Canon HV20 looks like a real winner, but the lack of real world usage means we can't recommend it just yet. So here is the list

Under $1,000:
Panasonic GS500 3CCD Standard Definition with high quality 16:9 mode and frame mode with CineGamma.

Sony HDR-HC5 1080i HDV Camcorder, 2.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, 10x Optical/80x Digital Zoom, 2.7" Touch Panel LCD Screen, Carl Zeiss Lens

Under $1,500:
Sony HDR-HC7 1080i HDV Camcorder, 3.2 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, 10x Optical, 2.7" Touch Panel LCD Screen, Carl Zeiss Lens, Optical Image Stabilizer

Under $3,000:
Canon XL-2 1/3-Inch 3-CCD Widescreen MiniDV Camcorder with 24P Recording, Body Only without Lens

Panasonic AG-DVX100B 3-CCD 24p/30p/60i Mini-DV Cinema Camcorder, NTSC, with CineSwitch Technology, CineGamma Software, FireWire Interface

Under $5,000:
Canon XH-A1 3CCD HDV Camcorder, 1080i, 16:9, 20x Lens, 24f Mode

HDR-FX7 3CMOS HDV 1080i 16:9 Camcorder Kit, includes Anton Bauer ElipZ Battery Package and Camcorder Bag

Labels: camcorder, digital video, equipment, filmmaking, hdv

Canon today announced the US availability of their new HV20 High Definition camcorder. The HV20 joins the HV10 in Canon's consumer HDV lineup. The HV20 should deliver better low-light performance than it's predecessor but these claims have not yet been proven in real world tests.

The real gem in the HV20 for indie filmmakers is the inclusion of a true 24p mode. The camcorder will offer a Cinema mode, a one-touch, on/off setting that shifts colors to appear more like film. The setting corresponds to Custom Preset #8 (Cine V.) in the XH A1/G1 camcorders. The 24P frame rate and Cinema color mode are available independently or together. This will allow budget minded filmmakers to shoot on HDV and get even closer to the "film look".

The Canon HV20 has an MSRP of $1099 and will be available in mid-April 2007. This should be one hot little camcorder.

Labels: camcorder, Canon, digital video, equipment, filmmaking, hdv, high definition