Posted by Richard Crowley on 07/01/06 23:48

"RP" wrote ...
> Hello rec.video.production! Pardon my noobieness, but I've recently
> started making videos for fun (and, well, my son is getting married in
> September and they've asked me to do a video for display at the
> wedding, but that's another story). I need your help on a technique
> I'd
> like to achieve.
>
> I have a ton of photographs and .wma music, and some historical VHS
> and
> Hi-8 clips that I want to assemble into some kind of retrospective
> production to be displayed at the wedding. I have reasonable starter
> gear, including Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, CS2, Encore 2.0, a decent
> scanner, a GL-2, and a powerful gaming rig that's been supplemented
> for
> this purpose with 2 big-ass 500g SATAs for storage. I am a rank noob
> at
> video, but am technically competent and have good aesthetic
> sensibilities, a good ear and eye, and high standards for production
> values in most endeavors. Although I have virtually no experience, I
> was asked to do this because I composed a video for my Dad one
> Father's
> Day and it was a big hit. I've spent the last few months playing with
> these toys to get familiar with the capabilities of the various
> technologies, and now I'm ready to get down to the business of
> assembling footage. So here I am.
>
> I have in mind a kind of still image photo montage, peppered with
> occasional video clips for variety, but the primary asset will be
> still
> images with a soundtrack. I've seen the kind of photo montage that I
> have in mind (it's certainly not a very original idea) and one effect
> I've noticed in professional productions is a kind of panning across
> still images

The ones I've seen (mostly on the History Channel)
appear to be achieved by carefully "cutting" out the
foreground content (frequently one or more people)
and then using "rostrum camera" (aka. "Ken Burns
effect" although I find the term silly) pans/zooms
where the foreground image is moved slightly faster
than the background. I used three (parenthetical
expressions) in the previous sentence! Sorry, we
now return you to your regular programming.

Anyway, you frequently see zoom-ins or outs, and
sometimes horizontal pans. Sometimes you even see
a "pedestal up" (where the camera appera to rise).
But, clearly, in any of these artifical "moves", you
can't go beyond the limits of the original photo.
Unless you have the resources (talent/time) to re-
create the "hidden" content behind the foreground
objects. It is quite a "whizzy" effect and really
brings old still shots to life. And the effect is well
within the capability of most anyone with an NLE
system.

Although I have not done it myself, I am quite confident
that it can be done in PP with the movement functionality
and putting the background in track 1 and the foreground
part in a higher (overlaying) video track.

>separated by cross dissolves.

You lost me there. Are you talking about the transitions
*between* these still shots (whether "moving" or not)?

> The panning provides a real
> sense of motion and brings a professional look that I never enjoyed in
> my Dad's video, and I'd like to try that out in this next project.

Go for it. It is likely easier than slogging through my
attempted explanation of it. I think I'll try it myself on
my next documentary-style production.


>
> How is this effect typically achieved? Is it necessary to create new
> footage panning the camera in real time across the surface of an
> actual
> photograph, or is there some kind of digital effect that can be
> employed with my already scanned in digital images?

To me, it looks like simply "cutting" the image apart into
"foreground" and "background" frames, and moving them
against each other. You could even go hog-wild and do
more than just foreground/background (like the old big-
budget Disney animated cartoons, etc.)

> I hope this message makes sense, and thanks all for
> reading.

I didn't get the part about "cross dissolves"? That is a
very common built-in function of most NLEs including
PP, and seems pretty straightforward and self-explanitory.

> I look forward to your responses, and to becoming an
> active member of the newsgroup.

Welcome aboard. Just ignore the messages that appear
stupid/silly/idiotic/abusive (like the PC vs. Mac wars).
Ask about anything you don't understand. And good luck
with your production.

Technically speaking, NLE is more the domain of the
other newsgroup: news:rec.video.desktop, but they have
become pretty much interchangable in recent history
(for better or for worse). Many (most?) of us read
both of them. Theoretically r.v.p is chartered more
for production (i.e. staging, lighting, shooting video)

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