Hi all!

I'm new to this game and about to shoot my first movie, which will be of a school Christmas play. I'm intending to use 2 cameras, one static, one for close-ups etc. Any general advice would be appreciated - I only get one go at this.

I'll be editing using Premiere Elements 2 - is there an easy way to make sure that the clips are in sync when I put together the footage from the 2 camcorders?

Many thnnks.

Make sure you have a good secure place to put that static camera so no one will fall over it. Make sure it is plugged into the mains power supply and use gaffa tape to stick cables to the floor. Let it run from start to finish so you have a complete audio track and use your mobile camera to get your close ups, cutaways and reaction shots of the mum's and dad's in the audience. What are you like for lighting? Is there a PA system? I'm not an audio expert but maybe someone who is could give you some pointers on taking a feed from an audio mixing desk. Make sure you get a few establishing shots of the outside of the building aswell including a name plaque or whatever. Get people arriving and going in and if possible preparing (arrive early to do this). How many sets of batteries have you got? You'll need a few sets and bring a charger with you aswell and plenty of tapes.

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An easy way to get the audio in sync - drop your imported clips into the timeline, and play both your static camera (with audio) and close up (with audio). As you begin to line up the two video tracks on top of eachother, you'll be able to tell when your audio is perfectly in sync - you won't get that "echo" effect any longer. Once the two videos are perfectly aligned, simply get rid of one audio track.

Some people like to keep their close up video recording constantly along with the static video, as it can make lining up all of your audio easier when you get into editing. Either way, you can align your clips by playing both audios at the same time. Also, the Waveform audio view in Premiere can help you line up your tracks, by making it easier to match loud and quiet portions of your video.

Good luck!

Many thanks for all the good advice, it's much appreciated!

Paul

Sorry, just one more question. I'm anticipating the show to last about one and half hours - would it be better to split this onto 2 separate dvds when burning, to ensure the quality is good, or will this length of time be ok on one dvd?

Thanks in anticipation!

Paul

One DVD will be fine with a variable bitrate.

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Let us know how you get on with the shoot and later with the editing.

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Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...

Thanks for help, I'll let you know how it's gone. It's next week so fingers crossed

Paul

One final thing Paul before u go off on your shoot, watch out for the 'bawling child' syndrome. There's always some little mite guaranteed to be screaming their head off at school Christmas plays. Try and get some continious soundtrack that you can insert over audio problems such as this at the editing stage.

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Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...