04. Webclip Avidemux Only

Webclip proposition :

Always talk to your bureau chief (or your bureau photo head) about your idea. Check that no AFPTV video is being prepared on the same story.

If they are OK, send an email to webclip.HKG@afp.com or webclip@afp.com or webclip.amlat@afp.com or webclip.moy@afp.com explaining what you plan to do, copying your bureau chief. The proposition can also be made by the bureau chief or the photo chief.

You should get answer asap from HKG saying it they are interested or not.

Only send if you have been OKd by mail.

Before leaving:

Check your battery is full

Format your card (For Lumix : Viewing mode , page 5)

The Panasonic Lumix:

Switch camera ON. Wheel and button are on or P

Check you record in Motion-Jpeg. The logo on the screen must be (Not )

Check the frame aspect is 16:9e.

Under your right thumb, slide button down to then use sylver pad buttons to browse pictures. Up arrow to play

NIKON D3s

Have a look at section D3s

When Filming:

The webclip can be seen as an animated photo. You do not need to move around and you can let the action happen inside the frame while keeping steady.

Avoid travelings, panoramics, zoom and any camera movements. Again, always opt for stable shots.

Do not try to tell too many things in one webclip. Build it up around one theme or one angle.

A good webclip is not a mere succession of well framed images. It is better if you build up a story by adding short scenes alternating each time two or three different framing values of one place or one action (Wide shot, medium, close-up of one detail).

Always pay attention to stability. Try to shoulder the camera to a wall or use another stable support

Shoot short sequences. It’ll make your life easier when editing 5" or 7" sequences

Stability has to be your obsession

One shot equals, one file. Do not shoot a 30 second sequence with 5-6 different frames in it. It will be more complicated to edit it.

Edit as you go. When you feel a shot was not good, erase it immediately from the card before starting a new take. Make your selection while filming. It is a bad idea to start the final editing with a card that has more than 20 shots.

The first shot should give the viewer a general idea of what the webclip is about (like the lead in a text story)

Try not to use fish eye or wide angle lens unless it is absolutely necessary or adds a value to the images.

When doing a panoramic keep steady a few seconds, move gently and fluidly and then stop at the end of your movement as stably as possible and keep still for a few seconds. Do not try 180° panos, generally you will not be able to keep the movement fluid. Keep it to a little bit more than 45-60°. Unless you have a tripod.

Avoid filming buildings with no movement in the frame. Always try to get cars or people passing by.

When using long lenses, do not forget to activate the stabilizer, try to film with a monopod (or even tripod if you have one).

Leave a person enter and/or leave the frame. Do not stop filming before the person or car has left the frame.

A good webclip is composed of 12 to 15 shots with four or five mini scenes with a total of around one minute. But You can always send more footage than one minute if you have the time and the footage is interesting.

Download videos:

Remember before making a new webclip to empty the Video and Photo folder to avoid confusion and clogging up your disk.

Insert memory card in card reader. It downloads automatically the movies to folder Save. If it does not,

It opens a window where you can choose "Open folder to view files". Click on the DCIM folder and then on the 101_PANA folder. Copy into the Video folder with a drag and drop

Launch AFP Media Viewer to have a look at your videos. Use arrows keystrokes to browse. Decide on the order you want to edit them. To tag a rush that you want to put in the basket press keystroke “1”. To untag it, press “1” again. To scrap one rush that you don’t want, press “3”.

When you have selected all the videos you need, they must be all tagged in the basket in the order you wish.

Launch Avidemux

Select all the videos from the viewer's basket with a “CTRL A”, then Drag and drop the videos off Avidemux.

Edit sequences :

The average webclip is a dozen of sequences of 4 seconds

If, when you drop your first video in Avidemux the window size is too big: just choose 1:2 in the View menu

Play and stop video with the space bar.

Browse frame by frame with the arrows keystrokes

Stop the cursor at the beginning of the part you want to take out.

Click on the A button below. This selects all the images to the right of the cursor.

Use the space bar or the arrows, place the cursor at the end of the sequence you want to erase and click on B.

Press "Delete" key or (CTRL+X) for erasing the images between points A and B.

Once you’ve edited one sequence save the file by going into "Save Project As" on the File menu. Save it on the desktop.

To reopen a project that you have saved, click on “File/Load-Run project”. This opens a window. In this window find the project you want and click on it and click on "Open"

It is not recommanded, but you can also move a selection. Save your project first. Select (A + B) the part you wish to move, press Ctrl+C, then Del (delete), move cursor to where you wish to paste the part, Click A (point A) , then Ctrl V (paste).co

When the editing is finished: choose the type of compression you need in the "Custom" menu. (This operation can last a few minutes. But in the meantime you can work on other programmes)..

At this stage remember, you still don't have a video file of your movie . The project is a text outline, a skeleton of your movie linked to the original files. It is Not a video file.

You have now to encode your movie: choose the type of compression you need in the "Custom" menu HQ,MQ, or LQ. (This operation can last a few minutes. But in the meantime you can work on other programmes).

Once the video is compressed, it goes into the “Video” channel of the Media Viewer.

Avidemux Shortcuts

In Viewer, click on the movie you 've just make (one click) and click the button of MediaViewer top right. This opens a form.

While you are writing the shotlist you can also choose the Thumbnail of your movie: Just click on S (snapshot) while playing the movie. If you have already prepared and saved your caption on a rush: Right-click this already captionned rush -Copy editorial field-, then right click your movie -Paste editorial fields-. Then click on “Send” or T if you need correction.

This will launch FTP-AFP (AFP-Reporter file on the desk). You should see an .mkv and a .jpg file in the “To send” window of FTP-AFP.

In FTP Sites list (left of FTP-AFP) choose a Webclip ftp profile.

Get connected to the internet and click on the big button "Connect and Send"

Send an e-mail to your Regional webclip email adress webclip.HKG@afp.com or webclip@afp.com or webclip.amlat@afp.com or webclip.moy@afp.com and copy your bureau chief.

- In the Subject field write "WEBCLIP" at the beginning in capital letters + the slug.

- Point out you have just sent a webclip to the server.

Possible Bugs

When Avidemux plays video it may lag / shutter / blink. Try this settings:

THEN

- Copy and paste the caption (Lead of your story).