Bring Hollywood closer by editing films at home

HANOVER - The cameraman isn’t the only person critical to a successful film, the editor also plays a vital role in filmmaking. A lot of patience and a powerful computer are essential for video production, especially when working in the HD format.

A video can be filmed quickly but it takes a lot longer until it is ready to be shown in private circles or put up on a video platform on the internet.

The developments in technology mean the demands are greater than ever and anyone working with High Definition (HD), using high resolution images of 720p or 1080p, needs a computer with a powerful processing chip and a large memory.

The SD (Secure Digital) non-volatile memory card format used in portable devices such as camcorders has overtaken AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition).

An MPEG 4 codec is needed to encode the data stream or signal for transmission, storage or encryption, or to decode it for playback or editing.

“A codec needs an awful lot of computing power and equipment with plenty of disc space and memory,” explains Ulrich Hilgefort of the German computer magazine c’t.

The editing of a HD video also takes time with a film 30 minutes in length possibly taking a whole night, depending on the video format.

When working with a lower HD resolution of 720p (1280×720), which is common in mini-camcorders, a Pentium 4 Dual Core or Core 2 Duo processor with 2 to 4 gigabyte memory and a 500GB hard drive is sufficient.

Full HD resolution of 1920p (1920×1080) needs a quad 4 processor, between 4GB and 8GB of memory and a Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system as the Windows XP 32-bit version has no more than 3GB of memory.

“If you are working creatively, then it is better to do so with a computer that has a quad 4 processor that runs at least 2.8 Gigahertz,” recommends Hilgefort.

The clips should be saved in one go onto disc to save time and avoid any loss of quality. Importing a 45-minute-long 720p video onto a Mac with the Apple iMovie software - which costs in the region of 49 euros (64 dollars) as part of the iLife package - takes up to an hour.

An integral part of any editing suite is the timeline. Depending on the performance capabilities of the software being used, video can be dragged and dropped simply into the timeline while footage can be imported from virtually any device.

With Adobe Premier Elements (99 euros), it is also possible to work simultaneously with SD and HD soundtrack video and audio.

“We found in our tests that Magix software excels because of its detailed user guide and ease of use,” says Hilgefort. “There are alternatives, though, such as Cyberlink’s Power Director or Pinnacle Studio.”

The possibilities for working with effects are quite impressive, even in the range of 50 to 100 euros with Magix Video Deluxe and Power Director both costing around 70 euros. Pinnacle Studio costs in the region of 60 euros with Sony Vegas available from 35 euros.

The best technology available is of no use, however, if the user is lacking in creative talent when it comes to scene-setting.

“This has to begin before filming,” says Stefan Holzleitner, CEO of the Hamburg film production firm Cut4U.

“The first question to be asked is ‘What do I want to have in my scene’?” he says. “When editing, it is important that the scenes introduce variety.”

Apart from editing, a film can be improved by working on contrast settings or introducing soundtracks or clips with effects.

Adobe Premier Elements allows the user to add soundtracks that automatically adjust to the movie length. Finished films need to be saved in a certain format such as avi, mov, mpeg or MP4. Alternatively, a movie can be burned in AVCHD format or on to DVD or Blu-ray.