Is anyone interested in video?
Listed in General Discussion.
Edited reply by VeeGeeGOLD 
+3
Thought you were a Reagan man? Even Nikita Khrushchev finally took the walls down! LOL!
Here's a crafty solution we came up with to help with the cam-quality with the backdrop idea.We bought some cheap pvc pipe fittings, (found at your local hardware store), connect with pvc joints, it's easy to put up, easy to take down and store in a closet or under a bed. Go to a thrift store and buy an old dark sheet. Simply fasten your sheet with safety pins on top, no sewing required.
You can hang that curtain as sloppy as you want, wrinkles and all, because if you turn lights off behind the curtain, and put soft or preferably natural lighting in front of you, the backdrop looks smooth.
Instant video studio!
bbetty
bbetty ... a "how to" with pics - how much/how long the pipes, the fittings, how you got it to stand (looks like you made "feet" kind of ... I have no tools and no strength to be trying to cut pvc
But if I were to make the trek to, say, home depot (an hour's bus ride each way and I'm sure carrying all this pipe home on the bus would be fun? LOL), I'd totally be willing to give that a shot. Beats the heck out of trying to wrestle a clothes rack behind my computer, could be made wider (which is needed) and higher (definitely needed - I have to put books under my clothes rack!), lighter weight and cheaper. Love that idea
offtone
For my videos I now have a room divider screen. But before that in the beginning I used two of those portable clothes racks. They look very similar to Betty's pvc pipe contraption. I took a black fitted sheet and pulled the ends over the tops and bottoms of the clothes rack and it made an excellent screen. When I did "Something Stupid" on the split screen, I used a red velvet king sized bedspread to drape over the clothes hanging racks. I love doing videos and have a blast with them. I've learned little things about myself that I have improved on just by watching and observing. It's like the people you see on American Idol how after months of doing different things on camera they suddenly look a little different or even perhaps a lot different than they did in the beginning. I think it is a great tool for gaining self-confidence in your presentations in public. Glad you started this link. I will be back some a links for the backgrounds I've used before.
With the black fitted sheet background around the two clothes racks hangers.
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/b46d8804a
Reply by VeeGeeGOLD +3
Thought you were a Reagan man? Even Nikita Khrushchev finally took the walls down! LOL!
Here's a crafty solution we came up with to help with the cam-quality with the backdrop idea.We bought some cheap pvc pipe fittings, (found at your local hardware store), connect with pvc joints, it's easy to put up, easy to take down and store in a closet or under a bed. Go to a thrift store and buy an old dark sheet. Simply fasten your sheet with safety pins on top, no sewing required.
You can hang that curtain as sloppy as you want, wrinkles and all, because if you turn lights off behind the curtain, and put soft or preferably natural lighting in front of you, the backdrop looks smooth.
Instant video studio!
bbetty ... a "how to" with pics - how much/how long the pipes, the fittings, how you got it to stand (looks like you made "feet" kind of ... I have no tools and no strength to be trying to cut pvc
For my videos I now have a room divider screen. But before that in the beginning I used two of those portable clothes racks. They look very similar to Betty's pvc pipe contraption. I took a black fitted sheet and pulled the ends over the tops and bottoms of the clothes rack and it made an excellent screen. When I did "Something Stupid" on the split screen, I used a red velvet king sized bedspread to drape over the clothes hanging racks. I love doing videos and have a blast with them. I've learned little things about myself that I have improved on just by watching and observing. It's like the people you see on American Idol how after months of doing different things on camera they suddenly look a little different or even perhaps a lot different than they did in the beginning. I think it is a great tool for gaining self-confidence in your presentations in public. Glad you started this link. I will be back some a links for the backgrounds I've used before.
With the black fitted sheet background around the two clothes racks hangers.
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/b46d8804aVeeGee
With the red velvet bedspread over the clothes rack hangers
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/b878865c0
Edited reply by JubiGOLD 
Pardon the short comments...hurt my wrist....can barely type :(
This is my first edited SingSnap video using ManyCam. Please have a look if you get a chance! It's a complicated montage of images that fits the song, I'm rather pleased.Anniversary Video (the song is "Better Together" by Jack Johnson)
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/ae6abc270First I sang for an audio recording. Then I silently "harmonized" with that, pointing the camera to the ManyCam window.
I made the video montage in Windows MovieMaker (though it's crashy). I timed the transitions using the original recording. Then I deleted the audio and imported the video into the SingSnap recorder using Many Cam.
It was tricky because of the extra seconds of silence at the beginning of the karaoke track, which can't be clipped off as far as I know.
Dinalydia
Did you do all this with your moviemaker effects? I don't have those options on my my moviemaker. Or maybe I do and I don't know it.
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Jubi,
You probably DO have those effects on your Moviemaker. On the left-hand menu, under "Edit movie, click "View transitions" or "View effects". All the transitions, and a few of the Effects, work with still pictures as well as videos.
You drag the transition you want in between 2 pictures, then adjust the length of the transition by dragging the edges.
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Vee Gee,
Thanks for the great tips! Stick around! I will have time to viiew your videos later tonight.
Edited reply by JubiGOLD
Pardon the short comments...hurt my wrist....can barely type :(
Jubi,
You probably DO have those effects on your Moviemaker. On the left-hand menu, under "Edit movie, click "View transitions" or "View effects". All the transitions, and a few of the Effects, work with still pictures as well as videos.You drag the transition you want in between 2 pictures, then adjust the length of the transition by dragging the edges. Dinalydia
Oh I see them now. Guess what I will be using on my next slide show, lol?
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
HI,
This is my newest video:
I call it "If You Were a Tomcat" ~
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b37e0d518
It's "If You Were a Sailboat" by Katie Melua, but I rewrote the lyrics for the "Sexy Snapper' contest and created a new video montage.
Reply by DraymaxPATRON 
+10
I guess thats my problem with manycam... first off I have a mac and my cam is built in and its a desktop so not portable. And of course anything regarding video editing on a mac means big bucks for the software. Hmmm, I am just gonna have to figure something out!!!!! This is driving me crazy. If anyone else has a IMac out there and has any ideas, please let me know!!!! Thanks.
Reply by pls8xxGOLD
I watched the videos. And what a treat!
VeeGee, "Feeling Good" would have been marvelous without any video. But what it added was perfect for the song.
Dina, the photos worked great with your song. Somehow it enhanced the emotion of the song. I felt like it turned into a mini movie.
So I've watched you two gals and I got to say I don't think y'all learned that stage presents in your living room. It's just a bit too perfect for that. For most of us a backdrop may help, but the real magic of your performances comes from what you two do on cam.
James
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
James,
Thanks so much for the compliments. That's exactly what I wanted to do, enhance the message of the song. I'm a visual person, so I do think in images.
For this "Who is a Sexy Snapper" contest, I wanted to suggest there are other ways to express sexiness besides the obvious - unfettered lust. I think teasing, flirtation, and double entendre is sexy as mental foreplay, rather than physical.
But I don't expect to win the contest!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are right - if someone's performance is good enough, it makes you forget any distracting elements visible in the background. And I appreciate such a performance because it's so out of the ordinary.
However, I'm an artist - so I want to create the whole package the best I can. In my case it's simple to cloak the distractions, so I do it. Mostly to please myself.
Especially if I watch a rather mediocre sing on video, I find my attention wandering to their taste in home furnishings I see in the background..."what an ugly clock" - that sort of thing...
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Draymax,
Sorry, I know nothing about how to do this on a Mac. But it's hard to believe the Mac operating system includes NO basic video editing software. Isn't Apple supposed to be superior to Windows in creative functions?
Even though you have a built-in cam on your Mac, if you really want more flexibilty in making videos, maybe you could buy an external one. They don't cost much! My Logitech USB device cost only $25. The angle is adjustable, and it comes with software that allows you to tweak the picture in a number of ways.
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
I will go over the steps to create a SingSnap video montage.
1. I make an audio recording of the song on SingSnap. I set it on "Private." Later I will self-duet on top of this.
2. I collect images to use in the montage. They could be JPEGs, or video clips.
All are either my original photos and artwork, or images I purchased from istock.com. I don't approve of using images swiped from the web that are copyrighted, or other people's artwork. If they are labeled free to use, or in the public domain, or you get the original's poster's permission, then it's all right.
Choose clear images that are decent enough quality and resolution that they don't look fuzzy or pixelated. That makes for a junky, amateurish looking video.
3. I used Windows Moviemaker to assemble the images and apply the transitions. If you don't use Windows, it would have to be something comparable.
The software that came wih my Canon Powershot camera does something similar, but it's limited. Not designed to handle a very complicated montage with many files, I'd guess.
Usually Moviemaker is horribly crashy, freezing up every few minutes when it contains so many files, but for some reason it behaved well for this project.
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Continued:
4. In order to time the images to the lyrics and music, you need to set an audio file into the Moviemaker project.
You can use an audio recording of the original song, an MP3 or other format. Or, if the lyrics are different that the original, like mine, you can use an audio file of a karaoke track with your own voice recorded on it (from whatever recording device you have, even a cheap one). At the end, I deleted the audio file, so it was video only.
5. I saved the Moviemaker project as a movie file.
6. In the ManyCam "Pro Studio," I selected that movie file in the menu for camera number one. The opening image is visible in the camera window. It will start running right away as the default, so I stop at at the beginning.
7. In the SingSnap recording Wizard, I selected ManyCam as the video device.
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Continued:
8. I go to my original SS audio recording. I select "Harmonize" from the links underneath. I select "Self-duet" from the choices.
9. I minimized the browser window and size it so I can see the ManyCam interface next to it.
10. In the recorder, the opening image of the movie file should be visible in the window. Make sure the movie on ManyCam is on "stop" - not running.
10. I press the SS Record button. I press the play button on the ManyCam at the moment the music begins.
11. I let the two programs run simultanously.
12. In "View your recording," I watch to make sure the music and video are timed correctly. I can use the Music/Voice timing adjustment to tweak that.
13. Save.
Reply by The_Holy_MoleGOLD
Check watchandlisten/play/aa1d149c?playlist_id=aa1d149c&start=9b1c6
Thank you for this thread...It kicked me in the butt to go and buy a new cam..and to actually use it. Although I must ask...how do I get rid of the wrinkles that it is showing?grammatea4u
I like big butts and I cannot lie...
Loves Tas 
Reply by StarMan2010
Thank you for this thread...It kicked me in the butt to go and buy a new cam..and to actually use it. Although I must ask...how do I get rid of the wrinkles that it is showing?grammatea4u
To remove wrinkles.....Lighting can do an actor wonders
Try using or setting in Black and white and either turn up the contrast or brightness setting on your camera settings....Play around with the settings until you get the desired look....You can usually see these changes live from your cameras window screen...I usually set this up before opening up Singsnap...Once my camera is up and running and im happy with the view....then I open Singsnap and re adjust if need be.
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
"To remove wrinkles.....Lighting can do an actor wonders "
LIGHTING:
Starman, you are so right...At my age, flattering LIGHTING is the key. I could look like a tired old Hag or a vibrant Goddess on cam, depending on the lighting. I'm not exaggerating. I use several moveable lights at different angles overhead.
MAKEUP:
For women (or guys, if you're unusually dramatic, heh) makeup helps. When you darken and emphasize eyes and lips, the camera will tend to focus on those areas of darker tone and lighten the rest of the face.
SINGSNAP RECORDER:
The "Beautify" button simply softens the focus, making finer lines invisible.
CAM SETTING:
Rather than use the default settings, I adjust color, contrast, gamma, white balance, saturation, and sharpness in both the Logitech webcam "Advanced settings" and the ManyCam Video settings til I get the effect I want.
I discovered the webcam and ManyCam settings work TOGETHER, which gives me effects I can't get with one or the other.
TUTORIAL:
I plan to make a brief tutorial with screenshots, picturing & explaining the effects of different lighting and settings. But this will be a project of several hours, so I've been putting it off. Any interest?
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Here's my latest video, a split-screen with a flashback theme.
"Oh What a Night (September 1973)"
Anyone interested in how I did this, let me know!
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c1bb79f34
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
This is my audition for the SingSnap Karaoke superstar contest:
"Wear your Love like Heaven"
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/be65c1004
I wanted a mid-60s hippie girl look, or actually a more glam show-biz version of a hippie.
VIDEO CONTEST: The SS event hosts specified that in this new contest, video performance was required in all rounds and big part of the score.
Clearly, many people have NO CLUE what a good video performance entails, even though the hosts spelled it out: suitable costume and "Look", expressive gestures and body language, etc. See below.
I looked at 15 auditions at random. Of those, only one person did anything even slightly creative with video. In most, the singer just turned on the cam, sat like a rock, and sang. Some vids were especially unflattering due to bad lighting, angle, background, etc.
So it must be my training as a graphic artist, photographer, and (mostly amateur) dancer that has me thinking about visuals all the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SS Contest Video Criteria:
1. Look - 5 Points: Costumes, make-up, appearance. Make an effort to 'look' the part of whatever you may be performing. Use facial expressions and play up the emotional/fun factor.
2. Staging/Blocking - 5 Points:Set the scene! Use props, body positions, lighting, camera filters? Move, create shadows, use body language! Set the tone and feel for the video.
3. Over All Presentation - 5 Points: Make sure your video matches your song choice. Make a creative connection! Tell a story! You are not allowed to edit so use your imagination and create a story line! Make the judges feel your song throughout your presentation. Connect the song/your voice with the video.
Reply by o2baladyvolGOLD 
Lot's of good stuff here....I read through this quickly but didn't get to see everyone's examples....I love techie stuff so I will be following in.
I would suggest a program called Sony vegas to y'all. Most people won't buy it because it is wayyyyyyy over priced but you can do some cool things with it and it is much classier than movie maker. It's going to have the effects you want with it. Also, you can make your trio and how ever many people you have singing with you show on screen while sing snap only allows you to show 2. I have done this before with ^^^^VeeGee and Charmmer. Here is a link to one if you are interested. http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/bd6ca5ef2
Having gotten you all excited and you now see the price for the program....I suggest downloading the trial and wear it out for 30 days making some really cool videos.
I have other tips and ideas too, but no time right now.....I'm gonna flag you and be back to more thoroughly go through and also keep up with these excellent ideas!!!
GREAT THREAD!!!!
Reply by o2baladyvolGOLD
Oh.....and there is another program that I really need to learn called audacity. It is free. It would have helped our recording above much better....it allows you to work on the recording....like how in that one all our vocals are not at the same level. When you have layer after layer of audio on ss (at least on my end) it gets worse and worse. NOW, if anybody knows how to help me fix that in sing snap...that would be helpful!!! I know about all the adjustments to make on the recorder and such....and my mic was all the way turned up....their music was down....I just couldn't get it to come out right
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Hi new folks, please stay and participate. Thanks for the tips, o2baladyvol (I know what "balady" means, having a Middle Eastern dance background, but it'd be nice to know your name).
I've been happily promoted to round one on the SSS video contest! I have now looked at a lot more of the contest entries. I see a few outstanding videos, but the percentage still holds. Most do not know how to use body language or gestures or facial expressions. Doing audio-only recordings does not train a singer to do that.
Reply by chattycathy52GOLD 
+4
Finally going to dad's songs to hear him talk and sing. Something I've needed to do for a while.
flagging...this is good stuff u all!!
Reply by o2baladyvolGOLD
Hi new folks, please stay and participate. Thanks for the tips, o2baladyvol (I know what "balady" means, having a Middle Eastern dance background, but it'd be nice to know your name).I've been happily promoted to round one on the SSS video contest! I have now looked at a lot more of the contest entries. I see a few outstanding videos, but the percentage still holds. Most do not know how to use body language or gestures or facial expressions. Doing audio-only recordings does not train a singer to do that.Dinalydia
I live in Tennessee, USA....Love the Lady Vols basketball team...so it's kinda like saying, "oh, to be a lady vol"....like you know, wishing you could play with em kinda thing.
I did a video in the contest as well. I was not extremely happy with it at all. Not what I wanted to do really, but I planned for too long and didn't have anyone to help me shoot when I wanted to....it was a mess. the audio was messed up, too. I'm starting to think it was a manycam issue after doing some reading.
In case you missed me and wanna look http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/ad87b5980
Stephanie
Reply by sukiesanGOLD
Two new songs! Lee Ann Womack....love her! nice to be back singing some!
Hi Dina!!
I'll read your thread when I am free to do so!! This sounds interesting!!!
Reply by JeanneMarieGOLD 
+4
Lots of great stuff here, great thread idea! Congrats on moving on in the next 200 Dina I was lucky enough to go through this time too. Although my video was "cheesy" it was entertaining enough...lol and was only my 2nd manycam adventure, so I have a ways to go. I am technically inept, and although my roommate is a techie, he doesn't do SS, and is not musically inclined....so I haven't asked him for much help with any of my stuff.
Flagging to follow...I'm sure I will learn tons.
Reply by yakkyduckGOLD
When I saw this post I figured I would post my dads favorite video
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b0b16a184
Edited reply by sukiesanGOLD
Two new songs! Lee Ann Womack....love her! nice to be back singing some!
There is a lot to be said for software like Manycam...'Many people assume that the free version just gives you the ability to add funny hats and stuff......or similar effects to what are already on the recorder...
What many don't realise....is that the free version also allows you to upload pre-made videos to run through manycam as you record......this could be a video you have made yourself using something like windows movie maker....or it could be an original video from the likes of youtube. Manycam does not pick up the sound from the video....so it is ideal to use along with the SingSnap recorder....which allows you to add your own recording to the video........
Some people find it great fun...hunting for videos to match their songs.......
Even using a pre-made video gives a recording a little more interest....and only adds to the overall performance.........
Katie
Hi Dina and friends!
I love this thread!! I've been reading and taking in some new information!! whoohoo!!!! Great tips!!
I'd like to share a a few video I did like Katie was talking about...
1) I made this video in "Windows Live Movie Maker" by finding pictures and video clips on the web....I pieced them together to make a story of a woman's life from childhood, through troubled times, to marriage, to having children of her own....I Loved it!!! It was SO fulfilling to make, and I will cherish it forever..
How You Live (Turn Up The Music)
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c164c3c06
Here is one I did with a backdrop that my husband made for me....it looks like a tri-fold thing that movie stars dress behind in their dressing rooms...and I used the black & white feature of ManyCam (and a wig!) It's not great, but you get the idea!
Own My Own
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c3a6b8b9c
Here is one using an actual movie segment from the movie "Chicago" and running it through ManyCam
All That Jazz
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/beb9e2618
This one was done with just lighting....dark room at night with only the computer screen lit up....nothing special done here...
Call My Name
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/bfb883808
It's not hard....I figured it all out by myself!!! Experimentation!!!!
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
Suklesan, thanks for sharing those examples! You are so creative and will take chances and experiment, that is what I'm doing too - still learning!
Edited reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
SPLIT-SCREEN TIP:
I keep in mind that a split-screen image will be HALF the size of a regular screen, which already is smallish and low-resolution (thus not very sharp). If your face on the split-screen is the size of a lentil, any expression on it may be barely visible. You have to move CLOSER to the camera to with a split screen. Your face should fill a larger portion of the screen.
That goes for any photo image as well. You may have to CROP the photo so only the important part of the image is in the screen.
Reply by DivoGOLD 
WOW THANK YOU FOR THIS THREAD IT IS VERY HELPFUL I WILL DEFINELTY FLAG THIS..FLAGGIN..LOL..:))
Reply by KansasGirlGOLD
Got your thread flagged now so I can find my way back, a thank you from me too, to you for re posting it (:
Reply by JCDGOLD 
+2
I guess thats my problem with manycam... first off I have a mac and my cam is built in and its a desktop so not portable. And of course anything regarding video editing on a mac means big bucks for the software. Hmmm, I am just gonna have to figure something out!!!!! This is driving me crazy. If anyone else has a IMac out there and has any ideas, please let me know!!!! Thanks.Draymax
iMovie is great software that comes free with your Mac. It meshes perfectly with iPhoto (for pictures) and iTunes (for music) that also are included on your Mac.
LeeRogers, who won The Battle, used a iPad to do the filming and iMovie on his Mac desktop computer to do the editing. CamTwist, a fabulous Mac 'effects' program, can be downloaded free from the net and combined with ManyCam to do amazing things.
Reply by o2baladyvolGOLD
I am just now beginning to experiment with some of the technical enhancements. I downloaded the demo version of manycams.
Dinalydia
Dina,
I, unfortunately, bought Manycam for last round to use the multiple sources without having the manycam logo! It was a huge disapointment. Almost 12 hours to deadline I sat there over and over trying to play my video with my recording on SS. Manycam would lag the video so that I could not match up the words with my voice...it was horrible. I went to bed for a couple of hours and came back with a little more fresh mind and did it again. I went to my computer that was connected LAN and not wireless and shut down every process on the computer JUST to get it done. That still took another 4 hours up to almost an hour to deadline....I was freaking. My idea for the video never really came across, that is for sure.
I would not suggest buying manycam. It was a real let down. If I am going to use a cam program I use youcam most of the time. The bad thing there is though, you cannot do the movies like you can in manycam....we all need to scour the internet and try to find a more reasonable solution than manycam.
I will ask you this, Dina....Since you are the guru of lighting....how could I have gotten my MJ slideshow to come out better....the one behind me? I needed lighting for me, but to not tune out the MJ slide show it had to be subtle....I wonder if there was some color of draping I could have put on the wall to make it better? It was shot at 11pm-12am at night so we were in pitch black...or best we could be with a full moon.
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
o2ba (name please?),
Firstly, as Jubi informed me on a precious page, you do not need to buy ManyCam to get rid of the logo on your video. You just go to the "Text" page (menu at left) and UNCHECK the box that says "Show logo".
If you don't know to do this, by default the logo will appear (BIG) on your finished video, as it did on some of the SS video contest entries. Sorry, but that simply ruins the video, IMO.
Not sure what you mean by lag" but you can adjust the the video start time on ManyCam to line up with the SS music. Do you mean it would actually play slower than how you shot it?
Reply by DinalydiaGOLD +1
About the lighting, I suppose you'd need a small spotlight on you, leaving darkness around you for the slideshow to show up well.
When I saw your video, because of the split screen, the image was so small I could barely see you OR the slideshow. So if your face didn't match the vocals exactly I probably wouldn't have noticed that. Hope you don't mind the feedback.
I wished that image was the full screen so I could see it better. Remember - the SS recorder does NOT display a high-resolution image like on YouTube. I wish that option was there but it isn't, as far as I know.
As I wrote above, with a split screen I keep in mind each image needs to be bigger and simpler for the viewer to appreciate it.
Hope this helps.
Reply by pls8xxGOLD
o2baladyvol,
I have a 10 year old computer and just the basic SS recording has it maxed out. It's not about to also run ManyCam or any other process while recording. Still there are ways to do the advanced video I saw in your MJ recording. Lip sync is harder than anything else. As you found, the problem is the timing of matching post edited video to earlier recorded audio.
Many of us have other sound and video equipment that can be useful, such as standard video camcorders and DVD players.
In its most simple form, advanced video is the combination of audio done in the ordinary way with post edited video. The trick is to make a video file with a count down lead-in that will guide you to hit the record button on the SS recorder at the exact instance needed to match the two together.
The post edited movie is played on a device the computer will see as "a camera". This can be a camcorder or DVD player attached to the computer by a video capture device. The SS recorder is set to use this as the video source. As shown in the graphic below, the movie file is started first. The count down at the front of the movie file tells you when to hit the record button on the SS recorder.
Reply by WildcatKevinGOLD
Well hay there y'all
I found my way over here and wanted to see what ya been doing.
It will take me a little time to read back but flagging so I can when I have some time.
I was asked to come by and check it out so here I am.
Going to drop this video off and would love it it you guys wouls check it out and let me know what you think, no really I'm a big boy so tell me like it is.
Some of you have already seen it as it was my entry for the top 50 round.
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b65fe8d08
The whole thing was done in one take and the split screen was an after thought LOL anyway if you get a chance to have a look or want to pleas feel free and let me know what you think for real.
If you want I'll let ya know how it was done. thinking I may cut a video of the making of it LOL
BBL, got to get to work
Reply by pls8xxGOLD
Kevin, I listened to the song and like so many others here at SS your talent blew me away. The song was perfect for you.
Now about that video. The scenes were well matched to the song and as much as can be done with the split screen you did well with the edit. But the video doesn't come close to what could have been done.
The video would have been much more effective in full screen. Without the original video it's difficult to show how it could look but I'll try to give you an idea of the possibilities. Using a green screen and the video you had it might have looked like this:
Start with a full screen of you against a dark background ...
as you start to sing the background fades into a war zone type ...
The mother scene has you singing as a semi-transparent ghost ...
A close up of the hands would be nice ....
The military scene is jacked in full screen as well ...
The girlfriend scene includes you singing .... (a close up of her holding the letter to her breast could end the scene)
Then a close up of the letter being read ...
The possibilities are only limited by one's imagination. In my opinion, your great performance deserved an equally stunning video.
Reply by WildcatKevinGOLD
Well thanks for the input, may have to try that sometime. As if I could ever, LOL not sure what you are using to pull that off but all i have is 2 low cost web cams from wal-mart. also with the DSL i'm running on it's slower than crap these days. that said I know that with the speed of my commection and using just SS to record it came out looking like crap.
The only thing is for this contest the video had to be in one take with out edits and none of this had edits at all
The military scene, mom, the GF and dad scenes, all recorded at one time in one take with 2 minicams
The split screen with me singing was done in one take again w/o edits useing 3 cams.
I hed to tell them how I did it w/o edits as well cos everyone thought I had edited it but that was not the case at all.
Reply by DraymaxPATRON
+10
I just finished writing a nice little piece commending you on this outstanding achievement, given that its one of your first attempts. I am so jealous as I know that I will not be able to do anything near as great as this as I am so technologically in the stone-age. This was just beautiful, and I can only wait with baited breath to see what you, more time, and unleashed creativity will bring forth. Excellent job!!! The first piece I wrote was much longer, more adjective laden but again because I am a techno nerd, I didn't hit the right button and it disappeared, which is why I am so worried re my "techno" skills!! LOL!