Future Proposals

[Eoin]

I thought it would be best to Post this as a new topic; the other suggestions are kind of hidden behind the 'bought my last....' string & won't encourage many new contributions.

Some suggestions to help lighten the editorial load of the magazine.
Thin out the newbie bits from within the magazine & make yourself some money to cover this extra service. Produce a booklet from the already created introductory information and spend just one page flogging these really useful items to beginners.

The tutorials could be done in a similar way, but as they are not a review but a how to item why not get the manufacturers to stump up part of the editorial cost of hiring a journo or paying for the initial print-run.

Readers reviews are the best type; even if they're inaccurate sometimes, as this encourages more feedback from 'the knowledgeable ones' & also highlights how people expect to be able to use manufacturers products.

Price & equipment lists should be done as a semi-annual or annual event with a RRP & current street (back of the mag) price comparison. This is normally a very useful indicator for the reader of the effectiveness, popularity & 'ageing' of a product.

From my point of view as someone who earns their 'readies' by editing (& MCR); the actual machines / software are not the main issue it should be technique & skills first, then the kit, so reviews should reflect this approach, ie; how well can you do this, how quickly can you do that if at all, then what resolution?. After all if your stuff is good enough you may just want to take out an EDL & on line it elsewhere on whatever the latest kit for hire is rather than tying up your lolly in hardware.

I reckon in this brave new DV world Cameras are a vital part of the process & need to be in any mag called 'Computer Video'. After all
there's a computer onboard the camera, which is in many cases the input & mastering machine & you need to know how these will interface with your set-up.

For me buying CV is useful to get a grip on how these new systems measure-up against our industry norms & very helpful as I decide what to buy for home use. So many people assume that there is something called 'Broadcast Standard' as if it were some binding set of rules when this has always been in a state of flux. Remember when BETA SP was introduced it wasn't up to the then accepted 'Broadcast Standard' & is still very much a compromise, but look how widely that compromise has been accepted!

Trade Show reviews or 'what's in the pipeline' notices always help to give the mag that bang up to date feel. However it's important for your readers to try to sort the wheat from the chaff at these events.

Review projects by people who have been successful using this kit. There were 10 DV based projects on view at the Cannes film festival this year, not to mention 'Festen' which not only got a transfer to 35mm but grabbed a box office return on investment ratio even 'Star Wars' could only dream of.

Most of all motivate the readers to 'go get em' with their projects & never loose sight of the fact that you should always work backwards from the source. So storyboarding, acting or directing (even for the wedding vid) are a vital part of the computer video process too. & well done on the sound article you can get away with blue murder in a video if you do the sound well enough (I just ordered a Roland VS1680ex & sinc box http://www.safety-online-internet.com/host/computervideo/ubb/smile.gif yummy! )

I've rambled on way too long now.

Bye

Eoin

[Unicorn]

I was thinking about this last night; I'd like to see some articles by or about people who've used this technology to produce interesting video, the problems they had and the solutions they found. I think the more general camera/acting/etc issues are probably better covered in other magazines, except where they are directly related to editing (e.g. how to shoot footage so that you can easily drop in CGI, or whatever).

Totally agree on sound; the video I'm currently editing is immeasurably improved now that I have the proper sound to replace the rough edit with the on-camera audio.

[tez]

I've just got the june issue and noticed the marvel article, only glanced at for the moment but I think a regular feature after an introductory piece like this on the most popular cards would be a good idea. It could include all know problems, updates , features etc .

Will post again when I get 5 mins to read through the mag.

Lets get these ideas rolling in Folks!

Tez

[steviedean]

Just like to say what happened to the video side of the mag?
it's turning into a PC/editing card's magazine!
how about video production tutorials, "how to shot video so editing is'nt a nightmear"
what about editing comp's?

cheers
SD

[jjwoods]

I am a newbie to the whole world of camcorders and trying to edit on PC, etc. While I think the magazine is great and very informative I feel that demos beat textual instruction any day of the week. Therefore, I think it would be a great idea if the magazine used the technology/techniques it is published for, to incorporate a video tape or CDROM occasionally with the magazine to give practical demonstrations of the simpler and more complex techniques used in producing videos. For example, the current tutorial on After Effects would be much more informative/understandable to initiates like me if the techniques were to be demonstrated in 'live' action. I think this would be of great value to people like myself if such videos/CDROMs were produced two or three times per year. I certainly wouldn't have any difficulty paying more for such issues if necessary. Or, some other computer magazines issue two versions of the magazine, one with a CD and one without CD. The one with is obviously more expensive but the choice is, generally, the consumers.

Keep up the great work. In the earlier version of the bulletin board I posted a question which was responded to very quickly. The generosity of people using this BB is amazing. Thanks to all.