Best way to make a minor edit to MPEG file?

Organism Seven wrote on 7/30/2004, 1:48 AM
Hi,

I will try to keep this short!
I have an MPEG file of a wedding I produced a few months ago.
I no longer have the original DV footage, so any changes have to be made to the MPEG file.
The bride has asked me to re-shoot some footage to replace about 10 minutes of the original.
She, the groom and the Reverend will restage the scene in the church dressed in the same original wedding attire.

So what is the best way to insert this new footage without re-rendering the entire project?
The original DVD I produced lasted just under two hours and after experimenting with the bit rates I mangaged to maintain the picture quality. But I know if I try to re-render the picture quality will degrade to an unacceptable degree.

I want to make this new edit and then import it to DVDA and produce the new version on DVD again.

What method would you guys use to solve this problem?

Any help appreciated.
Thanks.

Comments

Josh15 wrote on 7/30/2004, 4:43 AM
You first have to make sure you use the same parameters for the new MPEG file, as those of the old one. You can use a program called "Bitrate Viewer" for this. It gives you all the details you need to know about the MPEG file.
Then you should use a simple MPEG editor that does cutting and joining without recompression. I like Womble MPEG-VCR. It's simple and clever. Another alternative would be TMPGEnc (MPEG tools --> Merge and Cut)
Zulqar-Cheema wrote on 7/30/2004, 5:15 AM
I am intrigued about the re-shoot, a new on on me
i would do a directors cut.

In DVD you could have an END action to point to the new clip and then back
to the original file again. Worth a look
Grazie wrote on 7/30/2004, 6:09 AM
Very clever Cheema! Turning a Customer wish into an ADDED value option . . vey good indeed!

Grazie
Spirit wrote on 7/30/2004, 7:12 AM
Sorry to be a bit OT, but is this weird or what ? Reshoot a scene from your wedding ? !

If they show the DVD to someone and that someone then remarks on what a "wonderful wedding" it looks like, will bridal couple say: "Oh thanks, but that's not really our wedding, that's a fake reshoot a few weeks later".

Or will they just pretend it was the real thing and trick people into believing some fake and idealised image of a wedding ?

Reality is not a Hollywood movie.

I find this very disturbing.
baysidebas wrote on 7/30/2004, 7:21 AM
They should hire Michael Moore for this, he's an expert at it.
JaysonHolovacs wrote on 7/30/2004, 7:41 AM
I have to agree with Spirit on this one... this does seem a little strange. This video is really for the couple to keep, right? It's their memories, right? It's not a movie. Even if you convince everyone else that this really was your wedding(very 1984 by George Orwell), you will always know that it didn't really happen like that. If it rains on my wedding day, I'm not going to reshoot it the next weekend in sunshine because I "wanted it to be that way." I rather know I was remembering the real thing, even if it wasn't perfect.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. I'm not trying to condemn the original poster's clients. While I may not have done such a thing, I don't deny them their right to do this. It's their wedding. I'm just commenting, not judging.

-Jayson
Organism Seven wrote on 7/30/2004, 5:26 PM
Hi.

Yep, I agree its a pretty odd request.
The problem occured because of the Reverend insisting that I could only set up my camera on a tripod in one specific position.
Not a major problem when the vantage point seemed to provide a good position to film the ceremony.
But on the day of the wedding (unlike the rehearsal) the Reverend decided to go on a walkabout whilst performing the ceremony!
As a consequence he completely obscures the bride from view when her father pulls back her veil, and does the same during a large portion of the vows.
When the next hymn started, I risked the wrath of the Reverend and removed my camera from the tripod and moved to a better position.

But the bride was a particulary fussy individual, and she made it clear that although she thought I had produced a fantastic DVD, and did not blame me in any way for this problem, she wants to know if I can perform this "correction".
She will be approaching the Reverend about the re-shoot of these sections, not me!
But I'm pretty sure she will make him agree to it.

So thats why I have come to you guys for help!

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look further into the ideas suggested.

Anyone with any other ideas?

Thanks guys.

musman wrote on 7/30/2004, 8:44 PM
My sister just got married and no one's particularly excited about it so the thought occured to me- why not just tell your client to wait until the next time she gets married? Can't be that far away. At least we're hoping so in my sister's case. Oh well.