Filling the gap

IanG wrote on 2/24/2004, 1:37 PM
I've painted myself into a corner and I need help to get out! I'm making a DVD of my niece's wedding, and one scene fades up as the bass guitar comes in on a rock track. The camera's following the crowd going in to the reception and there's a nice, dynamic feel to it. Problem is, there's a 10 second intro before the bass which I can't get rid of, so I've got 10 seconds of blank video to fill. Basically, I just need to mark time - anybody got any idea how I can do it?

Cheers

Ian G.

Comments

merkelck wrote on 2/24/2004, 1:57 PM
How about using several still shots from the same event or do a "pan/crop" event from one of the favorite stills??
dand9959 wrote on 2/24/2004, 2:14 PM
Why not trim the beginning of the audio to get rid of that 10 seconds?
IanG wrote on 2/24/2004, 3:34 PM
>How about using several still shots from the same event or do a "pan/crop" event from one of the favorite stills??

I've tried flashing up stills as "thumbnails" on a black background - it's a lot better than nothing, but it doesn't quite do it.

>Why not trim the beginning of the audio to get rid of that 10 seconds?

It takes away the sense of anticipation - also, the change of pace from the previous scene is too abrupt.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Ian G.

djcc wrote on 2/24/2004, 6:35 PM
Any chance you could render and post the 10 seconds plus a bit more time of the video the way it now stands - perhaps seeing it will inspire others with suggestions.....
ADinelt wrote on 2/24/2004, 8:37 PM
Not sure what song you are using or even if this would work for you, but you could try 'pulsing' some stils or video clips to the beat of the intro for the 10 seconds of the intro.

Essentially, do a very quick fade in on the beat then a slower fade out. Just as the next beat occurs, do a very quick fade in on the next clip or still and then do a slower fade out and repeat until you finally fade in on the bass guitar. It may help keep that dynamic feel that you currently have.

Or you could do a Stanley Kubrik ala 2001 and have many minutes of black on the screen while the audience sits there going "Huh!?" waiting for the movie to start. (Actually, I loved the film. Next to Bullitt with Steve McQueen, it ranks up there as an all-time favorite.)

Al
IanG wrote on 2/25/2004, 12:53 AM
Al, I think you've cracked it!

>you could try 'pulsing' some stils or video clips to the beat of the intro

That's what I'd tried, but it didn't quite work - I was just having the stills appear and disappear. I think your idea of fading in and out will fix it perfectly! Many thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

Ian G.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 2/25/2004, 6:34 AM
You may also consider adding something to establish the time and place.

I see so many videos that show the inside of the church and the inside of the reception hall but nothing to tell us where this is all happening or what the weather is like or what's going on behind the scenes.

I know we're only talking about ten seconds, but you could really open things up by "pulsing in" a couple of stills of the outside of the reception hall, valets parking cars (or the parking lot empty -- then full), even the band setting up or the caterers in the kitchen.

Just a couple thoughts for adding context and meaning.
IanG wrote on 2/25/2004, 10:45 AM
Unfortunately (from the video point of view) I was a guest, so I was expected to be nice and talk to people rather than getting establishing shots - good advice though!

I've ended up using pan & crop to move thumbnails around the screen, fading them in and out in time to the beat. It works well!

Again, thanks to everyone for their help!

Ian G