Lots of scripts for this.

But without scripts, you can still do good work just lining them up like you've done and then cutting out the upper track or tracks where you want to cut between cameras. Use fades on the edges of the upper tracks to create dissolves.

Pay attention to the audio. You probably only want to use one of the audio tracks, but sometimes you can mix them or switch between them, depending on where the cameras were placed relative to the action.

How did you do the audio? Did you run your own mics to a mixer then to one camera or a recorder, or did you use the camera mics?
Were there body mics, and if so did you have a feed? Did you patch into the sound board, and if so where?

The audio from three cameras won't match so you are in for a big job. I'd put them all on the timeline and play the three audio tracks simultaneously for each section where you plan to do a fade or cut until they sound in synch. Use the "solo" and "mute" buttons to do two at a time until all three are in synch.
Then use the "solo" and "mute" buttons for the audio and video until you get the best matchup. Then split both sides of the section you are going to cut or fade TO leaving them a little longer so you can jog it back and forth if you have to adjust it. You can make cuts or other transitions after that. Delete the audio or video portions you don't need for visual clarity in terms of editing and go on to the next section. Do a few loop renders as you go along to make sure it is turning out the way you want it to.
I leave them on separate tracks so it is easier to see what I did later in case I have to make a change. Some people move them all to a master track. I don't recommend that. Nor will a script do this well. You can't write a script with three different audio tracks that will need this much tweaking. He may very well end up using the video from one camera and the audio from another.
Then, of course he never said if the cameras are all different either. This will not be an easy project. If one camera is REALLY different (like maybe a single 1/5CCD camera trying to match up to a Three 1/3 CCD camera) his nightmares are just beginning. Under those circumstances I would opt to eliminate the entire footage from the worst looking (most different looking)camera.

John

Take a look at Vol 1 #9 of my newsletters. It explains several different ways of editing multi-cam projects including the delete method, composite envelope method, and master track method.

To mix the audio, just drop a volume envelope on each audio track and raise or lower the volume of each track as needed to get the best audio.

Take a look at Vol 1 #9 of my newsletters. It explains several different ways of editing multi-cam projects including the delete method, composite envelope method, and master track method.

To mix the audio, just drop a volume envelope on each audio track and raise or lower the volume of each track as needed to get the best audio.
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Actually, that WAS a great article Ed. I started out with your article before I settled on the delete method that I modified a bit.
The audio will be a problem though, and he will have to address it.
John

My wife will attest that I'm not a DIY guy around the house. I'm also not a DIY guy in video editing. That's why I really like Ultimate S2's multicamera editor (MCE) plug-in.

While it took me a few minutes to figure it out (the help info isn't as clear as it could be), its flexibility to make later changes amazed me. And it makes the work so efficient, especially when using it with a ShuttlePro2 to "call the shots" (cuts or dissolves).

In terms of value, a 3rd party MCE for NewTek's VT that I was going to get costs $195 with no other features. Ulimate S2 is $149 with tons of other useful stuff.

For non-DIY-ers wanting MCE, it's a bargain.

Doesn't Ultimate S only use the Master Track method? Doesn't it only work with TWO camera editing?
John

Ultimate S works with 4 cams.

VASST has an earlier product called DoubleTake that does 2 cams, but their newest product is InfinitiCam that does...you guesed it...unlimited cams.

For my money US is a slam dunk.

I just did another multicam last night. Plugged into the sound board on one camera and just recorded ambient sound with the other. Big lesson of the night is you HAVE to have two sound sources, especially when you plug into the sound board. The guy was only recording the vocals (coming in from wireless mics), and not everyone was mid'd. I'm going to have to mix in post to get good sound. Not a huge deal, but phasing is always an issue when you do this.

To get from the sound board to my camera (which is an FX1, which has "consumer" unbalanced inputs) I use a device that I can recommend VERY highly, which lets you run audio (and composite video, if need be) over CAT5 cable. If converts to balanced audio and video, and then runs the analog signal over cable that is normally used for your digital network signals. Works like a charm, and you can go hundreds of feet. You use the identical gismo at the other end to convert back. No hum, because it's balanced, and you can use CAT5 cable which is dirt cheap. If you get pliable CAT5 (meaning that it isn't too stiff), you can lay this down quickly. Don't get the stiff stuff or you will spend twenty minutes taping it down so people don't trip all over it.

Okay, Johnmeyer, does this cool device have a name?

Without scripts it can be nice to use takes to do mulicam. I usually add each angle as a take and swtich between takes using the T k. Works very well.

I believe it's called a balun or videobalun.

Here's an example.

http://www.videobaluns.com/

I use Excalibur for multicam editing. It is very quick and makes the process much easier. I originally bought Vegas because it could do multicam editing. I have been using Excalibur for some years. I have not tried Ultimate S because I already had a good solution.

It really is worthwhile to use a utility to do multicam editing. I think it is essential.

As for Audio, I use a seperate hard disk recorder (currently an edirol R4). The quality is better than any MiniDV camera I have tried. I also feed the same signal to my cameras. Identical audio signals make the sync process much easier.