Anyone shoot music videos and use imovie to edit?

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Anyone shoot music videos and use imovie to edit?

Hello all. I just recently bought a panasonic gs320. Its a consumer camcorder but has 3ccd and the video looks pretty good. I work with a friend who does music and I agreed to shoot some simple videos for him for youtube. I've never used imovie but I've been playing around with little clips I have of him. Now I would like to have him rap one of his songs. I have all of his music in itunes that I ripped from cd's he's given me. I should be able to go ahead and import the audio from itunes correct? Also, how difficult will it be to lay down the track and lock it in place, and add different shots of video and sync them together? For starters, he has a freestyle that he did that's about 2 minutes long. I just want to get him in a nice little setting and take different shots of him rapping. Then import the different shots in imovie and cut back and forth between different scenes. Kind of give that feeling like he had more than one camcorder filming him. Sorry for blabbing on, I just wanted to see if any of the board members have done anything like this.

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jul 6, 2008 9:20 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 6, 2008 11:18 PM in response to Nron24

Hi

Well this can be done in iMovie HD 6 but not the tool I would use. Favour FinalCut Express.
Here You are much more free with multi video tracks (and audio).

A. Use the CDs - don't use the iTune music. Using .aiff audio from a CD is so much
better and gives so much less problems.

B. Recording Your friend several times playing same tune and from different angles,
close-up and establishing (full view) perspectives - gives You lot's to select from.

C. Now You (at least I would) lay down the audio track first then You add clip after
clip till You built Your movie. Using in and out points is a pro way and it makes it
easier to make adjustments.

WHY I favour FCE: In iMovie You can't fix the video clips regarding time and the
audio clips can only be pinned to the video clip above.
Very hard to keep the Cake stable. In FCE a clip stays where You set it.
No clip = black or silent (video or audio)

Cost - Yes but You get so much that I was amazed when I found out the power of it.

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 2

Jul 7, 2008 6:01 AM in response to Nron24

Just one point to add to Bengt's..

If you're only cutting between shots, you can use iMovie. But if you want to add transitions (..fades, dissolves, etc..) then you'll probably have great difficulty keeping everything lined up with the audio, because iMovie "eats into" the tail and start of movie clips when they're laid over one another to apply transitions (..except for the 'Overlap' transition). This will throw your timing completely, unless you make each clip -l-o-n-g-e-r- by the duration of transition you want to use ..i.e; you'll need to make a clip two seconds longer, if you want to apply a 2-sec transition, and still keep it in sync with the separate audio track!

So cutting's OK. Anything fancier, do as Bengt says!

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Answer 3

Nron24 Author

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Jul 7, 2008 6:43 AM in response to Nron24

I thought I could use imovie for this. Oh well. I'm gonna try and do this without transitions like the guy above said. If that doesn't work, I guess I gotta go to best buy and get a copy of final cut express. thanks for your help

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