"How'd She Do That?"

How'd She Do That? Page

Page last updated Mar. 08, 2004

Are you one of the many peeps who wonder "How'd she do that?" When watching one of my vids, or someone else's vid? Well then you are in luck, below are some steps and guides on exactly that. Learning how to make vids has been a total 'Trial & Error' process for myself. (with errors out numbering the trials) As I went along, I learned more and more about some of the tech stuff and eventually polished my own 'style'. You too can learn the basics, and in time have a collection of awesome vids to show for your time and effort. I'll provide you with the basics, and some links to other places that are more technical in explaining things. If you are devoted to getting your 'idea' out to the world to see, you'll enjoy the learning trip. ;o)

There are 5 basic steps to making a Fan Music Vid:

1) Music

2) Clips

3) Editing

4) Rendering

5) Sharing

1) Music: Choosing the right music for your video is probably the hardest part of the process, or not. ;o) It really all depends on how you want the music to be interpreted within your video. You can make the vid literal along with the music/lyrics, or not so much. Tis going to be YOUR vid so it's all up to you and what you want it all to be about.

I normally will listen to the radio, and just about every song that comes on has a potential of becoming one of my vids. It's helpful if you don't just listen to one radio station all the time too. If you limit yourself to just what you normally listen to, then you're song choices will be limited as well. If you are interested in only 1 fandom it will be easy to discard music that you can't see as vid material for yourself and your fandom. If you have more then 1 fandom it's a little more work on your part to determin if the song fits better in one fandom of yours than another, or if it just doen't fit any of them at all. Remember, all songs in the galaxy is a potential vid, but not all of them will actually become contenders. You'll become very picky eventually.

Most of the songs that I've used in my vids have a lyric that jumped out at me when listening to it, as being the perfect statement for a particular scene in one of my fandoms. And I could actually see the vid play out inside my head. More often than not, the video is created around that particular scene and lyric. (which sometimes tends to create more work for the vidder, but the finished vid is it's own reward)

If for any reason you find a 'MUST USE' song, by all means use it, but be careful that it's not an over used song. Particularly in the chosen fandom you'll be releasing it under. Check out some of your fandom vid sites. There is usually a listing somewhere within your fandom that has lists of vids that have been released, and what songs are used. Try not to use something that is overly used already in your fandom. If you find that you still MUST use that particular song then go for it. I personally will steer clear of overly used songs, just because I a. don't want the other vidders who used the song before me to think I'm trying to outdo their own work. b. don't want the fans inside the fandom to think I'm not original enough to come up with my own song choices.

Anyhoo, once you've chosen THE SONG, you'll need either an MP3 or WAV file of it. (use your favorite mp3 downloading client for songs you dont have the cd for, or rip the song from your own cds) Most video editing programs will require one format or the other. (whichever you decide to go with, you'll either be able to use the original format or you'll have to convert it into one or the other format) I personally use CDexe program for both ripping and converting music files.

You now have to break down the song and figure out what your vid will become. I normally find the lyrics on the internet. (google is your friend) Put them in a txt file and break them down further with notations of what scenes you'd like to use for each line in the song. Starting with the easiest ones of course. (the ones you thought of when listening to the song for the first time, and saw the vid in your head) This process can take almost as long as capturing or editing the clips, but if you are dilagent and stick with the 'vid concept' you started with, in the end you'll be very happy with the outcome. And you'll be LESS 'stuck' on one or two parts of the lyrics, and what clips to use with them.

2) Clips: You'll now have to find the clips that you've decided on for your vid. (which is why it helps to do an outline with the lyrics) Once you know which clips you'll be using, it's just a process of getting those clips onto your computer from whatever source you have available. There are several ways you can go about doing this.

A. Downloading from IRC/Bit Torrent/or other Downloading clients to computer is one way. (takes more time but is less work for you) However this means you'll have to troll all the hot spots to catch the episodes you want, and you'll also have to hope they are of good quality, or you'll be very unhappy with the finished vid quality.

B. Ripping from DVDs to your computer is also a very good way to get the clips you want, if you have the dvds of the fandom you wish to do the vid on. (takes more knowledge to get the ripping process down, also more work for you) In the end, dvd rips are the better quality, and will show in your finished vid.

C. Capturing the clips from VHS to your computer is another good way to get them. Using a video capture card will help you do this method. (also takes a bit of technical knowhow, and can cost you a bit of money for the card itself) However, use only good quality recorded materials, otherwise any imperfections in the tape, will show up in the finished vid.

Whichever process you decide to go with, just remember it will take time and effort on your part. So don't get discouraged when you find you've just spent tons of hours on getting just a few clips for your vid. Remember you have an idea and you want to see it just as much as anyone else would. So dont give up. ;o)

Now I'll go into more detail about each of the above options, but only cuz this is a basic guide for you all to start out. It's not going to be TOO indepth. (as usually when I get questions about this kind of stuff I tend to send peeps to Google and tell them to look it up like I had to) But I'll try to refrain from doing that in this guide. ;o)

Option A: mIRC is what I use to get onto the IRC networks. Using the irc.irchighway.net network, I go into #TV-Central channel and troll the ads that show up inside the channel for peeps who have what I'm looking for. (you can also find specialized channels for specific fandoms, do a list for your fandom and you might be able to find a channel just for that)

Azureus is what I use to get content off Bit Torrent sites. (remember the longer the torrent has been published the less likely there will be enough seeds to get the complete file to your computer)

Any other downloading clients you wish to use is up to you to figure out how to get the episodes you'll need. (you're on your own here)

Option B: To use this option, you'll need a DVD-Rom installed on your computer. There are TONS and TONS of ripping programs out there to capture from DVD to computer. (this is where I'd probably tell someone to go to www.vcdhelp.com and look it up themselves, but I'll be nice and tell you about a couple of the programs I use) ;o)

DVD Decrypter is one of the programs I use to rip dvds. This program does not make small media files of the episodes, just rips the dvd to your computer. (in full, and takes out the mircrovision protection) Encoding of the episode/s will still need to be done if you use this program. (details of the program and guides to use it can be located on www.vcdhelp.com truly this site will be your best buddy by the end of your first vid) You'll also need approx 8gigs of free space on your hard drive to capture the full dvd.

AutoGK (also spoken of as Auto Gordon Knot) a VERY VERY simple program that takes all of the guess work out of encoding episodes to your computer from DVD Decrypter files. (more details of this program and guides on how to use it also located at www.vcdhelp.com )

Like I said, there are TONS of different ripping programs out there. These are just two that I have used in the past and work very well for myself with little fuss or muss.

Option C: Using a Video Capture card is probably one of the easiest ways to get the clips you want, and not have to get the full episode, just what you want for the clip. (but remember quality recordings only, or your vid will suffer)

ATI is probably the most common and most popular capture card line out there. They can range from 75 to over 200 dollars a piece, depending on the features included in the card. (all you'll need is the basics, so don't go hog wild on this if you're not really going to use it much)

I started out with a cheap 20 dollar WinTV Go capture card, and you can do the same. Cheaper does not always mean less in quality. (the quality of what is captured has more to do with what your recorded tapes look like than the capture card itself)

If you used Option C: you probably didnt capture the whole episode and have the clips you want all ready and set up to go. You may skip the remainder of this "Clips" section. (yay you) However, if you DID capture the whole episode then continue on with the rest of the group please. ;o) (bet you won't do that again, now will ya?)

If you used Option A or B: you will now need to get the individual clips out of the full episodes you now have on your computer.

Useing any video editing program you choose. (check out www.vcdhelp.com they be your friend) Put the full episode into the program and cut out the clips you want for your vid. It's always wise to clip too much rather than not enough. In other words, if you just want a little 3 second look on someones face, dont just get that 'look'. Get a bit of video before and after that 'look'. You can always cut down, but it's alot harder to extend a scene that doesn't have the footage. (plus you'll need to think of 'transission effects' taking up a bit of footage as well)

3) Editing: At this point you have the song, the lyrics (with outline of clips and where they will go in the vid), and all the clips you'll be using for the vid. YAY! you are almost done. (NOT, but hey, you're at least halfway there, so that's something) ;o)

There are TONS and TONS of video editing programs out there, so You'll probably try them all and stick with the one that does what you want it to do and is easiest for you to control. I personally have used up to 10 different programs for ONE vid. (that is no lie) There are programs that are good at one thing, but that's all they are good at. (for me) So while searching for the best editor, I've come to like things in this, that and the other program but not the whole packages. (You'll probably come up with your own personal favorite and that is fine) Check out www.vcdhelp.com for details on video editing programs, as well as a huge aray of user guides on those programs. (toldja vcdhelp was your buddy)

With editor picked, put the music into the timeline, and start putting your clips into the timeline as per your outline of the lyrics.

Probably the most common misconception made by new vidders is using clips that are too long. Using clips that are way too long because you feel they are important for the video, as if to make sure the viewer doesn't miss the point you are trying to make. Trust me, a succession of brief, yet related clips is far more effective to convey a thought than a really long clip. Keep your clips short. No more than 8 seconds for a slow moving vid, and 1 or 2 seconds (or less) for fast moving vids.

Keep your transissions to a minimum. No matter how many fancy ones your editor may offer, don't use them ALL!! A max of 2 different transissions in one entire vid is more than enough. Keep it simple, it's much better in the end.

Going back to the 'Lyrics/Outline', think about the clips you are using and why you want to use them. Watching a video with clips that seem to have been placed in a random order and make no sense to the music can be a big turnoff.

Once you have widdled down all the clips to match up to where you want them to show with the music in the vid, your editing is done. Yay you! (but you still gotta make the vid, so you aint completly done just yet)

4) Rendering: Now that all the major work has been done, you now need to render the project and make it into a video file.

Most video editing programs have rendering templates. You can use these with little fuss, and get quality video files. Unless you are REALLY into video and have knowledge of how compressions and codecs work, I'd stick to the templates the programs provide to start off with. Just select the quality you want the finished file to have and the program will do all the work. (the less the compression means the better the quality, but also means a larger file size)

I usually make 2 versions of each vid I make. (your milage may vary) One for broadband users (high quality vid) and one for modem users. (lower quality/format vid)

After the program renders the file, check it over. Play it, make sure all the transissions are where you want them, and working the way you want them. If there is anything amiss, just go back to the editor and tweek the vid to your hearts content. There is nothing worse than getting a project done and not checking it, just to have someone email ya to say that there is a huge blank spot in the middle of the vid. Check it out before you share! Make sure you are happy with it before continuing. (or deleting the project off your hard drive)

5) Sharing: Once you have the completed (and checked over) file, you can now share it with the world!!! This is probably the easiest step in the process. If you have a fandom that has a centralized music vid forum, or download site, submit your vid to them. Most fan sites contain few, if any, music videos because video is expensive to host. Or use your own website to host your vids.

Upload the vids to your online friends, sometimes they are kind and love the vids so much they will host one or two of your vids for you on their own sites.

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