City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

Questions for the Videographers of CoH/V

Dark_Respite

By Dark_Respite,
Posted on: 2010-04-06 10:48 in Multi-Media Fan Creations

 

Posted

I wanted to try my creative hand at making entertaining videos, so this morning I downloaded and tried out WeGame. What it records isn't true high definition or anything, but it's good enough for me. Anyway, I've got a few questions for the people that do this all the time.

1. First hurdle is video editing software. Since WeGame records its videos in .avi format, I'll need something that can edit .avi files. I'd like to be able to layer in my own sound and visual effects on top of the video. What's a good program for this?

2. Music and legal stuffs. If I'm making a video to post on the boards, am I allowed to set a soundtrack to it? Do I just put the song/band in the credits? Does it depend on the song or how much of the song I use?

Thanks!

Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
I wanted to try my creative hand at making entertaining videos, so this morning I downloaded and tried out WeGame. What it records isn't true high definition or anything, but it's good enough for me. Anyway, I've got a few questions for the people that do this all the time.

1. First hurdle is video editing software. Since WeGame records its videos in .avi format, I'll need something that can edit .avi files. I'd like to be able to layer in my own sound and visual effects on top of the video. What's a good program for this?
Question - what's your budget? If you're looking for free, it's pretty much Windows Movie Maker, which is okay as a starter tool that lets you mess with stuff as you get the hang of the process. Once you've gotten good at that, then you'll want to invest in software. Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, and Final Cut are all excellent programs, but they will cost you. I personally use Sony Vegas Movie Studio, which is Vegas's little brother, as it's much cheaper and works just fine for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
2. Music and legal stuffs. If I'm making a video to post on the boards, am I allowed to set a soundtrack to it? Do I just put the song/band in the credits? Does it depend on the song or how much of the song I use?

Thanks!
That's a very, very, very sticky issue. When I use music, I acknowledge the creators both in my end credits and in my YouTube descriptions. However, that's not necessarily enough, as I have learned to my chagrin after having videos yanked for copyright violation. There is a thing called fair use, but I'm not a lawyer so don't ask me for details. 90% of the fan videos out there though, at a guess, do not license the music properly, so it's 'post and pray.'

Alternately, sites like Jamendo.com, which specialize in license-free music (aka Creative Commons), are a godsend because barring individual musicians' preferences, it's fair game to use the music how you want (as long as you're not making money on it).

Good luck!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
Question - what's your budget?
Right now, cheap is good. Free is better. When my budget frees up a bit, I'll keep the others in mind. Considering the videos you've been able to put out, Sony Vegas Movie Studio sounds perfect.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
There is a thing called fair use, but I'm not a lawyer so don't ask me for details.
Just looked that up and, sifting through the legal jargon, it doesn't seem to apply. Fair use has a lot of stipulations, and only one of them is "you don't make money with it." Mostly it has to be for educational purposes and a small portion of the work must be used.

So I think I'm down to "Post and pray" if I can't find the music I'm looking for on Jamendo.

Thanks for the advice, DR!

Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Well, my video is finished, and linked in my sig. I made a topic in the tanker forums where discussion is about the tank featured in the video.

I'd like some feedback on the actual video footage.

Are the scene transitions as cool as I tried to make them?

Does the soundtrack fit?

How was my camera control?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

If you use music from Warner Music Group aka WMG, chances are it will get removed in time. As far as I know they are the ones usually making a stink of using their artist.. Chances of being sued for using another artist song are NIL. Most suits deal specifically with a proven loss and intent to do damage. Your actually providing the artist free marketing and only the artist/label stand to gain from it..This is information from research I have done myself. Some artist encourage the use of their material because it may lead to sales and it helps them market themselves to a wider audience. WMG should embrace this and quit whacking peoples videos!