My revolutionary technique 4 correcting footage

I thought iMovieHD was easy for someone with no experience in any type of editing, so I took a look at it and wave after wave of nausea hit me, so to make things easier I bought Final Cut Express HD and was looking at Shake 4.1 for their smoothmotion filter, that way I could fix in post my lack of consistent white balancing and occassional video camera movement that any detoxing hype would look at, nod their head knowingly and mumble :"uh-huh".

Since to my astonishment 30% of my footage appears to have decent color balance, and maybe 2/3rds of that is in the form of stable shots, I have decided after looking at the complex aforementioned computer programs whose instuctions manuals drag me precipitously to the brink of projectile hurling, I have decided that rather than fixing poor footage in post with complex programs, it is far easier for me to just make a return visit to the tropical location for, oh, say 7 days of diving, and just reshoot the bad parts.

What an amazing, easy concept, now why didn't I think of that earlier?!

So to carry out my new revolutionary, cutting edge technique, I am pleased to announce that just 2 months after a prior visit, I have fully booked a return trip to Puerto Galera in the P.I. to employ this new footage correction method.

I think I will use this new, revolutionary technique more often.....but be forwarned, I have patented it, so you will need a license, albeit this shall be gratis as an exlusive membership benefit to WP members.

and you wonder why i live in the tropics? i need to dive every day.... that damn whisky makes my hands shake....

Being in the rat race in L.A. does the same thing to me, so diving in the tropics is a therapy I need "for medicinal purposes".

are you saying you have trouble finding whiskey here? I can show you where it is! ;-)

Aha... thats why we haven't seen you in a while Ric..... i was wondering...

Dave, you are a genius, why didn't any of us think about colour correcting that way.

Maybe if someone sees the lame portions of my new footage, I can just tell them that I did in fact find the stashed whisky.....

That's a great technique Dave. You could of course release a 'Platinum License' to allow people just to move to some little island in the Pacific or Indian Ocean - that way they could save on airfare, have a more 'meaningful' life, dive every day and probably not get burnt out by the time they are 40 with a heart attack by 50!

It's a whole new concept to Zen diving waiting to be exploited. Of course the downside would be that the license would cost at least $500,000 to cover the cost of their accomodation (drift wood beach hut?), drinking water and a staple diet of rice for the rest of their days (with maybe a meat dish on a Sunday?). But hey, they'd be happy - I know I would!!

Do you think it will work for stills too? I guess it is worth a try.

Alex

Simon... Alex...

Why you think i spend so much time on here with whisky and a sore right wrist....????? Damn betel nut!

Its not all its cracked up to be...

ANd yes... i do both stills and video...

Dave,

Just returned from PG; have a great time. What are your dates to go? I'm interested in your use of Shake. Apple had a hard time selling it as it is a very advanced and intensive application so they just recently cut the price tremendously to about 500.00. I have not used it but I know that it has a very high learning curve. I like that it has rotoscoping capabilities. Curious, why did you go to FCP Express rather than the full Final Cut Studio which is not that much more money and will be much more flexible and capable.

Steve B)

Can I skip the whisky and just get a Barcardi and Coke?

Steve,

I'll be back to P.G. August 3rd through the 13th. When I was there the end of June, the visbility was starting to clear up. How was the visibility when you were there? it was 30-50 around the area, and 60-80 at Verde island when I was there.

I bought FCE because I got a full retail registerable sealed version off E-Bay for $150. A full retail registerable sealed version of Shake 4.1 off E-Bay is $360.

I figured FCP is even more complicated than FCE, and all I really needed from FCE was the color correction features......

Once I get a remote handle on iMovieHD, I would liek to take soem classes or hang out with people who know FCE.

Dave,

My partner and I were there from June 21 through July 5th. One week at Dumaggette and the last week at PG, at the Atlantis resort. Vis was not the best, anywhere from 40 on our last dive in the PG canyons to 80. Verde Island was okay but nothing overly special The humidity was a killer. What resort are you staying at? If at Atlantis in PG, please send my best to everyone there and ask Thomas to email me. He is a german fellow about 30yrs. Tell him the email address he gave me bounced a few times.

Steve

Going to Atlantis again, our group left them a an oxygen and a diluent cylinder for Inspirations or Jan box/Meg/Kiss style rebreathers....how was Dumaguete as far as marine life?

I will tell Thomas.....PM me your full contact info if need be.

Dave mate, did you get that PM I sent you? Was wondering which ebay seller you got your NP-F970 battery from.

Nick

Nick,

I replied in the PM, but I was just browing around E-Bay and I found half a dozen sellers of genuine factory sealed Sony Infolithium NP-970's for around $50-$55 including shipping

Mike stay off the Betel nut!! I've heard it makes you go a bit nut nut....

It's 38C in London at the moment. 38C is nice when you can jump in for a dive, but not when you have to do a 'real' job

Talking about betel nut I think I'm going a bit loopey myself with the heat and lack of diving. It's got to the stage where I am actually making up dive trips in my mind with details right down to what I spotted, what the vis/water temp/current was, what wetsuit I had on and how it was just my luck not have my cam with me so have no real evidence that I was even there in the first place! I was in Indonesia last week and today I'm in the Caribbean. If this carries on I may just have to start logging the dam things!!!

Cheers, Simon

Sorry for the break in thread but I thought that important subject of tipping would be better served in the Galley.

Tipping chat continued