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Thread: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

  1. #1
    Hader's Avatar Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
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    Default Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Pre Course Prep


    In preparation for the course, you will need Windows Live Movie Maker, 2012 Version, Build 16.4*****. Any slight variations in the actual version from this shouldn't actually be a problem. If you download from this link we should all be on the same page though: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...ve/movie-maker

    It is included in Windows Live Essentials 2012. You do not have to install everything in the package, just WLMM. Hell I only use the email and none of that other junk.

    Recommended supplement programs:


    • Gimp - If you end up putting images in your videos, you will want something a little more potent than MS Paint
    • Paint.NET - Another great freeware program for image editing, can do some things GIMP can more easily, and a few that GIMP can't. Depends on what you're using it for. Recommended to get now either way, I do not foresee us using it much in this class, but it's a better tool to have in any case.
    • KeepVid - This is a website that should allow you to download certain youtube videos, soundcloud audio, and other various media into an mp3 format. Useful for getting audio you want to use into a useable format. I have not used this in a long time though, and do not know if it still works as well. Just a resource one of my video editing mentors once showed me, so if you find it useful, that's good enough for me.
    • Open Broadcasting Software - OBS is an awesome bit of freeware, mainly used for streaming to Twitch and similar services, but can be used for recording manually as well (Thanks to Veteraan for reminding me that OBS can indeed more than just stream!). I used to and still do use it to stream on occassion to Twitch, and while it may take some getting used to, I have had no issues with it.
    • MSI Afterburner - I have not personally used the latest version of this since I got ShadowPlay, so I do not know the current state of its video recording properties. I did use this extensively before I got ShadowPlay though, and it was the best recording software I had found before. Some people may have issues with it though, but you won't know until you try it out.
    • Fraps - Fraps isn't really the greatest capture program out there anymore, but if you like it or can't get anything else to work, then it's still an option. Last I used it, you could only take 30 second manually recorded clips with the free version. Unless this is the only program that works for you and you are 110% fine with the investment, I do not recommend getting the full version.
    • Bandicam - I have never used this before myself, but I know plenty of people who have used it. Not sure if it has any quirks or anything about recording like Fraps, it's likely it does, but I don't know them myself. If you have experience with it and want to use it, go for it.
    • ShadowPlay - This is an awesome tool, but completely dependent on your computer specs on whether or not you can use it. It requires a minimum of a GeForce GTX 600 series+ video card (desktop), GTX 660M or higher (laptop), and 4GB RAM. There are other requirements listed but I am not sure those are 100% required yet. The main one is the video card. If you have one, you probably know about ShadowPlay already, in which case congrats! For those who don't know, ShadowPlay is a built in capture device on the video card, with the unique and very helpful option of being able to record footage ingame up to 20 minutes in the past. This means that you do not have to be actively, manually recording something in hopes you capture it on video. If something cool happens, you just hit a button and ShadowPlay automatically takes the last few minutes (up to 20 minutes) of all visual activity that just occurred and saves it in a high quality video for you. This avoids the hassles of hitting a manual toggle key on recording, as well as completely getting rid of the problem of forgetting to manually record something and losing that moment forever.




    Lesson 1

    Alright, let's get down to business right away here. We'll begin with a tour of all the features of this program, most are pretty easy and straightforward, but a couple seem to be overlooked or underused IMO so make sure to take note of everything we go over here.

    One last reminder, keep in mind this course is intended for those who are starting from scratch. Meaning they have zero experience with WLMM and are here to learn everything. I'm going to do my best to explain thing in very simple terms, if you get something already or faster than what is being taught, that's fine, and you can skip ahead to where you feel is best for you. I just hope your assignments reflect your knowledge, whether you gained it beforehand or just now

    This is what you see when you start up the program with no project loaded.

    Screenshot 1

    We'll start looking at the tabs at the top of the window. Home > Animations > Visual Effects > Project > View.

    Screenshot 2


    I will go into more detail for each as they come up for each lesson/assignment and are relevant, for now take your time to familiarize yourself with the general options displayed in each tab. For now, pay special attention to the Project tab. Here, you will find the option to change the aspect ratio of your video. It is important to ensure you have it on the correct setting, which should always be 16:9 unless you have a very specific reason why it can't be. You can also change the emphasis of audio in the video here, and it's generally a good idea to keep this on No Emphasis in the beginning. These options don't drastically change audio emphasis in the end result, but once your video is mostly done, you can play around with these to see what you like best.

    Next, click on the File dropdown menu in the top left corner, and open the Options panel.

    Screenshot 3


    From there, click on the Advanced tab, and ensure both boxes are checked here. Enabling these ensures the best playback quality during and after editing. It will usually result in some downtime while you first import any video into the project, but it's worth the wait to ensure best overall quality.

    Once you do that, save the changes if you made them and close this box. Next, click in the project space, right where it says to "Click here to browse for video and photos".

    Screenshot 4


    This is the quick and easy way in which you will import your media content into the project. If you have a video file on hand to use here, go ahead and try importing it real quick. While it depends on the file format, you will probably see the program begin preparing the file.

    Screenshot 5


    This is what we enabled before, and prepares the video clip for optimal editing and playback.

    That's it! Pretty simple eh? WLMM is often considered so simple and lacking in editing features, that it isn't worth using. To an extent, this is true. Any professional video editors will definitely have higher end software, and be pickier about their editing because of it. WLMM won't allow them to be as picky as they want to be, so it just will be overlooked. Well, that's totally fine for the pros, but for our purposes, we're going to take this simple program and push it to its limits. And you can do some fairly surprising things with that little it has to offer.


    ----------------------


    The next part of this lesson is going to focus on the actual aspect of acquiring footage to use in your video. As I have said, if you wish to use non-game footage for your project, that is completely fine. However, given the nature of TWC being a gaming site for a specific game, I will be teaching this part as "how to get ingame footage" portion. And that is what the majority, if not all examples I will use, will be derived from. Editing of video game footage.

    So, you should have some sort of recording software installed and ready to use. I personally use ShadowPlay now since I have a computer that can handle it. If you can use it, I highly recommend it, but I know the specs required for it are pretty high since ShadowPlay is still relatively new, so it is unlikely many people will have it. If you do, utilize it to its greatest extent. If I had had this 2 years ago, I would have a lot more amazing footage to use than I did.

    More than likely, you will be using another capture software, something like Fraps, MSI Afterburner, Bandicam, or OBS. Whatever it is you use, make sure you understand how to use it. Have accessible hotkeys for video capture so you can being and end capture quickly and efficiently ingame. Depending on what type of footage you are trying to get (cinematic, raw gameplay, etc.), being able to control your recording quickly and smoothly is very important.

    You will generally want to take a lot of video, and while this depends on the type of footage you are going for, it's generally better to have more footage than less, as you will be cutting down and trimming the edges in the editing process anyways. More is better. For instance, in my gameplay montages for PlanetSide 2 I have done most recently, I probably accumulate 2-3 hours of raw gameplay footage for the video, and end up making a ~5 minute video from it. This is because while playing the game, you can always expect how things will go down, so I make sure to capture extra video when I can just in case I need it, or if I anticipate something useful from it. ShadowPlay helps this immensely by being able to instantly record footage from the past few minutes, and I always keep it to record 2 minutes of footage past. This ensures I get the moment I wanted recorded, plus a little bit before and after to give leeway when trimming the clip later. While it's not as easy with other recording software, the same concept applies. For example: If I were going into a fight in PlanetSide 2, I would begin manually recording before the action starts, go in and fight, and once the fight has concluded or I have some sort of footage I am satisfied with, I wait a few more seconds or so then stop and save the recording.

    Manually recording is generally hard when you are trying to get footage dependent on random happenstance gameplay. In PlanetSide, I couldn't control when and where a fight happened. Being a pilot, I could get completely jumped by another plane when I didn't expect it, and end up having a great fight worthy of recording, but since I didn't anticipate that fight occurring, I wasn't ready to record it. That is why having easily accessible hotkeys for recording is essential, as sometime a moment worthy of video may pounce you very quickly and if you don't start recording it as early as possible, you will miss some important context for that video clip that can make or break the awesomeness of it in the final edit.

    While I have not edited any Total War videos personally, this concept would probably apply most to a multiplayer battle recording. While you always have replays to fall back on, sometimes you may want that context of exactly how you as a player acted and reacted in the heat of the moment, something you can only capture on video once. In which case, you have to be mindful of when you are recording. I can record the same battle result from a replay as I can from when it first happens, but you only get player reactions, mouse movements, specific orders, and all that once. And that's during the live play. So make sure to keep your goal in mind, the context of the video you want to create is important. Making a video of the same battle when it's live versus from its replay is a big difference.

    -------
    Last edited by Hader; June 01, 2015 at 02:09 AM.

  2. #2
    Hader's Avatar Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
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    Default Re: Lesson 1

    ASSIGNMENT #1

    Your first assignment will not be something I can grade or anything, so rejoice!

    It is however going to be one of your most important assignments, as it will be setting the groundwork for your future projects, especially your final one.

    I want you to figure out what you want to do for your video. Have something like a final project in mind, where we will culminate all we have learned into one video. You won't know exactly how you will combine everything yet, but start brainstorming ideas, and if you can, pick and choose something to stick to. Do you want a montage showing all your awesome moments? All the funny and stupid moments? Are you showcasing something specific about a unit, or a weapon, or a playstyle? Are you wanting to do something cinematic, with no HUD elements and great panning shots of a battlefield? There's a lot you could do, but when you do one thing with a video, you can't easily combine it with something else, so pick something you want to do and stick to that general plan.

    If you can't decide what to do yet, that's fine, it isn't required yet, but at least start exploring your possibilities. The most important thing is it has to be something you WANT to do, a video you WANT to edit and finish. I have a couple project ideas from years ago that will never come to fruition because I don't have the drive to get the footage required, nor to finish the actual editing if I did have the footage. Other projects I have completed, I started out slowly or without a goal in mind and they took forever to finish, and I almost gave up on them. So do not underestimate the importance of this stage of planning your video.

    Your other homework is to watch these videos. They may help give you some ideas of what you want to do. Just as importantly though, they show you what you can eventually accomplish if you stick to an idea, and give you an idea of what may and may not work.

    This first video is one of my own. It's an older one of PlanetSide 2, and the goal was to just take all the derpy, funny moment videos I had and make a fun video out of it. My video was made entirely in WLMM. The video below it was my inspiration for the style of it, and I'm pretty certain it was made with higher end software. Mine can't compare in a few specific editing aspects, but mine still received positive reception and did very well considering the editing that went into it.

    (Warning: There's a little foul language in the videos, all text though not in audio)




    These next 2 videos are ones meant to showcase awesomeness and skill and cupcakes. Well, not the cupcakes, but mine is another PlanetSide 2 video, my most recent actually. My goal ingame was to use the Hornet Missiles, a missile for fighter aircraft meant for and only really good at killing enemy ground vehicles. I decided to get gud with them against enemy aircraft, which they are very un-ideal for. This montage is dedicated to the moments where I made them work in my favor. I also tried something new here though, and that's taking some of the blooper-derpy moments and sticking them in the very middle of the video, synced up to the slower part of the music track, and then when the music picks up tempo at the end, added a few more action/awesome clips in. So it's also an example of how important the right audio, and editing to that audio with the right video clips, is extremely important as well.

    The second video is an old, old Halo PC montage. My inspiration to begin editing in the first place came from this video, and if you watch both that inspiration should be glaringly obvious. (I could not find the original of this video on youtube, so I uploaded my saved version, it is unlisted and will remain that way for the purposes of this class only)




    This is the last batch here for now. The first video is one I made more as a tribute than anything else, as I used almost entirely footage from previous videos, some mine and the rest from guys who were in my squad. The video is a tribute to "Bravo Squad", and we became one of the most famous air squadrons in the game for the outfit NUC. Our squadron at its peak had convinced pretty much all the top pilots in the game on our faction to join under this one banner, so all of us together made for some great times and great carnage. My video is a tribute to that, made many months after PlanetSide 2 and our outfit died out. I took a bunch of our best footage as a squad to showcase for the sake of awesomeness and a little nostalgia.

    The second video is made by a very good friend of mine, and my latest mentor of video editing, NaturalCauses. He is a professional video editor by trade, and has taught me a crap ton about editing both videos and pictures (hell even audio). He takes his editing very seriously and he's damn good at it, so watching his video here should be a real treat for anyone interested in getting into editing. His video I am showing here is also in a way a tribute to Bravo Squad, but more so the gunship pilots and gunners than the fighter pilots (which was what I was ).



    Take note of how all of my videos are made with WLMM. They're not as stunningly awesome, but they capture the same feel and don't really look like they were thrown together in something as simple as WLMM.


    -----


    That's all for this lesson. Get brainstorming and get watching them vids! Try to have an idea for your video by Friday. Feel free to discuss and ask questions here to achieve that goal. I have plenty more video material for inspiration if you would like to request it as well, though some of it is being saved for later lessons due to relevance, I am willing to share earlier if you have a specific idea not really mentioned above and want some inspiration or help with it.
    Last edited by Hader; June 01, 2015 at 02:16 AM.

  3. #3
    Junaidi83 de Bodemloze's Avatar Dont Mess With Me
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Final project

    Recombine Shogun trailer with shogun 2 trailer, keeping most of audio and some of video from shogun 1 video , while change most the battle and castle siege scene with shogun 2 .

    Estimated time = 04 : 46 : 87 (probably more)

    Reason i made, Mostly for personal mod promotion, already dream it but never able to realize it due lazy and limited skills
    Modding is like accursed wine, you try a sip and you ended empty the whole glass
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  4. #4
    Hader's Avatar Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Quote Originally Posted by Junaidi83 de Bodemloze View Post
    Final project

    Recombine Shogun trailer with shogun 2 trailer, keeping most of audio and some of video from shogun 1 video , while change most the battle and castle siege scene with shogun 2 .

    Estimated time = 04 : 46 : 87 (probably more)

    Reason i made, Mostly for personal mod promotion, already dream it but never able to realize it due lazy and limited skills
    That sounds like a good start. Can't wait to see this progress

  5. #5
    Veteraan's Avatar TATW Local Moderator
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    My reasons to sign up for this classes were:

    1) I thought it could be useful at some point to be able to make a (simple) video out of private pictures and films/video.

    2) The more pressing and probably the choice for the "final project" matter of making a somewhat decent video to promote the latest MOS version. We don't have a video artist in the team, in fact we don't have many active members at all ATM, so we will have to do with a modest effort. Still, even having a fairly simple video is better than having none at all.

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  6. #6
    Flinn's Avatar His Dudeness of TWC
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    wow some nice videos, great choice with the Orion soundtrack

    Basically, I joined up because I'm completely virgin about making videos and I thought it would be great to learn how to produce even simple ones.

    I've not a clear idea yet about what will be the final project; I'm intrigued by the idea of making something out of my daughter pictures and videos, still I think it is too private and so eventually probably not going with it. I might be thinking about something for the Eagle Standard and if couldn't find anything nice to do, it will surely be a game footage.

    EDIT: after a lot of thinking I realized that I could make a cooking video; I love to cook and there will be plenty of material to be used for a video (tools selection, preparation of raw food, cooking, serving, etc). It's not exactly TWC related ok, but if this is a problem I can cook an Orc head or a Hobbit ham
    Last edited by Flinn; June 04, 2015 at 02:33 AM.
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  7. #7
    IlluminatiRex's Avatar Are you on the square?
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Final Project: This is finally giving me an excuse to do something I've wanted to for a while. Basically I'd take Sabaton's song "Swedish Pagans" and make a video using Vikings and Norseman in a variety of games - Warband, Attila, Skyrim, Age of Mythology. Though I may just focus it to Attila since that gives me a good base and will keep a consistent visual style.

    Reason for signing up: I want to get better at using the tools I do have/can afford. I've made a few videos in the past, but they weren't the best.
    I am the author of the "Weaker Towers" and "Officers Of" series of mods for Total War: Warhammer!
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  8. #8
    Aikanár's Avatar no vaseline
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    I'm here because of boredom and because of friendly banter with the ferrit and to sabotage Hader's professorship and ... eh, now for something completely different, the final project.

    I'm aiming at creating some sort of promotion/story/lore/fun/pythonesque/not sure yet video for FATW DoM using the latest closed beta release. I don't have a clear vision of the story board yet, but I'm toying around with ideas atm. and probably will come up with some silly things during taking ingame footage.


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  9. #9
    Lifthrasir's Avatar "Capre" Dunkerquois
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Final Project:

    Make a trailer to introduce the wonderful units that Kahvipannu has made for our submod SSHIP. The duration should be between 3 and 5 minutes more or less, depending on the (epic) soundtrack I'll use. As these units have a great quality, I want this trailer with high quality as well. Originally, I wanted to use Orion as the soundtrack but as it has been used already in the examples posted, I have to find another one

    In a long term, I'd like to make an "introducing" trailer for the submod itself and if possible (I mean if I have the skills), make a video which would be ingame.

    Edit: Soundtrack found. So, the duration of the Final Project should be about 4 minutes.
    Last edited by Lifthrasir; June 05, 2015 at 06:25 AM.
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  10. #10

    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Hey Nice first class mate lots of great tips can I ask tho would fraps be any good to record the videos.

  11. #11
    Hader's Avatar Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    If it works for you and you want to use it then go for it.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Cheers thanks Hader having problems tho windows 2012 movie maker I had the older version I removed it all but when I try and install the 2012 version its keeps on failing with different update I tried to fix but cant anyone any Ideas please It just fails to install.

  13. #13
    Hader's Avatar Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse.
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    I'm not sure what the problem is. Make sure you've removed the entirety of the old version from your computer, uninstalled completely and associated files deleted.

  14. #14
    Lifthrasir's Avatar "Capre" Dunkerquois
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    CCleaner may help you to ensure that you have removed all the relevant files
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  15. #15
    Ngugi's Avatar TATW & Albion Local Mod
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Sorry for my delay; RL University task drained my energy for Uni tasks hehe, but now I'm all on the course - some Bonnie Tylor to that only help


    My desire is to craft a video by the end of this semester that utilize the options made avilable here (from beginner start) to create an immersive and entertaining video in the same manner as my previous promo-video for DCI, looking competent by being smoother, of higher wuality and [by choice] fun (as it was done by me completly as noob).
    Last edited by Ngugi; June 05, 2015 at 06:17 PM.

    Kingdom of Lindon preview video out





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  16. #16

    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Only now I discovered how to come to this special forum (I have never been in a course before).

    In RL I am pretty busy at the moment, but I will follow the course.

    Thanks Hader for your great 2 lessons so far.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    Thanks guys I tried removing the older version of windows movie maker 2011 twice cleared everything including the reg and still the same trouble mind you its an fairly old laptop just wont install keeps coming up with different errors.

  18. #18
    Lifthrasir's Avatar "Capre" Dunkerquois
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    Default Re: Lesson 1: Introduction, Brainstorming - OPEN, DUE FRIDAY

    I don't think that it's something due to your machine. I could run it on my old laptod which was 9 years old and originally equiped with Vista. I replaced Vista by Seven and WLMM was running fine.
    Have you tried to re-installed the WLMM v.2011 to see if it can run?
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