A "trick" to sync two cameras. :-)

[BobSa]

I just got my second Sony Digital camcorder and now use the overlay for for the second camera to get a different view of the football game.

Problem was, we only start the camera about two seconds before the snap and end it on the whistle. AND, I shoot from beyond the endzone at ground level and the other camera is high in the stands. So how can I sync without hours and hours of work?

From my previous work I noticed that if I split on content with a 90% setting, I was getting a split everytime a big electronic flash fired from a still phootographer.

Guess what, I also have a BIG electonic flash that I use with my CP8800 for pregame stills.

All I need do is carry my big flash and pop it shortly after I start rolling my cameras in the stand and endzone. Splits them exactly. Take one camera's splits and place it on the edit line and then other on the overlay. Trim the edit line first and then the overlay. Make the overlay full screen when you need it, and delete it when you don't. The overlay does not time shift when you delete a section. I guess this how to make the "J" and "L" cuts.

What is kewl is in an office/interview environment is the two cameras still in very close sync and you can use the audio from the edit line even when the overlay is talking and not see in lag/lead. GREAT FUN

PLEASE help enhance this trick as I'm just starting with the dual camcorders and the need to make the J and L cuts to improve the end product 1000% . TV has trained all of us to expect a different view/shot every 10 seconds max, otherwsie we get bored and flip to a ne channel. ;-(

Regards,
BobSam
we r bob @ mid-illini.com

[GeorgeBW]

Hi BobSam,

Well done working out the split from the electronic flash.
Lucky you have a 30th of a second window in which to capture a 2000th of a second flash of intense light..

Isn't vid a wonderful media...?

All the best
George

[sjj1805]

I think you are asking for ideas to enhance what you are already doing.
I used plenty of split screens and overlay clips in my recent holiday video.

One of the methods I used to spruce up the video was to take a clip that I intended to use on the overlay track and place it on the video track.

I place a green colour clip either side of it (If green conflicts with what I do next, use another colour) and then insert transitions between them (spiral ones are good for this).

I then render the clip having muted the sound.

I then use this newly created clip on the overlay track and use the chroma key function to hide the (in this example "Green") colour clip.

The finished product then has an overlay picture which enters the screen with an effect, and then later leaves the screen with an effect.

Much nicer than simply fading it in/out.