Multiple Camera Angles & Multiple Tracks

broo0591 · Post by **broo0591** » Wed May 31, 2006 5:15 am

Does anyone have experience in developing/producing a single video from footage collected from multiple cameras using VS10+? I read in an earlier forum post that each camera should be placed in a separate track. I don't understand how to go from track to track, and the base video without cutting each camera video into different scenes and splicing together. This way makes for difficult video sync.

TDK1044 · Post by **TDK1044** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:36 am

Hi Broo,

You really don't need to use the overlay tracks to insert your footage, unless you find it easier to do it that way. During your shoot, if you're shooting multiple cameras you need to create a time code reference. With broadcast cameras, you set the onboard time code generator to time of day time code, make it the same for all cameras and you're good to go. Without the onboard TCG, you need to improvise. If you have control of your shooting environment, walk to where you are in the shot on all your cameras and do a hand clap. This will give you the same sync point for all cameras in editing, and you can then calculate where you should be for each camera angle. As I said at the top. if it helps ypou to assign different cameras to dedicated overlay tracks then by all means do it, but I find it faster to lay my audio track and then, using the technique described, drag my next angle into the timeline and quickly find the point at which I want to make the vision edit to that angle. Then check the sync and mute the audio on the clip.

Have fun,

Terry

broo0591 · Post by **broo0591** » Wed May 31, 2006 11:38 am

Thanks for the advice Terry. I am still very new to this and don't know all the "ins and outs". So, if I have inherited video from two cameras that have not been properly sync'd, would the overall process be:

1. Edit the raw footage (from each camera) and sync them. Ensure they both start at 00:00:00.00 and end at 00:05:27.12 (as en example)

2. Cut the scenes in both videos identically. Example scene "A" would be from 00:00:00.00 to 00:00:15.04. Scene "B" would be 00:00:15.05 to 00:00:20.04. Etc.

3. Once the scenes have been cut, it should be a matter of attaching scene "A" from camera 1 to scene "B" from camera 2 and so forth until the video is complete.

I hope I haven't over simplified this but I seem to be feeling my way on the little project.

TDK1044 · Post by **TDK1044** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:02 pm

Assuming that both cameras have shot the same event from two different angles, find something that you can see happen on both angles and mark that in point on both cameras. This can be any visual or audio reference that you can see or hear on both cameras. You will now have two different time codes....camera 1 timecode and camera 2 time code. Even though the start timecodes will be totally different, the duration going forward will be identical. Therefore, as an example, if your timecode on camera 1 is 10:00:00:00 and the other camera's tc is 12:10:05:00 and you decide to use a 6 second shot on camera 1 from its timecode start point, and now you want to edit to camera 2, you simply add the six second duration to the timecode duration of camera 2. Camera 2 started at 12:10:05:00, therefore, to edit to camera 2 six seconds into your video, you add six seconds to the start timecode and your edit point would be 12:10:11:00. Obviously there are frame durations to take into account, but you get the idea. Get a sync point for both cameras and calculate each offset from those points.

broo0591 · Post by **broo0591** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:05 pm

Thanks. You've been a great help.

TDK1044 · Post by **TDK1044** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:15 pm

As you get deeper into the video, all you need do is always reference the previous edits time code. It doesn't matter how many shots you've used, if the previous shot in the timeline is on camera 1 and ends at 10:01:23:00 and you want to edit to camera 2, you know based on your timecode references that you're one minute and twenty three seconds into the video. For camera 2 that would mean going to 12:11:28:00.

Enjoy.

broo0591 · Post by **broo0591** » Wed May 31, 2006 1:37 pm

One last uneducated question. Will I have to cut individual scenes out of the camera 1 video (at whatever time codes), then cut out corrosponding scenes out of the camera 2 video to be placed in the video track individually, or is there an easier method?

TDK1044 · Post by **TDK1044** » Wed May 31, 2006 2:03 pm

You can take the same video file from the library as many times as you want and create different 'in points' and 'out points' each time without altering the original file. You're not editing your camera 1 video file or your camera 2 video file, those files remain unchanged. You're placing those files in the timeline and choosing different sections of those files each time. As an analogy, imagine working on a text document on your computer. You have a document called camera1. You open that document, make changes to it and save it as camera1A. You haven't changed the original camera 1 document at all, all you've done is create a modified version of your camera1 document and called it camera 1A. You can access camera1 and modify it a thousand times using different names, but you haven't altered the original camera1 document at all. That's how Video Studio works.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Wed May 31, 2006 4:06 pm

Broo0591,

Check your messages (above), I've responded to your PM describing two alternate methods.

All of these methods will give you similar results, it's just determining which path to take to get you there.

rpungin · Post by **rpungin** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:35 pm

My question is what's the easiest way to edit video of the same scene from two different camera angles. What I would like to do is to change from one camera angle to the other throughout the footage.

It seems for me that the easiest way would be to put the video from each camera on it's own track on the same time line. Make sure they are aligned. And then make an IN point on 1st track and OUT point on the second track at the same point in time. This would output the video from the first camera. Then to switch to the second camera I would create an OUT point on the first track and an IN point on the second track.

But here is the thing: VideoStudio does not support more than one track where you can define in and out points. The overlay tracks cannot be used for that purpose.

Does anyone have any ideas how to accomplish what I am trying to do easily in VideoStudio?

Clevo · Post by **Clevo** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:32 pm

Video two on main Video...Main Video on overlay track (bacially you'll need to decisde which will be the Main Video angle)

Sync them and make sure ripple editing is turned on

Drag the time line curser to the exact point you want to change camera angles. Highlight the overlay (main Video) and cut using the scissor icon.

Cut again at the out point.

The Main angle video on the overlay track is because the clips then don;t move to the left when you cut them but it will over-ride the video on the Video track if there is no transperancy added.

Essentially... the second camera work will be on Main Video track and will be untouched with cuts.

It's kinda like working the wrong way around...I just see it as working with watercolour paint where you build up the dark areas.

MrA · Post by **MrA** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:55 am

I'm abut to shoot a video for a church concert, using 3 cameras. The event schedule is about an hour long, so, that helps me big time in planning the shoot.

This is how it will be set up..

Camera #1 will be the main camera. All audio from this camera will be used througout the edit. This camera is placed center of the event. (you don't have to use this as a guide, just how we decided beforehand how to do the final edits, for this particular event)

Camera #2 is offset by about 60 degrees to the right and low close to the stage. This camera will shoot upward angles of the singers, and is off camera from #1

Camera #3 is offset by about 80 degrees to the right, slighlty behind camera #2 and out of site of camera #1. This camera will shoot the audience, there reactions, applause, etc.

Just before the actual event starts, all cameras are on and shooting, a digital camera flash is fired, (the sync point) and NONE of the cameras are turned off until the event ends.

The reason all the cameras are to one side, is to give the perception of continuty. It just looks funny if all of a sudden the audience, or the performers are looking in a different direction.

The reason you DO NOT TURN OFF any camera once it starts, is, it easier to sync. Using traditional L Cuts and J Cuts is much easier than trying to resync again, and again, and again.

During the post production process, all you need to do is load all the cameras into the editor, sync on the flash point, and just start cutting out what don't want, and keeping what you do want. (Each camera on a diff track)

In VS, it is possible, and rewarding, but, when you get into this kind of editing, you have already outgrown this software. If you are this far along in your editing needs, start looking for software that does real time editing of multi-camera production.

For instance, imagine loading all your camera shots into your editor, then playing all of them in seperate windows, at the same time, and just clicking on the parts you want, and having it automatically apply your choices. Cool idea huh?

rpungin · Post by **rpungin** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:32 am

MrA wrote:For instance, imagine loading all your camera shots into your editor, then playing all of them in seperate windows, at the same time, and just clicking on the parts you want, and having it automatically apply your choices. Cool idea huh?

Can you recommend the software that can do that?

imjay · Post by **imjay** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:13 am

There are ways and easier ways.

My first foray into digital PC editing was using Video Studio 6SE (bundled with a dvd burner).

Six miniDV camera shoot with total of 18 hrs of raw HUGE avi files and it all had to be sync'd up to a separately recorded and mixed digital soundtrack during editing.

No timecode sync and several of the camera guys turned their cameras on and off throughout. One camera had mic turned off so there was no sound.

Despite the above I used one camera file as main timeline track and then used overlay track to insert-edit from other five cameras. I had to tap my foot and manually set overlay in/out points using left mouse button while listening to the soundtrack.

It took a while but the result was pretty good (to us) and VS let me create a nice opening and a nice closing sequence when the credits rolled. The entire finished program took three DVD-R discs.

Shared all of the above to say even if you have to do it the hard way or are just too stupid to do it an easier way Video Studio is a simple to master program that has at least industrial level transition and effect capability. YouTube search at music for mouseandtheboys and you can see a couple of compressed songs I edited of my band's 35 year reunion concert all edited using ULead Video Studio version 6SE. GREAT SOFTWARE.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:28 am

Read this thread about multi-camera editing.