The twin effect with crop filter

This crop effect can be used to put together a video of a subject to give conservation effect or for double or twin cloned brother in one frame.

Basically to achieve this effect we first need a tripod camera or a steady surface where the camera can be set steady and it should be well inclined to the surface.

To achieve this effect you have to remember that the timing is the factor. You have to time with left side video and with right side video well.

Now take a camera use tripod or keep the camera in a steady surface make sure you don’t move it.

Now take a video shot where the actor or your subject is in left side speaking its dialog in the frame then pause it. Assuming there some one else in front of him make sure you don’t move the camera.

Again take the second shot where the subject is in right side of the frame as he speaks the dialogs to actor of left side.

Now we need to edit the video in editing software.

The software to achieve the crop effect you have to use the following multilayer video editing software or any other which supports multilayer:

Adobe Premier Pro
Sony Vegas Pro
Ulead
Avid Express

Apple/Mac Users
Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple I Movie

Now open any multilayer video editing suite.

On the first layer add video taken on the left side in the frame.

On the second layer add the right side video in the frame.

Now the magic of editing begins

Select the first video in the layer one [left side speaking its dialog in the frame]

Now, from the effect menu or galleries select the crop effect

Now go to effect settings or properties and crop the video

There crop the video from right side but keep half of the videos of the left side with help of video filters/effects filter

Again give the crop effect to second video [right side speaking its dialog in the frame]

Do the same but here crop from left side and keep the half of the video of the right side

Now preview the video you see the double role of your subject

Only thing you have do is to either give pause when one finishes dialog then the other speaks.

In simple we are basically we are dividing the frames of the video just like the chroma effect.

Also Read: Chroma effect

The effect of continuity in video editing

This post will explain you the process of editing the video by giving the videos the feel of continuity.This info. will be helpful to you if you are new to a advanced video editing software, if you are new to editing or you want to know the trick which will give you a upper hand.

1] Import the raw video in the editing software.

2] Arrange the videos in sequences in the time line.

3] Now give some video Transitions effects in between the two video in the time line layer.

[This above steps will give the videos a continuity effect of the videos taken from multi-cam (Videos taken from various angles with more than 1 camera)]

4] Then add some video effects [VFX] or do some color correction, cropping and stuff.

5] Now export the video in the video format in the lowest quality coz we are going edit the audio so that it sync's properly with video during a transition from video "a" to "b" if this process is not done then the videos may look jerky unless you are using a background track in the entire video.

6] Now use some sound editing software's like Sony sound forge, etc. and correct the audio during video transition by giving cross fade and various other effects as required.

7] Now detach the video layer with the audio layer and export the audio and open the video editing software that you are using .In the editing layer mute the audio of the videos. Then add the new audio in the audio layer which you have corrected in the in the sound editing software and check if its sync's with the video and then export the video.

This above process that I have explained will give the effect of continuity.

P.S: Always remember the 180 degree rule don't cross the axis and maintain the right look of the character in the frame.

Enjoy!

For more info. visit ma blog and read the old posts.
utsabnov.blogspot.com

The Story of Brooklyn Bridge

John Augustus Roebling

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision
he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment. t seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

Who in is an editor

Film editing is a creative and technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film, but increasingly involves the use of digital technology.

The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture. Film editing is described as an art or skill, the only art that is unique to cinema, separating filmmaking from other art forms that preceded it, although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms such as poetry and novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art" because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not aware of the editor's work.

 - Wikipedia

Comedies, for example, require a specific type of timing. Editors must estimate how long audiences will laugh at each gag line or situation in order to space scenes so that one funny incident is not lost in the laughter of the previous one.

Film and Video Editors perform the following tasks to complete a film:

• Evaluate and select scenes in terms of dramatic and entertainment value and story continuity.

• Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequence that presents story with maximum effect.

• Use editing equipment to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects.

• Review assembled film or edited videotape on screen or monitor and make corrections.

• Work with Sound Effects Editors and Music Editors.

Chinese phone still working?

From today, state will enforce ban on phones without valid IMEI numbers, but operators promise to help people

IPhone Clone

If you have bought your mobile phone from the grey market, you may suddenly find the handset turning useless in your hands. The government directive to GSM mobile service providers to bar connectivity to cellphones without a valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number comes into effect from April 15.
Concerned over national security, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked operators to disconnect handsets without valid IMEI numbers. A large number of people who use Chinese-made phones from the grey market or pirated instruments will be affected by this regulation.

WHAT IS IMEI NUMBER?
IMEI number is a unique 15-digit number assigned to each genuine mobile handset. It appears on the operator’s network whenever a call is made. It helps service providers trace calls made from registered phones. It is impossible to trace mobile phones that do not have a registered IMEI number.

WHY BAR NON-IMEI PHONES?
With cellphones aiding terror strikes like 26/11, handsets that do not have a valid IMEI number pose a grave security threat. This was indicated to the DoT in a report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau. It was also reported that Chinese mobile phones without a valid IMEI number were used by militants during the Ajmer blasts.

HOW TO FIND YOUR IMEI NUMBER
1. Ensure your phone is powered on 2. If you were in the middle of a call, end it, and clear any numbers you pressed while making that call. 3. Press the following keys in this sequence: *#06# 4. As you press the last #, your IMEI number will appear on your phone screen.

OPERATORS WILL FOLLOW RULE
Cellphone service providers are reportedly unhappy with the DoT directive as they stand to lose a wide customer base. To overcome the problem, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had suggested that a software be developed to assign genuine IMEI numbers to handsets that do not have one.
“Services to non-IMEI handsets will get disconnected from April 15. We are informing subscribers that if they have purchased an unregistered phone, they should replace their handsets as service will be de-activated,” said Gaurav Wahi, a spokesperson for Reliance.
Airtel and Vodafone did not comment, but directed us to the COAI. “Security concerns are real, but genuine customers too are getting affected by the DoT move. Users of cheap non-IMEI handsets form a very large customer base of over 150 million people in India. We cannot disconnect them totally. Mobile phone dealers are now providing duplicate IMEI numbers, which will only add to security risk.
“For the last 3-4 months, we have been developing a software to provide genuine IMEI numbers. We have identified around 2,600 outlets all over the country who will provide this service. We will basically track mobile phone users who do not have a valid IMEI number via SMSes and calls and ask them to approach the nearest outlet to make their connection genuine. People will have to pay around Rs 200 for this service,” said TV Ramachandran of the COAI.

GREY MARKET DEALERS UNFAZED
Grey market dealers feel the new regulation is not going to affect their sales. “The regulation will affect mobile phones that do not have IMEI numbers. But the new lot of Chinese phones being sold in the city come with IMEI numbers. Even phones without IMEI numbers can get registered,” said a mobile phone dealer at Manish Market near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, on condition of anonymity.
“There is a special software to get phones that do not have a valid IMEI number registered. The users have to pay Rs 150 or so. The phones will not go out of use,” said another dealer, who did not wish to be named.


Source:
ALPITA MASURKAR
Mumbai Mirror
15th,April,2009

Google Empowers Indian Voters!

As India gears up for its biggest parliamentary elections this summer, Google India creates an online elections centre to highlight some of the most important information available to voters in India today.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009: Google India has launched an online elections centre that showcases a range of information pertaining to the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections. The website that would provide information to the voters about their constituency and the candidates, is available both in English and Hindi.

India will hold general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases on 16 April, 23 April, 30 April, 7 May and 13 May 2009. The results of the election will be announced in single phase on 16 May 2009.

Last week, Yahoo! India also announced a new site focussed on providing users with up-to-date information on the upcoming 2009 general elections.

A voter may visit the Google India elections centre by logging onto www.google.co.in/loksabha2009. After first selecting his or her constituency and viewing the location on a Google Map, the voter may examine data highlighting - for instance - any changes in literacy, poverty and employment rates in the constituency since the previous general election. The voter may then consider the educational credentials and attendance record of his or her current Member of Parliament and some of the qualifications of those candidates contesting in this year’s election.

Subsequently, the voter may review pertinent news, blogs, videos and quotes from a range of local organisations and individuals. Finally, the voter may search for his or her name in the voter rolls to confirm his or her registration and to receive information about the accompanying polling station.

According to Shailesh Rao, managing director, Google India, “Being an informed voter is a prerequisite for the healthy functioning of India’s democracy. While this is especially true during all elections cycles, we have this year observed many initiatives that have sought to promote access to election-related information in India. Keeping in mind our global mission of organising the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful, we have created this elections centre to highlight some of the most important information available to voters in India today. Indian voters have the right to information about their constituencies and candidates, and we are confident that the website will yield a positive change in voting patterns during the upcoming general elections.”

The Google India online election centre is being launched in partnership with The Hindustan Times and several non-profit groups.

According to Sanjoy Narayan, editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times Media Limited, “This time, the 18 to 35 age group accounts for almost 40 per cent of the electorate. This chunk of young voters is good with technology and wants to make sure they elect the right people. That’s why an election website partnered between Hindustan Times, which brings you the most comprehensive and informed coverage, and Google, the technology leader in the Internet space – can be such a powerful tool in helping them make their vote count.”

The website is also available at
www.hindustantimes.com/loksabha2009 and
www.livemint.com/loksabha2009 in English and
www.livehindustan.com/loksabha2009 in Hindi.

Sony releases indigenous Hanuman game for PS2

The Indian gaming industry has now crossed the platform barrier. In a first, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has launched Hanuman: Boy Warrior (3D) for the PlayStation 2. Developed by Hyderabad-Aurona Technologies Limited (acquired by Pyramid Samira), Hanuman is the first localized game on the PS2 platform to be completely developed by an Indian game development house.

It is also Sony's first game based on Indian mythology and one that is playable in Hindi. The launch of the game is a culmination of a journey that was started by Sony when the first ever game developers' conference (DevStation '08 Mumbai) for Playstation platform was organized in Mumbai.