Firefighter Training Films...

F

Firefighter1

Member
Hi...
I've just been given the assignment to put together several training 'films' for my fire company. I do not have a great amount of experience at this :embarasse , but do need to get the assignment completed. I'd like to do the best job possible, so that's why I'm looking for some guidance. I'm not even certain that this forum is the right place for me to start my learning experience, but I thought I'd give it a try.

I'd be glad to follow-up with the type of gear we've got, etc... but I don't want to type about that stuff until I know if this forum is the right place for me to get started.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Firefighter1
 
This is as good a place as any. Go ahead and post what gear you have and what kinds of situations you're going to be in and we'll get you going.

Welcome aboard!:beer:
 
Well training videos are in the "difficult " category.
Will they focus on safety practices? You need testimonials, actual footage from situations, such stuff.
 
Hi... HorseFilms and Steve Arm.

We've already recorded 8 (plus) hours of video on a JVC GZ-MG130.

Now I've got to organize it all and figure out how to get it off the internal HD and into an editing program.

Sad to admit that I'm the most technical (at our station), but have never done this before. Someone mentioned using Windows Movie Maker, but when I tinkered with it... I had no luck. I think possibly the file formats are not just right. Then again... maybe it's just my lack of experience.

FF1
 
...Also... I've been using Audacity to do my audio mixing. :)

We don't have any 'high quality' equipment, but the need for the training videos is important as we've got a new group of juniors joining and the videos I can create will (hopefully) provide a good set of instructional tools for them.

FF1
 
This is not about which soft to use mostly, is there a script for all those shots? 8 hours is good, lots of video, if there is a script that's even better, cause you know what you want right?
Since you never done this before I would recommend Adobe Premiere or Edius.
But the key is knowing what you want to accomplish. In and Outs are another concept.
 
The hard disk cameras usually record mpeg-2 streams. You have to transfer them over to your computer via usb and change the extension to mpg to get them to act normally. Not sure if movie maker works with mpg's though. for a true no budget video, look at the free trial versions of vegas, edius, and premiere.

I'd also find a buddy with a nice rich deep "radio" voice or the closest thing to it and buy him enough beer/ramen/whatever to be your voice over talent. Using a voice over will make life easy as your talent will just talk over the video and explain any procedures shown in detail. Its also much easier to edit a VO together should a script change. And just about any PC with a microphone will do an ok job of it. You wont get studio quality audio but it is free and better than having someone for instance explain how they are fighting a fire while they are doing it. Titling is also easy to do so I'd toss in short to the point titles when appropriate too.

I'm surprised you dont have any funds for this. You'd think the city/county/whomever would want well trained firefighters, but no budget is no budget... Where are you located? Perhaps a generous DVXuser would be willing to trade some technical help for the fire protection he/she is already receiving?
 
Steve Arm: I am in the process of developing the 'script' based on my original storyboarding ideas, but the actual video shot has forced some changes. We do know what videos... and still images we want to 'showcase', but the main problem I'm having is getting it in a form that Windows Movie Maker will recognize.

jdajda: These training tools will only be used 'in house' (as far as we know) so the quality of the voice just has to be clear and understandable. One of the guys in station has offered to read for the voiceovers... and he's got a nice voice.
There is a program that came with the camera (PowerCinema NE for Everio), but it does not seem to 'see' the video we shot (or we are not using it correctly :embarasse), plus... it seems to be a version that does not offer all of the functions. As for additional $$ funds... the camera and accessories used it all up... totally! We're a small volunteer fire company in a very rural area that does not have much in funding. We just do the best we can. We had hoped that Win Movie Maker (which we have already in XP) was going to be enough to get the job done.

PS: I might be leaving this location for a short time, so please don't think that I'm being rude if I can't reply for a while.

Thanks for all of these replies so far.

FF1
 
you may want to pick up some editing software. you can get sony vegas studio for about $70 at many retail stores that sell computer software.
 
Thanks ugafan...

I just got home from a cold, damp MVA and it's always tough to get back to sleep after a bad wreck.

I thought I'd check in here... while I'm also searching the web for info on 'free' video editing software. It's possible that once I get one of the training titles completed... and prove their value... I might be able to ask for money to purchase software that would better assist me with this set of projects. :undecided I'm just not sure where to start.

Also... since I'm new here (and also a beginner at all of this)... I was wondering... should I be posting this 'here' in this section of the forum, or someplace else? I did not know for sure since I've only got a consumer, JVC digital video camera. I'd looked through the other places in the forum, but felt like this was as safe a place to post (initally) as any. Thoughts?

Thanks again...

FF1
 
ugafan said:
you may want to pick up some editing software. you can get sony vegas studio for about $70 at many retail stores that sell computer software.
Click to expand...

I was trying to explore the details of the trial version of Vegas, but have not discovered yet... how long it lasts (on the trial period) as a functional application.

I also wondered about Avid. http://www.avid.com/products/freedv/features.asp

Any thoughts on this as a starter?
:dankk2:
FF1
 
Hey Firefighter1...welcome aboard. That FREE AVID seems like a good place to start. It might give you a real good understanding of the interface to see ifs going to work for you. But, I would caution you from getting to far into your project by using this FREE version before you decide whether or not you want to upgrade. You don't want to decide that you need certain features the FREE version does not have then next thing you know, you feel obligated to shell out $1500 bucks for the full version...just a thought...

Where you located/fighting the good fight?
 
I have the free avid on my comp and it will do a heck of a lot more for you than windows movie maker. I can't imagine that you would be doing too much besides some straight cuts and cross dissolves, plus some music beds and vo's, so I think that is your best start. It has alittle of a learning curve, but once you get past that it should be pretty easy for you.
 
rlm7189 said:
Hey Firefighter1...welcome aboard. ......
Where you located/fighting the good fight?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the welcome!
I'm in a rural part of NJ. Small company along a busy highway.

cecil995 said:
I have the free avid on my comp and it will do a heck of a lot more for you than windows movie maker. ....
Click to expand...
I might give it a try, but I was also reading that Photo Shop can be used to mave 'movies'. Have you heard anything about this idea? I have access to that, so possibly that could provide a starting point.

The strange thing so far has been that I can't get Windows Movie Maker to even see, or 'recognize' the video I've already shot with the JVC. Does it seem like I'm missing something obvious?

Thanks for the replies folks. It's much appreciated.

FF1
 
Firefighter1 said:
I might give it a try, but I was also reading that Photo Shop can be used to mave 'movies'. Have you heard anything about this idea? I have access to that, so possibly that could provide a starting point.
Click to expand...

I can't even imagine how you would possibly edit using photoshop. It's strictly for still images only, don't even go down that line of thought.

Just out of curiousity, what part of NJ are you from?
 
Firefighter1 said:
Thanks for the welcome!
I'm in a rural part of NJ. Small company along a busy highway.
Click to expand...

Yes, I asked because you said volunteer fireman. I know that volunteer fireman crews are much more common on the East Coast (I'm in upstate NY) than in other parts of the country....thought you might be local...

Back to the editing software...do not even attempt to use Photoshop. Its for still images. Its not for video clips.

As for why Windows Movie Maker cannot see your video.....are you talking about video you've captured that is already on your hard drive? Or, does the software not even recognize the camera when you attempt to capture the footage?
 
rlm7189 said:
...As for why Windows Movie Maker cannot see your video.....are you talking about video you've captured that is already on your hard drive? Or, does the software not even recognize the camera when you attempt to capture the footage?
Click to expand...

Both the PC hard drive and the hard drive in the JVC have the video files on them, but when I've tried to begin a new project in Win Movie Maker... the files are not seen. I fear that the format that the JVC recorded them in is something that WMM can't use. I've tried to figure out more, so that I can proceed, but I'm honestly not all that well versed in this stuff... yet.:undecided I'm just not sure how to do things from this point.

Is there an easy way to identify the file type and then 'convert' them into a format that WMM can use?

Just wondering...
FF1
 
Your raw video captured files on your computer HD should have an extension of type .avi.(Mine does anyways. Yours may be different, but...) If you do not see an extension you likely have 'view extensions' turned off. Don't worry about that for now. If you do not know, for now let's assume they are .avi.

Open Windows movie maker and from the file menu choose

"File->Import into collections..."

This dialog box appears....

windows_mm_tip.jpg

For me at first nothing showed up.
I had to click on the bottom drop down menu as shown and select "Video Files"to display the avi's. Else they were not visible.
Browse to where your video files are. If you can see them now that's it.

/I think it was set to audio files before. ??? Worth a try anyways.
If that did not work, can you see extensions on your video files?

To do that...

On your PC goto the Start button at lower left screen...
Start->My Computer.
Double click the c: drive to open it.
From the file menu choose...
"Tools->Folder Options..."
Select the view tab.

Make sure "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked.

windows_mm_tip2.jpg



Then check your file extension type and maybe that will help us figure out what is going on.
/(If your files are on another drive, try the same thing on that drive too.)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top