The Hardware To Go With Your Software
As someone once said, "Time waits for no one", we could very well modify this statement to represent technology. In today's world, even technology waits for no one. The same case applies for the realm of movies and digital videos. Early on with the turn of the last century, movies were shot using hand rolled cameras which were heavy and cumbersome to use. Moreover it was the black and white era where colored movies were not even imagined of. As technology progressed, Technicolor movies were introduced and cameras became smaller, lighter and easier to use. So much so that these days one can shoot a complete movie with just a camcorder and some digital video editing equipment.
Now, digital video editing equipment is essentially the most important part of the whole movie making process. With the use of editing equipment one can process, edit, add, delete, loop or play movies as per one's wishes. There are essentially 5 parts to the digital video editing equipment. These are: a Video Capture card, a Computer, Storage, a Camcorder and Digital Video Editing Software. Let's discuss these equipment in greater detail.
Video Capture Card:
The video capture card is essentially the most important piece of equipment in the entire movie production process. A video capture card is a device that allows transfer of media between the computer/hard drive and the camcorder. As we shall see later, a computer is also an important part of the process. Hence the VC card acts as an interface between the computer and the camcorder. VS cards use CODEC to handle data. CODEC is nothing but compression - decompression with the help of which data is converted to digital format which can be handled by the computer. When going in for a VC card one must check if it supports DV - Digital Video which is the latest hi-resolution standard for digital media. Secondly one should also check the compatibility with the computer and the performance and efficiency of the card. Some famous DV cards are made by the company Pinnacle, with the most popular card being the Pinnacle Pro One. Computer: Another important cog in the assembly of digital editing video equipment is the computer. All data once recorded is processed through the computer. The computer firstly, must be able to support digital media flowing through the DV card. Secondly, the computer should be able to provide optimal performance for easier handling of data. For this, one must have the maximum RAM possible and a processor which is fast and can access heavy data traffic with ease. These days, a RAM of 512 MB onwards would be a wise choice. Storage: Even though one may possess all the other editing equipment, it all boils down to the storage space of a computer. DV video format require 13 GB storage for an hour of video according to sources. Thus, to process and maintain a large amount of data, one needs space to store it. With skyrocketing prices and huge amounts of space available, it is not too tough or costly going in for a hard drive that has a lot of space. What also matters is the throughput time of the drive, which defines the time taken for access of data from the drive. Camcorder: This is actually the first step in the entire video production machinery. Without a camcorder, there is no video. With digital camcorders the size of a human palm these days available at rock bottom prices, it is advised to go in for a digital camcorder. Using the camcorder once could shoot videos and then transfer them to the computer with the help of the DV card. When choosing one for yourself though, keep in mind about what you expect out of it. Ensure on high resolution, optical zooms capability, CD/DVD handling, memory and web streaming capabilities. The last thing one may require is software capable of handling and editing digital media for some extra effects and touches one might need. Once all these things are in place all one needs to do is sit in a seat and shout "Lights, Camera, Action!"
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