I created a new music video with Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12 using a public domain video on mine safety created by the US government and some free audio resources from The FreeSound Project at www.freesound.org.

Here it is:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZr0sHKJYGI&feature=player_embedded

Nothing fancy here, but it shows what can be done using whatever free stuff you can get your hands on.  I hope it's an inspiration.

Congratulations! This is an outstanding, very professional looking video. All of your shots were quite stable, the synchronized transitions were excellent, and the entire production was first class. You only used one type of transition throughout the entire video and that's good. Too many editors try to make a poor or good video better by using a lot of fancy transitions; it just doesn't work. I usually only use a cut, dissolve, or once in awhile something special, but not often.

 Very good,

Don

Thanks. I'm a musician first and I'm only now learning the fine art of video editing, so I'll listen to all the feedback I can get.

The choice of using mostly hard cuts for my transitions was an easy one. (I think it's ironic that the package probably has a hundred transitions, but I use only two or three of them 99% of the time.) The music had a lot of hard edges -- nothing soft here. And since I wanted the music and the video to synchronize on the beat, hard cuts was the only thing to use. In that way, the video actually becomes one with the meter of the music -- kind of a Zen thing

The most original thing I did with transitions was the very last shot where I pushed in to the dump truck while pulling back from the whole picture at the same time while rounding the corners. Just a nice way to say "bye-bye".

I hope some people noticed the humor, too. Streams of rocks stopping in mid-air with a screeching sound. The same rock being split four times in a row. A windmill contraption and a conveyor belt reversing in mid-stream.

Anyway, I hope you liked it.

I did like it, and also being a musician, I appreciate seeing the synchronous cuts, they do a lot for the character of the video.

Novice editors could learn a lot from your video. Simple is better.

Don

Cool video! The music track was perfect... I know sometimes it takes a while to pick out just the right track to make the video come alive. Also, I agree that about the only transition you can use on this one is a hard transition. Very entertaining!

 

Great video! It had me tapping the beat after just a seconds.

 I also enjoy using video and sound from those public domain sources...just not enough time to do much with it.

Thanks for sharing!

bsdennis:

  I also enjoy using video and sound from those public domain sources...just not enough time to do much with it.

Thanks for your feedback.  And for everybody's constructive criticism.

Normally, I wouldn't have the time to do anything with those resources, either.  But after 20 years at the same company, my employer decided to do some righ-sizing, so now I have a lot of extra time to do some composing.

I only wish it paid better!