Vintage Family Tree Video Custom Edited Program

For Film:
Typically, most clients film footage is of varying degrees of value. In order to make it more organized, edited down to highlights, and more entertaining to watch, we undergo the following steps so that the end result is a production that you and your family will treasure for years to come. The experience of having done thousands of editing projects since 1997 is well worth the additional cost of editing so that the appropriate music is utilized for the different scenes, the proper photos, slides, and video footage can be integrated into the production and the emotional connection you and your family has to the material is brought to the forefront.
Step one is the same as the Archival Program so refer to that section for details. If you indicate that you want your films edited, then we prepare a review session notes which indicate the basic scene changes and the corresponding running time. We review the unedited footage dvd together at an in-home appointment or if we are doing this by mail, we provide you with our review notes when the unedited footage dvd is back to you and you can communicate back to me what editing steps to take. The in-home review session is very effective in that your reactions while watching the unedited footage are noted and enhance the overall editing process greatly.
Editing involves the following activities - creating an edited dvd that will include the resequencing on any scenes that are out of order chronologically, the adding of a music soundtrack, adding captions, adding audio cassette track, voice over recording and editing, the integration of photos/slides or video clips into the film production chronologically. Please refer to the Pricing Section for specific pricing on this program. For more details about Custom Editing and/or preparation, please visit the FAQ section or you can call or e-mail and details will be forwarded on to you.

For Videos:
Editing of videos typically involves a lot more total running time and therefore presents different editing issues. Most clients have boxes or bags full of tapes, of various lengths and content, some of which are marked and some of which aren’t marked. Since there is no way for you to view the tapes without either a working VCR or the proper camera to play back the specific tape format, you need to give or send me the tapes and I input them into the computer and then confirm back to you how much the project will cost.
Briefly, the process is as follows:
We identify each individual tape and it’s running time, load it into the computer unless there are obvious amounts of footage that aren’t your original camcorder footage(ie. TV Shows). I confirm back to you how much total running time you have and how long it is estimated to take me to edit and how many dvd’s it will net down to. The junk will be edited out. Typically, the junk consists of the following: footage that is blurry, blank, damaged, the camcorder left on pointed at the grass, the floor, the sky, scenes that are extremely repetitive with nothing going on. Many clients have footage from the camcorder mounted on a tripod and the resulting footage is way too long. Specific events like dance recitals, karate class, baseball games, parades, school concerts and shows, graduations etc. all are edited down to a much more manageable length and focus in on your family member’s participation without so much footage devoted to the whole event.
In this way, the total running time of the edited version is significantly reduced without sacrificing the memorable footage. Typically, if you have 30 hours of total running time, the edited version will edit down to between 6 - 7 dvd’s or almost 50% of the unedited total. In summary, the tapes are consolidated chronologically, utilizing the full capacity of the dvd and each edited disc is labeled with the begin and end dates that is on the dvd. Chapter points are included in each edited production. You are charged per edited DVD and at an hourly rate to perform the editing. If you want only very specific video clips incorporated into a highlight dvd, you will need to provide notes that refer to specific scenes and the corresponding running time of that scene on each specific tape or dvd in question. In this way, you are only charged for how long it takes me to input those specific clips and edit them together. I don’t need to input the whole tape if you’ve selected the specific scene(s) you want included. Please refer to the Pricing Section for specific pricing on this program.

For Photos and Slides:
Please refer to the Archival Program description for the basics of this program. Once you’ve determined how many pictures you want in your edited production, you organize your pictures into sections, number the sections and number the pictures within the section. Remember, do not use a magic marker to number your pictures since in many cases it will bleed through onto the photo. Any captions, titles, written endings etc. should be communicated with notes. Music choices per section can be selected off of a selection sheet we can provide or you can use your own cd’s, tapes or even records that you give us. The songs can be mixed in and out based on the length of the section or scenes. All material is returned to you. In an edited production, various transitions are used appropriately and zooming in and panning across techniques are utilized to add to the viewing enjoyment. Figure that the pictures are on the dvd at a rate of about 8 per minute so that when choosing the total amount of photos/slides to use you can get an approximate total running time based on the total pictures. You are charged by how many pictures are included and at an hourly editing rate and how many dvd’s you want.
Photos and slides or any kind of material that can be scanned can also be integrated into film and/or video footage as well. Please refer to the Pricing Section for specific pricing on this program.

For Audio Cassette and Vinyl Record Custom Editing
If you have audio cassettes or vinyl records that you want transferred to CD or utilized in your Custom Edited Program, these formats can be incorporated. Many clients have cassettes of their kids, their wedding, or important family members that add greatly to an edited production. If you want strictly to have some old cassettes or vinyl(33 and 45 only) transferred by track onto CD’s, this can be done as well. The original quality of the recordings dictate the quality of the results, but having audio access to these recordings is emotionally valuable. Please refer to the Pricing Section for specific pricing on this program.

For more details about Custom Editing remember to check the FAQ section or call me or e-mail me with your questions. Helpful hints on how to get organized can be forwarded back to you.

Feel free to call 203-445-9033 or rpcforster@aol.com your questions.