Jumping through closed door effect - In Sony Vegas Pro

It's a surprising and humerous effect. Jumping through a closed (in this case, car) door.  In this video I show how to make this nifty little effect using Sony Vegas Pro. The version I used for the tutorial was Sony Vegas Pro 13, but any of the Pro versions should be able to do the job just as well.

When I first tried to make the effect, I thought it would just be a basic jump-cut - cutting from the actor on one side of the door, jumping against it, to the actor on the other side of the door. When I tried that approach however, the results were somewhat less than convincing...

So I used the last few frames of the "Jump" side to "blend"  the actor into the door - a bit more with each frame, until they were completely on the other side and this produced a much more convincing effect. But don't take my word for it, check it out in the video below.

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And if you like stuff like this, then why not subscribe to the Meejah Youtube channel... It's free!
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Easy Laser Zap Effect in ANY Video editor.

Ever fancied zapping people (filmically speaking) with a laser? Perhaps this is just the effect you need to put the fininshing touches to your own no-budget Sci-fi short but the ability to produce such an effect is beyond you?

After all, this stuff isn't easy. Hollywood spend gazillions of  dollars on special effects like these. Producing such a feat requires high-end editors and an encyclopaedic knowledge of specialist programs like Adobe's After Effects doesn't it? 

Well usually, yes but there is a simple technique you can use to pull off a pretty respectable laser-zap effect with minimal tools and skills. You can emulate the classic Star Trek style Laser/Phaser zap with surprisingly little in the way of fancy editors.

In fact, this Classic effect can be created on virually any video editor - even the most basic ones. If your editor can do simple cuts, fades and screen grabs (and they nearly all can) - Then you can do this. Check out the video to find out how.

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If you like this sort of stuff, then why not subscribe to Meejah's Youtube channel - It's free!

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How to Bleep out Bad Language and Swearing on your videos with ANYvideo editor.

Ever had a great bit of video that you really wanted to upload, but were too embarrased to show because it contained swearing, cursing or bad language? 

Well now you can use that golden footage -  dig out those clips, because in this video tutorial you can find out how to "Bleep" out those naughty words and make your video suitable for everyone, not just Builders and Sailors. 

It's remarkably easy to do and the technique can be used on pretty much ANY video editor - Including basic ones. If you can split your clip then you can use this method. 

To prove the point that the technique can be used on any video editor, the demonstration in this video is performed on Windows Movie Maker - So C'mon - don't just sit there, get %@%! Bleeping!

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If you like this stuff, then why not subscribe to Meejah's Youtube channel - It's free!

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Make a Pro Video Intro with WMM

Do you find the standard titling options in Windows Movie Maker (WMM) a bit Mnnahhh...? Do you long for something with a bit more gravitas that will bestow an aura  of high technology jiggery-pokery?

Alas, we all know that this kind of intro requires high octane (and costly) programs like "After effects". There is no way you could even come close to producing such video eye-candy by using something as basic as the free editor "Windows Movie Maker" 

Well,  my friends you have been informed. Impressively cool intros can indeed be created using nothing more complicated that your free copy of WWM.

Fancy having a go at making some cool pro-looking intros? This tutorial will show you how. It's easier than you think and loads of fun.So if all you've got to edit on is Windows Movie Maker (WMM) here is the tutorial you have been waiting for.

Camera Trick An Easy Wind-noise Reduction Hack

Ever had your video recording ruined by wind-noise that completely obliterated what was said?. It's a common problem  with most video cameras especialy those without a mic jack - which means that you are totally reliant on the camera's built-in mic.

There are, of course ways around this problem. But it's not always practical or even desireable to cart a separate recording unit and dead cat mic with you when all you want to do is make a quick one-man video up the side of a windy mountain

Although it's a common problem, it's one that can be solved easier than you may think. This video shows how to hack your video camera in seconds to vastly reduce wind-noise.  And it's not expensive or time consuming either - this hack costs just pennies and takes just seconds to do.

So if you are having trouble with wind-noise, check out the following video. For what the hack costs in terms of time effort & money (i.e. negligible  - It's well worth trying. 

Zero cost camera stabiliser that you can carry in your pocket.

Have you ever been in the situation where you have been out in the wilds with your video camera, hoping to make a nice little video, but the shots are a little shakey and you wishedthat you had brought something with you  to stabilise your video camera, but the prospect of lugging a tripod along for miles meant that you left it behind? (that was a big sentence wasn't it?)

Then this could be the answer. An easily constructed and virtually zero-cost camera stabiliser that is so compact that you can carry it about in your pocket. 

It might not compare with a full blown tripod, but it can certainly vastly reduce the inevitable shakiness that is part and parcel of hand-held shots. 

And anyway, It's so cheap, easy and effective, that it's certainly worth making and trying out for yourself. I'm guessing  that once you have tried it, you'll probably never leave home without it. Check it out in the video below.

How to get Custom Youtube Thumbnails (No partnership required)
No doubt you have noticed when scanning through the thumbnail images on Youtube that illustrate the various videos, that whilst most of them appear to be random frames taken from anywhere in the video, one or two are obviously custom images often complete with channel logo and video title.

They certainly grab the eye. Relevant custom images that perfectly illustrate what the video is about surrounded by a sea of ... well... less than relevant random pictures.

You may think that the videos promoted by such images have a better chance of attracting viewers than the random pics have - And you would be right. No doubt, if you are a regular uploader of videos to Youtube, you would probably like to be able to do this yourself, and may be thinking "How do they do that"?

Well, the people who put up custom images with their videos are all "Youtube Partners"-  that is they are in business with Youtube and take a share the advertising revenues that accrue from their videos. Because they are business partners, they have a number of perks that are not conferred on the common herd - one of which is the ability to upload custom thumbnails.

So if you would like to be able to upload custom thumbnails with your videos, you will have to first try to become a Youtube partner - a long and often unsuccessful undertaking - Or, you could cheat. If you are planning on the latter, then just check out the video below :)



Enjoy...

Ghostly Orbs and Spooky stuff
 
Hello again. Following my last video,which showed an extremely simple way to fake UFO footage, I have been getting emails asking me if  I could show how to do some more Easy-Peasy special effects.

Your wish is my command, and so this time I thought I would show you an Extremely simple way to reproduce those videos which puport to show "ghostly orbs" floating around darkened empty rooms.

I have based the effect on a stage effect known as "Pepper's ghost".  This is an effect which produces the illusion of a semi-transparent ghost for live stage productions and although the effect can be breath-taking, the principal is very simple.

I think you would be hard pressed to find a simpler "in camera" special effect. If you can't pull this one off you may as well give up. It requires no special equipment, or fancy SFX editors like After effects. In fact, if you have a video camera, and a stable platform to rest it on, then you can do this effect. -Try it!
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How to fake your own UFO clips - Easy!

We have all seen them - the slightly suspect UFO videos that abound on the internet. The ones where you think "Hmmm.... is that real"? No doubt there are real UFO clips available at any number of places all over the interweb, but there are also a helluva lot more fake ones.

Now in these days of sophisticated computer graphics and awesome computer power, it is not unusual to see perfect videos of alien craft wafting through the skies. The problem is their perfection - These special effects are too perfect. We immediately suspect them of being fake because of their perfection.

The clips we really believe are the ones that appear to have been snatched by chance, recorded on a flip camera or iphone when the opportunity presented itself - No fancy camera work, but simple visual documentation of something that actually happened. - Er... it did actually happen didn't it?

But surely such gritty and "of the moment" video documentary must be real mustn't it? Well, no. Not necessarily.

Fake footage like this is incredibly easy to create and it uses the simplest of equipment. If you own a video camera or iphone, then you too can fake your own UFO's. No special skills or fancy editing programs needed.

So if you have always yearned to create  a "UFO flap" in your home town, just grab your video camera and take a look at this video - and may the force be with you.

Synchronizing Audio and Video

If you've ever wondered why clapperboards need to be clapped at the beginning of each shot then Meejah's latest video is for you. The video is a how-to showing you how to synchronize your video with a seperately recorded audio.

Quite often, low-budget video productions are let down by their sound. This is because they use the sound recorded by their video camera, which can not only introduce noise produced by the handling and moving of the camera during recording, but will also produce varying qualities and volumes of sound depending on where the camera is used, how far the performers are away from the camera and etc.

By recording your audio seperately, you will gain much more control over your sound, and produce a slicker looking (and sounding) video.

Recording your sound seperately need not be expensive either. Yes audio equipment can be expensive, but a bit of creativity can work wonders. Meejah's previous video showed a Zero-budget way to achieve this using a mobile phone - with impressive results - Check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2TlA2Tkc-w

Accurate synching of sound is surprisingly easy and takes litle in the way of equipment or skill. In fact, if your video is fairly uncomplicated, you can synch it simply by clapping your hands - Puzzled? just check out the video below and all will be revealed.

Zero budget Audio hack.

I'll be honest with you - My video camera is a cheap one - VERY cheap! and the audio produced by it is not the best in the world - In fact it's a bit rubbish.  Living on the edge of Penury as I do, the purchase of a better camera is not an option, so I was forced to find another solution to the problem.

The solution of this problem (which involved the use of my mobile phone), produced really excellent results, and had some wonderful side-benefits that using the mic. in the camera simply couldn't compete with. I now routinely record all my audio seperately using this technique.


One of the benefits is being able to pick up perfect audio at any distance from the camera without the need for radio-mics, field recorders or boom poles.

In this video, I show how to use the technique - It really is simple, requires only a mobile phone and some gaffer tape, and produces excellent results. Check it out in the video below.

BTW. I routinely post any music, or sound effects used in the videos to my website at www.meejah.co.uk They are all licence-free so help yourself if you need them.

Happy new year! - How to make things Appear and Disappear in your movies

Happy new year one and all.
As you may know, The Meejah Youtube Channel is a pretty young channel, and the whole idea is to provide ideas and guidance for new video makers, showing them how to make the best best videos possible even if they have minimal equipment and cash.

This latest video goes back to basics, and shows how to pull off one of the easiest, and yet one of the most used and versatile video effects - The disappearing (or appearing) effect. This effect is a staple of TV and the Movies - you will have seen it thousands of times over the years.  This effect is really incredibly easy to pull off. It requires no special equipment and yet there is no end to the fun you can have with it.

Once you have got your head around how it works, you can let your imagination run riot, but use it with care. Most people, when they discover how easy it is to do, go a bit mad at first, and use it in everything they make - whether it is appropriate or not. lol.

I know that many of you will already know how this works - It's so simple that many people discover the principal by accident whilst editing their videos - But we all have to start somewhere, and there are many newbies out there for whom all this editing stuff is a black art, and a simple, effective technique like this is just what they are looking for, so this is for them.

Another free music file added to the Meejah collection

Another free (licence free) music file has been added to the collection. It's called "The Gathering", is in the "Trance" style and is 2 m 15 s in duration.

There are ten music files in the collection at the moment. All the music is licence free, "Youtube safe" and is ideal for use in your videos (Youtube or otherwise), and other media projects.

The whole collection of music can be found at the Meejah website  www.meejah.co.uk  just click on the tab entitled "Music", and help your self.

I am now working on the second Meejah video, which will show (those not in the know), where to find, and how to use Windows Movie Maker (WMM), the free video editor that comes with windows.

See you there.

Getting it together

Another quick update.

I've just finished building the Meejah website - in it's infancy at the moment, but it's the place where you will be able to find all the links and resources that I will be mentioning in Meejah videos. I had a bit of trouble with the domain registration thing, because I have never done stuff like this before - BUT! - now it is up and running.

It's a bit sparse on content at the moment, but that will be remedied as time goes on.

However, there is already a section carrying Royalty free music of different styles that you can freely use in your videos without the Youtube Music police coming round to sort you out!

If you'd like to check it out, here's the link:

http://meejah.co.uk/

It would be a good idea to bookmark it as I will be adding more content (and free music 'n stuff) as time goes on.
Cya soon.

Meejah - Start making videos now.

Hi, I'm William Huw and I like making Youtube videos.

Now I know that there are lots of people out there that would like to be making videos for Youtube (and other places), but they believe that it's all beyond them. They think that it's all incredibly difficult (it's not), extremely technical (it doesn't have to be), and that they will have to buy lots of expensive equipment (they won't).

In fact, if you probably have everything you need to start making videos that you can publish on Youtube (and other places), right now.

So I have decided to make a blog that will show you how to do just that. How anyone can make some pretty good videos even if they have no budget and little to no equipment.

Each blog will be accompanied with a Youtube video, so you can see for yourself exactly what it is I'm banging on about. All the videos will be posted to TheMeejahChannel - my Youtube channel. If you would like to subscribe (it's free), here's the link: TheMeejahChannel

Once you have begun making and posting videos, you can even start to make money from them (it's not difficult), OK you probably won't make your fortune from them (well, not right away anyway), but you can cerrtainly make some pretty decent pocket-money to begin with, which could be a big help if you decide that you do want to buy some expensive equipment later on  :)

So don't delay. Make sure you get the lowdown on all the videomaking tips, tricks and wrinkles that will be coming this way by subscribing to this blog.
See you at the Oscars.
Will