Shane, aka Monty, aka ‘Video’ is our photography/movie/DVD guru who puts together the great DVDs of our adventures each ride.
He’s put together this great article to guide you in the right direction if you want to master the art yourself.
Monty’s turn:
Hello Everybody,
Monty here on the hallowed OOT blog. Most of you that come on our tours know me as the guy who’s usually hiding behind tree’s capturing all of the thrills and spills with a video or still camera. Why hide behind tree’s, well after over 6 years of videoing dirtbiking, and a few near misses, I’ve learnt that a sturdy gum is usually my best protection from some of you wayward loose cannons.
Trailbike riding is essentially a selfish sport. Selfish in that the only person who really shares your exact experience is you!!! By being able to record the all of the action from a first person perspectvie, you are able to share the experience with others and give those lesser non-riding beings an insight into why we all really enjoy this sport so much.
I bought my first analogue video camera way back in 1992 from Brash’s and I still have it, so you could say I have a bit of videoing experience. I should donate the old girl to the museum of natural history, as it’s a bit of a dinosaur.
What I intend to impart to you all is some of the skills and knowledge I have acquired over the years, mostly through trial and error (and believe me, there’s been plenty of the latter), as well as what I have learnt about equipment that is suitable for trail-duties. Lastly, I’ll go through the most tedious and time consuming part of the DVD production stage, editing.
HelmetCam Equipment-
What you need to remember is that a handicam is essentially not designed to go where we go, or the environment we play in……..ie. it is not water proof, shockproof or dustproof……therefore it cannot be simply mounted to the top of your helmet. What’s needed to complete the system is a small wearable waterproof camera, often referred to as a bullet, lipstick or pencil camera (named due to their inherent diminutive size). Put simply, the handicam becomes a recorder to which the bulletcams video signal is fed.
From the picture of my old helmetcam system (below), you can see that it is quite simply a complicated myriad of wires and ancillary bits and pieces, consisting of a) Handicam b) Bullet or lipstick camera c) a/v leads d) LANC remote e) Bullet cam remote f) Li-Ion 12v battery g) Hi gain inline mic. I designed and constructed a lot of the wiring and remotes, usually after some trailside failure illustrated a deficiency in the system.
Many years ago I bought a top of the range Sony MiniDV Handicam.(model DCR-TRV33E). The model I bought is still available second hand, but new it was a $1700 purchase. The camera was easily adapted for helmetcam use due to two very important features, firstly, it was capable of receiving video/audio input (a/v) and secondly, it had a jack for an LANC remote (wired remote control). Not a lot of the newer handicam’s have the ability to input a/v and are therefore useless for helmetcam duties, and even less of them have a remote ability.
I used to use the handicam to do both helmetcam work, and handheld videoing. This was problematic, as I always had to unplug the helmetcam to use the camera by hand. Then I got smart, and bought a second MiniDVD handicam and left the first camera wired to the helmet permanently. I’ll go into the Pro’s and Con’s of MiniDV versus MiniDVD handicams a little later.
With the old helmetcam system, the bulletcam required it’s own power source and most systems come with a clip that holds 8AA batteries. The bulletcam’s use that much power they actually get warm, but AA’s only allow about 1hr’s operation, so are useless. I even tried hooking the bulletcam to the bikes battery, and all went swimmingly til the power wire on the helmet shorted due to fatigue and started to smoke and sizzle - not a good look outside the Benambra Hotel with your head on fire!!!
I ended up sourcing a small 12volt Lithium-Ion battery on eBay and it never goes flat. Just a word of advice though, if you know what you want, eBay is a good place to start hunting for bits. I collected the battery pack for $30 delivered from Hong Kong, whereas an Aussie helmetcam shop wanted $60 for the exact same unit, or over $90 if you wanted the 20c isolation lead included. Bear in mind anything bought from overseas must play in Pal video. If it’s NTSC, you won’t be able to see it on your TV.
Nowadays, there are many more choices for those of us that like to video our adventures, including small self contained wearable units such as the Twenty20 VHOLDR, Oregon Scientific ATC3K, GoPro HERO, ELMO SUV or the VIO Sports P.O.V’s (Point of View) in version’s 1.0 and 1.5. The systems cam’s range in price from a few hundred up to nearly $1200. http://www.launchhelmetcams.com/?gclid=COzNv521oZoCFcctpAodLRh7-A
When considering what system to buy, cost will most likely dictate quality. I prefer quality over price, so naturally I go for the more expensive unit, but it all depends on what you wish to do with the footage. Mine must be high quality, high resolution and high frame rate, otherwise my DVD’s look cheap and amateur. But if all you wish to do is show your mates how cool your wheelie was, or upload them onto You Tube, maybe a cheaper alternative is what will suit you best.
When purchasing a helmetcam system, the 2 most important factors to consider are the Picture Resolution and how many Frames per Second (fps) it records at. Resolution will ultimately determine how good the footage is, and frames will determine how smooth is it. Go as high as you possibly can with both of these. My old system recorded up to 30fps at 420 tv lines of resolution which was quite good, and bulletcams could go as high as 520 tv lines, but were prohibitively expensive. Over time, all of the gadgets will come down in price. For instance, my first bulletcam cost $260, and it’s equivalent replacement a few years later was less than $70.
I have recently purchased the latest VIO Sports P.O.V 1.5 that is capable of recording directly onto SD cards The P.O.V 1.5 is completely nukeproof/waterproof/shockproof/dustproof/Montyproof (I think) and features a colour preview screen.(see pic below).
My old system consisted of having wires from the bulletcam, and both remote hanging out of my backpack (which made me look like a Dick Smith Store on wheels) whereas the new system has but only one wire, a high speed data Firewire that connects the cam to the recording unit and a wireless remote control that can be worn like a watch, or strapped to the handlebars. Like I said before, it’s simple.
It consists of 3 main parts, the camera, recording unit, and wireless remote control. The benefits of this type of system are many but the deciding factor for me was that it was rugged (and apparently designed for military use), simple and offered a host of variable functions, together with the ability to record DVD quality footage. The recording aspects are user defined (ie.adjustable) but at it’s maximum the camera captures resolution up to 720x480 and at 30fps with a 110 degree field of vision (wide angle, but not fisheye)
The benefit of SD cards as a recording medium are many, but importantly multiple cards are easy to carry, there are no moving parts and a single 4gb SD card offers much more recording space than a 90 minute MiniDV tape, at the same level of quality. I now carry 3 cards with me, one 4gb (2.5hrs) and two 8gb (5.5hrs) cards, which is more than enough for a 3 day Groggin tour. On a days ride, I would record no more than 30-45mins of helmetcam footage because I have learnt to be a bit selective.
A very important factor with your equipment, is getting the bulletcam pointing in the right direction. On the last Groggin tour, a few of the boys were using a POV1 and when they reviewed their footage, it was all sideways. Unless they are using an editing program that’ll rotate the footage, the old Rank Arena is going to have to be tipped on it’s side when viewing it with your mates. I made the mistake of setting my bulletcam too low once, and Rod said he spent the whole time watching my front guard on the video, and trying to move the footage up using his head (it’ll do that to you).
My new M2R REVX3 helmet has a different angled peak, which meant the camera had to be tilted up at about a 25degree angle.(see the pic below). Put quite simply, you want to aim for around 60% sky and 40% ground in your frame. It looks much better when viewed, and tends to lend itself to looking more natural, that’s because when we ride, we look ahead down the track, not down directly in front (unless you’ve just become detached from the bike and are airborne, in which case you’ll no doubt be watching the ground come up to meet you quite rapidly).
I used to gaffa tape the bulletcam to the underside of my peak, which worked a treat, but I’ve decided to be a tad more professional nowadays and either make my own brackets, or modify them to suit my application. The POV’s bracket was great, but I had to manufacture little posts in order to tilt it upwards to ensure I was aiming in the right direction.
One important safety factor to remember is that it’s not advisable to mount the helmetcam directly to the shell of your helmet. The reason for this, and it’s often referred to in the manufacturers instructions, is that any impact will be concentrated at the camera, rather than dispersed if the impact were merely on the shell. This can cause the shell to fracture in a way it was not designed to during a collision.
You’ll notice that my helmetcam is mounted under the visor, and there are a few reasons for this other than helmet impact issues. Firstly, the bulletcam is easy to access on the fly so I can easily wipe roost and rain from the lens, and I can also tip my head down and use the visor to protect the lens from roost. On the odd occasion in Australia when it rains and I’m doing stationary video, the visor keeps the lens dry - much like a roof. The other important factor for this method of mounting, is that the camera is tucked out of the way, and will not be prone to being snagged on branches.
I have on occasion mounted the bulletcam on top facing backwards. It gives a different perspective, but is often hard to aim and get the subject within frame, so I don’t do this often.
This is the part I like best, the P.O.V.1.5 allows me to record in 2 modes, Clip and Loop. Clip is continuous where I can turn it on and off, whereas Loop continually records a user defined period of video.(15s to 30mins) Unless I push the record button on the remote, it discards the segment and commences to record a new segment. If I see something that has occurred in front of me, usually carnage, I know that the system has already captured it, and I simply push record to keep it. At the end of the day, I now have the footage I want, without any unnecessary bits. This function is a lot of benefit, as often I am not quick enough to capture an instantaneous incident, as I’m usually busy riding myself and don’t have a free hand to get to the remote.
HandiCam Equipment-
For years I have been using the Sony MiniDV Handicam, fitted with a wide angle converter lens for static video work. So that I could leave the handicam permanently connected to the helmetcam system, I recently purchased a Sony MiniDVD Handicam for static camera work. In my honest opinion, the MiniDV unit that uses mini digital tapes, is a far better system than the DVD for more than a few solid reasons. It is a well known fact amongst videographers that do skydiving that tapes handle harsh environments much better than DVD, they can withstand shock and vibration to a much better extent, and essentially produce better quality footage. For instance, a MiniDVD holds around 1.4gig of information, whereas an hour on the MiniDV (tape) holds nearly 20gig when uploaded to the pc. Case closed, a larger file size directly correlates to higher quality footage……which is what I’m always chasing.
Another difference I have noticed with the 2 handicam’s is their cold start-up times, by that I mean how long it takes for the unit to be ready to record when I turn it on. The DVD is far slower. After I hit the power switch it has to power up, read the DVD, then find it’s next recording segment on the disc and park the laser, and finally it’ll go to standby. The tape handicam however is ready to roll in under 1 second! This might not sound like a lot of time to you, but if any of you has ever seen me scout off ahead of the group after a break in order to set up for a shoot, you’ll understand why time is of the essence. On the majority of tours, I typically have less than a few minutes to ride ahead, find a good location that has something special to feature, with good composition (ie. background/view etc), park my bike in a safe location that’ll not hinder riders, remove my helmet&gloves, unplug the helmetcam system&radio comm’s, remove my backpack, and finally extract the handicam. It’s a pretty rushed effort most times, and usually as soon as I stop, I can hear the bikes coming, so the pressures on and I have precious little time to get ready to capture the action……. and a camera that takes up to 3 seconds to be ready just doesn’t cut the mustard in my world.
I mentioned earlier that I use a wide angle converter lens, “why” I hear you say? Well, the more of the surrounds I can capture in frame, the more interesting the footage is and it gives some perspective to where the rider is. The only issue with the wide angle lens, is it tends to blur when zooming in, so I’ll often be screwing it on and off during shoots if I want to zoom in on the action (there’s no quick release with these things, it’s 6 turns on, and 6 turns off!!! More valuable time gets wasted).
Another factor worthy of note is spare batteries. If you use the zoom a lot, or have the handicam in standby mode, it stands to reason that you’ll burn up your power much quicker. Typically I’ll go through one and a bit batteries per day, and always have 2 fully charged batteries at the start of everyday. My nightly ritual at our destination always includes checking the days footage and recharging all of my equipment.
Taking the Footage-
It’s no good explaining the pro’s and con’s of Handicam versus Helmetcam as they are both different creatures, and as such, their application’s are worlds apart. As far as videoing with the helmetcam, it’s always going to be a lower quality than your handicam, and that has a lot to do with the light sensor pick up (either a CMOS, HAD or CCD. CCD is usually the best, but CMOS have come a long way in recent years) and the lens size and quality. I use the helmetcam a lot whilst riding beside my subject, and occasionally when I haven’t had the time to extract the handicam from my pack.
I have learnt to ride with my head looking at the subject (usually beside them or at the quarter flank) and my eyes turned ahead looking sideways through the goggle’s so I can see where I am going. The neat part about helmetcam footage is you can capture events as they happen on the go, whereas with a handicam, you hope the carnage is going to occur right in front of you (chances are it rarely does).
With regards to handicam footage, make every panning move slow and deliberate, and the same applies to zooming. The camera lens takes a different perspective to the human eye, and magnifies every wayward movements you make. In addition to this, when converting the edited footage to DVD, fast movements will tend to look jumpy and frames will drop, reducing the overall quality of your footage.
Try different angles, and experiment with different frame compositions. I have recently started doing a lot of lower shots, and sometimes with something inanimate in the foreground, like a rock, or blades of grass (seen on Day 2 of Groggin during the R.O.O.T.A training exercises).
Different angles will keep the audience interested in your footage, and ensure it’s not bland and boring (and believe me, I have made some bland footage before). Experiment, experiment, experiment……..take as much footage as you possibly can, as it can always be thrown on the cutting room floor later when you edit it………it’s no good wishing you had that footage later on down the track.
The Editing Room-
This is probably the most time consuming part of the DVD production process. Firstly, I would recommend a good editing program as it is surprising how much easier this will make your work. And secondly, ensure you have a relatively quick computer. I run an Pentium 3.2Ghz, with 2gig’s of RAM, a 1gig high speed video card and two hard drives, one being 1000gigbytes (that’s a terabyte in nerd terminology). The reason I use 2 hard drives is technical, but it basically ensures the main hard drive is used for the pc’s virtual memory RAM and ensures full processing power. Trust me, when the pc is cranking through converting a video, you need all the power you can get.
In addition to all of the above, I also have 2 burners fitted, one being a good quality dual layer unit. The next upgrade will include a second LCD monitor for previewing my projects on.(Mr.Rudd can I have another stimulus package please, I spent my last one on a shiny new helmet)
What editing program do I use I hear you ask, well I used to use Windows MovieMaker2, but found it clunky, problematic and lacking pizzazz. The replacement editing suite is quite a good program, in fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s ace (sorry, had to throw a Rod-ism in there).
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro is what I use and considering how powerful it is, at $243 I consider it fantastic value.
Vegas can be purchased online for around $243 from a mob in QLD called Advanced Software http://www.advancesoftware.com.au/170/Sony-Vegas-Movie-Studio-Platinum-Pro-Pack-9/.
The beauty of Vegas is that it will allow professional quality HD (high definition) video production, audio mastering and soundtrack creation. It can produce HD video footage and burn to a myriad of different formats, including BluRay (if you have a BluRay burner).
So back to the editing process……..first up, you’ll need to upload the raw footage into the pc’s hard drive. I plug my handicam into the pc using an IEEE 1394 Firewire cable. The reason I prefer Firewire over a USB cable (my handicam has both) is that Firewire is high speed data transfer, and I can rewind and fast forward the camera using the computer.
The next step is to go through the footage and cut out the bits you don’t want. Typically one days footage (about an hrs footage) takes me around a week to cut and edit properly.(That’s why a 3dayer from Groggin takes me over 3 weeks to produce).
There are days when I have spent a solid 10hrs in front of the screen putting a ride DVD together. Like I said before, it’s a tedious time consuming process……..but if you want to get it right, take your time and don’t rush it.
Once all the superfluous footage has been removed, it’s time to blend them all together seamlessly, adding fading and different transitions along the way. This is the part of the process where you’ll also be adding subtitles and text (often at someone else’s expense, nothing better than taking the piss)
The final phase involves adding some music. What I select for the DVD’s is often determined by the general age of the customers. If their group is older, I’ll usually try and put on some music from their era, and likewise for a younger group. The best music to chose is typically face-paced and racy.
Believe it or not but fast music can actually make the footage appear faster and more exciting. Often I’ll try 5 or 6 songs (sometimes more) to see what suits the footage best. It’s a case of trial and error, but usually by the time it’s burnt, I’ve got it right. Sony Vegas allows you to make your own music, which is a great feature……….but usually I download mine from LimeWire or use something I already have on CD.
By the time a DVD is ready for burning to disc, I have most likely viewed the footage in excess of 30 times, just to ensure it all transitions nicely and I’ve got it looking pretty slick.
Obviously what I have just detailed with regards to editing is a fairly condensed version of what I actually do, but for interests sake, I didn’t figure it was worthy going through every aspect as you’re probably already asleep by this stage. If all has gone to plan, you’ll have recorded, edited and produced a quality DVD you’ll be happy to share with your mates. Happy Trails……………….
Ed: Well done Monty. Great article. Well written, succinct and not one typo! Now I’ve just got to work out how I get articles from the other three, most of which struggle to speak let alone type. Do you think people will cop mono - syllabic grunts on the blog?
