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Guide to Making Montages

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Guide to Making Montages Empty Guide to Making Montages

Post by RPAL Sat Sep 12, 2009 2:55 am

Hello fellow sniped members, im RPAL. Over the past year, i've made alot of Halo 3 videos for youtube, including 3 montages. Now i've learned alot of stuff that you should know before uploading that montage you made or wasting Bungie.net Render Minutes.

Render Minutes and Capture Cards

Im going to start off by saying this; If your SRSLY going to make a montage, please refrain from using rendered clips in them. Render Minutes should be used for crazy stuff, like an across map stick, or a splatter with a cone. If you are going to use render minutes, please render in Standard Format (I will move into why later) and download the 5 clips you can per month. Then, the next month get the 5 more.

I would like to share with you guys the math involved with Bungie's Render Minutes. If your going to make a montage, think about getting a capture card. You get UNLIMITED minutes in great quality for just over $100 all together. Bungie Render minutes are free untill you start paying for them. Lets list the pro's and con's of both.

Pro's and Con's of Bungie Render Minutes
- 5 FREE clips a month.
- HD quality, but this makes it 1 free a month.
- Pay for more minutes.

Pro's and Con's of Capture Cards
- Unlimited Recording Minutes
- Great Quality
- Record anything, From TV to Xbox.
- One Time Cost

The Verdict

Everyone has their own Opinions, but everyone with a Capture Card will say that they are 100% worth the money. Your going to save money in the long run anyway, bungie will eat your money every time you want render minutes.

Now that that is done, we can talk about Editing and Software.

Software

With your capture card, usualy they come with a editing software. Mine is a Dazzle DVC, so it came with Pinnacle Studios 12. This is a decent software, basic editing tools. The good thing about Pinnacle is that your not using Windows Movie Maker. Most of the people using Bungie Render minutes will be using IMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Well, lets just say it wasnt worth the hassle. I personally, even if the clips were the best in the world, wouldnt rate the video more then 3 stars if it was in Windows Movie Maker. Yes, we can tell if it is:

-Most people have used WMM once, or at least have seen the software once.
-Since it is free, it comes with the CHEAPEST stuff to make a nice SLIDESHOW.
-There are 1 or 2 extremely overused transitions and Text Effects in WMM that people like, but are realy just showing us you used WMM.

Now this isnt against anyone that has made a montage with WMM, but the editor itself is so bland. You can make a decent slideshow with the edit, nothing more.

- Sony Vegas PRO

This is the Ideal software i would like to see everyone using. It is alot of money, but if your gonna make a montage, you better get it. Almost every Halo 3 Pro montage you see will be edited with this software (With the exeption of Adobe After Effects and other Adobe products). This software however is a good 30x harder to use the WMM. Once you get the feel of it, you will be making everything you see in your head.

- Adobe After Effects

Unless your going into the movie industry, this is a HUGE professional program. Its valued at $1,000; and is extremely veristile. It does everything, but even myself (Who has recently master Sony Vegas), cannot get a full grip on this program.

Things NOT to do when editing

- Dont use the clip > Transition > clip > Transition slideshow style editing. Its Boring and nobody will finish the montage.
- DONT use more then one quality type in a montage, (This goes for Bungie Pro renders). If you have an HD clip, then a Standard clip, people are gonna spot the change in quality and this just makes the bad quality stand out more.
- Dont use WMM ever, im serious. To alot of people this shows you are some 10 year old trying to make a name on a video game.
- Dont talk over gameplay like Chris Puckett, just makes people want to mute you unless you are Chis Puckett.

Things TO do when editing
- BE CREATIVE! People like when you do something that looks odd, or original for that matter. Mess around in the editers to find something nice.
- Practive makes perfect. Your First montage isnt always gonna turn out 5 star material.
- Choose a Theme. If your making a MLG montage, dont put a mongoose splatter in it =P.
- Show your best clips.
- Have fun.

Ill add more to this section later.

Songs and Syncing

One thing that people underestimate is the second most important part of a montage, The Music. Without a decent soundtrack, your montage would be no fun to watch.

- The WMM's of Songs (Overused Crap)

Please dont use Bodies by Downing Pool, Crawling by Linkin Park, or ANY song used in a popular montage (Like any of the songs in the Str8 Montage). You will seem like a wannabe and people WILL flame you.

- Syncing

Dont just put the music track onto the timeline and add clips. Sync the kills with the beat of the music. This makes an overall better atmosphere when watching. Refrain from touching (Cliping, cutting) the song itself unless you know what your doing.

Your Finished Product

Hopefuly this helps out some of you new montage goers. Just remember the things that will make people turn off your montage and give it a bad rating. Im sure if you follow this guide you'll have a nice montage. Any questions post away and ill be happy to help.

-RPAL
RPAL
RPAL
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