Part 9:

Ok, so I got into proper video technology up to my elbows and have completely changed my working methods. I’ve switched to using the ‘frame serving’ method, which boils down to creating a sort of placeholder file that represents the actual footage. That smaller file is readable & edited in Vegas. Then, when it comes time to output to mpeg2 video for dvd, the original source files are never degraded. Each successive version will have the same quality output, despite the constant tweaking. Of course this meant going back & re-creating each of the already edited sequences, but in the end it was well worth it. The ‘chunks’ that I had been using were originally created with some clumsy editing software and have benefited greatly from being re-edited in Vegas from the start. Most of the transitions have been improved and the ability to mix the audio simultaneous with the video creates some much more seamless editing.

I’m far enough along that it’s time to get serious about subtitles. They’ll have to be some significant changes to the original scripts since I’ve made some drastic cuts. Subtitles are actually kept in a separate text file that can be overlaid over the video (so you can turn them on & off). Since the commands to start & stop each line of text are keyed to the running time, they can’t be finalized until the actual cut of the video is completed. I’ve already downloaded the original subtitle files from the net, converted them to a single text file, and then re-arranged them roughly to match the current shape of the movie while making dialogue changes. Obviously, they cannot be finished until I’m satisfied with the video.

I’ve discovered a nifty little program called DIVXLAND MEDIA SUBTITLER that lets you tweak a text file as you watch the video, then can output to the format associated with actual dvds. I’ll use it to create the new subtitles for the full-length version. For the DivX encode to watch on a computer I’ll burn the subtitles directly on to the video itself as it encodes (using VirtualDub).

Current cut, 4h24m20s at 11.827GB (with surround sound in ac3 format). In order to fit on a Double Layer disc I’ll need to compress it to around 68%...