TECHNICAL ARTICLES

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Importing files from DVD to your NLE Two approaches to doing this job.

MAKING A BLUE SCREEN

This is just my individual approach and how I did it. Please note this is a prototype and will need to be developed to iron out the glitches. I have actually made a small one also, which works very well. Of course you can use "green" for the screen if you want.

Firstly I should tell you why I wanted to design this rather than use one of the more stable models that are out there, i.e. those made from electrical conduit etc. Firstly I live in a VERY small unit and storage is a big problem for us. So, firstly it had to break down very small. Secondly, for some reason or another I felt the need to be able to transport it around. I put this design together, based vaguely on my past making of Kites and secondly a lot of experience with portable exhibition stuff when I was in health education.

I was lucky to get the tent poles, but they could be replaced with suitable sized dowels or other fibre glass rods. Aluminium tube of a suitable diameter can be used for joiners.

I purchased Lycra (Spandex) from Spotlight. Nearly $AUD 23.00 per metre, 150cm wide (60 inches) and I bought 3 metres. Yep, I know it is expensive, but previous fabric purchases wrinkled on storage, I had to iron it before I used it etc. Choose your own material, even plastic seems to work. You will need to use some kind of tape for the pockets if you use plastic.

I chose Lycra as it is a 4 way stretch fabric and I planned to mount it under tension so that any wrinkles are "stretched" out. I am warned that lighting it may be a bit difficult.

I used fibreglass tent poles about 8mm dia. which I purchased from GoLo (a cheap shop) for $AUD 0.71 each (Marked down from $AUD 4.50!) These were some 230cm (7’6") long. In 4 sections. I knew these poles to be "bendy" so as to apply tension to stretch the fabric. You can use suitable sized dowels in place of these fibre glass poles.

I laid out the material and cut 50mm (3 inches) off the end to make pockets out of. Then I laid the poles (full length) over the material. I guessed that if I located the pockets 150mm (6 inches) short of the length of the pole that would exert enough tension on the finished screen. In fact I think it should be more. I will experiment. ( PS Now I have made it I think it needs more tension say 9 inches?) Mark the position and angle for the pockets.

When sewing the pockets you will need a "Ball" pointed needle on your machine, I used size 80. These needles are sold especially for sewing stretched fabric. Use a zigzag stitch. I made the pockets short so that the poles would be able to bend without distorting the fabric (say 25mm (1 inch) deep). Make sure the pockets are angled correctly for the position of the poles.

Having sewn in the pockets I then placed the poles in the pockets under tension. The poles should be fixed where they cross over. I used tape for this prototype. The poles did stretch the wrinkles out of the fabric. There is some sag on the top which I will fix if I need it straight.

Legs: To keep it upright legs can be made from the tent poles and plastic tubing. Here is how. Get plastic tubing of an ID that will snugly fit over the tent poles. Cut about 75mm (3 ") length and partially cut through the tubing to make it like a "hinge". Feed one half of the tubing on the poles in a position where the legs will best go, leaving the other half of the tubing free.

Poke the end of a tent pole of suitable length into the lose end of the tubing and you have an angle support for the screen (you will need two of course)

Here are some pictures to guide you through if you decide to make one of these.

Here are some pictures for the "hinges" and legs.

I will make a bag to put it all in. Then my wife will be pleased!!

PS. My friend asked me about height. As it stands it is about my height but I would have liked it higher. I have experimented and when I want it higher I will put it on suitable blocks, books whatever! The extra "floor" material covers it up well. The legs still work.

IMPORTING FILES FROM DVD TO YOUR NLE PROGRAMME.

Your committee is currently wrestling with the problem of how much (if any) material that is not your own, you may include in a movie you make for the club competitions.

I am not planning to enter into that debate in this technical note but if you want to use material from a DVD in your own movie, this is how you can do it.

Basically .VOB files are .MPG files so, to use them you have to rename them. For some reason beyond my knowledge Windows will not allow you to do this within Windows, so you have revert to the dos window. (do not type in the “ “, these denote the commands you need to type)

1. Make a directory/folder on your C: drive that is less than 8 letters in length. (I use “dvdtemp”) .

2 Put you dvd into your dvd drive and copy the, *.VOB, files to that directory (I use Windows Explorer to this via drag and drop) They are typivally labeled something like VTS_01_1.VOB or VTS__2_2.VOB etc.

3. Go to start/run and enter, “cmd” , into the run dialogue and then press enter. This brings up a “DOS” window.

4. Navigate to the drive in which you created your directory/folder for the VOB files. If it is the C: drive then the first command that would get you there if you were not already in the c: drive would be “cd\” press enter. Your Dos screen would now show c:\>

5. Navigate to the folder using the command line instructions. In my case it is

“cd\ tempdvd” press enter.

6. Type “dir” press enter and the list of *.VOB files will appear. This is useful as it enables you to see the file names that you have to type into the command line for the rename process.

7. Type the following: “ren VTS_01_1.VOB VTS_01_1.MPG” press enter. Choose your files accordingly, this example is of my files. (There is a space between ren and the first file name and also between the two file names).

8. Type in “dir” to see the changed file name it will now be an *.MPG file. In my case it will be VTS_01_1.MPG

9 Continue with this process until you have renamed all the *.VOB files to MPG.

10 Exit the dos window.

11. Open you NLE and navigate to you folder where the files have been kept (tempdvd) and pull them into your time line. I select them “all” and drag them into the timeline and they end up in the right order. You can now edit them and save them in the normal manner.

BUT Ohh, wow...There is a much easier way of doing the file renaming.

Open My Computer and then go to Tools>Folder Options

In the "View" tab, in the list look for the item named "Hide extensions for known file types".

It's about the 10th item down on the list. Uncheck it, and then click apply/ok/whatever.

Now your filename is "filename.ext" not just "filename" as before. Be aware that ALL of your filenames are like this - you will need to be careful when renaming other files.

All you now need to do is to use the "rename" function on your "right click".

It has to be the easiest way.

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