Recommendations for making movies of travel time runs

[bullock]

Some users are interested in making split-panel movies of trip logs, with one panel showing the view of a camera aimed out the windshield and another panel showing the TS/PP-Draft screen recording the trip log as the GPS marker advances across the arterial timings (time-space) diagram. This thread would be a good place to share some ideas and tips.

I don't have personal experience with this yet, but a number of users have been doing this already. What advice do you have for making such movies? What recommendations would you make for choosing a video camera, for movie-making software, and/or for synchronizing the panels?

Thank you.
Greg

[Chris]

I will tackle the general advice and video camera issue first.

General Advice on making the movies
-This is just as much video editing know how as traffic engineering. Most people using TSPPD have the traffic engineering knowledge, but there is an equal amount of video editing knowledge that really makes the magic.

My point of view on video camera selection
- There are many types/styles of cameras that should work. I will outline my knowledge of the various types, associated pros and cons, what I use. There may be a better way but this is where trial/error has led me.

- mini disc or dvd based
pros - formatted copy of your footage to give away. No need to have a computer to get to a final product.
semi instant backup, you still have to finalize disc
cons - need to finalize disc
needs to be pretty stable
each dvd only holds 30-45 min of footage 1.4 GB
recording media currently costs $11 per 30 min cd
not easy to edit, which is a must for the split screen movie

- hard drive based
pros - lots of recordable footage 50+ GB, this number will only go up in the future
no recording media (dvd or tape) to fool around with
appears to be the future so innovation will be on its side and I believe the cons will become non-issues in a couple years
cons - compresses video data to work on the hard drive
computer horsepower must be used to uncompress data and to edit
semi backup (transfer large file to computer) You need to start thinking about a storage system
expensive

-mini DV tapes
pros - relatively cheap as its an older technology
instant backup, pop the tape out and put a new one in
you now have the tape to send anywhere and a backup (I have copies that go back a couple of years)
tapes can store 1.5 hours
less compressed video data
easier to edit, in my opinion
5 x 1.5hr mini DV tapes for $12
cons - older technology with moving parts which can lead to it failing (I have never had this problem with my three cameras)


Camera mounts next...

Chris
www.ptdatallc.com

[Chris]

Camera mounts

The camera mount or "setup" you decide on will depend on your needs and the vehicle you will be using. I will explain a couple setups that I have been using and you can decide what will work best for you.

standard tripod - The great thing about the tripod is they are easy to find and usually can give you a descent setup no matter the car. If you go for the standard tripod setup you should try to get a tripod with bracing at the bottom. They sell tripods that have adjustable legs but are only attached to each other at the top, I have found these tripods not to be as stable. Once you find your tripod, with bracing on the bottom, you will probably want to get some bungee cords of varying lengths. A good place to try a "set up" is in the passenger seat. You can secure it with the seatbelt which can make a quick reliable setup if this works for your vehicle. The other spot for a tripod is on the floorboard. I prefer this as you can get closer to the windshield, which cuts down on the glare, and its a bit more stable and not so cushy. Secure your tripod down, not out, and there you have it.

mini-tripod - If your camera is small enough you can usually find a little tripod to mount on your dashboard. I consider a mini tripod anything that can secure the camera about two inches above the surfaces. Now the trick is to get some small bungee cords and secure the tripod to the vents on your dash. Don't get crazy with the tension you just want to secure the tripod. This make a great "set up" as you can usually position the camera in any easily accessible spot.

CruiseCam - Another product I have found useful is produced by cruisecam. It attaches to the headrest (make sure your car has an adjustable headrest) of the passenger seat. Its nice in that it really secures the camera and it will do better through bumps. The view is a little further back so you could possibly see the rear view mirror and any traffic behind you. The downside is that glare will become an issue.

Suction cup mounts - These look promising but I do no have any personnel experience with them. Sorry.

Final tip on glare - Buy some black fabric and use it to cut down on glare. The closer your camera can be to the windshield the better as this will reduce the size of fabric (I like felt) needed. When I first began filming some corridors I used a shoe to secure my camera. It worked great as I had one of those cameras that was taller than it was wide. The shoe had a swoosh that if you really paid attention to my videos you would see, it was a little subliminal message I guess.

Film Editing next...

Chris
www.ptdatallc.com
cgeorges@ptdatallc.com

[Chris]

Video Editing

Before I get started I will say that having TSPPD ver 8.0 is a must. I had a work around in my early years when I was using ver 7 but ver 8 is simply more powerful that it has become necessary.

As I stated in an earlier post this is just as much video editing know how as traffic engineering, so there are many problems with trying to explain video editing in a few paragraphs. If you want to learn you will need a few things: Maybe a better computer, some video editing software and a good book with tutorials.

First choice is an operating system for your new computer. For my video editing I use a Mac, but I'm sure there is a pc to fit the bill. Once you decide on an operating system, I recommend at least 2 gigs of RAM. The learning curve is a bit much and you will probably want to be able to quickly guess and check so the more RAM and processing power the better.

Now you need video editing software. Again, there are many choices out there. I wouldn't go to cheap as there is a considerable difference between making a home movie of your trip to Disneyworld and making this split screen video.

Now go out and buy a small guide on how to use the software. The guide with the internet should get you a good way to a nice looking final product.

An easier way...

The rapid advancement in technologies will continue to make this process easier for the user. I have been doing this for a couple years now and ver 8 has removed many variables for me in my process. We are now at a point where you or your data collector could collect data and PT Data would process the data to get you the video you need. It's as simple as getting a GPS receiver and a camera in the vehicle of your data collector.

Chris
www.ptdata.com
cgeorges@ptdatallc.com

[bullock]

Wow. Thank you, Chris, for all the great and detailed information. I'm sure you've helped a lot of people.

Regards.
Greg