trimmerism - should it be legalised?

PeterWright wrote on 1/12/2005, 3:53 AM
Sometimes it sounds like Vegas users are divided into two camps.

Timelineists – “Moses was handed the timeline, and everything that happens happens there … I find no reason to consider the Trimmer”

Trimmerists – “Events can be changed over time, and though they will form part of the overall timeline, they themselves can be selected in various ways”

As a born again Trimmerist, I would like to mention a couple of instances where, in my opinion, the Trimmer does it best ….

Scenario 1.
The timeline is almost complete - bulging full of events. Half hour program.
At 3 min 40 sec and 10 frames, I need to extend the Voice Over to include a qualification.
This means creating a gap of about 4 seconds. I need 4 seconds of video.

Am I going to lift several ten minute or longer clips to the Timeline one after the other and fiddle around watching and listening to them in the middle of the main program till I find the 4 seconds I need ?

Course I’m not – I’m going to review the footage in the Trimmer, find the 4 seconds I need, and lift or send (A key) it neatly to its place in the Timeline.

Scenario 2
I have shot 5 hours of footage for a program. I cannot say for sure exactly which bits I am going to use, but I don’t want to waste time searching through tapes later. I capture everything as 5 x 1 hour clips.
In Vegas I use the Trimmer to create saved Regions and carefully give them names. This is the equivalent of sorting selected clips into bins, and I can click in Vegas Explorer to sort these Regions into any order I want.

Any other good news testimonials for the humble, honest Trimmer?

Comments

Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 5:18 AM
YES!

I've got 3 hours of interviews. I need something like 10 secs to maybe 2 mins from various indivs. I just did exact same thing. Would I do it now on the /L? No way!

However, Peter, I tend to use that which I want for a particualr project at that time. I think alot of editors here may not use Trm for the simple reason they do't need too OR they find that slapping stuff on the T/L and crash walloping it about on theT/L is a faster and more intuitieve for them FOR THE TYPRE of slap and bash edting . .I slao do slap and bash editing ... I slip edit WITH the music playing and slap stuff about .. . very messy BUT, for me, I can get and keep that elusive pace ... PACE! Pace is THE thing .. without it and I'm hobbled to a pedestrain . .well pace . .

For me?


A: Trimmer for incisive and complex edits using "words" . .meaning interviews.

B: T/L for slap and bish bash bosh - editing!

Hey! That's my opinion.


Tools for the job . ..

Grazie
Former user wrote on 1/12/2005, 5:25 AM
The Trimmer absolutely kills for editing dry voiceovers. I could not live without it when sifting through a variety of takes and selecting the best elements for my final spot comp.

Nice and easy to select and place my "keeper" pieces on the TL...then use my two new scripts "Multi Event to Region" and "Render Named Regions" to convert theses comps to MP3 and fire the finished elements to my client.

VP

Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 5:35 AM
How/where do I edit the name of a Region once I've seen I have named it incorrectly? - G
PeterWright wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:04 AM
Grazie - Open in the Trimmer, right click a beginning Region marker and select Rename. Then click Floppy icon to save new name.
Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:28 AM
Thank you Peter - Brain fade! g
PeterWright wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:47 AM
Responding to your earlier point, Grazie,

Timeline editing is great - I occasionally do it myself ("Confessions of a Timeline Editor" - New Bantam Press) but mainly for Event type projects - weddings, plays, performances, presentaions etc, when the source material is already more or less in its final order.

I only do maybe one such project every 2 years, so I use the Trimmer all the time.


Thinking about it, even in "linear" jobs like weddings etc, Trimmer Regions can help identify Uncle Wallie's Speech, Bridal Waltz etc.


P.S. The last four weddings I've been to, the "Bridal Waltz" was in 4/4 time. Don't you hate that?
Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:00 AM
*snork*
BrianStanding wrote on 1/12/2005, 8:14 AM
I am an avowed, evangelical Trimmerist! Try sorting through 16 hours of digitized documentary footage for the one cutaway you need when you already have 90 minutes of fine cut events on the timeline -- without it! You can do it, but not without serious migraines.

The Trimmer is THE tool to use for media markers, media regions, subclips (the "open parent media" button is a godsend), or synching two different audio files.

Viva la Trimmer!
Nat wrote on 1/12/2005, 8:29 AM
Hey I'm Bi :p Trimmerist and Timelineist at the same time.
I like both ways, mostly depends on what I need to do....
Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 8:54 AM
How many Trimmerphiles does it take to change a light bulb?

As many as you want, so long as they are in the REGION! HAHAHA

G
smhontz wrote on 1/12/2005, 9:03 AM
My favorite trimmer trick for filling in timeline gaps is this: double-click in the gap in the timeline to make a selection of the gap, then go to the trimmer window. Root around in the trimmer until I find something I like, right-click and select "Sync track view selection time from cursor" which makes a selection exactly the length I need, then hit "A" to add it directly into the gap, exactly the right size.
baysidebas wrote on 1/12/2005, 9:26 AM
Trimmerism? Oh, I saw "terrorism". Never mind....
ClipMan wrote on 1/12/2005, 10:19 AM
...lots of editors with Trimmerphobia... if it's diagnosed early, it can be cured ...
Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 10:57 AM
. .cut or cure . ?
Coursedesign wrote on 1/12/2005, 11:48 AM
Just saw that the original words for the term "born again" in the Bible could also have been translated as "born from above". It strikes me that many of those who refer to themselves as "born again" are not exactly "born from above" (with innate "good" qualities).

Let's hope this doesn't apply to the "trimmed again" Vegas users... :O)

ClipMan wrote on 1/12/2005, 12:53 PM
...most trimmermania can result in extreme finger trimmeritis ...however, trimmination therapy is relatively inexpensive....
epirb wrote on 1/12/2005, 3:23 PM
OOOh not me , I got the trimmerphobia reeeal bad!
It all started when I was 4, back home on the farm....
No really, the trimreaper got me one time with the sticky cusor thing where I was stuck in Trimbo.
Been afraid to get back on that horse, maybe with some Paxil , or counseling will I be able to ..... oneday...... return.
I hear it calling me, come back Eric,..I wont hurt you......moooaaahhhahhaha.
riredale wrote on 1/12/2005, 4:27 PM
A "Trimmerist"--isn't that the guy who does circumcisions?
ClipMan wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:19 PM
... a Forensic Trimminologist is often called to the scene of an editing crime ...
Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:15 PM
( . . one of the most creative threads for a long, long time . .. humour, technology and not a little "de-bagging" too . . well done .. well done Peter for thinking to starting it off this way! [ psst, who is this patronising git anyway?] )
MJhig wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:48 PM
Up until recently I had limited use for the Trimmer. I now have a new found respect for it.

My Dad just got a DV cam, (TRV-260). He's in his 70's if that matters. He had footage that he wanted me to edit. Needless to say he doesn't respect the fact that "movie" means objects should move in front of a stationary lens, rather than the cam should move.

He was very (kindly) exuberant with panning and zooming. Ahhhhhugh!

All of his clips had in/out zoom, + hyper pan from the cam and shake... I'm sure you get it.

Normally I do my editing on the timeline but given these circumstances I stated above it would be VERY tedious.

I found that by loading his clips in the Trimmer, dragging regions (slow motion) I could then adjust the loop (in/out) points and create regions a saving grace.

My eyes are still very wiggly, social lubrication hasn't helped to date... any ideas?

MJ

I have a new found respect for the Trimmer.
epirb wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:57 PM
WOW ______________________that_________________sounds llike
it____________________must___________ have been tough_______________
I____________get___________________________________ these______________________ same ...............type shots____________________
when___________
I
look at ___________ my___________ old_____ tapes from _____________________ years___________ back

Now I hold the camera much more still, and control my pans much better.
still working on the ZOOMS though.












Grazie wrote on 1/12/2005, 8:00 PM
LOL! . . .and again . .LOL
rmack350 wrote on 1/12/2005, 10:01 PM
This has been a fantastic thread. Thanks, thanks, thanks!

While I still wish you could apply mediaFX in the trimmer, my enthusiasm is much greater than it was.

Now that Vegie toolkit has allowed me to take in the company log files and name all the files with the descriptions from that log, it would be a piece of cake to find a shot (by name) and drop it into the trimmer.

Rob Mack