Glasse's "How do I make an AA video" guide

You've probably seen loads of America's Army movies and are wondering how to make some of these/where to start. I'll try to give some useful tips so you can get started with your own videos and ideas.I've decided to do a refresher course on the subject as I have learned a few things myself since then : Sections : - 1. Where to start - 2. Recording/Capture Program - 3. How do I record - 4. Recording settings ( recorder/AA/vid card ) - 5. Useful commands for recording in AA - 6. Content - 7. Video examples - 8. Editing programs - 9. Editing tips - 10. Special effects - 11. Compression - 12. Hosting - 13. Extras = 1. Where to start ? = .You'll need 3 things : - A footage capture program - An editing program - An idea for your movie/video = 2. Recording/Capture program ? = .Unfortunately, AA doesnt provide a very effective demo recording system or even an exporting option. So you need to look towards using an external program to capture the footage for you. .You have 2 popular choices for recording : - FRAPS ( http://fraps.com/ ) - Gamecam ( http://www.planetgamecam.com/ ) . FRAPS -> Great all around util. EXCEPT it sucks your FPS on your system while capturing. This is not so bad when your recording scripted shots, etc. but when it comes to things like frag movies, your system might be too slow to capture and play effectively at the same time. . GameCam -> Easier on your comp and has more options then fraps BUT it uses a graphical hook which PunkBuster detects as if it was a game hack. So only capture using this program on non-PB enabled servers or in single player. = 3. How do I record ? = .You'll usually want to load the recording program before loading AA. Adjust the available options in the respective program your using. Assign a "capture" key ( mine is F12 ). Also you can have your FPS displayed, etc. Open up AA and hit your recording key whenever you feel like it, press again to stop recording. Lossless raw footage can take up alot of hardrive space, so expect your HD space to run out eventually if you record for a very long period of time. = 4. What settings should I use to record ? ( Recording Prog + AA + Vid card ) = .Record Prog ( We'll use fraps as an example ) -> - The fps you use to record at will affect your file size ( higher means better quality, but harsher on your system and bigger file size ) - Half-size/Full-size ? You can record at half size just to mess around or if your system is VERY slow but I wouldnt recommend putting it in your final movie. Use full size whenever possible for best image quality. - Sound record ? Go for it or dont go for it. your choice. Recording sound will increase your file size. Also, if you are on a voice comms prog like TS or Ventrillo, you wont be able to talk in your mic ( 'least I cant ) AND you'll create echo for anybody else in the channel. .Video Card settings ( For HIGH Quality imagery ) -> - Go to your video settings from your desktop ( usually right-click your desktop, go to properties, youll find these in your display properties most likely ) and turn up/maximize your Anti-Aliasing and your Anisotropic filtering. Settings might change from card to card but max them out. This allows for the most texture smoothing and eliminates jagged edges in the image you record. ( turn it back down to normal/application preference when your not about to shoot some footage because youll most likely experience slow down while playing for real ) .AA settings ( for HIGH quality imagery ) -> - Pretty simple, turn your details to ultra-high and change your resolution to 1024x768. Fiddle with the settings so it fits with your system settings and capabilities. i.e. Dont try recording with all your settings on high and your only getting 3 FPS. = 5. Useful commands for AA while capturing ? ( Config ) = .If your doing a scripted movie, get on a cheat enabled server or for when your in single player ( frag movies need not apply ).Type these in console or assign a key bind for these commands -> - AGPHUD 0 : this command removes all HUD info and crosshair on your screen. Type AGPHUD 1 to get HUD back. - ******HEAT GHOST : This command is well known. It allows for free movement so you can get interesting camera angles, etc. Type ******heat walk to get back to normal. - ******HEAT GOD : self explanatory. You dont usually want the cameraman dying... - ******HEAT CLASS x : for changing the weapons classes. "x" being the weapons class you choose. - ******HEAT SLOMO x : for changing the game speed. "x" being the speed you choose. Default is 1. - ******HEAT FOV x : for changing your field of vision. You can distort ( zoom in, zoom out ) your vision. 75 is the default. * Look in the sticky "All console commands.." post in the general discussion on AA forums for more commands. * = 6. What should I shoot/record ? ( Content ) = .Well anything you want. AA movie categories generally break down into the following -> - Frags : Game skill showcase movies ( includes kills, moves, streaks, techniques, etc. from in-game ). May include some scripted content but is generally composed of "live" footage of real game action ( some movies combine frags and scripted story elements ) - Action/Drama ( scripted ) : serious oriented movie with an action driven scenario. - Action/funny ( scripted ) : action movie mixed in with humourous elements. - Funny ( live/scripted ) : may contain some action moments, but the humour is the main purpose of the movie. - Music video ( live/scripted ) : random footage ,live or scripted, set to music. Alot of clan propaganda movies use this style with a combination of FRAGS. - Misc. video ( live/scripted ) : anything that combines the above categories into one package or anything that doesnt fit the "mold". = 7. Where can I see video examples ? = .Quite a few clans host their own videos. There is however a permanent AA video collection thread you can find here and browse through -> http://aaotracker.4players.de/thread.php?threadid=61627 ( not all movies are here but most are ) .Check out our movies at www.PaSClan.com .Glassy's essential AA Movie Picks -> < Coming soon > .Other game movies -> check out www.own-age.com for a wide array of gaming media from all platforms. = 8. So I got my footage, what about putting it together ? = .You've reached the editing stage of your movie. If you are a beginner movie maker I'd suggest using Windows Movie Maker 2 for editing ( WMM2 is probably already installed on your windows xp, its free. Get it from microsoft web site if not installed. ). You can also use more advanced editing programs such as : Adobe Premiere, Sony vegas, Ulead, etc. ( these are excellent editors but are very expensive ) .For WMM2 import the footage you want to use and add it to the timeline as you please. Add music or special effects as wanted. The HELP tab should provide you with enough info on how to use the program for editing. WMM is pretty straight forward anyway. *I wont get into details about other editors because that could take a book's worth of typing* = 9. Editing tips ? = - For a final movie, youll want to add intro titles and end credits. - Dont overdo slow-mo scenes. - Make sure you brightness/gamma/contrast are well balanced so the footage isnt too dark or too bright. - Try synching your audio and visual material for added impact. A good thread on this very important topic can be found here -> http://own-age.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=14558&page=1 - Dont add unecessary effects and transitions. - resize the footage so as to get the maximum image quality. = 10. Special effects ? = .You might ask yourself "how'd they do that" while watching some videos. Some editing programs have different built in effects ( which I wont go into. Youll have to read up on those on your own and test them out ). There are some programs however that are tailor made for movie effects but are usually reserved for more experienced movie makers and require some skill & knowledge to use. Some of the more popular programs -> .Adobe After Effects .3D Studio MAX .Cinema 4D You can find a plethora of information and examples on these special effects tools at -> www.creativecow.net = 11. Exporting the final movie ? ( Compression ) = .This can be a headache area. If your a beginner user and your final movie is ready, I'd suggest exporting the movie as a High Quality WMV with a variable bitrate or a medium bitrate. WMV is a good all-around format with little headaches. .IF you really want to dive into compression to max out the image/audio quality of your movie, things get more complicated : - Youll want to export your movie using a lossless video codec ( such as HuffYUV ) or an uncompressed movie from your editor. - Get yourself the Xvid video codec ( find here if you dont have it installed -> http://files.divx-digest.com/software/co....3-20122004.exe ) - Get VirtualDub. This is a compression tool program that is very efficient at compressing/filtering/formatting movies. ( find it here -> http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/virtu...10.zip?download ) - Import the uncompressed/lossless final movie into virtual dub. - Use filters to adjust ( slight blur will reduce file size and clean up image ). Resize movie dimensions if needed, etc. - Go to video tab and select compression -> xvid. Xvid configuration can be tricky and some things work better then others. -> Find useful info about codecs and Xvid here -> http://www.doom9.net/ -> Gaming media specific thread about compression and quality -> http://own-age.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=5883&page=1 - Set your audio into full processing mode and select your compression method. - Save/Compress final movie. ( you can do multiple tries at compression with different settings to see which version comes out best. ) = 12. Hosting ? = .You can host your movie on the net from your clan site directly or from your own site. You can use www.filefront.com ( inappropriate material might get rejected from being hosted ) or boomtown, etc. = 13. Anything else I should know ? = .Yeah. Watch loads of game movies. You'll get a proper idea of what others have done before and what the current state of gaming media is in. And it might focus your ideas on what you want out of your own movie. .Research what you need concerning techniques for compression, editing, capturing, special effects, audio, etc. .Do your own thing. Nobody wants to see the same thing done over and over again. Be yourself. .Avoid overly-explicit audio/songs and explicit language. Your limiting your viewing audience if you dont. If you do, do it with style and purpose, but dont expect to post the movie on anything officially related to AA. .If your planning on posting your work on the official AA forums -> make sure the content of the movie is appropriate ( NO Adult material ). If there is some edgy stuff in there, make sure its content related and serves a purpose, it might fly ( i.e. if you make a racy joke in your movie, make sure people will understand its meant to be humourous and is done in good faith ). To be certain, if your not quite positive on the rating of your movie inform the viewers that it might contain mature language or a warning for anything else ( avoid overly-explicit songs for your audio and blatant vulgar language that serves no purpose/isnt funny. ) Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Write comment Name Title Comment Write the displayed characters Add Comment Powered by Azrul's Jom Comment

 

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