246 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Figure 11.6

A high-end HDCAM VTR.

Working with Analog or DV Video

If your project involves analog video, check out the Analog Video Primer and the DV Primer on the Web site at www.thedigitalfilmmakinghandbook.com/chapter3. It’s a compilation of all the information on working with analog video from past editions of the book.

Custom Keyboards and Controllers

Although you can drive an editing program with your mouse, having keyboard control allows you to make edits without stopping to move the mouse around. In addition to being much faster, driving your editor from the keyboard allows you to work more fluidly and to develop a rhythm. Editing is a very tactile process, so good keyboard control is essential.

However, complex editing programs can have dozens of keyboard commands and shortcuts. Although a good program will have keyboard controls that are logically arranged, learning these layouts can take some time. A custom keyboard like the one shown in Figure 11.7 can make learning your system much easier. These keyboards feature color-coded keys with custom icons that allow you to easily see exactly what each key does.

In addition to custom keyboards, you might also find a higher-quality mouse is a worthwhile investment. There are also a number of specialized edit controllers on the market.

Backing Up

Everyone who has used a computer for any amount of time knows the importance of backing up. And though losing that critical text document can be a drag, losing hours and hours of transcoded video in addition to your editing project file and weeks’ worth of complex 3D renderings can completely destroy a project. As you might surmise, good backup is essential. Consequently, you should consider your backup strategy when constructing your system.

The best backup system to implement and use is to simply buy additional external hard drives and copy your files over at regular intervals. Using hard drives as backup is also the speediest backup strategy. Hard drives are also fairly cheap to buy these days, making them a cost-effective backup solution.