Did you yourself interview those people or did you get the clips form somewhere else because I have noooooooo idea where I will find historians and other people to interview.
@Imcoolsobackoff Apple Loops, they come with GarageBand. The background music was mostly in the "Jingles" category. The ending song (before Billy Joel) was an original creation with Apple Loops.
@Justin13L When we were doing it, the limit was 10 minutes. All the ones that got to nationals were almost exactly 10 minutes... Do your best to fill it up with as much interesting content as possible.
What was your guys' thesis statement, or rather, when was it mentioned? I'm trying to give a good example of one for my high school class in the documentary division.
What kind of software did you use? My group's making a documentary too, but we are having trouble deciding on a software. Is Windows Movie Maker 2007 a good program?
@Justin13L Anywhere, really. Ask every teacher at your school that would know, look up local university professors, ask museum coordinators. The first step is to focus on asking around- don't set up an interview with a curator assuming they'll know a lot, but just casually drop in and ask if they know anyone who's a pro. In our case, we went to the place that did tours of Seattle Underground, and decided a tour guide would be a cool person to ask.
Continued... Paul Dorpat showed up a lot of places. He contributed to some of our sources (so yes, check who wrote your sources and see if they're local) as well as had a video of him playing at the Seattle Museum. Of course, we had the advantage of using a local event... But if you're doing something popular, you're bound to have an author, historian, or professor around locally. Good luck.
I am a regional history day coordinator and would like to have a saved file copy of your fabulous documentary to help teach middle school and high school teachers about creating effective documentary entries with their students. Could you send me a copy of this documentary? Would you give permission to show it to faculty at a workshop? cab39@psu.edu Christine
Thank you very much for the advice you gave us. Your team did a great job on your documentary! :) As our team was watching your documentary we were admiring the way the newspaper headline scrolls horizontally across the screen. What effect did you use for this? Thank you for your help! :)
@MARISSAM95 It's not an "effect" in terms of what iMovie would have you think. Final Cut makes you do most of the work of making it look like what you want to look like - that said, although it's not all happy user friendly, you have a lot more control. The newspaper clippings flying across the screen were relatively simple; each clipping was just a picture in the timeline. Use the viewer window and keyframe to set where the clipping is at certain times, and it will travel to an fro as you wish.
My group and I are making a documentary for History Day, we were wondering if your used Livetype for your titles? Also what effect you used to underline text in your documentary? Thank you :)
Livetype... That rings a bell, but I'm pretty sure we didn't use it. We used Boris (under the render category) for all the font. Transitions (black/orange corner things) were imported from iMovie. The underlining effect is just a line (rendering a rectangle, or "_____" text) that you reveal all at once or progressively with keyframed on the crop function. Hope that's clear enough XD G'luck!
Final Cut for most editing, iMovie for the intro effects, GarageBand for some custom music, Photoshop/GIMP or equivalent for graphics. Street sim graphics taken out of powerpoint, use Blender or another 3D graphics program for the real thing.
how much does final cut express cost? and is it fairly easy to figure out how to use? also, can you use it on a pc or does it have to be on a mac? GREAT documentary though. i made it to state last year for my nhd but i didnt get to nationals
FCE is about 160 bucks, we got a good price from Craigslist. Ebay would work too. It's mac only. For PC, I heard Adobe Premier Pro does all the same stuff.
For the technically minded who are familiar with graphics and media, it's pretty easy. I'd recommend a "Final Cut for Dummies" type book for the average person. Tech dumb-dumbs will struggle but can learn just fine. A book is useful at all levels. There's a difference between knowing how to use it, and knowing how to use it well (and fast).
I was wondering how you created the fire animation? and how did it move only in the particular section of the map you wanted it to stay within?
also how did you create the animation of the street layers, the concrete one being laid over the original street (i don't seem to know how do do stuff like that in FCE) ?
The fire animation was relatively simple; first you make a solid clip of fire (I edited footage of a supernova until it looked fiery). Then you make a picture of the outline you want, and put a transparency in FCE on the flaming area. Put that on top of the fire movie, so you now have fire with a color around it. Export that clip and put it in the final movie, and add a transparency around the fire. Now you've got a particular shape fire raging in the movie.
To make it shrink or expand, use the Matte filter. You can set keyframes to choose when/where expand. Feel free to tell me where I need clarification.
The concrete effect was tricker; first you make the shapes in Powerpoint/photoshop/CAD or whatever you like. Then you take that picture and put transparencies on the outside so you're left with only shapes. Then, use the 3D effects in FCE and the angle settings on individual clips to get it how you like. Good luck.
One thing i don't understand is how you get a transparency solely on part of the picture. Are transparencies just modifying the opacity? or is there some other effect? Because with opacity you can change the transparency of the entire clip but not a certain part. If you could clarify that- it would be great! Thanks!
All of the effects involving one part of the picture being transparent are done with the "Color Key" (or something like that) filter. Basically, it lets you choose a color, and anything in the clip that is that color (or similiar, you can play with tolerance) becomes transparent. For the fire, I painted everything I wanted to be transparent pink, and set the Color Key for pink.
dude can u tell me were u got ur background music, wen its just like the guitar playing in the background! plz! ive been looking for that song for a long time!
Congratulation guys! I'm doing NHD, a junior group performance on Douglas MacArthur. National's are soon and I know how hard it is to win in Nationals!
Wow this is a really good video. I'm sure it took you forever to do. I was in NHD this year and came in 3rd. Check out my video, I could use some feedback.
Hey this doc is amazing! I am doing NHD this year too an individual documentary buts its nowhere as good as yours. I got first at regionals and going to state april 23. i used Windows for my doc for regionals, but i got a Mac and am using iMovie 09--my first time with both. this is going to sound stupid, but how do you burn your doc onto a DVD without a menu?
Render your movie onto a file (probably Quicktime format) on your hard drive, and open iDVD. Ignore the intro prompt and select "OneStep DVD from Movie" from the File menu, and select the movie you just saved - the instructions should carry you through the rest. Good luck!
Thank you. Yeah i kinda figured wiconsin wouldnt be as tough because there is only 7 regionals and not much competition. That is a shame you guys split up because you did so good. Thanks for replying and congrats on a great documentary!!
Hey i got first at reginals (im in wisconsin) any tips? i want to go to nationals sooo bad. Ad are your guys still doing documentarys in high school this year?
Tips are all over the comments, just read everything. Wisconsin isn't such a high-competition state, so compared to others getting into Nationals won't be so hard for you. The team split up; I think one of us is entering, but that's it. G'luck!
We are preparing our video for the infamous competition, lol. We're practically desperate to do well - too many sleepless nights. regionals are tomorrow, did you have your interviews for the regional level?
We did, and believe me: interviews are a major part of your success. Make sure you REALLY know your stuff, and if you have a team, make sure everyone knows who answers what. Don't cut each other off, make as many helpful additions and including as many random facts that weren't in your documentary as possible.
what do judges really look for, because i'm doing history day, and i think mine is almost as good as this. it has two interviews with people involved in my story, and lots of different old photos and almost all primary sources. someone thats done this before help me!
i used final cut pro for my documentary for this years competion. my group put a lot of hard work on it, and i think we have a chance of winning. we don't have any interviews in our documentary, but we have them on our bibliography. will this hurt our chances?
interviews are good...but the entire compatition is bs...i got beat by this terrible one...music louder than the words...not even the right topic, and the history teacher next to me agreed with me. the judges, they could have found more knowladgeable ones in a dumpster, and not bragging, mine was preety good but they jst f**ked the whole compotition up.
I did a paper and i have made it to regionals so far. Do you remember when you went to regionals if they checked your sources really in depth? Or was that only for state? thanks!
The highlighting of the newspaper was a black hollow rectangle shape with soft edges which fades in as both the rectangle and newspaper zoom. Same for 4:59; hollow rectangle render. The red underlining is simply an text render of a red underline.
The tilted newspaper is a simple attribute changed in the Viewer; an angle wheel allows you to change it to any angle, and then use key frames to make the movement happen. This is all in Final Cut, btw. Good luck!
That was pretty simple - I don't remember the interface very well, but it was a sort of pre-set introduction or "theme". It beings with gray boxes in the movie which you fill in with pictures via drag and drop. You can then drag that segment on the iMovie timeline onto the Final Cut timeline. Hope that helps!
Easy - shapes aren't something you're adding or changing about an existing clip, so it's under the "Effects" tab in your browser window and then under the "Video Generators" sub directory. You'll quickly see a file labeled "Shapes", and after picking the right one simply drag it onto your time line. Sorry, perhaps I was assuming too much about your experience!
i am also doing documentary, but i have a problem with my voice not being loud enough and i also stumble on my words a lot. Any tips on how to improve my voice over?
Voice strength can be fixed with mic volume under Sounds in the control panel. Most programs also allow you to boost the recording's volume. Otherwise, the mic is the problem and you need a preamp or better mic.
As for stumbling, if you're on your own you should simply practice speaking and listen to other documentaries to get a hang of how they speak. The voice should be fluent, confident, and informed. If you're a group, just find who has the best voice for this. Good luck!
Congrats! What state? Regionals are just the first step, ranging from filtering out the worthless to sending on the ones that show promise depending on state =) Good luck!
I'm entering this year and there is one part of the rules that really confuses me. When you used the interview with Paul Dorpat, was that existing footage that you just gave credit for, or was it an original interview? In that case, if you include an interview, you don't need a voice over? If you could clear that up, I would really appreciate it!
That was an original interview; we had the chance of having this wonderful historian within easy driving distance. There was no voicing over of the interview - I don't know what the rule is referring to, maybe if you put it here I can tell you what it seems like it's trying to say. Thanks!
Whoa i just saw rebecca's comment on their documentary. Nice job you did, i was also pretty impressed with Anand's documentary for Conflict and Compromise. =( biased judges ftl. Wish us luck in competition this year.
what kind of software did you use to use the picture panning thing in the beginning? i'm doing my own project and want to know what would be the best way to do it.
Final Cut Express- the key feature you're looking for in a software for precise panning is called keyframing, or key frames in general. They automatically animate the distance between the picture's locations on the screen based on frames that you edit yourself ("key" frames).
Great job!!! I'm impressed. I have a question -- is "Final Cut Express" a PC software or MaC? I'm in 6th grade, like to make a documentary soon for the competition.
Junior is at or below 8th grade, and poor John felt so bad he just ran away. Never showed his face anywhere, even though no one really blamed him for it.
how did you animate the fire sequence, where it spread across the map? and also how did you create the clock in the same sequence? It would be awesome if u could let me know, thanks.
The fire sequence: made a fire clip that fills the scene, made an outline of the burnt zone, made a movie of a burnt-zone sized fire using the outline, and used an expanding matte on the final version with a transparency on the surrounding safe area.
Clock: Put a clock graphic in the corner, made a line using the text renderer, and used rotation in the keyframing/motion attributes to have it spin.
Thanks! I hear for windows Adobe Premier Pro is just about as good as Final Cut. Usually none of the docs that go to nationals are made with the stuff that comes with Windows.
Thanks! I had a friend who made it to nationals using Movie Maker, but his understanding of his content was REALLY good and he worked really hard. He did the Brown vs Board of Education.
Nope, Final Cut Express was purchased and every sound used in the documentary were royalty-free Apple Loops, with the exception of the clip from "We Didn't Start The Fire" at the end, legal because of its sub-30 second length.
You guys did a really good job with this. I appreciate when there are creative videos that win, like this one, other than ones that just have research. Although I'm sure you did a lot of research too. I was competing in this same category in the same year.
omg!!!i just went on the underground tour 2 day!!!!just got back soooo cool the history was amazing,and if u go...hope u get a...how do i say this nicely......GOOD tour guide i know one of them (not mine) was drunkkk.
For anyone participating in the documentary category of NHD, they should look to this video as a model for their own project. This year, I switched to using Final Cut Express for editing my own documentary, and placed 10th in the nation. I wouldn't have come this far if I hadn't watched and learned from this award winning documentary.
I believe that FCE4 is a great editing software. However, doing a documentary for this competition as well, I used iMovie HD because of my topic. Although I do own FCE4, I didnt use it for this year because my topic is fairly old so there isnt much of any video footage. I think iMovie HD is much better than iMovie08 because it has a timeline. This year I won 1st in the JR. Individual Documentary division. I have posted it as a response to this
What do you mean by fairly old? My topic is just a year older than yours, and most of my documentary is video footage. If you tried, I bet you could have found some great videos on the black 14. In fact, I recommend you use FCE anyway. The Great Seattle Fire won first place using FCE yet it only had a few seconds of video. That is because they found creative methods to utilize the many advantages in the FCE software. Again, kudos to the makers of this video for showing us how its done.
Fairly old by not much video footage. The topic is not old at all. Just for the video perspective it is. Trust me I know. On all of the finalists, they all had video footage and great interviews. What place did you get again?
Hey, that was really good. I competed last year and made it to states, and should have made it to nationals, but we definitaly wouldn't have beaten you guys. Would you recommend final cut pro as an editing program? I would like to get it, but it's really expensive and I want to make sure it's worth it.
Simply put, Final Cut Express was probably the best investment I made all last year. Highly recommended, especially if you're the type to use it for other things as well.
Final Cut Express; the lesser version of Final Cut Pro?
But this was really good-I didn't watch the whole thing, I'd skip to various parts,but the text was easy to read, with the exception of the credits, and there was a very nice use of graphics.
But this was ubreally good from both a visual& technical aspect.
Great documentary! I'm from Wisconsin and I made it to Nationals in the junior individual documentary category; the states competition was yesterday. This is my first year, and im just wondering, in the semifinals, how many people are judged together in one room?
It really, really depends on the state you're in. Some states that don't compete very much like Wyoming send people to state that wouldn't have made it past regionals where we come from.
To keep it short, the font was generated in iMovie, made the black area around transparent, layed the fire animation from later on under that, and then the artist's rendition of the fire under that. The star is another iMovie render.
Did you yourself interview those people or did you get the clips form somewhere else because I have noooooooo idea where I will find historians and other people to interview.
salsanchips22 2 weeks ago
how did you do that beginning part that was done in iMovie?
jehan345 2 months ago
How do you make the graph at 7:07?
ninjablatree 4 months ago
Thanks for your interest, everyone! I've uploaded (yes, after 4 years) a higher resolution version of the video. Enjoy.
obenany 9 months ago
i have a research report on this, wish me luck plz.
great video i got 145 notes just in the first 8 minutes.
freerealmsmaraudersf 9 months ago
AHHH !!!! soooo goood .... im going to fail this!
Harajuku101Barbie 1 year ago
What did the judges ask you? I'm preparing to do a first time Junior Devision documentary. Any pointers would be nice.
lastrachris 1 year ago
wow amazing!!
TSrock5000 1 year ago
Damn, so we have to get it around 10 minutes long to stand a chance? =/
Archmasterdoomsday 1 year ago
is your name michael?
justjoking123456 1 year ago
I am so screwed for NHD...
CloverNoodle 1 year ago 2
So we could do a video about it?
i don't understand what this really is for?
I mean i know it's talking about the history of your topic, but can we make a video of us talking and acting instaid of doing it in front of judges?
Or do we just talk about it because mine is Slavery Debatedd by the U.S Congress!
Pleasee Help!;*(
195sisters 1 year ago
Comment removed
johnt108 1 year ago 2
Where did you get your background music?
Imcoolsobackoff 1 year ago
@Imcoolsobackoff Apple Loops, they come with GarageBand. The background music was mostly in the "Jingles" category. The ending song (before Billy Joel) was an original creation with Apple Loops.
obenany 1 year ago
How long can the documentary be? I timed myself with my script and it wasn't long at all >_>
Justin13L 1 year ago
@Justin13L When we were doing it, the limit was 10 minutes. All the ones that got to nationals were almost exactly 10 minutes... Do your best to fill it up with as much interesting content as possible.
obenany 1 year ago
What was your guys' thesis statement, or rather, when was it mentioned? I'm trying to give a good example of one for my high school class in the documentary division.
DANEo2o2 1 year ago
What kind of software did you use? My group's making a documentary too, but we are having trouble deciding on a software. Is Windows Movie Maker 2007 a good program?
Thanks(:
OnewCondition123 1 year ago
Where did you find people to interview? I'm doing my project this year and really having trouble getting knowledge from others.
Justin13L 1 year ago
@Justin13L Anywhere, really. Ask every teacher at your school that would know, look up local university professors, ask museum coordinators. The first step is to focus on asking around- don't set up an interview with a curator assuming they'll know a lot, but just casually drop in and ask if they know anyone who's a pro. In our case, we went to the place that did tours of Seattle Underground, and decided a tour guide would be a cool person to ask.
obenany 1 year ago
Continued... Paul Dorpat showed up a lot of places. He contributed to some of our sources (so yes, check who wrote your sources and see if they're local) as well as had a video of him playing at the Seattle Museum. Of course, we had the advantage of using a local event... But if you're doing something popular, you're bound to have an author, historian, or professor around locally. Good luck.
obenany 1 year ago
I am a regional history day coordinator and would like to have a saved file copy of your fabulous documentary to help teach middle school and high school teachers about creating effective documentary entries with their students. Could you send me a copy of this documentary? Would you give permission to show it to faculty at a workshop? cab39@psu.edu Christine
13csoki 1 year ago
Thank you very much for the advice you gave us. Your team did a great job on your documentary! :) As our team was watching your documentary we were admiring the way the newspaper headline scrolls horizontally across the screen. What effect did you use for this? Thank you for your help! :)
MARISSAM95 1 year ago
@MARISSAM95 It's not an "effect" in terms of what iMovie would have you think. Final Cut makes you do most of the work of making it look like what you want to look like - that said, although it's not all happy user friendly, you have a lot more control. The newspaper clippings flying across the screen were relatively simple; each clipping was just a picture in the timeline. Use the viewer window and keyframe to set where the clipping is at certain times, and it will travel to an fro as you wish.
obenany 1 year ago
My group and I are making a documentary for History Day, we were wondering if your used Livetype for your titles? Also what effect you used to underline text in your documentary? Thank you :)
MARISSAM95 1 year ago
Livetype... That rings a bell, but I'm pretty sure we didn't use it. We used Boris (under the render category) for all the font. Transitions (black/orange corner things) were imported from iMovie. The underlining effect is just a line (rendering a rectangle, or "_____" text) that you reveal all at once or progressively with keyframed on the crop function. Hope that's clear enough XD G'luck!
obenany 1 year ago
what different programs did you use?
polarmanatees998 2 years ago
Final Cut for most editing, iMovie for the intro effects, GarageBand for some custom music, Photoshop/GIMP or equivalent for graphics. Street sim graphics taken out of powerpoint, use Blender or another 3D graphics program for the real thing.
obenany 2 years ago
wut's the background music?
skymin0202 2 years ago
Apple Loops, came with Final Cut express.
obenany 2 years ago
wich one is better pinaccle studio 14 ultimate or imovie?
FsimulatorX 2 years ago
awesome job!
dylaanxo 2 years ago
Great Job! This looks like something from the History Channel. I am competing in NHD for the first time this year, and I'm doing a documentary. =)
BWCVideos 2 years ago
this looks like it could be on pbs...lol
laurenv20 2 years ago
how much does final cut express cost? and is it fairly easy to figure out how to use? also, can you use it on a pc or does it have to be on a mac? GREAT documentary though. i made it to state last year for my nhd but i didnt get to nationals
meshnickmaddness25 2 years ago
FCE is about 160 bucks, we got a good price from Craigslist. Ebay would work too. It's mac only. For PC, I heard Adobe Premier Pro does all the same stuff.
For the technically minded who are familiar with graphics and media, it's pretty easy. I'd recommend a "Final Cut for Dummies" type book for the average person. Tech dumb-dumbs will struggle but can learn just fine. A book is useful at all levels. There's a difference between knowing how to use it, and knowing how to use it well (and fast).
obenany 2 years ago
This is pretty cool. I am doing NHD this year in my SS class. Just out of curiosity, what school did this documentary come from?
InACoffin 2 years ago
what year of Imovie did you make this with?
meshnickmaddness25 2 years ago
Not made with iMovie - See description =) iMovie doesn't have the chops to do most of the effects you see.
obenany 2 years ago
what did u use? just imovie? or others too?
3somewhatweird 2 years ago
You could probably answer that yourself if you spend another 3 seconds reading comments, or even the description ;-)
obenany 2 years ago
I was wondering how you created the fire animation? and how did it move only in the particular section of the map you wanted it to stay within?
also how did you create the animation of the street layers, the concrete one being laid over the original street (i don't seem to know how do do stuff like that in FCE) ?
TGayatri 2 years ago
The fire animation was relatively simple; first you make a solid clip of fire (I edited footage of a supernova until it looked fiery). Then you make a picture of the outline you want, and put a transparency in FCE on the flaming area. Put that on top of the fire movie, so you now have fire with a color around it. Export that clip and put it in the final movie, and add a transparency around the fire. Now you've got a particular shape fire raging in the movie.
obenany 2 years ago
To make it shrink or expand, use the Matte filter. You can set keyframes to choose when/where expand. Feel free to tell me where I need clarification.
The concrete effect was tricker; first you make the shapes in Powerpoint/photoshop/CAD or whatever you like. Then you take that picture and put transparencies on the outside so you're left with only shapes. Then, use the 3D effects in FCE and the angle settings on individual clips to get it how you like. Good luck.
obenany 2 years ago
Thanks, thats a really creative way of figuring out how to create nice effects!
It seems that transparencies come in really useful.
TGayatri 2 years ago
One thing i don't understand is how you get a transparency solely on part of the picture. Are transparencies just modifying the opacity? or is there some other effect? Because with opacity you can change the transparency of the entire clip but not a certain part. If you could clarify that- it would be great! Thanks!
TGayatri 2 years ago
All of the effects involving one part of the picture being transparent are done with the "Color Key" (or something like that) filter. Basically, it lets you choose a color, and anything in the clip that is that color (or similiar, you can play with tolerance) becomes transparent. For the fire, I painted everything I wanted to be transparent pink, and set the Color Key for pink.
obenany 2 years ago
dude can u tell me were u got ur background music, wen its just like the guitar playing in the background! plz! ive been looking for that song for a long time!
cmenard58 2 years ago
Thanks for you help! I got 3rd in Washington State this year. Check out my video on Norman Borlaug and post any suggestions. Thanks!
TGayatri 2 years ago
Congratulation guys! I'm doing NHD, a junior group performance on Douglas MacArthur. National's are soon and I know how hard it is to win in Nationals!
koreanswmr16 2 years ago
Wow this is a really good video. I'm sure it took you forever to do. I was in NHD this year and came in 3rd. Check out my video, I could use some feedback.
jaaackiie126 2 years ago
haha that is cool! my video is top on the list in related videos. Mine doesn't have 10,000 views tho lol haha
grizzlieplyr5221 2 years ago
Hey this doc is amazing! I am doing NHD this year too an individual documentary buts its nowhere as good as yours. I got first at regionals and going to state april 23. i used Windows for my doc for regionals, but i got a Mac and am using iMovie 09--my first time with both. this is going to sound stupid, but how do you burn your doc onto a DVD without a menu?
ashleystokes96 2 years ago
Render your movie onto a file (probably Quicktime format) on your hard drive, and open iDVD. Ignore the intro prompt and select "OneStep DVD from Movie" from the File menu, and select the movie you just saved - the instructions should carry you through the rest. Good luck!
obenany 2 years ago
Thanks! i'm glad you're not competing or it wouldn't stand a chance! i've watched your doc like 50 times :)
ashleystokes96 2 years ago
Thanks XD
obenany 2 years ago
Thank you. Yeah i kinda figured wiconsin wouldnt be as tough because there is only 7 regionals and not much competition. That is a shame you guys split up because you did so good. Thanks for replying and congrats on a great documentary!!
meshnickmaddness25 2 years ago
Hey i got first at reginals (im in wisconsin) any tips? i want to go to nationals sooo bad. Ad are your guys still doing documentarys in high school this year?
meshnickmaddness25 2 years ago
Tips are all over the comments, just read everything. Wisconsin isn't such a high-competition state, so compared to others getting into Nationals won't be so hard for you. The team split up; I think one of us is entering, but that's it. G'luck!
obenany 2 years ago
We are preparing our video for the infamous competition, lol. We're practically desperate to do well - too many sleepless nights. regionals are tomorrow, did you have your interviews for the regional level?
Koshouku 2 years ago
We did, and believe me: interviews are a major part of your success. Make sure you REALLY know your stuff, and if you have a team, make sure everyone knows who answers what. Don't cut each other off, make as many helpful additions and including as many random facts that weren't in your documentary as possible.
obenany 2 years ago
what do judges really look for, because i'm doing history day, and i think mine is almost as good as this. it has two interviews with people involved in my story, and lots of different old photos and almost all primary sources. someone thats done this before help me!
heartlandcutie13 2 years ago
i used final cut pro for my documentary for this years competion. my group put a lot of hard work on it, and i think we have a chance of winning. we don't have any interviews in our documentary, but we have them on our bibliography. will this hurt our chances?
xojackie126xo 2 years ago
interviews are good...but the entire compatition is bs...i got beat by this terrible one...music louder than the words...not even the right topic, and the history teacher next to me agreed with me. the judges, they could have found more knowladgeable ones in a dumpster, and not bragging, mine was preety good but they jst f**ked the whole compotition up.
eman8494 2 years ago
smiley face pins :)
im from nj didnt get too far...
theamamamia 2 years ago
I did a paper and i have made it to regionals so far. Do you remember when you went to regionals if they checked your sources really in depth? Or was that only for state? thanks!
hatcher1467 2 years ago
They check sources off-screen, so IDK. I DO have a suspicion that by nationals, the sources are pretty instrumental to success.
obenany 2 years ago
but you are sure they check the sources? at regionals?
hatcher1467 2 years ago
Like I said, I'm not. Can't help you there.
obenany 2 years ago
At regionals, they pretty much just flip through them. We had multiple errors on ours that weren't caught and we made first in state.
MzCraziLady 2 years ago
Yeah, it doesn't necessarily mean that they don't notice. It means that other people had more errors than you.
cambridgedomer4life 2 years ago
Certainly odd, considering they commented on the more minor errors.
MzCraziLady 2 years ago
how do you make the highlighting effect on 2:12, and the one on 4:59, and how do you tilt the newspaper in the background at 9:30
thanks
TGayatri 2 years ago
The highlighting of the newspaper was a black hollow rectangle shape with soft edges which fades in as both the rectangle and newspaper zoom. Same for 4:59; hollow rectangle render. The red underlining is simply an text render of a red underline.
The tilted newspaper is a simple attribute changed in the Viewer; an angle wheel allows you to change it to any angle, and then use key frames to make the movement happen. This is all in Final Cut, btw. Good luck!
obenany 2 years ago
Thanks!
Sorry to bother you again, but the beginning sequence, that was rendered in iMovie right?
How do you make it?
TGayatri 2 years ago
That was pretty simple - I don't remember the interface very well, but it was a sort of pre-set introduction or "theme". It beings with gray boxes in the movie which you fill in with pictures via drag and drop. You can then drag that segment on the iMovie timeline onto the Final Cut timeline. Hope that helps!
obenany 2 years ago
I seem to be unable to create a rectangle. How do you make one in FCE. I just got it recently and am still experimenting.
The help doesn't provide any information on how to create shapes, circles, rectangles, lines etc.
Thanks,
TGayatri 2 years ago
Easy - shapes aren't something you're adding or changing about an existing clip, so it's under the "Effects" tab in your browser window and then under the "Video Generators" sub directory. You'll quickly see a file labeled "Shapes", and after picking the right one simply drag it onto your time line. Sorry, perhaps I was assuming too much about your experience!
obenany 2 years ago
where did you get this program?
buffsman12 2 years ago
Full price was a little hefty; we looked on Craigslist and bought a used copy from another video artist.
obenany 2 years ago
Hey.... I thought Shruti's "Apollo Mission" project won 1st at nationals!
zirconia234 2 years ago
I can guarantee that this won first place at nationals in the junior group documentary for the year with Triumph and Tragedy as the theme.
obenany 2 years ago
Exceptional Documentary, well done.
phosgenesample3 3 years ago
what state are you guys from?
theamamamia 3 years ago
We were from Washington.
obenany 2 years ago
Comment removed
theamamamia 3 years ago
i am also doing documentary, but i have a problem with my voice not being loud enough and i also stumble on my words a lot. Any tips on how to improve my voice over?
n0c1lue 3 years ago
Voice strength can be fixed with mic volume under Sounds in the control panel. Most programs also allow you to boost the recording's volume. Otherwise, the mic is the problem and you need a preamp or better mic.
As for stumbling, if you're on your own you should simply practice speaking and listen to other documentaries to get a hang of how they speak. The voice should be fluent, confident, and informed. If you're a group, just find who has the best voice for this. Good luck!
obenany 3 years ago
my friend and i are doing oprah winfrey this year
moneybagss 3 years ago
I entered this year and my group is doing marcel marceau and we got 1st place at regionals!! I am so excited to go to state
IFJVolleyball89 3 years ago
Congrats! What state? Regionals are just the first step, ranging from filtering out the worthless to sending on the ones that show promise depending on state =) Good luck!
obenany 3 years ago
Idaho
IFJVolleyball89 3 years ago
Okey dokes, not bad. Keep working and improving it, regionals is by far the easiest =) Once again, good luck =)
obenany 3 years ago
That is an amazing documentary
flaminredhotflowerup 3 years ago
I'm entering this year and there is one part of the rules that really confuses me. When you used the interview with Paul Dorpat, was that existing footage that you just gave credit for, or was it an original interview? In that case, if you include an interview, you don't need a voice over? If you could clear that up, I would really appreciate it!
cullenboysrock 3 years ago
That was an original interview; we had the chance of having this wonderful historian within easy driving distance. There was no voicing over of the interview - I don't know what the rule is referring to, maybe if you put it here I can tell you what it seems like it's trying to say. Thanks!
obenany 3 years ago
awesome. im entering NHD, too. our theme this year is "Individual in History". HOwever, my teacher said that I could do a group
~student at Sierra Vista Middle School
surferlife45155 3 years ago
same with me
who are you doing?
i am doing Joseph Stalin
HardyBoy55929 3 years ago
Whoa i just saw rebecca's comment on their documentary. Nice job you did, i was also pretty impressed with Anand's documentary for Conflict and Compromise. =( biased judges ftl. Wish us luck in competition this year.
-three eighth graders from Redmond Jr. :P
lil7upboy 3 years ago
Luck has been wished =)
obenany 3 years ago
Also, when I go will they ask me out right if i followed copyright procedures and look into my claims?
absurdist366 3 years ago
None of the judges did that for us, but we DID follow all copyright rules and let them know that we did.
obenany 3 years ago
anthony this is anand im making one with pritam reluca and tian
aheim94 3 years ago
ZOMFG so there you go, one member still making some. What on? Is it good? Whacha makin it with?
obenany 3 years ago
Did you making one this year?
absurdist366 3 years ago
Nope, didn't compete. Team split up due to moving/school changes, and as far as I'm aware none of us have made any attempt by ourselves.
obenany 3 years ago
good pictures but the narrations were a little too quiet
Adrew1212 3 years ago
it irks me
madameIgloo 3 years ago
Great job! I'm doing a presentation (not a documentary) this year. That's really a great video. You deserved winning at nationals.
--Haflinger96--
Haflinger96 3 years ago
how did you do those effect at 00:08 - 00:26
markpnoy 3 years ago
He used I-movie. You can't do that type of stuff in windows movie maker :(
Luvable31 3 years ago
Wow. That was incrediably impressive.
nightviola 3 years ago
this is an amazing documentary- i do a website every year :) ...congrats on winning @ nationals!
ItsAmazingSoAmazing 3 years ago
what kind of software did you use to use the picture panning thing in the beginning? i'm doing my own project and want to know what would be the best way to do it.
irokoutloud248 3 years ago
Final Cut Express- the key feature you're looking for in a software for precise panning is called keyframing, or key frames in general. They automatically animate the distance between the picture's locations on the screen based on frames that you edit yourself ("key" frames).
obenany 3 years ago
Great job!!! I'm impressed. I have a question -- is "Final Cut Express" a PC software or MaC? I'm in 6th grade, like to make a documentary soon for the competition.
shmlu 3 years ago
It's for Mac only. If you want to compete this year, I'd get started right now! It takes quite a bit of time to compile research and edit video.
obenany 3 years ago
wow. this is really good. i'm doing sam walton for action and legacy.. kinda hard!
dumblondestudios 3 years ago
Awesome job, and very advanced for your age. Congratulations on you award. Keep working it.
NorthWoodsVideo 3 years ago
Hi, great film!
I'm curious -
1) what age group is "Junior" ?
and
2) do you know what happened to the guy who started the fire afterwards ?
z5hmg 3 years ago
Junior is at or below 8th grade, and poor John felt so bad he just ran away. Never showed his face anywhere, even though no one really blamed him for it.
obenany 3 years ago
thanks obenany!
had to look up 8th grade - found it in wikipedia "usually 13 - 14 years" (different system here..)
"Poor John" is right, wonder did he ever realise that in the long run that it helped the city ...
z5hmg 3 years ago
reply often doesnt work .. this last post was a reply to obenany below - forgot to say film very impressive at any age but even more so at that age..
z5hmg 3 years ago
how did you animate the fire sequence, where it spread across the map? and also how did you create the clock in the same sequence? It would be awesome if u could let me know, thanks.
pvsundarb2 3 years ago
The fire sequence: made a fire clip that fills the scene, made an outline of the burnt zone, made a movie of a burnt-zone sized fire using the outline, and used an expanding matte on the final version with a transparency on the surrounding safe area.
Clock: Put a clock graphic in the corner, made a line using the text renderer, and used rotation in the keyframing/motion attributes to have it spin.
obenany 3 years ago
Hey, I'm doing a documentary but I have Windows. Any suggestions on how to do a documentary using Windows?
Thanks
BTW, yours is really good
Geckoben666 3 years ago
Thanks! I hear for windows Adobe Premier Pro is just about as good as Final Cut. Usually none of the docs that go to nationals are made with the stuff that comes with Windows.
obenany 3 years ago
Thanks! I had a friend who made it to nationals using Movie Maker, but his understanding of his content was REALLY good and he worked really hard. He did the Brown vs Board of Education.
Geckoben666 3 years ago
Is there any way to get Adobe Premier Pro free?
Geckoben666 3 years ago
Maybe illegally.
laughwest101 3 years ago
Nope, Final Cut Express was purchased and every sound used in the documentary were royalty-free Apple Loops, with the exception of the clip from "We Didn't Start The Fire" at the end, legal because of its sub-30 second length.
obenany 3 years ago
If you want to buy it it's $800. There are trials for 30 days, though.
laughwest101 3 years ago
great job. do u need a Mac to use final cut express?
manny1293 3 years ago
Yes you do, if you skip past all the "well technically you could..." stuff.
obenany 3 years ago
what did you use for the video effects
DrentCo 3 years ago
Final Cut Express HD- look at the other responses I've posted.
obenany 3 years ago
You guys did a really good job with this. I appreciate when there are creative videos that win, like this one, other than ones that just have research. Although I'm sure you did a lot of research too. I was competing in this same category in the same year.
HurricaneJXXN 3 years ago
omg!!!i just went on the underground tour 2 day!!!!just got back soooo cool the history was amazing,and if u go...hope u get a...how do i say this nicely......GOOD tour guide i know one of them (not mine) was drunkkk.
Watermisty123 3 years ago
This is by far the best History Day documentary I have ever seen! Much better than the 2008 winning documentaries.
Amazed by the special effects and visual appeal!
aceroyale21 3 years ago
For anyone participating in the documentary category of NHD, they should look to this video as a model for their own project. This year, I switched to using Final Cut Express for editing my own documentary, and placed 10th in the nation. I wouldn't have come this far if I hadn't watched and learned from this award winning documentary.
sukatlife41 3 years ago
*Sniff* Thank you, we hoped that this would help people to that effect.
obenany 3 years ago
I believe that FCE4 is a great editing software. However, doing a documentary for this competition as well, I used iMovie HD because of my topic. Although I do own FCE4, I didnt use it for this year because my topic is fairly old so there isnt much of any video footage. I think iMovie HD is much better than iMovie08 because it has a timeline. This year I won 1st in the JR. Individual Documentary division. I have posted it as a response to this
grizzlieplyr5221 3 years ago
What do you mean by fairly old? My topic is just a year older than yours, and most of my documentary is video footage. If you tried, I bet you could have found some great videos on the black 14. In fact, I recommend you use FCE anyway. The Great Seattle Fire won first place using FCE yet it only had a few seconds of video. That is because they found creative methods to utilize the many advantages in the FCE software. Again, kudos to the makers of this video for showing us how its done.
sukatlife41 3 years ago
(referring to grizzlieplyr5221 of course)
sukatlife41 3 years ago
Fairly old by not much video footage. The topic is not old at all. Just for the video perspective it is. Trust me I know. On all of the finalists, they all had video footage and great interviews. What place did you get again?
grizzlieplyr5221 3 years ago
I believe i saw you in the finalists room. Remember me? I went first
grizzlieplyr5221 3 years ago
yea, I remember you. i saw your documentary along with all the other junior individual finalists' videos. you're from wyoming, right?
sukatlife41 3 years ago
yessir
grizzlieplyr5221 3 years ago
Hahaha Wyoming, this guy's from Wyoming. Good times, right Anthony?
titanslugger24 3 years ago
wat?
grizzlieplyr5221 3 years ago
Haha you bet. Territory wars at nationals.
obenany 3 years ago
dood, awesome job!
you competing again this year?
rainnbowcow 3 years ago
Hey, that was really good. I competed last year and made it to states, and should have made it to nationals, but we definitaly wouldn't have beaten you guys. Would you recommend final cut pro as an editing program? I would like to get it, but it's really expensive and I want to make sure it's worth it.
mybestbudsrule 3 years ago
Simply put, Final Cut Express was probably the best investment I made all last year. Highly recommended, especially if you're the type to use it for other things as well.
obenany 3 years ago
ok, cool, i think i'll ask to get it
what grade were you guys in when you entered this?
mybestbudsrule 3 years ago
This was the top of the junior category, 8th grade.
obenany 3 years ago
oOo, cool, great job
mybestbudsrule 3 years ago
yeah. I'm in 8th grade right now.. mine won't be as good :[
Jinx9516 3 years ago
This was amazing! I totally see how you guys won. Also-- one second to the limit! XD
hyperactivecheese 3 years ago
Final Cut Express; the lesser version of Final Cut Pro?
But this was really good-I didn't watch the whole thing, I'd skip to various parts,but the text was easy to read, with the exception of the credits, and there was a very nice use of graphics.
But this was ubreally good from both a visual& technical aspect.
marisafa13 3 years ago
Great documentary! I'm from Wisconsin and I made it to Nationals in the junior individual documentary category; the states competition was yesterday. This is my first year, and im just wondering, in the semifinals, how many people are judged together in one room?
sukatlife41 3 years ago
I remember watching this at the finals in DC
hoppinfrogs14 3 years ago
I mean nationals in that last comment, not states.
obenany 3 years ago
How good does a doc have to be in order to get to Nationals?
foreverseule 3 years ago
It really, really depends on the state you're in. Some states that don't compete very much like Wyoming send people to state that wouldn't have made it past regionals where we come from.
obenany 3 years ago
Well, I'm in Minnesota, and stet's tomorrow. Wish me luck! What state are you from?
foreverseule 3 years ago
How did you make the title page? that is awesomeeeeee :)
xaovang 3 years ago
To keep it short, the font was generated in iMovie, made the black area around transparent, layed the fire animation from later on under that, and then the artist's rendition of the fire under that. The star is another iMovie render.
obenany 3 years ago
hey nice job man!! im currently going to State for my individual documentary. Cool video!
20shadow08 3 years ago
what program did you use? We can't find any program that can do what we really want
Sausha100 3 years ago
Final Cut Express/Pro, Adobe Premier Pro, and now I hear Sony Vegas can all do literally anything you want them to do. The trick is knowing how ;-)
obenany 3 years ago
COOL i am currently using sony vagas so i guess it will work for me!
flyingpenguin66 3 years ago