Free UK OE
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Thanks to everyone who entered Stage One of the 2010 Free UK OE Competition. We received some fantastic entries and have selected up to 10 Stage One winners from each of the 47 universities in this year's competition to continue through to Stage Two. Those through to Stage Two now need to impress us with a short video telling us why they should get a seat on the plane for the all-expenses-paid Fiji Winners Weekend and possibly a seat on the plane to the major prize destination THE UK. Stage One winners were notified by email, sent on Wednesday 28 April. 
Nic's Guide to Making a VideoOne of the great things about running Free UK OE competitions is the people you meet. Back in 2009 we were lucky enough to pick Nic Laning as one of our winners. Not only was Nic a great asset on tour, he's also pretty handy with a video camera. We asked him to put together a brief guide to making a Free UK OE video. Take it away Nic …
What is myOE looking for?We want you to show us why you deserve a free OE to the UK. It’s a big prize so we’ve got big expectations! It’s got to be creative and uniquely you, so think outside the box and show us what you’re made of. We’re not expecting a Hollywood blockbuster — this is your masterpiece to make however you like! If you want some inspiration, have a look at last year’s videos to get those creative juices flowing … What can I use to film?With technology these days, the opportunities are endless! Here are just a few ideas to get you started: Camcorder: Dust off the family home video recorder and get shooting! If you’re looking for sound and image quality, this is your best option. Digital Camera: Most digital cameras come with a basic video shooting function — get experimenting! Mobile Phone: Heaps of phones have video recording capabilities these days. The quality isn’t the best, but that doesn’t limit your creativity! Web camera: Some great videos were made with a web cam last year. If your computer comes with a web camera, it’s likely you also have a program on your computer designed to capture your footage so you can edit it and convert it to a digital file. How long can my video be?All entries must be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes so go for quality, not quantity! How big can my video be?Please keep your videos under 100MB ! Here’s some tips to keep the size of your video down without losing too much quality:
What shooting format should I use?Here in Australia/New Zealand we film with PAL which captures 25 frames per second (FPS) as opposed to North America’s NTSC which is 30 FPS. There will be an option in your video recording device to confirm these settings. Ensure you’re set to PAL, otherwise you may struggle with the editing. Getting Your Footage from Camera to ComputerIt’s up to you whether your video will be a ‘One Take Wonder’ or an editing masterpiece, but either way, you first need to import or capture it into the editing program on your computer to convert it to a digital file. What editing software should I use?There are loads of editing applications available but if you haven’t had experience with editing before, we recommend:
How do I get my footage into the editing program?To begin editing, you will first need to import/capture your footage into the editing program. Often when you connect your camera via either a USB or Firewire cable, your editing program will automatically detect a camera has been connected. Just follow the prompts. How do I import my footage from a memory card or hard disk drive?You will need to import your footage if you recorded to a memory card or a hard disk drive (HDD) inside your camera. When in import mode, your recorded clips should automatically appear and you are free to select and bring them into your project. How do I capture my footage from a miniDV tape?If you recorded your footage to a miniDV tape, you will need to capture your footage. Camcorders generally use tape to record footage (however some newer models use memory cards and HDD also). To capture your footage, your clips won’t immediately appear, but your editing program should detect a camera has been connected. You can now play your tape and choose what footage you would like to capture/import into your project. How do I add music and images to my video?If you want to use images and music in your video, you must also import them into the project, using the import tool. They will appear alongside your footage in the project. How do I start editing?When you’ve finished in import/capture mode, it’s time to begin editing. In edit mode, select your clips, drop them onto the timeline and arrange them according to which order you want to show them. Remember, we are looking for videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes in length. The timeline is where you can trim your video down to size. Can I use whatever tools I like?By all means! We can’t wait to see what you come up with! In the editing process, you can use all kinds of creative tools to insert titles, images, music tracks, cool effects and transitions to your video. Here are a couple of useful tutorials: How do I send my video to myOE?Exporting is the process of getting your video out of the editing program, and saving it as a digital computer file that it sits on your desktop. When you’ve finished editing your video, select the timeline in your project and choose a place to send it.
This is your finished product, so you need to ensure it plays correctly in a video player program such as QuickTime, Windows Media Player or VLC. If it works properly, send it to the myOE judging panel! There are two ways to send your video, either upload it directly from your computer to the myOE web site or (if you have your own YouTube account) upload the video to YouTube and send us the Embed link. Good luck!! Need Help?If you have any questions about the video making process or if you don't even know where to start, please contact us via my Assistant so we can give you a few pointers and get you back in the competition. |