Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: Making your own movies, version 2
  • Subject: Making your own movies, version 2
Subject: Making your own movies, version 2
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

In order to make your own Halo (or any gaming) movies, basically you'll need three things:

[li]An idea of what you're going to make the movie on (a certain Halo criteria, maybe a promotional video);[/li]

[li]Recording software (I use FRAPS);[/li]

[li]Editing software (the freebie Windows Movie Maker is very good).[/li]

Basic:

FRAPS records 'clips' whenever you select record, for the length of time your recording session goes on for. Using a program such as Windows Movie Maker (AKA. WMM), you can compile, trim and transition clips with a variety of methods. You can also add titles and credits this way, as well as audio, resulting in a professional finish.

Some key factors that will help you make the most out of your video are: timing (if you time the action and music together, the effect is quite delightful), organisation and clip order, and variety (generally its better to have a range of good, short clips than a few long ones).

However, FRAPS clips take up a lot of space, so you have to take that into account.


Advanced:

FRAPS guide

Basically, FRAPS is an application that records clips from your PC games. You can acquire it from the website. Obviously, your best option there is to buy a registered copy, but there are two download options: the original FRAPS, recording unlimited, giant size clips but without sound; and the latest version, sound-enabled version, which is limited to half-quality clips (more economic actually, and the quality is still great), with a 'fraps' overlay at the top and limited length.

It's your choice what to get, but for the best, most professional videos, you pretty much need the options of sound and quality, so the full version is for you. That said, getting the free versions will still set you up well for making videos.

Now you've got your copy of FRAPS, it's time to begin recording.

All you need to do to get your clips is (a) set up a directory on your hard drive for storage, and (b) customise the program to your needs (you can find all the options on the FRAPS site, all you need to do for now is set up the video record and screenshot button). Now, boot up the game of your choice, and hit the video record hotkey (usually F9) to toggle recording on or off. From the time you start recording to the time you finish, you are creating a clip, which will be stored in the directory.

Make sure you don't waste clips, as they do take up lots of space which you're going to need, and have a good idea of what kind of clips you want to record before you begin.

Windows Movie Maker guide

So, you know what you want your end result to be, and you now have a library of clips to select from and compile in the order that best fits the style of your movie.

First off, select some music (if any) that you want to have as the background music, and drag it down into the audio track area. The best way to make an effective movie is to fit the clips to the music, so make sure you are careful with your clip timing & transitions.

Next, add some titles at the beginning. Make sure to look through the range of styles before picking the one that suits you. Introduce your movie quickly, and don't forget the title layering effect so you can have a mix of words and clips playing at the same time. At this point you can either add credits, or wait til the end of the clip for them.

Now comes the major part; compiling the clips. All you have to do is find the clips you want, trim them to the size you want, and put transitions in to make it appear and play the way you want. Logical ordering of clips is a good idea, so make sure to take that into account before you begin compiling.

The final thing you should consider are the effects, such as audio volume levels, fading, and special effects for the clips. With that out of the way, you can create your movie. To save it in WMV format to your hard drive, select the save movie as option from 'file', and then you get the option to choose a size to fit your movie to; if you intend to upload it to your website, don't make it too big.


So there you are, you can now go and make your very own movies.

Any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll answer as best I can.

  • 09.13.2004 10:36 AM PDT