Video from Camcorder to Computer

Some schools are doing year-end video projects, so this topic applies to them.

First of all, once you've filmed your video on a DIGITAL CAMCORDER, you will also need a FIREWIRE CARD installed on the computer of your choice.

For North Park Elementary, this FireWire card is in the Computer Lab.

This post will not discuss HOW to film, only how to put it on your computer. It will not discuss how to edit either.

Here are the steps.

• Turn the camcorder to PLAY, or EDIT.


• Plug the FireWire cable into the camcorder. Usually there will be the letters DV above the correct port on the camcorder. (This will not work if your camcorder does not have the port to fit that specific cable)


• The AutoPlay box should pop up automatically, it may take a few minutes, or it may be immediately. (You MAY also see a small popup box that gives you options for the camcorder. If so, select "Capture Video")


• Name your video. You will want to somehow label this film as your "rough footage", reminding you that this is straight from the camera. If no editing is needed, you can rename it later.

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Basically, you'll hit Next 3 times in a row, but I'll show you the screens you'll see. Just in case, make sure you have the same selections filled in:



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Now comes the actual "capturing" of the video to your computer. You can use the buttons below the preview screen to control your camcorder.

Use these controls to find your place on the tape. You can Rewind, Fast Forward, Pause, Stop, and Play the video. Get to where you would like to start Capturing the video, then hit the "Start Capture" button. Your video will start playing.



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Once you hit Start Capture, you will see the "Video Captured" timer begin, telling you how much film you have captured, along with the filesize so far.

Hit Finish when you are satisfied with your video capture.



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When you hit Finish, you'll see the Windows Movie Maker window. You can close that, unless you want to go into some advanced editing. I wouldn't recommend this for first time users.



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The next instructions are for North Park staff only:

Now your video is saved on THE LAB COMPUTER hard drive. You MUST move it to the N drive, or your VIDEO WILL BE DELETED the next time the computer reboots.

By default, your video will have saved in the folder on the desktop called "FILMS - Move to N Drive"



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Open that folder, and you will see your film. All you have to do is DRAG your video file into the folder labeled "N Drive Shortcut". That's it, you've put it on the N Drive, and your video can now be accessed from your own classroom.



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Double Click on the "N Drive Shortcut" folder to MAKE SURE YOUR VIDEO IS THERE.

You can now shut off the camcorder, unplug it, and turn off the computer. You can finish any project with this video from your classroom computer.

To access your video from your room, go into My Computer.



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Then, into your N Drive.



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Then you will see the folder called "01 Film Festival 2008". This is where you moved your video via that shortcut in the computer lab.



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From this folder, you can see your video, play your video, copy your video to your desktop, or whatever you'd like to do.

Further editing of this video MAY be discussed in another topic, but I can't promise I'll have the time.

Your School Webmaster will be able to go into this folder on the N Drive and place the video on your school's website.

If you are satisfied with your video, you're done!