Razor Sharp Editing...
Razor Sharp Editing...- special effects and filmmaking
If I was to take the tape out of a VHS-C tape, and use a razor or stanley knife to cut to peices I didn't want and then tape it back together, would there be anything wrong with that? What would I use to stick it back up? Would the audio track be affected at all? Would you do it and how long might it take?
I ask this due to the spasamastic world of editing via the VCR. The five second playback rubbish has me stumped and I have no time to experiment to get it right. It's now or never.
------------------
I once had 509 posts...but now I don't.
chances are... you will have no way to correctly position the tape before cutting it. Editing the video, will edit the sound too. But, the sticky tape will have to go on the back of the tape (as if it covered the front the magnetic info would be obscured). This would make the tape really weak, and it would probably snap in the VCR - disaster, or bung up the VCR - equally disasterous.
You will probably just end up with hundreds of little pieces of black video tape and sticky tape all over the place!!
Over all, I would say this is probably a bad idea.
I would have to vote bad idea too, i really don't think there would be a way to know what you were cutting.
I agree, bad idea.
But depending on the tape you use to stick it together it "could" hold. One of my movies came damaged (the end of the tape was not attached to the little wheel thingies) so I just took the end and stuck it to the wheel with some tape, and it works just fine. But that was just sticking the tape to the wheel, tape to tape I think would be harder. 
BTW: I also got a free movie cause I reported it damaged and they sent me another one. (I love getting free stuff) 
------------------
MAKING A MOVIE: Make a movie that you would buy a ticket to see, and then pray millions of people agree with you
I have taped a VHS tape back together, but it was because it broke. It still works fine but I get garbage when it hits the tape.
You could in theory splice VHS tape but as someone else mentioned, how would you know what you are editing? It would end up looking worse than it does with the 5second playback delay.
What you need is to use a VCR or Camcorder with 'flying erase heads' (I think thats what its called. That will back your editing more seamless.
In the early days of video editing something such as you suggest was done. It was abandoned with good reason.
- Each frame of video lies on a diagonal across the tape. You have to make the cut/splice diagonally across the tape and between the frames. In order to see the frames early video editors blew a fine magnetic powder on the tape which would stick to the magnetic frames.
- The soundtrack is not laid on diagonally but linearly along one edge. It is also not in physical sync with the video but is displaced in one direction or the other to be read/recorded by a separate head, similar to film.
quote:
Originally posted by Felix:I ask this due to the spasamastic world of editing via the VCR. The five second playback rubbish has me stumped and I have no time to experiment to get it right. It's now or never.
are you black bursting the tape? record all your tapes completely, just plug in a set of vires on your inputs so you dont get anything on the tape when you record, that should eliminate some of the "rubbish" on playback. flying erase heads and good tapes should also cut down on that.
give it a shot
later
Tom
------------------
What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...
...a PERSON
Thanks everyone.
I went ahead and edited via the VCR. I hated it, very much, but it got done. Every single cut I had to do eight times to get it right, but it got done. I stayed up until three in the morning getting it right, but it got done.
Crazy Lou, I may just try that.
Thanks all.
------------------
I once had 509 posts...but now I don't.
Early VTRs use to write info right across the tape from top to bottom in a straight line and would mark the tape with a bit of ink to show where the frame was. This allowd the editor to splice the tape on an exact frame.
You can't do this with todays VTRs becase there is an offset between the audio and the video heads. On the tape, the audio is a second or two behind the video, so any edit done with a splice whould affect the audio and video at different times.
I used to edit via camcorder/vcr, but I was lucky. My jvc vhs-c cam has edit points and a link to the vcr that automatically edited when I made 8 in/out points. Then after it recorded, i just had to make 8 more in/out points. A flying erase head made the cuts perfect as well.
God bless digital editing ~~
Mine has that too!!
How do I get that to work, what do I do? That would make everything SOOOO much easier.
------------------
I once had 509 posts...but now I don't.
All times are ET (US)