Legal Questions About Recording TV Programs

By Lori Spencer

 

The landmark 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sony Corporation v. Universal City Studios (more widely known as the Betamax case) established the legality of home video recording. The court ruled that home VCR use did not infringe the rights of copyright holders, and that the plaintiffs would not suffer a substantial loss in profits because of home video recording. In this case, it was decided that recording a TV program for later home viewing met the “fair use” standard.

The ever-changing landscape of digital technology presents new legal questions for copyright holders and consumers alike. We’ll tackle a few of the most frequently asked ones.

Read more: Legal Questions About Recording TV Programs | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/list_7391290_legal-questions-recording-tv-programs.html#ixzz1g8rTvUc6

Working as an Audio Engineer

By Lori Spencer

Audio engineering careers require versatility and the ability to adapt to working in a variety of sound formats and applications. One day, an engineer might be making an album for a major rock artist; the next day, he or she might be editing a film soundtrack or mixing a classical 120-piece orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony. Jobs in sound engineering range include things such as running live sound at concerts, producing radio and television shows, creating sound for video games, performing audio post production or even designing entire public address (PA) systems and recording studios.

Continued at
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-jobs-in-sound-engineering.htm

Careers in Audio Engineering

By Lori Spencer

If you love music, are fascinated by technology and are lucky enough to have very precise hearing, you may have what it takes to become an audio engineer. Producing or engineering an album for one of the world’s top artists is certainly a desirable goal for many, but competition for jobs in the recording industry is fierce. If you want to rise to the top of the heap, you’ll need more than just training or technical expertise. Being a successful audio engineer also requires determination, persistence, patience, industry connections, people skills, and of course, talent.

Continued at
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-become-an-audio-engineer.htm

See also related story “How Do I Become a Broadcast Engineer” by Lori Spencer for radio, tv and film career-specific advice:

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-become-a-broadcast-engineer.htm

Becoming a Development Executive in TV/Film

By Lori Spencer

If you’ve always wanted to work in the exciting, creative television or film industries and have a particular gift for spotting “the next big thing” before it emerges, you may have what it takes to become a development executive. This is a high-level management position within the studio power structure, generally above creative and studio executives. A development executive (DE) is in charge of reading scripts, managing creative talent behind the scenes, and getting new movies and TV shows into production. DEs are not only expected to stay on top of the latest trends, but also must be able to identify and develop a hit before the competition beats them to the punch.

Continued at
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-become-a-development-executive.htm

Choosing the Best Professional Microphone

By Lori Spencer

Choosing the best professional microphone is a matter of both personal preference and matching the mic’s characteristics to the type of sound you want to capture. Certain types of microphones are better suited for recording vocals than instruments, for example. Others are more appropriate for live sound than studio recording. Regardless of the frequency response or cartridge type you choose, selecting the right microphone ultimately means finding whichever is the best microphone for you.

Continued at http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-professional-microphone.htm

How Do I Become a Video Producer?

By Lori Spencer

Making the transition from hobbyist videographer or film enthusiast to professional video producer can require years of training, although not necessarily in a formal academic environment. Most video producers start out as freelancers before working their way up to a job at a major film or television studio. Others can earn comfortable livings running their own businesses producing educational and corporate videos, independent films, music videos, or documenting weddings and other events for private clients. The career and income options are nearly unlimited for a video producer who has the drive, talent and creativity to succeed.

Continued at http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-become-a-video-producer.htm

Recording TV Shows With a DVD Recorder

By Lori Spencer

Using a standalone DVD recorder, you can easily record your favorite TV shows onto DVD. Here’s a quick tutorial.

If you’ve finally decided to chunk that old VCR and upgrade to a DVD recorder, chances are you might be feeling a bit intimidated by the prospect of learning new digital technology. While DVD recorders tend to have more bells and whistles than their analog counterparts, they are often simpler to operate once you get the hang of it. Best of all, you’ll love being able to cue right to the chapter you want in seconds without having to wait for the tape to rewind or fast-forward.

Read more at Suite101: Recording TV Shows With a DVD Recorder | Suite101.com
http://www.suite101.com/content/recording-tv-shows-with-a-dvd-recorder-a370303#ixzz1M3He4FeQ

Adding A New Audio Track to Your Video

By Lori Spencer

 

When producing your video project, you might want to record a new audio track to mix with or replace the existing audio on your video. For example, maybe you want to add narration to a documentary film. You can accomplish this from within your video editing program, such as Windows Movie Maker for PC (or iMovie for Mac).

For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll be using Windows Movie Maker. However, the basic audio recording functions are the same in iMovie and most other movie-making software programs.

Step 1

Purchase a good quality external microphone for recording your audio track. While you don’t have to invest in a top-of-the-line microphone, plan to spend at least $50 to $100 for a microphone of sufficient quality. Same goes for headphones; if you don’t already own a good pair, it’s well worth it to invest in headphones that will give you the cleanest and most accurate sound possible.

Step 2

Plug the microphone into the mic jack on your computer. (You may need an adapter if the plug is too large for the jack.)

Step 3

Plug your headphones into the computer’s headphone jack.

Step 4

Open your movie project file in the video authoring program (in this case, Windows Movie Maker).

Step 5

Place the cursor in the audio area of the time line at the point where you want the narration to begin. (The audio track area is located just below the video time line.)

Step 6

Press Narrate Time Line. The narration wizard will appear. Select your recording input as microphone.

Step 7

Test your recording levels and adjust the microphone volume level accordingly. Play back the test recording to make sure you are getting enough gain on the microphone without distortion.

Step 8

Press Record and speak normally into the microphone. The narration wizard will play your movie to help guide you during recording of the voice track.

Step 9

Press Stop when you are finished recording. The track is automatically inserted into the audio area of your movie time line.

The narration you recorded is saved as a Windows Media Audio file (WMA). By default, the narration file is saved in the My Videos/Narration folder on your computer.

Step 10

Work with the track by selecting it with your mouse. Now you can move it around, trim the beginning/end and adjust the volume level in the mix. (For example, you can layer the narration track over background music or the audio on your existing video.)

Step 11

Save your movie project with the new audio track when you are done editing.

Tips

You can record the audio track in a separate audio recording program such as Audacity or WavePad. This gives you more control over the sound and the ability to add effects and perform more advanced editing tasks.

To add a prerecorded audio file (such as an MP3, WMA or WAV file) to your movie, use the Import function to import the file into your Collections pane. Then drag the audio file into the time line and insert it at the point where you want it to play.

Warnings

Key Concepts

• record narration video
• record audio video
• audio video recording
• windows movie maker
• apple imovie software
• video authoring software

References

• YouTube: Working With Audio in Windows Movie Maker [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqWStZMWAJA&feature=related]
• YouTube: Windows Movie Maker Effects: Adding Audio [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xk17QpPBN0&feature=related]
• YouTube: Recording Voiceovers With iMovie09 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPgCWQRBaus&feature=related]
• YouTube: Editing Audio in iMovie (for Mac) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qfC2gwLsGI&feature=related]
• YouTube: How to Record a Narration Using Windows Movie Maker [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2n8NeghC8c]

Resources (Further Reading)

• Microsoft: Adjusting Audio in Windows Movie Maker FAQ [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Adjusting-audio-in-Windows-Movie-Maker-frequently-asked-questions]
• Windows Movie Maker Tutorials: How to Add Narration [http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/Tutorials/HowToAddNarration.aspx]

User Bio

Lori Spencer has written professionally since 1986. She is the author of three nonfiction books, is writing her fourth and provides content for eHow and LIVESTRONG.COM. She also produces and hosts a weekly radio show. Her subjects of expertise include history, media, music, film and the performing arts.

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