DV Filmmaking

Chapter 10. Setting Up Your Digital Post Facility

In this chapter

Is My Computer Fast Enough?

Capture and Storage Systems

The Importance of a Well-Calibrated NTSC Monitor

Assembling your own digital editing system makes you the boss. You can edit on your own schedule, without competing with other people who have projects to finish, or running up your credit card bill to rent time at someone else’s editing suite. This cost-effective flexibility not only saves you time and money, but is likely both easier and more affordable than you may think.

Putting a digital studio together entails setting up a computer equipped with editing software, connecting your computer to a deck or camera to capture audio and video, and configuring a hard drive to store and organize your media. Lastly, because computers and televisions display images differently, it can also be helpful to connect the output of your editing system to a dedicated NTSC video monitor. Whether you’re buying a new computer and building your system from scratch or optimizing a computer you already own for use as an editing station, the speed of your computer (both in terms of its processor power and the amount of random access memory, or RAM, you install) plays a central role in the success of your system.

Is My Computer Fast Enough?

A friend and fellow author/video editor named Bonnie Blake once compared purchasing a new computer and not installing additional RAM to buying a fast Mercedes and not filling up the gas tank. Her point ...