New Zealand Trip
For several years, Steve and Racole dreamed of going to New Zealand. They planned and planned and finally their dream trip became a reality. Three weeks in beautiful New Zealand! The digital camera and video camera were ready to go. In the following weeks their cameras captured beautiful warm beaches, majestic waterfalls, and vast farmlands. It really was a journey of a lifetime.
Objective
As an editor, it was then my job to take their footage and photos and create a mini-New Zealand escape for them. I wanted them to be able to turn on their TV, pop in the DVD and be transported back to New Zealand anytime they chose. I wanted the video to evoke the sights, smells, feelings, and memories of being in that far away land, causing them to feel as though they were just there yesterday.
Challenges
A portion of the video footage was unusable. The problem was it had been shot way too bright. It is possible to improve footage that is too dark. But if it’s over exposed, there’s not much that can be done. Yet, I had to give this couple the full scope of their vacation without using the ruined footage.
Solution
I compensated for the bad footage by using more still photos to fill in the gaps. I did end up using a few over-exposed shots, but used them as a background and put other, better footage on top. I made it so the problem footage could still be seen, but its fault was not so apparent this way. The result is stunning.
