Need guidelines on Dance video by one camera

[AAC]

My church asks if I can shoot video for their dance group's final rehearsal from different angles. It's a 5-minute group dance with 10 dancers.
However, I only have one camera. My preliminary planning is have them to perform 4 to 5 rounds (from beginning to ending) and each round shoot from different angles including close-up of dancers.
Then my next question is how to edit all this footage in one final video effectively ? Can I line up all clips in video editing software timeline and pick the selected clips ?
appreciate guidelines from you guys to get this mission done.

[poisondeathray]

Rent or borrow a few cameras from friends

[AAC]

Rent or borrow a few cameras from friends

Sorry, it's doesn't work. I need to stick to all footage created from one HD video camera or it's a volunteer job for my church.

[poisondeathray]

Do you really think they run through the entire performance 5 times for you ?

Whether or not you have 5 different cameras, or 5 different takes at different angles, you treat it as "multi cam edit" . There are many step by step tutorials on youtube . But you are still using Premiere Elements, I don't think that feature is available, only in the pro version. In that case, you'd manually select clips and edit. Everyone has their own preference on how to do it, but you could arrange it is line up the 5 takes on 5 layers aligning them, then either 1) use keyframes to adjust the opacity to control visiblity on each layer, or 2) you could do it by deleting sections on each layer 3) or use 6 layers by copy pasting selections from the 5 into the "final" layer

[Cornucopia]

They're different performances, with slightly different timings and slightly different positions throughout. It's HIGHLY unlikely that you would be able to match them up into a composite whole without there being discontinuity (jump cut/glitch). And the more "angles" you attempt to cover, the more complex/difficult it will be to match.

If you have to go with one camera, do either a greater than full body tracking shot (dancers hand & feet are often just as important in the dance), OR go over the choreo multiple times with them in practice and map out a design where you know when and where to Z-in and Z-out and Pan & Tilt (because you'll be expecting it) in order to capture the "distilled core" of the performance, knowing that you won't be getting everything that's going on.
Either way, I'd suggest a tripod, or monopod, or mono+shoulder/2-hand rig.

AND

For dance, remember to shoot 60p. If your existing cam cannot shoot 1080p60, shoot 720p60 or 1080i30 (though I recommend the 720p60, even with the somewhat less resolution, because it better captures the movement without artifacts). Among all your options, I STRONGLY do NOT recommend that you shoot 30p/25p/24p (unless you have some other important extenuating circumstances that you haven't told us about).

Scott

[AAC]

Do you really think they run through the entire performance 5 times for you ?

Whether or not you have 5 different cameras, or 5 different takes at different angles, you treat it as "multi cam edit" . There are many step by step tutorials on youtube . But you are still using Premiere Elements, I don't think that feature is available, only in the pro version. In that case, you'd manually select clips and edit. Everyone has their own preference on how to do it, but you could arrange it is line up the 5 takes on 5 layers aligning them, then either 1) use keyframes to adjust the opacity to control visiblity on each layer, or 2) you could do it by deleting sections on each layer 3) or use 6 layers by copy pasting selections from the 5 into the "final" layer

Yes, they have to because they ask me to do it for free......
Thanks for your guidelines. BTW, do I need click board to sync each footage ?

[AAC]

Thank you Scott, very informative.

[newpball]

Rent or borrow a few cameras from friends

^This.

Sorry, it's doesn't work.

What does not work?

Nobody in your church has a camera?

You ask for advice, you get good advice and then you decide to ignore it.

[newpball]

Among all your options, I STRONGLY do NOT recommend that you shoot 30p/25p/24p (unless you have some other important extenuating circumstances that you haven't told us about).

Yes, throw out all those Astaire and Rogers films, let alone Saturday Night Fever, they are useless because they are all filmed in 24p.

Absurd!

Even Amelia (2003) was filmed in 24p.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383867/

24p is just fine for dancing!

In fact, I recommend it!

[smrpix]

BTW, do I need click board to sync each footage ?

Is your music pre-recorded (I hope)? You're unlikely to clap frame accurately 5 times.

Just use the waveforms to sync up your shots in the timeline, as well as a clean copy of the music track, then cut between them as Scott suggested. On the first go-through don't sweat making each edit perfect. On the 2nd go-through slip and slide trim the edit points to get more reasonable "synchronization" of movements. (Rinse and repeat until satisfied.)

If your music is live, the timing will change continually and this will be a much more difficult task.

[AAC]

BTW, do I need click board to sync each footage ?

Is your music pre-recorded (I hope)? You're unlikely to clap frame accurately 5 times.

Just use the waveforms to sync up your shots in the timeline, as well as a clean copy of the music track, then cut between them as Scott suggested. On the first go-through don't sweat making each edit perfect. On the 2nd go-through slip and slide trim the edit points to get more reasonable "synchronization" of movements. (Rinse and repeat until satisfied.)

If your music is live, the timing will change continually and this will be a much more difficult task.

Yes, I got the MP3 music.
Thanks.

[lingyi]

Don't mean to be rude, but I don't understand why people refuse to say no or ask if others will say yes to a good cause. I suspect it's an inner desire to be "the one" who does a good or noteworthy deed. Open your heart and mind and you'll likely find others whom would be willing to help.

Compare the highly likely poor results from your approach against the very hard work the dancers are putting in. If you were a dancer, would you want your work to be representive of what THEY"RE capable of?

Okay, off my soapbox!

[newpball]

Compare the highly likely poor results from your approach against the very hard work the dancers are putting in. If you were a dancer, would you want your work to be representive of what THEY"RE capable of?

Indeed, doing 5 separate sessions and merge these in order to get a single live experience is going to be a total disaster.

But what can you do, some people don't listen, all they want is confirmation of what they already decided to do.

[Clockwork]

Even one more camera (one stationary, one hand-held) would be better than what you're planning.
You're going to be wasting everyone's time.

[smrpix]

C'mon guys. Sure multiple cameras would be better ideally -- but even so, each camera needs a competent operator who is pointing at the right place at the right time, framing correctly, staying in focus, moving with the rhythm... Multiple cameras introduce its own set of issues. It doesn't happen by magic either.

Either method has the potential for total disaster and/or a nice video.

[smrpix]

24p is just fine for dancing!

In fact, I recommend it!

But Surely you don't approve of that stuffy old 5247 film stock!

[newpball]

24p is just fine for dancing!

In fact, I recommend it!

But Surely you don't approve of that stuffy old 5247 film stock!

Let's have a poll about it!

[poisondeathray]

Look on the bright side: At least you wouldn't have to match the color/grading with different model cameras if you use 1 camera

If the studio has windows, that's a potential headache also . It could look very different by the last take. See if you can control the lighting situation / cover them up etc...

[Cornucopia]

I see @newpball chose to ignore my citing of exceptions to the framerate rule (as usual), with the resulting absurdist ad nauseum (and I mean that) hyperbole.

The fact is: you can make good stuff (or bad stuff) with 1 camera, or 2, or many. All have their constraints & compromises. Same goes for single vs. multiple takes (with edits) - there's good AND bad stuff. Anybody who says otherwise is ignoring reality. It's just that, without multiple cameras, the more takes you use or the more perspective edits you use on those takes, the more there will be noticeable variations between physical execution (people are not robots), thus the more difficult match-frame editing becomes. Not that it cannot be done (I have done those before), just that the difficulty grows geometrically. Try a single song demo for practice if you don't believe me. Of course, if you don't want, or care about, match-frame editing, your job just became easier. But it might be jarring to viewers, as that is a longstanding standard expectation of visual "syntax". If you want to be the visual equivalent of a beat poet and break the rules, do your thang!

Scott