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Open the Window
After you import the video clip into your sequencer, create a MIDI tempo map. This lets you determine how many music measures are required for each section of the clip that needs to be scored. Although the names and locations within the programs may vary, the basic commands and their uses are similar for most sequencers, so I’ll describe the process in general terms.

FIG. 5: Digidesign’s Pro Tools software, shown here, makes it easy to set up and view cue points.
When you import the QuickTime movie to your sequencer, it typically appears in a dedicated “floating” window that is always visible—a useful feature if you only have a single monitor. The sequencer’s transport controls are usually linked to the movie window so that the audio track and the video images are always locked in sync. The window size varies depending on what you focus on and how much onscreen real estate is available. It’s a good idea to keep the movie in the upper right corner (see Fig. 5).

Next, you should display the SMPTE time in a separate window using big bold numbers. That makes visibility and editing easier. You might also need to set the frame rate of your sequencer to match that of the QuickTime movie. If your original clip was recorded at a low rate, such as 10, 12, or 15 frames per second, set the sequencer’s rate to some multiple of that number, for example 24 or 30 fps. This does not affect the frame rate of your final exported movie because the setting is only used for recording audio and MIDI.

On Your Mark
The next step is to mark the frames where you want the music to change or align to specific beats. For example, if you want the suspense music to start when the villain opens a door, mark the shot of the doorknob turning. If you want a character to tiptoe in time to the soundtrack (like Wile E. Coyote), mark the footsteps. The commands for doing that vary from sequencer to sequencer, but the principle remains essentially the same.

Set a marker at your video clip’s first frame and name it something meaningful like “start.” Then scroll through the movie and add markers for each of your selected cues. You should be able to edit the names and the SMPTE times of the markers graphically (or delete the markers altogether) on a timeline display or by typing items into a list. The sequencer automatically keeps track of the cue points so that they’re numbered in the correct order. Once everything is set up properly, lock the markers in place so tempo changes in the MIDI score don’t alter the SMPTE positions of the cues.

The marker list provides a convenient and efficient mechanism for positioning the movie and the music. Selecting adjacent markers can bracket your video clip’s region between cues. Leave the marker list open, along with the video and SMPTE windows, because you will refer to them frequently when setting up the MIDI tempos in your score (see Fig. 1).

  
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 Reprinted with permission from Magazine, January, 2001
© 2001, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved


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