Best products from r/VideoEditing

Do yourself the biggest favor possible and pick up a copy of In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch; that will teach you the core concepts of editing and audience psychology and I believe it to be best and most enjoyable. Murch is the master, and his discussion of old film editing techniques, as well as modern nonlinear systems, will not only teach you a lot of terminology, but also the history of it (which should help in understanding it).

Then, you can move on to video tutorials specific to the editing software you are using. They are ALL over youtube, or if you are willing to spend a little money, lynda.com is great and will be much more in depth. For your application, I would suggest Adobe Premiere or FCPX (despite the complaints filmmakers people have about it, it's because the newest Final Cut has been geared more towards videography). I know others who do professional video work that swear by Vegas Pro, but it just doesn't fit my style, but feel free to look into it. Of course, you can start doing simple things in iMovie or Final Cut Express, but you are going to hit a limitation ceiling fairly quickly.

The reality is that your greatest teacher is going to be experience. Edit as much as you can, develop your craft, and keep things simple and clean until you've mastered basics; then play with bells and whistles. And please, please, please be upfront with people about what you do and do not have experience doing. A lot of what I do is clean up for nonprofits and other groups who had a videographer promise a big product and then couldn't deliver. Then I have to make magic happen and restore faith in the industry. I hope this helps.

This book focuses more on the general process of video production, but it has a section on editing and is filled with various exercises to help you improve filming as well as editing. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0761163239/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1456888590&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=how+to+shoot+video+that+doesn%27t+suck&dpPl=1&dpID=51MzH-YZtoL&ref=plSrch

This presupposes of course that you have at minimum a basic video camera but I don't think that assumption is too unreasonable. A phone camera should work in fact.

Additionally, an exercise I recommend is that you get someone to record dialogue for a fake (or parody) infomercial and then edit together a video to go with it using clips from YouTube (download with something like MP3 Rocket).

Most of all, it really helps to have someone else who also enjoys editing that you can form a constructive-competative relationship with. This is particularly beneficial when it comes to inspiration and getting notes as to what you've done well and what you need to improve.

In terms of performance, that laptop is fairly good. The display is also better than other displays when it comes to contrast and viewing angles, but it doesn't cover a very high percentage of the sRGB color gamut (only 55%).

If color accuracy is important, these do better. Though you will need to add your own SSD.

• https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-15-6-Inch-Touchscreen-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01GKFOVLC/ (source)
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Acer-VN7-592G-71ZL-15-6-inch-Notebook-Windows/dp/B015XBKY6U/ (source)
  
  Or you could get that laptop and swap the screen for one with higher sRGB.
  
  
• Some of the panels with the best sRGB are LG LP156WF6 SPB1 (or SPA1 for glossy), Samsung LTN156HL01-102 (not -101!), AUO B156HAN01.2 (or 1.1 for glossy I think)
  
• Make sure that wherever you buy from, if you want one of the better screens, you're getting the exact model, as many sellers instead ship "compatible" panels that may not be the same in quality. Buying used can be a good way to do this, and save money at the same time.
  
• Make sure that, if you're buying used, the screen you're buying isn't one that's glued to a piece of front glass for some specific laptop.
  
• I know it will work for the Inspiron 7559, with the LP156WF6 SPB1 at least. Other laptops and/or the other displays are very likely to work as well as long as the LCD is non-touch and isn't glued to the front glass, and doesn't have super-slim bezels, though I can't make any 100% guarantees.
  
• This will not work for the touch version of the Inspiron 7559, only the non-touch one. Though I don't know the color gamut on the touch version, it might be better.

Lynda.com has a lot of good stuff. I believe it is subscription based, but it is a good service. Now while it is important to know how to use software, editing theory is an even bigger deal. Start watching movies praised for editing. Last years, "Whiplash" won best editing at the Oscars, and it was well deserving. Also reach "In the Blink of an Eye" by, Walter Murch.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622

It's a really great lesson on theory in editing, and I highly reccomended it to anybody wanting to learn editing.

I actually have this mic and it's...ok. Not great. But it's better than nothing. Kai Wong from DigitalRev did a review and it was a decent little mic. Honestly, though, I wouldn't use it more than a couple feet from a source.

I teach courses at the local university in Film & Video Production and I do some special classes on Smartphone Video Production.

Have you considered using a lavaliere mic? There are some pretty solid ones from Amazon that work nicely in smartphones and do a pretty good job of getting nice, clear audio that's not echo-ey or cheap sounding.

This one's been pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753CMY2D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Get the free version of Resolve. It's free, so why not? And it's got a very solid and pretty standard toolset.

The best resource I've found personally is Alexis Van Hurkman's Color Correction Handbook - it covers theory well, and includes practical details in a generic sense as well as going into the specifics of some popular tools.

He has also written the manual (literally) for DaVinci Resolve.

You want 16GB or more of RAM, at least one NVMe SSD (boot/os/apps), and a 2nd hard drive (hybrid 2TB or 2TB SSD), Ryzen 2 cpu (not intel) if possible as it handles more threads/cores thus better for editing/rendering, USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, 4K or HD display, I prefer HD on laptops as 4K is often very small and even with good eyes can be hard to read, and a dedicated GPU with 4GB or more RAM. The MSI looks pretty solid. They have an option for a 1070 GPU, I would go that way. They also have an option for 2 x 512Nvme. Dont go that way. Grab the 1070, 32GB RAM and buy yourself a separate 2TB NVMe drive (if you have the money). Not sure if there is room for a 2.5" SSD, if so, that is great.. Crucial MX500 is the way to go there. If not, but room for 2nd NVMe, get the largest you can afford. OR..

It has Thunderbolt 3.. that is awesome. Get yourself a good TB3 dock (this one I got and is really good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078F9W8N1/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and then look at an external Thunderbolt HD setup, or you can grab a USB 3.1 Gen 2 external dock.. that provides 10Gb/s speed and you can plug in an SSD and get max speed or a large Sata3 HD for storage. I would look at 2 bay dock options if possible so you can have both SSD for editing with and a larger HD for backup/project files.

HTH

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/RJGFsJ
Ok. for video editing the most money should mostly be put in the CPU. This build has a very good CPU and a good amount of ram. It has a Gpu that could be downgraded but It can help for rendering a little bit. The keyboard and mouse are not great but that is not an issue. Upgrade l8er. it has a boot ssd and a mass storage harddrive. having a boot ssd is the best upgrade ive ever made to my pc. You could even add a footage ssd l8er for faster editing. This would be a great editing machine and would serve your purposes well. Let me know if you have any questions. also hmu with those skate clips once you start editng them. Also, that firewire thing PCI card https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-FireWire-Adapter-Digital-PCI1394_4/dp/B00006B8C3

I like a mix of books and Lynda on the software, kind of dry but as they start with the fundamentals it's handy to have on hand or gone through once and a while to know the tools. As for principles which help you make good work or do a good job I like

The Animator's Survival Kit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0571202284/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_O92lxb1TVGTG4 via @amazon

And for editing
In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing http://www.amazon.com/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdm_E72lxb0R0HGDZ via @amazon

You have to read a book to understand what people are saying about copying someone else's visual style. Thing is while it does look cool with the timelapses and Maxzwell's music, it reminds everybody of Casey, who is by the way an "established" if you will, vlogger, it makes your audience immediately think and compare you to him. The odds aren't in your favour in that department, and not because your editing is not cool enough or the music doesn't fit or anything like that, (not even the visual style) but you don't tell a story!

The editing was pretty good, my two cents:

-At the intro the first sentence was off the right I think. (use the grid and the rulers in the programm you use)

-There was flickering at the draw my thoughts kind of thing you did! (which was cool)!.

So my advice to you is to think before you film , even before you edit, plan out, imagine your video before making it!

Also a cool book to read http://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253 by an amazing author, it helped me alot to understand where i've crossed line between stealing and copying with the mindset of making it my own!

But please don't stop creating!

Ah, excellent. That makes things look simple, and there are D8 cameras on ebay with DNR and TBC for less than 100 (with returns lol).

One last question about this please: I have an ancient laptop (9 yrs old) which has a firewire port but is pretty slow. Would I be better served just buying something like this for my new computer? Firewire ports are ancient nowadays. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B8C3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Youve helped me more with a few posts than I learned in over 6 hours of research. THANK YOU!

I think this might be better in /r/editors

Meanwhile Alexis Van Hurkman's book is fantastic.

Tao of Color has a great free newsletter that'll help you get your feet wet.

MixingLight.com is a great (paid) resource.

You need a calibrated monitor (not a calibrator - most screens will not work for correction) - FSI Monitors

I have a similar relationship to editing though there was only a year or two gap from when I graduated and started editing again.

At the time, I was working a sales position at a company that produced trade show events. I sat down with the owner of the company and discussed how we could use video content to boost sales and company image. I took footage from one event and created two videos; the first showed a lot of services and products, the other video showed a lot of attendees and various exhibitors.

The first video was for potential attendees to show them how informative and useful our events were while the other video was used to show potential vendors why they should pay us for a spot in our event. I would get companies on the phone and gauge their interest in becoming an exhibitor, if they were interested I would send them a link to the video and watched it with them.

For me, I started with how I could use the skill to be useful, monetarily.

From there, I started following Larry Jordan and paid for his courses for FCPX (reimbursed through my company). I learned everything else through youtube.

My favorite book on editing is In The Blink Of An Eye

Six years later, I'm at a different company (another sales position) but I still have my old company as a client where I produce all their promo's, television and radio ads for all their trade show events (there are forty four events).

I avoided working for free as much as possible and created financial opportunities instead. There are people out there that want to pay you for this kind of work, you just need to focus on solving their problems and meeting their needs.

The older version of Elgato Game Capture HD can accomplish what you're looking for. The HD60 has HDMI input but the original HD has RCA/composite inputs.

This guy: https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Systems-Capture-Definition-Recorder/dp/B00840353W/

I've been using it to capture footage off older consoles for some time and am pretty happy with it. Software is straightforward.

You've pretty much just asked "How do I edit film?" Which is the right question to be asking, but don't expect a simple answer. :)

Consider picking up a copy of Walter Murch's In the Blink of an Eye, which is pretty much an entire (short) book about exactly this question.

In general, the advice I would give is to consider the motion of the viewer's eye, if the scene were playing out in real life. When would they look at a different person? When would they look around the room and re-establish everyone's position? By pointing the camera where the viewer's eye wants to go, you give them all the information they need. Conversely, by holding onto tight shots or not turning the camera on someone who's speaking, you can create a sense of claustrophobia or loss of control.

At the same time, you'll (generally) want to make your cuts feel natural using the elements of continuity editing, such as cutting on action.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

These are pretty standard for the industry. Sound great and are not too expensive. I use them pretty much everyday when I'm editing. The only thing is they aren't noise cancelling, so if that's something you want then you might want to go for something else. But I've used them in the office with other people working/talking near me and I've been fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622

This book is a great read for video editors of all levels, it's pretty short and it taught me alot! Would definitely recommend

The CPU, SSD, and ram should be enough to handle moderate editing. The only weak part is the GPU. The GPU cannot run most games out there. Even a 11 year old GPU (GTX 280) does 100% better (according to UserBenchmark). I suggest you get a better GPU like a GT 1030 if you're on a budget. If you can spend another 100$, then get either a GTX 1050 or 1050 ti. The difference between the 1050 and the 710 is MASSIVE. But on the editing side, I think Camtasia uses most of the CPU instead of the GPU. But if Camtasia mostly uses the GPU, you MUST get a better GPU. Other than that, everything else is fine.

​

(Right now, I found a 1050 Ti for $150, if you want it, here: https://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-1050-Gaming-Overclocked/dp/B07QZ8MC8K/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=gtx+1050+ti&qid=1567898726&s=gateway&sr=8-5)

Here are a couple options I have noticed. I didn't do much in-depth research, these are just two that stood out to me for whatever reason:

Razer Blade 2018: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HPSR3Z9/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B07D8YBNSS?th=1

Acer Predator Helios 300 2019:https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-9750H-Keyboard-PH315-52-78VL/dp/B07QXLFLXT/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3KKUTPAUSDDM7&keywords=helios+300+2019&qid=1568771802&s=electronics&sprefix=helios+300%2Celectronics%2C221&sr=1-3

I think between the two, I prefer the Razer since it has a simpler design and it's a bit more portable. But I'm worried that being a year old is too much of a compromise. As for the Acer Helios, I've heard it's currently the best bang-for-buck, but my biggest concern is that there are reports of driver-related problems that make it unusable...I feel like spending a little more money for something more reliable is worth it.

Are there any other brands/ models that are better than those two?

And to clarify on what you mean by "low-powered processors," do you mean Ultraportable laptops like the MacBooks, Surfaces of Dell XPS? I wasn't planning on getting one of those anyway.

Hello,

So I posted about a laptop earlier in last months thread about this laptop.

>I had an opportunity to buy (i believe its) this laptop for a really really good price from someone. Its a Core i7 7th gen i7-7y75 1.3ghz Dell XPS 13in 2 in 1 with 16gig ram and either a 250 or 500 ssd with windows 10 pro.

I was told it was way under power for what I wanted to do and will be doing the following. ( was also told even though I want to cut down on space and weight due to constantly traveling, still to go with a 15in and not a 13in.)

I will be doing graphic design/photography (Photoshop/lightroom) and would like to do video editing (premiere pro or DaVinci now? I just found out about it and researching) of my travels that I capture with either a gopro, dji spark, 5d iii, or even my phone if its what I have at the time to record.

I plan on having an external 500gig ssd as well as store everything else on drop box (3tb account) so I don't have to carry around several hard drives (less weight).

So now the one i'm looking at is a xps 15 9550 (not 1 result for 9550 on this sub) with an i7-6700hq @2.6ghz. 32 gigs of ram, nvidia geforce gtx 960m, a 1tb ssd, 4k touchscreen monitor, and with windows 10 pro.

Again, let me know your thoughts, THANKS!

I just this morning finished reading How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck and I'd suggest it as a good starting book, more for shooting your video but there is a little bit of general advice on editing.

It's written humorously, but also straight to the point and he doesn't skirt around issues. Each chapter is only a few pages long; makes for a good bathroom reader, hehe.

He also includes example videos on his website that directly relate to the material in the book.

Panasonic G7. Depending on the type of kit lens you get with it, it's usually under $1000 dollars, or a little over it. It looks like the best camera in regards to specs.

I found a terrific deal on Amazon for it, along with extra equipment along with it for about $550:

https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Digital-14-42mm-Microphone-Accessory/dp/B01CF29K9M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=panasonic%2Bg7&qid=1556346286&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&th=1

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: The MPEG Handbook


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||
|China|www.amazon.cn||




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I'm sure other people will concur when I recommend Sony MDR7506 headphones. They're pretty ubiquitous in film and recording studios.

What you want in your headphones is accuracy, as opposed to some expensive headphones which are made to enhance sound for the consumer who want something like lots of bass.

Extensive review on Tested.com

This is a huge topic, an art and science blended so finely together.

Check out Color Correction Handbook by Alexis Van Hurkman
This goes really deep into the fine knowledge you need to know about color.

For practical software usage, I say checkout Colorgradingcentral.com, TaoOfColor.com, MixingLight. They've got a bunch of information, an archive of newsletters, and some paid tutorials as well.

Check out DaVinci Resolve Lite. It's a professional color grading program that's free.

If you have an older MacBook Air/Pro: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-USB-Male-Cable/dp/B01GGKYN0A/ref=sr_1_3_acs_sk_pb_1_sl_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542134206&sr=8-3-acs&keywords=usb+c+cable

If you have a recent MacBook (the really thin one): https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-Type-C-2-0-Cable/dp/B01GGKZ2SC/ref=sr_1_3_acs_sk_pb_1_sl_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542134206&sr=8-3-acs&keywords=usb+c+cable

However, keep in mind, these are large files and recorded in a really highly compressed format, so if your Macbook is any less than a MacBook Pro with a good graphics card and a powerful processor, you're not going to have a fun time because rendering h.264 is a resource intensive task.

I believe this is the premise of the short, but great read by Austin Kleon : "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761169253/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5peUCb0Y5A9HQ

If i were you i would just try recording at night,turn off any stuff like AC,fans and other noise inducing things.

Then,i would buy some acoustic panels like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Acoustic-Panels-Studio-Wedges/dp/B010GPFRUQ).

Then,find a room that is quiet,like your basement or a closet. Keep in mind that acoustic panels don't soundproof your room, they only absorb sounds in the room like echo.

Get a cheap condenser microphone like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Accessories-Card%EF%BC%8CLuxury/dp/B07D8SYZNC/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=bm-800&qid=1550855443&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1) in a kit with everything to get you started.

If you have windows in the recording room,get the heaviest curtains on them since that is probably the place where you will have most unwanted sound entering your recording room.

A microphone enclosure like [this](https://www.amazon.com/TONOR-Microphone-Isolation-Absorbing-Reflector/dp/B078WNW4YW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=17FFHMCM37ECP&keywords=microphone+enclosure&qid=1550855711&s=gateway&sprefix=microphone+enclo%2Caps%2C253&sr=8-2) can be used to isolate your microphone and get less echo and reverb.

Then,you should practice recording and breathing out slowly and through nose away from the mic.

And finally, get a program to edit your audio further until you are satisfied.

​

EDIT: I don't know what is wrong with the hyperlinks,if anyone knows feel free to tell me what i did wrong

If you are looking for overall approach and not specific technique I found "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch to be pretty admirable. It is from the 90s but basic ideas and concepts behind the creativity are timeless. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1879505622

I can use my old P4 desktop tower for capture: it has a FW to PCI port-thingy I installed. Is that any good? It's like this one.

What software and video settings do you think I should use for capture?

The cheapest solution is just screen capture software which is often free. However that would need to be installed on every computer so that's not much good. Unless there's a way to have them not always change computers but I'm guessing that isn't an option.

Another option would be an HDMI recorder. Something like an Elgato Game Capture would likely do the trick. It designed for capturing gameplay from a console but it will record anything that goes to the HDMI onto another computer while passing it through in real time. This would require a recording computer setup elsewhere but wouldn't require the installation of screen capture software onto every computer that's used.

I would recommend Elgato, specifically this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00840353W/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
If your really on a budget, iMovie should cover your needs, but if you are looking for slightly more serious option, Final Cut Express 4 would be great for your situation.

Read: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622 In the blink of an eye by Walter Murch to learn about the magic and power of editing, then, choose some software.. Long form, use Avid, Fast turnaround, use FCPX, good all round, use Adobe Premiere. Then just practice and learn new techniques from the internet.. Try and get used to using keyboard shortcuts.

What I did when I learned how to edit was taking the raw footage I shot and spending 9+ hours in Avid, self-teaching myself how to use the program. The first thing I would do is figure out which program you would like to use and pick up some footage (or shoot your own) and figure out how the program is laid out. I personally prefer Adobe Premiere, simply because I do a lot of Photoshop/Premiere/After Effects work and they all link together without having to render/save.

Pick up some books, I recommend 'In the Blink of an Eye'. Watch some movies and pay attention to how it was cut (which, at first, is kind of hard since our art is an invisible one).

A lot of corporate stuff is pretty straightforward cutting, so if that's what you're aiming for, you should be able to pick it up fairly quickly. Although, your MacBook Air may not have enough power to handle extensive projects and you may also want to pay attention to the temperature of you Air as editing can heat up a laptop fairly fast. I would actually pick up a laptop cooling system to put underneath the laptop as I don't think the Air has good airflow.

What is on your TV that you want to capture? Is it something you can get online?

To capture an input that is going into your TV, you need a capture card or device. For HD capture devices, you're looking at about $150-$300 for the device. Something like This capture device.

Looking to pick up a laptop so I can edit while traveling, and a friend recommended this guy. My question is though, do gaming laptops truly double as video editing laptops and would this be a good laptop for editing?

Acer Predator Helios

I primarily do music videos, but I’m working on a short film and a documentary this next year, while also trying to pick up Unreal and Cinema 4D for some basic 3D work.
Also- I use the adobe suite for my editing currently and have started using 4K. I’m familiar with proxies though, so that’s not a huge deal. My budget is about $1,300

Haven't got around to reading it yet, but I did order a copy of In the Blink of an Eye. It has been highly recommended to me quite a few times.


Also, here's a previous Reddit thread about editing podcasts you may want to frequent.

And another thread on editing websites to follow.

So now I'm stuck with last two in my list.

1- ASUS PREDATOR HELIOS 300

2- MSI GL63 9SDK-614


My friend helped me to open my eyes and convince me design and looks is not the matter compared to specs. That's how I changed from RAZOR BLADE 15 2018 BASE MODEL.


So what about my current option? PremierePro is my main intention but I would like latest decide as I won't change lap another 5 years atleast..

Or do you have another suggestion?
The only thing which is making me irritated with HELIOS is now I want to buy a SSD and I don't have any idea. Should I choose MSI?

Industry standard Sony MDR-7506. Not crazy expensive and they hold up well. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

Generally they ask questions on reddit.

Anyway, I'd recommend The MPEG Handbook for an overview (and in-depth info) on how codecs (specifically MPEG codecs) work.

I'd say buying a capture card is the cheapest way to record high quality video. Look into products like El Gato. Just google capture card and there are a few different kinds. They come with a software that you download onto a computer that allows you to capture, or you can capture directly into a lot of editing softwares.

Get some real flat response headphones. I'm a big fan of the Sony MDR 7506

Read this. http://www.amazon.ca/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622

The usb fireware ones are a scam...

You need this card.....i have bought this one and works fine with sony handycams 100% ---->https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-FireWire-Adapter-Digital-PCI1394-4/dp/B00006B8C3/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1496175292&sr=8-6&keywords=firewire+pci

No image quality loss...

It even includes a firewire cable to connect straight to your cam

As far as splicing i used the cheapest cellotape available in the store...i use my bare hands with no gloves...just watch the video i posted on where to apply the tape when joining broken tapes..

In my case i was digitizing a VHC-C tape and the cassete player chew the tape...i had to open the tape as shown in video and fix it