Sima SFX-M Digital Video Mixing was never so easy or affordable!
The following article is my submission to Camcorder Magazine for the February 1996 issue.The article was not printed in its entirety, but rather included as a new product highlite in the March issue. Here is the full article, which I feel does a great job of explaining all the cool features of this excellent, breakthrough product.
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Sima has long had a reputation for making low cost video editing products that were easy to use and packed with features. Now Sima has introduced a product that places them with the technology leaders in home video editing. Video mixing is one of the most wanted features by home videographers. We see them do it on TV all the time. One picture slowly dissolves into another to represent the passage of time; two different people or locations are shown side by side on the screen, each shot with a different camera; the TV weatherman walks right in front of the satellite picture. All these effects and more are done with digital mixers. Until now, there wasn’t a digital mixer available with a list price under $1000. Now Sima not only passes through the $1000 barrier, they annihilate it with a suggested list of $699, and street prices below $600!! Now everyone who wants to use this digital wizardry to create fantastic videos can, for less then the cost of a new camcorder!!
Sima goes beyond just a low price, this baby is loaded with the digital features you want. I will now go over some of the main features with a brief explanation of each one and some examples of their use.
Dissolves
A dissolve is when one video source fades into another. The first image gets lighter and transparent while the second image becomes clearer and clearer until they have traded places on screen. The SFX-M give you rock solid dissolves with no image flicker, tint shift or digital artifacts, hey are smooth and clean.
Example:Dissolves are often used to give the viewer a sense of transition, either in time or in place. They are most often used to convey the passage of time. The happy couple snuggles nest to the fire and drifts asleep. Dissolve into the same scene, with the morning sun shining into their eyes, waking them from there golden slumber. The viewer now knows it is the next day. Dissolves are also used to create dream like sequences or a look into what the subject is thinking.
A/B Wipes
A/B wipes are often referred to as split screen or picture in picture effects. These are when two different video images are combined on the screen at the same time, side by side. One video image gradually comes in and replaces the original. Usually these images are brought together in a pattern, such as a circle that starts in the center of the screen and grows larger, or camera two comes into view, perhaps from left to right, replacing the original shot.. The SFX-M lets you choose and create hundreds of different wipe patterns. You can combine the 5 base patterns (circle, up, down, left & right) with a variable angle control to create a wipe for every occasion. Best of all, the SFX-M has a variable softness control that lets you create a soft edge to your wipes. At the edge of your wipes, you get a dissolve. This is a major new feature, and once you start making videos with soft wipe edges, you will wonder how people got along without them!
Examples:My favorite use of an A/B wipe uses a soft edge. It is the classic wedding transition. You start with the wedding cake filling the entire screen, slowly you use a circle wipe with a very soft edge. The 2nd shot shows a close up of the happy couple blissfully sharing a kiss. You hold the wipe at 50%, so the you see couple surrounded in a cloudy halo of their wedding cake, or some other romantic setting. Another really fun use of A/B wipe is to create illusions. Line up a partial vertical wipe with a solid wall, and you can make your kids pass through them, or you can line up the vertical wipe with another vertical surface, and have your friends magically walk right into your living room form thin air. A/B wipes also make great transitions during 2 camera shoots, or when editing from multiple tapes.
Chroma key
Chroma Key lets you superimpose one moving video image over another. An actor or object actor is shot in front of a solid colored screen. The blue portion of the shot that was the solid color background becomes invisible, letting the second shot show through. This gives you the ability to place someone or something somewhere else, digitally. The SFX-M lets you create blue screen chroma key effects. This means that the object or person to be superimposed must be shot in front of a blue background. Some other mixers let you choose from several different colors for keying. I think blue is enough. Blue screen is and has been the industry standard, and it is easy to find a blue backdrop. The SFX-M has a control for fine tuning the chroma key to adjust for different shades of blue. For perfect superimpositions, you will need to take some extra care with your lighting. Good chroma keys require planning and set up. The results are worth the effort.
Examples:The classic example of chroma key is the weatherman appearing to stand in front of the ferocious blizzard burying the town with snow, all from the comfort of his studio, without a jacket, in a perfectly pressed suit, with every hair in place. Another tried and true use is our superhero appearing to fly in the air over the big city. The uses for chroma key are endless, and it is a great way to get your kids involved and excited about video.