Testimonial:

Pinnacle Real User: Benoit Boudreau

Studying Mechanical Engineering and preparing to graduate in April from the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada, you wouldn't think college student Benoit Boudreau would have time for anything other than studying, and the rare evening out with friends. But Ben (aka: "TJazZ") is a gamer with a passion for not only improving his best score, but for helping others improve theirs as well through how-to videos he produces himself and posts to the internet (http://www.youtube.com/TJazZ1337).

The co-moderator of the MKDD section of the mariokart64.com forums, Ben is quick to clarify that he does not consider himself a "professional" video game player in that he doesn't get paid for playing. Still, he has been ranked in the top 40 in the world top 20 in 60Hz and #1 in Canada according to http://www.mariokart64.com/mkdd

"I play for leisure and often post some of my videos on specialized web sites dedicated to competitive video game playing," Ben explained. "I capture my gaming to the VCR first, and then I use Dazzle to convert the footage to a digital format on my PC, where I use Pinnacle Studio to edit and produce my video. I also use a video camera for my how-to videos (http://ca.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=234E4688DD3A6E71) to show my hand movements which I edit into my gaming footage to show other people how to get similar game performance."

Ben's video game play progressed like many of his peers, starting with a driving desire to be the best and break the best time record on a favorite game.

"I became pretty obsessed with it," admitted Ben. "I began doing a little research on the Internet to find the best times other gamers had posted, and I worked at improving my own play. As I got better, I began posting my own best times to various gaming websites."

Because these games are played worldwide and from each competitor's own home, each player is responsible for providing proof of their record-breaking high scores; and video is the most widely accepted method of proof.

"The better you get, the more people start doubting your times," said Ben, "so serious gamers record their game play as proof of their times. Using Studio, I was not only able to prove myself and my own times, but I was also able to create how-to videos for people with slower times to show them how to improve."

To prove his record-breaking times, Ben uses his VCR to record the game as he plays. If he breaks a record, Ben captures the content from his VCR using Dazzle to convert the analog video to digital. Once the file is saved on his PC, he uses Studio to edit the video down to the final minutes of play showing the final winning score.

"Then I post it to the gaming sites," explained Ben. "The game races aren't long, maybe three minutes, so people watch the entire recorded game play. A lot of gamers just take their camcorders and point it at the TV screen to record them while they play, but high-quality videos tend to get more views than lower quality, so Dazzle and Studio are great for that."

For Ben, editing with Studio was an afterthought. He had purchased Dazzle because he needed an external capture card to transfer his recorded games from his VCR to his computer where he could then post them on the internet at respected gaming sites. But then he noticed that Dazzle came with a version of Pinnacle's Studio editing software.

"As soon as saw that it was possible to edit the video I was capturing, I began looking around the internet and my local stores to see what the software options were, then I chose Dazzle with Studio" said Ben.

Ben took a "live and learn" approach to learning how to use Studio. He didn't read the manual or do a lot of research on how to use it; he just sat down and tried it.

"At first, all I wanted to do was just capture the footage in real time and get it up on the specialized websites for gamers," confessed Ben. But when I noticed all the specialized features, I eventually just started adding some of them to my how-to's just to try them out. From right out of the box, I quickly noticed that Studio could do a lot more than what I was expecting. It was version 10 and I bought it at Christmas 2006. By the end of the week, I was experimenting with all the features. There are so many that you can't experiment with them at the same time."

Ben quickly found that he could use all of those features to more effectively direct the viewer into seeing what he wanted them to see and therefore better explain exactly what he was doing to play record-breaking games.

"It's a very straight-forward program," said Ben. "As soon as you fire it up, you can easily find all the features and how to use them. Now that I've used it for a year, I like how powerful it is at capturing and editing. I upgraded to Studio Plus so I could get the extra features such as the split-screen video, and others. I'm still very satisfied with Studio."

In his videos, Ben shows the game segment in live action play, then shows that clip again in slow motion and pauses it at the moment he uses the technique that he is demonstrating. At that point, Ben uses Studio to insert a text frame to explain exactly what his fingers are doing before bringing the video back up to live play speed again.

"Studio just makes it a lot easier to show people what I'm doing," explained Ben. "It also helps me keep a logical flow and direct the viewer where I want them to be watching so they can know what's going on and do it for themselves. For example, in my gaming how-to videos I recently worked on a project showing one specific technique and using Studio I was able to slow down the video, grab frames, pause it and give explanations in text. That's important when you're trying to show someone something, because game play goes by so fast."

Ben qualifies himself as a fairly experienced computer user and is quick to point out that it is now a university requirement that all students to purchase a laptop. And, like most in his generation, Ben has been using a computer since he was about 12; but he doesn't think that's the reason behind his video editing success.

"I am on the computer a lot," Ben admits. "And I guess my computer experience does help me get the results I want out of editing my videos, but I think Studio is pretty straight-forward and I think anyone could use it with good results. I don't see people needing a lot of experience with computers other than knowing the very basics of opening the program, getting your files, etc. The program is fairly easy to understand. You're only limited by your own imagination when you use Studio."

And Ben has a long history of video creativity. Like many of his peers, Ben first picked up a camcorder when he was about 13 or 14, to make fun and pointless movies with friends.

"I was kind of the director back then, which just meant I'd try to keep everyone seen," recalled Ben. "It was just video for fun. But I used to have that camcorder and edit on the spot, meaning I'd hit record, then I'd hit stop. It was 8mm tape, so basically there was no editing at all. If we messed up, it just ended up in the videos. The outtakes are good though."

Now with Studio, Ben can better control where exactly the video will start and stop, making the final video much more enjoyable for the viewer to watch.

"At first, I just recorded my games to prove myself and earn trust in the online community; and then I discovered that when you get to the top, you can start giving tips. Now I create the video tips for fun and as a hobby. I post them on YouTube

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTIeDxgMWYE) and I have over 200 subscribers the comments I've received have been very positive. They seem to like it, from the comments I get. It's very satisfying seeing so much positive feedback generated by something I've been able to create out of thin air."

Benoit Boudreau
benoitboudreau@hotmail.com
506-854-3454

About Pinnacle Studio Software version 11

To meet the video authoring and budget needs of consumers, ranging from beginners to experienced users, the award-winning Pinnacle Studio version 11 family of products includes Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Studio Plus and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate. Equipped with powerful personal video creation and sharing capabilities, Pinnacle Studio can be used to create Hollywood-style DVDs that can be played on any set-top DVD player or PC. Movies can even be enjoyed on a Sony® PSP™, Apple® iPod® and other portable devices. The Pinnacle Studio version 11 family of products is available now through e-tail and retail stores.

About Pinnacle Systems, Inc.

Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. is an industry leader in video editing solutions, TV tuners for the PC and digital media adapters for the consumer market. The company's product lines include Pinnacle PCTV™, Dazzle®, Pinnacle ShowCenter™, Pinnacle Mobile Media™ and its flagship Pinnacle Studio™ line. For more information, visit www.pinnaclesys.com.

About Avid Technology, Inc.

Avid Technology, Inc. is the world leader in digital nonlinear media creation, management and distribution solutions, enabling film, video, audio, animation, games and broadcast professionals to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar Statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. Digidesign, Avid's audio division, received an Oscar Statuette representing the 2003 Scientific and Technical Award for the design, development and implementation of its Pro Tools® digital audio work station. For more information about the company's Oscar®, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, please visit: www.avid.com.

© 2007 Avid Technology, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are US MSRP for the US only and subject to change without notice. Contact your local office or reseller for current or local prices. Avid, Film Composer, Pro Tools and Digidesign are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Pinnacle Systems, Pinnacle, the Pinnacle Pinwheel logo, Pinnacle PCTV, Dazzle, Pinnacle ShowCenter, Pinnacle Mobile Media and Pinnacle Studio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Pinnacle Systems, Inc. and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, iPod, Mac, iTunes, iPhone and Apple TV are registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple, Inc. Microsoft Vista is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of te Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.