I need to create a count down video for a New Years Eve event. Any ideas of an easy/inexpensive method to do this? Would need to be a couple hours long, perhaps just the countdown clock over some appropriate background.

How are you wanting to display the countdown? As video on a TV or on a computer monitor.

Jeff

Good question. I was thinking video but it probably could be a computer instead. The set designer planned for a 17 inch monitor.

If it's video, I'm on a Mac using Premiere.

Just shoot a digital clock now starting at 10:00 p.m. and cut it after midnight. Then, in editing, make that image float over whatever background you want going on. On New Year's Eve, start it right at 10:00.

Use a digital clock that shows tenths of a second so that there's always a lot of movement.

The time needs to count down, not up. Was hoping there was some little program/plug-in that would do the trick.

You could probably do the same thing still. Just get a digital clock that has a countdown feature (like you often see on wristwatches), set it for two hours, and start taping.

There's a brand called Scientific American (I think that's the name) that always has lots of bells and whistles.

You can rent a timecode generator, Fast forward Video http://www.ffv.com/product_specs/timecode.htm and set a custom TC and feed the output to a TV. The size and position of the characters are adjustable. If you need a countdown, you'll need to record the time in forward, starting a zero. Then capture the tape, and put a motion effect on it in Premiere to run backwards.

Jeff

Trying to do this with video is just asking for synch problems. There are software solutions for this sort of thing http://www.panaga.com/clocks/clocks.htm and make sure your computer is running an NTP (or SNTP) client (such as Automachron) to keep the clock accurate.

someone did a time counter with nixitubes for a pc

yes nixitubes - real cool retro

you will have to do a google search

Robert,

I don't think a Time Code generator will create a sync problem. It's frame accurate. Are your referring to starting the video at the correct time? Someone just needs to start it on time.

Jeff

If you shoot a clock from 10 to 12 as suggested earlier you can
remove the first digit (or shoot from midnight to 2) and then
reverse the video (speed of -100% in premiere)

Thanks for the idea, but in order to avoid a ton of rendering, we opted for a very simple countdown clock on a PC. We were able to fill the screen with it on top of a custom desktop background. Not real fancy, but very low fuss.