TABLE OF CONTENTS Since you are probably anxious to start creating your DVD, it is understandable if the thought of planning does not generate much enthusiasm. However, the foundation of any successful Encore project is planning. Whether you are creating an independent film for distribution, a family video, an interactive video for a kiosk at a public location or a training video for a corporate client, all DVD projects will benefit from a good plan. Planning your project properly will keep you organized, focused and minimize any frustration with Encore and the DVD creation process. The good news is that your plan doesn t require a team of engineers, a librarian or a relational database. Plans can be as detailed or as cursory as you would like; the essential ingredient is that you have a basic idea of how you want your finished DVD to look and operate.
A DVD is a collection of video, audio and graphics that are linked together. Each video clip, audio file or graphics file that you bring into Encore is called an asset. The process of collecting and linking all these assets together is called authoring. To successfully author your DVD in a way that is logical and not confusing, the links between assets need to be mapped out. Simply put, you have to decide how the viewer will get from the menus to the media and back again.
The first step in planning your project is to list the assets that you want to use.
