Video Editing: What Makes DVDs Go 'Round (page 2)

Comedy flicks are another genre that often have unusual menus that are more than just navigational aides and National Lampoon's Animal House (Double-secret Probation Edition) is a good example. Following the Universal logo and a series of previews that you can't skip, the Animal House splash screen begins. It's a riotous blending of video and text and music that really sets the mood for what this comedy is all about.

You might not need to run previews on your DVD for marketing purposes, but if you have any splash screens that come up before your main menu, you should seriously consider whether you want to prevent viewers from skipping them. Advanced DVD authoring software allows you to disable remote control button presses like stop, fast forward, next and menu. Be very cautious about doing this however. If you do want to force your viewers to watch something (e.g. an FBI warning screen), keep it short and make sure it really is vital.

Once on the Animal House main menu, the music cycles through selections from the film, as do the video clips on one side of the screen. The right side is static and changes only when making a selection. Then the text flies off the screen as everything blurs and becomes a new screen with new selections to make. Having motion video on one side and text and the selection buttons on the other can be very effective. It lets you show something while at the same time the viewer can decide to move on to something else. Sometimes, however, all a menu screen needs to work is plain text, accompanied by a plain background or a simple photograph.

The television show 24 Season 2 DVD also has a sharp menu. Similar to the fast paced action of the show, a high-tech surveillance map of the world unveils itself at breakneck speed as a set of moving cross-hairs track back and forth before dissolving into the main menu. Background music begins and ends with this splash video.

A quick moving splash opening can intrigue the viewer, especially if there's a sense of urgency involved. The main menu itself is static and features a photo of the main character, Jack Bauer, tinted in blue. When you select an episode, the menu immediately switches to a sub-menu which features a new photo interwoven with Chapters of the episode.

At this point, it's up to the viewer to decide what to watch. Sometimes it's good to let people feel they're the ones in control.

While the disc gives you access to a lot of content, moving from a menu to a sub-menu and then playing the episode might be too much clicking.

Unlike VHS, DVD isn't linear and you can create links between how a video plays, and that changes the viewing experience. Creating the way your DVD starts and how it's going to let the viewer move through the selections does require thought, but don't forget that a menu system isn't just pragmatic. Don't be afraid to mix it up. The movie may be your primary concern, but the menu is the first impression folks will get.

Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology and entertainment writer whose experience in the industry spans more than 20 years.

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