Producing Your Own Vidcast for Video SharingPart 3: Editing and Distribution

In the last two issues we told you how to set up and shoot your vidcast. In part three, we're looking at how to edit and get that vidcast to the masses

We talked about key production elements like set design, talent and crew, and equipment in part two in our April issue. This month, we'll wrap up our three-part series with editing and preparing your vidcast for the web.

For Openers

Having a short catchy open that visually summarizes what your vidcast is all about is important. Since it's the first thing a new viewer will see, it has the awesome task of compelling them to continue watching. It can be as simple as cutting together a few clips from your first show or as complex as a high-energy array of shots highlighting unique aspects of your subject matter, complete with custom graphics and logo. In either case, keep it short, say five to 15 seconds, and be sure to include at least your show's title and possibly the episode number.

The Edit

Unless you have chosen to use special hardware to encode and upload your vidcast live to a streaming server, then you have one of two types of editing ahead of you. The first we could call "best takes" and the other, "live from tape."

Best takes editing is probably very familiar to you; after transferring footage to your edit computer, you simply select the best takes from one or more camcorders and create a rough cut of your main or "coverage" camcorder. Next, insert second or third camera angles, tweak your in and out points, add your open, appropriate transitions, music, graphics and credits, and you have your final cut.