http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ Videomaker Community Forums » Tag: studio - Recent Posts en Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:02:31 +0000 http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-reno-need-some-suggestions#post-74196 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:54:20 +0000 Shawn Speller 74196@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Hey all,</p> <p>I am new here, and fairly new to the business. The company I work for is looking to do improvements to their small studio and I have been elected to spearhead the project. I have looked around on the net a bit for some of the items we were looking into getting and I thought I would try here to see what your suggestions are.</p> <p>What we are looking into getting is...</p> <p>1. Tile flooring (suggestions on what I should be looking for, what I should avoid? We are hoping to be able to paint the tiles chroma green/black/white when needed)</p> <p>2. Track/rail for curtains (a cyc) ( what should I be looking for? Do I have to get the rails from a video equipment dealer or is there a cheaper more readily available choice?</p> <p>3. Looking to put up a grid for small studio lights (What should I be looking for and where? Just at the local hardware store?</p> <p>4. Sound proofing for a small v/o studio and in the main part of the studio (Should I go with sound proofing blankets/foam made for that or can I get away with hardware store items?)</p> <p>5. Blacking out windows (Paint, stick on vinyl, what else, what would be the best option?)</p> <p>6. Paint (What is my best choice, obviously matte but is there something I may miss?)</p> <p>Thanks ahead of time for any response, it is greatly appreciated. I can't wait to get this project going, I will have to post some before and after pictures at a later date!</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-lighting-led-vs-tungsten-equivalents#post-74125 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:21:58 +0000 Charles Schultz 74125@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>A good set of HMI lights are not very expensive and run cool. I have both florescent and HMI and I prefer the HMI's Just my two cents.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-lighting-led-vs-tungsten-equivalents#post-74123 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:59:10 +0000 EarlC 74123@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Also, check out Michael Fitzer's article in the same issue at <a href="http://www.videomaker.com/article/15421/">http://www.videomaker.com/article/15421/</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-lighting-led-vs-tungsten-equivalents#post-74122 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:56:29 +0000 EarlC 74122@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Pesi, the February 2012 issue of Videomaker magazine has some good information in its lighting buyer's guide at <a href="http://www.videomaker.com/article/15328/">http://www.videomaker.com/article/15328/</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-lighting-led-vs-tungsten-equivalents#post-74121 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:20:38 +0000 pesi 74121@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>&nbsp;I have a 1000 watt Tungsten halogen light in a softbox which I am looking to upgrade to LED lighting (cooler &amp; cheaper to run) - can anyone give me advice on what LED specs I should be looking for to get a similar output (I have no idea of how many lumens the current light puts out). Any guidance would be most welcome..</p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Pesi</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-help-on-a-feature#post-73875 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:36:48 +0000 DNSVideo 73875@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>The titler in studio 14 should be able to do a lot of what you see in that video.  Pinnacle studio 14 has a tile building program that you can build awesome titles, and they will play over a video if put under a video on the timeline.  What I see in that video, when things pop up, it is the actual game this person is playing, showing these things on the screen.  What i see in that video is a screen capture of a person playing the game, no editing and simply posted to youtube.  You can do awesome videos with Studio14, using GIMP or any good photo edit software or program.  Type studio 14 into the search engine on youtube and see and learn what is possible.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/band-interview-acoustic-session-advice#post-73461 Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:44:39 +0000 Alex Evans 73461@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Hi everyone, </p> <p>I'm new for the forum, and new to video in general. I am, for the most part, a musician and an amateur photographer. In about a week, I'm supposed to be recording an interview and acoustic session with a local band. This will be my first "real" video session, and I'm not expecting perfection, but I'd really like it to turn out quite good, as its going to be used to promote their new album. </p> <p>My equipment is:</p> <p>Canon Eos Rebel T3 DSLR</p> <p>(borrowed) Canon Rebel XTi DSLR (can't shoot video, I'll be using it for stills during the shoot)</p> <p>Zoom H1 Handy Recorder</p> <p>(borrowed) Zoom H4n Handy Recorder</p> <p>iMac w/ iMovie</p> <p>Audio interface and mics that I normally use for my music recording.</p> <p> </p> <p>My thought was to have the T3 on a tripod facing the band and me (the interviewer), and the H1 on a boom stand above it, at least for the interview part. For the performance, I was thinking probably the same thing, except I won't be in the video then, because I'll be photographing. I should probably have the T3 on autofocus (I would think?) since I won't be behind it shooting the whole time. I may use the H4n for audio, since I could then at least have vocal mics out or something, but it may not be necessary, and I think it probably would be simpler to just use the H1 for everything, unless there's a deep need for the H4n.</p> <p>Obviously my equipment isn't top of the line in any sense of the term, but I was wondering what advice you would have to make this session run as smoothly and professionally as possible. I'm going for an NPR Tiny Desk series kind of feel, if that helps at all.</p> <p>Thanks!!</p> <p>Alex</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/lighting-for-green-screen-studio#post-69695 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:32:17 +0000 SargeHero 69695@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I wrote an article in my blog <a href="http://xeneuxe.com/lomaymi/lighting-a-greenscreen-a-la-guerrillera-style/">"Lighting a Greenscreen a la Guerrilla Style"</a>. Is about setting up a greenscreen studio with cheap equipment. I also suggest you attend <a href="http://www.videomaker.com/events/webinar/green-screen-and-special-effects/?utm_source=videomaker&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_content=blogpost_webinars&amp;utm_campaign=webinars">Videomaker Greenscreen and Special Effects Webinar</a>. Here is another forum discussion that you may find useful <a href="http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/my-first-chromakey-studio-setup">"My First Chromakey Studio Setup"</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/lighting-for-green-screen-studio#post-69687 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:51:05 +0000 Don 69687@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Your biggest problem is going to be having enough room to get your subject away from the green screen. the easiest way to control light spill is with distance. simple clamp lights with cfls or halogen bulbs (which ever color balance matches your main subjects lighting) will do nicely. six with 60-100 watt equivelent bulbs will work cfls are softer light easier to work with.)</p> <p>I am trying an experiment this week using a green slide from a digital projector on white seemless paper as a green screen will let you know later, here if that works for me.</p> <p> </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/lighting-for-green-screen-studio#post-69686 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:58:04 +0000 birdcat 69686@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>D. Eric Franks has a great tut on inexpensive lighting (he talks about white but green can be though of too).</p> <p><a href="http://videopia.org/watch/learn-mainmenu-231/103?task=view">http://videopia.org/watch/learn-mainmenu-231/103?task=view</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/lighting-for-green-screen-studio#post-69685 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:31:09 +0000 Tas Underwood 69685@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I am currently researching into what equipment to purchase to build a small (approx 5m x 3m x 3m) studio that will have green screen setup. I was just wondering what lighting people would suggest for a studio of this size. I have used Photon beard dimmable fluorescents and arri fresnels in a studio of this size that work well but they are very expensive. </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-9-cannot-initialize-device#post-64263 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:48:19 +0000 HFS10Dude 64263@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>What OS are you running?</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-9-cannot-initialize-device#post-64201 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:41:33 +0000 XTR-91 64201@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Call and ask, and see if they won't turn you down.</p> <p> </p> <p>Usually, these issues are because of corrupted files, or, something happened while you were installing your driver.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/studio-9-cannot-initialize-device#post-64179 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:08:51 +0000 xVega 64179@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I am new to the forum and new to video making.  I have a Dazzle DVC 100 Capture card that I have successfully installed to my computer along with Pinnacle Studio 9. </p> <p> </p> <p>Everything is okay until I am ready to record and click the capture tab. I then get the message: "Studio 9 QS cannot initialize the capture device. Please restart Windows and try again."</p> <p> </p> <p>I have restarted but nothing change. I tried to install the 9.4.3 patch for studio 9 but it is now unavaiable as they want you to buy the newest software. My drivers are up to date for the capture card.</p> <p> </p> <p>Any suggestions, please.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thank you.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/virtual-studio-backgrounds-for-green-screen-shoots#post-58291 Wed, 05 May 2010 10:17:49 +0000 virtual-studio-set.com 58291@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Hi <strong>bobcypheruk,</strong></p> <p><strong>I haven't setup any PAL versions for download yet (that's actually pretty good idea, I have done a number of sales outside the US, mostly HD though).  I would be more than happy to convert any of the files over to PAL for you if you are interested in anything in particular.  Just let me know.  </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Thanks!</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Robert</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.virtual-studio-set.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.virtual-studio-set.com</a><br /></strong></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/virtual-studio-backgrounds-for-green-screen-shoots#post-58264 Tue, 04 May 2010 15:06:05 +0000 bobcypheruk 58264@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> Hi, just had a look and wondered if there are plans to make the sets available in PAL because I would definitely be interested.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/virtual-studio-backgrounds-for-green-screen-shoots#post-58258 Tue, 04 May 2010 14:38:07 +0000 virtual-studio-set.com 58258@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Hi, </p> <p>I am an animator and I just recently launched virtual-studio-set.com  it is a collection of backdrops that video producers can use to place behind green screen footage.  All of the footage is royalty free and I am planning on adding many more backgrounds in the near future.  We also do custom design and animation work, so please get in touch if there is a project you need help on.  Thanks for looking,</p> <p>Robert<br /><a href="http://www.virtual-studio-set.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.virtual-studio-set.com</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-help-on-a-feature#post-57462 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:12:48 +0000 MarchWaltz 57462@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Thanks Jaimie! I will look into it. If I do (and I will) create the video I want, I will be sure to show you!</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks again.</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-help-on-a-feature#post-57459 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 04:46:40 +0000 Jaimie 57459@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>That's a cool video!  There are actually two (at least) layers running here.  The first, is the background or content layer.  The graphics, pointing hand, etc. are on a second layer with a transparent background.  That way, when the layers are stacked with the graphics above the content you get the superposition.</p> <p>Use an animation program to create the graphics (maybe Adobe After Effects or something like that) and be sure the alpha channel is transparent.  The transparent alpha channel is what lets the background show through.  </p> <p>If you can't control the alpha channel, look for something in your editor like luma keying.  If the background of your graphic clip is either black or white, this feature can sometimes be effective in making it transparent.</p> <p>Good luck,</p> <p>Jaimie</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-help-on-a-feature#post-57337 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:37:05 +0000 MarchWaltz 57337@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> </p> <p> Hi guys!<br />I am just an amature video editor, so I need some help trying to figure out how to use a feature for video editing. I have Studio 14 HD. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum.</p> <p>I want to have a video overlay on a video....not sure if that is the correct term(s), but kinda like this:<br />[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qbr3IB92ms]YouTube - Final Fantasy XIII Demo -- running around and battle[/url]</p> <p>I want something like that; a gauge filling up to the end, ENGLISH text in the actual bars (which I can edit, so I can put anything I want).</p> <p>Also want to know if I can make the cursor (the white glove in this case) move like that, so I can tell it where to go as I edit.</p> <p>Also would like to know if the above solution is also the same as adding an Xbox 360 achievement notification.<br />This is all assuming I have the correct software.<br />Thanks regardless of any future solution, and thanks for taking the time for reading my post. Heres to hoping!</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/corel-video-studio-tutorials#post-56195 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:59:03 +0000 Craigsnedeker 56195@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I use corel video studio, because it's cheap. It's a nice little program, and I've been experimenting with SFX and stuff, and wrote some tutorials. </p> <p>You can see them at <a href="http://semiprotuts.com/category/video-studio" rel="nofollow">http://semiprotuts.com/category/video-studio</a></p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/complete-final-cut-pro-turnkey-system#post-52879 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:44:54 +0000 Jason Finnigan 52879@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I have a complete Final cut pro Turnkey system with mac system and pro video i/o just needs Final cut studio.</p> <p>Feel free to ask questions and make offers</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Intel-Imac-17-Inch-Final-Cut-Pro-Turn-Key-System_W0QQitemZ160382788265QQcmdZViewItemQQptZApple_Desktops?hash=item25578f22a9">http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Intel-Imac-17-Inch-Final-Cut-Pro-Turn-Key-System_W0QQitemZ160382788265QQcmdZViewItemQQptZApple_Desktops?hash=item25578f22a9</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Jason</p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-51077 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:41 +0000 composite1 51077@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Bri,</p> <p>I hear you about the 1080p thing, but 1080p is old hat too! 2k is coming up fast and with the digital SLR's, you can work in 5k right now. Also, on a recent forum posting the 2160p format by Pioneer was showcased. So that 10-20 years for 1080p is fading fast. </p> <p>If Titan were trying to outfit his setup with prosumer or better gear, my suggestion would be a multi-format HD rig. That way if clients asked for a specific format he could just chunk it out. However, he's doing this as an in-house gig to display his co's product line. </p> <p>IMO as a production consultant, I would advise against going any higher in resolution. Since Titan's on the low, low budget end and at this stage of his involvement he can get some good 720p consumer cam's cheap and won't have the higher storage requirements that come with full HD. Right now the KISS Program is the best thing for his operation. </p> <p>I agree, 1080p is better than 720p, but if you're down-resing to dv for the web nobody's going to know the diff unless it's somebody like you or me. And you called it, 720p gear is going for bargain basement prices which is great if you're just trying to get started. And you're also dead-on about matching up your elements (i.e. all 720p, 1080p, etc.) </p> <p>When you don't have loads of Dinars to chuck at gear and software purchases, being just slightly behind the trend can still get you in the game. Besides, sooner than later whatever gear you buy is going to be outdated before you want it to be. </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-51064 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:54:13 +0000 HDVideoPro 51064@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>I can honestly agree with most everything composit1 said.</p> <p>The one thing I might do differently is to go ahead and get the 1080p cameras.</p> <p>Here's why:</p> <p>1. 1080 24p is the best video to encode in web video<br /> (it has to do with High quality - Low band-with)</p> <p>2. SD and 720p are old technology - both are being sold at bargain bin pricing to unsuspecting cutomers and business to clear out stock and use up old manufacturing equipment. ( I would know - I helped develop and test the latest software to run 1080p screens)</p> <p>3. Also as an editor - mixing different resolutions can be a pain - since you will be doing this it's best to stick with one format so you understand size, technical requirements, encoding time, format delivery, quality, etc.</p> <p>4. even though you will hear about higher resolution stuff being invented - 1080p will be our standard for the next 10-20 years at least. (there's just no reason to have a 4K TV in your house? It's a case of diminishing return.</p> <p>So as my last thought for the evening - when you pick out you PC, camera, LCD screen, audio amp (with HDMI) asking "IS IT 1080p?" will save you a lot of headaches!</p> <p>Good night and good luck ---Bri </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-51034 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:15:35 +0000 composite1 51034@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Titan,</p> <p>Sounds like you've got a plan. Up front, since it looks like you're going 'web only' I would say 'full HD' is unnecessary. Keep that in mind while I suggest the following;</p> <p>Okay with so small a budget, you can still get a substantial amount of equipment to cover your needs. Camera wise I suggest getting 2-3 small cameras (CMOS or 1CCD chip variety.) Why? You can get good one's with good imagery for $700 - $1200 (I wouldn't pay more than a grand.) The small cam's are light and when business picks up and you move up to prosumer or pro cam's, you can still use the small ones as 'crashcams'. The tech on these new little cam's are pretty good so I would feel quite safe using them for cut and dry work like you're planning. Since you're going tapeless, I say stick to the flash-based cam's versus the harddrive types. If your camera connections get damaged or the harddrive croaks, your data's locked in. With the card cam's, you just pull out the card. Make sure when you're shopping, the cam's have headphone and microphone inputs. Having those inputs will save you hours of trying to fix bad audio.</p> <p>Now as for the 'HD' issue, truthfully you can get by with standard def preferably progressive scan (that way you can avoid those hideous scan lines that show up when viewing video on computer screens.) But, most of the new cam's out now are 'HD' flavored. Seriously, for web-work I say 720p is the way to go. You're already working in progressive scan, you have a solid enough resolution for greenscreen work and it doesn't look so horrible when you downres to SD. Oh and it takes up less storage space than 1080i or p. Not that those ressie's are bad, it's just you don't want to use an elephant gun to hunt deer.</p> <p>Next, get three lightweight tripods. They don't have to be the most expensive things you can find, but don't get the 'El Cheapo' specials either. You may want to take the cam's outside to shoot stuff and cheap plastic parts will make you regret your purchase. Try to make sure the tripods at least have a leveling device built in so you won't have to fix your crooked video in post.</p> <p>Get one or more small camera bags for your cams. Your camera will thank you for it. Also you'll need to carry, your flash cards, extra batteries, cables and eventually a good mic and some lens filters.</p> <p>Next, a portable lighting kit is a very good thing to have. Starting out I'd say pick up a 3-4 light kit. Lowell makes some great kits for $600-$1200. Don't forget to purchase extra bulbs for your kit. For studio work, you want a tungsten kit. Later if you want, you can just purchase 'daylight' grade bulbs for simulating outdoor lighting. Use whatever cash leftover from the lighting budget to get stuff like gels, diffusion material and supplementary (but cheap) lights.</p> <p>Audio wise, get some good headphones. If you're shooting or editing for long hours you want traditional wrap around headphones vice earbuds. Not to mention the sound quality will be much better. Sony and others make some great sub-studio grade headphones for $90 - $120. They'll also last longer and will be in good shape when you move your equipment requirements up. </p> <p>Next you'll want mics. 1-2 wireless lavalier mics for interviews and at minimum 1 shotgun mic. Audio technica makes some really good lav kits for under $200 bucks. Far as the shotgun mic goes, you can save money by going with a consumer 'on-camera' version and do well or you can get an actual shotgun inexpensively. Just remember, your connections to your cameras will decide what you need or if you'll need a separate adapter. Good cheap brands for shotgun mic's are Audio-Technica and Azden. Make sure to get a separate bag to hold your audio gear.</p> <p>I know all of that's more than a mouthful, but it should get you through. Oh and make sure your computers are capable of pushing HD and meet CS3 or better's system requirements. Even if you're only shooting DV, you want to be able to edit HD if you decide to. Hope that gives you an idea.</p> <p>For your gear search the best place to start is bhphotovideo.com. Great support, great service, decent to reasonable prices. There are other good outfits, but I'd start there. </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-51031 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:30:33 +0000 TheWildlifeStudio 51031@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>"Is full HD necessary for this type of application?"</p> <p>That still depends on what use you will be putting the finished clips to. If you do shows or the like where you'd be putting them on a large screen, then go for HD, but if they are just for web use, SD would be ample.</p> </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-51028 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:06:31 +0000 titanvictory 51028@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p> We have taken literally over a 100K images of our products over the past 9 years. Video is obviously more appealing then still images. My company is in a town of ten thousand people so outsourcing is not a option. We have a budget of $7,500 for the camera, studio and lighting.</p> <p>We will be shooting all of the products with a white background, like the examples shown. I'm considering buying a 40' roll of vinyl flooring and flipping it over and painting it. Possibly attaching two of them together. The studio area is 40' wide by 45'deep. I'm looking for suggestions and ideas on how to get this setup. </p> <p>We are planning on buying a tape less camera. I'm not sure about Standard Definition DV or High Definition HDV or full HD. Our budget for the camera is around $5000. Is full HD necessary for this type of application?</p> <p>We use Windows for all of our computers. Were expecting to use Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. </p> <p>As far as the lighting we have several two 2'x2' soft boxes and a few other lights that flash. With a lighting budget of $2,000 what would be the best option for lighting?</p> <p>Lots of questions, thanks for your time and any advise or feedback that you can offer. </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-50986 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:33:56 +0000 film814 50986@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>While I tend to agree with grinner, I think I would have put it less bluntly. You really need to try to get some experience before you make a large personal investment. Now, maybe you have. Have you had opportunity to work in any video-production in the past?</p> <p>Jeremy</p> </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-50984 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:19:48 +0000 grinner 50984@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Don't buy anything. You obviously are not ready for an overhead. Staff until ya know the requirements of the biz, freelance until you have a clientele following them buy what ya need as ya need it. </p> http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/need-advise-on-setting-up-studio-and-buying-equimpment#post-50979 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:52:22 +0000 composite1 50979@http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/ <p>Todd,</p> <p>I took a look at the link and it looks to me like you're just fishing for site hits. </p> <p>If you're serious, you should decide whether you want to go with Standard Definition DV or High Definition HDV or full HD. You'll also have to decide whether you go with a tape based or tapeless camera. All of which come in many different brands and recording formats such as harddrive, Flash Media, P2, SxS and many more. </p> <p>All of that will be decided after you've ascertained what you're equipment budget is. You'll need at least 1 camera, 1 2-4 light kit, 1-2 wired or wireless lavalier mics, at least 1 shotgun mic, 1 set of pro headphones, and cables like XLR, firewire, and RCA in order to connect audio, computers and audio/visual devices. Concerning backdrops, there are an enormous amount of choices in color, but you may decide to go with just green/blue screen to cut down on the money spent on backdrops. That of course will bring additional amounts of time for editing and studio lighting requirements. </p> <p>Most important, you'll have to decide whether you'll be editing your work in-house or sending it out. If you do it in-house, then you'll have to walk through the minefield of what computer operating platform to use. The three biggies are PC, Mac and Linux. Each has their strengths and weaknesses and your decision on which one to use again will be based upon your budget and logistics (i.e. if there's a mac store on every corner or if you throw a rock and hit a PC retailer....) Once you've decided what platform to use, then you'll need to pick out graphics and editing programs to complete your videos. </p> <p>Again, the type of software you pick will decide what platform you'll need to get. They come in versions for PC only, Mac only, and PC/Mac (cross-platform.) If you or anyone on your team hasn't edited before or has limited editing experience, don't get the pro versions of the popular editing programs. Start out with the 'light' versions that don't have the same depth as the pro software. You'll still be able to make competent looking pieces, but won't have the headache of dealing with the high learning curve. Once you've got a handle on basic Non-Linear Editing, then moving up to the pro versions won't be a problem. </p> <p>Of course, your decisions may not be so cut and dry. You may have experience with one, but may not live in an area to provide practical support for the product (ever have to send in equipment for repair? The farther away it is, the longer you won't have use of the gear.) </p> <p>So before you start wading into 'what camera to buy', take the initial time to outline the scope of what you're going to be working on. Plan out your purchases for equipment based on your initial production goals and be realistic about what you can afford within your current budget. Once you do that, then you'll have a much better idea of what you are looking for equipment wise and will make informed choices. </p>