One of the most common questions we get from beginning video producers is “how do I get my video to be more like what I see in movies and TV?” It used to be that everyone was looking for that 24p, shallow depth of field look that film has, but with modern DSLRs that look has become so common it’s no longer an issue for most people. While there’s a lot that new videographers can do to increase the professionalism of their video, the number one thing that separates the amateurs from the pros on the web is audio. You could (successfully) argue that good lighting, editing, and composition is also very rare on YouTube, but in the age of guerrilla filmmaking, even the pros are neglecting many of the fundamentals. If you ever watch reality TV, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. On YouTube, and sites like it, you’ll find videos with varying degrees of production quality. The line that separates amateur from professional is drawn between good and bad audio.

One thing that you will hardly ever see (or hear) from a professional production, however, is bad audio. Why is this the case? Why is a medium that is so heavy on visuals so reliant on audio? The big reason is that humans are very good at absorbing information from a visual source, but not as good with audio. If we see video that’s lacking details, but can easily hear what’s going on, our brains will fill in the blanks where the visuals are lacking. That’s why whenever you see grainy, pxililated dash cam car chases on Silliest Police Chases 19, you can hear every police siren, tire screech, and metal crunch (these sounds are all added in post, but that’s another story). The video itself is ugly and hard to make out, but by being accompanied by good sound, our brains complete the picture for us.

Because we use sound so much to interpret video, bad audio, or audio that is difficult to hear, is extremely frustrating for the viewer, even if the picture is crystal clear. Consider a talking head recorded with the on-camera microphone. It doesn’t matter how great the lighting is, how emasculate the set is, or how crystal clear the picture is; if the viewer has to strain to understand what the person is saying, you can bet they’ll click to the next video. Conversely, if the same person is recording to VHS, in their garage, with natural lighting, but is wearing a lavalier mic, and every word can be heard clearly, the viewer is much more likely to continue watching.

So why is good audio so rare on YouTube? Let’s ignore the videos of cats and planking, where sound isn’t really an issue, and focus on scripted content. Firstly, YouTube directors just don’t think about recording sound when they’re planning their production. This goes back to humans being visual creatures. Just remember that that only means that we need extra help when it comes to audio. Secondly, recording good sound is an added cost on top of the cost of the camera, tripod, lights etc. Thirdly, YouTube directors may simply be inexperienced with audio equipment and be unwilling to invest time and money for a tool they’ve never used before. If that’s the case, there are some great resources out there to help you learn the ropes.

Good audio won’t make up for bad content on YouTube, but if you’re confident in your production, having good sound will elevate your production quality to a level above most everything else on the web. If you pick up an affordable mic and shoot once or twice while capturing good audio, I’m confident you’ll find that it makes such a big difference in your production quality, that you won’t even consider shooting without it again.

Have you decided to start editing video, but don’t know where to begin? The Videomaker Basic Editing Webinar is aimed at answering your hardware and software questions, as well as providing information on how to use pacing, transitions, motivated edits, and more in order to start editing great videos. By learning the techniques and information taught in our Basic Editing Webinar, you’ll be well on your way to creating the videos you want to present.

Following the webinar, all registrants will receive a copy of a special report. In addition to valuable information and a free special report, Time Control. Our Basic Editing Webinar will also include live Q&A; our team answering your questions. Videomaker’s Basic Editing Webinar starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, February 22, so be sure to sign up soon!

Not interested in an introduction to editing? Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series is taught by our experts and features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Editing, Green Screen and Special Effects, Advanced Shooting, Lighting for Video, and much more.

Videomaker’s Intermediate Editing Webinar will take you beyond simple cuts and transitions and teach you techniques that will allow you to advance your basic video editing skills. Our web presentation focuses on multi-camera editing, simple compositing, filters and effects and more; helping you in your quest to create polished and professional-looking video.

Following the session, all registrants will receive a copy of a special report. Additionally, we will be including live Q&A throughout the event; our team answering your questions. This event starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, Dec. 28, so be sure to sign up soon!

Check out Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series for other sessions taught by our experts. Our webinar series features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Shooting, Green Screen and Special Effects, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, and much more.

As we’ve already mentioned in a previous post, Apple has been under heavy fire for missing many components of Final Cut Pro 7 in their new software. In fact, as it currently stands, Apple has more 1 star reviews of Final Cut Pro X than the total of all their other reviews combined. That’s not to say the new software has gotten all bad press. There are actually quite a few 5 star reviews as well as many pro editors who have been touting how much easier and faster the new program can be. Looking at Apple’s App Store, it would seem that the features that most editors loved the most was the style of the new interface, the quick rendering times, and the simplicity of the magnetic timeline. However, with a lack key features such as multi-cam, XML support (both of which Apple has since stated they will be including in their next major release), and the ability to import old Final Cut Pro projects, it seemed only a matter of time before other software companies would start to come out with deals of their own.

Just this last week, Adobe decided to take advantage of the dissatisfaction with Final Cut Pro by announcing an upgrade program for anyone who has bought any version of Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer. Basically, those who make the switch will get a 50 percent discount on either Adobe Premiere CS5.5 or Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium. In their press release, Adobe was also touting the ability to remap keyboard shortcuts to match Avid or Final Cut Pro presets. They also lauded their close integration of Premiere with their other popular applications, After Effects and Photoshop. Of course it’s interesting to note that just days before Apple announced the new Final Cut Pro, Avid announced its own switch program in which owners of Final Cut Pro could buy Avid Media Composer for only $950, a significant savings on their usual price.

With all of this activity in the pro editing software marketplace, it will be very interesting to see how each company responds. Of course, don’t forget that Videomaker will have a review of Final Cut Pro X online in the next few weeks so keep your eyes posted to see what our reviewer thought of Apple’s latest product.

After walking the National Association of Broadcasters showfloor for 3 days – clocking in up to 9 miles in one day – the Videomaker staff returned to VMHQ to discuss, debate and analyze the products we saw to present our first ever “Best of NAB 2011” awards.

BEST IN SHOW:  Sony NEX -FS100u – Camcorder with Interchangeable Lens
BEST CAMCORDER: Canon XF305 -  3D Firmware Upgrade
BEST COMPUTER: HP EliteBook 8760w – Laptop
BEST EDITING SOFTWARE: Apple Final Cut Pro X  (Apple has not yet posted the new product on their site since it is still getting tweaked)
BEST CAMERA SUPPORT: Redrock Micro3D Rig
BEST HARD DRIVE: LaCie Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt – Hard Drive
BEST LIGHT GEAR: Lowel Studio LED 250 and 450 – LED Lights
BEST MICROPHONE: Sennheiser MKH 8060 – Shotgun Microphone
BEST MONITOR: iKan VX7e – Field Monitor
BEST STOCK MEDIA: SmartSound SonicFire Pro Quicktracks – Cloud-based Royalty-Free Music Creation Service
BEST PLUG-IN: Boris FX Boris Red 5 – Video Editing Software
MOST INNOVATIVE:Photon Beard’s PhotonSpot Nova 270 -  Light Emitting Plasma Lamp

The criteria for our judging was simple:

• a product that was new to this show – meaning it hadn’t been announced at a previous show
• a product that was guaranteed to ship within the year – meaning no ‘vaporware’
• a product that was good for the Videomaker community – meaning it can’t be too expensive, too niche or built for a huge production facility, but not really feasible for the small crews or Lone Wolf producers that comprise many of the Videomaker readers.

This last criteria was the hardest because at a show called the National Broadcasters Association, you’re going to see a LOT of high-end products that are in use in television stations, movie studios, and big-time facilities. Also, since these are featured products from NAB, they are still most often going to be in the higher-end price range, even for our market, unlike the products we’ll see at CES – the Consumer’s Electronics Show. Read the rest of this entry »

Good audio is invaluable to the process of making a video. In fact, it has been said that people will sit through a bad video much longer than they will tolerate a video with bad audio. However, audio is often an afterthought or considered something that can be easily fixed in post production. Video producers have had to learn the hard way that there is no substitution for properly recorded audio. Fortunately,  Videomaker’s Audio for Video Webinar aims at helping you capture the best audio possible, the first time around. We will discuss types of mics and their pick-up patterns, picking the best mic, tips on how to capture quality audio every time you shoot, and more.

In addition to valuable information, this event will also include a live Q&A segment; our team answering your questions. Videomaker’s Audio for Video Webinar starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on April 6th, so be sure to sign up soon!

Not interested in Audio for Video? Videomaker’s Webinar Training Series provides a wide variety of webinars that cover topics including Advanced Editing, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, Advanced Shooting, Green Screens and Special Effects, and much more.