What’s Your Video Style? Take this quiz for fun and see what style of video best suits your personality. Agree or disagree with your results? Tell us why below!

1) What’s your Favorite thing about putting together a video?

A) I like working in a nice quiet studio, where I can devote all my attention to my work.

B) I like working with video tools and equipment. I’m a real hardware fanatic!

C) I like working with people. They fascinate me!

D) I like creating an ambiance, something that will really draw the audience into the movie!

E) I like the action. I’m not happy unless I’m in the center of the storm!

F) I like the chance to be creative, to experiment with new ideas!

2) What’s the most important thing you look for when you watch a video?

A) I look to see how well it’s technically put together. I appreciate good craftsmanship.

B) It has to look good! People aren’t going to watch it if it looks like it was made by amateurs.

C) I like a good story, something to really make me care about the people on the screen.

D) A good soundtrack! A movie is boring if it doesn’t have a some tunes!

E) I want to see real people in real situations! I want to see how things really happened.

F) Did it teach me something new? I always want to add to my knowledge!

3) If you could pick anyplace in the world to shoot a video, would you choose to shoot:

A) The Great Barrier Reef in Australia?

B) The Roman Catacombs in Italy?

C) The Great Pyramids of Egypt?

D) The Oktoberfest Celebration in Germany?

E) The Running of the Bulls in Spain?
F) Bodie Ghost Town in California?

4) How would you describe yourself?

A) Meticulous and Logical!

B) Dark and Mysterious!

C) An Avid Story-teller!

D) Epic, Bigger than Life!

E) A Romantic at Heart!
F) Curious and Restless!

5) What’s your Biggest Reward in Making Video?

A) The Satisfaction of a Job Well Done.

B) The Appreciation of an Audience

C) Making a difference in the way people see the world.

D) The Chance to do Something Challenging and Creative

E) Seeing People’s Faces when they see themselves in your video

F) Seeing your Work on the Big Screen.

If you answered mostly A, you are an EDITOR. Shooting video is fun, but you have a real appreciation for the craft and artistry that comes afterward. You know that every snip and splice has the potential to make a story come to life, and there’s nothing you like better than turning that raw footage into something compelling.

If you answered mostly B, you are a LIGHTING FANATIC. You know that a video isn’t worth anything if you can’t tell what’s going on in it. Your standards for lighting are strict and your videos benefit from your attention to detail. Whether it’s creating a noir atmosphere with shadows or illuminating an interview subject, you know that lighting is key to interesting, engrossing videos. You’re always up to meet the challenges that other videographers forget to prepare for.

If you answered mostly C, you are a DOCUMENTARIAN. You love story telling and you can find the story in anything. Whether it’s something as small and silly as a nature film about salamanders or as heart-felt and personal as a family biography, you’re aces at finding those telling moments that illustrate the big picture. You love exploring human drama and you’re not shy about capturing the best – and worst– with your camera.

If you answered mostly D, you are a SOUND FANATIC. You’re the person people turn to when they need to capture the soft sounds of birdsong or muffle out the interrupting din from the nearby highway, because you understand how important sound is. When you do your job right, the results are practically invisible. Audiences may not realize why they like your videos, that your perfectly-synced sound effects and carefully selected music are what’s pulling them in, but you know the secret. You’re always up to meet the challenges that other videographers forget to prepare for.

If you answered mostly E, you are an EVENT VIDEOGRAPHER. You’re a daredevil; you like being right in the middle of the action. You don’t shirk from a challenge and you’re not afraid to take on assignments where you only have one shot to get it right – weddings, celebrations, speeches, anything where there’s a vortex of activity, you’ll be there with your camera in hand. Action is your watchword!

If you answered mostly F, you are a JACK OF ALL TRADES. You’re always exploring, always searching for something new. You never accept that you’ve learned enough, and you’re always striving to improve your video-making skills. Your creativity and inquisitiveness show through in your videos, which are continuously changing and maturing.

For tips and tricks with all sorts of video, join Videomaker‘s  eNews electronic newsletter, chock full of the info and advice you crave, it’s just what you need to satisfy that nagging curiosity.

I’ve shot video of a variety of subjects on an uncountable number of locations, and while I don’t always take every light I have with me, there’s one lighting tool that never leaves my road kit. As you’re planning a shoot, remember that before you add artificial light to a setup, you should always see what you can do with the natural light you have.

That’s why the first tool on my lighting checklist is a five in one collapsible reflector. Actually, make that two reflectors. These babies are invauable in controlling light when you don’t (and even if you do) have the ability to provide light yourself. Each comes with a gold surface, silver surface, gold/silver combo surface, soft white surface, and a slightly transucent base for diffusion.

Lighting is all about placing and controlling shadows. A reflector exceles at both of these. When shooting in almost any scenario you will quickly find that the natural lighting isn’t coming from an ideal angle. Indoors, it might be straight overhead or coming in from a window. Outdoors, you may be contending with a street light or the sun. These scenarios will likely cast shadows in a way that’s unflattering to your subject.

Use the gold surface on one reflector outdoors to re-direct sunlight and provide a quick key light. Use the white surface on the second to prvide a fill, and combined witht he sun, you have a three point lighting setup for about a hundred bucks.  Indoors, if you’re dealing with oppressive overhead flouressencnts, use your reflector to counter some of those dark shadows under your subject’s eyes. If you’re dealing with light from a window, simply placing a silver surface on the opposite side of your subject’s face will bounce some of that blue sunlight back and you won’t have that mix of red and blue light that is so common in indoor shoots.

Reflectors are by no means a fix-all solution. You still need at least one existing light source to get anything out of them. Often times, however, a reflector can replace a second or third light. They’re easy to set up and cost a fraction of the price of a production light. That’s why if you’re putting together your first lighting kit, make your first purcase a couple of reflectors and you’ll save yourself time and money down the road.

We live in an age were most every family in America owns a video camera and editing software, even if they never sought out either. Anyone with an internet connection can put their video online where it can be seen by everyone on the planet. The web has given anyone who wants it, access to far more information than any film school alone can provide. The world of video production has entered a golden age. There are no more excuses not to pursue whatever goals you hope to achieve with video.

In the late ’90s, when the average middle-class American could purchase video editing software to run on the home computer they already owned, it was clear that we were entering a new era of video production. Consumer camcorders were already common, but with non-linear editors entering people’s homes, so too, was a quality of production reserved only for professionals or those willing to spend thousands on uni-tasking equipment.

Consumer video production stayed at that point for about 10 years, as individuals shot SD footage on their home camcorders and edited on their PC or Mac.  In the last few years, however, we’ve seen a surge forward in the process of consumer level video production. It’s a result of computers and cameras getting cheaper, and moving into every electronic device in the home.

When The Blair Witch Project came out, people were amazed that someone could shoot an entire film that would be released world wide, on a simple consumer camcorder. Today, an iPhone 4S could easily take better quality video and cost significantly less. The only reason, I believe, that we haven’t seen a nationally released film shot entirely on a smartphone yet is simply because an upgrade in picture quality and functionality can be purchased for under a thousand dollars.

It’s not just the cost of quality cameras and accessibility of editing software that is bringing good looking video to the masses, it’s also the size. It turns out that a fluid-head tripod capable of supporting a 3lb camcorder doesn’t cost a lot of money. The same can be said about slider dollies, jibs, and even stabilizers.

Of course some equipment is as pricey as it’s ever been. Lights and microphones, for example, don’t seem to be getting any cheaper, but we live in the age of the internet. It’s much easier to learn from others about how to build your own lighting rig, or even record studio quality ADR straight into your laptop or iPad.

Cameras and editing systems are getting cheaper by the day, and the free flow of information on the internet is making it easier than ever to break into video production. As a result, Hollywood is losing its hold on the film industry, which is a good thing for both consumers and producers of great video.

The eye light is a piece of the lighting puzzle that is often overlooked in non-professional productions. As unimportant as it may seem, that little sparkle of the eye will add a significant amount of emotional depth and a sense of life to your on-screen talent, allowing your audience to better connect with the character.

Since much of the talent’s emotions are expressed through their eyes, it’s important that the eyes are well-lit and able to reflect the emotion the character is portraying. To maximize the effectiveness of this light, dedicate a specific light as the “eye light.” The eye light should be a small, low-powered light placed near the camera. Though the eye light doesn’t need to be exactly in line with the key light, it should come from the same direction. For example, if your key light is high, so should your eye light. This will help in making that sparkle appear to be coming from the appropriate light source. Remember, the eye light is supplemental to your light setup and should be adjusted to aid your talent’s focus not bother your talent.

Make production easy on yourself and use the eye light as a guide for focusing on a subject. You’re really looking for the reflection found within a person’s eye and that reflection of the light will be come most defined when the focus is precise on his or her pupil. Since most people have dark irises, this intriguing and colorful section of the eye is also game for your eye light.

Whether you are using a high-key or low-key lighting scheme, throwing an eye light into the mix will help your characters come to life. Adding that sparkle to their eye can greatly enhance any emotion, making each scene much more compelling.

To learn more about eye lights and where to place them, check out Lighting: The Eye Light