Visit the Videomaker headquarters in Chico, Calif. for three days of hands-on training. In February 24-26, we’ll instruct you behind the camera or on the computer with the Basics of Video Production or Intensive Editing Workshop. Take the opportunity to get expert advice, techniques from our team, then, actually put it in practice.
The Basics of Video Production Workshop gives the beginning videographer a huge leap into the biggest areas of production – pre-planning, post production, shooting and lighting techniques. You’ll be using our equipment and teaming up with others that are learning just like you.
The Intensive Editing Workshop is just that, intensive. We’ll be teaching with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 on HP EliteBook 8760w workstations. Three days of in-your-face editing… well, maybe side by side is more like it, but you’ll get details on one of the most widely used editing software programs and plenty of time to answer your questions.
We’ve hosted people from across the continent here at Videomaker, so we may be your connection to Chico too. Space is limited, so if it’s too late for this month or the subject matter doesn’t float your boat, consider our other workshops, we are planning many more this year so check our schedule.
Anyone can point a video camera at something and press record. However, creating quality videos requires an understanding of basic video production concepts. This time, Videomaker takes video production back to the basics with the newest addition to our webinar training series: Basic Video Production.
Whether you’re interested in video production for your business or interested in improving your home movies and personal projects, our comprehensive Basic Video Production webinar will teach you the techniques needed to get a jump start on making better video. You will learn basic techniques such as shot composition, camera moves and controls, microphone and audio techniques, as well as lighting setups and techniques.
Following the webinar, all registrants will receive a copy of our special report “Handheld Shooting”. In addition to valuable information and a free special report, the Basic Video Production Webinar will also include a live Q&A segment; our team answering your questions. The Basic Video Production Webinar starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, Jan. 11, so be sure to sign up soon!
Not interested in Basic Video Production? Videomaker’s Webinar Training Series provides a wide variety of webinars that cover topics including Advanced Editing, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, Advanced Shooting, Audio for Video, and much more.
What if you could make professional grade video the first time you picked up a camera? Videomaker’s new free report “8 Tips for a Stellar First Video” will show you how to become a better videographer on your first shoot.
Maybe you’ve wanted to make video for a while; maybe you just caught the video bug recently. Either way, something’s holding you back – maybe you’re worried that any video you make will look amateurish next to those made by long-time video enthusiasts. We know that initial step can be daunting when you feel like you don’t know the first thing about making video. You feel the passion to create and share video stories but it seems like there’s so much to learn first.
No more excuses! Videomaker’s “8 Tips for a Stellar First Video” is exactly the resource created for you. It’s written with the eager young newbie in mind, so you don’t need to have any familiarity with video equipment to get the most out of these tips.
Learn:
How to make sure that, before you even start, you have everything to finish
The Two Easy Steps to Handling your Video Camera like a pro… and getting the same great footage.
How to organize your thoughts into a video story
The Secret to shooting footage that looks good on any screen.
How video is different than real life… and how you can use that to your advantage.
The single most important tip for keeping an audience interested. This remarkably simple tip will free you from the old style of thinking that holds you back and let you see the world the way the video pros do.
The biggest mistake that can sink a first video and how you can avoid it.
“8 Tips for a Stellar First Video” is a quick and easy read for even the greenest video lover, but we didn’t want to leave you with obvious, philosophical tips that wouldn’t actually help you. That’s why we’ve picked the eight tips that you can start applying the moment you pick up a camera.
You can pick these tips out after hours of studying film theory or you figure them out after days of trial and error – or you can get them all here, collected in one place, in just minutes.
On-line sources for video content of all sorts, from artistic to instructional to experimental, are multiplying at a dizzying pace. Video collaboration, particularly collaboration “in the cloud,” is a quickly maturing concept. And behind these sites for online video collaboration is the basic motivation for film makers and graphic artists to find new muses and wider audiences. Clearly there is no shortage of inspiration for those of us who are as passionate about video as we are about music, art, science, technology, and more. One of my favorite sources for such inspiration is the exceptional TED.com.
TED talks have been around for a long time now and many of us are in the habit of regularly visiting TED.com to check out the latest on-line releases. On a recent web surfing excursion to TED, I came across an extraordinary piece featuring an exhilarating example of collaborative on-line video editing. (Videomaker has blogged on this topic recently: see Daniel Bruns’ excellent blog posted August 8thon the phenomenon of leveraging HTML5 for music video production by bands like OK Go, Arcade Fire, and Danger Mouse.) Some of you are likely very familiar with Aaron Koblin’s work. Koblin’s TED talk, “Artfully Envisioning Our Humanity” posted this past May is a marvel. If you haven’t already, you really need to check out Koblin’s TED talk.
Koblin has built an online environment wherein artists and videographers can contribute to a collaborative video featuring the late Johnny Cash’s final recording Aint No Grave (Can Hold My Body Down). It’s an astute choice, not only because this is a wonderful version of this song about living on through one’s legacy. Cash has been missed by many of us since his death in 2003. Koblin’s choice of Aint No Grave is also astute because there is no “holding down” the creativity of the still image contributors building a video and embracing Koblin’s site and his vision. As more and more images are added to the montage, it is clear that this site is tapping into both profound reverence for the artist (Johnny Cash) and into an enthusiasm for collaboration in video. The very nature of this project means that there is really never an “end-product” or a finished video, but rather iterative experiences that change with nearly every viewing, as long as the contributions keep coming and the video keeps evolving. Collaborative endeavors such as these inspire us to return again and again, to both add to and to admire the outcome. If you haven’t already, you really should check it out. (Visit The Johnny Cash Project.)
Many video producers toil to perfect their craft in simple DIY studios at home, or in temporary rented space, or simply out in the world with their camcorder in their hand. Unless you’re working closely with a cadre of fellow practitioners of the video craft (which luckily, many of you are), the work of video is usually less an act of collaboration and more often a solitary enterprise. You often shoot alone, edit alone, and release your video alone, hoping to capture a wider audience as your videos catch on via YouTube or Vimeo or elsewhere. But projects such as Aaron Koblin’s remind us that we can do amazingly creative things when we work together.
There is no doubt that a tripod lends itself to steady camera shots, as well as smooth pans and tilts. However, when you’re shooting a “run and gun” documentary, a tripod can become too cumbersome to lug around. Sometimes, a tripod isn’t needed when attempting a more stylistic handheld approach. Either way, without a tripod, your camera work is more likely to suffer from the shakes. To reduce the amount of excessive movement in your video try practicing the following handheld camera techniques.
- Keep your elbows bent and tucked near your body. Use one hand to hold the camera, and the other hand to support your camera hand, or to give additional support to the camera.
- Keep a wide stance and don’t lock your knees. By keeping your knees slightly bent you’re allowing your body to act as a shock absorber, and the wide stance will give you better balance.
- Keep your lens wide and don’t zoom in. Wider shots will make your video look less shaky, but if you zoom in you significantly increase the chances of a shaky shot. If you must get closer, physically move the camera closer.
- If you need additional support, try using the hood of a car or a park bench. Essentially, anything around you can be used to help in stabilizing your camera.
Handheld camera techniques can help create a more subjective feel to your documentary if executed properly. The secret to great handheld video is practice, practice, practice. And within no time, you’ll be able to leave that bulky tripod at home.
You don’t need loads of money to make a professional-looking film – you need to get down and dirty! Learn to maximize your resources and do more with less with The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide.
Interested in more tips on documentary Production? Sign up for Videomaker’s free Documentary Course. This free tip series is designed to help you improve your video production skills, fast. Learn More.
Panasonic Broadcast is giving users of its AG-HMR10 AVCCAM handheld recorder a chance to win exciting prizes by showcasing their creative work in the new “Shoot It. Share It.” video contest. From today through June 18, 2010, HMR10 users can submit a video demonstrating their interesting use of the handheld recorder for the chance to win prizes, including the Grand Prize of a 65” Viera Plasma Television with built-in SD card slot.
Panasonic’s AG-HMR10 AVCCAM handheld recorder and the AG-HCK10 camera head allow video professionals to capture full 1920×1080 video from long distances or endless point of views. The battery-powered HMR10 records up to 12 hours of high quality HD video on a widely available 32GB SDHC card. Content can be immediately viewed on the handheld’s 3.5″ LCD screen or from an SD card slot-equipped Blu-ray player, laptop PC, plasma television or other device. With an HD-SDI in/out, the HMR10 can also serve as a standalone recorder for use with HD-SDI capable cameras, switchers and decks. Read the rest of this entry »
The holidays are in full swing! As a videographer, there’s no doubt you’ve made sure your camera is charged, stocked and ready to capture the holiday cheer. Unfortunately, your family members don’t share your movie-making enthusiasm. They duck and dodge, and do everything within their power to avoid being caught on tape. The normally rowdy children become strangely quiet and reserved. Luckily, there are ways to avoid another family video full of hand-covered faces and people frantically dodging out of frame.
First and foremost, Turn off the camera’s tally light! Though the little red light on your camera may remind you of Rudolph’s red nose, it’s reminding your family members that they’re being recorded. If you can’t turn your tally light off, place a small piece of black electrical tape over it.Also, having your camera on from the get-go will allow your family and guests plenty of time to relax and forget the camera is even there.
When videotaping children get down on their level. Take a knee (rather, two knees for proper handheld techniques), and not only will your camera seem less threatening, but you’ll also be able to capture the world from their perspective. Allow the children a chance to shoot some video of their own (under your supervision, of course). Once they see how much fun a camcorder can be they’ll be less likely to shy away when it’s pointed at them. Read the rest of this entry »
November 12, 1970 marked the birth of a story so outrageous it was often considered an urban legend. A 45-foot dead whale, weighing a whopping eight tons, washed up onto a beach in Florence, Oregon. Due to the sheer size and increasingly putrid smell of the deceased cetacean, the Oregon Department of Transportation decided the best solution for removal was to blow it up using a half-ton of dynamite.
Moments after the dynamite detonated, it became painfully clear that this was not the best course of action. As smelly chunks of whale blubber came raining down, bystanders ran for cover. A car parked a quarter-mile down the road was crushed under the weight of one of the larger pieces that fell. Fortunately, no one was hurt and a great lesson was learned: Always have a camera rolling.
If it hadn’t been for the gentleman with the camera, the story of Oregon’s exploding whale may have slipped into urban legend obscurity. You, too, can help preserve a moment in time. Next time you hear of something fishy happening in your town, grab your camera and start rolling. You never know what kind of footage might fall into your lap!
We got an early release of Motorola’s new Droid phone and took it for a quick test drive to see if it’s got what it takes to be a competitive camcorder.
Charlie Fulton, our Tech Guru had the chance to play with the phone and was surprisingly pleased with the quality of the video it recorded. The Droid can upload video directly to YouTube, so when you shoot it now, you can share it with the world in only seconds, a cool feature if you’re the first one to catch the return of Elvis from an extraterrestrial spaces-ship. Now that’s a video the world will want to engage in! Read the rest of this entry »
Recently, Videomaker completed its first-ever Basic Production Techniques webinar and we couldn’t be more pleased with the turn-out. There were so many good questions, but, unfortunately, not enough time to answer them all. Here, at Videomaker, we value every question presented and aim to answer each one of them. One question we were unable to answer within the allotted time was regarding basic tips for composing, lighting, and shooting a talking-head corporate video.
Great composition is vital to any video production. Generally, you always want to observe the rule of thirds. If you divide your frame into three equal parts, both vertically and horizontally, you’ll end up with a basic guideline for good composition. The goal here is to place your subject, or points of interest, on one of the intersections within your imaginary grid. In the case of shooting a “talking-head,” you will want to place the subjects eyes on an intersection located in the upper-third of the grid. If you can’t fit your entire subject into the frame, be sure to crop the top of the head and not the chin.
Since corporate videos are pretty straightforward, you don’t need to create an extravagant lighting scheme. A basic 3-point lighting setup – a key light, fill light, and hair light – should do the trick.
Visit the Videomaker headquarters in Chico, Calif. for three days of hands-on training. In February 24-26, we’ll instruct you behind the camera or on the computer with the Basics of Video Production or Intensive Editing Workshop. Take the opportunity to get expert advice, techniques from our team, then, actually put it in practice.
Panasonic Broadcast is giving users of its AG-HMR10 AVCCAM handheld recorder a chance to win exciting prizes by showcasing their creative work in the new “
We got an early release of Motorola’s new 
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