In our Video Bits & Bytes segment, Mark tells us about the demise of a popular blogging site, one we're sorry to see go... And he also has news on several new camcorders that have recently passed the doors of Videomaker Central. Derek has some Video Sharing news on fora.tv, an online discussion on worldwide political, social and cultural issues ... and are you getting money back from your federal income tax? Derek found a site where you can win prize money by uploading a video on what you plan to do with your refund.
Win Money with Video About your Tax Refund
Designing Lower Thirds that Add Interest to Your Video
The most common type of graphic used to identify people and companies are lower thirds. We'll be looking at their purpose and design and take you step-by-step through their creation as well. With these basic skills and a bit of imagination, you'll soon see your work rise from the depths of the mundane to the heights of audience pleasing excellence.
Field Sound Recording with Lavalier and Shotgun Microphones
Audio plays many roles in a documentary. To help you make your audio sound great, we'll be looking at the proper ways to use microphones, how to monitor sound, and lastly, how to set up and operate field mixers. With this kind of knowledge you'll be able to make sure your audio is always sounding its best.
4 Common Lighting Setups for Professional Video
Though great lighting does require some artistic prowess, even the first-time video enthusiast can get great results. To help you make professional looking lighting, we'll show you the steps everyone should take for a good lighting, how to place lights and equipment in outdoor settings, and proper 4-point, 2-point, and even 1-point lighting setups.
Liven Up Your Documentary by Capturing B-Roll
Good B-roll helps you keep a good pace, cover mistakes, and dive even deeper into your story. To make sure your story has all of that, we'll go over some tips on how to direct people to act and show you how to cover live events in a way that makes your documentary interesting and informative.
Getting the Best Answers in any Documentary Interview
With a little preparation and knowledge, interviews can actually be one of the most thrilling portions of making a documentary. To help you prepare, we show you what to include when briefing your talent, how to ask quality questions, and how to respond to questions that will get you the best answers from your interview.
How to Set Up Lights and Microphones for Documentary Interviews
To help you get started with your documentary interviews, we show you the equipment you'll need, give you some tips on making a room look good, tell you what you should include in your talent releases, and provide you with some tips to assure that your subject looks great on screen.
How to Get Access to Locations for your Documentary
Getting access to the right locations can lend your story credibility and interest. To make it a little easier for you get into the places you need to shoot, we show you the types of venues you'll have to deal with, how to manage locations and when you'll need location releases.
Finding the Best Crew and Equipment for your Documentary
Having a good crew behind you can help you to not only get the shots you need, but get them on time as well. To help you find good crews, we'll first go over some things to consider about crew members, what crew size you'll need and some sources of where to find solid crews.
How to Manage and Direct your Video Crew for your Documentary
Keeping a crew happy results in a more efficient and stress-free production. In order to help you do just that, we'll go over some ways to hold useful production meetings with your crew, how to transport your crew, and some tips in catering food for your crew.
Tripods, Dollies, and Other Essential Accessories for Documentary Shoots
Though shooting, audio, and lighting gear are incredibly important, they're not the only items that make make your documentary look great. That's why we'll go over what to look for in stabilizing equipment like a tripod or a sled, arm and vest system, dollies, and lastly essential grip gear for any shoot.
Choosing the Best Lighting Equipment for Your Documentary
Good lighting defines the difference between great looking footage and poorly made home movies. Knowing the lighting technology and gear, such as fixture designs and lamp types as well as the best equipment for blocking, diffusing and reflecting light, can help your footage look like it belongs on the big screen.
Finding the Best Microphones to Capture Audio for Documentaries
A good audio kit includes more than a microphone. The best kit will have a good field mixer, external capture device, headphones, and cables and adapters. Besides the gear, you'll learn about mic features such as pickup pattern, frequency response, wireless capabilities and design, so you can design the best audio kit that you can afford.
Finding the Best Video Camera to Shoot a Documentary
With thousands of camcorders to choose from, finding the one most suitable for your project can be frustrating. To help you sift through the hype, we'll look at quality optics, battery technology, inputs and outputs, recording media, and controls. Using this information, you should find a camera that will help you to make your documentary a reality.
Delivering a Great Pitch to Convince Investors to Fund your Documentary
Now that you've put together a great prospectus, it's time to pitch it. Effective pitching involves doing research on your subjects, knowing how to approach them, and putting in a bit of practice. We'll show you some great ways to pitch so that you capture your investor's attention.
How to Make a Great Documentary Demo Reel
A demo reel reveals a lot about you. It shows an investor that you have the skills and the experience to make a quality documentary. We'll show you how to organize, edit, and prepare your reel so that you can give the right impression to almost anyone.
Fundraising Secrets for Documentaries
When getting money from investors just isn't enough, fund-raising is the next best option. There are many people who can't fund an entire documentary but can help you with a small part of it. To help you with this, we show you how to hold banquets, auctions, online events, and more.
Showing How your Documentary Can Make Money By Making a Budget
The most important and time consuming part of any prospectus is the budget. Budgets help investors know why your documentary costs what it does. This is why we'll show you what goes into a professional looking budget and how to lower your costs so that your documentary gets the funds it needs.
Writing a Video Prospectus to Get Funding for your Documentary
In order to get money for your documentary, a well planned prospectus is essential. It not only shows you've done your research and know your target market, it also shows that your documentary will make money. We'll give you some tips on how to make a prospectus that can impress your investors.
How To Fund a Documentary Using Grants, Investors and Donations
How To Fund a Documentary Using Grants, Investors and Donations
Compose Better Video Shots Using Leading Lines and Rack Focus
Though art can be made in many forms, there are some concepts that hold true in every situation. Because of this, it can be very helpful to know the principles behind aesthetically pleasing framing so that every one of your shots tells the story you want it to.
