Videomakers are, by definition, visual artists. We communicate with pictures and images. But, in many cases, the images alone may not tell the whole story. That's where narration fits in. When used well, narration adds depth and harmony to your production. When used poorly, narration can ruin an...
You're between major holidays, there are no birthdays or weddings happening, your video camera is resting in its case and you're wondering, "What can I do with this thing?" Believe me, it happens to us all. You want to be out there taping, but you draw a blank as...
Imagine you're one of the producers who decides what will appear on a show like Cops, Real TV, Storm Watch or the national news. Your job is to screen hundreds of tapes from home video shooters, fire truck chasers, security cameras--you name it--and buy the stuff that will knock...
Video production is most exciting when you do it by the seat of your pants. You can capture some great video with just a camcorder, a tripod and some guts o' steel. Today, we're going to take that seat-of-your-pants approach to the next level.
I'm talking about in-camera editing, a...
A professional sports videographer may have better equipment and more experience than the casual home shooter, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to shoot good sports video with your consumer camcorder.
In these next few pages, we'll give you some tips on how to shoot the big four in sports:...
Summer is in the air, flowers are in bloom, songbirds are returning to the skies, and here come the brides!
Perhaps you're a new camcorder owner who's just been
volunteered to tape a friend's upcoming nuptials. Or maybe you're
a dedicated prosumer interested in earning some extra cash as
a...
It has been said that you can understand the quality of a person's heart by looking at the things he treasures. This production will allow you to lead two characters to whatever treasure you please. 15 shots are already defined, but the ending is up to you.
This treasure hunt...
A/B-roll editing is a term used in linear editing to describe the process of combining two or more sources of raw footage together with transition effects. In the realm of linear editing, it is scientifically impossible to add a true A/B-roll transition effect between two images on the same...
Watch a pair of fine movie actors together (say, Morgan Freeman and Dustin
Hoffman in Outbreak) and you'll notice that their scenes are sometimes
presented in relatively few shots. Instead of cutting quickly from angle
to angle, the director and editor let the pros carry the drama by the strength
of their acting...