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Posts Tagged ‘video on website’
By: rbouchez | Posted: Thursday, December 16th, 2010
A common lighting error that novice videographers make is failing to use lighting gear when shooting outdoors. Even under best lighting conditions with direct sun or diffused cloud light, a reflector used at proper distance from the talent fills in harsh shadows while still allowing for the key/fill lighting rule to take place. The best reflector under most straight forward conditions is the white diffused. This provides the same color as the sun. The reflector can be the key or the fill, depending on how it is applied.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Photo by [martin]
By: rbouchez | Posted: Thursday, December 9th, 2010
A back light is located above and behind the talent and points down towards the talent’s head and shoulders. This creates a stronger third dimension affect that separates the talent from the background. A barely noticeable area of brightness appears on hair, head and shoulders.
Including the backlight is standard procedure on professional sets like TV news broadcasters and TV Meteorologists. But it is a little known procedure beyond the stage, entertainment and other professional venues. Be careful not to over-light from the back; more is not better.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
By: rbouchez | Posted: Thursday, November 18th, 2010
This week the web video tips we’re serving up are a little different…
…in fact, I’m turning today’s tip over to Valsartdiary. It won’t take you long to figure out Val has a very successful YouTube channel, her videos are shot well – though not over produced – and she has a knack for the “clever.” If only more branded videos were just a tenth as interesting!
In this video Val shows us how she shot the silhouette video clip she uses as the signature for her video. Hope you enjoy it!
By Richard Bouchez: Social Media Specialist for EZWebplayer.com.
Video Shooting Links worth checking out:
1. Your Custom Video Starter—What Type of Camcorder?
2. Web Video Quick Tips #7: Don’t be a Space Invader
3. Web Video Quick Tips #11: Driveway Dolly
Greycie Loo directs by Elaine with Grey Cats
By: rbouchez | Posted: Thursday, November 11th, 2010
Amazing Dolly Shots for your web videos are as Close as Your Driveway!
Cool follow shots where a couple is walking down a side walk conversing, usually captured in Hollywood style by using the expensive dolly track system, can be accomplished with a minivan that has sliding side doors. The camera operator sits on the seat nearest the back door which is open, or sits cross legged on the floor if the camera is too tall for a shoulder from the seat, or (my favorite) the camera is setup on a sturdy tripod on the floor after the seat has been removed. Many minivans have quick release seats like the Ford Aerostar.
I used this method for several low budget productions for a nonprofit group starring one of the former Marlboro Cowboys who had quit smoking. A wireless mic (which we used) will work just fine plugged into a converter in the vehicle, or use a shotgun mic on a boom operated by a crew member walking along side the van. It takes a few practice runs, but as soon as the driver gets the hang of dragging the brakes gently, this produces a wonderful moving platform from which to shoot. Remember to shoot dialogue far enough away to inhibit engine and tire noise from the mobile platform.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Video Shooting Links worth checking out:
1. Web Video Quick Tips #7: Don’t be a Space Invader
2. Ten Tips to Better Video – Shooting Good Video – CamcorderInfo.com
3. 8 Ways to Shoot Video Like a Pro
Flickr Photos credits:
Gutbrod Van by Hugo90
By: rbouchez | Posted: Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
When adding some nice bells and whistles to your web videos by way of fun but purposeful motion EFX, the time line can get bogged down and you might find your computer crashing a lot.
Following some professional secrets will reduce your crashing and maximize your processor’s ability to render the video in a shorter time.
A) Close all unnecessary software programs. These are programs not being used to edit the project at hand.
B) Pre render high activity timeline elements on their own time line, then bring them into the main timeline as a single element.
C) During rendering of the main timeline, you can choose to only render a smaller segment at a time while you go to the kitchen or break room for filling up your coffee cup, instead of relying only on the whole timeline being rendered while you go watch a movie or clean out the garage.
My process for the final rendering session goes like this:
-I empty my machine’s trash
-Reboot, keeping my MS Office closed so that Outlook doesn’t hog resources during rendering.
-I then open my editing program and execute final renders.
If you do all of this and still have problems, start by deleting all of your PREVIEWS, then reboot, etc. Obviously, you’ll have to re render your pre rendered segments again unless you chose to save those specific renders. But, your machine will be running leaner when you do.
Incidentally, most professional editing suites are devoid of all other software other than those environments necessary for post production tasks and editing . There are even many editing suites that have a separate machine for high level tasks like operating After Effects. The only other program they might have on all of their machines is a file sharing program to move files around amongst their various tasking machines.
So, you can enjoy near the same CPU leanness by simply shutting down unnecessary programs.
If you’re still having problems, buy a new computer with lots of processing power. The more, the better. And, keep it off of the Internet; another pro trick. Free of charge. Your welcome.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Flickr Photos credits:
ATC Don’t Panic by Sarabbit
By: rbouchez | Posted: Thursday, November 4th, 2010
When shooting footage for your web video, remember that transitions and effects, including fading in and
fading out need extra time, so leave extra dead space before and after scenes. No talking, no moving,
keep smiling.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Video Shooting Links worth checking out:
1. Web Video Quick Tips #11: Driveway Dolly
2 Web Video Quick Tips #7: Don’t be a Space Invader
3. Ten Tips to Better Video – Shooting Good Video – CamcorderInfo.com
4. 8 Ways to Shoot Video Like a Pro
Flickr Photos credits:
Wrap-up – 313/365 By woodleywonderworks
Cat n camera by Elaine with Grey Cats
By: rbouchez | Posted: Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Agenda:
- What you’ll need
- Audio first
- Shooting tips
- Get the footage onto your computer
- Publishing formats
- Upload video to your website
1.Video equipment needs
A Suitable Video Camera.
Records digitally to tape, DVD or Card.
Good zoom ratio so the camera doesn’t have to be close to the front of the room.
An external audio port so the camera can receive input from the existing sound system. XLR is best and most reliable.
A Good Tripod
Heavier is better, but more expensive.
Good Isolating Headphones
Blocks outside noise from the wearer’s hearing.
Seals around ear.
Editing Software
There is often free video editing software on new computers.
Using a direct capture to the software can save money on recording media by recording directly to the computer hard drive, but does not offer a backup solution if the computer crashes during the recording.
Media Ready Computer
Good sound card.
Fast enough to handle editing video.
Large enough hard drive to handle over an hour of video.
High Speed Internet Connection
Even the slowest high speed connection should be suitable.
Faster is better, speed = time.
Subscription to EZWebPlayer.com
www.EZWebPlayer.com
2. Audio First
A word about the audio-video relationship.
Worship service recording is a unique event. As a video, there is nothing like it in the entire media arena. The genre’ handles a very unique content and therefore has both special limitations as well as a few caveats like no other media event.
For this reason, the video can suffer more on the visual side and get away with it, such as only using one camera, and that being locked down on a medium wide shot. A single camera angle locked down might be preferable to a single camera angle being manually operated by an inexperienced volunteer or novice. Eventually, the video library should show marked improvement approaching professionalism for future viewing generations.
The audio, however, must be near perfect from Day One. Those viewing the video must be able to enjoy the music as well as understand every word and inflection of the important message.
Patch the sound system into the video camera via a cable. No wireless.
- Make sure your camera is receiving the audio signal from an original output source of the sound system, as apposed to taking it from another recording device like the CD, tape or digital audio recorder, or another computer.
Constant monitoring of the camera’s audio via headphones insures quality
- Use headphones that completely cover the ear.
- Make sure the headphones are plugged into the camera.
Make sure the audio source is raw, board out, audio. No extra effects or extra sweetening at all like reverb or inappropriate equalization. The finished video file will be naturally compressed somewhat during rendering.
Don’t allow the camera to be an audio source for any other output. No daisy chaining from the camera. The only output should be to the headphones.
Turn off the camera’s auto audio limiter and record manually.
The audio limiter employs top end compressing that can cause strange phasing effects when recording in an auditorium that generates natural echos and ambiance, and bottom end boosters that can increase background noise and cause his and rumble. It is much better and easier to becom accustomed to properly setting and monitoring the sound manually.
If the camera has manual settings for two channels, check for balance.
Single channel recording is preferred to problematic stereo. Good mono is better than bad stereo.
3. Shooting Tips
Camera movements should be smooth or not attempted at all.
Virtually anyone can learn to smoothly operate a tripod-mounted video camera. Practice makes perfect. Until a practiced hand is available to operate the camera to follow the movements of a lecturer who does not stay behind the podium, a static shot is preferable.
A standard tripod has friction settings that effect the pan and tilt of the head. These settings should be such that the start and end of each movement executed without an initial jump or ending stop-jerk.
Zooming in and out a lot is not a good idea. If multiple cameras are being used, it is better to already have the chosen zoom set before coming to that camera.
Operator fatigue is a real issue.
Use a larger view finder instead of the eye piece.
Having more than one camera operator might be a useful way to keep production value high while training more camera operators.
Wearing comfortable shoes is a must.
Wearing dark, plain clothing helps the camera operator be less of a distraction to those seated in the auditorium.
4. Getting the footage onto your computer
Before editing or posting to the web site, the footage must first be transferred from the camera or its media, to the computer’s hard drive. Which video editing software you own may effect the way your footage gets from camera to computer hard drive, but mostly they are the same.
If your camera is so equipped, you can simply plug it into an available USB2 or Firewire port on your computer, and execute a standard file transfer through your computer’s operating system like Windows or Mac, if the camera outputs to an editable file format recognized by your editing software. This is not common, but as technology changes it may become common.
The standard operating procedure for conventional video editing environments is to execute a “capture”. In Adobe Premiere, the command path would be FILE > CAPTURE.
Remember that you get what you pay for, but three of the more common free programs are;
Windows Movie Maker. This program came free on some bundles installed with Windows XP.
Apple iMovie
Avid FreeDV
Also, it has been common practice in the past for companies like Sony and Canon to include fairly decent editing software bundles with some of their consumer cameras.
5. Publishing formats
Publishing your video makes reference to rendering or developing your video for a Web Ready state, just like developing an old style film for viewing in a theater. In this case, you need to make sure that your video is assembled the way you intend your viewers to watch it.
Cuts, edits, transitions, graphics and audio video matching might be something you did not intend on manipulating: hoping that your camera would spit out a watchable product virtually direct from camera to web. In some cases, this might be possible. But, just in case you would like to change or add something, now is the time.
Most publishing software packages allow for various levels of video editing.
This is a sample of Adobe’s Premiere Pro CS4 timeline. All of the simplest editing environments will have some characteristics of this sample. Visual clip manipulation, audio control as well as transition effects and titling are all here.
When finished editing, you will most likely be faced with a list of choices no matter what editing software available to you.
Since publishing to the web is your goal, many of the overall technical decisions are already made on a higher level. You want a small file size with a premium quality. Fortunately, you have the luxury of trial and error in case web pixel values and the rendering thereof is not your strong suite. Don’t worry, it’s not mine either, and I’m a business video producer with a degree from an Art School.
Rendering video is an art form in itself and many institutions have full timers devoted to doing just that; rendering videos for web.
So, do what I did, and simply try some of the default file types suggested by your web video publishing software. The one that was defaulted for me in Camtasia for the previous video clip in this PowerPoint presentation was MP4. And sure enough there was no tweaking needed in either Camtasia or PowerPoint. It worked smoothly the first time, so I stayed with that.
6. Uploading your video to your website
We recommend www.EZWebPlayer.com.
Upload your first video.
Follow the instructions for installing the one time code set on your web page.
We hope you found this tutorial helpful! Thanks for visiting!
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & specialist in Church Video Consultant, Chicago.
Reposted 11/3/10, originally posted to blog.EZWebplayer.com & *updated 7/2/10
Flickr image by “Jim the Photographer”
Agenda:
- What you’ll need
- Audio first
- Shooting tips
- Get the footage onto your computer
- Publishing formats
- Upload video to your website
1.Video equipment needs
A Suitable Video Camera.
Records digitally to tape, DVD or Card.
Good zoom ratio so the camera doesn’t have to be close to the front of the room.
An external audio port so the camera can receive input from the existing sound system. XLR is best and most reliable.
A Good Tripod
Heavier is better, but more expensive.
Good Isolating Headphones
Blocks outside noise from the wearer’s hearing.
Seals around ear.
Editing Software
There is often free video editing software on new computers.
Using a direct capture to the software can save money on recording media by recording directly to the computer hard drive, but does not offer a backup solution if the computer crashes during the recording.
Media Ready Computer
Good sound card.
Fast enough to handle editing video.
Large enough hard drive to handle over an hour of video.
High Speed Internet Connection
Even the slowest high speed connection should be suitable.
Faster is better, speed = time.
Subscription to EZWebPlayer.com
www.EZWebPlayer.com
2. Audio First
A word about the audio-video relationship.
Worship service recording is a unique event. As a video, there is nothing like it in the entire media arena. The genre’ handles a very unique content and therefore has both special limitations as well as a few caveats like no other media event.
For this reason, the video can suffer more on the visual side and get away with it, such as only using one camera, and that being locked down on a medium wide shot. A single camera angle locked down might be preferable to a single camera angle being manually operated by an inexperienced volunteer or novice. Eventually, the video library should show marked improvement approaching professionalism for future viewing generations.
The audio, however, must be near perfect from Day One. Those viewing the video must be able to enjoy the music as well as understand every word and inflection of the important message.
Patch the sound system into the video camera via a cable. No wireless.
- Make sure your camera is receiving the audio signal from an original output source of the sound system, as apposed to taking it from another recording device like the CD, tape or digital audio recorder, or another computer.
Constant monitoring of the camera’s audio via headphones insures quality
- Use headphones that completely cover the ear.
- Make sure the headphones are plugged into the camera.
Make sure the audio source is raw, board out, audio. No extra effects or extra sweetening at all like reverb or inappropriate equalization. The finished video file will be naturally compressed somewhat during rendering.
Don’t allow the camera to be an audio source for any other output. No daisy chaining from the camera. The only output should be to the headphones.
Turn off the camera’s auto audio limiter and record manually.
The audio limiter employs top end compressing that can cause strange phasing effects when recording in an auditorium that generates natural echos and ambiance, and bottom end boosters that can increase background noise and cause his and rumble. It is much better and easier to becom accustomed to properly setting and monitoring the sound manually.
If the camera has manual settings for two channels, check for balance.
Single channel recording is preferred to problematic stereo. Good mono is better than bad stereo.
3. Shooting Tips
Camera movements should be smooth or not attempted at all.
Virtually anyone can learn to smoothly operate a tripod-mounted video camera. Practice makes perfect. Until a practiced hand is available to operate the camera to follow the movements of a lecturer who does not stay behind the podium, a static shot is preferable.
A standard tripod has friction settings that effect the pan and tilt of the head. These settings should be such that the start and end of each movement executed without an initial jump or ending stop-jerk.
Zooming in and out a lot is not a good idea. If multiple cameras are being used, it is better to already have the chosen zoom set before coming to that camera.
Operator fatigue is a real issue.
Use a larger view finder instead of the eye piece.
Having more than one camera operator might be a useful way to keep production value high while training more camera operators.
Wearing comfortable shoes is a must.
Wearing dark, plain clothing helps the camera operator be less of a distraction to those seated in the auditorium.
4. Getting the footage onto your computer
Before editing or posting to the web site, the footage must first be transferred from the camera or its media, to the computer’s hard drive. Which video editing software you own may effect the way your footage gets from camera to computer hard drive, but mostly they are the same.
If your camera is so equipped, you can simply plug it into an available USB2 or Firewire port on your computer, and execute a standard file transfer through your computer’s operating system like Windows or Mac, if the camera outputs to an editable file format recognized by your editing software. This is not common, but as technology changes it may become common.
The standard operating procedure for conventional video editing environments is to execute a “capture”. In Adobe Premiere, the command path would be FILE > CAPTURE.
Remember that you get what you pay for, but three of the more common free programs are;
Windows Movie Maker. This program came free on some bundles installed with Windows XP.
Apple iMovie
Avid FreeDV
Also, it has been common practice in the past for companies like Sony and Canon to include fairly decent editing software bundles with some of their consumer cameras.
5. Publishing formats
Publishing your video makes reference to rendering or developing your video for a Web Ready state, just like developing an old style film for viewing in a theater. In this case, you need to make sure that your video is assembled the way you intend your viewers to watch it.
Cuts, edits, transitions, graphics and audio video matching might be something you did not intend on manipulating: hoping that your camera would spit out a watchable product virtually direct from camera to web. In some cases, this might be possible. But, just in case you would like to change or add something, now is the time.
Most publishing software packages allow for various levels of video editing.
This is a sample of Adobe’s Premiere Pro CS4 timeline. All of the simplest editing environments will have some characteristics of this sample. Visual clip manipulation, audio control as well as transition effects and titling are all here.
When finished editing, you will most likely be faced with a list of choices no matter what editing software available to you.
Since publishing to the web is your goal, many of the overall technical decisions are already made on a higher level. You want a small file size with a premium quality. Fortunately, you have the luxury of trial and error in case web pixel values and the rendering thereof is not your strong suite. Don’t worry, it’s not mine either, and I’m a business video producer with a degree from an Art School.
Rendering video is an art form in itself and many institutions have full timers devoted to doing just that; rendering videos for web.
So, do what I did, and simply try some of the default file types suggested by your web video publishing software. The one that was defaulted for me in Camtasia for the previous video clip in this PowerPoint presentation was MP4. And sure enough there was no tweaking needed in either Camtasia or PowerPoint. It worked smoothly the first time, so I stayed with that.
6. Uploading your video to your website
We recommend www.EZWebPlayer.com.
Upload your first video.
Follow the instructions for installing the one time code set on your web page.
We hope you found this tutorial helpful! Thanks for visiting!
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & specialist in Church Video Consultant, Chicago.
Reposted 11/3/10, originally posted to blog.EZWebplayer.com & *updated 7/2/10
Flickr image by “Jim the Photographer”
By: rbouchez | Posted: Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
You now realize the importance of posting your own custom videos to web. You have seen the magic-like and simple management tools available at EZWebPlayer.com. You are ready to go. You are ready to start posting your own, informative, high impact, interesting, relevant, videos. You even know who is going to be writing the script, doing the talking, and where you’ll be shooting.
You only have one problem; no camera.
Here’s a fast and dirty guide to what type of camera will do the trick. Remember that because you are posting these videos to web, most of the expensive bells and whistles that can come on a video camera will be completely useless to you and serve only to jack up the price. So, I have grabbed a small handful of cameras that meet the simple criteria for shooting a video for the web. After reading some or all of these reviews, you’ll start getting an idea of what to look for.
Something you’ll notice right away is that most of these cameras are Panasonics. There’s a logical explanation for this and it has nothing to do with my like for the inexpensive Panasonic consumer cameras. Yes, I own one. But, the simple truth is that when researching for this and other camcorder articles for numerous forums over the past decade, I have found that Panasonic consistently goes after the lower price points. And when one is reading neutral forums like CNET, price is a big factor in consumer reviews.
The following camcorders meet simple requirements like
-ease of use
-fastest camera-to-computer video transfer capabilities. If you choose a camera that records onto a DVD, you might need a video converter program. Look on the web for a “Video Conversion” including the file extension of your camcorder’s video output file like “.vob” in the search. Remember that you want to end up with a Flash file format that looks like this “.flv” or “.h264”, or “.MP4”. These load up to the web the quickest, are the most compatible with all Internet browsers and are all supported by EZWebPlayer.
-best-for-web recording sizes; some more than others. Some cameras have many more recording modes than others. Most have at least two or more including 4:3 and wide screen. But a few have more than five shapes, sizes and pixel densities from which to choose. The more choices the better in my book. This helps you choose the best size and shape for your web frame needs. EZWebPlayer’s list of supported frame sizes is extensive, so no worries there.
-very good audio quality. This is true for virtually all new camcorder models going back several years. Consumer electronics developers realized early on the importance of incorporating best audio capture hardware and firmware. If you have an older camcorder under a layer of dust, stuck away in a drawer or closet somewhere, it probably still has great audio recording capabilities. Some with stereo, some without. The trick is keeping that good audio intact during the sometimes rough ride to the web, and the embedded firmware that governs the capture during recording is responsible for all that.
-compatibility for intended use. The last three items in this bullet list, all are inherently connected with brand name. There are low end camcorders out there flooding the market but under branding that is barely recognizable on the retail radar. If a brand name hasn’t been around a while, or can’t stand up to rigorous retail handling of merchandising and marketing, no one really knows how long it will last in the field. So, if you are reading this gear review as a manufacturer of one of these off-brand names, my apologies, but I don’t serve you; I serve our readers. If a product makes it to CNET and other third party review forums, it isn’t afraid of the light of day for which retail markets are known.
-low price
-reliability
Panasonic HM-TA1H $169
Information Link
Yes, this is a video camera. Some good, useful features on it, too.
Panasonic HDC-SDX1H $500
Information Link
This is one of the more expensive in the lower price point range. The industry still counts this as an inexpensive camcorder though, so I guess we too are expected to do the same. This camera is so new at the publication of this article that finding one might be difficult. But, it has a great lens system for zooming to the picture size and shape that you wish. And, it is one of those with a long list of frame sizes.
Panasonic SDR-T50 $270
Panasonic SDR-H85 $350
Samsung SMX-K40 $285
My goal in this article is not to talk you into buying a Panasonic or that single Samsung. It is to get you involved in the process of researching for your needs instead of walking into a Best Buy store and buying the cheapest camera that matches your current perception. I guarantee you that thirty-one days after you buy the wrong camera, your perceptions of what an adequate yet inexpensive camcorder is, will have changed.
Let’s get that perception thing straightened out before the purchase rather than after.
Some feature caveats that are of considerable cost that I excluded for this bottom end category include:
image stabilization, external microphone input and still shot features.
-Image stabilization is a feature you will want if you are going to be shooting video while moving instead of mounting the camcorder on a tripod and just sitting in front of it in your office or at home.
-The external mic issue is a hard one. Trust me; millions of individuals run into this issue every year. They find that sitting far enough away from the camera to let the lens curvature make their face look normal instead of capturing that security peephole hotel door image also creates some dirty audio echoes. The problem is multiple in nature; you are shooting indoors, so your voice bounces off the walls, and you are too far away for the mic to cancel out the echoes. This is a choice you will only make after hearing the audio quality from your test shoot. To guarantee you will have best audio available, you can always add another $500 to the price range and look only at cameras that have an auxiliary mic input. You will then start shopping for mics. That is another article for me, and another $200-$1,200 for your budget.
On the other hand, you can also walk down the computer isles of any large office supply store or even Wal-Mart and look at webcams. Just remember that all of the same rules apply regarding quality except for one very large element; web cams do not record to an onboard medium for later transfer. They record direct to your hard drive or stream direct to web. But, they can be extremely inexpensive and still achieve your goals.
-You may or may not need to shoot stills for your video. But, shooting stills requires editing (or post production) which we are not addressing in this article.
Here is a single webcam that I know delivers excellent video and audio quality. It is what our company uses for several internal and client related projects.
Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 WebCam $89
Also, since cameras are usually returnable at big box stores like Best Buy (my current favorite), make sure that you shoot and post the video right away to make sure that you have taken that camera’s video all the way through the process to learn of its compatibility issues. This allows you to walk back into that store more knowledgably to exchange the camera for the one you need.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
More articles you might like:
-
Creating Web Video that will Work for Your Business
-
Web Video Quick Tips #2: Interviewing an Expert
-
Web Video Quick Tips #7: Don’t be a Space Invader
Stu Marks is a post producer and art director at EZWebPlayer.com and has been producing videos since the late 1970s. He has a BFA degree in Multimedia and Web Design from The Chicago Art Institute / Illinois Institute of Art at Schaumburg and is a media specialist for business and not-for-profit. Some projects of note include The Chicago Brick Oven, Adventure-Crew.com, Sea Eagle Inflatable Boats, Sword Publishers, Reformers Unanimous and the Midwest Christian Boys’ Football Camp. He currently resides in the Chicago area.
By: rbouchez | Posted: Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Web Video Post Production Editing; Are you ripping through your editing software trying to meet a deadline and wished you didn’t have to keep going back to the special effects preset folder to grab the same transitions over and over? Click, open, scroll, click, drag, customize. Save. Click, open, scroll, click, drag, customize. Save. Click, open, scroll, click, drag, customize. Oh this is silly.
Just create a custom bin. Then, after you drag the special transitions and effects into the custom bin, it’s just, drag, customize, save.
No more searching. All of the effects and transitions for this production are all in one folder.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Special Effects Links worth checking out:
1. Add ons, Downloads, and Updates – Windows Movie Maker 2
2. Web Video Special Effects for Beginners: What is Keying?
3. Web Video Quick Tips #1: Using Effects
Flickr Photos credits:
Wrap-up – 313/365 By tranchis
IMG_5741 By Dave Malkoff
By: rbouchez | Posted: Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
As a professional or novice web video producer or photographer, your opportunities for fall color captures is wearing thin. Get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot.
At Shutterstock, 30 seconds of HD “leaves falling”, or a printable photo of the same genre’ gets the owner $50, with the lowest price payable to get that at the $250 tier. The buyer has to buy at least $250 worth of product to get fall photo or video.
Just when do you think a buyer needs that footage? Think about it. If you are looking at an ad in a glossy magazine right now that features a color or B&W photo of fall leaves, that photo was not shot this year. The editing and production staff of the print world was working on the 2010 October issue of Shocking But True in Hollywood magazine in March of 2010. There aren’t any fall color leaves in March in this hemisphere. As a matter of fact, there aren’t any fall leaves any where on this planet in March.
Photo and video archiving is all about opportunity. The paparazzi rush around from Hollywood train wreck to Hollywood train wreck because they only make money if they capture the event. It’s all about the opportunity. Lady Gaga’s streaked hair and other-worldly shades being seen in front of some mundane location like a 7-11 while she and her denim and leather bedecked entourage’ buy 99 cent slurpies is, unfortunately for this generation, an Event. Someone who shoots that and is the first to submit it to Shocking But True in Hollywood magazine close to deadline gets the lion’s share of $500 if they are lucky and good.
Since orange, red, plumb, yellow and rust colored leaves falling is a sellable commodity, and there is a bunch of those things falling right now, now is the time to shoot them. You most likely won’t sell any footage right now because everybody can shoot them right now, just like you. But, you might enter an autumn color contest right away and win a great award. The best selling goes on long after the last leaf has landed gracefully on your local library’s front lawn.
Remember your CP filter for great color in sky, grass and of course the star of your show, leaves.
For video, shoot a variety of shots. One can never guess for what exactly the art director is looking. It is most likely that they have a specific layout in mind and are looking for the closest capture that fits their idea. If you think that your shot will best serve YOU as income by being the perfect shot around which art directors all over the buying world will design an entire campaign, just keep wishing on that star and gathering moonbeams in a jar, Bunky. Art Directors who make the big bucks do most by coming up with really killer ideas, gathering footage that fits into their layout and then pitching it to The Board.
So, shoot slow pans zoomed all the way out. Put on a fisheye lens and just let the camera roll while the leaves fall. Come up with unique shots as well as standard shots standard shots. Think like an art director. Where will the text go? Will this be used as a green screen fill? If so, where will the talking head go? Or where in the shot will the logo and catch phrase slide in? And, don’t forget sound. Video is only half of the video. Your video capture can be worth a lot more if you shoot with natural sound being captured as well. This takes even more planning and work, and usually a lot of patience, but the geese taking flight through the upper center third of your shot in the distance is not a distraction, it’s a Godsend. By the way, most of your sound should be clean, not filled with openly bumped air movement, “shshshshshshshshshshshshshshsh”. This is not what makes you extra dough. The sound needs to be interestingly natural.
For stills, it’s much the same, only easier because there’s no movement. The movement is implied in still photos, not real. It’s a theater of the mind much like radio. What I mean is, you must capture shots that spark emotion. A tree full of fall color setting in the midst of a green field is very pretty and a very sellable commodity; go shoot it. But while you’re out there, also look for the same tree next to a river or lake. “Water always does the work for you” I often tell my students. Water shots can emote sensuality, action, and passion of all sorts. The Lincoln Memorial Mall in Washington DC is one of the most photographed scenes in the world. The reflecting pool that multiplies the fall color leaves with the alabaster architecture in the background is unique, grandiose, fiery, patriotic and certainly passionate.
Look for opportunities everywhere you go. T
he background you choose is one of your most unique opportunities to grab attention to your work. The fall color sugar maple doesn’t only exist in a purely natural setting. Modern man has adopted the sugar maple into his environment. So a very common scene for video would be cars passing in front of your off centered shot of a row of sugar maples marching away into infinity with an American flag waving in the distance. Kill the flag and insert a busy city scene of corporate America at work with its reflecting glass canyons. Kill the glass canyon and go for the city park with pedestrians, bicyclists, skate boarders and vendors obliviously enjoying the scene in which they are a major player. Don’t forget to capture a few country and farm scenes to help round out your fall archive for 2010. Ooh, and the county fair. I just can’t stop. The possibilities are endless.
And, you’ve only just begun. Rockwellian Americana is only the beginning. The human factor transcends nationalism. Go for pure human texture. The different ethnic children at play. The couple “spooning” under a maple with the checkered picnic tablecloth nearby. A boy and his dog, or a girl and her duck, or a man and his vending cart or a lady and her giant wicker basket of wheat on her head.
And, you need to display your work or all of that hard labor was of no use, right? So, post everything to a forum that gives you complete control of the viewer’s moment in front of your work. Nobody else’s ads, videos or photos to distract, and no way to steal and use without permission. And whether you need a Flash web player or not, EZWebPlayer is the best I’ve seen yet for serving up images to literally any viewing audience in any web forum. Email link, web served, or downloadable flash video; makes no difference.
So, to summarize,
Get out there and shoot NOW for next year’s autumn color imagery market.- Be versatile and diversify. Shoot a broad spectrum for multiple uses.
- Shoot both still and video.
- Expose your work in a forum that you control. Make sure to make use of your own website video player on your own site (if you have one) or simply send out an email link and let EZWebPlayer do the heavy lifting; hosting directly from their servers.
And, if it is too late for you and the fall color scheme for this year, start setting up for your winter scene captures. I wonder if there are any geese left in the north when the snow starts falling.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
By: rbouchez | Posted: Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
A perfectly delivered speech is like falling off a log if you follow these simple tips like the pros;
- Only write and speak about that which you know to be true.
- Don’t try to be funny. Just smile, be folksy and deliver the goods.
- Take a week to write and rewrite the script.
- Practice, practice, practice. Read it over and over in front of a mirror.
- Don’t eat for 3-4 hours before the event.
- Take a nap, shower, change clothes right before speaking.
- If you can, arrive in a limo, unless you’re speaking to your own crowd.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Public Speaking Links worth checking out:
- Toastmasters International – 10 Tips for Public Speaking
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Ten Tips to Better Video – Shooting Good Video – CamcorderInfo.com
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Public Speaking – Presentation Tips, Overcoming Fear
Flickr Photos credits:
Easy button By spackletoe
cat By shutupyourface
By: matt | Posted: Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
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The EZWebPlayer WordPress web video plugins include search and selection of videos by category or name, point and click video uploads, optional display settings, and user control over video privacy. The tool simplifies the management of even the largest web video libraries from the user-friendly EZWebPlayer dashboard. In addition, professional level tools facilitate the acquisition of consumer insights through video consumption analytics.
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Clint Pollock
President | EZWebPlayer.com
The Non-Tech solution to putting videos online
Connect with me !
By: rbouchez | Posted: Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Talking head videos are surprisingly among the most powerful videos on the web.
To get your message across without making viewers uncomfortable, remember to not fill the screen
with your big face. Zoom out a little to show head and shoulders or even further to show a waist up
shot.
Would you like a total stranger to walk right up to you on the street and almost bump their nose into
your for head while trying to be friendly? No, and viewers don’t enjoy watching a video with the same
effect. If you feel like you must fill the screen with your face, remember that you will appear comical and
obtuse.
Stay out of their space and you will be taken seriously.
By Stu Marks: Chicago Area Media Designer & video consultant.
Video Composition Links worth checking out:
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Video Composition
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Ten Tips to Better Video – Shooting Good Video – CamcorderInfo.com
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Video Composition Rules – Atomic Learning
Flickr Photos credits:
Mr. Eyebrows By onkel_wart (away)
American cat by jasohill
