Posts Tagged ‘shooting video’

Lighting for Online Videos: Try not to burn down the house – Shooting Online Video Part 7

July 19th, 2010

There’s a reason that Sandra Bullock said she always befriends the lighting crew when she starts a movie in her Oscar acceptance speech and it’s because good lighting makes all the difference. Bad lighting can completely change the mood of the video you’re shooting. Lighting is really an art form. The good news is that if you have any kind of photography background lighting might come a bit easier to you. If not, you’re going to have to work at it.  Before you can become Sandra Bullock’s BFF on the set, there are a few essentials you need to know about lighting.

Lights can use a lot of power and depending on where you are shooting that can be a problem. When I first got into lighting I went to a video/photo store to get started. I found a sales assistant to help me and started asking questions.

“I’m shooting video and I need to get some lights. I’m not sure what kind.”

He asked, “Where are you shooting?”

My response, “In a house.”

He took me right by all the fancy lights you see on movie sets and straight to light bulbs in a box. I thought to myself, ‘this is soooo not going to work.’ He pulled a few lights (Westcott #0050 50 watt Daylight Balanced Fluorescent Lamps, and Eiko Photo Pro 30 Watt lamps) off the shelf for me and told me they should work fine.

Looking longingly at the fancy lights, I asked, “Really? Why not those lights over there. They seem better.”

His response, “Do you know anything about the wiring where you’re shooting?”

I shook my head ‘no.’ Come on’ I’m not an electrician.

He responded, “Those can fry your electrical system and burn down the house.”

That sounds bad. So I took the lights he recommended and asked about light stands.

He got me some stands and said something sort of surprising, “Next, you should go to Home Depot or a hardware store and get those silver clamp casings. It won’t cost a lot and it will work fine with these lights.”

I thought that sounds a little ghetto, but I was new to lighting and it was a minimal investment to get started. So, I took them, went to the hardware store got what he said, and started messing with the lights when I got home. Actually, turns out not so bad. Yet, still I wanted those crazy big lights. So I learned more and more about lights and now I know why the guy set me up with the ones I have.

First, those big fancy lights can get hot: I, mean, really hot. You should never touch them with your hands. You should use gloves when handling them. One reason is that they’re freaking hot. The next reason is that the oil from your fingers can actually ruin the bulbs. Second, the electricity in the house isn’t configured to support those huge lights and thus can overload a circuit. The other problem with the heat emitted is that the person those lights are focused on is going to start sweating – even start to think they’re getting a tan. I know, I’ve been under those lights a lot. They’re firecracker hot.

In short, most homes can support at least 15 amps. But you don’t see amps on light bulb boxes. Instead you see Watts and Volts. So to find out if you’re going to overload a circuit with your lights, try this equation: Amps = Watts/Volts. In my scenario I have a light that’s 50 Watts and 120 Volts. 50/120 = 0.41 – That’s well in the range of what a house will support. So circuits won’t blow, house won’t burn down. All is good in the world.

Before getting lights find out what your electrical system can support and then you’ll know what to buy. As for those tin covers, apparently they aren’t so ghetto after all. Just about every one I’ve met who does lighting has their own portable lighting kit and what do they have for the light bulb covers? Those tin covers. Why else are they so good to have? Well, they have clips on them so you can clip them to just about anything and you’ll be surprised how much this comes in handy.

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 6 – Camera Settings

Part 5 – Backgrounds

Part 4 – Lighting And Content

Part 3 – Picking A Camera

Part 2 – SD or HD

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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FACT, Crucial Video Camera Settings – Shooting Online Video Part 6

June 30th, 2010

Cameras come with pretty thick manuals and few people dare to read them, though they are often packed with great information. That said, there are a few features on your camera that you should get to know and get in the routine of checking before you start shooting. Just think of the word FACT.

F – Focus
A – Aperture
C – Color
T – Temperature

Focus is crucial or your video will come out blurry. If you’re camera has an auto focus feature, you might want to use that. However, it will probably take a minute for everything to come into focus so be patient. If you’re camera has zoom, you’ll need to make sure it’s not in zoom to accurately put something in focus. Once the subject is in focus, you can zoom in or out as much as you want. The focus will not be affected.

Aperture deals with the amount of light bouncing off a subject and the amount of light coming into the camera. Essentially, it’s how you make an image lighter or brighter. Though you can adjust for this in some editing programs, it’s always better to have the best quality video first instead of relying on fixing it later.  If you don’t know how to adjust this, read the manual. Using the automatic setting for this feature isn’t always the best idea since the camera may not be adjusting the brightness for the area you care about. This can also be referred to as IRIS or Exposure on your camera’s settings.

Color Temperature can be adjusted by setting the white balance. Color temperature is often skewed by surrounding light, so it’s important to set it once you’ve set up the lights. There are three light options: sunlight, which is cool; Tungsten light, which creates a warmer hue; and Fluorescent, which tends to be more green. You can often adjust these in the camera as well and you’ll want to pick the lights that correspond to the type of lights you’re using. These lighting terms will become more important as you pick the lights you’ll be using to shoot video. As noted, to adjust for Color Temperature you’ll need to set the white balance. Some cameras do a good job at this, but it’s perfectly easy to set yourself. You’ll need to check your camera’s manual to see how it works on your individual camera, but essentially all you need to do it is to select the setting, hold up a white piece of paper and let the camera do the rest.

Like I said, cameras have tons of features and the more you use your camera and read the manual the more you’ll be able to do with it, but in the meantime if you set you these features on your camera before shooting you’ll get pretty decent results. It’s a FACT.

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 5 – Backgrounds

Part 4 – Lighting And Content

Part 3 – Picking A Camera

Part 2 – SD or HD

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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Backgrounds – Shooting Online Video Part 5

June 2nd, 2010

Background shots in a video are important and a crucial feature that can be overlooked when starting to shoot video. Whether you’re shooting in a studio, a conference room, or at an off-site location consider what people will be behind the subject. It seems kind of silly to think about when really what you’re thinking about are the shots you need. Yet, in reality a background is what helps highlight the subject and can easily add interest to a video. That said, don’t feel like you need to spend a ton of time on picking a background – especially when you’re shooting on the road. Although, if you’re going to be creating a studio then spend a little bit of time on it and feel free to play around with different backgrounds. Here are a few things to consider when creating a background for online video:

  1. If there’s something in the surroundings that talks to what the video is going to be about, try to incorporate that. For example, what if you’re interviewing an award-winning director. Try to get some of the rewards in the background placed subtly on bookshelves or on a fireplace mantle that would still be in the shot. This adds a bit of interest to the video and reminds people of the credentials of the person being interviewed without you having to dedicate a lot of video time to it.
  2. Try to stay away from white. First, white is not exciting to look at. Think about it. Put something in front of a white background and it’s just not that interesting. Of course, if you’re doing a product photo you definitely want to do that, but this is not a product picture. This is a video. It should have interest. If that’s not enough, lighting white backgrounds isn’t the easiest thing in the world and you could be dealing with a lot of shadows looming in the background. Don’t get me wrong shadows aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but they’re definitely something you want to control in a shot and not the other way around.
  3. Creating a studio to shoot your online videos? Definitely spend the time experimenting with backgrounds. Consider what you want to see in every video since this is a good way to create consistency. Is it a company name? Is it worth getting a banner made or will that be something you add during editing? What is the mood/feeling you’re trying to convey in your video?  Think about how a background can contribute to that.
  4. Green screens. Yay or Nay? By this point you might have heard of green screens or even taken the tour at Universal Studios as a child that shows you how ET was able to fly through the air. Green screens essentially let you shoot something and fill in the background later. That’s cool, right? Could serve all your background problems, right? Not so fast. You also need a lot of space to use them effectively. For example, you’ll need to make sure you have at least 6 feet between the subject being shot and the green screen behind them. Not everyone has that much space available. Besides that this is video for online, not some Hollywood blockbuster.

Here’s the magic sauce about backgrounds: They can change. Don’t be afraid to try out a few different options. Do your best not to make them too busy since that can distract from the “star” of your video, but don’t be afraid to move things around – especially if you’re shooting on location.

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 4 – Lighting And Content

Part 3 – Picking A Camera

Part 2 – SD or HD

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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Lighting and Content – Shooting Online Video Part 4

May 27th, 2010

Now you have your camera. You’re going to need lights, backdrop and something to shoot. That sounds like a lot more to do, but the good news is that it doesn’t all have to be done in one day. Lighting, in fact, is a work in progress and believe me, you’ll make plenty of changes. There will be tons of posts coming up about lighting. Also, depending on what you plan on shooting for your online video can change lighting options. For example, did you know that there are lighting professionals that specialize in food and beyond that there are lighting professionals that specialize in shooting chocolate. By the way, you can’t shoot chocolate since the lights will melt the chocolate so you need a chocolate model. See what I mean about lighting?

Let’s start with the content of your online video. First, think about what you’re shooting. Is it a product/service? Is it a person giving a demo of a product/service? Is it a presentation? Is it an off-site shoot (meaning you’ll be going to another place to shoot video)? Will you generally always be shooting in the same area? These are all things to consider when deciding how and where to shoot a video.

Regardless of what you’re shooting or where you’re shooting, you’ll need a game plan and that usually comes in the form of an outline. Start by making a list of all the things you want to address in your online video and then prioritize them. You may not be able to get all the points you want to make in one video and that’s ok. That just means if those issues are important you can make another video. This will also help you better organize a video.

Once you know what you want to get across in the video, here’s a good rule of thumb for organizing it:

  1. Tell them what you’re going to be telling them
  2. Tell them
  3. Then tell them what you told them

Sounds redundant, right? It actually is a little, but by “telling them what you’re going to tell them” they know immediately if they want to watch the video. They’ll also appreciate the honesty upfront and are likely to come back to see other videos that do interest them. “Tell them” is really the meat of the story and what people want to see. Finally, “Tell them what you told them” is a quick wrap up and a great way to get any brand messaging across. Also, this is a good time to include any calls to action. Maybe visit a web site, make a call, or ask them to leave a comment if that feature is available on your site.

When you get your outline finished, it’s time to think about the best way to convey this information visually. Remember, people are watching a video online because they want to see something better or they don’t necessarily have the time to read about it. Take each of the points in your list and create an outline that includes the best way to demonstrate what you’re trying to get across. This will help you create a shot list and ultimately will help you when you’re editing the video.

I know, it’s a lot to take in, but a little organization and forethought can go a long way in saving time and money when shooting a video.

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 3 – Picking A Camera

Part 2 – SD or HD

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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SD or HD: Shooting Online Video Part 2

May 12th, 2010

One of the toughest decisions you need to make about shooting video for online distribution is picking a format in which to shoot the video. My answer to this burning question: just get started with what you have access to. Sure, the online video platform providers (OVPs) will support both formats, but in all honesty at this point shooting in Standard Definition (SD) is just fine and probably the lowest cost to entry. This is because SD video cameras are much cheaper to purchase, the files are smaller than High Definition (HD) files so you don’t need a ton of extra storage space, and they can be seen on just about any device (computer, TV, cell phone, iPad, etc).

You also should think about where people will be watching your video. If it’s online, the quality of SD is perfectly acceptable. If it’s on a mobile device, SD quality might actually be preferred since it will take less bandwidth to stream those videos. Plus, until the Sprint EVO comes out, cell phones don’t really support HD anyway. That said, if you’re planning for people to watch your videos streamed on an HDTV initially, then you probably want to get started with HD. Chances are that’s not the case. However, as you get better at shooting video, going HD just may be the next step on your online video path. Like I said, the online video providers all support it.  Even YouTube has rolled out HD support, so it’s clearly not going away. If you do decide to go HD here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. HD files are big; a four-minute video can easily take up 1GB of storage space. You’ll need a place to store those files and if you plan on storing them on a computer, chances are you’ll quickly run through hard drive space. You’ll likely have raw video files and a completed video for uploading online both stored on a computer’s hard drive. An IT person will tell you that’s not the best idea you’ve ever had.  Plus, that’s easily more than 1GB of space for producing probably one video. You don’t want to run your computer with a hard drive almost filled to capacity. It’s just not a good idea, plus the computer will run slow. If you’re anything like me, that’s just not acceptable.
  2. An external hard drive is a must-have. There are a few reasons you’ll want an external hard drive. Did I mention that HD files are big? So, you’ll need a place to store them off of your computer’s hard drive. An external hard drive is a great place to save un-edited video and final video. Also, if you’re going to be using a program like Final Cut to edit the videos, this is the way to go, plus working with the video won’t tax your computer too much. The good news is that an external hard drive is not very expensive. You can get a quality external hard drive for under $200.
  3. If you’re using an online video provider to store, host, and stream your video files you may need to pay more for that service since as I’ve mentioned HD video files are large. This means it takes up more space on an OVP’s server and someone is going to have to pay for that. Also, if you’re thinking of trying a service for free, you’ll probably have a data cap. So if you upload HD videos, you’ll be uploading fewer of them and that might not give you enough time to real test an OVP’s service.

In short, HD video is going to cost more on multiple levels. SD is simply the more affordable way to get started shooting video to post online. Besides if you’re new to the world of online video, SD is much more forgiving of any mistakes you may make when shooting. Oh, and did I mention HD video files are big!

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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Online Video: Just Do It! – Shooting Video Part 1

May 5th, 2010

There’s a reason that Nike slogan has resonated with people: There’s something to be said for diving in and seeing where the experience takes you. For me, learning about online video and how to create content has been an experience worth doing. Sure, it’s not the easiest or cheapest venture, but it’s fulfilling and eventually you have unique content that can be shared and hopefully, monetized. In my book, that’s a win-win situation. So, how do you get started?

The first step is deciding to do it. You can get out your spreadsheets and try to figure out what it will cost to create online video content yourself, but it’s not really going to be easy to quantify. On the other hand, you can easily quantify how much it’s going to cost if you outsource the entire project and that number, let me tell you, depending on what you want to accomplish might not be pretty. Lighting, production, editing and distribution costs have the potential to add up quickly. Let’s not forget the hours you put in doing research to find sources that can help with your video project. Of course, there are services that can help with that such as TurnHere and for your first video it’s not a bad idea to try such a service to see firsthand what goes into making a video for online distribution. The good news is the end product will look great. If you only want to do a few videos a year definitely take that route. It’s easier, faster, and less painful. However, if you want to create online video regularly consider doing it yourself. You’ll definitely save money in the long run and even learn a few things along the way. Plus, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips in a moments notice, so you’ll never miss an opportunity to showcase something using video.

How do you know if you want to create a constant stream of video to distribute online? Well, think about what you hope to achieve? Do you want to cultivate an audience or is there just one specific thing (such as a product demo or live stream of a speaking event) a couple times a year? Do you have in-house talent that can help create the content regularly or do you have to outsource that, too? Would it benefit you more to have fewer videos that are finally polished or more videos that only improve in time? Only you can answer those questions and once you do you’ll easily be able to tell which is the right solution for you: outsource or do-it-yourself.

Since I do it myself, I’ll be sharing all the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way… as well as a few frustrations. Hey, without some hiccups along the way, how do you really learn anything? I’d like to learn from you, too. Please post tips, tricks, and even questions. I’m happy to entertain them all.

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Simplifying Online Video Production With a Simple UI

January 11th, 2010

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A new Online Video Platform (OVP) launched yesterday, right on schedule according to Allan Tone, CEO of ProVDN.com who told me back in November that he’d be launching just after the new year. Typically I would not write about the launch of a new OVP considering the fact that, as I’ve mentioned so many times before, the sector is very crowded. But ProVDN speaks to a niche audience with a highly specialized approach, another subject matter I’ve discussed at length, specialization in our space.

ProVDN is an “Online Video Platform designed specifically for Independent Content Producers, Wedding/Event Videographers, and small to medium sized Video Production Companies”, to put it in his words. Now that’s a targeted market segment. They don’t have an over the top, robust service with all the bells and whistles like Brightcove, or Ooyala with deep analytics and monetization tools but rather a simple set of clearly defined tools to help the videographer and producer get the job done in an effective and efficient manner. ProVDN does utilize variable bitrate technology to enhance smooth streaming, and they offer affordable pricing allowing content producers a low barrier to entry for their services.

Allan and I met at OVPSummit in November where he told me about a problem in our industry involving video producers. We spoke for almost an hour about how videographers must engage in a cumbersome process with their clientele at the highly critical point of approval. Historically the producer would take the edited version of the video, burn it to DVD, ship it to the customer, then wait for them to watch it and verbally report back to them what changes they wanted made. I can hear the phone call now, “Um, at one minute twenty seconds the cat goes to the bathroom on the floor in the background, cut that scene…”. Tedious. Allan explained that online production services like TurnHere have made great strides in this area with easy to use online tools but Allan wanted to take it a step further and develop a drop-dead simple online tool that anyone could use.

I took the interactive review tool for a stroll today and found it to be quite clean with a clean UI, and simple point-and-click navigation that needed little to no explanation. The customer is presented with a link taking them to a video to watch with several frames underneath and a progress bar below showing all the areas where notes have been added. You can jump forward and back 1 or 5 seconds or drag the progress button anywhere within the video. In the top left corner are the notation tools where the user can select Comments, Arrows, Rectangles, or draw Freehand the messages they want to leave per frame. Just click on a tool, then the video, and enter your text instruction. It’s that easy.

ProVDN found a pain point in the industry and addressed a need by developing a service that simplifies a process, making life easier for online video content producers. At a time when video production is in high demand and quality video content is difficult to come by (perceived), it’s nice to see a highly specialized service addressing this important need.

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Free Online Video Tips, A Case Study

January 3rd, 2010

ElliptiGO Inc. is a customer of Online Video hosting provider, vzaar. The following case study has been provided by vzaar to help illustrate the power and positive effects of online video for web-based businesses.

The ElliptiGO is the world’s first outdoor elliptical road bike. The bicycle combines the best of running, cycling and the indoor elliptical trainer to deliver a high-performance, low-impact exercise experience.

Bryan Pate, Co-Founder of ElliptiGO Inc., told vzaar that for such a must-see product, video is essential and that the “bottom line is that for our product the video is the absolute best way to communicate what we’ve created because the instant someone sees it in action they understand it.  It’s almost impossible to convey our product through text or even pictures.”

So how have you embraced video?

We primarily use video on the site. It purposefully dominates the homepage and screams play me! In addition we send out newsletters each month and many of the recipients come to the website to specifically watch the video. Whilst video-in-email remains an unchartered and unreliable marketing tactic, we do use the video on our iPhones and Blackberrys to facilitate explaining the bike in personal interactions. It’s like having a product demo in your pocket! Bottom line is that for our product the video is absolutely the best way to communicate what we’ve created. The instant someone sees the bike in action they understand it. It’s almost impossible to convey our product through text or even pictures.

Tell us about the numbers

Attributing success to one video is always hard when you first bring your website to market, but at ElliptiGO we’re not only delighted with the 133% increase in visits (doubling previous traffic) but significantly the 30% increase in average time spent on the site. We attribute much of these improvements to an initial redesign of our site and prominent placement of our homepage video.

A further website redesign in November of this year resulted in an additional 18% increase in visits and a 50% increase in average time on site which underlines the work we have put into optimizing the positioning of the video and its call to action messaging. We added a call to action “Watch the 8S in action” and customers are doing just that we’re pleased to say.

Lights, Camera, Action!

We worked with a videographer who is also a professional tri-athlete to shoot our videos. Nothing like having an expert in the field to help shape how we show the product’s benefits. You only have to watch the video to see it has been money well spent. In addition, she’s very reasonable – about $1,500 for a full day of shooting plus video production for two videos. Furthermore, this is just the start as the business has done two shoots with her now so we’re getting better at accomplishing what we want and getting the right shots and shooting at the right time of day.

This case study was provided by Jamie Parkins of vzaar.com.

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Getting Video Content is Easy

December 8th, 2009

Obviously VidCompare is a site about online video,  yet we have none of our own video content on the web site. Well, today we eat our own dog food and present you with our first video. Admittedly, it’s a bit cheesy with my used car salesman slant but, it’s a promo video for the business and we wanted to help our users better understand the goals of the site as well as to illustrate how effective video can be to get a message across.

For those of you who don’t have your own content yet, this was a very simple effort. It started with a conversation with video production company, TurnHere. Within a day they gathered my information; company details, goals for video, location, etc. and had me hooked up with one of their video producers who was local to my area. They have a far reaching directory of producers so it was easy for me to meet with them and get started on our video shoot.

The producer reached out to me via email to set up the meeting, then off we went to the local Starbucks to shoot. My producer could not have been more helpful, a true professional. He guided me through the process, queued me, and offered guidance with key speaking points. We didn’t write a script or agonize over content, we simply let if flow. These producers are so well versed that they know how to guide you through the process in one fell swoop. He even shot me navigating through the site describing key elements which he then translated into a screen capture which was edited into the video with my voice-over.

Within an hour and a half we were done. Two days later I received an email informing me that my video was ready. I was given a unique URL to view and comment on my video. The viewing admin was clean and easy to use. After watching my video I submitted only a few minor comments asking to make some adjustments and again, within a day the changes were made and I was able to review my video again.

Once I was happy with the results, I simply clicked the “Accept” button and boom, the next day an embed code was delivered to my inbox and the video was syndicated out to YouTube, DailyMotion, Yahoo!, and MySpace.

Compare Online Video Platform Providers from Kris on Vimeo.

Once you’ve got your video content be sure to optimize it for the Web. There are plenty of resources out there to assist you with video SEO.

So if you’re one of the many businesses out there scratching your head, wondering where and how to get started you can rest assured that the process of developing video content is quite simple. Trust me, it’s tougher to make the leap than to complete the process. Dive in, the water’s fine.

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