My month of video training just flew by. Video production is one of those subjects that I could easily spend the rest of the year exploring and writing about. But, the goal was to sample and learn the basics of video, which I believe I accomplished. Granted I have a lot to learn yet, but I am now able to set up my camera, light the set and add some good quality sound to my videos. That’s more than I could do at the beginning of the month.
What did I learn during the Month of Video Production?
Setting Up The DSLR
- Set the white balance manually in order to prevent automatic white balance changes during production.
- Set the DSLR for manual exposure.
- Set the shutter speed of your camera based on the frame rate of the video. 24 fps=1/50th of second, 30 fps=1/60th, and 60 fps=1/125th.
- Set your f/stop to achieve the desired depth of field. For talking head and interview videos, f/2.8 or f/3.2 with minimal depth of field is good.
- Adjust the camera’s ISO to achieve the exposure level needed for a good video.
- Use manual focus to prevent focus motor noise in your videos and to prevent focus hunting in the middle of the video.
Lighting The Video
- You don’t have to spend a small fortune for video lighting.
- The cheapest route to go is to use natural lighting and fill in the shadows with some kind of reflector. Overcast days provide a nice soft light.
- Low cost, daylight balanced LED lights work on or off camera. Light output is good, but not great.
- Continuous output compact fluorescent lighting kits are available at a price that most can afford. These produce a lot of daylight balanced light.
- For talking head or interview videos, three-point lighting is a good way to light the set.
Capturing and Recording Audio
- You don’t have to spend a small fortune to capture and record sound.
- To start out, all you really need is whatever sound recording device your camera provides.
- A shotgun mic, like the Rode Videomic Pro, plugged into the microphone jack of your DSLR will improve your sound.
- A microphone like a lavalier placed close to the mouth greatly improves sound and reduces room noise.
- Recording high-quality sound with a sound recorder and synchronizing to the video during edit is a great way to go.
- Make sure whatever microphone you use has the right jack to plug into your recording device.
- Use a windscreen when outside.
Being the Talent
I learned two things about being the talent in a video. It’s very difficult for me, and I’m terrible at it. I’ve spent my entire adult life trying my best to stay behind the camera. A lot of personal mannerisms that I battle daily are very apparent when on camera. I’m somewhat of an introvert and tend to not look people in the eyes when talking. I also have a tendency to shut my eyes when talking. I spent two hours one night shooting a one-minute introduction for my Google Helpouts page and ended up throwing it all away. None of it was usable for the above-mentioned reasons. Later I went back and reshot the Google Helpouts introduction with the knowledge that I was going to have to force myself to look into the camera while talking. I did a lot better the second time. My video footage was usable. Maybe not the greatest, but usable. I will continue to practice at being the talent. I assume that I will eventually get comfortable in front of the camera.
Editing and Post Production
I didn’t discuss any video editing or post-production this month. Editing is one of those topics that could easily dominate an entire month, if not an entire year. If you are interested in learning video editing, I recommend you check out some of the resources that I will list below. Most of them will have some good editing tips and techniques along with recommendations on editing software. I did learn during the month to keep my video transitions simple. Primarily, for talking head and interview videos, a straight cut is always a good way to go. However, if there is any kind of jump between takes, meaning the sudden movement of the talent from one frame to the next, then a slide transition is a better way to go. With a straight cut, the position shift in the talent is unexpected and troublesome to the viewer. By using a slide transition, the viewer can expect the position jump and accept it easier.
Resources
Here are some resources that I’ve used in my research and training. These are just a few that I’ve found. There are countless other good sources that can be found with a keyword search. Vimeo Video School – many great training videos Wistia Learning Center – many great training videos DSLR Cinema, Cinema Raw, and Cinematic Journalism – blog by Kurt Lancaster Cheesy Cam – DIY photography and video projects Next Wave DV – blog and training videos on gear, video, sound, and post-production DIY Video Guy – blog and video course
Wrapping Up Video Production
I realize that I have not posted any videos for you to view yet. Part of the reason for that is my inabilities as on-screen talent. Also, producing a video is time-consuming. I’ve heard that producing a video takes at least ten times longer than writing an article about the subject. I would have to agree, after spending eight hours to produce a one-minute introductory video. Using video is such a powerful way to communicate with an audience and share a message though. Its importance in communication will continue to grow, and I believe the extra production time is worth the effort.