 Video Tips Lighting • Audio • Color • Camcorder Techniques • Some Typical Video Projects Lighting Adequate lighting is vital for creating high-quality video. In low light conditions, most camcorders generate video ‘noise,’ which results in footage that appears grainy. Too much noise leads to poor compressed video quality and higher data rates (poor quality but larger file size!) Use natural light whenever possible. The best light occurs outside on a cloudy or overcast day, because the light is evenly diffused. Direct sunlight produces good exposure, but it can create areas of deep shadow where video noise can be prominent. On bright sunny days, shoot in the shade or with your back to the sun. The best time of day to shoot is in the early morning or late afternoon, to avoid the deep shadows that can occur during mid-day. Reflectors are used to bounce light onto the subject. Reflectors produce more even lighting and can reduce areas of deep shadow. If possible, avoid fluorescent light. The color temperature of fluorescent light makes videos look blue-green. If you're in an area with predominantly fluorescent lighting, shoot near windows to take advantage of the natural light, but remember it is best to direct the camera away from the windows to avoid reflections. If windows are used as a background, your subject will appear too dark, as your camcorder's exposure will set itself relative to the bright outdoor light. Under low light conditions, use a camera light or light stands. Audio If sound, particularly voice, will be an important element in your production, consider using a separate microphone. The microphones built into camcorders are often limited in versatility and range. Place a microphone on the subject if possible. Color Avoid saturated colors in the scene. Video with highly saturated colors (especially red) can bleed or appear blocky, particularly when viewed on 8-bit (256-color) displays. Avoid adjacent areas of high contrast. For example, clothing with a combination of light and dark patterns is a poor choice. Sudden changes in brightness levels can emphasize color bleeding and create edges that are more difficult to compress. Avoid extremely thin horizontal or vertical lines. Areas of detail are not always particularly visible after compression, especially when displayed in a multimedia application window. Moreover, extremely fine lines or patterns (such as those that are one pixel wide) can distort the source video image itself. Such distortion looks poor and is extremely difficult to compress, severely impacting video quality. Camcorder Techniques Unnecessary camera movement distracts the viewer. Your viewer should notice the subject, not the camera. Keep movement to a minimum, and ensure panning is smooth and steady. A tripod holds your camera level and steady. It helps focus attention on the subject instead of the camera. Don't overuse pans and zooms, as these camera techniques tend to de-emphasize the subject and make file compression less effective. Rather than zooming, break the action up into two static shots: one long shot and one close-up or medium shot. Instead of centering your subject in the frame, create a more dynamic shot by placing the subject to one side of center and directing their attention to the other side of the frame. This is known as ‘the rule of thirds,’ whereby you visualize the frame in a tic-tac-toe pattern of lines. The subject of primary interest should be slightly off center, on one of the imaginary lines. Use close-ups. Remember that your video will probably be played within a relatively small window on a PC display. Close-ups will emphasize your visual message in this medium, but can also work well on a full-size television screen. Use autofocus only where appropriate. Autofocus works well for most medium and wide shots. Don't use it in close-ups where the subject is moving, or when zooming in on a subject. The entire image can blur and then sharpen as the camera attempts to stay focused on the object in the center of the frame. Before you shoot, disable autofocus, zoom in to the subject, center and focus on the most important subject and then zoom back out to your original composition. This ensures that the important subject will remain sharp at any zoom setting. Some Typical Video Projects To keep your viewer’s interest, a video should contain important shots of the subject. For many projects, the optimal running time should be five to seven minutes in total. You should shoot only as much footage as is practical, keeping the scenes that work well to create a short, entertaining movie. Roxio VideoWave 5 contains quite a few Storyboards. These series of video clips can be loaded into the software, and provide the basis for a shooting list for a wide variety of video projects: from vacations and parties, to sports, business, and professional interests. Use them as guides until you feel confident enough to create your own. Wedding Careful planning is essential for a good wedding shoot. Typical shots to include are: the bride getting ready in the mirror bridesmaids wedding party vehicle church, synagogue, mosque etc. (remember to get permission to shoot inside the building) parents of the couple audience at church bride walking down the aisle exchanging of vows reception party dinner speeches cutting of the cake first dance bouquet toss Child’s Birthday Children’s parties are full of spontaneous action, so make sure you always have the camera ready. Typical things to include in your shot list: invitations balloons at the door decorations in the home guests arriving with gifts birthday cake candles on the cake party in full swing entertainer (if any) children singing or playing games opening of gifts reaction shot of adults lighting birthday candles singing happy birthday blowing out the candles guests eating cake Adult’s birthday While not quite as busy as a child's party, an adult birthday party also has spontaneous action. Things to include on your shot list: planing the surprise party decorating the house cake balloons guests hiding in the room door as the guest of honor arrives the big surprise (plan on a close up of their face) singing happy birthday candles on cake blowing out candles speeches party in full swing Trade Show Trade shows can be difficult to shoot because of the crowds, noise and often poor lighting. Make sure you have the show organizer’s permission before you set up, and be sure you tape your cables and cords down on the floor to avoid tripping visitors. Things to include on your shot list: establishing shot of building or convention hall exhibit set up period visitors entering the hall individual booths close ups of products or services spokespeople and demo stations exhibit tear down period Have Fun! Whatever video you are working on, proper planning and a healthy dose of imagination will make your project more rewarding and fun. The ideas in the tutorials will help you utilize your camcorder for more involving videos. Remember to visit www.videowave.com often for helpful hints and tips. For information on other exciting Roxio products, visit www.mgisoft.com. |