Apple’s Final Cut Pro nonlinear editing program has become an industry standard over the years. Though the latest version, FCPX has been controversial especially among the pro editing community, it has fans like my partner Chip.

That being said, we still get asked questions about FCP7. Now, Chip warned me that he isn’t producing any more FCP7 tutorials, because he is all about teaching people how to use FCPX.

But I decided to go there. This tutorial will help you get started, and will hopefully help you understand some basics about nonlinear editing.

Feel free to ask away if you have any questions.

How do you get your story covered by a broadcast news station or blog? Video is a good way to build relationships, and reach out to reporters and writers.

But how do you do it? Should you produce a Video News Release or just shoot a video, upload it to YouTube and see what happens?

These days social video gives people and brands more chances than ever to get a story out there, but there is a right and wrong way to produce, and pitch a story.

I had a chance to share some insights that I’ve learned through my broadcast news career, and from working in video PR. Media tours, web videos, and live web broadcasts call all be used to engage the public and reporter.

This presentation was part of SoCon12 held at Kennesaw State University in Georgia on Saturday Feb. 4th.

I had the chance to speak at a conference about using video for public relations recently, and I recorded it (with the help of a friend).

I’ll be sharing the presentation once I’m done adding the Keynote slides to the video. If you ever present or speak publicly it’s always a good idea to record your presentations, and you can take it a step further buy editing in your slides.

It’s not hard to do, but it takes time because you have to match the slides with your talking points.

Now that you’ve seen this tutorial, you can start adding slides to your videos.

In this tutorial I show you how I use Apple Compressor to watermark your video with a logo and with timecode.

How long have you been shooting video? Are you struggling with your shot composition and framing? One of the common problems amateurs have is holding the camera still. Amateur video will often pan and zoom endlessly.

If you take your time and think about your shot before you start rolling, you’ll have much better results.

This quick recipe will give you a great formula for shooting better video.

You’ll need:
1) Tripod or a very steady hand
2) An understanding of the rule of thirds
3) To shoot sequences

Use a tripod. It may seem like a lot of trouble to set up a tripod, place the camera on it, and start rolling, but a tripod will be your best friend when you use it correctly.

There are two basic movements: Pan, (left to right, right to left) and Tilt (up to down, down to up). If you’re just learning don’t worry about pans or tilts though. Just focus on framing your shot, then tighten the pan and tilt locks so the shot stays still. Press record, and don’t touch the camera. Let it capture the scene for 10-20 seconds. Then, stop recording. Change your shot slightly by shooting a medium or close up, and repeat the process. If you don’t have a tripod, no worries, but you have to hold your camera as still as possible just as you would with a still camera.

Use the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a photography composition rule that is used in videography as well. You basically use “thirds” in the frame as a ruler, and line your shot up accordingly. If you start using the rule of thirds immediately, your composition should instantly improve.

Shoot sequences. There are three basic shots: a wide shot (or long shot), a medium shot (waist up), and close up. Whenever you’re shooting action, shoot a variety of these shots. Start with a wide shot. Record 10-20 seconds of video without moving the camera, then move the camera closer and get a medium shot. Then you may want to zoom in (depending on your camera) and get a close up. If you’re recording someone performing a specific action, have them do it two or three times for the camera. During the first take, shoot it wide, then shoot the action again using a medium shot. Then shoot close ups of the specific action like the hands or whatever is being done. You can also try getting creative with the angles.

What challenges do you have when shooting? Let us know if these help.

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In order for movies to play correctly for iBooks you must convert them to a .m4v file.

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I believe that teaching is my calling and it’s certainly a passion of mine, which is why I’m thankful to have this platform to share my video production experiences with you.

My mother’s side of the family is full of teachers including my grandmother and aunt, and I’ve had the opportunity to teach video production, and digital media several times throughout my career.

Back in 2001, when I was green and fairly new to broadcast news, I was given the opportunity to teach at a community college in Tampa, Florida.

After getting a taste of the classroom, I decided that a Masters degree couldn’t hurt. I could teach as an adjunct at the community college level without it, but most if not all four-year universities require a terminal degree. So, in 2004 I started that journey.

I was working full-time at Fox 13 in Tampa, Florida at the time. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but I kept at it. In 2006, I moved to Atlanta. I took a few classes at Georgia State, and finished my thesis in 2010, yes, six years later.

After I graduated, I had the opportunity to present my thesis/research on citizen journalism at a huge Mass Communications academic conference in Denver (you can read the full study here).

It’s funny how the dots in life connect because I ran into one of my former teachers from my undergrad days at the University Florida, Brad Yates, er, Dr. Brad Yates. Turns out he now teaches at the University of West Georgia. We stayed in touch, and about six weeks ago, he asked if I would consider teaching video production this semester.

So, my first class was on Monday, January 9. I plan to share a few of my classroom adventures here, but in the meantime, here are the lessons of this story: 1)Never burn a bridge. 2)Finish what you start. 3)Stay focused on your goals, and life will find a way for you.

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This happens most often to iPhone users who don’t hold the phone horizontally while they are shooting video. In this tutorial Chip shows you how to rotate your video 90 degrees using iMovie ’11 so that it has the correct aspect ratio (16:9).

Also watch: How to hold the iPhone while shooting video.

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One of the colleagues that I’ve met during my online travels is Andy Coon. In 2007, he reached out to me because he was organizing a film festival called, ConvergeSouth.

Though I really don’t consider myself to be a filmmaker per se, I’ve shared numerous stories via video over the years.

One of these videos is a mini-documentary that I produced in memory of my first-born twin boys who were born prematurely in 2006.

I decided to submit that video called, “My Boys” to Coon’s festival, and the piece ended up winning in the non-fiction category. The audience even made a donation to our annual March of Dimes fundraiser!

That’s the power of the web and video. Coon and I have stayed in touch over the years. He’s produced a number of web series, and worked on independent films including, “Dogs of Chinatown“, “The Corporate Assassin”, and one that will inspire you called, “Often Awesome.”

Though Coon is professional cameraman, and editor, he has really humble beginnings. He truly learned from the video production school of hard knocks.

In part one of our interview, we talk about how he got started in video production, and he shares some great production tips for beginners. In part 2, we talk about Often Awesome and he shares other production secrets.

Coon is a great pro, colleague, and friend, and I’m glad we had this great opportunity to chat. I think you’ll learn something from his story.

As background, I was raised in the poorest city in San Mateo County California, East Palo Alto. Most of my fellow students were hardly high achievers, though I’m sure all of them had great potential.

Anyhow, the dentist who spoke to us was Dr. Brian Swann, brother of football great Lynn Swann.

What I appreciated was that he took the time to visit Ravenswood Middle School (now Cesar Chavez Academy) to speak to us, even though some of the students didn’t give him the undivided attention that he deserved.

That being said, soon after I started working in broadcast news, I started getting requests to speak to students. Out of everything I’ve accomplished as a professional, I get the most joy from teaching, and sharing information that could potentially have an impact on a young person’s life.

Although most of my presentations haven’t been captured, I’ve partnered with Talk About Your Future, an Atlanta based nonprofit that provides mentoring and guidance to students at Grady High School.

They record all of the class presentations, which are very inspiring.

Though I always question the impact that I’m having, it always feels great to give back. The students even wrote thank you notes afterwards like this one:

If you ever have the chance to record a speech or presentation, you should.

When people see and hear you speak it reinforces your credibility, and helps with your branding as a subject matter expert. In addition, you never know who may see your presentation once it is uploaded to the web.

To record a speech, you’ll need:
1) A camera (with an external mic input)
2) Microphone (lavalier)
3) Camera operator (optional)
4) Light (if needed)

It’s better to avoid zooming in or panning once the shot is set up.

I’ve recorded presentations without a camera operator, but you have to make sure the framing is right before you start recording.

Let me know what you think about the video, and don’t forget to subscribe to our free newsletter if you’d like updates from us.