The DV Show - Digital Video Podcast, Video Editing, Camcorder Reviews, Videography

Closer Look: ProPrompter Wing

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:19:53 +0000

Perfect for the Elite Videographer!

This is the ProPrompter Wing that works with an iPhone, iPod touch or VGA LCD. It’s light and affordable yet fits any pro or consumer camera and can fit in your jacket pocket.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Made of sturdy aircraft aluminum the ProPrompter Wing attaches to the tripod mount of any camera and the forward adjustable arm swings to the left or right of the lens. The mobile device clip holds your iPhone. iPod touch or Pocket PC. Slide the clip directly beside the lens. Now your eyeline to your iPhone is on the same level as the lens so you can use the old cue card trick: Stand back about 6 to 8 feet. Keep your eyes on the scrolling script and never glance over to the lens and it will appear as if you are looking into the lens. This is made easier because the width of the iPhone is not far enough away from the lens to draw your head or eyes further to one side.

The Wing folds away into your backpack, camera bag or briefcase and is the lightest most affordable teleprompter in the world. You need it.

Closer Look: Panasonic AG-HMC70 AVCHD Camcorder

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:07:43 +0000

Panasonic introduces the new AG-HMC70 AVCHD camcorder: A shoulder-mount 1080i camcorder that includes a wealth of pro audio features including two locking XLR inputs. Steve Golub, product line business manager at Panasonic Broadcast and Television Systems (PBTS), hosts this short demonstration video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The AG-HMC70 provides entry-level professionals with an easy-to-use, high-quality, solid-state HD recording solution at an affordable price.

As the first shoulder-mount camcorder in Panasonic’s professional AVCHD line-up, the HMC70 utilizes the AVCHD high profile video codec, which offers similar image quality to HDV 1080i at about half the bandwidth. This second-generation, affordable HD format offers longer recording times and half the storage requirement of older systems.

AVCHD takes full advantage of the newest MPEG-4 compression technology. The result is ultra-clean video image quality without making huge files. Smaller file sizes mean longer recording time with less strain on your computer’s hard drive.

As easy to use as a digital camera, the HMC70 records onto standard SD/SDHC cards to assure a fast tapeless production workflow. It gives you fast access to content without fast forward or rewinding, and footage is immediately available to editing systems without the ingest delay and additional cost of a playback deck.

Using just one 16GB SDHC memory card, the HMC70 can record over 2.6 hours at 13Mbps, the HMC70’s highest quality mode, or up to 6 hours at 6Mbps, the camera’s extended recording mode.

The camera provides operators with all the advantages of tapeless recording without the high price tag. The camera is equipped with a professional feature set that includes 3 CCDs and XLR mic inputs.

Ideal for:

The camera is ideal for weddings, educational applications, high quality home capture, and small production. It is ideal for long shoots where handhelds just don’t cut it. The shoulder-mounted design makes it comfortable and easy to control.

Premium Subscribers get immediate answers to video questions, access to the show archives of over 250 podcasts with show notes spanning over 3 years, dozens of videos and articles filled with tips and tricks to enhance any production, free books, software downloads plus more! find out the details here

What is an Elite Videographer?

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:48:53 +0000

Question: Brian, what is the exact definition of the Elite Videographer I hear so much about? I’ve spent years taking my time to create elegant wedding videos with proper color grading, great audio and a great story. The get in-get out mentality of web video production would make me a rookie all over again…right?

Answer: No.

An Elite Videographer:

Is technically sophisticated
Is experienced and highly professional
Is not rushed
Is frugal and budget conscious
Is efficient and organized
Earns a high hourly rate within the least amount of time.
Is sharply focused on business, not equipment or how creative they can be
Is a master at editing
Knows what to charge clients
Knows what clients to charge
Always maintains perception
Is a hunter on weekdays and a fisherman on weekends
Is aware of what social media can do and does it
Has a reputation for producing quality videos
Knows when to say no
Can smell a bad client a mile away

I watched some of the videos on your website and yes, the “Elite” form of production will be a departure from your artistic, carefully crafted style.

Automation is the enemy of creativity - (quoted from the webinar) - which lies at the Elite style’s core. Many veteran videographers and “filmmaking aficionados”, who want to protect “the craft”, are very offended by this style - I know because many of them emailed me! Like fine art fanatics, creative people shun this type of production. “You’re degrading the industry”, “pimping your skills to commercial production is the lowest a video professional can go” as some of the emails said.

Personally, I like producing a carefully crafted visual story and have not departed from it- I can relax, take my time editing, lead the audience to a message, a feeling, while weaving through a story line with characters, perfect angles and creative shot composition along a nice musical score to accentuate the story. I love handing a completed DVD to a client in nice packaging - a sense of accomplishment.

But it didn’t make me any money.

I would be better off working less hours at McDonald’s for a higher hourly rate.

The lack of business sense and not being able to see what I was creating had another purpose from the client’s perspective made me financially starve. I was losing clients left and right who had a demand I was never able to meet.

Rookies can’t be Elite

The “Elite” form of video production needs what many of us learned over many years- it needs the wisdom and skills gained from experience. Without experience, the Elite would not be able to move efficiently and effectively through any production.

The Elite can move faster, quicker- we can anticipate what happens next- we know what to expect and how to handle it. The element of feeling like we need to “take our time creating a masterpiece” doesn’t exist in this form of production because we’re already trained to know what to do- we have the skills to make it happen.

Getting clients and being able to pump out 5-6 :30 to :60 second effective web videos in a week for $800 to $1000 a piece single handed is FAR from what any rookie can do.

It takes experience, guts and time to be part of the Elite.

Say Goodbye to Video Hosting Sites Forever

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:15:24 +0000

Question: No matter what free video hosting site I use, it seems I keep getting booted off and my videos are completely gone, never to be seen again. I’m careful to comply with their terms of service but it still keeps happening. How can I avoid this in the future?

Answer: Amazon S3 has become the reliable video file hosting of choice for many businesses and individuals and is currently the most popular solution for large bandwidth operations.

You can have control of your videos.

Why should you use S3:

Amazon S3 is cheap.
It’s scalable – use as much or as little storage and bandwidth as you want.
Easy to use.
Everyone can use S3 – while it was built for developers, it is now widely used by anyone who needs a secure and simple Hosting solution.
Your data is safe as S3 is an Amazon service. Amazon is also a brand name that people recognize so it can add kudo’s to your content.
S3 is more reliable than a homebuilt server or cheap web Hosting account.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How to Track Video Usage with Google Analytics

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:18:59 +0000

Question: I’m getting a little fed up with unreliable 3rd party applications not tracking usage data properly. I know these services are free and I don’t expect much but I’m ready to move up to a higher level with robust tracking and more dependability. I’m wondering if I could send tracking data from my flash based web video player to Google Analytics instead? Can I do this myself? are there some players that do this already? I have website stats but would like to get all stats in one place - if at all possible.

Answer: I hear this all the time: “Tubemogul, Vidmetrix (and dozens of other free services) are the only authority who can track video views, downloads, etc.” and my response is always - NOT!

The old saying you get what you pay for is true for all 3rd party services who can make the sudden choice to boot you without explanation. Free services should not be relied on, obviously.

Video hits, views, downloads, etc can be measured using a more dependable service called Google Analytics- yes, it’s in the free category but it’s been around for a while, is much more robust and has a track record for being very dependable. I’m going to show you how to set this up yourself or use one of the many web video players we found that you can embed on your own server along with analytics and tracking built right in!

First, let’s talk about how to do this yourself with a little known feature in Google Analytics that is somewhat simple to implement if you know how to….

Cover Up Bad Audio With the McGurk Effect

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:07:56 +0000

Question: I edited an entire video and it’s ruined by one actor yelling out profanity in one scene. How can I fix the audio without editing in a cutaway to another shot and clipping out the audio?

Answer: R rated movies edited for television often use the McGurk effect to cover up profanity. Instead of the swear word the actor says “asp” or “fudge” to cover up the offending word.

The McGurk effect is also commonly used in foreign films when they’re dubbed to another language, so despite the character saying ‘You lousy melon farmer!’ when this was obviously not what was said in the original, the dubbing doesn’t seem completely out of whack.

Kinda like watching the old Godzilla movies where the lips are not moving in sync…but its not as obvious when this effect is used.

They call it an auditory illusion.

Here is a video with an explanation:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Free Demo Software: Anime Studio

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:45:34 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bring your imagination to life with Anime Studio!

Anime Studio, the fun, quick and affordable 2D animation software solution, includes everything aspiring artists and hobbyists need to create and share quality cartoons, movies, anime and cut out animations from start to finish.

Your complete animation solution.

Anime Studio is your complete animation program for creating 2D movies, cartoons, anime or cut out animations. Create your own desktop animated shorts in the style of SouthParkStudios.com and JibJab.com, or use it to produce full-length animation for film, video or streaming over the web. Draw original art, import your digital pictures, add sound, dub and add subtitles to your existing videos or choose from many built-in characters to get started! The revolutionary bone rigging system makes animating fast and an efficient alternative to tedious frame-by-frame animation.

Create and share your own cartoons and animations today!

Anime Studio gets you started right away! You can even import your own unique illustrations, characters and photos. Output your finished creations directly to YouTube or save as popular video, TV, and web formats, including SWF Flash animation files, as well as AVI and MOV movie files.

Free Characters: Anime Studio includes Jace, Thorn, and many other exclusive, royalty-free, vector based characters you can use for your own animations.
Free Tutorials: Tutorials and sample files show you how to maximize Anime Studios powerful features and get you animating right away.
Import Your Art: Import your own illustrations or create unique characters for your cartoons. Animate anything within the reach of your imagination.
Bring Photos to Life: Give life to your favorite photos. Import digital camera images, attach bones and easily turn your photographs into animated movies.

Get it FREE or buy now and save 40%!

Try Anime Studio Debut 6 FREE with Trial Pay OR… buy Anime Studio Debut 6 for just $29.99 and save 40% (regular price $49.99).

* Macintosh: Try it FREE*
* Windows: Try it FREE*

*IMPORTANT NOTE: The free trial version is free for 30 days. A credit card is required.

The DV Show Podcast for March 1, 2010

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:57:38 +0000

Running time: 36:11

Download MP3 file

How to produce an effective sports highlight video for student scholarships. Getting 16:9 video to show up right in a web player. Why P2 cards are better than tape. Equipment recommendation for recording church services and the trouble you can get into when videotaping people without their permission.

Show notes:
- The DV Show LIVE in Connecticut
- How to produce a sports highlight video - with samples and PDF booklet
- MP3 file into Final Cut Pro
- MP3 file into Final Cut Pro - Apple
- P2 card vs Tape
- Panasonic DVX-100 vs the HVX-100
- Church video switcher recommendations
- Become a Premium Subscriber to access show notes

Producer’s Huddle Recap: February 21, 2010

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:28:30 +0000

The Producer’s Huddle is your chance to connect live with other content creators, new media beginners and video experts for on the spot advice and coaching over the web- personally, I love it - it’s tons of fun to interact with our listeners!

Not everyone we come in contact with can get excited about new compression settings for H.264. Not everyone wants to learn new techniques in in Final Cut Pro or gets excited when talking about a new camera. We don’t always have a chance to meet up with our colleagues to get the gears going and the creative juices flowing - this is why we created the Producer’s Huddle.

Anything goes in “the Huddle”! - from critiquing a short video to rapid fire Q&A - we have a fun time learning from each other.

You can join in each Sunday night at 8:30 EST - immediately following the live recording of The DV Show podcast which airs at 8 p.m. EST.

Here’s a recap of some quick fire questions, tips, comments and answers given from the February 21, 2010 edition of the Producer’s Huddle. Questions we could not answer are extracted from chat and answered here.

——————————————————-

(Dave_in_Philly): Brian, do you moonlight as a voice for radio commercials? Thought I heard you the other day.

Yes, on occasion when I get called. What ad did you hear?

——————————————————-

(aardvarkfilms): Brian - are you going to announce who won the copies of ReFocus from two weeks ago?

They know who they are. An email was sent and addresses exchanged with all winners. No additional announcements are necessary.

(Dave_in_Philly): I agree with Aardvark, webinars are spot-on. Worth the premium membership all the way!

(Fitzufilms): yes, definately enjoyed the webinar

——————————————————-

(Orlando-Mergal): Hey Brian, you have me mixed up with someone else. My question was about recording screencasts to NTSC DVDs.

(@PodcastHelper): screentoaster is amazing for a free product

——————————————————-

(John_Stealey): anyone have any ideas where I can buy a used Mac Pro - NOT EBAY - a good company with a track record?

(Orlando-Mergal): Try www.powermac.com I bought a machine from them and it turned out great.

(Tami_MN): just got mine a couple days ago on the apple refurb store online

——————————————————-

(fracolon@aol.c): Brian…last week during the webinar..you mentioned that you would post some of your work.

I don’t bring attention to my work for various reasons (including legal and competitors) so I decided to just let you in on some select few that I’ve produced in the past:

iPhone App Commercials:

Client: Wait Watchers Disney Edition

Client: Monster Truck Nitro

(Appscreencasts is a website owned by Brian, by the way!)

Software company

Client: Bling it Software

Client: Vertus training and promotional videos

Book Author

David Meerman Scott - New Rules of Marketing Speaker promotion, book promotion and direct marketing DVDs for mass distribution

and all video pre-roll ads on fcptips.com (another site owned by Brian, by the way)

——————————————————-

(titohawaii): i need to get the settings in photoshop to put on a graphic for importing into high definition video project. no matter what i choose for pixal side i end up getting a streched image.

Here is an excellent PDF document to show you how it’s done.

——————————————————-

(Bandit): How are you coming on the music library

It is up for Premium subscribers - we’re sending out an email on the details. Look for it within the next few days.

——————————————————-

(Tami_MN): i keep getting error messages when I use encore cs3. anyone know some good tutorials that might help me figure out why??

The Virtual Training Company (who we are partners with) has some great video tutorials to help out.

——————————————————-

(John_Stealey): What’s the best wires mike - Sennhieser - lectrosonics - audo technica?

(Orlando-Mergal): I have several wired AudioTechnicas and they sound beautiful.
(@PodcastHelper): John i love Senn. but AT makes amazing “cheap” products
(wambli): buy the cheaper PR cards
(davidwardfilm): Sennheiser and Audio Technica are both solid companies
(wambli): Lectronics wireless 400 series
(@PodcastHelper): geekbrief.tv uses lectrosonics and their stuff rocks

——————————————————-

(Safehouse): is there a jwplayer that has a counter on it

Not that I know of. But it would be a good idea to have one!

——————————————————-

(fracolon@aol.c): how is vidblaster?

A nice software based video switcher but there are others we recommend

——————————————————-

(John_Stealey): any ideas on Closed Captioning - I have to close caption my shows starting in May

(John_Stealey): software is really expensive - 4000 is the cheapest
(John_Stealey): LIne 21

CPC has a new article up on Ken Stone’s Final Cut Pro site. Go check it out for a great intro to closed captioning… http://bit.ly/caWZq9

——————————————————-

(tmallasch@mac.): Hey Brian..mostly what I wanted to know was..what HD camera would be the best to add to my equipment, if I still wanted to continue using my DVX’s

(tmallasch@mac.): Both of my Panasonic DVX-100b’s aren’t HD, but I need to join the real world of HD!!

(Quintessential): The HVX is the logical choice for the DVX companion. It has settings to match a DVX as far as color, etc.

(tmallasch@mac.): HVX…that what I thought, but the P2’s seem so expensive

——————————————————-

(Orlando-Mergal): One of the things I do the most in my business is to produce training DVDs. I produce them for sale and for my corporate customers. How do I get the best quality when going from screen to DVD?

I own both Camtasia for the Macintosh and Screen Flow; and know how to use them. My problem is when I try to convert the finished product to the DV format. My file looks fuzzy; and I know it’s because of the difference in pixel shape between the computer and the TV screen.

Now here’s what I really can’t understand. I have several old DVDs by Total Training, Linda and Boris Effects. They all show you how to do things on Macintosh software and they all look GREAT! They are not DVD ROMs, they are DVD Video. Did these guys know something that I don’t? How where they able to capture t

(John_Stealey): try Graeham natrasses - plugin for unconversion to HD

(John_Stealey): sorry - UPCONVERSION - to HD
(fracolon@aol.c): john what is the pluggin for the up conversion
(tmallasch@mac.): HVX…that what I thought, but the P2’s seem so expensive
(davidwardfilm): Could also get used DVX’s for really cheap. I know a ton of people selling theirs. The new “E” series P2 cards aren’t nearly as expensive
(davidwardfilm): about half the cost of what they used to be
(John_Stealey): http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm

——————————————————-

(titohawaii): is flysketch only for macs

Yes

——————————————————-

(John_Stealey): any experience with the GY HM700 JVC camera?

JVC’s GY-HM700 is know as the “big brother” to the recently announced GY-HM100 and is also the industry’s first native support QuickTime file format for Apple’s Final Cut Pro.

With this camera, there is no need to convert or rewrap files prior to editing. Postproduction can begin immediately after shooting. It is even possible to edit directly from the memory card. Since no transfer or re-encoding takes place, first-generation quality is always maintained.

We interviewed Ken Freed from JVC to tell us more:

——————————————————-

(tmallasch@mac.): How much video can be loaded onto a 32 gb P2 card?

(davidwardfilm): If you’re shooting 720p 24n which means it’s native 24 frames a second, you can get about 85 minutes on a 32gb card
(davidwardfilm): If you shoot 1080p it’s about a gig a minute
(John_Stealey): on a P2 card?
(davidwardfilm): yeah
(John_Stealey): cool
(John_Stealey): the JVC camera uses HCSD cards

(John_Stealey): up to 64 gig SD cards
(davidwardfilm): it’s about 600 bucks for a 32gb p2 card now
(fracolon@aol.c): Thanks John

(davidwardfilm): And if you have multiple p2 cards you can hot swap, meaning it will start recording to another card when one fills up, and never stop recording
(wambli): Whats is his budget for multi cam shoots? How many cameras? Software/hardware switcher? If using hardware switcher get a AJA IO device and you wouldn’t need to buy cards for all of them.

——————————————————-

(phranky): How to import Zi8 file into FCE?

(phranky): Both. MOV and m4v.
(John_Stealey): plug the camera into your computer it should show up as a source
(aardvarkfilms): you didn’t have my email address
(John_Stealey): simply copy the files off the card

(John_Stealey): then import into FCE using the file import function

Up Next In The Elite Videographer Series…

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:53:31 +0000

Now that you passed through our 5 day crash course on setting up a focused, productive and efficient web video production company, we’re going to continue to bang at the steel so you’re shinier and sharper than ever before. Elite Videographers are well oiled machines!

Click here to view the embedded video.

What is an Elite Videographer you ask?

An Elite Videographer:

Is technically sophisticated and up to date
Makes efficient use of their time
Produces and edits effective video in the least amount of time
Puts business first, creativity second
Is not focused on equipment
Knows what to charge clients
Knows what clients to charge
Maintains perception
Is a hunter on weekdays and a fisherman on weekends
Is social media savvy
Gets paid faster

Perfect the skills you learned. Grow the seeds inside you. Continue your training with additional workshops focused on the specific topics we discussed.

Here is the next online webinar in the series:

Get past the snags that slow your distribution down. Keep your editing time down and hourly rate high. Master the skills necessary to bang out those videos and put a smile on your client’s face. Make more time for more productions as four expert trainers join us live in studio to give over 200 time saving tips to speed up your editing and improve your workflow - from their computer to yours:

Final Cut Pro
Sony Vegas
Avid Media Composer
Adobe Premiere

Get free stuff, ask questions, interact through phone and live chat.

Keep this page bookmarked for more details to follow.

Organize, Tag and Add Keywords to Video

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:38:18 +0000

Can you recommend software for a Mac that can show thumbnail previews for .MTS files that will allow me to rename the files, and tag them with metadata or keywords? Is there anything out there that will work with these files such as Adobe Bridge or Lightroom? I’ve tried bringing .MTS files into Bridge but it don’t get a preview.

Not many offerings for the Mac but here are a few that do come to mind

iDive - iDive offers videographers, both professionals and amateur enthusiasts, the possibility of managing video footage collections. iDive transforms your videos into a catalog that’s easy and quick to put together and access.Your movie collection is expanding: on memory card, hard drive, DVDs or even video cassette. But you don’t know how to organize them. Don’t lose those precious personal moments or your all important professional footage… let iDive take control! In a few clicks, iDive will automatically display your footage collection in thumbnails and/or one or more samples for each clip.
HD Quick Look is another option - Take a sneek peek at your AVCHD files. HD Quick Look lets you view the first frame of your AVCHD files without even opening them. View multiple files as a slide show, as an index sheet or full screen - all with a single click.They also have Flamingo HD
MTS Converter has the option for editing but not sure about thumbnail viewing - it could have it but doesn’t list it as a feature:
I know you can view .MTS files in finder and it includes the thumbnail- tagging is limited to file name
iVideo you can import videos from digital cameras (using FireWire) or from any QuickTime format supported files, then you can edit, modify, mix them and even apply any video effect on or between them. After this steps, you can export them to any QuickTime supported format. All this features for free!

The DV Show Podcast for February 22, 2010

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:46:28 +0000

Running time: 35:20

Download MP3 file

Adding videos to your site with a fallback player. Tricks to create links to your website on a DVD. Recording audio from an old tape cassette into Final Cut Pro. Necessary tools for creating a screencast with a Mac and the differences between DSL and Cable when streaming live video over the web.

Show notes:
- HTML5 Mini Guide for Video Producers
- Cortado
- Metavid
- Embed VLC in a web browser
- AutoRun Typhoon
- Auto Play Media Studio
- Video embedding comparison site
- Youtube fallback method for the iPhone
- Whopper list of every screencasting tool on the planet
- Tools available for screencasting on a Mac
- Become a Premium Subscriber to access show notes

Thinking of Becoming a TV News Stringer?

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:35:36 +0000

Question: I casually came into a conversation during a networking event after a local news director heard I had a camera and was into video. He asked me to be a news stringer and if I wanted to earn extra cash. I didn’t want to embarrass myself and act like I knew what he was talking about. My first question is: What is a news stringer 2. how do I get started and 3. how much is the normal salary?

Answer: In the journalism world, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist, videographer or photographer who contributes reports, video or photos to a news organization on an on-going basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work.

As freelancers, stringers do not receive a regular salary and the amount and type of work is typically voluntary. However, stringers often have an ongoing relationship with one or more news organizations, to which they provide content on particular topics or locations when the opportunities arise.

The term is typically confined to news industry jargon, and in print or in broadcast terms, stringers are sometimes referred to as correspondents or contributors. At other times, they may not receive any public recognition for the work they have contributed.

How to become a stringer

First scout the market. Call your local television stations. Find out from whom they obtain their stringer footage. In some markets, when you have a news worthy story, you’ll have to approach the stations directly. In bigger markets, you’ll be dropping your footage off at an agency that will supply the footage to the stations via a feed.

Step 2 Get yourself a quality ENG electronic news gathering package. Every television station and distributor in the US has a Betacam deck. However it is possible today to get by with a far less expensive DV camera. Be sure to get one with at least 3 CCD’s, the bigger the chip, the better. The detail of DV is comparable to Betacam although the color isn’t as good. As a stringer you’ll be doing a lot of hand held shooting, so choose a camera that can mount on your shoulder for stability. You want a long lens, at least an 18x, or one with an extender so you can get good sized images if you’re not allowed to get close. Make sure that your camera can accept external microphone inputs. You’ll need a good quality mic to conduct interviews.

Step 3 Get a non-descriptive vehicle. You don’t want to show up on a crime scene with a flashy car.

Step 4 Since you are strictly working on spec as a freelance shooter, you have to know what sells. As you’re listening to your scanner, here are the stories that are most marketable:

Disasters likes major fires, earthquakes or tornadoes, acts of terrorism, hate crimes, celebrities behaving badly, shootings, murders, violence against family members especially children, police shootings or brutality, rescues of pets or kids, or fatal car accidents.

Don’t bother with routine medical emergencies, minor traffic accidents, natural deaths, overdoses or suicides unless they involve celebrities. As you see you’ve got to have the fortitude to cover people at their worst.

Step 5 Overcome what ever natural reticence you have to get interviews with witnesses. Remember the basics, asking Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Get your interview subjects to spell their names on camera and give permission to appear. Even if you’ve never written more than an email, get used to the fact that to sell your video, you’ll need a hook that will interest the news directors or producers at your local stations. A story titled “Joy Riding Drunk Teens Cause Death of Family of Four” will grab somebody’s attention more than “Four in fatal accident.”

Step 6 Look at my other postings on how to tell a good TV news story and get clear audio. You need to be able to tell a story with your camera. Whether or not you ultimately make a dime for your efforts depends on how good your video is.

Step 7 Finally, make sure that you treat first responders right. You plan to make this a career so don’t alienate them. They have a job to do and will respect your attempt to do yours if you’re friendly but deferential. If by any chance you arrive at a crime scene before the police do, proceed with caution. A lot of people aren’t too keen about being exposed on camera. Be sure to leave the scene with your expensive gear, before the cops depart.

How much do they pay?

It depends on what you get, how early you get it, who else shot it, what else happened that day and want kind of a mood the news producer is in. If you get a plane crash and you are the only one with early shots (plane burning, rescuers pulling out victims), go for a four figure amount. If someone shoots a cop and you are the only one with shots of the cop before EMS takes him away, go for a three figure amount. If you shoot a single fatal MVA, be happy if they offer you $75. If you shoot someone famous in trouble, go for a five to six figure amount. How much they pay all depends.

The average monthly income is- maybe - $75 or Maybe $7,500. Really it depends on how much time you put in, how many people are working in your area, luck and how hungry the news producers are

Producer’s Huddle Recap: February 1, 2010

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:00:30 +0000

Anything goes in “the Huddle”! - from critiquing a short video to rapid fire Q&A - we have a fun time learning from each other.

You can join in each Sunday night at 8:30 EST - immediately following the live recording of The DV Show podcast which airs at 8 p.m. EST.

Here’s a recap of some quick fire questions, tips, comments and answers given from the February 1, 2010 edition of the Producer’s Huddle. Questions we could not answer are extracted from chat and answered here.

Topic: Construction Company Videos

Questions:

1. Documentation of construction - like a big company setting up a building etc. Filming this from beginning to the end?

Tips:

Several ways in which video production is regularly used within the construction sector:

- With each major construction project there are specific health and safety issues which are unique.

- As with any industry there are often technical developments which impact on the workings of the site and these developments need to be explained often to hundreds of people at different times. In these instances best practice is to use a video to communicate information.

- Many construction projects are photogenic. Produce a video which examines projects that construction companies are involved in as part of their PR. Some projects can be technically difficult and filming the process provides an interesting and informative account of it.

- Collate video and still imagery to produce videos which show the heritage of the company. Many construction companies have a long list of successful projects under their belts. Collating and combining stills images and video of these assignments can produce a compelling video for use in sales presentations, recruitment and training.

Comments:

(Oceanwatcher): Legal is fairly easy to cover - you only do something like this as a job for the construction company or similar.
(Oceanwatcher): But it can be dangerous.

Topic: Subcontracter Agreements

Questions:

Tips:

A subcontractor contract spells out the relationship between you and the independent contractor you employ, as well as the contractor and your client.

Such a plan usually includes a detailed overview of the project your independent contractor will work on, including any areas of concern where issues may arise. This statement of work can clearly define the tasks, services and deliverable for which the subcontractor will be responsible, as well as any scheduling and budget constraints in which those objectives should fit. The statement of work can also include clear quality measurements for the subcontractor’s deliverables.

Comments:

(Oceanwatcher): That agreement has a time limit, right? It can not prohibit someone indefinitely from working for your client?
(blink): i feel like the independent contractor agreement i require them to sign covers this to a small degree.
(uniquedesign): well service is the key there

Topic: Streaming Live Video

Questions

Tips:

Streaming video from switcher using the DV pass through method:

(Oceanwatcher): Brian - regarding the streaming question - would it not give slightly better quality using a PCI card from BlackMagic to take video and audio from the mixer? Put the card in the PC running the stream encoding software and take the picture from that? DeckLink Studio should cover you - about 700 USD.

Comments:

Topic: HTML 5

Questions:

1. Brian talked about HTML_5 last week but I can’t find a lot of information on it.

We have an article about encoding HTML 5 compliant video and a mini guide for videographers

Tips:

Comments:

Topic: Protecting/Storing/Sending Video Files

Questions:

1. Does Dropbox function differently than YouSendIt?

Both are the same in function but different in features:

Dropbox is a super fast file syncing utility without a complicated interface to learn. It’s seamlessly integrated into your desktop and all of your files are available via the web. Shared folders can be used for easy collaboration around files. It includes version management so you can undelete files or restore old versions in a snap.

YouSendIt is the Easiest, Fastest way to Send and Receive files… Right from your desktop at no extra charge!

2. Brian, do you think DVDs will become obsolete?

According to a statement made by Microsoft’s Bill Gates in 2004 we have 4 more years of the
the silvery discs before they become obsolete.

Since Blu-Ray is widely viewed as the REPLACEMENT for DVDs. It is expected to make DVDs obsolete - who knows when that would be.

3. About Mac Performance: I tried DupFinder to find duplicate files on Mac and delete them but its complicated and may delete necessary files - ideas?

Try Araxis

Tips:

Zipping Software

(Oceanwatcher): One for the download vault: The best program on PC for compressing/decompressing files: IZArc. Similar to WinRAR or WinZIP, but IZArc is totally free. It actually support more formats than the two others.
(rpulham): Try 7zip. It does 7 formats and is free.
(Oceanwatcher): @rpulham IZArc supports almost 50 formats including 7zip. And, as I said - free.

Topic: Taxes

Questions:

1. Any tips for videographers regarding taxes?

If you claim any income as from a “hobby” you can claim hobby expenses against that income (only up to the hobby income amount).
You might want to see IRS Publication 535: Business Expenses. Among other things, it makes clear that the expense for things that are used for personal as well as business use be pro-rated.
Make sure you read the sections about whether your business is considered for-profit or not. If the IRS considers it is not-for-profit, then expenses can only be deducted up to the amount of money it brings in.
A fledgling business doesn’t become a hobby until it’s lost money for 3 years running.
You can section 519 a lot of business expenses - not all of them - and deduct them all in one year.

Tips:

See above

Comments

Topic: Camcorders We Use

Questions

1. any reviews of the GY HM700 by JVC?

Philip Bloom has an excellent review with video

2. Anyone know if there is a market for Betacam SP recording and editing equipment?

Betacam, launched in 1982, was the first professional video format in the Sony Beta range. Betacam was a high-quality format and attracted a lot of attention amongst professionals.

No one uses tape anymore. Try public access television outlets.

3. Any suggestions for best method of working with files from a 7D, when using Premiere CS2 on a PC? Thanks.

Editing the 7D’s .h264 files in Premiere CS3 is a huge hack you need to convert the footage to a better editing codec. Get cineform neoscene which is the best option.

Tips:

Comments:

Topic: Ron Dawson’s New Book

Questions:

1. How much is Ron’s book- REFOCUS cost?

$26.72

Comments:

Topic: Non-Compete Contracts

Questions:

Tips:

(Rob_McC): TIP: I use Echo Sign (digital sign documents) for short contracts agreements and model release etc. - easy and legal.

Comments:

(Robertv): Never. Always compete. I had that before in an electronics job. Refused to sign.
(rog_from_nh): I work with people in my state video association and we trust each other pretty much. That’s my preferred way of doing it.
(blink): that client only!
(Chef_Mark): I htink it’s important to have SOME kind of written agreement that outlines your relationship
(blink): that client only!
(Chef_Mark): if the cntract only says that you can’t steal the CLIENT for a period
(blink): exactly chef mark
(blink): don’t solicit my client for 12 months
(tcgliderguy): Contracts are much like patents… they are only meaningful if you have the $$$$$$ and the time and energy to enforce them.
(Oceanwatcher): I think this would only work in the US. In Norway, there are laws that might even prohibit that stuff - you can not make a contract that prohibit someone from working.
(blink): that’s reasonable, isn’t it?

(Robertv): How can you learn and advance personally if you cab;t “play” outside of work?
(eagle1173): any freelancer, who steals work from folks will end up burning bridges…it will catch up with them one day
(Harv): As I mentioned before this happened to me with ahired freelancer He would not sign an agreement but gave me his word So I trusted him. WRONG!
(Oceanwatcher): In Brazil nobody would care about those contracts, and it would be hard to drag someone to court over it. It would backlash bigtime.
(johnstealey): I agree with that 100% as well
(johnstealey): handshake deals are legal in Ohio - with witnesses to the deal
(Oceanwatcher): And yes, I believe that if you do not behave, the rumor will definitely spread. The problem is that some countries are too big and these guys can go on forever doing bad stuff…
(blink): i’m asking all potential freelanceers to sign an agreement that they won’t solicit business for 12 months. we’ll see how that goes. interviewing several potential freelancers this week.
(Oceanwatcher): In Norway, handshake deals or verbal deals are just as binding as a written contract. But MUCH harder to prove.

Topic: Talent Release Forms:

Questions:

1. Does everyone in a video need to sign a release? what are the exceptions?

Public places - that is all.

Content that contains recognizable people must be accompanied by a signed Talent Release

Comments:

(18:01:46) (NashuaVideoTou): I shot a playground (from a distance - couldn’t make out any faces) and got a personal visit from the police with a note from the police chief.
(18:02:06) (Joe): I just don’t get the legal recourse someone can have if they are out in public and you just happen to record them in your video.
(18:03:27) (eagle1173): alot of how you use the video shot in public will determine if you need a release or not

Topic: HTML 5 Video

Comments:

Oceanwatcher): HTML5 - remember that it is NOT locked to OGG/Theora. You can do what YouTube is doing now - serving H.264 via HTML5.

(Oceanwatcher): And Brian, you should post the link that I gave you last time. HTML5 in itself will come up empty if your browser can not play it - Firefox 3.5.7 with the YouTube beta is a good example right now. It does not play and I guess that is how it should be in a test. But when you go live with a video site, you might want to add something that makes the HTML5 degrade to Flash if the viewer can not deal with the HTML5 code.

(Oceanwatcher): For a video producer, there is actually not much you need to think about. It is more for the webdeveloper to think about - But it will usually become built into the publishing systems that you will use.

(nandocuca): cool, just quickly added video with html 5 to a test page - and IT WORKED!!
(nandocuca): http://www.portugueseconnection.co.uk/videoblog/test.html
((nandocuca): pretty simple
(nandocuca): My test works in Chrome

Topic: iPad

Questions:

1. Does the iPad support Flash? The commercials say so. What are the specs for video? Uses for the iPad from a video pro perspective?

Flash is NOT supported - those commercials have been corrected - check MacRumors. Specs: iPad do not support full HD, only 720p

Tips:

Comments:

(ajotech): The ipad would be great to show a possible client some examples etc

(Robertv): Ipad is interesting, but so restricted that it will start a market and lose the market share in a year or two.
(johnstealey): playing H.264 will be able to be played on the iPAD - so the JVC raw files could be played using it as a field monitor

Thanks from listeners

(frank_Pulaski): I’m happy you’ve been helping us for so long…so many podcasts have failed in the past 4 years but you guys keep on being there for us and I appreciate it!

(ajotech): Brian rocks!!!!

(ajotech): Thanks Brian for doing what you do

(Harv): I’ve been listening to your Podcasts for I think 2 years. I was checking my email and came here. I need my make up person.

(nandocuca): I read your stuff so often I have no questions left

(uniquedesign): greetings from germany

(ajotech): Have your book and cd and always visit your site to see whats I need to keep up with. Your awesome

Join us each Sunday night for the Producer’s Huddle - immediately following the live recording of The DV Show Podcast:

(18:08:42) (eagle1173): thanks Brian for another cool show
(18:08:45) (Chef_Mark): Thanks, another great show Brian!
(18:09:01) (blink): looking forward to the webinar!
(18:09:18) (VidPic): Much better than the Grammys, thanks Brian
(18:09:28) (Chef_Mark): Please let us know as soon as you have the TIMES for the workshop
(18:09:30) (Ray): great show Brian
(18:09:36) (Chef_Mark): so I can build my days around it
(18:09:52) (blink): not looking forward to talking to the others?
(18:09:54) (ajotech): AWESOME SHOW BRIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(18:10:15) (nandocuca): Cheers Brian - g’night
(18:10:18) (Ray): link that up
(18:10:24) (James): Thank’s Brian Good Show.
(18:10:33) (Robertv): Cool show, I’ll look out for the podcast version as I missed a lot.
(18:10:34) (Chef_Mark): cool, Blink, I’ll have a look
(18:10:35) (frank_Pulaski): Aloha Brian.
(18:10:35) (tcgliderguy): Great Show… I can’t believe all the notes and links that I typed!
(18:10:41) (Rob_McC): Good show Brian!!!!
(18:10:41) (Username): awesome job!
(18:10:42) (NashuaVideoTou): Thanks…
(18:10:42) (Cyclepath): Great show, Brian!
(18:10:47) (blink): thanks, i can use the feedback
(18:10:47) (Rob_McC): always enjoy it..
(18:10:53) (Chef_Mark): goodnight all
(18:10:53) ChatBot: (horsesbreed) has been logged out (Timeout).
(18:10:59) (johnstealey): another great show!
(18:11:09) (thedvshow): thanks!
(18:11:14) (ajotech): Goodnight everyone
(18:11:19) (Robertv): Thanks to you.

Producing Construction Company Videos

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:22:39 +0000

Question: I participated in the Producer’s Huddle on Sunday night and someone was talking about producing construction videos and it being the next big thing next to wedding videos. What are some ways video can be used in this industry?

Answer: There are several ways in which video production is regularly used within the construction sector:

With each major construction project there are specific health and safety issues which are unique to workers- it’s a good idea to produce (and document) one video to train all.
As with any industry there are often technical developments which impact on the workings of the site and these developments need to be explained often to hundreds of people at different times. In these instances best practice is to use a video to communicate information.
Many construction projects are photogenic. Produce a video which examines projects that construction companies are involved in as part of their PR. Some projects can be technically difficult and filming the process provides an interesting and informative account of it.
Collate video and still imagery to produce videos which show the heritage of the company. Many construction companies have a long list of successful projects under their belts. Collating and combining stills images and video of these assignments can produce a compelling video for use in sales presentations, recruitment and training.

Here is a sample of a Construction Company bio video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Making Video Files Private

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:29:47 +0000

Question: I wish to send a video to a friend. It is a home-video of several GB in size. Would you have any suggestion on how to make the video available to watch by friends, and in the same time keeping privacy?

Answer: Here’s what I would do.

1. Transcode the video to a smaller h.264 mp4 file using Handbrake.
2. Sign up for a Dropbox account and put the video in the folder called “public”.
3. Right-click the file to copy and paste a private link via email.

For added security, you can password protect the mp4 file using…

The remaining content in this post is reserved for Premium Members only. If you are a member, log in to view now . If you’re not a member, consider joining. Click here to sign up.

The DV Show Podcast for February 1, 2010

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:50:50 +0000

Running time: 38:16

Download MP3 file

Clients stealing freelancers – freelancers stealing clients- is there a law against this stuff? Webcasting school sporting events. Using a professional switcher for the web. Organizing your video the easy way. Ron Dawson, author of the book Refocus: Cutting-Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business joins us.

Show notes:
- Webinar: Producing Web Video for Profit
- Subcontractor Agreement
- Business and Legal forms for Media Pros
- How to webcast college sports in-house
- DV pass through method explained
- Software that organizes video files
- Protect video files sent through email
- Ron Dawson’s Book - Refocus: Cutting-Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business
- Become a Premium Subscriber to access links in show notes

Creating Heart Shaped Video

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:13:47 +0000

Question: How do I create video in the shape of a heart using Final Cut Pro?

Answer: Here is one answer on how we would do it:

Ustream Producer is Just Cool

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:30:41 +0000

It’s about time Ustream!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new Ustream Producer is a desktop application allowing broadcasters to stream in high quality video, just like they would from Ustream’s website - and best of all it’s FREE.

Additional features include the ability to:

Easily manage video and audio sources
Browse, drag and drop audio and video files
Start and stop recordings
Pop-out a chat room or Social Stream
Display your desktop via screencasting capability
Update your status and syndicate to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and AIM
Broadcast using Picture in Picture
Create multiple transitions

Encoding Tools: HTML 5 Compliant Video

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:35:00 +0000

Question: What tools are available to encode .dv and .avi videos to Ogg Theora? if that is what I need to embed video for HTML 5.

Answer: HTML 5 allows new source code for embedding video and audio in HTML documents. The specifications recommend support for Theora video and Vorbis audio encapsulated in an Ogg container.

The Ogg container is an open standard and a requirement that allows easier distribution of rich media over the internet.

Who? what??!? Vogg, Ogg?!?

Yes, these are new terms but the same concept. Think of it like H.264 wrapped in an MOV container, etc., etc.

Anyway, moving on.

How to create an Ogg video container:

There are five ways to accomplish this:

1. A user-friendly way to convert .dv and .avi format video into Ogg Theora format is with ffmpeg2theora.

2. A way to both stream and encode theora format video is with videolan (VLC). Here are detailed instructions on how to do this.

3. If you’re really technical have a look at ogg-theora-microhowto and transcode quicktime mov files to Theora files under Linux. You can use libogg, to wrap theora video with vorbis audio in Ogg file.

4. Install the Firefogg extension for Firefox. Follow these instructions or these instructions on how to encode videos.

And Finally

5. You can use Quicktime Pro and this free component from Xiph. Here is a video to show you how:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cheapo Videography = Headache for All

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:14:54 +0000

Question: It is a very competitive market producing wedding videos where I live in Chicago. To get the business, I’m thinking of seriously undercutting my prices to beat the competition. Average wedding videos are $1500 to $2500 depending on the package. I want to offer a simple, single camera shoot package for $500 for 8 hours of work. Is this a good strategy?

Answer: When you undercut the market so severely you shoot yourself in the foot not to mention achieving other negative results. We’re going to let Scott Bourne, Publisher of Photofocus.com summarize. He touches on some good points in a recent article geared for wedding photographer’s but it can also be applied to wedding videographers as well. He mentions:

a. You cheat the client. This is the worst point. That’s right, the client who’s once-in-a-lifetime special day has just been handed to the cheapo wedding photographer is not going to be well-served. A true professional has skills that Uncle Harry doesn’t. The better the skills the more longevity in the business and the better the chance the client is going to get images they want to come back for.

It’s impossible to run a sustainable business over the long haul, deliver good quality and care for the client at lowball prices. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen dozens of businesses fail using this model and more importantly (and more to the point) have seen dozens of brides’ wedding memories ruined by photographers who had no business being there in the first place. There’s no do-over on a wedding. It takes a decent budget to get a decent result. Good reliable gear with backups cost money. Training cost money. Quality wedding prints, albums, books and gallery wraps cost money. If you sell a bride a cheapo wedding DVD with packaging that falls apart because you couldn’t make enough profit doing the cheapo wedding shoot, how does that serve the client? These are people’s lives you’re messing with. What could have more value than the wedding album – the first family heirloom of a brand new family? Think about it.

b. You are selling yourself short. If you do it on the cheap, you are probably losing money or coming close to it. Maybe you’re working for minimum wage once you pay your expenses and grunt out a few bucks for yourself. You’re worth more than that. Have some self-respect. Don’t whore yourself out. Ask yourself, “Am I really only worth $8 an hour?” Pricing is the hardest part of any photo-related business. But it’s called a job because it’s hard. Don’t be lazy. Get training in how to competitively, fairly and appropriately price your products. There are lots of resources out there. Learn. Apply. Do. Don’t decide you’re not worth it. I think we’re all worth it. We deserve to be fairly compensated for our time, our education, our practice, our overhead, our gear, our licenses, our insurance, our taxes, our cost of goods sold and everything else that goes into doing it right. When you devalue yourself you leave potential business on the table – cheap weddings/portraits are just that, poorly executed products. The single biggest mistake most new pros make is under-pricing, not under-exposing.

c. You’re dragging down an entire industry. If you come into the market as a weekend warrior and start selling cheapo weddings against established businesses who have already set the industry standard, every cheapo wedding you shoot diminishes the industry. You’re participating in self-destructive behavior which is against your own interests. How can that be smart?

Scott goes on to say:

In closing, remember this – photography is an incredible career field if done right – if you get the reputation for being cheap you won’t last long – because you’ve got nothing to fall back on. Develop your skill set first, then your marketing, then launch with a product that has the value it should and more importantly value that will last – cheap candles burn fast and they’re gone.

Scott, we couldn’t have said it any better.

The DV Show Podcast for January 25, 2010

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:56:35 +0000

Running time: 40:20

Download MP3 file

Insuring your video productions -what to cover, how to get it and why it’s important. Easy tricks to transcribe your video. Editing AVCHD in Final Cut Pro. Do you really need a release form for everyone in your video? Entertainment attorney Gordon Firemark helps us answer that question and HTML 5 and Ogg Video- Why YOU should start paying attention.

Show notes:

- Webinar: Producing Web Video for Profit
- Video production insurance breakdown
- Services and software tools that make transcribing video easier
- Making Sense of AVCHD - download for $5 until next podcast
- Download a copy of a talent release form
- Download a copy of a talent release form - Premium Download link
- Mini Guide: HTML 5 For Video Producers
- Watch the video version of the DV Show Podcast for January 25, 2010
- Become a Premium Subscriber to access links in show notes

Mini Guide: HTML 5 For Video Producers

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:54:02 +0000

Question: I’m hearing so much about HTML 5 since Vimeo and Youtube are now using it for video delivery on their platform. As video producer’s what should we know about HTML 5 and what is the big deal?

Answer: HTML 5 is code. If you’re a webmaster or web designer you’re likely familiar with HTML, right? Right click to view the source for any webpage and you see HTML. Well, this is a new language - an updated version of that older HTML code.

We’re all familiar with the old video embed codes. With HTML 5 that embed code has changed to this: that’s it .

HTML 5 allows you to play a movie in your website without a plugin or player - it’s basically a replacement for a Flash player! There are no long embed codes, the video can play in almost any browser (even when a user has an iPhone- flash video cannot be seen on the iPhone) and patents are not violated when using H.264.

HTML5’s support for audio and video promises to be a more efficient way to watch movies on your computer or smart phone through your browser rather than the restrictive Flash player. This is a player that plays back the Ogg video format.

What does this mean for you…the content producer?

The market is made up of more OSes, browsers and processor architectures than it was five years ago. More people (especially geeks) are browsing with AdBlock / NoScript / FlashBlock than ever before. We can no longer just assume people are going to have Flash and are allowing you to use it.

The same rules apply to video. If my platform / device / browser of choice cannot see your video, or you do not offer me the means to download the video to view offline, then I don’t see whatever it is you’ve got to show me.

I therefore want to help all web-developers get to grips with , to make it easy for them to show video content without having to sacrifice legacy browsers, nor ask you to install anything just to do so.

Benefits of HTML 5

1. Not treated like a special case

No special page you have to visit. No extra effort should be required on your part to get video in your browser that already supports the format perfectly.

2. No browser sniffing

Implementations could turn up anywhere, in any form. OGG is open-source open-specification. Serving to only mainstream browsers like Firefox 3.5 goes against the whole point of open-video removing the requirement to be tied to one particular vendor.

3. Doesn’t require JavaScript

Developers generally don’t know how to include the video tag whilst falling back to alternatives. Trying to detect browsers using JavaScript and writing the element into the page is just going about it the wrong way.

4. Degrades extremely gracefully, providing multiple levels of fallback

Using Flash only provides you support for platforms where Flash is installed. No Flash: No Video. Video for Everybody will most of the time still play the video even if Flash is not installed. Flash is not supported on the iPhone, the №1 platform for users accessing the ’Web on a mobile.

5. Is just plain copy & paste HTML

Of course, you can write a server side script to insert it over and over again according to however many videos you have, but the HTML itself does not use JavaScript to insert the video or detect browsers or even provide the fallbacks. You can enhance Video for Everybody with JavaScript (it’s just the template to get you started), but the core selection of which video format plays is completely down to the browser, no JavaScript involved.

6. iPhone users can view your videos from your webpages - finally!

Encoding the Videos

HTML 5 uses an MP4 video file to play in Safari, in Flash and on the iPhone. Therefore the MP4 file must conform to the requirements for these three platforms. Technically Safari can play anything QuickTime can play. Flash can play H.264 and the iPhone is a little more restrictive in that it tops out at 640×480, does not support streaming, and does not support the Main H.264 profile.

The OGG file is solely for Firefox 3.5 at the moment for Firefox 3.5 and Chrome, but more browsers may use it in the future as OGG is an open standard and can be implemented by any vendor if they choose so. It is not patent-encumbered and therefore a cheaper choice than MP4 which requires licensing.

For best results, I recommend including the poster image as the first frame when you encode the video. In QuickTime and HTML5 , the first frame of the video is shown until the user clicks play, giving the users an idea of the content beforehand.

This article explains the background technical information and extensive instructions on how to encode compatible OGG files.

DrawBacks

1. Limited Controls

You can roll your own controls using any HTML and a bit of JavaScript. HTML5 also has the benefit that it is far more efficient than Flash, HD video in the browser is possible—without requiring a supercomputer.

2. Videos with captions, annotations, or ads will still be rendered by the Flash player.

3. Fullscreen mode isn’t supported and video can only be played back in the Firefox, Safari and Opera browser. YouTube’s experiment will only work with Safari 4, Chrome, and Internet Explorer via ChromeFrame.

4. Lastly, a current bug in Firefox 3.5 means that when JavaScript is disabled (NoScript for example) the video controls do not display. The developer of NoScript is aware of this issue and will try to come up with a solution. For now, right-click on the video for the controls, or use autoplay on your videos, or rely on users allowing your site in NoScript (the same as they have to do with Flash).

Question and Answers:

How does it play back and what happens if the user’s browser is not supported?

The HTML5 element offers native playback in Firefox 3.5, Safari 3 & 4, Google Chrome and an increasing number of other browsers.

There are no plugins to install. The video is played by the browser itself. It loads quickly and doesn’t threaten to crash your browser.

In other browsers that do not support , it falls back to QuickTime.

(which allows playback on the iPhone)

If QuickTime is not installed, Adobe Flash is used: You can host locally or embed any Flash file, such as a YouTube video.

Finally, if all else fails, the placeholder image is shown and the user can download the video using the links provided.

This is all done without JavaScript and requires only two video encodes, one OGG file for Firefox 3.5, and one MP4 file for everything else (Flash / Safari / iPhone). Instructions on how to convert your videos to these formats with the correct settings are provided further down this article.

It’s compatible with HTML 4, HTML5 (valid markup), XHTML 1 and additionally also works when served as application/xhtml+xml.

Isn’t this 4× as much effort than just using Flash?

4 different video encodes is not required! It uses only two, which supports 4× as many platforms and browsers than Flash alone does as well as reaching almost anybody who doesn’t have Flash installed or can’t install it (iPhone / Some 64-Bit operating systems).

In fact, it ends up being more effort in the long-run using a Flash only method because when a device like the iPhone comes along and it doesn’t have Flash and it becomes very popular, you now have to re-encode FLV files and add browser detection and new code to deal with it. New hand-held devices that are coming out generally don’t support Flash, or only support a tiny sub-set, however they are using ports of Webkit and Gecko that may support HTML5 , and as the mobile smart-phone market increases, HTML5 video will keep up far quicker than Adobe and who they choose to support.

The code is too large / ugly

In an ideal world, all the browser vendors would agree upon one standard and one way of doing things and update their old browsers to match too. Then you could just use just and it’d play in any browser.

That’s not the case though. This is a hack, a kludge, a workaround. It is to deal with the fact we still have millstones like IE tied around our necks that just won’t get with the times. HTML 5 deals with all of these broken browsers so that you don’t have to.

I doubt you hand-type every object tag you use. You just copy and paste a template, or use a server-side function to spit out the code each time. The size of the code is moot therefore and can be compacted to a decent size.

Going forward, in the future as HTML5 becomes standard and common, then the layers in Video for Everybody can be dropped and we can all (hopefully) move to just the video element and be done. That won’t happen unless we start making use of HTML5 now to help drive adoption. Maybe one day even Microsoft will add to IE and it should (unless they manage to do even that wrong) ‘just work’ with HTML 5, shedding the Flash layer and automatically moving up to native video.

Are you saying that JavaScript is bad?

No. Video for Everybody is not aimed at bringing down JavaScript or demanding you go back to the stone age. It is a base template that can easily be enhanced using JavaScript, but does not use it itself to provide the fallback mechanisms.

Other HTML5 video embedding methods use JavaScript to detect the browser’s capabilities and insert the appropriate / Flash content, however this has the drawback that JavaScript must be enabled or even supported—Most RSS readers do not execute JavaScript as a security measure. With Video for Everybody, even in environments without JavaScript the user will still either see the video or be able to download it. The more people who see your video, the better for you.

Can I modify it?

Yes! However, just bear this in mind: HTML 5 is designed to provide video for all browsers within reason; there are a lot of hacks in the code to make the same HTML work across many, many browsers, each tested with and without Flash and QuickTime. That’s a big matrix of testing. If you modify Video for Everybody you might—quite unknowingly—break support for some particular combinations. Please either do what testing you can, or ask me to get involved in helping to test your modifications.

Why don’t you include Cortado, a Java applet that can play OGG video?

The user-experience is more important than the underlying technology. The problem with Java is the user-experience compared to Flash and HTML5 video. The loading of a Java applet causes a noticeable pause whilst the Java Runtime Environment loads. Even on my powerful Mac, the page loading freezes and the hard disk thrashes for a few seconds, on low powered machines I’ve seen the entire computer lock up for 10 seconds. On Windows you get a tray-icon appear an a bubble pop-up from said tray icon distracting you. This is simply unacceptable for playing a video.

Amazon did an experiment whereby they added 100 milliseconds to the load time of their page. Sales dropped 1% immediately. Google did a similar test, adding just half a second to the load time. Traffic dropped 20% immediately.

This answer was provided by kroccamen@gmail.com at camendesign.com

Better Video Editing on the iPhone

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:09:47 +0000

Question: I’m very pleased with the way my iPhone 3G S records video in 30-fps VGA (640×480) - it’s perfect for posting video quick on the web. What I don’t like is the editing capability: Trim the video to the perfect length, scrub and trim again direct from the native Camera app. But beyond that, you can’t do much else- trim and scrub, trim and scrub. There has got to be an app you guys know about that does more?

Answer: Yes, there is a better app called Reel Director and It’s pretty good. For $7.99 in the App store you can’t go wrong.

This small little app brings a drag-and-drop timeline, multiple text watermark styles and 27 pro grade transitions, you’ll turn your scattered video clips into polished movies in just minutes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Reel Director is the first real movie editing solution for the iPhone 3GS, and for a pioneer, it actually works remarkably well. The app still lacks pretty basic elements like audio editing capabilities, but for home movies that look as good or better than the ones your uncle used to edit on his early model DV cam, ReelDirector is more than capable.

Closer Look: Sony’s NXCAM

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:38:02 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The first in Sony’s line of NXCAM solid-state camcorders, the HXR-NX5U is also the company’s first professional-level AVCHD camcorder. And while it may look similar to its HDV predecessor, the HVR-Z5U, in fact this is a very different animal. Its ability to capture HD and SD video in AVCHD and MPEG-2 formats–and save it to solid state media–is only one of its distinctive traits. Full-raster 1920 x 1080 video is another, including the option of recording 720/60p video as well as 60i, 30p and 24p. And because the XN5U can capture to media cards plus an optional flash memory unit, you can simultaneously record a different signal to each, whether HD + a backup or HD + SD. The footage is then easily downloaded to a computer or backup drive using USB 2.0.

Three 1/3″ CMOS Exmor sensors, a 20x ‘G’ lens and dual XLR inputs are carried over from the Z5U, but the beautiful video and audio these elements produce are now in service to a higher level of professional control. An HD-SDI output makes this one of the most affordable camcorders to provide uncompressed 4:2:2 output, while HDMI and RCA outputs allow for connection to professional and consumer-grade monitors alike. Timecode sync between two or more cameras is also possible, and the addition of GPS technology makes for another first on an AVCHD pro camcorder.

Meanwhile, a newly designed user interface–including convenient MODE buttons and a touch-screen menu–make setup and operation easier than ever. And if touch-screen controls aren’t your thing, there are the usual navigation keys and thumbwheel to help get you around. Whether you’re recording at one of the camera’s four bit rates (24/17/9/5Mbps), taking advantage of simultaneous or relay HYBRID capture, or recording AC-3 or linear PCM audio, the HVR-NX5U gives you near-professional flexibility and control on a prosumer budget.

Exmor 3 CMOS Sensors

Three Exmor CMOS sensors with a ClearVid array comprise a state-of-the-art sensor system from Sony which realizes high resolution, high sensitivity, a wide dynamic range, and excellent color reproduction, regardless of the codec.

Memory Recording and HYBRID

Memory recording on affordable consumer memory cards offers workflow efficiency at both the shooting and editing stages. Combined with hybrid recording, using an optional HXR-FMU128, the user achieves a totally IT-based workflow, with the added bonus of instant data backup.

AVCHD Format

The revolutionary AVCHD recording format, which utilizes the MPEG-4, AVC/H.264 video codec, allows users to record HD video footage onto random access media, such as Memory Stick PRO Duo and SDHC memory cards. Its intelligent and sophisticated algorithm makes AVCHD a highly efficient compression format ideal for memory recording and IT-based editing.

G Lens

“G Lens”, the lens featured in other successful Sony camcorders, already enjoys an excellent industry reputation. In the HXR-NX5U, this sophisticated lens is optimized to complement the camcorder’s advanced image sensor and image-processing technology.

Natural-touch Lens Operation

The focus, zoom and iris ring are positioned on the lens barrel, and this design offers the same operability as general interchangeable lenses. Focus, zoom and iris control can all be managed easily.

Six-blade Iris

The six-blade iris diaphragm is nearly circular, enabling the creation of an extremely beautiful background blur.

Built-in ND filters

The HXR-NX5U is equipped with three built-in ND (Neutral Density) filters–1/4, 1/16, 1/64–which help to vary the depth of field with iris control.

Active SteadyShot Feature

Active SteadyShot® feature is a new, enhanced image stabilization system that provides a powerful shake-reduction capability, vital for handheld usage. Additional stabilization is provided by the increased optical lens coverage area and by improved detection with state-of-the-art compensation

GPS

A built-in global positioning system (GPS) locator allows satellite navigation data to be recorded directly onto footage for reference or posting on popular internet mapping systems. GPS data can be invaluable when searching for footage or to provide evidence of where and when footage was recorded.

Relay Record with Dual Memory Slots

Another new feature is continuous recording between two memory card slots. The new HXR-NX5U camcorder automatically cycles between the dual memory slots. When using two, 32-GB memory cards, six hours of continuous HD footage can be recorded.

Optional 128GB Flash Memory Unit, HXR-FMU128

Sony proudly introduces the HXR-FMU128, an optional 128-GB flash memory unit exclusively designed for the HXR-NX5U camcorder. This enables hybrid recording of video footage - another world first for an AVCHD professional camcorder. Other capabilities include simultaneous recording of HD and HD video footage, and even the combination of HD and SD, realizing an instant backup in the desired format. The 128-GB storage capacity provides continuous recording for almost half a day at the highest bit-rate - incredible in a unit of such compact size. This is an ideal option for recording music festivals, seminars, and weddings, and for making documentaries, all of which require extended recording times.

Loss-less Audio Recording Capability

The audio recording format on HXR-NX5U can be selected from either Dolby Digital stereo or Linear PCM stereo. LPCM audio recording provides uncompressed audio quality. Customers who need high quality audio, such as in music videos will be able to acquire CD quality audio data.

MPEG-2 for SD Recording Format

SD format recording is available in addition to HD format recording. The SD recording format uses MPEG-2 which is the same compression codec as standard DVD-VIDEO Discs. Customers who make delivery in DVD-VIDEOs will be able to obtain video data in sufficient SD quality using this format.

Easy Operation with Newly Designed Menu

The completely new menu interface allows users to adjust camcorder functions via a touch panel or buttons and switches. This interface is newly designed specifically for this model. Easier and more straightforward operations are achieved by the combination of a high-resolution XtraFine LCD panel, XtraFine electronic viewfinder (EVF), and well-defined layout.

Hybrid Operation with Touch Panel & Buttons

The HXR-NX5U is equipped with a touch panel LCD with a complete new interface specifically designed for this new camcorder. Most of settings can be adjusted by touch screen operation, which is easy, straightforward, and instinctive for operators. However, standard operation using buttons and switches is also available, to provide users with choices to suit any shooting situation.

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