VIDEO PRODUCTION
What is Video Production?
Video production encompasses the whole process from the concept, the script, and the actual filming of the video, through to editing the footage into the final video.
How long does video production take?
The time taken on a video production depends on a number of factors. It is best to work out exactly what the different shots in the video are, professional video production companies will have the separate shots drawn out on a storyboard, which gets ticked off when they are completed, to make sure that no scenes get missed.
Any film or video is not usually shot in the same order that it appears in the final video production because two scenes in a video at the same location could well appear at totally different times in the video, but it makes sense for the video production company to shoot them together for budgetary reasons.
What do I need to get started in video production?
Luckily today most photographers are using DSLR cameras which also are capable of shooting very high-quality video, so it is possible for a stills photographer to produce high-quality video.
I would suggest starting with, you are going to need a couple of camera bodies and matching lenses, maybe a couple of lights, these could just be led lights bounced off a ceiling, a decent microphone, a decent quality sound recorder and of course a couple of sturdy tripods.
Why do I need two Cameras for video production?
When I started working in video production, I found that the most common job that I used to get asked to shoot was someone doing a piece to the camera, such as someone talking to the camera. The problem is that nobody is perfect and learning the script.
You are bound to stumble over a word or get the script wrong at some point, so that means either starting again or putting up with a sudden slight change of position when the video is cut.
By using two cameras, you can shoot at two different angles, maybe one front on, and the other slightly to the side and lower down, one slightly closer and the other zoomed back a bit wider, so you can then just cut to the other camera angle, and carry on from the stumble, which will save a lot of time.
Why do I need a sound recorder when the camera records sound?
Simply for better quality, I have never found that the sound quality from the camera is that great, obviously a better microphone will help enormously, but you will still get better sound from a decent external recorder.
How do I sync everything together with video production?
Once you have everything running, just clap your hands, even if you are only using the built-in microphones on the two cameras they will still pick the clap up, and you should be able to sync everything together by matching the waveform in the video editing programme, in fact, some editing software will match it together automatically.
What size format should I shoot the video in?
It really depends where you intend to use it, for example if it is intended to be used small on a website, there is not very much point in shooting it in 4K, you are just going to end up with huge files, which are not only take up disc space, but they will take longer to edit.
What ISO and shutter speed should I use for video production?
I would tend to use a relatively high ISO speed as you are not really going to notice any noise on the video as you would in a still photo. The shutter speed can be quite important especially if you are shooting in fluorescent lighting which can cause flickering on the video, this is due to the AC frequency, which in the UK is 50Hz so you should set your shutter speed to either a 25th 50th or 100 h of a second.
Why do people put videos on their websites?
Having a video on your website is a great way of conveying a lot of information in a short space of time. As you may be aware YouTube is owned by Google, so having a video on your website really helps your SEO your website get found.
What is the best length for a website video?
People tend not to watch long videos right the way through to the end, in fact, the click-off rate after about a minute is very high, if you are trying to feature several different things in your video, you may consider making several shorter videos clearly titled on what they are about, rather than one long video, that way they can go straight to the relevant section.
What is the best video editing program?
There are several video editing programs on the market, some are free but they tend to have fewer features, but may be good to learn, I always use Apple Final Cut Pro, but Adobe Premier is also just as good.
