April 2010 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

What’s Legal: Who Owns Your YouTube Video? page 64
Straight from the box
to box office quality
®
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO
APRIL 2010
FCC
Laws
and Wireless Mics
Making a
Music Video
home video editing
A8+':+/496/8+*35</+9,853</*+5589:/22/3'-+9/4)2+'8
./-.*+@4/:/54</*+5
A**9:;44/4-+,,+):9652/9.+*:8'49/:/549'4*'4/3':/549'22(')1+*
=/:./4)8+*/(2+52(>/-/:'2B95;4*'4*:+).4525->,853</*B
(+./4*:.+=582*?9359:=':).+*35</+9
contents
A .'8/4-56:/549'8+45='92/3/:2+99'9>5;8)8+':/</:>,8532;8'>
'4*#:5&5;!;(+/5*/4:+4*5$//'4*+<+8>:./4-/4(+:=++4
JVC
Discover more at pinnaclesys.com/videomaker
Reviewed
GZ-HM400
full screen
print
< + 8 9 / 5 4
1 4
C
</*!+).4525->4)228/-.:98+9+8<+*85*;):,+':;8+996+)/@)':/5499>9:+38+7;/8+3+4:9'4*'<'/2'(/2/:>'8+9;(0+)::5).'4-+=/:.5;:45:/)+</*'4*/44')2+ :;*/5'8+:8'*+3'819588+-/9:+8+*:8'*+3'8195,</*!+).4525->4)58/:99;(9/*/'8/+9/4:.+"4/:+* :':+9'4*585:.+8)5;4:8/+9;/)1!/3+'4*:.+;/)1!/3+25-5'8+
:8'*+3'819;9+*;4*+82/)+49+,853662+4)662+/5*/8+$/8+'4*.+;/)1!/3+25-5'8+:8'*+3'8195,662+4)$/4*5=9:.+$/4*5=925-5$/4*5=9#/9:'%%'4*/8+):%'8++/:.+88+-/9:+8+*:8'*+3'81958:8'*+3'8195,/)8595,:58658':/54/4:.+"4/:+* :':+9'4*585:.+8)5;4:8/+9/<%'4*:.+'995)/':+*/<%25-59'8+8+-/9:+8+*
:8'*+3'8195,/<%4)'4;,'):;8+*;4*+82/)+49+,85352(>'(58':58/+9C
52(>'(5858':58/+9228/-.:98+9+8<+*52(>'4*:.+*5;(2+9>3(52'8+8+-/9:+8+*:8'*+3'8195,52(>'(58':58/+9'4;,'):;8+*;4*+82/)+49+,85352(>'(58':58/+96+-'(2+ C
/)'9/-/:'23(2'>+8
';*/5(>+9/-4
58658':/542'>+8';*/5)5*/4-:+).4525->2/)+49+*,8538';4.5,+8 '4*!.53954;2:/3+*/'225:.+8:8'*+3'819'8+:.+6856+8:>5,:.+/88+96+):/<+5=4+89'*+/4"4/:+* :':+9+96+):56>8/-.:!./9685*;):/9/4:+4*+*,58;9+=/:.)54:+4::.':>5;5=42/)+49+585(:'/4,853:.+6;(2/)*53'/4&5;'8+45:2/)+49+*:5;9+:./9
685*;)::5</52':+'4>2'=/4)2;*/4-)56>8/-.:2'=92+'9+8+96+)::.+8/-.:95,)56>8/-.:5=4+89=.+4;9/4-:./9685*;):
Master Your Video
Production Skills with Videomaker’s Ultimate Toolkits!
www.videomaker.com/toolkit
contents
full screen
print
Become a member of
Contents
PLUS
APRIL 2010
www.videomaker.com
and discover a whole new level of access to Videomaker!
From direct contact with our video experts to full access to all
videomaker.com content, early online previews of Videomaker
issues and exclusive video tips, membership truly does have its
advantages!
Volume 24 • Number 10
Features
27 Third Party Plug-ins Add
41 HD Video DSLRs
A Different Kind of Camcorder
by Doug Dixon
Production Punch
Effects Buyer’s Guides
by Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.
46 Making Music Videos
34 CES Wrap
Welcome to CES: Where Comfortable Shoes Meet Video High-Tech
by Marshal Rosenthal
Making Sense of Making Art
by Wolfgang Porter
Add to this free downloads, special contests, monthly drawings,
exclusive discounts, eLetters and Videomaker priority status
and the conclusion is inevitable: Videomaker Plus
membership is essential for any dedicated
videographer!
12
Try a trial Videomaker Plus membership, risk-free!
www.videomaker.com/plus
50
Columns
ON THE COVER
PLUS
• JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400 HD Camcorder
BENEFITS
Browse the site
Create a profile
Videomaker eNews
Full access to Videomaker.com articles
Access to all Tips & Tricks videos
Ask the Experts - email hotline
Early online access to each issue of Videomaker
Free downloads
Special contests & monthly drawings
Exclusive merchandise discounts
contents
full screen
print
VISITOR
Priority status for Videomaker events
Monthly eLetters
53
MEMBER
www.videomaker.com/plus
2 Viewfinder
Camcorder’s Face
by Matthew York
50 Basic Training
When to Move the Camera
by Kyle Cassidy
53 Lighting
What is Lux?
by Terry O’Rourke
55 Projects that Pay
TV vs. Web Advertising
by J. Michael Long
58 Editing
Tips for Lower Third Titles
by Mark Montgomery
60 Audio
FCC Laws and Wireless Mics
by Hal Robertson
Next Month
How to Make a Documentary
Best Computer for Editing
How to Buy Gear
64 What’s Legal
Is YouTube for You?
by Mark Levy and Nick Andreadis
On Sale April 13, 2010
VIDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2010
27
34
Departments
4
6
8
10
57
In Box Reader Letters
Quick Focus Topical News
New Gear Hot off the Presses
Reader Profile Behind the Lens
Ad Index
Reviews
12 JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400
HD Camcorder
by Luke Scherba
14 Corel Digital Studio 2010
Video Editing Software
by Mark Holder
16 Sony Sound Forge Pro 10
Audio Editing Software
by Doug Dixon
19 Glidecam X-10/HD-4000
Stabilizing Device
by Brian Peterson
22 Zacuto Z-Finder Optical Viewfinder,
Switronix DSLR-PRO Camera Shoulder Support
ikan V5600 5.6" TFT LCD Monitor
DSLR Accessories
by Mark Holder
1
contents
full screen
print
VIEWFINDER
Videomaker empowers people to make video in a way
that inspires, encourages and equips for success. We
do this by building a community of readers, web visitors,
viewers, attendees and marketers.
by Matthew York
Camcorder’s Face
contents
full screen
print
I have been writing this column
named Viewfinder for Videomaker
since 1986. I can’t recall if I have ever
written about the word viewfinder,
before today.
According to Wikipedia… In photography, a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose,
and in many cases to focus, the picture.
Viewfinders are used in many cameras
of different types: still and movie, film,
analog and digital.*
The viewfinder is critical for the
camera operator to see the image being captured. Louis Le Prince invented
and built the first motion picture camera in 1888, and it had very simple
viewfinder, but we can’t be sure of
this because it no longer exists, as
Louis and his belongings disappeared
mysteriously in 1890. The Frenchman
boarded a train beginning a journey
to England, to be followed by a trip
to the USA to promote his invention.
However, Le Prince did not arrive in
England and was never seen again.
Since Louis’ invention of the motion picture camera, the viewfinder
has been a part of the camera because
it needs to be close to the lens that is
capturing the image. In recent years,
we have seen video cameras separated from the viewfinder and connected
by wire (or even wireless).
Necessity is the mother of invention,
so this solution was born where traditional camcorders were not effective.
This uncoupling of the video camera
and the viewfinder has found a following the in the youth sport of skateboarding. It is easier to skateboard
without holding a camcorder in hand.
The viewfinder is attached to a visor
and the tiny camera can be held in one
hand, fastened to the skateboard or a
headband. Samsung used to offer a
sports camcorder that catered to this
market, but discontinued the product.
The independent camera and view*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewfinder
finder idea has been used for years in
covert surveillance. Supercircuits, in
Texas, has a wide selection of tiny cameras and one-inch color test monitors.
Someday we will look back on the
silly era when people had to hold
camcorders in front of their face when
shooting video. This configuration is
helpful when holding a camcorder is
inconvenient or draws too much attention to the camera operator.
Having the separate video camera
and viewfinder is useful whenever
a camera operator wants to record
video without changing the behavior
of the subjects. This is often useful in
creating a documentary. The impact of
the camera operator upon the subject
being recorded is an enormous topic
in the world of making documentaries.
Some believe that any appearance of
being recorded alters the behaviors of
the subject, so there is really no such
thing as a true documentary. Others
believe that leveraging the recording
process with a big professional-looking
camcorder elicits subjects to engage in
unique showboat behaviors that make
for a better documentary.
Matthew York is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor.
FEEDBACk
For comments on this article, email us
at [email protected], use article
#14539 in the subject line.
publisher/editor
associate publisher
Matthew York
Patrice York
executive editor
managing editor
technical editor
associate editor
associate editor
editorial assistant
Scott Memmott
Jennifer O’Rourke
Derek Sine
Tom Skowronski
Dan Bruns
Julie Babcock
contributing editors
Kyle Cassidy
Mark Levy
Mark Montgomery
Hal Robertson
production director
art director/photographer
Melissa Hageman
Susan Schmierer
advertising director
advertising representatives
telephone (530) 891-8410
account executive
classified account executive
marketing director
marketing coordinator
marketing coordinator
Terra York
24
each
$
95
Buy the Sets and Save Over 30%!
• Set of 8
Tips & Tricks DVDs
$139.95
• Set of 3
Brown Bag DVDs
$21.00
(regular price $199.60)
(regular price $29.87)
Videomaker Tips & Tricks Series - $24.95 each
Isaac York
Joshua Kidder
OUTDOOR
VIDEOGRAPHY
FIELD
AUDIO
ONLINE
VIDEO
Dawn Branthaver
Joseph Ayres
Kent Hinesley
Making nature's
wild sounds
work for you in
an uncontrolled
environment is just
one of the shooting
challenges you'll
learn from this DVD.
Learn tips
on wireless
lavalieres,
hidden & boom
microphones as
well as digital
video recorders.
Gain new insight
into creating
video projects
for online video
sharing sites!
GREEN
SCREEN
SPECIAL
EFFECTS
VIDEO
LIGHTING
ACTION
VIDEOS
Learn how to
create glitter
FX, bullet holes,
fake fire &
more! Take your
special effects
skills to a higher
level.
From cheap
lighting solutions
to creating
mood lighting,
learn the best
techniques to
light your video
world.
From shooting
fight scenes
to editing &
transitions, learn
to create spinetingling action
videos.
manager of
information systems
IT assistant
Andy Clark
director of finance
accounting assistant
customer service
Stephen Awe
Sandra Wells
Michelle Vinay
Lance Olinger
subscription information
Videomaker Subscription Fulfillment
P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA 95927
telephone: (800) 284-3226
e-mail: [email protected]
address
P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927
telephone: (530) 891-8410 fax: (530) 891-8443
Videomaker (ISSN 0889-4973) is published monthly by Videomaker, Inc., P.O. Box 4591,
Chico, CA 95927. ©2010 Videomaker, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this
publication in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher is prohibited. The
Videomaker name is a registered trademark, property of Videomaker, Inc. Editorial solicitations welcomed; publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited material.
Editorial-related photos and artwork received unsolicited become property of Videomaker. Single-copy price: $5.99; $7.99 in Canada. Subscription rates: one year (12 issues)
$39.50; $79.50 in Canada (U.S. funds); $119.50 Foreign Delivery (prepayment required,
U.S. funds). Send subscription correspondence to Videomaker, P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA
95927. Back issues of Videomaker are available for order online at www.videomaker.com
or by calling Customer Service at (800) 284-3226. Periodicals postage paid at Chico, CA
95927 and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Mail Sales Agreement
#40051846. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Videomaker, P.O. Box 3780, Chico,
CA 95927. CANADA POSTMASTER: Please send Canadian address changes to: IDS, P.O.
Box 122, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6S8.
Videomaker makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, with respect to
the completeness, accuracy or utility of these materials or any information or opinion
contained herein. Any use or reliance on the information or opinion is at the risk of
the user, and Videomaker shall not be liable for any damage or injury incurred by any
person arising out of the completeness, accuracy or utility of any information or opinion
contained in these materials. These materials are not to be construed as an endorsement of any product or company, nor as the adoption or promulgation of any guidelines,
standards or recommendations.
P R I N T E D IN USA
VIDEOMAKER >>> A pRI l 2010
Take Your
Video Production
to the Next Level!
Learn all you need
to know about
green screening
with several
step-by-step
demonstrations!
MAKE
MONEY
WITH VIDEO
Learn how to
shoot live events,
enter video
contests, sell your
stock footage &
start a wedding
video service!
Also included on the DVDs are many related PDFs of our best articles and other bonus materials.
Videomaker Brown Bag DVDs! - $9.95 each
VIDEO CAMERA
TECHNIQUES
Learn camera shooting
angles, depth of field,
screen direction & how to
create different shot types.
EDITING AND
CONTINUITY TIPS
From time remapping to
transition effects, this DVD
provides some helpful editing tips & techniques.
AUDIO FOR VIDEO
TIPS
Learn great tips on audio
for your videos. Ambient
noise, weather effects,
sound effects & more!
Order Online www.videomaker.com/ttdvd
or call Toll Free 800-284-3226
Call or go Online for Shipping Rates
contents
full screen
print
IN BOX
readers' letters
Address your letters to In Box, c/o Videomaker, P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927.
Videomaker is unable to process personal replies; however, questions of interest to the Videomaker readership will appear in print. You can also submit In
Box entries by e-mail: [email protected].
Submissions to In Box become the property of Videomaker, and we hold the
exclusive right to publish them in print, on the web or any other medium. Submissions may be edited for length, grammatical correction or technical clarity.
Publication of In Box letters is at the discretion of the Videomaker Editorial staff
and does not represent the opinions of Videomaker, York Publishing nor any of
its advertisers or representatives.
Have You
Heard the News?
Videomaker Magazine
Who Owns Your Footage: You or
YouTube?
contents
full screen
print
timeline worked a lot like layers did.
I purchased [Videomaker’s training
I enjoyed the January’s What’s Legal
videos] to educate myself.
column and I have a question. On the
I have moved up some, but I don’t
news, we frequently see YouTube vidreally have the need to go high-end to
eos shown. An over-aggressive police
be professional. The connectors used
officer or an irate person at a town hall
to be RCA, and now they are FireWire
meeting are two recent examples. The
and HDMI. Some of the snobbish set
news stations frequently give “credit”
like to brag on certain hardware and
to YouTube, and no one else. In small
software details, they might have the
print it simply says “YouTube” or
latest gear, but I don’t think many of
“Courtesy of YouTube.” Isn’t the owner
them have an ounce of talent.
of the clip supposed to get credit at a
I edit on an Apple using Final Cut
minimum, or even give permission for
Pro, with footage shot with a Sony
the use of the clip at the maximum?
HVR-Z1U. I have an extensive Digital
YouTube doesn’t own all the clips that I Juice library, and Adobe CS4 Producand others posted there, do they?
tion Premium. My tripod is a Bogen
Rich Wilson,
Manfrotto with a 503 Head, and I
Wyalusing, PA
have a 3 Omni light kit from Lowel. I
am saving for a Sennheiser shotgun
A very good question, Rich, and the
microphone (the $800 one). My studio
short answer is, by uploading your
is a 16x20 spare bedroom, and I am
footage to YouTube you gave away
a professional. Why? Because I am
ownership rights. But it’s more compaid. I make home videos, video blogs
plicated than that, of course, and so we
and the like for fun. I edit small group
sent your question to our legal expert,
studies and local TV shows for money.
Mark Levy. His reply is the subject of
Honestly, I find that there is no real
this month’s What’s Legal column
difference between the two when it
on page 64 of this issue, or online at:
comes to the process of obtaining the
www.videomaker.com/article/14680.
end result.
—The Editors
Really, one’s focus needs to stay in
the area of developing talent and skill.
Why I Read Videomaker
Yes my equipment may be better than
I read your article about the differsome and lower-end than others (I
ence between pro and home video,
had someone refer to my studio as a
and which direction to go (Viewfinder,
“Fisher Price setup”), but that comes
January 2010, www.videomaker.com/
with time, need and funds. I read your
article/14518).
magazine for the goodies and test reI have been editing video since
views, but your skill building advice is
2001. My first computer had a Pinwhat keeps the subscription coming.
nacle Breakout Box, and my camera
We all have to start somewhere, and
was a VHS monster. I was playing and
when I started I found this magazine.
having fun. I found editing footage
You were with me in the beginning
was easy because I had been using
and helped me grow. I read some of
PhotoShop since version 4.0 and the
the high-end publications (note my
reluctance to call them a magazine because they might get
http://videomaker.com/community/forums
offended?), but you keep it all
4
simple. Keep up the great work!
Gene Jordan
Thanks, Gene… what can we say, you
made our day! We can’t say it enough:
anyone can make good video using the
most basic tools, if they understand the
techniques needed for good execution
and the right eye for composition.
—The Editors
Correction: Steadicam
In our March issue Supports Buyer’s
Guide, (www.videomaker.com/article/14748/) we inadvertently mentioned the Steadicam JR model as one
belonging to the Tiffen company. This
model was replaced by the Steadicam
Merlin a few years back.
We apologize to our readers and
the Tiffen company for any problems
this may have caused. Also of note,
Tiffen offers a range of Steadicam
models to meet the needs of camera
operators from Hollywood to emerging professionals, from the Steadicam
Ultra 2 coming in around $60,000 to
the Merlin starting at less than $850, as
well as other body-supported versions
that offer specialized configurations.
Tiffen also offers three day workshops
that can help camera operators gain an
understanding of how to properly, balance, wear and use a Steadicam rig.
Correction: Canon
In our review of the Canon VIXIA HF
S11 AVCHD camcorder in January
2010 issue, (www.videomaker.com/article/14528/), we inadvertently listed
“no manual focus ring” as a weakness.
However, this model does indeed have a
manual focus ring. We apologize for any
confusion this may have caused.
Is Now Available Online!
Free to Subscribers
To view the Digital Edition
simply log in using your
Subscription ID
Exciting New Benefits!
• View Videomaker online from anywhere
• Full Color layout appears exactly as it does
in the magazine
• Use the search function to get the information you
need when you need it
• Links from the index go directly to articles
• Access URLs and email addresses with
just one click
contents
FEEDBACK
www.videomaker.com/digital
full screen
print
quick focus
A $300 Video with a
30-Million Dollar Offer
by the Videomaker Staff
Blu-ray to Increase
Disc Capacity?
Panasonic and Sony have developed
a new evaluation technology that
has 3D movie and gaming enthusiasts speculating on the future of 3D
Blu-ray disc technology. The i-MLSE
(Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation) evaluation index will
allow Blu-ray media to increase its layer capacity from 25GB to
33.4GB per layer (or up to 66.8GB dual-layer capacity).
Since the increase in layer capacity allows for the continued use
of the current Blu-ray laser diodes, a firmware upgrade is, presumably, all that is required for existing Blu-ray Disc players. Meaning, the Blu-ray player you just spent a chunk of change on isn’t
obsolete, yet.
As of right now, the increased media capacity is nothing more
than an announcement of developed technology. According to Bluray.com, there is “no word on when or if the Blu-ray Disc Association
will evaluate the proposed layer capacity increase for inclusion in
the Blu-ray spec, but with Sony and Panasonic two of the largest
Blu-ray members, it will likely happen sometime later this year.”
- by Julie Babcock
It only took
$300… and Fede
Alvarez landed
himself a Hollywood movie deal,
a viral video and
$30 million. Talk
about inspiration;
nothing can be
more inspiring than Fede’s road to success. Alvarez, a commercial director from Uruguay, caught the eye of esteemed filmmaker
Sam Raimi. Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures has agreed to develop
and direct Alvarez’s original science fiction-style project. Drawing
comparisons to District 9, Alvarez’s movie entitled Ataque de Panico!
(Panic Attack) has created a buzz amongst the YouTube crowd,
reaching more than 1.5 million views. After becoming viral in such
a short span of time, Alvarez claims his e-mail inbox was full from
directors and Hollywood types trying to nab his film. The video itself
uses the heart pulsing soundtrack from 28 Days Later to build up its
anticipation of the large invasion brewing and is a nice combination
of influences. This just goes to show you, sometimes it just boils
down to talent! Now follow this link, watch the video for yourself,
and be sure to tell us what you think! www.videomaker.com/r/389
- by Tom Skowronski
How USB 3.0 Speed Will Make Video Production Easier
contents
full screen
print
When HD was first introduced
to the video world back in the
1990s, IT departments at production houses around the world
gave a collective groan. Back then
the best video transfer speeds
were 50MB/s with a FireWire
cable, making HD video transfers a huge vortex of wasted time.
With the advent of FireWire 800 (which was capable of speeds up
to 100MB/s) and eSATA (with speeds up to 380MB/s), video transfer
speeds took a huge leap forward. Even so, video editors were still
losing precious years of their life waiting for HD projects to transfer
from one hard disk to another.
Now USB 3.0 is looking to solve that problem. With the support
of manufacturers such as Sony, Intel, Microsoft, Compaq and IBM,
USB has quickly become the connection of choice for computer
equipment ranging from keyboards and mice to coffee warmers
and iPods. As a result, USB cables and connections have become
by far the most common in the computer world. So when USB 3.0
was announced in 2007 with speeds up to 400MB/s, the video
world quickly realized that there was huge potential behind the new
technology, due to its many features and advantages.
One of the greatest features of USB 3.0 is that a 25GB file can be
transferred in just 70 seconds, essentially eliminating the frustration
of wasted time when transferring large HD assets from one hard
drive to another. Additionally, with such high read/write speeds, USB
3.0 has become a viable connection for editing on external hard
drives without the speed delays of current connections. This gives
studios and editors a reasonable workflow option in a world where
solid-state media recording has become the new norm. With rapidly
falling prices on external storage, studios now have the option to buy
hard drives such as Buffalo’s newly-released SuperSpeed USB 3.0
external DriveStation HD, edit on them and then store them much
like tapes were stored in the past (www.videomaker.com/r/390). The
advantages of this setup is, when a client asks for a re-edit on an old
project, instead of having to reconnect footage from tape, studios can
simply connect their external hard drive using USB 3.0 to their computer and start editing right away, saving huge amounts of transfer
time. Lastly, another potential advantage of USB 3.0 is its increase in
the market. It is quite possible that if you are at a friend’s house with
a USB 3.0 hard drive and no cable, your friend will probably have a
USB 3.0 cable to let you hook your hard drive to your computer.
As great as USB 3.0 could be for video editors, there are also
some other interesting products that could be a great boon to the
video-editing world. Just this last May, the Serial ATA Organization announced the specs for SATA revision 3.0 (www.videomaker.
com/r/391) allowing for transfer speeds of up to 700MB/s. Also, Intel
announced a curious new technology called Light Peak (www.videomaker.com/r/392). Light Peak is an optical cable standard that can
deliver bandwidth from 1.25GB/s to 12.5GB/s. Whichever technology
becomes the standard, one thing is for sure: the future for HD video
production has never looked so good.
- by Dan Bruns
SDI to Analog
Analog to SDI
SDI to Audio
Audio to SDI
SDI to HDMI
HDMI to SDI
Optical Fiber
Sync Generator
$495
$495
$495
$495
$495
$495
$495
$295
The most advanced 3 Gb/s converters for SD and HD
that include AES/EBU and analog audio!
Build your studio with the world’s most advanced converters. Only
Mini Converters include auto SD/HD switching, redundant input, AES/
EBU and analog audio on 1/4 inch jack connections, plus advanced
3 Gb/s SDI! There are 8 great models to choose from depending on
the conversion you need!
Auto Switching SD and HD
3 Gb/s SDI Technology
Mini Converters include the latest 3 Gb/s SDI
technology, so you’re always future proofed! 3 Gb/s
SDI is also fully compatible with all your existing
standard definition and high definition SDI equipment.
Broadcast Quality
Mini Converters instantly switch between all SD
and HD formats, including NTSC, PAL, 1080i/59.94,
1080i/50, 1080PsF/23.98, 1080PsF/24, 720p/59.94,
720p/50. Updates can be loaded via USB.
Mini Converters are built to the highest quality standards with low SDI
jitter, so you get the longest SDI cable lengths combined with ultra
low noise broadcast quality analog video and audio. Mini Converters
are the world’s first converters to include 3 Gb/s SDI on all models!
Redundant SDI Input
Eight Exciting Models
Most Mini Converters feature a redundant input and loop through
SDI output. Connect a redundant SDI cable to the second input, and if
the main SDI input is lost, Mini Converters will automatically switch over
in an instant. That’s great for mission critical tasks such as live events.
Mini Converters include more new technologies than other
converters, while every model is an affordable $495. The Sync
Generator model is only $295!
Pro Analog and AES/EBU Audio
Standard 1/4 inch jacks are built in to most Mini Converters for
professional balanced audio that switches between AES/EBU or
analog. Unlike other converters you don’t need expensive custom
audio cables.
Mini Converters
$495
Sync Generator
$295
full screen
print
Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com
VIDEOMAKER >>> Ap RIl 2010
contents
THE ULTIMATE IN VIDEO SHOPPING:
NEW GEAR
adorama.com
hot off the presses
14 Day Money Back GUARANTEE check our website for details
SAME DAY SHIPPING
-9,,:/07705.
+(@:465,@)(*2
by Derek Sine
VUVYKLYZWSHJLK[PSS!74,:;
RQWKRXVDQGRILWHPV
4VUKH`[OY\;O\YZKH`-YPKH`[PSS!74
VDWLVIDFWLRQJXDUDQWHH
MVYJVTWSL[LKL[HPSZJHSSVY
]PZP[\ZVUSPULH[HKVYHTHJVT
VUTVZ[PUZ[VJRP[LTZ
MVYJVTWSL[LKL[HPSZJHSSVY
]PZP[\ZVUSPULH[HKVYHTHJVT
>,)<@;9(+,
XVHGSKRWRYLGHRHTXLSPHPHQW
MVYTVYLKL[HPSZ]PZP[HKVYHTHJVTZLSS
CAMCORDERS
Twenty20, Inc. – Wearable HD Cam
The Wearable HD Camcorder shoots and shares 1080p video.
Available in two models, ContourHD and the ContourHD1080p.
Record all of your adventures to a removable microSD memory card
(compatible up to 16GB). VholdR also offers tons of accessories to
mount these cameras in any situation you run into.
VIXIA HV40
VIXIA HF S11
FS200
VIXIA HF200
• High Definition Mini Camcorder
• 10x Optical Zoom,
• 200x Digital Zoom,
• 2.7” Widescreen LCD Display
• Dual Flash Memory Camcorder
• 10x HD Video Lens,
• 8.59 Megapixel
• Full HD CMOS Image Sensor
• Flash Memory Camcorder
• 2.7” Color LCD Display, (Silver)
Available in Black, Red,
• Flash Memory Camcorder
• 2.7” Color LCD Display
Available In Silver, Red
or Blue
HDR-XR200V
HDR-HC9
HDR-FX7
HDR-FX1000
• 120GB HDD High Definition Handycam Camcorder,
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens,
• 15x Optical/180x Digital Zoom Lens,
• 2.7” Touch Panel LCD
• MiniDV HD Handycam Camcorder,
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens,
• 10x Optical/20x Digital Zoom Lens,
• 2.7” Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD
• Digital HDV 1080i HD Handycam Camcorder,
• 3-1/4” ClearVID ,
• 20x Optical Zoom • Carl Zeiss Lens,
• (211K Pixels) Wide (16:9)
Hybrid Clear Photo LCD plus Display
• High Definition MiniDV (HDV) Handycam Camcorder,
• 29.5 - (16:9), 36.1 - 722mm (4:3) f/1.6-f/3.4 Lens
• 30x Digital Zoom
GZ-HM400US EVERIO HD
EVERIO GZ-MG630
GZ-X900US EVERIO HD
PICSIO GC-FM1
• 10.3 Megapixel CMOS Sensor,
• Full High Definition 1920x1080 AVCHD Format Video,
• Built-in Flash 32GB Memory, SD/SDHC Camcorder,
• Real 9 Megapixel Stills
• 60GB Hard Disk Digital Media Camcorder
• 35x Optical Zoom, • 800x Digital Zoom,
• 2.7” Widescreen LCD Display,
Available In Sapphire Blue
• SD/SDHC Card Dual Memory
Digital Media AVCHD Camcorder
• 200x Digital Zoom, • 2.8” LCD
• Real 9 Megapixel Stills
• 1080P/30fps HD Video
Recording
•4x Digital Zoom
• 8 Megapixel Still Image
Recording
• Image Stabilizer
• 2.0” Color LCD
• SD/SDHC Card
Compatible
(up to 32GB)
Available In Purple,
Black, Blue
www.vholder.com
Suggested Retail Price:
ContourHD $300
ContourHD1080p $330
Mediapreview Ltd. – Vintage Clips
The 8mm Distress Kit is a collection of 28 clips taken from vintage
8mm cine film. Compatible with any NLE with blending/transfer
or compositing modes, the clips are overlaid on sequences, clips
and transitions to give your film an unusual lift and a touch of oldschool sizzle. Available as a royalty-free digital download.
www.mediapreview.net/8mm.htm
8mm Distress Kit $35
OWLE – Handheld Device for iPhones
The OWLE bubo is a solution for improving the quality of mobile
video, specifically for the iPhone. The OWLE bubo comes standard
with a coldshoe mount on top for any accessories, four tripod mounts
and standard 37mm lens threading, so that you can put your own
lenses on it in addition to the lens that the bubo comes with.
contents
VPC-CG10P XACTI
DXG-567V
• 10 Megapixel HD Digital Video Camcorder,
• 5x Optical Zoom
• High Definition 5 Megapixel
Digital Video Camera,
• 32 MB Internal Memory
& SD / SDHC Card Slot,
• 1280 x 720 Resolution,
Available in
Black, & Pink.
MINO HD
ULTRA II
• HD Camcorder
• 120 Minutes Capacity
• 2.0 LCD
• 8GB Internal Memory
• HDMI Connection
• 2x Digital Zoom
• Built-In FlipShare
Software
• HD Camcorder
• 120 Minutes
Capacity
• 2.0 LCD
• 8GB Internal Memory
Available in Black, White,
Pink & Yellow.
www.wantowle.com
OWLE bubo $130
full screen
print
contents
full screen
Check our
web site for
a full line of:
•
•
•
•
•
MP3 Players
GPS
Cell Phones
Computers
Home Office
•
•
•
•
•
Astronomy
Photo
Optics
Printers
Etc.
INC.
42 West 18th Street New York, N.Y. 10011
[email protected]
Order Toll Free USA / Canada - 800-223-2500
Orders & Information - 212-741-0052
print
READER PROFILE
Behind the Lens - Lisa McCormick
How Video Took My Business (and Passion) Global:
A Musician’s Story
Name: Lisa McCormick
Cameras: Canon Vixia HV30, Flip Ultra HD
Editing Platform: Final Cut Express, iMovie 6
Microphone: Audio-Technica Pro-70 Lavalier Mic
Support Gear: Sony VGN-AW220J 4GB RAM, Miller Solo DV, DV Kitchen (file
conversion software), Epiphone Masterbilt Acoustic Cutaway Guitar
If you told me five years ago that by
2010 I would be teaching guitar lessons to thousands of students around
the world, I would have thought you
were nuts. An on-the-road performing musician for many years, I began
teaching lessons in my home studio
as a way to spend more time at home
yet continue working in music.
I love teaching guitar, helping
people with the desire to learn guitar
get over the hump and begin making music of their own. Much to my
surprise and delight, my business as
a guitar instructor took off fast, and
quickly became very successful. I
taught private lessons to more than
thirty students per week, and had
a waiting list that was at least twice
that number. But this was mixed
news. With my schedule booked to
the gills, I was not only exhausted,
but also had no place to go with the
business. I was completely maxed
out, turning away more clients than
I served. I considered opening a
contents
full screen
print
guitar school, hiring teachers and
renting classroom space, but I felt
this would not be a good fit for me.
I’m an artist and a teacher, not an
administrator. And that’s when a
video camera swept in and completely changed my life.
Keep in mind that I did not own,
nor had ever operated, a camcorder. I
did use internet teaching on a major
guitar lesson site called GuitarTricks.
com. I noticed that GuitarTricks.com
was accepting applications for faculty instructors, and the idea intrigued
me. The application process required
submitting a sample lesson on video.
Oh no! Accepting the challenge, I ran
out and bought a small video camera
and more than one For Dummies book
to help me navigate the big learning
curve ahead. I created my application
video and sent it off. The email came
a few days later: I got the gig! Now I
had some serious learning to do.
Three-point lighting, dual source
audio, video editing, file compression
More information and resources:
Sample Video Guitar Lesson with Lisa: http://tiny.cc/FreeLisaLesson
GuitarTricks.com, Online Guitar Lesson Site: http://tiny.cc/GuitarTricksWelcome
Guitar Life, Lisa’s Blog for Guitar Lovers and Learners: www.GettingStartedWithGuitar.com
Lisa’s Website: www.LisaMcCormick.com
10
– it was all brand new to me. Long
story short, I now teach guitar via video to students all over the world. I set
up my own small video studio in my
home where I create video guitar lessons, which are posted to GuitarTricks.
com and accessed by thousands of
people per month.
I recently flew from Vermont to
California to do a live video shoot to
be broadcast on the GuitarTricks.com
YouTube Channel. I am also in the
process of creating a full set of welcome videos to be placed throughout the GuitarTricks.com site. The
unlikely marriage of teaching guitar
lessons and learning to use video
technology has allowed my modest
music business to go global and has
opened up limitless possibilities for
growth. It thrills me every day to correspond with my students via e-mail,
whether they are in Belgium or Nigeria or Michigan or Korea or anyplace
in between. We all share the love of
the guitar, and video has allowed us
to make a real, human, and global
connection.
Lisa McCormick,
Guitar Instructor
Interested in telling us about your video-producing
passion? Send us your profile, in 500 words or less,
to [email protected], using “Reader Profile” in
the subject line. Please send us usable photos and tell
us about your gear. For more details, go to our website and follow this link: www.videomaker.com/r/371.
contents
full screen
print
reviews
reviews
JVC GZ-HM400 HD Camcorder
JVC GZ-HM400
HD Camcorder
TeCH sPeCs
Recording Media: 32GB Flash memory,
SD/SDHC card
Video Format: AVCHD, 1080i, 60 fields/
sec. (5-24Mbps)
Audio Format: Dolby Digital, stereo,
48kHz (256kbps)
Image Sensor: 1x1/2.33" CMOS; 10.3
Megapixel
Bit Size HD
b y L u k e Scherba
W
ith so many new camcorders
flooding the market consisting
of names from A to Z and random
numbers thrown in, where to begin?
The question is begging to be asked:
“Which camcorder is right for me?”
JVC might have the answer with one
of their higher-end consumer HD
camcorders, the GZ-HM400.
We’re impressed at first power-on
with this upper-end JVC Everio stylish handheld beauty, with its compact
metal casing (fitting nicely in the palm
of one’s hand) and its generously large
lens. There’s no power button in sight,
so the keen camcorder user who instinctively opens the LCD to dig deeper
will be pleasantly surprised by a speedy
automatic startup with little hesitation.
There’s only a bling of a lag time in the
JvC Company of America
1700 Valley Road
Wayne, NJ07470
www.jvc.com
strengths
•Compact
• Solid build
• Easy transfer of files to computer
weAknesses
contents
•Proprietary video format
• No viewfinder, LCD only
full screen
print
$1,000
12
playing of the operation sounds (which
we quickly turned off in the menu
settings for shooting in stealth mode).
Menu operations are a breeze with JVC’s
Laser Touch operation, but be careful, a
breeze is enough to set the menu off in
the wrong direction.
High End, Yes or No?
Any conspicuous consumer or
entry-level prosumer looking for
a high-quality, yet effortless camcorder would be captivated by the
GZ-HM400. Travelers, sports enthusiasts, coaches, parents or team leaders
would find this camcorder to be a
great buy; nonetheless it makes an
excellent alternative high-end camcorder to carry in your professional
toolbox as well.
AVCHD: Pro or Con?
One of the coolest features of Flash
memory camcorders may also become
the biggest hindrance. The GZ-HM400
records to its internal 32GB Flash
memory or optional SD memory card
in AVCHD, which is a video format
that is loosely-defined – there are differences in AVCHD implementations
among many camcorders and editing
software titles. The ease of transfer is
remarkable when video is backed up
off the GZ-HM400 and you are left with
.mts files. These .mts files are highdefinition video files compressed with
MPEG-4. Before you buy a camcorder,
be sure to think ahead and know what
editing software you will be using. The
.mts files are compatible with some
versions of Final Cut, Sony Vegas and
Corel VideoStudio, yet they are not
compatible with Adobe CS3, requiring
upgrades to CS4. Buying this camcorder may mean buying new editing
software in some cases.
The camcorder comes packaged
with software to back up, export, burn
to DVD and upload to YouTube. The “upload to YouTube” option is a huge perk.
Enter your YouTube info once, and bam!
You can upload your footage as you
brush your teeth and crawl into bed.
There are options to change chapters
and remove clips from the DVD burning
process, though the camcorder does not
come with software to edit the video
footage (such as crossfade, adjusting
brightness and contrast, add additional
audio tracks or any multilayer editing).
Looking carefully at your production
goals and looking down the road will
Sidemount buttons
LenS
Interchangeable Lenses: No
f-Stop: f/2.8
Optical Zoom: 10x
Focal Length: 6.7-67mm
Filter Diameter: 46mm
Focus: Auto/manual
Max Shutter Speed: 1/4000
Image Stabilization: Optical
Internal nD Filter: No
VIDeO FeATUReS
Shutter Speed Control: Auto, manual
White Balance: Auto, manual, preset
Direct Iris/Gain Control: Yes
Zebra Stripes: Yes
Histogram: No
Viewfinder: No
be the difference between your favorite
camcorder ever, and the quickest item
you’ll ever want to return.
The Camera Itself
If the issue of loosely-defined video
formats doesn’t bother you, or you
have no large desire to edit a bunch
of footage, then this camcorder is a
ten-plus. The GZ-HM400 has a nice
metal casing. The camcorder is nicely
constructed and made of durable parts.
It possesses the ins and outs you would
expect from a camcorder in the thousand dollar range, such as component,
composite and HDMI outputs; 1/8-inch
headphone jack; 1/8-inch mic input;
and USB out to the computer. All this,
with a sleek and attractive look. The
lens dominates the front end of the
LCD monitor: 2.8", 16:9
HD Focus Assist: Peaking
Face Detect: Yes
Color Bar Generator: no
AUDIO FeATUReS
Standard Microphone Input: Yes, 1/8"
VU Meters: Yes
Level Controls: Yes
Separate Level Controls for each
Channel: No
Headphone Jack: Yes, 1/8"
Speaker: Yes
VIDeO InPUT/OUTPUT
Analog Video In: No
Analog Video Out: Composite,
component
Digital Video I/O: HDMI
MISC
Wireless Remote: Yes
Battery Charging: On-camera
Form Factor: Standard
Onboard Video Light: No
Battery Type: Lithium ion
Accessory Shoe: Yes, cold
camcorder in the best way possible,
giving you maximum light intake.
Outstanding automatic settings make
manual controls unneeded, but do not
fear – JVC does not disappoint with its
pinpoint-accurate tiny dial wheel for
focus and iris. The variable zoom control is a definite plus. Both record buttons are intuitively placed where your
thumbs would naturally rest, making
activating recording ultra-spontaneous.
The snapshot button is placed nicely
atop the camcorder where your index
finger rests, making every aspect of this
camcorder simply natural to operate,
with few hand adjustments.
Quality Footage
Putting this camcorder through a
variety of light and motion scenarios
yielded positive results. The GZHM400 rendered a very clear image
in good light, while lacking in low
light with slightly grainy blacks. Solid
images despite fast motion are a plus,
and still shooting is no more than
a switch away. The quality of the 9megapixel still photos is acceptable,
though not stunning. A decent image
stabilizer on this compact companion
makes this camcorder great for on
the move. The GZ-HM400’s accessory
shoe puts this camcorder towards the
top of its class in style. A gentle press
and slide reveals a shoe mount for an
external light or audio accessory, but
this mount is merely a shoe and is not
“hot” (powered by the camcorder).
With all things considered, this
compact, stylish little HD marvel is
truly a great camcorder, with its ultraclear image quality, ease of functionality, light weight and solid build. This
will be an enduring video camcorder
that is expected to pass the test of
time and production. When you look
back over the years, you will not only
be pleased with the footage you have,
but also the unique video cataloging
that neatly organizes all the footage by
date on an Outlook-style calendar that
comes prepackaged with the camcorder. Never lose footage, never wonder
"when was that?” or get confused with
unlabeled footage.
sUMMArY
The JVC GZ-HM400 is a handy little
HD hard-drive camera with tons of
bells and whistles for its size.
Luke Scherba is a video producer and small business
owner.
contents
FEEDBACk
13
full screen
print
reviews
reviews
Corel Digital Studio 2010
Corel Digital Studio 2010
limited metadata information and can
rate your photos based on a one- to
five-star rating system.
For Ease of Use,
Corral This Digital Suite
Video
Corel VideoStudio Express 2010 allows you to create simple video projects with limited editing capabilities.
You can trim or split your clips or
take a snapshot if you like. The More
Tools slide-out tool bar lets you adjust
the white balance and brightness,
reduce noise and shake, add tags and
view clip metadata.
You have options to change styles,
select and customize titles, add background music and record your own
voiceover. The built-in moviemaker
contains templates for a more professional look and does much of the
work for you.
b y M a r k Holder
C
orel’s Digital Studio 2010 combines photo and video editing,
burning software and a video player to
create a respectable suite of applications that should be well suited for the
hobbyist or home user.
Burn
Centralized Launch
Once it's installed, you will find the
Corel Digital Studio Gadget now graces
your desktop. The Gadget provides
a centralized launch pad with easy,
single-button access, to each of the
Digital Studio’s applications.
Corel inc.
385 Ravendale Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043
www.corel.com
sTreNGTHs
• Desktop gadget for centralized
launching of included applications
• Easy-to-use interface, consistent
across applications
• Nice templates for photo, slideshow
and movie projects
• Video playback bookmarking feature
weAKNesses
contents
• Does not support Blu-ray
• Few photo effects
full screen
print
$100
14
Consistent Interface
The Photo, Video and Burn buttons launch separate applications,
each with a similar look and feel.
Such consistency from application
to application lessens the required
learning curve while increasing user
friendliness.
Each application’s interface opens
with media assets displayed in the
center. A menu, which includes Import, Create, Print and Share options,
lies across the top. Media library and
folder navigation stands along the left
side of the interface. The media tray,
where assets are dragged for various
projects, lies across the bottom.
Digital Studio is highly visual, utilizing sizeable thumbnails and fly-out
menus with large, colorful icons. In
each case, export options include
e-mail as well as upload to Facebook,
Flickr and YouTube.
Photo
Corel PaintShop Photo Express
2010 contains familiar tools used to
VIDEOMAKER >>> ApRIl 2010
straighten and crop photos and to fix
red eye. There is a Quick Fix button
designed to make adjustments automatically. Its purpose is to improve
various aspects of the selected photo;
DIGITAL STUDIO IS HIGHLY
VISUAL, UTILIZING SIZEABLE
THUMBNAILS AND MENUS.
however, you will probably fare much
better by using the slide-out tool bar
on the right of the interface and making the adjustments manually. Here
you have control over brightness,
shadow, highlight, saturation, sharpness, fill flash, edges, frames and
several other correction tools.
I would like to see a few more
effects included, however, as the
application contains only black-andwhite, sepia, antique and soft focus.
You also have the option of adding
The suite’s burning application is
Corel DVD Factory 2010. Media is
imported from a wide array of sources
and exported to audio, video or data
backup discs. Additionally, your finished work may be copied to any of a
number of external devices, including
Apple iPod and iPhone, Sony PSP, MP3
players and various mobile phones.
Corel Interface
TeCH sPeCs
Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2.0GHz or higher recCPU:
ommended
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, with latest
service packs installed
System Memory: 1GB of RAM (2GB or higher recommended)
Video Memory: 128MB VGA VRAM or higher (256MB recommended)
Hard Disk Drive: 4GB of free hard drive space
Monitor: 1024x768 minimum display resolution
Sound: Windows-compatible sound card
Optical Drive: Windows-compatible DVD-ROM for installation, recordable DVD drive
required for creating DVDs
Internet connection required for online features. Online printing services are available
in select countries only and subject to additional charges.
You can add chapters, move
graphics around within the selected
template, change title properties,
select background music and even
change template styles at any time.
The Settings slide-out tool
bar allows you to select DVD-video
or AVCHD as your project format,
normalize audio tracks, adjust the
aspect ratio, choose NTSC or PAL,
select the video quality and even
choose between Dolby and LPCM as
your audio format.
Play
Corel WinDVD 2010
plays video files
with ease, whether
located on your
DVD drive or your
hard drive. It sports
a menu across the
top that allows you
to play video from
various locations, as
well as access tools
such as Bookmarks,
Capture, Enhancements, DVD Title and
Chapter information
and an eject button.
V I D E O M A K E R > > > A p R Il 2 0 1 0
Bookmarks is a welcome feature
that allows you to mark a favorite
spot on the timeline so you can easily return to it later. Capture lets you
record portions of the video you are
watching. Enhancements gives you
control over playback device selection and settings, an equalizer, audio
adjustments, color, various video enhancements along with time-stretching controls.
For the home user seeking an
easy-to-use means of creating simple
yet nicely-polished photo and video
projects, Corel’s Digital Studio 2010
has a lot to offer. If you’d like to check
it out, hop on over to www.corel.com
for a free trial.
sUMMArY
Understandably lacking in higher-end
features, Corel Digital Studio 2010
contains a nice mix of options for the
home photo/video enthusiast.
Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.
contents
FEEDBACk
15
full screen
print
reviews
Call Toll Free: 1-800-793-2237
Order online 7 days a week
t Worldwide Shipping
t All major credit cards accepted
t 30 Day Money Back Guarantee*
t
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10
Audio Editing
Software
We have thousands of products at deeply discounted prices! over 30 years of quality merchandise
and quality service makes abe’s of Maine the right choice for your electronic needs.
Sound Off!
b y D o u g Dixon
W
hat family of video editing tools
are you most comfortable with?
There’s Avid, with its extensive legacy
in broadcast and film. Or Adobe, with
its ever-more-tightly integrated Creative Suite, from imaging to video to
the web. And Apple, with its Final Cut
Studio expanding from professional
editing to digital cinema.
sony Creative software
1617 Sherman Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
www.sonycreativesoftware.com
strengths
•End-to-end audio editing: recording,
editing, mastering
•Broad support for audio formats,
multichannel, music instrument files
•Broad set of processing tools and
effects for quality audio
•Deep presets and options in tool dialogs
weaknesses
contents
•Could better describe purpose and
target use of tools
•Pitch effects do not include autotune/
pitch correction
•Spectrum Analysis window can view
but not edit audio
•Limited integration with Vegas and
ACID (edit source project)
full screen
print
Price: $375 download - $400 packaged
16
And then there’s Sony Creative
Software, with a legacy based in audio
from the acquisition of Sonic Foundry
back in 2003. Instead of a collection
of tools combined into an integrated
suite, Sony has a small family of professional products that run on Windows, featuring Vegas Pro for video,
plus two powerful audio tools that are
suites in their own right: Sound Forge
Pro for audio editing and mastering,
and ACID Pro for music creation.
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10, released
in September 2009, continues this
legacy as a professional digital audio
production suite, including audio recording, editing, processing and mastering audio files – plus sound design,
audio restoration and CD creation for
professional replication.
The new version, 10, enhances the
interface with a more customizable
workspace, combining floating, dockable and tabbed windows, and adds
interactive tutorials to help get started
with editing tasks. It expands editing
with event-based editing to work on
blocks in a single window, support for
musical instrument files and extensive
additional tools and effects. Sony also
has integrated disc-at-once CD burning into Sound Forge Pro to directly
generate Red Book audio premasters
for professional replication.
Sound Forge Pro 10, at $375, includes Sony Noise Reduction 2 for
restoring damaged clips, Sony CD ArVIDEOMAKER >>> ApRI l 2010
chitect 5.2 for professional Red Book
Audio CD mastering and the iZotope
Mastering Effects Bundle 2 plug-ins. A
trial download is available.
Quality and Performance
Sound Forge Pro supports full-resolution 24-bit audio to capture the subtle
nuances of sound, with 32-bit/64-bit
float 192kHz files and recording from
24-bit hardware.
Version 10 adds tools from iZotope
for higher-quality processing, with
MBIT+ Dither for bit-depth conversion (e.g., truncating from 24- to
16-bit), 64-bit SRC for sample rate
conversion (e.g., downsampling from
192kHz to CD-quality 44.1kHz) and
the Mastering Effects Bundle 2 with
six professional audio plug-ins at
64-bit precision, including EQ, reverb,
compressor, limiter boost, imager and
stereo width and analog exciter.
For efficient processing, Sound
Forge Pro supports low-latency ASIO
drivers for real-time monitoring while
recording from sound cards, multitasking to allow editing while background rendering and a RAM cache to
reserve memory for media files.
Formats
Sound Forge Pro opens and saves
audio files in many common file formats. It also can extract clips directly
from audio CD, including looking up
information using Gracenote MusicID.
Canon HF-S10
DualFlash Memory HD
Camcorder
$849.00
Canon XH-A1S
3 CCD HDV Camcorder
In Stock!
Canon HF-200
Flash Memory Camcorder
$549.00
Canon HF-20
DualFlash Memory
1080P Camcorder
New Low Price!
Canon
Vixia HF-S21 1080P
3.5” LCDCamcorder
New!
Canon
Vixia HF-M31Dual
Flash Memory/1080P/24P
New!
Canon
Vixia HF-S20 HD
New!
Canon
Vixia HF-R10 Dual Flash
Memory HD Camcorder
New!
Canon
Vixia HV-40 High
Definition Camcorder
New Low Price!
Sony
HDR-FX1000
Mini DV Camcorder
In Stock!
Sony
HDR-XR520V 32GB HiDef Camcorder
In Stock!
Sony
HDR-CX520 High
Definition Camcorder
In Stock!
Sony
HDR-CX100 High
Definition Camcorder (all clrs)
$389.95
Panasonic HDC-TM300
32 GB HD Camcorder
New Low Price!
Panasonic HDC-HS250
120 GB HD Camcorder
In Stock!
Panasonic HDC-HS300
120 GB Hard Drive HD
Camcorder
Call!
Panasonic SDR-H80
60 GB Camcorder (all
clrs)
Call!
Sanyo VPC-FH1 10809
Camcorder and 12 MP
Digital Stills
In Stock!
JVC
GZ-HM400HD
Camcorder
New Low Price!
JVC GZ-HD320
120 GB HD/SD Hi-Def
Camcorder
In Stock!
JVC GZ-HD300
60GB Hard Disk Camcorder
(all clrs)
In Stock!
JVC GZ-MG670
80 GB Hard Drive
Camcorder
New Low Price!
JVC GZ-MG630
60 GB Hard Drive
Camcorder
$289.95
Sony
HVR-HD1000 Professional
Digital HDV Camcorder
In Stock!
Canon HF-100
$749.00
Please visit our website for product information
www.abesofmaine.com
*Some exclusions apply
contents
full screen
print
reviews
reviews
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10
Sony Sound Forge - Multiband Compressor
And it fully supports working with
multichannel audio, including editing
down to the sample level.
For working with Vegas or other video editors, Sound Forge Pro supports
editing audio with video, importing
common video formats, playing audio
in sync with video and exporting with
video rendering options.
Interface and Editing
The Sound Forge Pro interface is
deceptively simple, until you dig in to
the vast array of toolbars and processing options in the menus.
Each new audio file opens in its own
data window, with extensive tools to
view and analyze the sound, including
custom colors, channel meters, sta-
tistics and a spectrum
analysis window. It also
supports viewing and
editing metadata associated with audio files.
You can do basic
cut-and-paste/drag-anddrop editing directly in
the window and more
with the toolbars, and
turn to the menus to
apply further processing: Insert synthesized
sounds, Process clip
formats (depth, EQ, normalize, resample), clean
with Tools (noise reduction, click and
crackle, restoration) and apply Effects
(delay, reverb, pitch). The Plug-In Manager tool organizes non-Sony plug-ins
under the FX Favorites menu.
As just one example of the depth of
the interface, you can now set the default fade types as a global option (wet/
dry mix and fade in/out curves). You
typically then apply fades to individual
clips using a dialog that offers gradual
and exponential presets or manually
drawn curves – but each Process and
Effect dialog also includes options to
also apply various fades and gains.
Oh, and Sound Forge Pro also has
built-in scripting to automate repetitive tasks, also with support for JScript,
VBScript and C# programming.
TeCH sPeCs
System
Requirements
Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later), Windows Vista (Service Pack 2 or
later), or Windows 7, 1GHz processor, 350MB hard-disk space for program installation,
512MB RAM, Windows-compatible sound card, DVD-ROM drive (for installation from a
DVD only), supported CD-recordable drive (for CD burning only), Microsoft DirectX 9.0c
or later, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Supported Input File Formats (*Supported Multichannel Format)
AA3*, AAC, AIF, ASF, AU, AVI*, CDA, DIG, DLS, DV, FRG, GIF, GIG, IVC, M2A, M2P, M2T,
M4A, M4B, MMV, OGG, MOV, MP1, MP3, MP4, MPEG, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video, Sony
MXF*, PCA, QT, RAW, SD, SFA, SF*, SND, TIF, VOB, VOX, W64*, WAV*, WMA*, WMV
Supported Output File Formats (*Supported Multichannel Format)
AA3*, AC3*, AIF, ATRAC*, AU, AVI*, DIG, DLS, FRG, GIG, IVC, M1A, M1P, M2A, M2P, M2T,
MMV, MOV, MP1, MP2, MP3, MP4, MPA, MPEG, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video, Sony
MXF*, OGG, PCA, RAW, RM, SF2, VOX, W64*, WAV*, WMA*, WMV
contents
full screen
print
18
VIDEOMAKER >>> ApRI l 2010
Glidecam
X-10/HD-4000
Processing and Effects
Sony provides a plethora of effects
with Sound Forge Pro, with over
40 professional studio effects and
processes, which include some 200
predesigned presets for common uses.
You can automate effects, including
Volume, Delay and Chorus, and use the
Plug-In Chainer to link up to 32 DirectX
and VST plug-ins into a single processing chain that can be previewed in real
time – and saved as a preset.
In addition to the new iZotope
tools, Sound Forge Pro 10 also adds
the Zplane élastique Timestretch Pro
plug-in for enhanced time stretch and
pitch shifting tailored to the source
audio characteristics. There’s also the
new Resonant filter plug-in to create dramatic resonant and oscillating
fades, sweeps and effects (“wah-wah
on steroids”).
Suite unto Itself
Sony, with its Sonic Foundry heritage, is focusing on creating powerful
individual tools for specific types of
professional needs, particularly in
audio. ACID Pro, then, is for music creation – composing, recording, mixing
and arranging audio and MIDI tracks.
Sound Forge Pro is for audio editing and mastering, including sound
design, audio restoration, processing
and effects, and even Red Book CD
creation. Sound Forge Pro version 10
is a strong upgrade, with a more customizable interface, enhanced editing
tools and more included processing
and effects plug-ins for higher-quality
audio editing.
sUMMArY
Audio editing powerhouse – from
raw audio to editing to mastering,
including sound design, audio restoration, processing and effects, and
even Red Book CD creation.
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
FEEDBACk
Strap on Some Steady
by Brian Peterson
L
ast issue we test drove a Blackbird handheld stabilizer +[www.
videomaker.com/article/14638]. This
month, we strap on Glidecam’s X-10
vest and support arm and test fly their
re-designed HD-4000 sled made for
camcorders that weigh between four
to ten pounds. The Glidecam design
is similar to that pioneered by Garret
Brown, inventor of the Steadicam, but
the HD-4000 can be used in either
handheld or supported modes.
The three basic components – vest,
spring-tensioned support arm and
sled – are called a “rig” in operator
parlance. We'll investigate differences
below, with price by far the most
important. Many higher-end rigs for
heavier camcorders, such as Glidecam’s Gold Series, begin at $26,000.
Total cost of our X-10/HD-4000 system
was $2,998. Remember this price difference as you read this review.
Easy Setup
Our Glidecam system came with two
manuals: one for the HD-4000 sled and
one for the X-10, including support
arm and vest. Instructions for the sled
assembly are very clear and enough
photographs document each step so
you might be tempted to
not even read them. With
any counter-balanced camcorder stabilization device, it is
a very good idea to read everything.
Unless, of course, you don’t mind dusting dirt off your dented camcorder.
Instructions for configuring the
X-10 support arm and vest are equally
clear, with a good amount of attention
given to adjusting and configuring the
support arm. This is important, as you
can configure the support arm with
two or four springs, expanding the
maximum weight it can support from
nine to 18 pounds. Glidecam recommends operating the rig as close to the
maximum weights as possible.
After unpacking the parts, laying
them out on our test bench and reviewing the instructions, it took us less
than four minutes to put everything
together. This included attaching the
telescoping post to the base platform,
adding counterweights, inserting the
telescoping post into the central post
and threading the camera mounting
platform onto the central post.
We added one of the several included
steel plates to the quick-release plate
to give our nine-pound JVC GY-110
camcorder a little more mass and get
our complete rig/camcorder close to the
recommended weight of 18 pounds.
The quick-release plate has no anti-slip
material or locking pin, so we had to
tighten things down a little more than
we would like with the standard ¼-inch
screw. Finally, we mounted the quickrelease plate to the camera mounting
platform on top of the HD-4000.
Everything in Balance
Every counterweighted camcorder stabilization system requires you to dial in
just the right balance for smooth and
level shots. The Glidecam manual recommends balancing the sled by supporting it with your hand. While this
method would probably work well for
lighter systems, it was awkward for our
17.25-pound camcorder/rig combo. So
we balanced the rig by putting it on the
docking bracket post. The manual does
not describe this procedure, but it is an
industry-standard balancing method.
Before we moved the rig and camcorder from the docking bracket to the
post, we made sure all of the adjust-
Glidecam industries, inc.
23 Joseph Street
Kingston, MA 02364
www.Glidecam.com
strenGths
•Good design construction and
performance for the money
contents
weaknesses
•Support arm a bit bouncy
full screen
$2,399 - X-10 ; $599 - HD-4000
print
19
reviews
reviews
Glidecam X-10/HD-4000
Glidecam X-10/HD-4000
TeCH sPeCs
TEST ONE: The Hurdle test
(Vest anD arm)
X-10
support arm: Configurable for either a left- or right-handed
operator
Dual support arm Boom range: 30"
Dual support arm Weight: 5 pounds, 12 ounces in twospring mode, without arm posts
Individual Weight Plates: each 12.9 oz. (366 grams)
HD-4000 (sleD)
Designed For: Compact and full-size cameras weighing
from 4 to 10 pounds
contents
full screen
print
able components were secure. We
then firmly grasped the central post
just below the pan gimbal bearing and
picked up the rig to do a rough balance
test. If the rig seems a little top heavy,
we could add more bottom counterweight and/or extend the lower portion
of the telescoping post. Be careful when
extending the lower post because there
is nothing to keep it from falling out.
Even though your rig is in the docking
bracket, it could cause the upper portion, with your camcorder, to tip over.
With our rig roughly in balance,
we placed the gimbal handle on the
docking bracket post and began our
fine adjustment. The fore and aft
adjustment screw has a great deal of
travel, giving you lots of room for fine
tuning. The side-to-side adjustment is
a bit coarser, making it more sensitive
to small turns of the adjustment screw.
With the rig level, we did a drop
test to see how quickly the rig will
return to level. We held it at about 90
degrees from the resting position and
let it swing down. The time it takes the
lower portion to swing past its neutral
position is the drop time. Shorter
drop times make the rig feel more
stable but will cause the camcorder
to tilt or roll when changing your rate
and/or direction of motion. Longer
drop times will reduce these tilt or roll
problems but will make the rig slower
to return to level. We like operating
with a two- to three-second drop time.
One last balancing test is dynamic
balancing. Place two fingers on the
20
TEST TWO: The Stairs test
TEST THREE: The Target test
X,Y Head Dimensions: 8.750" x 5.00" x 1.00"
Base Platform Dimensions: Shortest 13.75" x 4.75";
longest 18.25" x 4.75"
Central support Post: 1" diameter, 20" tall in shortest
mode, 28" tall in longest mode
Weight: 3.315 pounds without counterweight plates.
Each custom counterweight plate averages .272 pounds.
12 custom counterweight plates = 3.264 pounds.
Tripod Mount Size: 1/4" & 3/8" camera plate mounting
holes
post just below the gimbal’s pan bearing and give a light spin in the vertical
axis to see if there is any wobble,
indicating a need to redistribute the
relation of the top and bottom masses.
Our rig was quite stable, but we had to
perform the test by holding it by hand,
as the docking bracket post is not far
enough away from the stand to allow
the rig to spin on its vertical axis.
Before taking our rig for a walk, we
made a few adjustments to the vest
and support arm. For such a low-cost
piece of gear, the vest is surprisingly
well-constructed. It was easy to adjust
the straps for a comfortable and
secure fit. Three quick-release plastic
connectors get you in and out of the
vest from right or left. You can flip the
vest’s support arm mounting block to
allow for right or left-hand operation.
The support arm comes preset at the
lowest tension settings, so we used the
included Allen wrench to make a guess
at a higher tension. For even more
control over your rig’s weight, the X-10
comes with an aluminum and a steel
arm post. Since we were a little under
the maximum 18-pound weight, we
secured the steel post to the arm. Once
you have the support arm tensioned
for your camcorder/rig weight, you
don’t need any tools for setup.
With the rig balanced and in the
docking bracket, we put on the vest,
slipped the support arm into the
adjustable vest mounting block and
hooked into our rig. The docking
bracket allows you to easily slip the
arm post into the gimbal handle. The
bracket edges are a bit sharp, so you
may want to file these down a little to
keep from scratching the gimbal.
The last adjustments are controlled
by four thumb screws on the vest’s
support arm mounting block. These
give control over front/back and sideto-side swing of the arm/rig assembly
and are normally set up only once.
test track
We now have the rig flying in a neutral
left-hand operating position. We lightly
grasped the foam-padded gimbal handle with our right hand and, also with
a light touch, placed the tips of our left
hand thumb and fingers on the central
post just below the gimbal panning
bearing. To the test course we go!
To test the X-10/HD-4000 in action,
we set up three courses used to train
professional Steadicam operators that
simulate a variety of conditions. The
first test, called Hurdle, included a
narrow tracking tape stretched tight
between two C-stands about 20 feet
apart that ran from about four feet off
the ground to about six feet. An obstacle
in the middle required us to step on and
over it. The second course, called Stairs,
used the same two C-stands and tape
placed alongside a rock stairway. The
last, called Target, was simply a large
cross made with black gaffer tape on a
white garage door at about chest height.
Keep in mind that all three courses
are as much measures of an operator’s
skill as they are of the rig being tested.
Our tester is a professional Steadicam
operator with more than 15 years of
experience who spent several hours
practicing with the X-10/HD-4000 before performing these tests. The goal of
each test is to keep the center crosshairs
of the camcorder’s viewfinder pointed
at the tape or target at all times.
The Hurdle test measures how quick
changes in up/down travel while walking impact the rig’s dynamic stability.
After only two trial runs, we were able
to consistently keep the camcorder’s
crosshairs on the tracking tape on
both the up and down motions. The
review footage confirmed the apparent lack of any transition up or down.
The Stairs test measures how successive changes in terrain and subtle
changes in rate alter the rig’s dynamic
stability. Since the level of the tracking
tape ran from about waist-height to
about head-height, we had to induce
a small amount of tilt. Again, we
did several trial runs before recording a take. The results showed a very
smooth beginning but, toward the end
of the stair climb, a small amount of
vertical bounce was noticeable that
quickly stabilized after a couple of
oscillations. Walking down the stairs
gave us similar results.
For our first Target test, we started
about 30 feet away from the Target, set
our camera’s lens to its widest setting
and aligned the Target with the center
crosshairs in the viewfinder’s display.
This measures how easy it is to keep
the camera on target in all three axes.
We started walking in a straight line
toward the Target, slowly at first, then
at a faster pace, then slowing to a stop
a few feet away. The footage revealed
very good stability in roll and tilt,
but again a very slight bounce as we
picked up the pace in the middle.
With the camcorder still just a few
feet away and facing the Target, we
turned so that the camcorder was
now facing behind us. We then walked
about 30 feet away from the Target,
then slowed to a stop, walked around
the central axis of the gimbal and now
returned to the Target with both body
and camcorder facing forward. This
is a common, though more advanced,
technique used to shoot talent walking forward, then changing direction.
This tests the amount of friction of the
panning bearing in the gimbal.
We found that transitioning from
one side of the rig to the other required
very little countering force from our
left hand fingers, a good measure of
the gimbal’s pan bearing friction. This
is often an area where low-cost stabilizers fall short. But the HD-4000 appears
to have not skimped here. Without a
monitor mounted on the bottom of the
rig, this type of transitioning move is
difficult. The X-10/HD-4000 does not
come with a monitor, but you can easily add one to the base platform.
Of course, what test would be
complete without a little jogging and
running? This is a good way to not
only see how well the rig can smooth
extreme movements but also can
reveal any noises induced by poorlyfitting components in the vest, arm or
sled. After working up a good sweat,
we were glad not to hear any clanking or squeaking or sense any general
instability. All the parts work in silent
harmony, a feat not always achieved
by much more expensive rigs. While
there was some degree of bouncing, it
was not unexpected or objectionable.
Conclusion
The X-10/HD-4000 balances economical design and construction with good
performance. The system is easily
configured to fit a wide range of camcorders, is easy to adjust and balance,
is made of quality materials that fit
together well and looks great too. But
like any professional stabilization device, it will take a fair amount of practice to get consistently well-framed
and stable shots. While the HD-4000
can also be handheld, this can become
fatiguing with anything other than
lighter camcorders. The X-10/HD-4000
is truly a pro-class stabilization system
that is so inexpensive compared to
other devices that it is hard to come
up with a reason not to have one.
sUMMArY
The value of X-10/HD-4000 as a
professional camcorder stabilization
system is hard to beat.
Contributing editor Brian Peterson is a commercial video
producer and Steadicam operator.
FEEDBACk
21
contents
full screen
print
reviews
reviews
DSLR Accessories
DSLR Accessories
Support for Video
Switronix DSLR-PRO
Shoulder Support
b y M a r k Holder
gently pulling upward until the adhesive releases and pulls loose.
switronix DsLr-Pro
TeCH sPeCs
you’ll find the image gliding up and
down with each step.
Switronix DSLR-PRO Camera
Shoulder Support
Range: 3-axis movement for optimal
camera positioning to raise the DSLR’s
viewfinder to eye level
Sizing: Short slide channel so bracket
won't show in wide shots
Material: Conforming aircraft aluminum shoulder bracket
ikan V5600 5.6" TFT LCD
Monitor
The DSLR-PRO Shoulder Support is
one of a line of DSLR stabilizers created by Switronix specifically for the
Canon 5D/7D, Nikon and Panasonic
Lumix cameras. It assists in achieving steadier shots, and its aluminum
construction keeps it lightweight for
reduced fatigue.
Zacuto Z-Finder
A
ny equipment that gives the video
producer options and allows
greater control over his or her shooting will surely be a welcome asset.
Newer DSLRs are shooting some incredible video now, and we’ll explore
three items that strive to help the
DSLR user who shoots video, too.
Zacuto
401 West Ontario
Chicago, IL 60610 Ste. 250
www.zacuto.com
strengths
• Encourages correct form for video
• Provides a third point of contact for
better support
• Image bright, clear and large
• Greatly improved viewing over stock
viewfinder
contents
full screen
print
weaknesses
• Must be adhered to LCD screen
using included adhesive strip
$395
22
ikan
V5600
Zacuto Z-Finder Optical
Viewfinder for DSLR Cameras
Zacuto’s new viewfinder for DSLR
cameras, the Z-Finder, sports a large,
comfortable eyecup that keeps
outside light from leaking in and 3x
focusable magnification that brings
the image up close and personal. It
provides much-improved viewing
over stock viewfinders, especially if
you have only the LCD monitor to
compose your shots with. Its 40mm
diameter lens allows a great deal
more light to come through, which
results in a crisper, clearer, brighter
image. Pushing the Z-Finder gently
against your eye provides a third
point of contact and, therefore,
greater stability.
The optional lanyard and hook
provide you a measure of security
to guard against the Z-Finder getting
dislodged from the camera and hitting the ground. With the lanyard,
you can quickly disconnect the
viewfinder from the camera without worrying about where to put it,
as might be the case when you are
switching back and forth between
video and stills shots.
The Z-Finder mounts to the camera
via a flat snap-fit frame. The frame
attaches to the camera’s LCD screen
with a double-sided adhesive strip.
Once you have the frame securely attached, you can snap the Z-Finder on
and off it with ease. Zacuto claims that
subsequent removal of the frame is
possible without any negative effects
by squeezing the sides together and
Zacuto Z-Finder
teCh sPeCs
Range: 3x magnification
Diopter Range: -4.5 to -1.2
Lens: 40mm diameter for excellent
light throughput
Body: Sturdy, lightweight, 6 oz.
Outer Dimensions of Snap-Fit
Frame: 71mm wide x 56mm tall
Inner Dimensions of Snap-Fit
Frame: 62mm wide x 46.7mm tall
Works with: Canon 5D and 7D, Nikon
D90, Panasonic GH1 and many others
NEWER DSLRs ARE SHOOTING SOME INCREDIBLE
VIDEO NOW.
Its design provides adjustments
along three axes to aid in getting the
camera in just the right position. The
arched shoulder support features
ample padding for comfort and has a
locking bracket on its front to allow
for vertical adjustment of the cam-
switronix, inc.
265 Sunrise Highway, Suite 346
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
www.switronix.com
sTrengTHs
•Easy to set up and use
•Lightweight
•Comfortable
•Enhances fluidity of shots
weaknesses
•Getting the mounting plate to slide
into the base and back out again
proved very difficult. It appeared to
jam partway in. Hopefully this problem
was unique to our test unit only.
$279
era. It also sports a raised mounting
platform to bring the viewfinder up to
eye level.
Mounted atop the twin vertical
adjustment rods is a bracket and
locking knob combination that allows
the extension piece, which holds the
camera, to be adjusted to the left or
right. Loosening the locking knob also
enables the shooter to get some great,
smooth, side-to-side pans. The extension is a slotted piece of aluminum
through which the handle extends.
Turning the handle clockwise loosens
it from the mounting platform and allows the entire assembly to move forward or backward in the slot, placing
the camera closer to or further away
from the operator’s body. Turning the
handle counterclockwise tightens it
again and locks the mounting platform in place.
You mount the camera to the
DSLR-PRO stabilizer by attaching the
mounting plate to the underside of
the camera via the standard mounting
screw. The plate slides into the platform base and is locked down with
the lock knob located on the side.
Essentially, the process is the same
as that you would use for mounting a
camera to a tripod.
Once mounted and adjusted, the
stabilizer is lightweight and comfortable and makes for some very
smooth, fluid shooting. When walking, be careful to adjust your stride, or
The V5600 monitor receives power using either the AC adaptor or, for those
on the move, a camcorder battery
attached to the monitor via the battery
adaptor. The hardware required for
mounting the adaptor to the back of
the monitor is included. Mounting the
battery and powering up the unit take
only a minute or two.
The monitor mounts directly to
the camera, using the included shoe
mount, or to a light stand, tripod
support or any other such device, us-
THE V5600DELIVERSACRISp,
CLEAR pICTuREWITHARESOLuTIONOf 1024X600.
ing a shoe mount adaptor or industry-standard 1/4-20 thread mount.
Turned on and connected to the
camera, the V5600 delivers a crisp,
clear picture with a resolution of
1024x600. Buttons along the bottom
front provide power, adjustments
ikan Corporation
3903 Stoney Brook Drive
Houston ,TX 77063
www.ikancorp.com
sTrengTHs
•Large, crisp, clear picture
• Lightweight
• Very portable
weaknesses
contents
•None significant
full screen
$699; Deluxe Kit $849
print
23
ReviewS
DVD
ON
DSLR Accessories
ikan v5600
TeCH SPeCS
LCD: 5.6" TFT
Resolution: 1024x600
LCD Brightness: 165cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 200:1
Viewing Angles: 80/80(R/L),
55/55(U/L)
Operating Volts: DC 12-24V
Dimension: 5.75"x4.625"x0.82"
Inputs: HDMI, component and composite
Weight: 0.7 lbs.
24
each
$
95
THE VIDEOMAKER INSTRUCTIONAL SERIES
ADVANCED SHOOTING
ADVANCED EDITING
Shot Sheets, Logs and Slates,
Lenses and Filters, Exposure
and Shutter, Camera, Handheld Techniques, Composition.
(30 minutes) DVD $24.95
Advanced Editing Tools, The
Art of Editing, Video Filters and
Color Effects, Compositing Titles
and Graphics, Encoding and
Output. (30 minutes) DVD $24.95
Refine Your Shooting Skills and Tell
a Better Story!
full screen
print
Set of 8 Instructional
DVDs $139.95
Save 30%!
(reg. price $199.60)
BASIC SHOOTING
LIGHT IT RIGHT
SOUND SUCCESS
Camcorder Features and Functions, Button Basics, Lighting
Basics, Sound Advice, The Art
of Composition, Smooth Moves
and Steady Shots. (30 minutes)
DVD $24.95
Light Theory, Tools and Terms
of Lighting, Studio Lighting,
Indoor Daytime Lighting,
Outdoor Daytime Lighting,
Outdoor Nighttime Lighting.
Mike Types, Wired or Wireless,
Overcoming Indoor Audio
Problems, Overcoming Outdoor
Audio Problems, Editing Audio,
Audio Sweetening.
INTRODUCTION TO
DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING
INTRODUCTION TO
DVD AUTHORING AND DESIGN
The Essential Guide to Basic
Camcorder Techniques
contents
The Essential Guide to Advanced
Computer Video Editing Techniques
The Guide to Getting Started With
Computer Video
Editing Tools, Hooking Up, Editing Audio, Editing Sequences,
Transitions and Filter Effects and
Titles and Graphics. (30 minutes)
DVD $24.95
The Essential Guide to
Lighting for Video
There's more to making DVDs
than transferring video to a
disc. Video producers need
to approach DVD authoring
completely differently than videos created for distribution on
VHS. (30 minutes) DVD $24.95
The Essential Guide to
Audio for Video
INTRODUCTION TO VIDEO EDITING
The Art of Titles & Graphics
Introduction to Titles and
Graphics, Splash Screens and
Opening Titles, Segment IDs,
Lower Thirds and Bugs, Diagrams and Info Graphics, and
Credit Rolls and Crawls.
Order Online www.videomaker.com/isdvd
or call Toll Free 800-284-3226
Call or go Online for Shipping Rates
for brightness, hue, etc., volume
up/down, the ability to switch aspect
ratios, input selection (composite,
SD/HD component, HDMI) and onscreen safe area guides. Headphone
out and AV connections are found
along the side.
The ikan V5600-DK (Deluxe Kit)
provides you with everything you
will need to get up and running right
away: the 5.6" HD LCD monitor; a
compartmentalized soft carrying case
with shoulder strap; an AC adaptor;
a Sony-compatible battery pack and
charger; an adaptor which allows the
use of select DV batteries; a camera
shoe mount; and AV and component
breakout cables.
SUMMARY
These three products promise and
deliver greater control over the
image acquisition process and will
be a welcome addition to the serious DSLR video producer’s toolkit.
Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.
contents
FEEDBACk
full screen
print
25
Digital Downloads
Learn exactly what you need to know! Download it today!
Video On Demand - Starting at $3.49!
Download a popular Video On Demand right to your computer in minutes!
Chromakey
Lighting Basics
Three Point Lighting
From start to completion, here are the basics
of achieving a Green
Screen effect.
Learn the foundation of
all good video lighting
techniques.
Night Lighting
Explore the basics of
lighting for a nighttime
shoot.
Start a Wedding
Video Business
Learn the keys to wedding
video business success.
Making Video Look
Like Film
BY EDWARD B. DRISCOLL, JR.
Give your video a film
look using 24p.
eDocs - Starting at $2.49!
Over 75 information-packed eDocs to help you learn and master every aspect of video production!
Download straight to your own computer!
The Keys to Chromakey
Multicam Shooting
Here are some of the elements involved in producing
a successful key.
Shooting your subject with
more than one camera can
be a time-saving and very
creative endeavor.
Guide to Making
Wedding Video
Learn the essentials
to creating a memorable
wedding video.
Making Music Videos
Make your music video a
success with these basic
production and distribution tips.
Making Money
with Video
Learn how you can make
money with your video
creation.
eBooks - Starting at $9.95!
Download an eBook today! You'll be able to save the file and print it off at your convenience!
contents
full screen
print
Videomaker's Video
Composition eBook
Videomaker's Vidcast
eBook
The Videomaker Complete
Book of Forms
Videomaker reveals some
of the secret tricks of basic
composition used by the
Masters.
From planning and production to editing and distribution, this eBook includes
tons of information and
how-tos for vidcasting.
Videomaker's Complete Book
of Forms contains 91 essential forms to help you plan,
get organized, stay legal, and
ask the right questions.
Video Glossary of Terms
Documentary Film Making
This extensive Glossary of
Terms, provides definitions for
hundreds of commonly and
not so commonly used terms
in the field of videography.
This in-depth analysis of documentary film making uses
many "real world" examples
to illustrate the process.
DOWNLOAD AT www.videomaker.com/edocs
Today’s non-linear editing programs and
motion graphics compositing programs are
remarkably powerful tools in and of themselves. But, as you’ll see from this story, there
are numerous companies selling plug-ins to
make them even more potent.
contents
full screen
print
27
T
his article can only hope to scratch the surface of what’s out there, but let’s run down
some of the more intriguing plug-in manufacturers whose products can add dramatic punch
and additional features to those programs, ranging from automating basic tasks, all the way to
cinema-level effects.
Look Sharp
Noise Industries specializes in Apple-only plug-ins
for Final Cut Pro, Motion, Final Cut Express
and Adobe After Effects. Their proprietary
FXFactory plug-in management software will
even allow for some simple but cool free plugins to be downloaded, in addition to their more
Noise Industries
complex applets. These include a variety of
www.noiseindustries.com
professional-looking titling
and compositing effects,
including Hud. This plug-in
will generate overlays that
produce the sort of electronic binocular effect seen
in the original 1977 Star
Wars – only much slickerlooking. And then there’s
Star Titler 1.0.3, a free
plug-in which, as its name
implies, quickly recreates that film’s iconic
opening title crawl.
Boris FX plug-ins include its popular Red, Blue
and FX lines. Red and Blue each provide an assortment of compositing and motion graphics
solutions, and FX generates, well, special effects.
The latter plug-in includes a wide assortment of
filters, painting software, plus multiple types of
motion stabilizing and tracking software for motion graphics compositing. Additionally, Boris’s
product lineup includes utility applications such
as XML Transfer, designed to seamlessly transfer
Apple Final Cut Pro sequences to Adobe After
Effects, offering Final Cut and After Effects users the same sort of back-and-forth fluidity that
Premiere and AE users enjoy.
The products of GenArts, Inc. have been used to
create the special effects seen in Iron Man, The
Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings trilogy
and the CSI TV series. For the computer-based
editors and compositors, GenArts creates highend plug-ins for platforms including Autodesk,
Avid, After Effects and Final Cut Pro, as well as
the OFX standard.
Tiffen has been producing filters for film and
video camera lenses for over 70 years. More
recently, they’ve added a line of digital filters
called DFX V2. They’re available in a standalone
format, as well as in the form of plug-ins for
FinalCut Pro, After Effects, Avid and Photoshop.
Plug-ins include masking, lighting effects, star
filters, high contrast and other effects originally
created for the still photography world, but available for the aforementioned NLEs and motion
compositing programs.
Red Giant Software includes a variety of plug-ins,
including their well-known Knoll Light Factory (a
one-stop shop for simulated lens flares, photon
torpedoes and other lighting effects) and Magic
Bullet applets. For harried editors who simply
want to quickly engineer a unique look to add atmosphere to a shot or scene, thumbing through
its numerous presets of the latter product to dial
up a look is often all it takes. For those who wish
to fine-tune those images, the presets allow a
seemingly endless variety of additional tweaking.
Magic Bullet is also the perfect tonic for those
wishing to add a film-style look to a project or to
jazz up a video or digital
animation with unique
tints and colorings.
Get Funky
Of course, some plugins are designed to
rough-up your video,
rather than sweeten it. For example,
the motto of the plug-in called Damage, by
Digieffects, is “you have great footage – we can fix
that,” and its titular destruction can create looks
ranging anywhere from a beat-up old VHS tape
to the scan lines of an ancient CRT to artifacts
that replicate those of poor satellite or terrestrial
antenna reception.
If you’re shooting sci-fi or drama and want
to recreate the look of a signal coming in from
halfway across the galaxy, or merely halfway
across planet earth, this plug-in will quickly do
the trick.
Digieffects
www.digieffects.com
Compositing and Effects
Software Manufacturer Listing
2d3 Ltd.
www.2d3.com
CoreMelt
www.coremelt.com
GenArts, Inc.
www.genarts.com
Red Giant
www.redgiantsoftware.com
Adobe
www.adobe.com
Digital Anarchy
www.digitalanarchy.com
Grass Valley
ProDAD Adorage
www.grassvalley.com/desktop www.prodad.de
Advantage Video Systems
Digieffects
www.advantagevideosystems.com www.digieffects.com
Izotope, Inc.
www.izotope.com
Strata 3D
www.strata.com
Alien Skin
www.alienskin.com
Digital Film Tools
www.digitalfilmtools.com
Motion DSP, Inc.
www.motiondsp.com
Tiffen
www.tiffen.com
Audio Damage, Inc.
www.audiodamage.com
Digital Juice, Inc.
www.digitaljuice.com
NewBlueFX
www.newbluefx.com
Tool Farm, Inc.
www.toolfarm.com
Boris FX
www.borisfx.com
EI Technology Group
Noise Industries
www.eitechnologygroup.com www.noiseindustries.com
Ulead
www.ulead.com
Cayman Graphics
www.caymangraphics.com
EyeOn
www.eyeonline.com
Pinnacle
www.pinnaclesys.com
Ultimatte Corporation
www.ultimatte.com
contents
Cineform
www.cineform.com
The Foundry
www.d2software.com
Pixelan
www.pixelan.com
full screen
Corel Corporation
www.corel.com
GeeThree
www.geethree.com
Tiffen
www.tiffen.com
print
28
contents
full screen
Compiled by the Editorial Staff
print
29
NEW
5Megapixels
Florida-based Digital Juice, Inc. is probably best
known for its “Jumpbacks” – seamlessly loopable digital background clips in which text, still
photos and video can be overlaid. But they are
beginning to explore the plug-in market as well.
Their proprietary Juicer software quickly renders
Digital Juice’s Jumpbacks, stock footage and fonts
to a variety of formats for editing and compositing. In 2009, they began offering several low-cost
aftermarket downloadable plug-ins, primarily for
their font software, to create additional textures,
colors, positioning effects for their already stylish and growing collection of fonts designed for
video titling.
Transition Magician
In existence since 2001, NewBlue Inc. also makes
plug-ins designed to alter the look of whole
scenes, including their Video Essentials line
of bundled plug-ins. But perhaps their most
intriguing products are their transition effects.
Most non-linear editing programs include basic dissolves,
irises, wipes, etc. And since
most edits shouldn’t call attention to themselves anyhow, it’s
possible to get through many
productions with those alone.
But there are times when a
transition calls for a major
flourish, whether it’s to create
a distinct modulation between
segments, or simply to wake-up an
audience two-thirds into a production with a wow moment.
Sound Is Half the Picture
NewBlueFX
www.newbluefx.com
contents
full screen
print
30
Available in Violet,
Blue, White and Pink
#SOMHSPM5*
Textural Treatments
Audio Damage
audiodamage.com
bloggie Flash
memory HD Camcorder
As George Lucas likes to say, sound
is half the picture. So when shopping for plug-ins, don’t scrimp on
the audio half of the equation. As
a result of a quarter century or
so of the music industry’s exploration of the computer world, there’s a whole arsenal of audio plug-ins available, many of which
have plenty of use when crafting a video.
The Ozone 4 plug-in by Izotope, Inc. provides a
variety of audio mastering effects and is bundled
with loads of handy presets that can add the final
sheen to a mix. Its built-in exciter and its presets
for voiceover work can help to dramatically push
a voiceover narration to the top of an audio mix,
without cranking the volume of the narrator
into distortion.
Also useful for dialogue work, Izotope’s RX
plug-in can make quick work of removing
camera noise, air conditioner hum, ground
loops and other on-location vagaries, by digitally mapping the roomtone of a scene without
dialogue. Plus it can quickly remove popped-Ps
and other plosives in dialogue.
A much more extreme effect is the Discord2
plug-in from Audio Damage, Inc. It’s an extremely
affordable recreation of Eventide’s breakthrough (and budget-breaking) rack-mounted
Harmonizer from the mid-1970s. If you want
your star to sound like a high-pitched alien, or
as deep as a certain black-helmeted basso pro-
SOME AUDIO PLUG-INS WILL BE
DIRECTLY COMPATIBLE WITH YOUR
EDITING SYSTEM; OTHERS WON’T.
fundo-voiced Sith Lord, this plug-in will do the
trick. And it can create dramatic echo…echo…
echo effects that descend or ascend in time as
they fade away, perfect for adding the same sort
of audio punch to a word during a transition to
a new scene, as some of the aforementioned
visual transition plug-ins.
Some audio plug-ins will be directly compatible with your editing system. Others may
require a separate digital audio workstation, or
DAW for short. But then, there are numerous
times when a DAW is necessary to sweeten or
repair a soundtrack anyhow.
NEW
M2120M
MinoHD Camcorder
t4MFFLEFTJHOOE(FOFSBUJPO
t(#JOUFSOBMGMBTINFNPSZ
NJOVUFTPG)%SFDPSEJOH
tYQ)%
t.FHBQJYFMw$.04TFOTPS
t.VMUJTUFQYEJHJUBM[PPN
NNG
tw-$%TDSFFO
t4UFSFPNJDSPQIPOF
t)%.*DPOOFDUJPO
t#VJMU*O'MJQ4IBSFTPGUXBSF
GMJQPVU64#BSN
#FLM2120M
NEW
5Megapixels
#KOZI8*
Zi8
Available in Blue,
Aqua and Raspberry
NEW
8Megapixels
#SAVPCCS1
NEW
4Megapixels
#CAHFM30
NEW
12Megapixels
#SOHDRCX550V
NEW
8Megapixels
#CAHFS20
t4%4%)$GMBTINFNPSZSFDPSEJOH
tYBEWBODFEYPQUJDBM[PPN
t7JEFP4OBQTIPU%VBM4IPU
twXJEFTDSFFO-$%
t%ZOBNJDJNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t%*(*$%7**JNBHFQSPDFTTPS
t1SFSFDPSEiQSFSPMMwNPEF
t#VJMU*O7JEFP-JHIU
t8JEFTDSFFO)3DBQUVSF
t-FWFMBOE(SJE.BSLFST
t"VUPNBUJDMFOTDPWFS
#CAFS300*
8Megapixels
#JVGZHD320B
10
Megapixels
VIXIA HF R10
Ed Driscoll is a freelance journalist covering home theater and the
media.
FEEDBACK
Dual Flash Memory HD
Camcorder
t3FDPSEUP(#JOUFSOBMGMBTI
NFNPSZPS4%NFNPSZDBSET
tw.Q$.04TFOTPSXJUI
3(#QSJNBSZDPMPSGJMUFS
tw-$%%JTQMBZt$BOPOY)%
PQUJDBM[PPNMFOTt%ZOBNJD
JNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPOt%*(*$%7***
JNBHFQSPDFTTPStQBOEQ
GSBNFNPEFTt1SF3FDPSEiTFD
QSFSPMMwNPEFt.JDSPQIPOFBOE
IFBEQIPOFUFSNJOBMT
HDR-CX550V
Flash Memory HD Camcorder
tY)%
t3FDPSEY)%SFTPMVUJPO
WJEFPPOUPJOUFSOBM(#GMBTI
NFNPSZPS.FNPSZ4UJDL
130%VPNFEJB
tw.1i&YNPS3w
$.04TFOTPS
tYPQUJDBM[PPN4POZ(MFOT
tw9USB'JOF5SV#MBDL-$%
t0QUJDBMJNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t(14SFDFJWFSBOENBQJOEFY
t.JDBOE)FBEQIPOFJOQVUT
VIXIA HF S20
Camcorder
t%VBM4%4%)$NFNPSZDBSETMPU
tw.1$.04TFOTPS
tw)JHI3FTPMVUJPO
5PVDI1BOFM-$%
t0QUJDBMJNBHFTUBCJMJ[FS
t.1TUJMMJNBHFDBQUVSF
t/BUJWFQQ$JOFNB
QGSBNFNPEFT
t.JDSPQIPOFBOEIFBEQIPOF
UFSNJOBMT
Everio Hybrid HD Hard Drive
Camcorder
t'VMM)%Y13FDPSEJOH
t*OUFSOBM(#)%%
tNJDSP4%DBSETMPU
t,0/*$".*/0-5")%YPQUJDBM
[PPNMFOT
tw.Q$.04TFOTPS
tw-$%TDSFFO
t.CQT"7$)%SFDPSEJOH
t#VJMUJOBVUP*MMVNJMJHIU
t0OFUPVDIFYQPSUUPJ5VOFTPS
VQMPBEUP:PV5VCF
The Professional’s Source™
B&H Phones
800-947-9925
212-444-5025
To Inquire About
Your Order Call:
800-221-5743
212-239-7765
B&H Store
420 Ninth Ave.
Corner of 34th Street
New York, N.Y.
10001
B&H Online
bhphotovideo.com
HDC-HS250K
#PAHDCHS250K
NEW
VIXIA HF M30
Camcorder
4%.FNPSZ$BSE4MPU
t.FHBQJYFMw$.04TFOTPS
tw5PVDI1BOFM-$%
t$BOPOY)%WJEFPMFOTY
"EWBODFE
tQBOEQGSBNFNPEFT
t%*(*$%7***JNBHFQSPDFTTPS
UFSNJOBMT
GZ-HD320
FS300
Available in Blue,
Red and Silver
#CAHFR10*
NEW
VPC-CS1
Available in Black,
Red and Silver
Pocket Video HD Camera
tQQIJHIEFGJOJUJPO
SFTPMVUJPOSFDPSEJOH
t.#JOUFSOBMNFNPSZ
t4%4%)$DBSETMPUVQ5P(#
tw.1$.04TFOTPS
tYEJHJUBMNNG
[PPNMFOT
tw-$%
t*NBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t.JDSPQIPOFJOQVU
t4XJOHPVU64#
Xacti HD Flash Memory
Camcorder
t)JHIEFGJOJUJPOY
SFDPSEJOH.1&("7$)
t4%)$4%9$NFNPSZDBSE
DPNQBUJCMFtYBEWBODFE[PPN
MFOTNNXJEF
twXJEF-$%
t%JHJUBMJNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t"QQMFJ'SBNFDPNQBUJCJMJUZ
t&ZF'JDBSEDPNQBUJCJMJUZ
t'BDF$IBTFSIJHITQFFE
4FRVFOUJBM4IPUNPEFT
Plug In…and Play Around
The right plug-ins can dramatically expand the
look (or sound) of a video project. As you go
through the accompanying buyer’s matrix, keep
in mind the projects that make up the bulk of
your current production work, and consider the
ways you’d like to tweak their style, as well as
your budget. Chances are, you’ll quickly find a
plug-in that will help you do just that.
t'MFYJCJMJUZSFDPSEJOHQMBZCBDL
PSY
t3FDPSEJOHPOUP.FNPSZ4UJDL
1SP%VPNFEJB
tw.1$.04TFOTPS
tw-$%TDSFFO
tYEJHJUBM[PPN
t2VJDLPOSPUBUJOH¡
MFOTTZTUFN
t4UFBEZ4IPUJNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t'BDFEFUFDUJPO
t#VJMU*O1JDUVSF.PUJPO
3-CMOS HD hard Drive
Camcorder
WJEFPPOUP(#)%%PS4%
4%)$NFEJB
t5ISFFw$.04TFOTPS
t-FJDB%JDPNBSYPQUJDBM
[PPNMFOT
t"EWBODFE0QUJDBMJNBHF
TUBCJMJ[BUJPO
twXJEF-$%
tDIBOOFMTVSSPVOESFDPSEJOH
HDR-XR550V
12Megapixels
#SOHDRXR550V
AVCHD Hard Drive Camcorder
WJEFPPOUPJOUFSOBM(#IBSE
ESJWF.FNPSZ4UJDLPS
4%4%)$NFEJB
tw&YNPS3$.04TFOTPS
t.1TUJMMJNBHFT
twXJEF9USB'JOF-$%
t'BDF%FUFDUJPOBOE4NJMF4IVUUFS
t(14SFDFJWFSCVJMUJO
UFSNJOBMT
t4VQQPSUCFGPSF
BOEBGUFSTBMF
t0OMJOFMJWFTVQQPSU
t.BTTJWFPOMJOFQSFTFODF
t)VHFJOWFOUPSZBWBJMBCMF
GPSXPSMEXJEFTIJQQJOH
t&EVDBUFZPVSTFMG
JOPVSQSPEVDU
SFTPVSDFDFOUFS
We will be closed:
March 29
thru April 6, 2010
Page 1
contents
full screen
print
HDR-HC9
6MegaPixels
#SOHDRHC9
800-947-9925
212-444-5025
212-239-7770
To Inquire About
Your Order Call:
3MegaPixels
#CAHV40
800-221-5743
212-239-7765
866-521-7375
212-502-9426
B&H Store
HDV Camcorder
tw.Q)%$.04TFOTPS
XJUI3(#QSJNBSZDPMPSGJMUFS
t'SBNFSBUFTJOBUJWFQSFDPSET
BUQ
QDJOFNBBOEQBUJ
t%*(*$%7**JNBHFQSPDFTTPS
t$BOPO)%YPQUJDBMWJEFPMFOT
t*OTUBOU"VGP'PDVTXFYUTFOTPS
t4VQFS3BOHFPQUJDBMTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
twXJEFTDSFFO-$%TDSFFO
t&YUFSOBMNJDJOQVU
t4NPPUIWBSJBCMF[PPNXJUI
GJYFE[PPNTQFFET
#PAAGHMC40
Overnight service
available
#JVGYHM100U
Used equipment
bought, sold,
and traded
full screen
Equipment leasing
available
print
© 2010 B&H Foto &
Electronics Corp.
Page 2
#SOHVRS270U
AG-HPX300
AG-HPX170
3-CMOS Pro Solid State
Camcorder
t3FDPSEIJHIEFGJOJUJPOJ
Y
)%SFTPMVUJPOWJEFP
PO4%4%)$NFEJBDBSET
t4PMJETUBUFSFDPSEJOHXJUIGBTUTDFOF
TFBSDIFTJOUIVNCOBJMWJFX
twQSPHSFTTJWFTDBO$$%TFOTPST
t"EWBODFE0QUJDBM*NBHF4UBCJMJ[FS
t-FJDB%JDPNBSY[PPNMFOT
tNFHBQJYFMTUJMMJNBHFSFDPSEJOH
t%VBM9-3JOQVUTTUFSFPNJOJNJDJO
t)%.*EJHJUBM)%PVUQVU64#
t5XP1DBSETMPUTSFDPSEJOH)%
JBOEQ
BOE4%J
G
tWBSJBCMFGSBNFSBUFT
twQSPHSFTTJWF$$%TFOTPST
t)%4%4%*PVUQVU
t9-FJDB%JDPNBSXJEF[PPNMFOT
t&OIBODFENFUBEBUBNBOBHFNFOU
t0QUJDBM*NBHF4UBCJMJ[BUJPO
t%VBM9-3JOQVUTtw-$%NPOJUPS
t*ODBNFSB8BWFGPSNNPOJUPS
7FDUPSTDPQFBOEUXP'PDVTBTTJTU
tCJUOBUJWFBOEQ
)%SFTPMVUJPOJOWBSJBCMFGSBNF
SBUFTt"7$*OUSBBOEDPEFDT
t5XP1DBSETMPUTIPUTXBQQJOH
MPPQQSFSFDPSE
tBEWBODFEw.Q$.04
TFOTPSTt)%4%*PVUQVU
tCJUEJHJUBMTJHOBMQSPDFTTPS
tY'VKJOPO)%MFOT
t#VJMUJOTDBOSFWFSTFNPEF
t8BWFGPSNBOEWFDUPSTDPQFEJTQMBZ
#PAAGHPX170
AG-HMC150
twQSPHSFTTJWF$$%TFOTPST
t3FDPSET)%JQQ
QQQGPSNBUT
t4PMJE4UBUF)%SFDPSEJOHPOUP4%
4%)$NFEJB.QCTY
t*ODBNFSB8BWFGPSNNPOJUPS
7FDUPSTDPQFBOEUXP'PDVT
BTTJTUEJTQMBZT
t-FJDB%JDPNBSYXJEF[PPNMFOT
t5JNFEBUFTUBNQMFHBMEFQPTJUJPOT
t%VBM9-3BVEJPJOQVUT
#PAAGHMC150
Power
Optional
AG-HVX200A
#PAAGHVX200A
HDR-FX1000
3-CCD Pro DVCPRO HD
Camcorder
t%7$130)%.CQT
3FDPSEJOHUP1$BSET
t)JHI%FGJOJUJPOBOE
Q3FDPSEJOHUP1$BSET
t7BSJBCMF'SBNF3BUFT
t-FJDB%JDPNBSY8JEF)%-FOT
tYw1SPHSFTTJWF*NBHF
4FOTPSTt5XP1$BSE4MPUT
t%7$1303FDPSEJOH
tw-$%.POJUPS
t.JOJ%75SBOTQPSU4%3FDPSEJOH
#JVGYHM700U
#SOHVRZ7U
3-CCD ProHD Solid State
Camcorder
t4VQQPSUTY
Y)%GPSNBUTJOBOE
.CQTXJUIWBSJBCMFGSBNFSBUFT
t%VBM4%)$DBSETMPUTMPPQ
QSFSFDPSE
t)%4%*PVUQVU
tw$$%TFOTPST
t$BQUVSFTOBUJWF2VJDL5JNFGJMFT
t0WFSDSBOLBOEVOEFSDSBOLSFDPSE
t$BOPOYPQUJDBM[PPNMFOT
tw-$%TDSFFO-$04WJFXGJOEFS
t4Y4NFNPSZSFDPSEFSPQUJPOBM
PMW-EX1R
3-CMOS Pro HDV/CF Flash
Camcorder
t*OUFSDIBOHFBCMFw#BZPOFU
-FOT.PVOU4ZTUFN
t)%7%7$".%75BQF3FDPSEJOH
t/BUJWF1SPHSFTTJWF3FDPSEJOHBOE
4PMJETUBUF$'
.FNPSZ3FDPSEJOH
t$BSM;FJTT7BSJP4POOBS5-FOT
tw1SPHSFTTJWF$.044FOTPS
4ZTUFNXJUI&YNPS5FDIOPMPHZ
t%PXO$POWFSUT)%UP4%
tw
8JEF-$%.POJUPS
t)%.*PVUQVUBOEJ-*/,*OUFSGBDF
B&H Online
bhphotovideo.com
GY-HM700U
HVR-Z7U
3-CMOS HDV Camcorder
tw.1
$MFBS7JE$.04
TFOTPSTXJUI&YNPS5FDIOPMPHZ
t4POZ(TFSJFTFYUSBMPXEJTQFSTJPO
YPQUJDBM[PPNMFOT
t&YUFOEFEEZOBNJDSBOHF
tQBOEQQSPHSFTTJWF
TDBOSFDPSEJOH
tw9USB'JOF-$%XJUILQJYFMT
t3FDPSET)%7)%
BOE.JOJ%74%
t)%GPDVTBTTJTUGFBUVSF
t$JOFNB5POF$PMPS
#SOHDRFX1000
#PAAGHPX300
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
#SOPMWEX1R
t4Y4.FNPSZ$BSE3FDPSEJOH
X.CQT%BUB5SBOTGFS
t%7$BN3FDPSEJOH
t$BDIF3FDPSEJOH
t*NBHFJOWFSTJPOGVODUJPO
tJODI&YNPS$.044FOTPST
t1JQ4XJUDIBCMF
t.VMUJQMFGSBNFSFDPSEJOH
tY)%'VKJOPO-FOT
tw-$%NPOJUPS
t'VMM.BOVBM'PDVT3JOH
t0WFSBOE6OEFSDSBOLJOH
t4VQQPSUCFGPSF
BOEBGUFSTBMF
t0OMJOFMJWFTVQQPSU
t.BTTJWFPOMJOFQSFTFODF
t)VHFJOWFOUPSZBWBJMBCMF
GPSXPSMEXJEFTIJQQJOH
t&EVDBUFZPVSTFMG
JOPVSQSPEVDU
SFTPVSDFDFOUFS
We will be closed:
March 29
thru April 6, 2010
®
Most orders shipped
within 24 hours
contents
#PAAGHMC70U
HVR-S270U
3-CMOS Pro HDV/CF Flash
Camcorder
t*OUFSDIBOHFBCMFw#BZPOFU
-FOT.PVOU4ZTUFN
t)%7%7$".%75BQF3FDPSEJOH
t/BUJWF1SPHSFTTJWF3FDPSEJOHBOE
4PMJETUBUF$'
.FNPSZ3FDPSEJOH
tw1SPHSFTTJWF$.044FOTPS
4ZTUFNXJUI&YNPS5FDIOPMPHZ
t%PXO$POWFSUT)%UP4%
tw
8JEF-$%.POJUPS
t)%.*PVUQVUBOEJ-*/,*OUFSGBDF
P2HD Pro Solid-State
Camcorder
t1PJOUPGWJFXNPVOUBCMFDBNFSB
t)%Y.1&(
"7$)%SFDPSEJOH
tw&YNPS$.04TFOTPS
t3FDPSETUP.FNPSZ4UJDL130
130)(%VP
t$BSM;FJTT7BSJP5FTTBS
YPQUJDBM[PPNMFOT
twXJEF-$%TDSFFO
t,JUJODMVEFTDBNFSBIFBEDPOUSPM
VOJUCBUUFSZ$%30.BOEDBCMFT
GY-HM100U
All items are complete
with all accessories
as supplied by
manufacturer.
#CAXHA1S
3-CCD Pro HDV Camcorder
t5SVF)JHI%FGJOJUJPO
3FTPMVUJPO7JEFPBUJ
'PS''SBNF3BUFT
tYw/BUJWF$$%T
XJUI.FHBQJYFMT&BDI
t&YUFSOBM"'4FOTPSGPS'BTU
BOE"DDVSBUF'PDVTJO)%
tY)%1SPGFTTJPOBM
-4FSJFT'MVPSJUF-FOT
t%*(*$%7**)%*NBHF1SPDFTTPS
tw8JEFTDSFFO-$%
t.JD*OQVU%VBM9-3
3-CCD Professional HD Solid
State Camcorder
3-CCD Pro SD/SDHC Camcorder
3-CMOS Pro HD Solid State
Camcorder
tBOE)%SFTPMVUJPO
SFDPSEJOHPO4%)$DBSET
tw.Q$.04
)%JNBHFTFOTPST
t"7$)%.1&(
"7$)FODPEJOH
tNFHBQJYFMTUJMMDBQBCJMJUZ
tYPQUJDBM[PPN
tJODI-$%NPOJUPS
t9-3BVEJPJOQVU)%.*PVUQVU
64#
XH-A1S
AG-HMC70U
AG-HMC40
New York, N.Y.
10001
Pro Shoulder-mount HDV
Camcorder
t)%7JBOE%741-1
SFDPSEJOHBOEQMBZCBDL
tw.FHBQJYFM
$.04*NBHF4FOTPS
t%PXO$POWFSTJPO.PEF
JUP4%
tw-$%
t.FNPSZ4UJDL%VP4MPU
t4NPPUI4MPX3FDPSE.PEF
XJUI"VEJP3FDPSEJOH
HD POV Camera Kit
#SOHXRMC1
Corner of 34th Street
Store & Mail Order
Hours:
Sunday: 10-5
Mon.-Thurs: 9-7
Friday: 9-1
Saturday: Closed
#SOHVRHD1000U
HXR-MC1
or Fax:
420 Ninth Ave.
HVR-HD1000U
VIXIA HV40
B&H Phones
Fax:
HDV Camcorder
tw$MFBS7JE$.04
.FHBQJYFM*NBHF4FOTPS
tYW$PMPSUFDIOPMPHZ
tGSBNFiGJMNMJLFw$JOFNB.PEF
t)%7%7'PSNBU3FDPSEJOH
t.JDSPQIPOF*OQVU
)FBEQIPOF+BDL
t.FNPSZ4UJDL130%VP.FEJB4MPU
t#VJMUJO*OUFMMJHFOU'MBTI
t)%.*5FSNJOBMt-"/$5FSNJOBM
3-CCD ProHD Solid State
Camcorder
t4VQQPSUTY
Y)%GPSNBUTJOBOE
.CQTXJUIWBSJBCMFGSBNFSBUFT
t%VBM4%)$DBSETMPUT
MPPQQSFSFDPSE
t$BQUVSFTOBUJWF2VJDL5JNFGJMFT
t'VKJOPOY)%MFOT
t%VBM9-3BVEJPXJUIQIBOUPN
t$PMPSWJFXGJOEFSBOE
MBSHF-$%NPOJUPS
NEW
#SOHDRAX2000
HDR-FX7
#SOHDRFX7
3-CMOS HDV Camcorder
t)JHI%FGJOJUJPO3FTPMVUJPO
Y
3FDPSEJOH
tYwXJUIL.FHBQJYFM
$MFBS7JE$.044FOTPST
tY$BSM;FJTT7BSJP4POOBS5
)JHI%FG0QUJDBM;PPN-FOT
t&YQBOEFE)%'PDVT*OEJDBUPS
t4NPPUI4MPX3FDPSEJOH.PEF
(SFBUGPS7JFXJOHPS"OBMZ[JOH
'PPUBHF4MPXMZ
tw8JEF$MFBS1IPUP-$%
t)%.**OUFSGBDF0VUQVU
HDR-AX2000
3-CMOS AVCHD Flash
Camcorder
t5ISFFw$.04&YNPSTFOTPST
t3FDPSETUP.FNPSZ4UJDL130%VP
4%4%)$$BSET%VBMNFEJBTMPUT
tJBOEQQ"7$)%
SFDPSEJOH
tY[PPN(-FOTNNXJEF
t;PPNGPDVTJSJTSJOHT
t%VBM9-3JOQVUTtw9USB'JOF-$%
t-PXMJHIU-69
DBQBCJMJUJFT
t$JOFNB5POF(BNNB
$JOFNB5POF$PMPSDPOUSPM
NEW
#SOHXRNX5U
#SOHVRZ5U
3-CMOS NXCAM Flash Memory
Camcorder
t5ISFFw&YNPS$.04TFOTPST
XJUIB$MFBS7JEBSSBZ
t$BQUVSFVTFT.FNPSZ4UJDL130
%VP4%)$$BSETXJUISFMBZ
SFDPSEDBQBCJMJUZPQUJPOBM)93
'.6GMBTINFNPSZVOJU
tYXJEF(TFSJFTMFOT
t)%4%*)%.*PVUQVU4.15&
5JNF$PEFJOPVU%VBM9-3JOQVUT
t#VJMUJO(14TZTUFN
tw9USB'JOF-$%
PMW-EX3
#SOPMWEX3
XL-H1S
HVR-Z5U
3-CMOS PRO HDV Camcorder
t4POZ$MFBS7JEJODI$.04
TFOTPSTXJUI&YNPSUFDIOPMPHZ
t4POZ(TFSJFTYPQUJDBM[PPN
MFOTNNXJEFFOE
t/BUJWFQ"Q
QSPHSFTTJWF
4DBOSFDPSEJOH
t%JSFDUDPOOFDUJWJUZUP4POZT)73
.$,GMBTINFNPSZSFDPSEFS
t3FDPSET)%7%7$"..JOJ%7
t%VBM9-3JOQVUT4.15&UJNFDPEF
tw9USB'JOF-$%XJUILQJYFMT
t$JOFNB5POF(BNNBBOE$PMPS
HXR-NX5U
PMW-350
3-CCD Pro HDV Camcorder
#CAXLH1S
t)%4%*JVODPNQSFTTFE
YPVUQVUXJUI
5$BOEHFOMPDL
twOBUJWF$$%JNBHF
TFOTPSTXJUI.QFBDI
t/FXY)%0*4[PPNMFOTXJUI
HSFBUFSDPOUSPMBOEMBSHFSSJOHT
t&YUFOEFEJNBHFDPOUSPMGVODUJPOT
t&OIBODFEBVEJPQFSGPSNBODF
XJUIHSFBUFSTFOTJUJWJUZ
t%*(*$%7**)%DPMPSQSPDFTTPS
t*OUFSDIBOHFBCMFMFOTNPVOU
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
t*OUFSDIBOHFBCMFwCBZPOFUMFOT
NPVOUJODM'VKJOPOYMFOT
tw&YNPS$.04JNBHF
TFOTPSTUIBUTIPPUGVMMSBTUFS
YIJEFGJNBHFSZ
t3FDPSEJOHPOSFNPWBCMF
4Y4GMBTINFNPSZDBSET
tBOETIPPUJOHNPEFT
XJUITFMFDUBCMFCJUSBUFTJOCPUI
1"-BOE/54$TUBOEBSET
t)JSFTw-$%NPOJUPS
t1JOSFNPUFTUVEJPDPOOFDUJWJUZ
Lens and power optional
#SOPMW350L
XDCAM EX Shoulder-mount
Camcorder
tw&YNPS'VMM)%
$.04TFOTPST
t4Y4NFNPSZDBSE)%SFDPSEJOH
tQ/BUJWF3FDPSEJOH
t'PVSDIBOOFMBVEJP
t5JNFDPEFJOPVUHFOMPDLJO
)%4%4%*BOE)%.*PVU
tw-$%NPOJUPS
t%7$".SFDPSEJOH
PQUJPO$#,%7
t*OUFSWBM'SBNFSFDPSEJOH
Quick Dials:
Consumer Video 813
Pro Video ........... 821
Pro Audio ............. 91
Video Editing ..... 831
Minimum
Shipping USA
(Except AK & HI)
$7.95, up to 1 lb.
Add 95¢ for each
additional lb.
For insurance
add 50¢ per $100.
contents
Prices are
subject to change.
full screen
Not responsible for
typographical errors
print
Page 3
CES Wrap
Exiting the Las Vegas
airport to grab a shuttle
for the LV Convention Center, I often
feel exactly like Jed
Clampett of the Beverly
Hillbillies did when his
shotgun uncovered
that “bubbling crude.”
BY MARSHAL ROSENTHAL
Welcome to CES: Where
Comfortable Shoes
Meet Video High-Tech
contents
full screen
print
34
I’ve been attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
for enough years - and by that
I mean even before the days of
the Chicago Summer version - to
know that the real highlights
are never found on the massive
floors of the convention halls.
It’s not often the “big boys” who
make my day (apologies to Clint
Eastwood), but the small entrepreneurs and companies found
in the hotels, smaller meeting
rooms and side alleys.
Knowing better than to go to
the hotel room, my first stop is
the press room in the South Hall.
Passing the Blogger Lounge, I
file it away in my head as a good
place to catch my breath later
- noticing that Videomaker’s own
Tom Skowronski is chatting up
Jon Landau, producer of Avatar
(see videomaker.com/r/394). To
assume they’re talking about 3D
seems safe, but I’m stoked on seeing some 3D tech working myself.
A quick glance around the press
room, a cup of coffee and a bagel
wrapped in a napkin, and I’m off.
Let’s hit the concrete and see what
we can find.
contents
full screen
print
35
CES Wrap
Panasonic 3D Full HD Camera
Recorder
Which is to say Panasonic HAS to be
the first stop – a full HD 3D camcorder using two lenses that you can
actually carry around (albeit on a
tripod if you don’t want the shakes).
The 3D Full HD Camcorder is part
of Panasonic’s 3D Full HD production system, adding to the twin-lens
P2 Pro camcorder a 3D-compatible
high-definition plasma. While still in
development, the P2’s non-mechanical solid-state construction allows for
a compact shape making 3D shooting
less restrictive (as has been the case).
What gets shot might not be the next
Avatar, but it will most likely be out
sooner.
Casio Exilim EX-FH100 Digital
Camera
Digital cameras have gotten so
feature-laden that they’ve forgotten
what they were designed for in the
first place: taking pictures as well
as shooting video. That’s where the
high-speed “shutter” of this Casio
takes over. Shooting a few frames
per second can slow things a bit,
but capturing up to one-thousand
(1000fps!) frames per second means
slow-motion video that’s crazy
delicious. Talk about seeing things
“frozen” in time.
CES Wrap
Sony FX Handycams
Sony’s Handycams have never been
accused of being puny when it comes
to the technology powering the
video, but don’t you think it’s time
they joined the ranks of all of those
SD memory card users? The new
FX series builds in support for SD
cards, which means you can leave the
pain of trying to find a large enough
memory stick to the forgotten past. Of
course, there are advanced features
and quality optics working, but now
memory needs can be easily fulfilled.
Fuji W1 Digital Camera
With 3D being all the craze now, hats
off to Fuji for jumping into the arena
head first. The W1 shoots 3D still images, as you’d expect from a 3D camera,
but video can also be captured in the
third dimension. As you’d expect, you
need a good-sized memory card, since
3D video is pretty large and the camera
shuts down after about 20 minutes are
shot. Of course, the fact that the video
is in a new format means everybody
has to scramble to support it – otherwise what’s the use? Viewing the 3D
doesn’t change the need for a 3Dequipped TV and glasses, unless you go
with Fuji’s half-a-grand Digital Picture/
Movie player that uses glass tech to let
you watch a 3D effect without sticking
anything on your face.
Lowel Blender
Never think that lighting a location is
boring – rarely will you get the chance
to just hit everything with a burst of
daylight and call it quits. So filling in a
scene, where, for example, you have
a lobby where daylight mixes with
tungsten lamps, can be dicey. Or rather,
blended, because Lowel’s new lamp
head uses twin arrays of color-accurate
LEDs to let you twist a knob for mixing
daylight and tungsten color temperatures together for the most natural
look. The Blender includes diffusers,
fits on a camera top or compact light
stand and will run off video camera
batteries if you don’t want to trail a
power cord from an AC source.
Magix Video Pro X2
Building off already highly-developed
video technology and a flexible user
interface, the popular video editing
and post production software pumps
itself up even further with version 2.0.
What’s new? Handling Window 7 like
a champ, for one. Improved multi-processor and audio effects support too.
Shure X2u XLR-to-USB Signal
Adaptor
Good sound rarely comes from the
camcorder’s built-in mic, which begs
the question: who makes an adaptor
so I can use that high-falutin’ mic with
my laptop on location? Shure does, for
one, and the X2u XLR-to-USB Signal
Adaptor does its digital best controlling the input signal strength. It lets
you know what’s going on with its
built-in headphone monitoring and
easy controls for balancing mic and
playback audio. Better than CD quality
and plug-and-play USB capabilities on
Mac and PCs means you’re not stuck
with junky sound.
Kodak PlaySport Zx3 Pocket
Camcorder
Thinking of Kodak as a winner when
it comes to casual “handycams”
stretches the bounds of imagination
– well, it did, but not now. A reasonably-priced camcorder that shoots
HD video (1080i or 720p) is a good
start, as is adding electronic image
stabilization to avoid the jitters that
few seem to avoid when shooting with
one hand. Face-tracking tech makes
sense too (especially as you can shoot
5-megapixel stills in widescreen), but
the best part is that it’s waterproof!
Yep, drop it in the sink or dive into the
pool and, as long as you don’t hit the
10-foot (3-meter) mark, you and the
PlaySport will be fine.
Creative Vado HD Pocket Cam
That eyes will turn when you pull out
the Vado is a given – it’s just that attrac-
tive. But having tech inside that’s just
as pretty makes the cam a winner: start
with a wide-angle lens and manual exposure controls for that. Add external
stereo mic support for leaving the builtin out of the “picture” or take high-res
stills to accompany the two hours of
1080i or 720p HD video you can shoot.
Add an HDMI video output to go direct
to an HDTV if you don’t want to use the
built-in USB for transferring video to a
Mac or PC (don’t forget the removable
rechargeable battery which means you
can carry spares around). Finally, put
the Vado into motion detection mode
and let it start itself the next time your
arms ache from holding a cam up
while waiting for Shamu to jump out of
the water.
Cisco FLIP Mino HD
Calling a new iteration of an existing
camcorder “next-generation” can be
risky if you don’t deliver some significant differences that are readily understood. Fortunately, Cisco hasn’t faulted
here, because the Mino MD doubles
the memory, enlarges the screen and
adds direct uploading to Facebook.
That should make many folks happy.
Capturing HD is still the name of the
game, but adding a brushed metal finish jazzes up the look for the style conscious (don’t forget you can personalize
the cover with thousands of available
Magix Video Pro X2
Sony FX Handycams
designs if you’re not into making your
own), and the touch-sensitive buttons
give it a clean look as well.
DXG 3DView Pocket Cam
DXG is diving into 3D video with a
pistol-grip pocket cam that, if nothing
else, makes for a sensible hold while
shooting. Dual lens combined with
dual video recording streams perform
the 3D “magic,” while an extra display
shifting off to the side can be used for
glasses-less 3D content viewing. That
it’s coming out later this year could
be true, but it’s also true that what we
saw isn’t ready for prime time yet.
VIZIO XVT Pro Series HDTVs
All this talk about HD camcorders has
made me thirsty...for a wireless HD solution that can let me avoid having to
pop cables between my videos and the
HDTV. So, while a 72-inch LED-driven
XVT Pro HDTV from Vizio can join the
parade, I want its high-def wireless
HDMI leading as the Grand Marshal.
Because being able to stream full HD
wirelessly using 60GHz technology
should make for a robust signal – even
if you do have to go and drop a few
more dollars on the Vizio Wireless
HDMI adaptor for your video source.
Sharp AQUOS Quad-Pixel HDTV
Call me old-fashioned, but doesn’t
anybody care about making an HDTV
that LOOKS good? Give a shout out for
the engineers at Sharp, because they
think the opposite of color blind is
color-overwhelmed. As in beefing up
their HDTVs from millions of colors
to trillions. The quad-pixel tech adds
another color element to the mix and
so shading goes up more than just a
notch. Will you notice this on one of
their sets out in the spring? Maybe
not. Maybe all you’ll notice is how life-
t
Visi
contents
Casio Exilim EX-FH100Digital Camera
Lowel Blender
full screen
Magix Video Pro X2
Kodak PlaySport Zx3
Pocket Camcorder
print
36
Watch the interview with producer Jon
Landau about Panasonic’s 3D technology here: videomaker.com/r/394
Read our blog about the camera here:
videomaker.com/r/395
contents
full screen
print
37
CES Wrap
like the image looks. If that’s the case,
then you’ve noticed correctly.
Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen
Tablet
The biggest beef about drawing on a
computer is that there’s none of that
feedback you have on paper (whether
your drawing ability is any good or
not is another issue altogether). But if
you’re going to add imaging to videos
through software, you are pretty
much restricted to a drawing pad. Of
course, it should be a good drawing
pad, which is where Wacom comes in
with the Intuos4. It’s redesigned to be
more responsive both from the physical as well as execution point of view.
Different sizes means a more sensible
approach, depending upon your
hands and the kind of imaging you
draw. The new precision mode and
the added levels of pressure sensitivity
for dynamically adjusting exposure,
brush size, line weight and opacity are
all worth knowing about – and using.
Barber Tech Steddiepod
If a camel is an animal created by
committee, then mixing a camera
stabilizer, monopod, tripod and doggie cam with a camera boom should
lead to interesting results. Which in
this case is the Steddiepod that makes
camera stabilizing on the go as easy
Creative Vado HD
Pocket Cam
CES Wrap
as today’s camcorders are light. Pretty
much any kind of shot that was stuck
to a stand held down by weights is liberated. Helping this along is a springloaded fluid head with built-in level
ball Dutch tilts and legs that twist and
fold up for transport.
Steadicam iPhone Smoothee
Don’t be a snob like me. Sure I take
videos with my iPhone 3GS, but I never expect them to be as stable as the
ones shot on my camcorder. ‘Course
I’m not so old that I can’t learn a new
trick, especially when it involves a
comfortable grip that doesn’t get in
the way of using the iPhone as a, er,
phone while bringing the stability of
a steadicam to Apple’s video-shooting
gem. And while Smoothee is designed
for the iPhone, the quick-release
mount can turn into a tabletop stand
or be put on a tripod for more conventional use. So, even if I start getting
the shakes (living in Southern California can do that to you), my iPhone
won’t be sharing it.
Imation Pro WX Wireless USB
External Hard Drive
There was a time when you got excited
when a hard drive could be connected
to a computer or laptop and just
worked. Now it’s all about speed – actually no. If it’s the Pro WX external
drive, then it’s all about wireless. Plenty
of storage (1 terabyte) is good, as are
fast data transfer speed and dependable parts to keep the drive spinning
for a long time. But by adding wireless
USB technology for data transfer, you
can leave the drive safely up to 30 feet
away and keep it spinning on its merry
way as up to 15 megabytes get transferred each second. There’s even security built in so that hackers don’t grab
your data (is it time to put on those foil
helmets already?).
Iomega iConnect Wireless
Data Station
A Network Attached Storage device
(NAS) sounds cool and high-tech. Who
doesn’t like the idea of being able
to access a drive filled with videos
throughout your network like the pros
do? But who has the time, inclination
or the bucks to set one more of these
up? That’s where iConnect comes in
– no it’s not from Apple; it’s Iomega’s
great idea with a low price tag too
(again, not Apple). Think of it as a
“wireless data station” that joins your
network quick and fast. Then all you
do is plug a USB drive (or more than
one) into one of its four USB ports and
start using it. Works with Macs and
PCs for sure, even the PS3 using that
DLNA standard. Built-in security protection too. Well done, Iomega.
GoPro HD Helmet HERO
Tired of jury-rigging a camcorder
to your bike or ruining yet another
bicycle helmet trying to shove a bullet cam through? Be a hero in what
you’re going to shoot, not how you
shoot it, by using the HD Helmet Pro.
Constructed to do the job you want
with precision and a nice 1080p HD
video, we’re talking pro quality resolution and frames per second with auto
exposure handling the chores and a
mono mic tossed in. Keep going for
almost three hours on a single charge
and record up to nine hours, if you
have a 32GB SD card inserted. And for
the still photo folks, you can start the
camera recording and have the shutter
take over automatically as the 5-megapixel photos go off in a predetermined
sequence from 2 to up to 60 seconds.
Plus all the cords and strap-mounts
you need for attaching it to helmets of
your choice. Just remember to let the
removable polycarbonate housing do
its thing to protect the camera from
hazards and water. And, yeah, you can
clamp it to the bike’s handlebars if
you want...
Buffalo USB 3.0 ExpressCard
There’s an old song about Buffalo
gals coming out tonight, but I’d rather
dance with a USB ExpressCard that
can work with one of those super-fast
VIZIO XVT Pro Series HDTVs
contents
GoPro HD Helmet HERO
print
38
Seagate USB 3.0 External Hard
Drive Kit for Laptops
...or maybe I’ll go with Seagate’s
solution too. This is a full USB 3.0
solution for laptops using an external
drive and consists of the BlackArmor
PS110 USB 3.0 and a USB 3.0 add-in
controller card that fits into a PC card
slot. Now you’re fast, and I mean
fast as in up to 100MBps which is
about 3X USB 2.0 drives, access to a
500Gigabyte 2.5-inch drive spinning
at 7,200 rpm (drawing its power from
another USB port).
On to the Next Show…
As much as we’d love to write about
every product we saw at CES, Videomaker had seven people besides this
writer in attendance, and we can’t
fill the entire magazine with all our
slobberings over new gear coming
out. As much as we’d like to, really,
truly. So read more about many other
new products we saw and companies
we got to visit on the Videomaker blog
(http://videomaker.com/community/
blogs/videonews).
Until, then, well, we’ll be checking
out the next tradeshows coming up,
as this is tradeshow season: PMA in
February (Photo Marketing Association) and NAB (National Association of
Broadcasters) in April.
Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology and consumer
electronics freelance writer.
Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station
full screen
USB 3.0 hard drives. So I’ll say hello to
the Buffalo guys who make it instead.
Popping in the card lets your laptop
take advantage of the drive’s fasterthan-Firewire speed, making it ideal
for on-location video recording in real
time. Of course, fast access to storage
space begs plenty of other uses, but
the ExpressCard’s two slots and up to
5Gbps is beckoning for some serious
use. Of course, now I’ll have to get one
of the USB DriveStation HD-HXU3 3.0
drives from Buffalo as well...
FEEDBACK
! "# $ %
&'(# ))*(#+'*,-!. %
""#"
%"
"
!/
%
"*
0*#1
%
#
%
%2""345 #
* %
( 6776
* #
#$3-$# *
7
%*
8
%
7.
*
contents
*9* : /;& <=
) 0(+#,>/7$? ) 0(+#,)
full screen
print
39
Merchandise
Look Professional While in the Field!
Black Cap
Black Printed T-Shirt
Stylish FlexFit design with embroidered
Videomaker logo. Directors often wear
baseball caps to avoid glare from the
sun and studio lights. Why
not make yours a
Videomaker cap?
“Shoot, Create, Publish” graphic
on the back, Videomaker logo
on the front. Wear it to social
events so they know
you’re into video.
Black Professional-Casual
Camp Shirt
HD Video DSLRs
A Different Kind of Camcorder
Embroidered Videomaker logo
above the pocket. A great way
to identify yourself as the
professional videographer at
Event/Formal shoots.
eBooks & eDocs
Download an eBook today! You'll be able to save the file
and print it off at your convenience! Over 100 titles!
New! Video On Demand
Download a popular Video On Demand right to your
computer in minutes! Choose from more than 90 videos!
BY DOUG DIXON
Instructional Books
Select from 30+ books!
Videomaker Workshops
• The Basics of Video Production $399
• Advanced Editing $499
• Intensive Lighting $499
• Documentary Production $499
Upcoming Dates:
• February 26-28
• March 19-21
contents
full screen
print
• April 23-25
• May 21-23
• August 13-15
• October 15-17
• December 10-12
Go Online For More Details
Order Online: http://www.videomaker.com/merchandise • Order by Phone: Toll Free 1-800-284-3226
Shop our Online Store at www.videomaker.com/merchandise
Still or motion?
Camera or camcorder?
Technology is converging —
consumer digital cameras
now shoot HD video and video
camcorders shoot multimegapixel photos. And the trend
has continued into professional
digital SLR cameras, which have
evolved to add the ability to shoot
HD video.
contents
full screen
print
41
Low Light — no grain
Outdoor Natural Lighting — shallow depth of field
Indoor Lighting — shallow DoF
Night Lighting — extreme wide-angle CU
Sometimes called a video or HD DSLR, this idea
was originally conceived as a way to help photojournalists expand their repertoire and has
grown quickly to become attractive to videographers as well.
Canon, Panasonic and Nikon have responded
to growing interest in video DSLRs by introducing a range of products, from enthusiast models
around $900 to more rugged workhorse models
around $2,000 for pros like journalists and wedding photographers to high-end models around
$5,000.
For example, Nikon popularized the video
DSLR concept with the D90, introduced in mid2008, a 12.3-megapixel camera with a D-Movie
video mode, which is now available for $900.
Nikon then added the D5000 at $680, with a
flip-out LCD. The D300S at $1,700 adds more pro
features, including an external microphone jack,
support for both SD card and more rugged CF
card storage media, and an enhanced 51-point
autofocus system with contrast-detect AF during
movie recording.
The new professional 12.1MP Nikon D3S
is a more rugged, bigger and heavier unit, at
$5,200., with improved image quality and
response speed, featuring high ISO sensitivity
from 200 to 12,800 (compared to 200 to 3200
on the other models).
The D3S also steps up to a full-frame FX
format sensor, roughly the size of a 35mm film
frame, with higher sensitivity and lower noise.
The smaller DX sensor used in the other cameras allows them to be smaller and lighter, but
introduces a 1.5x crop factor (i.e., a 24mm lens
on a DX sensor camera will actually result in an
approximate 36mm view).
Similarly, the Canon product line ranges from
the 15MP EOS Rebel T1i at $800 to the semi-pro
18MP 7D at $1,699, the workhorse 21MP fullframe 5D Mark II at $2,699 with 24-minute HD
continuous recording to a 4GB CF card, and the
new rugged professional 16MP EOS 1D Mark IV
at $4,999., with 45-point AF and wide ISO range
from 100 to 12,800 (and to 102,400 in extended
mode), so you can shoot almost in the dark.
The Canon cameras shoot in Full HD (1920x
1080) resolution, plus 720p and SD, and store
the clips to MOV files with H.264 compression.
Canon is providing firmware updates to support
true video rates: 30 (29.97), 24 (23.976) and 25
frames per second.
However, these cameras have short recording
times, limited by the size of movie file on the storage card. For example, the Nikon cameras store
up to 2GB per clip or approximately 5 minutes of
720p video or 20 minutes at standard definition.
The Canon cameras record video up to 4GB per
clip, or 12 minutes of Full HD video, 18 minutes
of 720p HD or 24 minutes of SD.
Video DSLRs
With a video DSLR, you can carry one camera
for shooting both photos and video, and shoot
video unobtrusively and in difficult environments. The big bonus, however, is the glass
AJA
– the ability to use the extensive collection of
XENA LHE
photographic lenses available for DSLR cameras, giving you amazing flexibility in controlling
focal length and depth of field. Combined with
high ISO ranges from image sensors much larger than typical camcorders, the result is great
flexibility in shooting in low-light situations.
However, these cameras are still primarily designed for still photography, and not for studio or
event use, so they don’t have features like builtin stereo microphones, and they typically shoot
only short clips, around five to ten minutes. In
addition, the video modes do not provide the
full capabilities of the traditional photographic
modes, with limited manual control and/or limited auto focus or exposure options.
The Cameras
But over the past year, companies including
Accessories for DSLRs
contents
full screen
print
The video DSLR camera is a different kind of hybrid device,
and so can use new rigging systems, whether handheld or
shoulder-mounted for shooting on the move, or locked down
for more cinema-style setups.
For example, Switronix has expanded from batteries
and charging solutions for professional film and video with its
DSLR-PRO camera shoulder support/stabilizer system that is
designed to be light and compact for fluid shooting (starting at
only $279).
The product is based on the Switronix video stabilizers, but
with the camera baseplate mount elevated, DSLR shooting
brings the viewfinder to eye level. It’s constructed from aircraft
aluminum, with the design featuring a flexible shoulder bracket,
42
handle grip and 3-axis adjustment for positioning the camera.
For more cinema-style shooting, Redrock Micro offers a
line of cinema accessories for “independent filmmakers, film
educators and students, and budget-conscious moviemakers.”
Its flagship M2 cinema lens adaptor allows DV and HDV cameras to use 35mm cinema lenses to control depth of field, angle
of view and focus (bundles start at $1798). Other accessories
include a follow focus system, mounts and filters.
More recently Redrock has introduced a line for use with
video Digital SLR cameras, the DSLR 2.0 Hybrid Support
Rigs, with models for handheld use and in shoulder mount and
cinema-style designs. These are compatible with most video
DSLRs, including Nikon and Canon, and most components can
be used with video cameras, RED cameras and other DSLRs.
The Redrock rigs are built around a DSLR baseplate, a
YOU CAN BRING YOUR TALENT TO
THE CAPABILITIES OF THE CAMERA,
INSTEAD OF VICE VERSA.
These cameras shoot video in Live View mode,
in which the mirror flips out of the way so you
can monitor the scene directly on the LCD display on the back of the camera.
The Nikon D-Movie mode shoots HD video up
to 720p (1280x720) resolution (1280x1024 on
the D3s), at 24 fps. The video is stored in motion
JPEG format, good for extracting stills, and the
cameras have HDMI out for viewing photos and
videos directly on an HDTV.
Photos to Video
The benefits to photographers who want to add
video to their repertoire are clear, says Steven
Heiner, senior technical manager at Nikon:
“It’s within the comfort zone for still photographers… The technology changes, but within the
same tool, lenses and creative sensibilities. They
can shoot short clips, with same compositional
confidence, the same intent, in low light, with a
long lens. Stills come to life; you can bring your
talent to the capabilities of the camera, instead
of vice versa.”
Agrees Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated staff
photographer: “Two things principally motivated
me to start working with a DSLR camera instead
lightweight connector to attach the camera to 15mm rails,
with set screws for adding accessories. The rigs use carbon
fiber rods for strength with reduced weight and are based on
cinema standards when possible, including the 15mm rails,
film pitch gearing and standard filter sizes. They are available
in pre-built configurations, or you can build your own rig from
the individual components.
For handheld use, the Redrock UltraPort rig has dual rubberized side grips ($440), and a model called theEvent for
wedding/event and photojournalists adds a body pad extension for additional support ($640). The Captain Stubling
model adds follow focus with 35mm lens gearing for repeatable focusing, and a horizontal handgrip to control focus with
the thumb and forefinger ($975).
The basic eyeSpy shoulder mount rig has a shoulder pad
HD Video DSLRs
HD Video DSLRs
Video DSLR
frame grabs
from Noah
Harald (www.
noahharald.
com) using a
Nikon D90.
extension, plus a handgrip positioned under the camera, with a
rod extension to center the camera’s viewfinder, at around 1.6
pounds ($620). Additional configurations add counterbalance
weights (2.4 pounds each, $810) and follow focus gearing (4
pounds 9 ounces, $1470).
Redrock also offers a shoulder-mounted DSLR Field Cinema Bundle designed for use with an external video monitor,
with support cage and top handle for stability and ruggedness
($1995).
And for cinema-style set ups, the DSLR Cinema Bundle
features a matte box and follow focus, with support cage and
top handle, also useful for low-angle shots (around 9 pounds,
$2445). For more on the Switronix DSLR-PRO and two other
DSLR accessories, please see the review on page 22 or at
www.videomaker.com/article/14645/.
43
contents
full screen
print
SubScriber
Alert!
HD Video DSLRs
Dynamic Range
www.NoahHarald.com
of a strictly video camera. First, the incredible
optics. Second, the comfort of working with the
same basic equipment configurations I have used
for my entire career. These cameras allow me to
consolidate my gear list, so I can take a wider array of lenses and accessories.”
Frakes has worked with the Nikon D90, D300s
and D3s. See his websites for his photography
(www.BillFrakes.com) and multimedia productions combining stills, video and audio (www.
StrawHatVisuals.com).
Video also provides a new revenue opportunity, says photographer Ami Vitale: “Content is in
demand, and I had to make the change to survive.
It’s also practical because I shoot print formats
as well as video, and having it in one body really
simplifies things.”
Vitale travels widely for magazines including National Geographic, Newsweek, Time and
Smithsonian. See her website for an example of
video she has shot with the Nikon 300s (www.
AmiVitale.com).
color in the noise. This is more like
film grain.”
Noah Harald is an independent filmmaker and
videographer who has made the transition to
shooting with DSLRs. See his website for examples of his films and commercials (www.
NoahHarald.com). Harald’s introduction to the
Nikon D90 came for a commercial for Lincoln. “I
was excited about using Nikon lenses for a film
shoot,” he says. “We shot the night life of L.A.,
cars, bars and restaurants, and were not weighed
down with a big crew. It worked perfect and I fell
in love. There’s a depth of field, sharpness and
clarity of prime lenses.”
“It was great how little light was needed,” says
Harald. “In the interiors, the more we turned off
the lighting, the more real it looked. The contrast looks beautiful; there’s a quality to the dark
areas, with more dynamic range. Camcorders
provide around 4 to 5 stops, film provides 11 and
this is in the middle. There’s more detail in the
black; it’s richer.”
“They look more cinematic,” he says. “There’s
a quality to the video that’s more film-like.
Video can be incredibly sharp – too sharp – or
the noise will give it away as video noise, with
www.AmiVitale.com
full screen
www.BillFrakes.com
44
Night Lighting — good black-and-white contrast
Video to Stills
contents
print
Indoor Lighting — full grayscale spectrum
Production
Shooting video with a DSLR consolidates equipment and provides more
flexibility for production, especially
because you’re not so obviously
shooting video.
“I travel to remote places,” says
Vitale, “and the weight and amount of
gear that I carry is always an issue. I
was excited by the possibility of being
able to switch so quickly and easily
between formats without having to
carry a completely different setup. I
need for people to feel comfortable
and relaxed, and this format was a lot
less intimidating than a much bigger
traditional video camera.”
HIGH-END MODELS HAVE
AUDIO INPUT; OTHERS RECORD ONLY MONO SOUND.
However, even with the smaller
camera, says Harald, “People don’t
question the professionalism of the
crew.” And in a more traditional filmmaking setup, “It works well on rig
and is something of a conversation
piece.” In addition, the small size allows for more run-and-gun use. “You
can shoot with just the camera,” he
says, “while a more visible camcorder
causes problems in a night club or a
restaurant. It’s a great advantage for
guerilla filmmakers.”
Shooting Style
But there’s still an adjustment,
whether your background is photos or video. For Vitale, “Video, as a
medium, is quite Zen-like. It forces
still photographers to plan more, to
be more patient and to think about
the story in a tangential way. The
principles are the same, but you need
to wait longer, hold shots and get a
variety of angles and perspectives to
make it flow.”
Shooting with a DSLR is “more like
film,” says Harald. He recommends
using a rig when possible, saying “it
helps to stabilize the camera since it
uses a rolling shutter.”
Similarly, Harald recommends capturing sound separately – the cameras
are not as quiet as camcorders, and,
while the high-end models have an
audio input, the others record only
mono sound. This is a good idea even
if you just plan to shoot photos, since
you can use the ambient sound to
create multimedia presentations with
animated stills, as shown on Frakes’
StrawHatVisuals.com site.
Wrap
Even with all this excitement, video
DSLR cameras are still in the early
phases of development. There are
obvious areas of improvement, some
of which are already appearing in
the newer, higher-end models, from
longer recording times to more complete photo-like control when you are
shooting video.
Harald concludes, “It’s a different format, not for long weddings or
sports. But it would be hard to go back
to a video camera with a fixed lens.
I’ve converted a couple of friends and
expect that DSLR for video will be
pretty common in a few years.”
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
FEEDBACk
V I D E O M A K E R > > > Ap R Il 2 0 1 0
You may be contacted by unauthorized
subscription agents asking you to renew
your subscription. These companies are not
authorized to represent Videomaker nor are
they affiliated with us in any way. Please do
not give out any personal, payment or credit
card information to the companies listed below.
Videomaker will not accept orders from these
companies and if you choose to renew through
them you will likely never receive any issues
of Videomaker. Please do not renew your
subscription by mail, phone or Internet through
any of these unauthorized companies:
• American Consumer Publishing Association,
Inc. (ACPA)
• Associated Publishers Subscription Services
• Circulation Billing Center
• Circulation Billing Services
• Consolidated Media Services
• Consumer Publishing Association Inc
• Dominate Marketing, LLC
• Global Publication Service (s)
• IC Marketing
• Lake Shore Publishers Service (LSPS)
• Magazine Billing Center
• Magazine Billing, LLC
• Magazine Billing and Collection Service
• Magazine Billing Services
• Magazine Payment Services
• MBN
• Magazine Readers Service Center
• National Magazine Services, Inc.
• Periodical Billing Services
• Platinum Publishing Service
• Premier Subscriber Services
• Publisher’s Billing Association
• Publishers Billing Center
• Publishers Billing Emporium
• Publisher’s Billing Exchange
• Publishers Billing Services
• Publishers Distribution Services, Inc
• Publishers Educational Services
• Publisher’s Payment Services
• Publishers Periodical Service
• Publisher’s Processing Services
• Publishers Services Exchange
• Rapid Magazine Collection
• Readers Payment Services
• Rocky Mountain Readers
• Subscription Billing Services
• Subscription Collection Associates
• Subscription Payment Services
• Web: http://acpai.com
Authentic Videomaker renewal notices will only
come with zip code 95927 (Chico, CA) on the return
address envelope.
If you are contacted by any of the
companies listed above, please let us know
immediately by writing to:
Videomaker Customer Service
P.O. Box 3780. Chico, CA 95927
[email protected]
45
contents
full screen
print
Making
Music
When most new filmmakers think of making a music video, images of
beautiful dancers, exotic locations and slick musicians come to mind.
O
n big-budget productions that scene sometimes plays
out. In the low- to no-budget realm of independent video
production, the scene will be far more modest. Despite
real-world limitations facing indie video producers, there’s nothing limiting you in creating a visually artistic and memorable
video to highlight a song.
Where to Begin?
Before you can make a memorable music video (often called MV in
the trade), there are two critical areas you must consider first: the
Aesthetic Style and Logistics. Logistics involve the hard realities of
how your video will get made. Ultimately, the size of your production budget and available resources will determine your options.
For more information on MV logistics, see our article by Michael
Fitzer, The Art of Making Music Videos (www.videomaker.com/article/13049). Aside from logistics, the biggest influence on your MV
will be its aesthetic style. In a nutshell, aesthetic style relates to
the artistic elements and manner in which you present your music
video. Aesthetic Style is what we’ll focus on.
During your initial brainstorming session, seriously listen to the
music and let your ideas flow. Filter out all the ‘wouldn’t it be great
if...’ ideas like explosions and car chases from the process. Extravagant ideas will cost time, money and resources you most likely can’t
Videos:
by H. Wolfgang Porter
Styles
These basic styles break down as follows: Musician(s) Only feature
the artist or band onstage or on-location with no other elements.
Narrative Story typically involves elements which tell a short story
reflecting the lyrics or sentiment of the song. Narratives usually also
involve on-screen talent as story elements. Musician within the Narrative includes the artist(s) as story elements. Abstract Montage is a
combination of images or artwork that may have no relationship to
the music but are visually stimulating.
Music videos have been around for a long time and many of the
top producers today started from humble beginnings. Two individuals whose names are rising in the industry are MTV contributor Ali
Santana and independent film director Jessie James Jackson, Jr.
Their videos Automatic Writing (Santana) and Oh Jesus (Jackson)
are great examples of mixing aesthetic styles and keeping it simple.
I took the opportunity to speak with them about their differing approaches to creating aesthetic styles.
Open art photos by Jesse Rosten
www.JesseRosten.com
Making
Sense of
Making Art
afford. Since the music is the force driving the video, you’ll need to
decide what style of video you want to make. The most common
styles feature the musician(s) only, a narrative story, musician(s)narrative mix and abstract montage.
contents
contents
full screen
full screen
print
print
46
47
Making
Making
MusicVideos:
MusicVideos:
Videomaker: What is your main job in
the video-film industry?
Ali Santana (Automatic Writing): I’m primarily
an editor but I also direct.
Jessie James Jackson (Oh Jesus): My
main job is film directing, but I also write,
edit and produce.
VM: How did you begin making MVs?
Jessie: In the ‘80s I worked at a broadcast
link company for live sporting events. I
became interested in camerawork and
enrolled in the Vancouver Film School to
learn cinematography, but fell in love with
directing. After working in Canada for a few
years, I came back to the States and started
my own production company.
I START BY LISTENING AND
IMAGINING WHAT IS HAPPENING ON-SCREEN.
Ali: As a teenager I always had ideas of
how to make MVs. It wasn’t until college that
I gained the skills to make them. After college
I started collaborating with Rapper “Spec
Boogie” (Robert Cave) on my first real MV.
We worked well together because I had met
him years before when he was still a graphic
designer, so he had a good aesthetic sense.
contents
full screen
Director Jackson kept the video for Oh
Jesus simple, and let the music tell the
story. this would be a Musicians within
the Narrative style of music video.
VM: Do you alone come up with your
MV’s aesthetic style?
Ali: Usually yes. I start by listening to the
music and imagining what is happening
on-screen. Then I write a treatment and
afterwards it grows into a collaborative
project.
Jessie: Yes. I also listen to the song
and then, based on the budget, I’ll come
up with an aesthetic style for the video.
Most clients want to put in a lot of
nonsense like explosions and lots of girls,
but don’t take their budget into account.
Initially, most don’t understand that the
budget decides how to shape the look of
the video.
VM: What influences do you draw on for
your aesthetic concepts?
Jessie: Sometimes I’ll close my eyes while
listening to the music and think about situations. My concepts come from both mine
and the client’s experiences and those ideas
go into the video.
Ali: Growing up with a film director
father and a photojournalist mother, I can’t
help but be influenced by their work. As a
kid I would go with my mother on the job
and I would sit on my father’s lap while he
edited movies. I also draw inspiration from
art, movies and personal experiences.
VM: Which style of MV best suits your
aesthetic style?
Ali: I love it all, but the song really dictates
what I make. I also love telling a story.
Abstract style is a favorite since I was
exposed to artists like Keith Harring and
Jean Michael Basquiat. I prefer art that
streams from the subconscious unfiltered
and not ‘too clean.’
Jessie: I also like abstract imagery, but I think you can do so much more
featuring the musician to best express the
song’s theme. I prefer working with jazz,
because you don’t always need as much
coverage for your ideas.
Ali: The work I’ve done for MTV
reflects the sense of cutting-edge abstract
style that influenced me as a teenager. I
wondered what it would be like working
Director Santana used a Musician
within the Narrative style of shooting
for the music video, Automatic Writing.
for them, and now it’s pretty fun doing that
kind of crazy-looking video work.
VM: With so many MVs posted on YouTube and other sites, what advice would
you give indie producers to help improve
their video’s aesthetic?
Jessie: I think simplicity is something most
MV producers don’t understand. To convey a
concept, you have to understand the pieces
you have to work with. Trying to copy work
that cost millions of dollars to make and
have it look awful because you didn’t have
the budget isn’t too smart. When you keep
things simple, you can always add to it later.
Basic shots are invaluable when making
your videos. As a director, you also need to
understand basic editing, as it will make
your life easier!
Ali: I have to say, there is a lot of
questionable stuff on YouTube, because
these days there are no ‘gatekeepers’ like
on TV to say you can’t make something. So
everyone is making stuff exactly like the
last person did.
from a conversation between rapper “Elucid”
and me as we walked around NYC one day.
During our walk, we saw so many things
relating to the song that I created a document with hundreds of reference images.
We liked the idea of messages being hidden
in everyday life, so I went out and shot lots
of guerilla-style footage in addition to using
stock footage to build the aesthetic look. To
me, the artist’s lyrics are like a movie script
and, as a director, I must visually interpret
those words into video.
VM: What tools do you use for your work?
Jessie: I use a Mac Workstation and FCP
Studio for my production work.
Ali: I primarily use a MacBook Pro, FCP
and After Effects to edit and composite. I use
Vegas for audio work; it is one of my favorite
programs. However, AFX is my ‘wife’!
Jessie: I want to add that the MV world
has changed. You now can make films from
the comfort of your home. You don’t have to
chase after technology, because it will kill
you financially! Get something you can work
with and master it. Just because you have
the latest gear doesn’t mean you know what
you’re doing. Chasing after the latest gear
can be like a drug, and I can’t tell you how
much money I wasted doing that.
Ali: I’m passionate about coming up with
an idea and can’t understand how someone
can be happy copying someone else’s work.
Today you don’t need a $100k workstation to
make a great music video! Because of that,
it’s so much easier to get your own ideas out
there.
Writer-Producer-Director H. Wolfgang Porter is a
former U.S. Naval Combat Cameraman who now
produces independent film and published works.
FEEDBACK
Music Videos are pieces of art just
like any painting or sculpture. Memorable
/&8
-JUFQBOFMT .JDSP1SP

The perfect camera light—fully dimmable
& powered by six AA batteries
ADVANTAGES
> Heat-free LED technology
> Integrated dimmer 100% to 0
> Runs 1 to 1.5 hrs. on 6 AA cells (alkaline)
5-6 hours on Lithium batteries
> Use on & off camera
> Lightweight-Just 9 oz
> 50,000+ hours of LED life
> Includes 3 gel filters
Double the
output of the
Micro model
NAB Booth # C6629
WITHOUT
Litepanels
MicroPro™
VM: Tell us about the styles used for the
videos Oh Jesus and Automatic Writing.
Jessie: The concept for Oh Jesus came from
a blues song from my film, The Bridge.The
video was intended to look like the musicians were having a jam session beneath
the bridge featured in the movie. I kept the
camerawork really simple with basic cuts
and slow camera movements.
Ali: Automatic Writing’s concept came
WITH
Litepanels
MicroPro™
contents
Ph: 818 752 7009 • [email protected]
print
48
artworks come from the artist’s own ideas or
personal experience. Though your budget will
create limitations, limits are just like rules, as
they can be bent or broken. Some of the best
creative solutions in filmmaking have come
from budget limitations. Yeah, you might not
have those hot girls and explosions, but they
might not have been necessary. Remember
that you are an artist and your canvas is
video, so your MV’s aesthetic style will be
limited only by your creativity.
w w w. l i t e p a n e l s . c o m
49
full screen
print
basic training
BASIC TRAINING
When to Move the Camera
by K y l e C a s s i d y
You know the camera moves and
names, but that’s just half the
battle. Here are some answers to
WHEN and how to use those moves
effectively.
to show two mountain climbers scaling the side.
Zooms can also redirect our attention; zooming in
on a single face in a crowd tells us that person is
important and should be paid attention to. Zooming out can add context to a shot you used to confuse the viewer initially. The 1929 Harold Lloyd
scene from Welcome Danger shows Lloyd reading
a newspaper when a strange arm suddenly turns
the page. The camera then zooms out to show that
he is not holding the paper himself, but reading
over another (very annoyed) man’s shoulder.
Pedestal – To Reveal Hidden Detail
In the early days of filmmaking, the
camera didn’t move very much, and
this was for several reasons. First, no
one had yet thought to put cameras
on wheels, and secondly because
directors believed that moving the
camera would confuse people trying
to follow the narrative. As moviemaking progressed, cameras started to
move in all sorts of ways, and these
movements were used to add to the
storytelling. Today, most major productions feature a lot of camera movement, from subtle dollying along as
two characters walk down a pathway
to elaborate crane maneuvers which
fly us over a scene and bring us in
close to the action.
Today a moving camera is the rule,
but there are notable exceptions, such
as Jim Jaramusch’s 1984 film Stranger
Than Paradise, which is shot entirely
with static cameras. Let’s have a look
at each of the camera movements we
talked about in the August 2009 story,
Camera Movement Techniques (www.
James Cameron uses a pedestal-up (or boom-up)
to great effect in the beginning scenes of his
1991 action classic, Terminator 2. The title character, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, goes
into a bar and steals the clothes of a biker. We
videomaker.com/article/14221), and discuss when you might use that motion
to forward your story along.
Tilt – To Reveal Size
Tilts can be used to show size and
scale. Martin Campbell uses the tilt to
excellent effect in the opening scene
of the 1995 James Bond film, Goldeneye. Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan,
but, in this scene, doubled by stuntman Wayne Michaels, walks up to
the very edge of the Verzasca hydroelectric dam in Switzerland. While
Bond looks straight ahead, the camera
dramatically tilts down to reveal a
dizzying view of the 750-foot drop.
What will our hero do? Our stomachs
contents
print
In this example from the movie, Goldeneye, the tilt shot isn't used just to show size and
dimension, but also to elicit that feeling of vertigo when looking over the very steep ledge
James Bond must jump from.
50
see his boots as he steps outside and, as George
Throgood’s Bad to the Bone plays, the camera
pedestals up so that we can see his entire outfit
from his boots and ending in the trademark
Terminator sunglasses.
Dolly – To Follow a Subject
Though you can dolly down an empty hallway,
dolly shots are often used to follow or lead a
subject rather than to show off surroundings.
You may dolly backwards as the bride and
groom walk down the aisle, or you may dolly to
follow two people down a sidewalk. In Hollywood, dolly shots are usually done on a track,
across which the camera moves on wheels.
With the advent of affordable stabilizing devices, dollying has not infrequently given way to
a follow shot, which isn’t limited to the forward
and backwards motion of an actual dolly, but
can follow people as they move through a room,
up stairs and into places it would be difficult to
get an actual dolly into.
flutter, England’s favorite spy jumps.
As he falls, a number of other cameras
(six cameras total filmed the shot)
follow his movement with downward
tilts. Luckily, 007 had thought ahead
and wrapped a bungee cord around
his ankles, saving him from pancaking
onto the rocks below, but very capable
camera work ensures that we see
every foot of his fall.
Pan – To Follow the Action
Panning can be used to follow action,
like a football pass. But pans can also
be used to lead us from one place to
another. It may follow a dog as it runs
across a field and then stop on the
window of a building to indicate that
the next scene takes place inside that
room.
Zooms are the most common camera
movement shots – though to call them
“camera movements” is a little deceptive, since the camera itself isn’t really
moving, but rather the focal length
of the lens is changing, bringing the
audience closer to the action. Zooms
can be used effectively to establish a
scene – beginning with a wide shot of
the Grand Canyon, then zooming in
Some inexpensive doit-yourself dolly moves
can be achieved using
wheelchairs or even
platform carts from a
hardware store. The
wheelchair is relatively
smooth, but the cart
might push your patience at bit. Make lots
of takes!
DOLLY SHOTS ARE OFTEN USED TO FOLLOW
OR LEAD A SUBJECT RATHER THAN TO SHOW
OFF SURROUNDINGS.
Truck – To Move Alongside a Subject
Zoom – To Define Detail
full screen
April 2010
A classic slow tilt-up shot was used in Terminator 2 to
emphasize the character's size and power.
Trucking is done when the subjects need to move
from one place to another and you want the
audience to move along with them, rather than
merely watch them from a distance. Think about
two members of a marching band who are having a conversation; the camera trucks along with
the marching band because the conversation is
important to the scene. Using a pan at this point
would have the subject’s distance to the camera
change over time.
contents
full screen
print
51
basic training
Freeform Movement
Apart from the basic camera moves,
there are a few fancier, less common
or stylistic ones. Each of these can be
used but require a greater deal more
planning, execution and re-takes.
Handheld – To create a “You Are There”
Feeling
Handheld shooting is done because
there is no other option, such as a
fast-moving scene where the action is
not planned out beforehand, or when
you want to make the audience feel
like they are part of the action. The
slight wobble of handheld camera
work makes us think subconsciously
of documentary films and adds a “you
are there” feel, making a show like The
Office appear, at least subconsciously,
as though it is real and not scripted.
Floating Cam Shot – To Follow Unrestricted
Most likely you remember the Steadicam shot from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980
adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. Garrett Brown, the device’s inventor, was strapped in a wheelchair with
his camera mount while a series of
grips, in relay, pushed the contraption
around the second floor of the hotel
following actor Danny Lloyd riding
his Big Wheel trike. Steadicams and
other stabilized mounts enable you
to bring your camera, and therefore
your audience, close in to the action
without the restrictions brought about
by a tripod. The camera, held steady
by counterweights, seems to float
through the air. Good uses might be
party scenes and long shots where
a character is followed through a complex environment.
THE SLIGHT WOBBLE OF
HANDHELD SHOTS GIVES A
"YOU ARE THERE" FEELING.
Crane – To Create Movement, to Reveal
Detail, to Follow
Alfred Hitchock created the iconic
crane shot in the opening of his 1958
masterpiece, Touch of Evil. The camera
starts in close on a man holding a
bomb, and, in a single shot, dollies
behind him as he places the nefarious package in the trunk of a car, then
cranes up to rooftop level as the car
pulls away and continues to crane
around the block, following the car.
The shot, which continues, uncut, is
a panoply of dollying, trucking and
amazing crane work until the bomb
goes off some three-and-a-half minutes
later. Quentin Tarentino pays credible
homage to this in his 2003 film, Kill
Bill, with a tracking shot that follows
Uma Thurmond through a party, craning over the roof. The crane shot gives
the viewer an unusual bird's-eye view.
It can be a little unsettling, but, used
properly, it’s a powerful addition to
your repertoire.
Zolly – To Add Suspense
contents
full screen
print
Crane shots give perspectives that we don't
often see. They can show vast vistas or begin
high and wide, then settle on a single subject.
52
Lighting
April 2010
One final technique which, while
rarely used, can have a great effect is
the Hitchcock Zoom or zolly, comprised
of a zoom and a dolly. It’s a difficult
technique because the two need to be
exactly coordinated in order to work.
The camera zooms in (or out) while the
dolly goes in the opposite direction.
The objects in the foreground stay the
same size, but everything in the background either shrinks (zooming out)
or gets larger (zooming in). This can
be done quickly, as Stephen Spielberg
did in Jaws, where the beleaguered
police chief witnesses the shark attack
on young Alex Kintner, or slowly, as
Peter Jackson does in the Fellowship of
the Ring, where it’s used to show that
something strange and unnatural is occurring just before the hobbits see the
evil black rider for the first time.
In Hollywood, pulling off a Hitchcock zoom is a multi-person endeavor
that involves a camera operator, a
focus-puller and one or more people
operating the dolly. You’ll probably
want to try it with at least two people
(one operating your dolly and the other
the camera) and a lot of practice. Or, if
you have a smooth motorized zoom, a
camera stabilizer and a lot of chutzpah,
you can try it yourself. (If you do, we’d
love to see it – put your results up on
YouTube, Vimeo or other video-sharing
site and send us a link.)
Final Move
While you’re watching TV and movies,
be aware of camera movements. When
are they used? How do they contribute to the mood? Are moving shots
bookended by static shots? How many
moving shots do you see in a row? How
does this differ between different types
of productions? Do you feel that some
productions have too much camera
movement? Why and when? Sometimes, the movement is so subtle only
the director, the DP and you, the savvy
Videomaker reader, are aware of it. This
is your homework from now on, every
time you look at a film or video. Make
every day a learning experience.
What is Lux?
1
by Terry O'Rourke
Manufacturers seem to have different way of defining the word lux.
But what is it, and how can you
compare your camcorder's “lux
equals
level” to that of others?
Lux is a pretty cool word; just saying
lux sounds expensive. But, unlike diamonds where bigger is better, smaller
is better in the world of lux and camcorders. Smaller lux rating = better
camcorder. But not so fast; unlike the
lux rating assigned to your camcorder,
where smaller is better, the lens you
mount to it comes from a world where
bigger is better, as in "the bigger the
glass, the bigger the aperture,” which
translates to . . . you guessed it . . . a
smaller aperture number. That bigger glass with the big aperture and
smaller aperture number means larger
amounts of light gets in! Confused yet?
Well, don’t feel alone, because just a
small amount of time spent researching lux will convince you that the
people who come up with this stuff are
conspiring to confuse us all!
Measuring Lux is a Science
There’s no need to get bogged down
with all that science, unless, of course,
you just can’t help yourself. For the
rest of us, let’s just be satisfied with
“lux is the metric measurement of
light falling on a subject” and “1 lux
is equivalent to one candle of light at
one meter” (about three feet, for the
metrically challenged among us). The
previous sentence states falling on a
subject not reflecting from the subject
– an important distinction, in that a
dark subject will reflect less light than
a light subject. Like us, camcorders see
reflected light. So, a camcorder’s sensitivity is rated by the light falling on
a subject (lux), not the light reflecting
back from that subject.
Sometimes values are given in
lumens, which measures the light emitting from the light source as measured
at varied distances. For example, a standard 100-watt incandescent light bulb
will put out about 1500-1700 lumens
at three meters. This bulb radiates (approximately) equal amounts of light in
all directions; we say approximately,
because the mounting fixture gets in
the way and blocks some of the light.
A standard 60-LED video light using
60 good-quality LEDs has an output of
about 850 lumens at one meter. This
light is projected at a limited angle of
about 45 degrees. Two 28-watt T5 fluorescent light bulbs put out about 5800
lumens at one meter, which would
spread to about a 90-degree angle, and
a 1500-watt T3 quartz light has about
11,000 lumens at one meter, again approximately in all directions.
So, lumen is the amount of light
leaving the light fixture, and lux is the
amount of light reaching the subject.
100 lumens emitting from the light
source as measured at a distance of
one meter is also 100 lux reaching
Contributing Editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who
exhibits regularly and has written books on technology
and photographic art.
contents
FEEDBACk
Typical lux values in a variety of scenes (from left): twilight = about 10 lux; twilight plus some street lighting = about 20 lux; campfire = about 100
lux; well-lit office = about 500-700 lux; direct sunlight = about 100,000 lux.
V I D E O M A K E R > > > ApR Il 2 0 1 0
53
full screen
print
Lighting
All cameras record scenes in the same light differently. A high-end camera (left) shows detail in
the subject and background, while the image on the right shot with a low-end camera in the exact natural light setting is muddy and some-what grainy, so you're comparing apples to oranges
when trying to compare lux levels.
the subject at a distance of one meter.
They are essentially the same values.
As for the lens, well, that’s easy.
The bigger the glass, the bigger the
aperture, which really means the
smaller the aperture number, which
lets in more light, which, of course,
costs more money. So what does it all
mean? Well, I guess the best way to
describe it is “the more you spend, the
more you get,” and it doesn’t take a
rocket scientist to figure that out!
Finding Your Right Lux Level
contents
full screen
print
Ok, so now that we’re experts on lux,
what can we do with all that knowledge? You can go shop for a video
camera, of course. And what’s more
fun than shopping with a wallet full
of cash and a brain full of powerful
information? We are going to make
the most of our quest by unleashing
our great knowledge carefully.
We want the most value for the
money. One way to measure value in
camcorders is the way they perform in
low-light conditions, whether an evening soccer game or the family singing
around the campfire. Camera companies express the low-light performance
of their camcorders in terms of lux.
A camera with a 1-lux rating can
theoretically produce a usable image
with 1 lux of ambient light falling on
a subject. The distance of the light
source doesn’t matter, because that
1 lux is measured at the subject. But
there are so many variables that you
really must understand exactly what
the conditions were in that theoretical situation. Was the camera lens set
54
Projects that Pay
april 2010
at its widest setting where it has the
largest aperture? Was the gain on the
camera set to maximum where the
S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio is highest?
Was the shutter speed set lower?
A few years ago, you had to consider
these questions and more, because
there were many ways to boost the published performance of video cameras,
and each manufacturer had its own
standards. Fortunately, today most cameras are capable of delivering acceptable
results in less-than-perfect conditions,
but, if you are truly after exceptional
results, then how a camcorder is tested
is relevant to how it truly performs.
In the Real Lux World
Night time with a crescent moon is
about 0.1 lux. Pretty dark. Full moonlight on a clear night ranges from about
0.5 lux to about 1 lux, depending on
location. Therefore, if your camcorder
is rated at 1 lux, you can tape a scene
in moonlight, but it would be pretty
grainy. If you’re lucky enough to witness an alien landing at twilight, you’ll
find yourself taping at about 10 lux.
Add some street lighting, and you’ll get
about 10 more lux, for a total of 20 lux.
Enough to make a grainy documentary
on your sightings! If you're taping a
campfire scene, your subjects will be
wrapped in a nice warm light of about
100 lux. The typical incandescent living
room is bathed in about 300-400 lux.
Perfect for your family and the occasional ghost visit, but not enough for
the average camcorder to deliver its best
quality. A well-lit office will get you 500700 lux – closer to enough light, but not
optimal. TV studios are lit to about 1000
lux. For a soccer game on a dark stormy
day, you'll get somewhere between 100
lux and 1000 lux. Daylight in shade will
provide about 10,000 lux, and direct
sunlight will give you about 100,000
lux. Here's where you'll find your camcorder performs at its best.
As you can see by these numbers,
especially daylight in shade (10,000
lux) to sunlight (100,000 lux), it’s not
a linear scale (thanks, Mr./Ms. Physicist!). But once you become familiar
with the above examples, it’s quite
easy to estimate just how much light
is available in each situation.
Do I Need to Know All This?
You may ask, “Why do I care about
all these numbers and values? I just
want to know how well my camcorder will perform in dark light.”
Contrary to what the manufacturers
would lead you to believe, it’s not all
about the camera! It’s about lighting and making good videos. You
can use the above information to
estimate how much light you need
to shoot nice video. So, if you are
expected to make a broadcast-quality video in a typical living room,
you can expect to shoot under 300400 lux, which isn’t enough to make
the grade, but is certainly enough
for taping family events. But knowing the light in that room is below
300-400 lux tells you what results
you can expect if you choose not to
use extra lighting. So when you’re
looking at the lux rating of your
camcorder, remember it’s all about
light and your camcorder's ability to
gather light. A super-low lux rating
of 1 lux is a great tool for understanding the light-gathering capabilities of a camcorder, but shooting in
an environment of 1 lux isn’t practical in the real world.
Terry O’Rourke specializes in retail advertising photography and videography for clients worldwide.
F E E D BaC k
TV vs. Web Advertising
by J. Michael Long
Can you still make money in advertising? Yes, but maybe not in the
way you might think. The potential
for video advertising is unlimited.
Here are some ideas to get started.
In the past, all the video media you
watched came from a network or
your local TV station. It trickled down
from the big production houses to
your little television set. Then came
camcorders.
This one invention set into motion
a change in what we watch and where
it comes from. Until recent years, camcorders have been home moviemaking
tools. But with the introduction of the
internet, fast software and powerful
computers, the direction of video has
changed. Now you are just as likely to
watch a television show that trickled up
to a network or TV station!
Commercial Opportunity
The way we watch television hasn’t
changed. We still “veg out” on the
couch and flip channels. But the
choices are plenty, and much of that
never saw the inside of a network or
major production facility. Today your
favorite program could easily be coming from the kid down the street or
a small company whose primary income is derived from wedding videos
or event production.
As more and more internet video is
making its way to the television set,
we now have alternate methods to get
the programs we want to watch, rather
than waiting to see what the networks
will dole out for us. These new venues
have opened up a plethora of opportunities to create great video and get it
distributed to viewers! Unfortunately,
just because you can do something
doesn’t mean you know how, or that
you should.
With all of the new ways to watch
video, one thing has not changed,
and that is how we pay for it. Commercials are, and probably forever
will be, the main way programs draw
revenue. Selling advertising sells the
production; it pays for what we watch.
With more venues feeding a variety
of different programming, there is a
once could charge enormous fees are
now competing with you! There are
no set standards in pricing. You can
charge whatever the market will bear.
If you charge a few hundred dollars,
that means some production company
or station is out thousands, as it is you
who can make something as good or
better than they can. At least you have
the tools to do so.
NETWORKS THAT ONCE
Selling the Product
one advantage the huge compaCOULD CHARGE ENORMOUS The
nies still have is experience and marFEES ARE NOW COMPETING keting knowledge. They have a larger
budget and higher expectations. After
WITH YOU!
all, they have been at this game much
growing need for better commercial
production. More and more event
videographers are venturing out and
adding advertising to their list of
services. This includes local ads for
websites and spots targeted to air on
larger distribution systems, including networks. These opportunities
have opened a huge hole ready to be
filled by videographers like yourself. It
has also created a flux in the market.
Television stations and networks that
longer than you have. However, it
doesn’t matter if a few hundred or a
few hundred thousand is spent on a
commercial, it must accomplish one
ultimate goal: sell the product. The
networks do not have a monopoly on
creativity and style. You are just as
likely to make a great commercial as
they are, and this evens the playing
field. The way a commercial is made
will differ from other productions
you may be used to, and these differences will determine the effective-
55
contents
full screen
print
PROJECTS THAT PAY
Projects that Pay
APRIL 2010
april 2010
advertising index
ABE’s Of Maine |__________________ 17
ness of the outcome. Here are some
tips to help you create a great spot
that will sell a product.
To begin, you must ask yourself
where the commercial will be seen.
If it is only for the internet, broadcast
rules may not apply. However, the
internet has its own needs. If you are
producing a spot for a website, duration may not be a factor. It can be as
A video ad on TV
will be different
from on the web.
Broadcast rules
don’t apply, but
the internet has
its own rules.
long as necessary to communicate the
message, given it will hold the viewer’s
attention. However, if you intend to
broadcast the commercial within a TVstyle program, then the standard 30-,
60- and 90-second formats will apply.
This means you have to shoot and edit
to fit these restrictions. You will want to
grab the viewer’s attention quickly and
hold it throughout the commercial.
TV
vs.
Web Ads
LENGTH O F COMMERCIAL:
TV: Duration must be exact: 30, 60 or 90 seconds. TIP: Never go right up to the exact second;
leave room for fade to black. Actually, length is often :29:15 (29 seconds, 15 frames) or :59:15.
WEB: Length can vary. TIP: Know your audience. Web viewers have a short attention span.
FONTS and STYLE:
TV: Various sizes and styles of fonts are OK, as are patterns and busy backgrounds.
WEB: Avoid tiny fonts or fancy cursive style, as they are harder to read on the smaller screen.
Use simple, single-color backgrounds or blurred backgrounds.
SUBJECT SIZE:
TV: Anything goes, as long as the viewer understands what’s going on. Wide angles and sweeping
vistas are lovely on a widescreen HD TV.
WEB: Have the subject’s image fill the screen as much as possible. Wide shots can get lost and muddy.
contents
full screen
print
Web Advertising is Different
Avoid thin or tiny fonts. Small fonts
may be readable on a 52-inch plasma,
but, on the internet, the fonts should
be big and bold. If you know your program will be viewed from across the
room, you have some flexibility with
fonts. On the net, the screen is usually
small, so determine your font size
based on the most likely way it will be
viewed. Big is always better. Also keep
the text to a minimum. Avoid scrolling
text and long sentences; the viewer
should be able to read it quickly and
with ease.
You do not want your commercial
to be too “busy” visually. Avoid patterns and complex backgrounds. You
want the subject of the shot to stand
out without anything to draw the
viewer’s eyes away from the product
or action. Plain white backgrounds
or fluid abstracts are good for talking
heads. For action, bring the subject
into clear focus and blur the background. If the commercial will be displayed on the internet, this will help
the frame rate and streaming clarity
of the spot as well.
Keep It Simple
For broadcast, wide angles and vistas
will look great on larger television
sets. On the internet, details can be
CUTS and DISSOLVES:
lost, so shoot mostly medium and
TV: Fast cuts, fast action and various dissolves, wipes and fly-in effects are OK.
WEB: Quick cuts can get jumbled. Shoot longer, smoother shots. Effects can break up between transitions. closeups. If you do need a wide shot,
keep it short and sweet. However,
AUDIO:
keep in mind that quick cutting on
TV: Your viewer will be controlling the audio with his remote, so make the most important part of the mes- television can look good, but on a
sage clear, like the vocals, and monitor the music so it doesn’t overpower the voice track. Sound effects
smaller screen, it can appear jumbled.
are OK.
This is where you need to balance
WEB: Music is OK, but the voiceover is essential. Your viewer might have to jump for the volume control
your shot decisions between the time
quickly if the sound comes screaming in, and he might mute it or lower it so fast that you lose the next few allowed for the commercial, your
seconds of the message. Keep a good volume level across the ad.
style and getting the message across.
For example, if you have only 30 secFORMAT:
onds, you may need to cut quickly. If
TV: Hi-res is best; check with the station it will air on whether they prefer interlace or progressive scan.
that is the case, then you should shoot
WEB: Smaller ratios for various streaming bandwidths. Make several versions at the best quality possible.
the scenes long enough and frame
them to clearly get the point of the
SCREEN SIZE:
shot across.
TV: Keep in mind many people still have a 4:3 screen and info along the edges of a 16:9 format might be
Use sound to help the visuals pop!
lost. Pay attention to the Safe Title Area and keep your titles within this section.
Your sound should be loud and clear,
WEB: You can use the entire screen; the Safe Title Area isn’t necessary. But keep in mind that, if this is
viewed on a different streaming site, like YouTube, they may place a “bug” in the lower right corner, cover- with all voices, music and sound
effects accentuated. They should
ing part of your video.
56
match the visuals and work with the
production to communicate the message. Subtle sounds can get lost in a
commercial, so pump up the volume
on all of your sound!
Keep It Legal
In situations where the commercial
will be seen on both televisions and
the internet, shoot for the small
screen. It will be appreciated and
look even better when it is seen
larger. However, shoot to fit the time
requirements.
Never use copyrighted music or
video. This can cause legal issues for
you and your client, as well as issues
if the commercial goes viral. If you do
not have the right or permission to
use it, then keep it out of your commercial. The last thing you want is to
tell a client his spot has to be pulled
because a major artist was not compensated for it. There is far too much
royalty-free music and stock footage
available to take this risk. Don’t even
consider copyrighted materials, even
if the client wants it.
What Format Do You Need?
When finished, you will need to render multiple versions of it in various
formats. You will need the highresolution version for broadcast and
smaller ratios for various streaming
bandwidths. Generate several versions
at the best quality possible for each
display method. Whether it is SD or
HD, keep the ratios correct, such as
4:3 and 16:9 for your target display.
Websites will transcode it to a streaming format, so the better the clip, the
better coding they will get. Network
and broadcast facilities may need specific formats or even the spot on tape.
Find out ahead of time what they
need, and be prepared to deliver it on
whatever media they require. Progressive and interlacing formats will
factor in here as well. Ask them what
they need and render for that requirement. If they broadcast bottom field
first and your clip is top field first, it
can cause the final display to be jerky
when it is trans-coded or interlaced
for broadcast.
Adorama |_________________________ 9
Video is Everywhere;
Ads Can Be, Too!
Avid Technology |_________________ C4
Today the line between the internet
and television is narrowing. Programs that were once viewed only
on computer are making their way to
the television set via streaming boxes
like Xbox, Roku Netflix Box and other
devices. Plus, monitors are now big
and wide with the ability to stream
and display internet video with much
more clarity. Fewer sites are streaming tiny 320x240 images, YouTube
can display full 1080p if you have
the connection to view it. This is a
SHOOT FOR THE SMALL
SCREEN. IT WILL LOOK
EVEN BETTER WHEN IT IS
SEEN LARGER.
wonderful progression for those with
fast connections, but remember that
most rural areas are still hanging on to
dial-up. Portable devices are limited as
well, so the smaller screen will probably be with us for some time.
Shooting for the smaller screen
will be the factor that determines what
you shoot, how you shoot it and how
you edit it. After you have your production completed, watch it on several
different screens and at different sizes.
Ask your co-workers and friends to
view it too, with an eye toward the
message it communicates and how it
was visually presented.
Keep the basic goal in mind: did it
sell the product or service? If you can
answer “yes,” then welcome to the
wonderful world of television production and advertising!
J. Michael Long is an event video producer as well as a
special interest documentary producer with 19 years of
broadcast experience.
FEEDB aCk
Azden |___________________________ 39
BC Media Inc. |____________ _______ 49
B&H Photo/Video & Pro Audio |__ 31-33
Blackmagic Design |________________ 7
GlideCam Industries Inc. |__________ 25
Kino Flo |_________________________29
Litepanels |______________________ 49
Studio 1 Productions, Inc |_________ 61
TriLab |__________________________ 25
Video Guys |______________________ 11
Videomaker Digital Downloads |_____ 26
Videomaker eNews |_______________ 61
Videomaker Digital Subscriptions |___ 5
Videomaker Instructional DVDs |_____ 24
Videomaker Merchandise |_________ 40
Videomaker PLUS Members |______ C2
Videomaker Subscription Alert |_____ 45
Videomaker Tips and Tricks DVDs |___ 3
Videomaker Workshops |__________ C3
contents
full screen
print
57
editing
Editing
Tips for Lower Third Titles
by Mar k M o n t g o m e r y
Sans Serif Font
The best way to identify your Special Spokesperson in your video is
by using a lower third byline. Cre-
Serif Font
ating them is more than just mak-
april 2010
Sans serif means
without serifs, those
tabs that hang on the
points of some fonts.
It’s best to use sans
serif because the serifs can cause a wiggly
look on some TVs.
ing a title; they identify a brand
and style, and they have some
specific rules to follow.
The lower third title graphic, better
known as just the lower third, is an
area of the screen that is commonly
used to display contextual information, such as a person’s name, a location or some other pertinent information. While the lower third can help to
brand a program too, its main objective is to provide additional information to the audience. The lower third
is simply text that is usually accompanied with a complementary background graphic and is positioned on
the lower third of the viewable area.
Sounds easy enough, but lower thirds
can be a major headache to make look
good. Before we get into aesthetics, we
can first take a look at when to use the
lower third.
Information Overload
contents
full screen
print
You should always remember that
you’re creating a video and not a
novel. That’s rule number one for
working with lower thirds. These
graphical elements are commonly
used to display the names of people
who appear on a video program, the
name of a location, a name of a song,
a title to a piece of artwork, et cetera,
et cetera. The truth of the matter is
that it is rarely the case that you actually need these elements. Let’s take a
look at when to use lower thirds.
You’re creating a personal testimony video for a client. The client is the subject of the video. In
58
the opening part of the video she
personally introduces herself to the
audience. That’s a good way to start
a personal testimony. Now, should
you create a lower third with her
name on it? First, ask yourself again
who the audience is. Let’s say it’s
local city residents, and the client
is running for mayor. What do you
THESE GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS ARE COMMONLY
USED TO DISPLAY NAMES.
think now? Yes! Of course, we’ve got
to inform the audience in every way
possible about who this person is. In
this scenario, it’s just as much about
branding as it is informing!
What if the situation were different, and the video’s purpose is to
warn an audience about the dangers
of drug use. Do you add a lower third?
I’d say no, if the context is a very
personal video. Adding a lower third
to this video might give the video a
look that is too polished or produced.
Additionally, it’s probably not so
important that the audience can see
the subject’s name. And, instead of
applying the lower third, we may use
the space to zoom in closer on the
subject, making the video more personal. When deciding whether or not
to use a lower third, ask yourself if it’s
absolutely necessary. Often it’s not,
and that time could be better spent
not distracting your audience with
useless knowledge.
How to Make a Good Lower Third
Lower thirds are tricky little elements.
As a general rule with lower thirds,
less is more. Often we see “text only”
lower thirds in major productions. Yes,
it’s true. If your main objective is to
inform, consider using only text. Text
is ideally sans serif or at least it has
subtle edges. Text that has very small,
ornate features will tend to flicker.
Also, stay away from fonts that are
very thin. Those will flicker too. Helvetica, a favorite font among designers, crosses over nicely in the video
world. The color of the font should be
thematically appropriate. White is a
classic color and, with a drop shadow,
it can pop out enough that the words
are readable.
If you want to take your lower third
design to the next level, try adding
a background image. Start simple
with a solid-color background that is
complementary to the text. If you’re
creating a web video, solid backgrounds are ideal, because they’re easily compressed and won’t get blocky
when played back. The background
can extend beyond the viewable area
of the screen, as long as you keep it
on the lower third.
Getting Fancy
You can try experimenting with motion and fades with lower thirds. If
the information you’re relaying to
your audience is important enough to
share, why not make the lower third
a little bit distracting? Right. Don’t go
overboard with this; keep your animations tasteful and within the bounds of
the theme/pacing of the video. Fading
The lines in the safe title area won’t show on
your finished project. They are there to help
you stay within the safe area, so your important
information isn’t cut off the screen.
in and fading out is a very tasteful way
to bring in and out a lower third. Give
it a try and see what you think.
If you’re working on a bigger project that calls for a little more pizzazz
than you have with your animation
chops, consider looking for a thirdparty solution. There are quite a few
from time to time. One very creative
approach to titles is to fit them in
naturally. A crime movie could start
out with a few short clips of the main
characters (perhaps bank robbers who
are planning a heist) getting their mug
shot taken. On the typical board that
the criminal holds for the mug shot,
replace the processing number with
real titles for the movie. Now you have
a fun and creative opening to a movie
with titles that communicate the exact
same information. With these types
of approaches, make sure to plan for
both titling options. Sometimes when
you’re shooting with titles, they are
KEEP YOUR ANIMATIONS
WITHIN THE BOUNDS AND
PACING OF THE THEME.
providers of stock lower third animations. One of the well-known sources
is iStockphoto.com, where you can
search and download a variety of video formats. You have to pay for them,
but you can preview the animations in
advance from the website.
Sound can also have an impact
if it fits well with the visual theme.
Consider all those military movies
that have that electronic beep noise
for every character that visually types
out onto the screen. This effect helps
build upon the theme and adds to the
drama. Sounds can be more subtle, like
swooshes when a title flies into its position. Or the sound of a pencil scratching on paper as hand-style scripts etch
onto the screen. There are so many
possibilities when combining text, motion and sound to make a single lower
third. With the right combinations, you
can add a great deal of impact.
Lower Thirds Outside the Box
Your titles don’t always have to be so
predictable. Think outside the box
Fly-in graphic backgrounds for lower thirds
can be found on most third-party plug-ins like
Digital Juice or Arcsoft.
not as readable as you thought they’d
be. Have a back-up plan just in case
the risky title option doesn’t work out
as well as you’d hoped.
As you become more familiar with
these common graphical elements,
remember that they’re all part of the
bigger production. Make sure they
don’t take center stage or distract the
viewer for the wrong reasons. These
elements are just playing a supportive
role, but that doesn’t mean you can’t
make them look the best you can.
Contributing columnist Mark Montgomery is a web
content specialist and produces instructional videos for
a leading web application developer.
FEEDBaCk
59
contents
full screen
print
audio
Audio
FCC Laws and Wireless Mics
by Ha l R o b e r t s o n
How old is your wireless mic sys-
jumped into the fray. It was messy and confusing for many – from the officials down to the
consumer. Several FCC chairmen oversaw the
transition and, finally, it’s done.
tem? Are you aware it might be
The Bad News
So, in 2010, we find ourselves dealing with the
new reality of DTV and, overall, it’s worked out
fine. However, some of our beloved production
equipment is affected by the new digital channels, specifically, wireless microphones that
used to live and work in the frequency ranges
now occupied by digital television channels. As
of February 19, 2009, wireless microphones are
not allowed to operate in the 700MHz spectrum
at all. That means, if your equipment is older or
unable to change channels, you run the risk of
serious interference or, worse, a fine for operating in the reassigned frequency ranges.
Wireless microphones are considered a
secondary usage of the frequency spectrum. In
simple terms, that means you’re on your own
deemed inoperable, even illegal by
new FCC rules? DTV is changing
how we can use wireless signals.
Wireless systems have been around
since the 1980s, and digital television is here to stay, but the fallout still
remains. Countless legacy devices
became instantly obsolete in February
and June of last year, while others are
phasing out over time. One device of
particular interest to video producers
is the wireless microphone. How does
wireless audio fit in the world of digital television? Will you have to adapt
your production methods to this brave
new world? Unfortunately, there’s no
simple answer. As they say, we’ve got
some good news and some bad news.
long run. A system was chosen, and
broadcasters were given deadlines
for phases in the ramp-up to digital.
Deadlines came and went, revisions
took place and new orders were issued. Fines were levied, and broadcasters had to think seriously about
how to implement this new system.
Test systems were put in place in
major markets, and a handful of brave
broadcasters started pumping digital signals into the air. That’s when
things started to get messy. Hospitals
reported interference with medical
equipment, and many others started
experiencing odd problems with their
The Back Story
The whole digital television thing
started in the mid-1990s when the
FCC decided that it was time for the
United States to end analog television
broadcasting and transition to a digital
model. Nothing wrong with that,
right? As media producers, we live in
a digital world, so a move to digital TV
should be a benefit – at least in the
gear – including wireless microphone users. Over time, the systems
were refined, and an actual standard
emerged. Equipment manufacturers
also began to redesign their devices to
conform to the upcoming transition.
Then, a new question emerged: what
would happen to the frequency spectrum where the old television channels
lived for decades? The answer: the
spectrum would be auctioned off to
the highest bidders and re-purposed
for public service, internet access and
a variety of other yet-to-be-designed
uses. Bidding wars began with all the
wireless carriers, and even Google
when using a wireless microphone. If you run into
interference, it’s up to you to resolve the problem by either returning your system, minimizing
working distance or any other solution you can
find. In addition, if your wireless system causes
interference for anyone else, it’s your responsibility to retune or stop using the equipment. While
these rules aren’t much different from the past,
the frequency ranges have changed. This makes
Obsolete in an Instant
In February 2009, two of our local television stations made the
switch to digital – and I lost an expensive piece of equipment. I’d
owned this particular wireless handheld microphone system for
years and used it from time to time. Now, with the digital transmitters on, the only thing coming through is static. It’s an older
unit with a fixed frequency, so there’s no way to change channels
and I can’t sell it either. Some have suggested I donate it to an
overseas ministry or non-profit organization. I’ll have to look into
that. In the meantime, it’s gathering dust in the garage.
eNews
Videomaker eNews is an informationpacked, digital newsletter designed
especially for video production enthusiasts.
Videomaker eNews presents exclusive stories
and advanced previews of articles from the upcoming
issue of Videomaker Magazine. eNews also
offers news, tips, event information, discounts on
Videomaker products and more!
Ch.
53
Ch.
54
Ch.
55
Ch.
56
Ch.
57
Ch.
58
informative articles on:
• Video Editing Tips & Techniques
• Video Community Event Updates
Designated for emergency use only
Designated for emergency use only
full screen
print
Some of the channels used by wireless systems. The
channels designated for emergency use only means
your signal might interfere with those used at area
hospitals or other emergency-rooms locales.
60
• Audio Video Software Guides
• Video Production Ideas
• Exclusive Discounts
Ch.
60
Ch.
61
Ch.
62
Ch.
63
Ch.
64
Ch.
65
Ch.
66
Ch.
67
Ch.
68
Ch.
69
746 MHz 752MHz 758MHz 764MHz 770MHz 776MHz 782MHz 788MHz 794MHz 800MHz 806MHz
Upper 700MHz Band - Channels 60-69
Pro 60 LED Video Light
850+ Lumens
2 Hour Run Time
XLR Adapter with Pre-Amp
and 48volt Phantom Power
Limited Time Offer
SD Video Backgrounds
Only $49.95 per Volume
• Video Camera Reviews
Lower 700MHz Band - Channels 52-59
OFF LIMITS
FREE Dowload Book
on Producing
Special Interest
Videos
• New Product Releases & Ratings
Ch.
59
698MHz 704MHz 710MHz 716MHz 722MHz 728MHz 734MHz 740 MHz 746 MHz
contents
LANC Adapter
Cable for Sony
Video Cameras
Videomaker eNews contains
• Digital Video Industry News
Ch.
52
april 2010
Don’t miss out!
FREE Sign up TODAY!
Including Wedding Volumes
contents
(386) 788-6075
full screen
www.videomaker.com/enewsfree
print
61
Classified Network
AUDIO
audio
APRIL 2010
Classified Network
April 2010
Music
Reach 100% of a Steadily Growing Video-Producing Audience!
Black & White Rates
1"
2"
3"
1x
$199
$388
$577
3x
$187
$365
$542
6x $175 $341
$508
12x
$149
$291
$433
1"
2"
3"
Non-display
$4.48 per word, 20-word minimum. All initials,
abbreviations, box numbers, etc. count as words.
Orders accepted by mail, e-mail or fax. Credit Card
orders accepted. Prepayment required.
1x
$252
$493
$733
3x
$237
$463
$689
6x $222 $433
$645
12x
$189
$369
$550
Closing Deadlines
Apr‘10 Issue:
May ‘10 Issue:
June ‘10 Issue:
Jan 20
Feb 24
Mar 24
For more details call or write:
Joshua Kidder • [email protected]
• Phone: (530) 891-8410 ext. 407 Fax: (530) 891-8443 • P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927
Business/Film OppOrtunities
equipment & AccessOries
interference more likely and solutions
harder to find.
There’s also the issue of the socalled “white space devices.” White
spaces are the frequency ranges that
fall between the DTV channels and
reallocated channels. Several companies are working on new devices that
use these white spaces for communication, data transfer and networking.
Standards are fuzzy for these new
devices, and their impact on wireless
users is unknown right now. As a sec-
BUYER
BEWARE!
PAG L95e
Battery
ONLY
$393
List Price
High-quality
95 watt-hour
V-Mount
Li-Ion
> Charges on Sony & IDX chargers
> Indicates run-time on-load using 5 LED display
> Utilises premium grade Li-Ion cells
> Beats the Sony BP-GL95 & IDX E10S on price
> 18 month warranty
www.pagusa.com/L95e
A DIVISION OF STE-MAN INC.
Email: [email protected]
Call: 818 760 8265
equipment & AccessOries
Advertise in
classified section
contents
full screen
CONTACT:Joshua Kidder at
(530) 891-8410 x 407
print
or [email protected]
62
ONLINE INSTANT DOWNLOADS! Music 2
Hues - Royalty Free Music. Over 100 CDs &
1,000 download tracks. Visit our website at:
www.music2hues.com
Color Rates
Although all mic manufacturers are
working with the frequency changes
set down by the FCC, there might be
some wireless mics on the market that
aren't in compliance. In particular, some
knock-off mics from out of the country
might be lower in price for a reason:
they can't sell them in the U.S. due to
their fixed 700MHz spectrum range.
Also, with proper care, good mics can
last forever, and they last so well that
you might find a good number of second-hand older mics on auction sites
like eBay. Do your research before
you buy low-priced knock-offs or used
equipment. You might be putting your
money into a hole you can't recover.
Many mic manufacturers are offering rebates. If you want to return your
old mic and get a new one, check your
company's website for more. Just this
January, PC World wrote that the FCC
is getting tough on errant wireless mic
manufacturers, telling them they better
"get off" the 700MHz spectrum band,
"or else." Read more about that here:
videomaker.com/r/393. To find out
more on this subject, you can also go
to www.videomaker.com/article/14059
for more about the FCC and DTV
changes in store for video producers.
CSS- ROYALTY FREE MUSIC & SFX.
Fastest Downloads on the Web!
11,885 Tracks – 318 CDs. 2 Bulk Download
Discount Plans.
www.CSSMusic.com
You can find a list of local DTV channels and frequency recommendations for your gear at
www.shure.com/frequency.
ondary user of the frequency spectrum, wireless mic owners may have
new issues with interference in the
future, and nobody really knows what
will happen with white space devices.
The Good News
We spoke with several wireless microphone manufacturers, and they gave
us cause for hope. First, all wireless
mics sold today are compliant with
the new rules. Older, non-compliant models are discontinued and,
for a time, some manufacturers even
offered a trade-in program. Rest assured that, if you’ve purchased a new
wireless mic system in the past year
or so, it’s legal and should work correctly around DTV channels. Second,
wireless manufacturers have ongoing
programs in place to help refine their
products and help users get the most
from their equipment. For example,
Shure has a list of local DTV channels
and frequency recommendations for
your gear at www.shure.com/frequency.
Third, wireless manufacturers are very
involved at all levels of legislation,
rulemaking and implementation. They
are active as consultants on advisory
panels and, when something comes
up that impacts their users, they make
their voices heard.
We’ve seen many wireless microphone systems come and go over
the years. To be honest, some were a
little embarrassing. However, today’s
systems are literally state-of-the-art.
They use the latest designs and make
it easy for the user to comply with the
new DTV rules. The new systems reject noise and interference better than
ever. Now, when you invest in a modern wireless mic, you can rest easy
knowing that it will be compliant.
In the End…
Wireless microphone users have
always had challenges with their
equipment. Reception range and
interference are always issues and the
new rules don’t really change that.
However, there are new signals in the
air, and we can’t be cowboys with our
equipment any more. The spectrum is
getting crowded and, as wireless users, we just have to deal with the new
challenges. However, the manufacturers have our back, and the new equipment fits perfectly in the new wireless
food chain. If you’re considering a
new wireless microphone purchase,
relax. Do the research and find the
equipment that best suits your production style and budget.
Contributing Editor Hal Robertson is a digital media
producer and technology consultant.
FEEDBACk
V I D E O M A K E R > > > ApR Il 2 0 1 0
Re-MasteRing
RE-MASTER old, obsolete and damaged
video & audio tapes to modern tape/file/
disc formats. Disaster recovery specialists.
(800) 852-7732 www.specsbros.com
used equipMent
“Get In-Sync” New & Used Film & Video
Equipment. Go to: www.insyncpubs.com
for nationwide listings. Or call:
(310) 543-9045 for more information.
New & Used Broadcast/Pro Video Equipment
KP Pro Video. Buy, Sell & Repair Service.
www.kpprovideo.com or [email protected]
Call (800) 670-6555
Video MaRketing
Promote your or your clients business videos
for FREE on www.oseeit.com. Only sponsors
pay. Create and manage your own account.
FREE and Effective Advertising using the
power of sight, sound, motion, emotion and
promotion
eNews
contents
Don’t miss out!
It's Free!
Sign up TODAY!
full screen
www.videomaker.com/enews
print
63
What’s LegaL
p r o d u c e r ’s r i g h t s
by Mark Levy and Nick Andreadis
WORKSHOPS
Is YouTube for You?
contents
full screen
print
If you watch the news at all, chances
are you have seen a YouTube video
as part of a news story. For those
unaware, YouTube is a video-sharing
website owned by Google. Users can
upload and share their videos. As it
happens, “YouTube video” is somewhat of a misnomer, as YouTube does
not create or own the videos on its
site. YouTube is simply an online hosting site for a collection of user videos,
recorded by thousands of people all
over the world. But what happens
when one such video gains national
attention via TV news outlets? When
such a video is on the news, there is
usually a credit in the corner of the
video acknowledging that the video
was found on YouTube. This begs the
question, however, “What about the
video’s creator? Doesn’t he or she deserve credit?” The answer, according
to YouTube, is a simple one: no.
In YouTube’s terms of service, which
every user must accept before uploading a video, the rules are stated very
clearly. “By submitting User Submissions to YouTube, you hereby grant
YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive,
royalty-free, sublicenseable and
transferable license to use, reproduce,
distribute, prepare derivative works of,
display, and perform the User Submissions in connection with the YouTube
Website.” In layman’s terms, by submitting content to YouTube, you are
giving Google permission to use your
content however it pleases.
It is important to remember that the
majority of YouTube’s profits comes
from advertising. Therefore, the more
exposure YouTube gains, the more
money Google will make. To put it in
perspective, it currently costs $175,000
a day to advertise on the front page of
YouTube. This number can be expected
to rise as YouTube becomes even
more popular. You can now see why
64
it is imperative that YouTube be able
to distribute a user’s content without
specific permission by the owner. This
necessity for promotion leads us to
another interesting phrase in the YouTube terms of service: “You agree not
to distribute in any medium any part of
the Website, including but not limited
to User Submissions (defined below),
without YouTube’s prior written authorization.” This states that no one may
use any content from YouTube without
Google’s permission. This prevents
news agencies from using a video
hosted on YouTube without obtaining
written permission, therefore ensuring
that Google always receives credit for
YouTube videos.
Interestingly enough, YouTube takes
care to state in its terms of service that
the user who submits the content still
“retains all ownership rights to the
content.” Legally, there is very little
difference between a license owner
and a content owner. Therefore, while
YouTube does not technically own
the user content, it has essentially
the same legal rights to the content’s
distribution and reproduction as the
owners do. However, by allowing the
content creator to retain ownership
rights, YouTube can avoid liability for
the content. The terms of service state,
“You shall be solely responsible for
your own User Submissions and the
consequences of posting or publishing
them”. This allows YouTube to reproduce and distribute the content as it
sees fit while avoiding liability.
There is a fourth section of the
terms of service that, while not expressly related to distribution rights,
is interesting to note. “The above
licenses granted by you in User Videos
terminate within a commercially
reasonable time after you remove or
delete your User Videos from the YouTube website… YouTube may retain,
but not display, distribute or perform,
server copies of User Submissions
that have been removed or deleted.”
Essentially, YouTube has the right to
keep copies of uploaded videos on its
servers forever, even if the user “deletes” them and cancels his account.
YouTube may also continue to use the
video for a “commercially reasonable”
amount of time. This could potentially
lead to a user video being used in promotional material for YouTube, even
after the creator has deleted it.
While some of these terms may
seem overbearing, or even an invasion
of privacy, they are far from unusual.
Veoh and Vimeo, two other popular
video-sharing websites, recite almost
identical terms of service. While one
may be inclined to view this negatively,
there are some positives as well. For
example, in June 2009, rioting broke
out in Iran over presidential elections.
Iran has a state-controlled media and
did not report the riots. However, due to
the proliferation of video-enabled cell
phones and YouTube, news agencies all
over the world were able to report on
this story. It would have been almost
impossible to obtain permission from
these users before reporting on the
story, and, if these terms were not in
place, an important event would have
gone unnoticed. YouTube and sites like
it are becoming more and more a part
of mainstream media. Regardless of
your individual opinion of them, these
terms are here to stay, and you should
be aware of them before posting a
video or even a comment on YouTube.
Attorney Mark Levy specializes in intellectual property
law. Nick Andreadis is his legal intern and an Industrial
and Systems Engineer at Binghamton University.
FEEDBACk
The Basics of
Video Production
NEW!
Advanced Editing Intensive Lighting
Documentary
NEW! Production
April 23-25, May 21-23
April 23-25, May 21-23
Mar 19-21
Mar 19-21
More popular than ever, our Basic
Production workshop takes you from
outset to upload as you work in small
groups creating a completed video in
3 days. Learn the entire production
planning process, using shooting,
lighting, and editing skills needed for
good story telling techniques.
This 3-day, hands on course is
for students who understand the
basics of video editing and want
to advance their skills. Work
on a supplied Sony Vaio laptop,
using Adobe professional editing
software that will take you from
the basic skills to some advanced
techniques including time remapping, advanced trimming features,
multi-camera editing and more.
Come join us for an intensive
3-day lighting for video workshop.
You will learn the basics of
lighting theory and equipment,
as well as hands-on practical
lighting setups for common
video scenes such as interviews,
product shots, green screens,
outdoor exteriors, and more.
This class is designed to help you
learn the basics of documentary
production during 3 days of lectures, practices and film documentary examples. It takes you from the
budgeting and planning stage to
production techniques and navigating through the murky waters of
distribution.
CLASS SIZES
ARE SMALL
SO SEATING IS
LIMITED.
REGISTER TODAY!
Choose from
The Basics of
Video Production,
Advanced Editing,
Intensive Lighting or
Documentary Production
Choose from The Basics of Video Production, Advanced
Editing, Intensive Lighting or Documentary Production.
Join the experts of Videomaker magazine for 3 days of
intense, comprehensive, entertaining and informational
training at the Videomaker National Headquarters in
beautiful Chico, California. Network with the staff and
other videographers while you master the skills needed
to create professional-quality video.
TO REGISTER OR GET MORE INFORMATION
CALL 800-284-3226
or go to www.events.videomaker.com/2010
Cancellations: Cancellations must be received in writing (faxes acceptable) to Videomaker Customer Service. Notification must be received at least 21 calendar days prior to the workshop start date to receive a full refund (less $20 registration charge).
A substitute workshop date may be requested in lieu of a refund. For cancellations received between 21 and 7 calendar days prior to the workshop start date, a 50% refund applies. No cancellations, refunds or substitution dates will be given after 7
calendar days prior to the workshop start date. Videomaker, Inc. reserves the right to cancel a workshop up to 1 month prior to the workshop start date. Mail cancellation/refund requests to: Videomaker Customer Service (Workshop), P.O. Box 4591,
Chico, CA 95927-4591. Fax: 530-891-8443, Attn Customer Service.
contents
full screen
print