March 2012 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

When Do You Need a Release?
page 37
®
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO MARCH 2012
Shooting in the Field
The Gear
You Need
The great content shift — the demand for content anytime,
anywhere — has set in motion a kaleidoscope of infinite
consumption options with unlimited business models, all enabled
by shifting technologies. Broader-casting® professionals are leading
this device-driven expansion by collaborating across screens, and
leveraging multiplatform distribution, as the new paradigm for success.
From creation to consumption, every aspect of the content lifecycle is
being dramatically impacted by changing technologies.
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NAB Show,® the world’s largest media and entertainment event, is
the place to experience the rapid emergence of hot technologies,
game-changing strategies and new players, all brought together to
deliver content that exceeds market expectations. Turn shift in your
favor and evolve in a marketplace that moves forward with or
without you. Register now!
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CONFERENCES April 14–19, 2012 EXHIBITS April 16 –19
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA
www.nabshow.com
Zoom H2n
+
JVC GC-PX10
Panasonic AG-AF100
Interview Tips • The Right Mic for the Job • Compression Software for Web Video
Free Download!
Storyboarding Examples from a Pro Storyboard Artist • Turn the Page for Details
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HOW TO MAKE
A STORYBOARD
Get Successful Storyboarding Tips
from a Pro Storyboard Artist
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Free Training Resource
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MARCH 2012
www.videomaker.com
Features
16 Field Mixers & Recorders Buyer's Guide
29 Be a Good Scout, Have a Backup Plan
23 Media Storage System Buyer's Guide
37 Why Do You Need Release Forms?
When it comes to video production, no sound equipment bag is
all-inclusive without a portable mixer and recorder.
by Stephen Joseph
An effective and efficient media storage system is crucial for
today's video editors.
by Teresa Echazabal
37
16
contents
Contents
• Zoom H2n Audio Recorder
• JVC GC-PX10 Hybrid Still/Video Camera
• Panasonic AG-AF100 Interchangeable Lens
Camcorder
When Do You Need a Release?
®
Shooting in the Field
The Gear
You Need
Already a subscriber to Videomaker’s Video Tips? You can download all of the available Videomaker Free Reports by clicking on the
“Edit Profile” link at the bottom of any Video Tip message.
43
59
Columns
Departments
43 Basic Training
Reviews
47 Distribution
Compression Software for
Online Video
by Andrew Burke
50 Directing
Zoom H2n
54 Editing
+
JVC GC-PX10
Panasonic AG-AF100
Interview Tips • The Right Mic for the Job • Compression Software for Web Video
Free Download!
Storyboarding Examples from a Pro Storyboard Artist • Turn the Page for Details
298 March cover 12.indd 1
Next Month
Consumer Gear you Gotta Have – 2012
Tricky Camera Angles and Shots
Starting a Production Company
Rim Lighting Techniques
Making Sci-Fi Effects
1/25/2012 9:22:01 AM
DVD Authoring Freeware
by Mark Montgomery
59 Audio
6
4 In Box
5 Reader Profile
61 Ad Index
Movie Maker
by Matthew York
10 Tips for Great Interviews
by Earl Chessher
When you’re making a video, the more planning ahead you do, the better.
Become a Storyboard Samurai at: videomaker.com/storyboard
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the need to get releases
whenever you step outside to shoot.
by Jennifer O’Rourke
Video Formats Explained
by Kyle Cassidy
page 37
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO MARCH 2012
Get this exclusive report, free when you sign up for Videomaker’s Video Tip emails.
These tips are always free and you can choose to stop receiving them anytime!
Backing up your video files sounds like a wise decision, but
How you will know they will be there when you need them?
by Michael Reff
2 Viewfinder
On the Cover
Figuring out exactly what you’ll be doing during a shoot saves your crew time and labor, and saves you from cost
overruns and production headaches. A good storyboard will help you see how your shots fit together before you’ve
shot a single foot of film or kilobit of video. It shows your crew what you have in mind, and saves you from trying to
convey what you want with wordy explanations and frustrated hand gestures. Communication is a snap when you’re
working with pictures!
Volume 26 • Number 09
6 Panasonic AG-AF100
Interchangeable Lens Camcorder
by Mark Holder
10 Atomos Ninja
Field Recorder
by Luke Scherba
12 Zoom H2n
Audio Recorder
by Mark Holder
14 JVC GC-PX10
Hybrid Still/Video Camera
by Mark Holder
Right Mic for the Job
by Hal Robertson
64 Profit Making
contents
Commercial Director
by Mike Wilhelm
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Training DVD
ing New!
n
i
Making Music Videos
a
r
T VD See page 46 for details
D
On Sale March 27, 2012
VI D EO MA K ER >>> MA RCH 20 12
print
1
VIEWFINDER
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publisher/editor
associate publisher
executive editor
managing editor
associate editor
associate editor
associate editor
Richard Ober
Jennifer O’Rourke
Dan Bruns
Mike Wilhelm
Jackson Wong
contributing editors
Kyle Cassidy
Earl Chessher
Mark Holder
Mark Montgomery
Hal Robertson
production director
art director/photographer
Melissa Hageman
Susan Schmierer
advertising director
copyrighted video clips is now standard
practice, which may undermine copyright law. The experience of reading text
on paper or on a screen is slowly being
replaced with watching video. This
may be good for the world’s illiterate
population, but there are concerns that
the popularity of video may decrease
the need for reading. The invention of
the written word dates back to around
3200 BC and it took thousands of years
for writing and printed text to become
commonly available to the masses.
In contrast, it only took a matter of
decades between when video cameras
and editing tools were invented and
when these devices became widely
available. Compared to the thousands
of years required for the written word
to become ubiquitous, the video revolution has occurred at mind-boggling
speed. I am not sure if the people who
wrote the software code for Windows
Movie Maker, Apple iMovie or Android
Movie Studio had the slightest notion
of how they are impacting our communication styles. But the impact has
certainly been profound.
Matthew York is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor.
For comments, email: [email protected],
use article #15278 in the subject line. You can
comment and rate this article by going online:
www.videomaker.com/article/15278
Matthew York
Patrice York
advertising representatives
telephone (530) 891-8410
senior account executive
account executive
marketing director
marketing coordinator
marketing coordinator
Terra York
Isaac York
Tyler Kohfeld
Dawn Branthaver
Joseph Ayres
Mike Rosen-Molina
manager of
information systems
web developer
IT assistant
Andy Clark
director of finance
accounting assistant
customer service
fulfillment assistant
Stephen Awe
Sandra Wells
Tammy Lynn Hettrick
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Tai Travis
Garry Freemyer
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V IDEOMAKER >>> MARch 2012
©2012 LaCie. All rights reserved. The LaCie logo is a trademark of LaCie. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Movie Maker
Pre-installed video editing software
packages have an enormous market
share. Software that’s included along
with the operating system enjoys a keen
advantage over software which must
be downloaded and installed. There are
only a few video editing software packages that meet this description. Two are
Android Movie Studio on Android tablets and Apple Inc.’s iMovie on the Mac.
Video editing packages offered by the
companies which wrote the operating
system have a distinct advantage over
those that are downloaded, even if the
downloaded versions are free. I am
fascinated with the sheer number of
computers with downloadable or preinstalled video editing software packages; there are perhaps tens of millions
of people using computers which came
pre-installed with Windows Movie
Maker or Apple iMovie.
These programs are aimed at beginners and are designed to be incredibly simple to operate. Serious editors
are unlikely to be satisfied with these
free packages for long. While these
free packages are perfectly suited to
get more people interested in making video, many users will eventually
upgrade to more robust solutions.
But the impact of pre-installed video
editing software should not be underestimated. Between the ease of use and
the millions of these editing packages
installed on computers, the video
medium has become an extremely
common way for people to communicate. When video is used for personal
communication, it appears on desktop
computer screens, tablets and smartphones. Each of these devices typically
includes a video camera. Since Microsoft has the largest market share of
computer operating systems, Windows
Movie Maker is probably the world’s
most available editing solution.
This development is having several
impacts upon society and culture. Some
scholars fear that the art of writing
is slowly slipping away. The use of
Post haste.
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 Y ork
Little Big Disk
2big
eSATA Hub
T H U N D E R B O LT™ S E R I E S
With speeds up to three times faster than FireWire 800, the LaCie ThunderboltTM Series gives post
production a turbo boost. The LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series and LaCie 2big Thunderbolt
Series hard disks harness the 10Gb/s Thunderbolt connection for shocking video transfer speeds
and daisy chain flexibility for up to six Thunderbolt peripherals. They even allow you to acquire,
edit, and play back multiple uncompressed A/V streams directly from the drives, no matter the
size or resolution of the content. And with the eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series, you can achieve the
full speed potential of your existing eSATA drives on a Thunderbolt-compatible Mac.®
contents
Learn more about the
LaCie Thunderbolt Series
at www.lacie.com.
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In Box
readers' letters
READER PROFILE
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].
Behind the Lens - John Taylor
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.
Video creation is sometimes a singular business, but video producers
are a social lot who work and play in many areas of video production
and love to share their stories. This column introduces you to your fellow
video producers.
Live Broadcasting?
I just can’t seem to dig any info up on
my current dilemma. Two questions:
Q: 1. What is the current cheapest and
hassle-free way to broadcast a live
stream onto the internet, without using the built-in computer cam?
Q: 2. How does one get video from a
newer camera (Sony HDR-CX550V)
onto a computer (Mac, in this case) so
that it is actually live, as if plugging it
into a TV for playback?
Seems there are a few things I dug
up for free that will enable the iSight
(Mac) camera to be used, but getting
my $1,000 Sony camera onto the
same computer live is impossible.
Even the newest QuickTime Pro (or
was it Broadcast - same page), while
bragging about being able to do live
feeds, requires something that older
cams had - a firewire output. Why are
we going backwards in time?
Mikel Estes
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We have recently experimented with
live broadcasting at Videomaker and
know how frustrating this can be. To
answer your question, most live broadcasters out there work using FireWire
since its data streams can sustain high
data transfer rates. USB, on the other
hand, has frequent data rate drop-outs
which can greatly diminish the effectiveness of a live broadcast. FireWire
is still a preferred medium to use for
getting large data rates into a computer
for internet broadcast.
Of course, technology is always
changing. Wirecast (www.videomaker.
com/article/15189) released an upgrade
to its online broadcasting software that
lets users use the HDMI port on their
computers for streaming. A word of
warning though: most computers only
have an HDMI out-port, not an HDMI
4
in. However, you can purchase a PCI
card with HDMI in-ports easily from
a variety of manufacturers. This may
be your best bet if your camera does
not have FireWire. Also, if your camera doesn’t output HDMI, but only a
component signal, then something like
the Black Magic Intensity or Intensity
Shuttle will be the best way to get your
video feed into your computer. (www.
videomaker.com/article/15173) On a
Mac, the Matrox MXO2 device works
very well. (www.videomaker.com/article/14460). Good luck in your online
broadcasting!
— The Videomaker Editors
Long GOP Frustrations
I recently purchased a Sony consumer
HD camcorder that records MPEG-2
(SDI) to the 64GB installed memory. I
get very frustrated by this camera as
it creates a new file every 1.67GB or
about every 30 minutes or so. Interestingly, when dropped into either Sony’s
or Pinnacle’s Studio timeline, the two
segments did not combine smoothly
and there was a visual and audio hiccup of about a one-second loss. Not
good when your ballerina is in the
middle of an important “lift” by her
male counterpart! I had to dump this
$1,000 plus camera and go back to
my reliable Canon GL2. I was using a
brand new Windows 7 64-bit computer with all the bells and whistles and
drivers needed. Would you investigate the reason this hiccup is present
and what if anything can be done to
extend the file size to unlimited as I’m
sure the Microsoft NTSF file system
can handle files larger than 1.67GB.
Wilson G.
Believe it or not, this is a fairly common occurrence in MPEG-2 file-based
V IDEOMAKER >>> M ARch 2012
recording mediums. This is because
MPEG-2 records to a long GOP (or
group of pictures) format. The long
GOP format is MPEG’s way of compressing a clip so that it can keep file
sizes low. Basically, the MPEG-2 codec
will package together data for multiple
frames into a group of pictures, or GOP.
Many 1080i MPEG-2 formats will group
15 frames together in one GOP. This
can make it difficult to view or edit individual frames because you may need
information stored in nearby frames to
complete the picture. This is also where
your “missing” second of video lies.
When you import your footage into
Sony Vegas or Pinnacle, the editing programs only read the first whole GOP of
your video file. This means that if your
Sony camera cut off a file mid-GOP and
started the next file mid-GOP as well,
you could potentially lose up to a second worth of video since both editing
programs cannot read a partial GOP in
the MPEG-2 format.
There is an easy fix for this. With
Sony cameras include software for
rejoining any partial GOPs in the files
in such a way that any editing system
can read the entire video. Usually it’s
called the re-utility. If you don’t have
this software, you can always download third-party software that does the
same function such as Tsmuxer: www.
videomaker.com/r/529 or Pixela www.
videomaker.com/r/528. If you have Sony
Vegas 9 or above, you can automatically join these files by importing them
through Vegas’ “device manager.” Try
any one of these solutions and see if
they work for you.
— The Videomaker Editors
Name: John Taylor
Company Name: Weddings in Motion by JT
Cameras: Sony HVR-V1U / HDR-HC1 / SLT-A35
Editing Platform: Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection
Gear: VariZoom stabilizer
Website: www.byJT.ca
Creating film and video, for me,
has gone as far back as 1977. After
seeing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New
Hope and looking at the technical aspect of its creation, I knew I wanted
to get involved with this very creative
medium. The opening sequence hit
me like nothing else in cinema ever
had, from the scrolling sequence and
bombastic orchestral music, to momentary silence as the camera tilts
down. Afterwards, a second surprise
with that first battle on the ship with
ear-piercing sounds and breathtaking
visuals. Looking back, it showed the
passion of the filmmaking profession
of people wanting to make an impact
and trying something that has never
been done before. It also shows the
importance of good storytelling. If
you recall, the first 20 minutes are
told through two robots setting up
the plot, and being the pivotal characters for the entire movie.
I first got the knack for editing
in a way that is easy on the viewer
with just the basics of a decent
quality camcorder, lighting, and audio that make it presentable. Taking
every visual and film arts course
through high school and college, it
just confirmed my passion. College
was such a great learning experience, I actually attended two of
them to ensure my education was
not lacking in any areas. Immediately after graduation of the second
community college in 1988, I
worked in community television in
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE
LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR
IMAGINATION.
two cities. I volunteered for charity
and local events both inside and
out of the studio to get as much
experience as possible. Currently,
I am an audio director and camera
operator at The Shopping Channel in
Canada.
My first experience working entirely alone was in 1990 when I fullyproduced my first wedding video.
The sense of creativity was incredible, if not a bit limited by my budget
and the technology of the time. The
great thing about producing wedVI D EO MA K ER >>> MA RCH 20 12
ding videos is that, like television, the
stage is set, everyone's in place and
dressed, knowing what to do. Plus,
the atmosphere is great.
The attitude is always positive, and
it's like being invited to a party where
you only know the main couple, but
you get to know the rest of the guests
quickly enough! It doesn't even seem
like work, even after 12 to 18 hours
on average for an entire wedding.
Editing lets me relive the fun, and
with the evolving technology, it only
gets easier.
I recently invested in a new HDV
camcorder and my first Apple iMac
system, complete with Final Cut
Pro 7, Premiere Pro CS5.5, with a
Blu-ray burner. It may be a cliche,
but entirely true when editors say
that the possibilities are limited only
by your imagination. Apart from my
independent productions, I freelance
shooting, producing, editing, and
DVD authoring for several professional studios. Some of my work has
been showcased for Porsche, and
Larry King Live. Luckily, I have also
recently found a balance between
freelance work and my full-time job
in television.
Over the decades, much thanks
goes to Videomaker, which I have
been reading since issue #1. It's given
me the education to advance through
this great creative medium.
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John Taylor – Weddings in Motion by JT
5
reviews
Panasonic
AG-AF100
Interchangeable
Lens Camcorder
Beauty in the Beast
b y M a rk H ol der
N
ot overly stylish by any means, the
Panasonic AG-AF100 is somewhat
reminiscent in appearance of a brick
– but with a lens, viewfinder and carrying handle. In a fashion similar to the
Mercedes automobiles of the 1970s, its
blocky exterior camouflages the fact
that great things lie inside. There truly
is genuine beauty within this beast and
video professionals especially will appreciate its many virtues.
Gobs of Goodies
Built for the professional, the AF100 has
an abundance of features and manual
Panasonic Corporation of
North America
www.panasonic.com
streNgths
• Large imaging area
• Very shallow depth of field
• Accepts wide variety of lenses
• Variable frame rate recording
• Three internal ND settings
• Focus and exposure assist functions
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weAkNesses
• Does not include lens
$5,000
6
corner is the automatic white balance
(AWB) button; follow this button to
the left side of the camera for custom
white balance or presets - VAR ranges
between 2400K and 9900K.
Along the camera’s left side is a double row of buttons and switches located
below the swing-out display. Among
them are the iris button and adjustment
wheel. The button switches the iris
from auto to manual allowing use of the
wheel to dial in the desired setting. Next
to these is the gain switch. Values for its
three positions may be custom, VIDEO
CAM mode values range from -6dB to
18dB while in FILM CAM mode they
range from ISO 200 to ISO 3200.
adjustments. Those most frequently
used are easily accessed via buttons,
switches, knobs or dials situated around
the camera’s exterior. Many of these are
easily fine-tuned by delving into userfriendly menus where other, lesser-used
features also reside.
The first pro HD camera to embrace
the Micro Four Thirds standard, the
AF100 is small, light and compatible
with a variety of lenses for increased
interchangeability and excellent video
recording performance. The standard
provides for an image sensor very near
in size to that of 35mm film cameras – .68-inch by .51-inch.
Left side panel displaying a multitude of options.
A standardized lens mount
and specially designed interchangeable lenses are also
provided in the standard
(lens not included with the
AF100.) Micro Four Thirds
lenses, Four Thirds, cinema,
35mm film and other lenses
may be used with the appropriate adapters.
Our tour of the camera
begins at the front upperright where we find a fourposition neutral density
filter wheel reaching 1/64
ND. In the lower right
The World’s first Thunderbolt™ based capture and
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Built on revolutionary Thunderbolt™ technology, UltraStudio 3D has a
blazingly fast 10 Gb/s connection that’s up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0!
Machined from a solid piece of aluminum, UltraStudio 3D is an attractive,
rugged device that’s packed with features previously only available with
a workstation. It’s perfect for those on the go as an extremely portable
companion to your camera, notebook and favorite editing software.
Connect to any Deck, Camera or Monitor
Advanced 3 Gb/s SDI Technology
With exciting new 3 Gb/s SDI connections, UltraStudio
3D allows twice the SDI data rate of normal HD-SDI,
while also connecting to all your HD-SDI and SD-SDI
equipment. Use 3 Gb/s SDI for 2K and edit your latest
feature film using real time 2048 x 1556 2K resolution capture and playback!
More Third Party Software Compatibility
UltraStudio 3D features a huge range of video
and audio connections. Dual Link 3 Gb/s SDI,
HDMI, component analog, NTSC, PAL and
s-video for capture and playback in SD, HD
or 2K. Also included is 2 ch XLR AES/EBU audio and 2 ch balanced XLR
analog audio. Connect to HDCAM SR, HDCAM, Digital Betacam, Betacam
SP, HDV cameras, big-screen TVs and more. UltraStudio 3D even supports
two streams of full resolution video up to 1080p HD for new stereoscopic
3D workflows!
UltraStudio 3D works with the software you love
to use! Use QuickTime™ software, or the world’s
most popular editing software such as Final Cut
Pro™ and Premiere Pro™! You also get Photoshop™
plug-ins to grab and output frames, plus real time
preview in After Effects™ and Nuke™. No other editing solution supports
more software on Mac OS X, so now you have the freedom to build your
studio your own way!
Hardware Down Conversion
If you’ve ever wanted to monitor in both HD and
SD while you work, then you’ll love the built in
high quality down converter. Use the Dual Link
SDI outputs as a simultaneous HD and SD output,
or you can switch back to Dual Link 4:4:4 when working in the highest quality
RGB workflows. Select between letterbox, anamorphic 16:9 and even center
cut 4:3 down conversion styles!
UltraStudio 3D
995
$
Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.co
www.blackmagic-design.com/UltraStudio3D
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Special Videoguys Promotion!
Add Training to Your Order for $1
reviews
Panasonic AG-AF100
Get the Class On Demand Black Card and use it for
ON-Demand streaming of any single Training Title in
the COD Library! Just look for the Class On Demand
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800-323-2325
10-12 Charles St., Glen Cove, NY 11542 • 516-759-1611 • Fax 516-671-3092 • [email protected]
TeCH sPeCs
Pickup Device: 4/3 MOS
Number of Pixels: Approximately 12.4
million effective
Lens: Not included
Lens Mount: Micro Four Thirds
ND Filter: 1/4, 1/16, 1/64
Monitor: 3.45 type, wide LCD color
monitor (920,000 dots approximately);
Viewfinder, wide – 0.45 type LCD color
monitor (1,220,000 dots equivalent
approximately)
Gain Settings: -6 to +18dB in 3dB
increments (VIDEO CAM Mode); ISO 200
– ISO 3200 (FILM CAM Mode)
Color Temperature Settings: ATW,
ATW LOCK, preset 3200K, preset 5600K,
preset VAR, Ach, Bch
Shutter Speed Settings: 1/2 – 1/2000;
specific options vary according to OPERATION TYPE (VIDEO CAM/FILM CAM) and
SYSTEM FREQ (59.94Hz/50Hz); multiple
Synchro-scan settings
Recording Format: AVCHD compliant
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One of three user definable buttons, user 2, resides next to the white
balance switch. The bottom row also
contains the CH1 and CH2 audio level
adjustment dials. The top row contains the function and user 1 buttons,
the focus auto/manual selector switch
and the push auto button for engaging autofocus while in manual mode.
Here too, are the display/mode check
button, power on/off switch, record/
playback indicator lights and mode
button for switching between record
and playback functions.
The LCD monitor flips out to reveal
buttons for color bars, optical image stabilization and exposure assist
functions such as EVF DTL, zebra and
waveform. Counter reset and time code
set buttons, along with the audio channel and input select switches finish off
the area behind the display. Above the
display are the menu and exec buttons,
8
Start, Stop and Menu buttons
Compression Formats: MPEG-4
AVC/H.264
Recording Media: up to 2GB SD
memory card; 32GB SDHC memory
card; 64GB SDXC memory card
Audio Recording Format: Dolby
Digital/2ch (HA/HE mode), linear PCM
digital/2ch switch (PH mode only)
Audio Input: Built-in stereo microphone; XLR input (3 pin X2; INPUT 1,
INPUT 2); LINE/MIC selectable
Audio Output: Pin jack X2 (CH1, CH2)
SDI: 2ch (linear PCM)
HDMI: 2ch (linear PCM)/5.1ch (Dolby
Digital)
Headphone: 1/8" stereo mini jack
Speaker: Round, .79"
Other Terminals: Camera remote,
INDEX remote, TC PRESET IN/OUT, USB
Weight: Approximately 2.9lb (excluding
handle, grip, battery and accessories)
Dimensions: 6-7/16"W X 7-11/16"H X
11-7/16"D (including handle and grip)
start/stop button number two, volume control buttons for the onboard
speaker and a joystick for playback
control and menu navigation.
Around the back is the flip up
viewfinder, below which, are the dual
SD card slots for continuous relay
recording, card status lights and a flip
down door. Directly below is the battery compartment, to the left of that is
the slot select button for choosing the
active slot for recording. Below this is
the dial select button and wheel for
adjusting shutter speeds and frame
rates. Slow and fast motion effects
may be achieved using variable frame
rates from 12fps to 60fps. To the right
of the battery compartment are five
port covers hiding connectors for A/V
Out, USB 2.0, HDMI, index, S/S, camera remote, headphones and SDI Out.
On the right side are two XLR jacks
with line/mic switches, Start/stop butV IDEOMAKER >>> M ARch 2012
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ton number one and the third user
definable button. The handle, attached
ahead of and above the onboard
microphone, is also removable. It has
threaded holes in addition to an accessory shoe for mounting various accessories and an external microphone
mount attached to its side.
Pleasing Performance
With more features, functions and
adjustment capabilities than we
have room to describe, the bottom
line is that this is a great professional quality camera. Image quality
and color reproduction are excellent with beautifully shallow depth
of field. Given the variety of gain
adjustments, low light performance
is good, with acceptable noise
levels. The wide range of shutter
speeds and frame rates makes for
some great timelapse, slow and fast
motion effects. The rolling shutter
effect experienced when panning
quickly is delightfully minimal. Onboard audio is actually pretty good
but plugging in a quality XLR microphone produces excellent results.
sUMMArY
If you’ve been looking for a plethora
of professional features at an
aggressive price point then look
closely at the Panasonic AG-AF100
– this beast is one beauty of a
performer.
Contributing Editor Mark Holder is a video producer and
trainer.
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Learn even more about video editing and production! Go to www.videoguys.com to check out these great new articles and guides...
Videoguys’ Guide to DSLR
Videoguys’ Guide to Thunderbolt
System recommendations, tips
and tricks for editing highdefinition tapeless workflows from
popular new DSLR cameras
Find out everything you need to know about the
new, high-speed Thunderbolt connection and
see what I/O devices, storage solutions and other
peripherals are taking advantage of this speed.
Videoguys’ System
Recommendations & DIY
Our techs offer detailed system
recommendations for Mac & PC
including the new Sandy Bridge-E
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Atomos Ninja
Atomos Ninja
Field Recorder
TeCH sPeCs
Recording Ninja Warrior
b y L u k e Sc herba
O
ne of the major challenges of
videography is the recording limitations. Not only are CF cards expensive
and easy to fill, most DLSR cameras
won’t record a continuous video file
longer than 12 minutes. Videotape adds
up when you are purchasing new tapes
for every shoot. Hard drive cameras
are constricted by codecs and lack the
ability to change the drive once it's
full and you don’t have the time at the
moment to copy it, or might not have
a place to copy it to. Here is where the
Ninja strikes! Particularly crucial in
DSLR shooting, the Atomos Ninja is the
perfect match for nearly every shoot.
One of the great advantages of
video on DSLRs is the incredibly high
resolution. Using a camera with superhigh resolution far beyond standard
definition NTSC, DSLRs are quickly becoming the popular kid on the block.
However, they aren't built ergonomi-
Atomos Global Pty. Ltd.
atomos.com
strenGths
• Monitor and recording in one
• Continuous battery
• High resolutions
contents
full screen
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weAknesses
cally or feature-wise for video. They
lack audio inputs, shoulder mounts,
and longer record lengths.
Not only does the Ninja work as an
excellent LCD monitor, but the Ninja
records in full high resolution HD. The
Ninja doesn’t stop there; it records for
upwards of 11 hours at a time.
Total Package
The Ninja ships in a neat little waterproof case with all the elements tucked
tightly away. Ninja, batteries, charger,
hard drive cases (master caddy), and
docking station, it’s all there and easy
to carry. Two master caddies make it
easy to have unlimited storage, switching out hard drives is even quicker than
loading a tape. Maybe 500GB is enough.
The equivalent in tapes would be about
eleven, and with current prices being
around $5 per tape… that’s a comparable price of $55 to fill the drive (in
tapes), which can be used again and
again without the loss of quality.
The docking station makes it simple
to get that footage directly into the
computer. While you are still shooting on one drive, you can access video
files on a second drive. Bam! You don’t
have to tie up your camera or recording device to capture the footage, and
it all ships in a neat little black case.
• Touch screen has lag
Solid Build
$995
The Ninja is surprisingly rugged. Its
solid body instills confidence for any
10
user. Aside from a few A/V inputs and
release buttons, the Ninja’s access is
entirely touch screen. The touch screen
however does take some getting used
to. Unlike a smartphone, the menu is
less responsive to touch. This could be
a great advantage to avoiding accidental start/stop actions of this device.
The menu overall is simple and
intuitive. There is little that isn’t selfexplanatory. The only menu issue that
may not come intuitively is the hard
drive initial setup. When a hard drive
is first attached, it must be selected
and formatted. This is simple enough
once the process is understood. Two
battery mounts allows for continuous record and both batteries are hot
swappable.
Dimensions: 4.53" W x 3.43" H x 1.61" D
(without batteries)
Operating Power: Approx. 6.8W (screen
on), Approx. 6.3W (screen off)
Color TFT Touch Screen: 4.3" diagonal,
480x270, 16:9 Native / 4:3 Letterbox
Video Input: HDMI Uncompressed
Supported Input Formats: HD (1080i
59.94, 1080i 50, 1080p 25, 1080p 24,
1080p 23.98, 720p 59.94, 720p 50) SD
(480i, 576i)
Recording Time (based on 500GB HDD
Master Caddy): ProRes HQ - 5 hours,
ProRes 422 - 7.5 hours, ProRes LT - 11
hours
Line In: 2-channel line level audio with
analog gain adjustment
Headphone: 2-channel 0.5W balanced or
line level output
LANC: In & Out for integration with
camera
LANC Accessories: LANC Controller
feature, LANC Loop feature
AZDEN
DSLR SERIES
STEREO
MICROPHONES
NINjA MASTeR CADDy SPeCS
Dimensions: 2.95" W x 4.13" H x
.47" D
Supported Storage: 2.5" Hard Disk
Drive minimum 5.4K RPM, 2.5" Solid
State Drive (maximum height - .37")
NINjA COMPATIBILITy
Master Caddy Dock connects via
FireWire 800, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and 3GB
eSATA
Master Caddy Dock supports all MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro
modes and PCs with USB 2.0, USB 3.0
or eSATA compatibility
Designed for high performance
DSLR cameras, the SMX-10 and
SMX-20 (shown) offer directional
high quality stereo sound. The top
selling SMX-10 is only 7” long and
comes with a windscreen and
shock-mount holder with shoe. The
Lastly, the Atomos Ninja has standard thread holes on top and bottom
so it may be mounted to any standard
mounting accessory. Once again, be
aware this device will not mount to
the camera unless you purchase accessories to do so, such as a hot shoe
adapter mount. The MSRP price does
not include cables, storage media,
or mounting accessories, so don’t be
caught with any of these extras missing in action.
shorter (5”) SMX-20 is small in size
Ninja Skills
raphy skills might not look as fine if
viewed on a VHS system. That’s where
the Ninja comes in. The Ninja records
the uncompressed HDMI signal that
comes out of your camera. When
the light travels through the lens it is
interpreted by the sensor and then
is either compressed for recording
within the camera, or passed through
the HDMI cable. Our tests show impressive quality. Having a clean HDMI
output is necessary, however.
Quality is key. Capturing that quality is
imperative. Even the best cinematog-
MIA
sUMMArY
jack. Additional product information
There are a few small crucial items
that don’t come with the Ninja. An
HDMI cable is necessary to connect
the Ninja to the camera; however
the Ninja doesn’t come with one.
Why? There are three different types
of HDMI depending on your source
type. Standard HDMI, mini HDMI, and
micro HDMI. Most DSLR cameras and
other camcorders have type C mini
HDMI ports. Type D micro HDMI is
used in small devices such as smartphones. Also be aware, the Ninja does
not come with a hard drive.
Impressive digital recording warrior! The Atomos Ninja is an excellent addition to any camera rig and
is a cost-effective means of media
recording. The simple math of tape
cost should interest anyone shooting
on tapes to make the switch.
Dual battery assembly
only. It offers wider response and
comes complete with windscreen,
battery and shock-mount holder with
shoe. The attached output cable on
both microphones terminates with
a 3.5 mm stereo plug and connects
directly into the camera’s microphone
is available at the Azden website.
Luke Scherba is a video producer and production studio
owner.
VI D EO MA K ER >>> M A Rch 20 12
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11
reviews
reviews
Zoom H2n
Zoom H2n
Audio Recorder
Awesome Audio on the Go
b y Ma rk H ol der
W
e’re all familiar with the truism
that poor video may be forgiven
as long as the audio is great, while the
best video will suffer if the audio is
lousy. Whether short film or feature,
Hollywood blockbuster or local independent, the quality of your audio will
make or break your production faster
than any other single component.
Today’s cameras produce better images than ever before but usually are
samson Technologies inc.
www.samsontech.com
sTrengThs
• Bright, easy to read screen
• Good design, quality build
• Multiple recording configurations
• Built-in Lo Cut, Comp/Limiter and
other features
• Excellent quality results
• Data recovery feature
weaknesses
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• Microphone selection switch difficult
to turn
• SD card port cover catches; difficult
to open
$350
12
Side jacks, buttons and switches
TeCH sPeCs
lacking in the onboard audio department. You could invest in a prosumer
or professional level camcorder complete with XLR connectors, as well as
a high quality shotgun mic, boom pole
and loads of cable. But what if you
either haven’t got the budget for such
items or you already have a consumer
camcorder or DSLR? It shoots great
video but the audio stinks; how can
you capture audio with quality to
match the images your camera produces without breaking the bank?
That’s where the Zoom H2n by Samson Technologies comes in. These guys
are breaking new ground on a budget
and for a couple hundred dollars you
can capture fabulous audio to go with
your awesome images.
Looks and Layout
Oddly reminiscent of Robby the Robot
from Forbidden Planet (for you older
videophiles out there) the H2n is black
in color, sleek in appearance and fits
very nicely in the palm of your hand.
Largely plastic, with a black metal
mesh surrounding the five microphone capsules, it is an attractive,
well-designed piece of equipment.
The bottom front is home to the LCD
screen, recessed into the body for protection. Directly below the screen is
the record button – effectively minimizing the possibility of accidentally
recording, or perhaps worse, pausing
an important recording in progress.
The left side of the H2n houses a
line-in jack, volume control, jacks
for a remote and line out/headphone
jack, as well as a USB 2.0 port for
connecting to your computer. Along
the right side are the menu button,
rocker/push button for playback control, menu selection and navigation,
the hold/power switch and an analog
mic gain wheel (wisely located under
a plastic cover for protection and
to minimize any accidental adjustment.) The base of the unit contains
the SD card slot and a 1/4-inch tripod
mount. Mounting the unit to a tripod
or directly on the camera is advisable
in order to minimize handling noise.
A built-in speaker on the rear of the
Recording Mode Dial
Recording Media: SD/SDHC cards
2GB-32GB
Built-in Memory: Records up to one
minute in 96kbps MP3 format
Mic Arrangements: MS stereo with
adjustable side mic levels; 90 degree XY
stereo
Modes: MS, XY, MS+XY (2CH stereo);
MS+XY (4CH)
Directional Mics: XY, MS mid mics
Bidirectional Mics: MS side mic
Stereo File Formats: Uncompressed
PCM: 44.1/48/96kHz, 16/24bit WAV (BWF);
Compressed MP3: 44.1kHz, 48/56/64/80/9
6/112/128/160/192/224/256/320kbps (not
compatible with MS-RAW recording)
4CH File Formats: Uncompressed PCM:
44.1/48kHz, 16/24bit WAV (BWF) – two
stereo files per recording
Recording Time: 2GB card (included):
3:08:00 (44.1kHz/16bit WAV); 34:43:00
(128kbps MP3)
Display: 1.8" graphic LCD (128x64
pixels) with backlight
Features: Lo Cut (80Hz high-pass filter);
Comp/Limiter (three each); Auto Gain; 2
second Pre Record; Auto Record; Tuner
(Chromatic, guitar, bass and alternate tunings with automatic string detection); Metronome (40-250 BPM range, five tones,
pre-count); adjustable playback Speed
(between 50-150%); Key Control (adjustable playback pitch); AB Repeat; File
Divide; File Normalize; File MP3 Encode;
Mark (up to 99); Surround Mixer.
Input Jack: Line/mic stereo 1/8" jack
Output Jack: Line/headphone stereo
1/8" jack
Built-in Speaker: Yes
Power: two AA batteries (continuous
operation of 20 or more hours when
recording 44.1kHz/16-bit WAV files);
optional AC adapter
Included Software: Steinberg WaveLab
LE 7
Dimensions: 2.66" W x 4.48" H x 1.68" D
Weight: 4.59 ounces (without batteries)
H2n allows you to monitor your recordings on playback.
At the top of the recorder is the
microphone selection dial. The H2n
contains five mics with four different
recording configurations for maximum
versatility. The dial is flat on top of the
unit and a little difficult to manipulate as it requires a fingernail pushing
against a slightly raised arrow to turn it
to the desired position. Dial positions
include XY, MS, 2ch and 4ch. XY mode
utilizes the H2n’s 90-degree X/Y stereo
mics which are situated along the
same axis. This positioning maintains
an equal distance between mics and
source and results in beautiful stereo
recordings with excellent depth.
The first to include Mid-Side (MS)
stereo recording, the H2n brings a new
level of functionality to portable audio
capture. The mid mic records sound
unidirectionally from the front while
the side mic captures sound bidirectionally from both sides. For increased
flexibility, the level of the side mic is
adjustable. Something akin to barn
doors on a studio light, this allows you
to narrow or broaden the width of the
stereo field. For even greater flexibility,
you can record in RAW mode and play
with the stereo width and other properties later in your audio editor.
Excellent 2 or 4-channel surround
sound is achieved by using the X/Y
and Mid-Side microphones together.
2-channel mode combines everything
into a single file while 4-channel
records two separate stereo files, one
X/Y and one MS. This gives you maximum flexibility and control in editing.
Ease of Use
The H2n is incredibly easy to use.
Slide the power switch to on, set the
desired recording mode, press the
record button and you’re sure to get
some excellent results. If you want
to tweak things a bit, you can go
into the menu and take advantage of
the built-in lo cut filter, compressor/
limiter, auto gain, choose between
WAV and MP3 recording at various
sample rates and other functions.
Also, to protect your precious data in
the event of a battery loss or other
sort of power failure, the H2n has
a new data recovery system that
restores your data the next time the
unit is powered up.
End of Story
Ultimately, the question is, “Can the
H2n’s quality and performance live
up to its slick appearance and high
expectations?” The simple answer is a
resounding, “Yes!” Whether novice or
pro you’ll be glad to have the H2n as
part of your audio arsenal.
sUMMArY
For budget friendly, uber audio,
check out the Zoom H2n.
Contributing editor Mark Holder is a video producer and
trainer.
13
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JVC GC-PX10
JVC GC-PX10
Hybrid Still/Video
Camcorder
TeCH sPeCs
Hybrid Evolution
b y M a rk H ol der
F
or some time now, the lines have
been steadily blurring between traditional camcorders and still cameras.
Over time, the quality of each has improved, but each camera was designed
primarily for one function while also
having the ability to do the other.
Somewhere ahead, however, lay the
promise of the true all-in-one camera,
designed for both video and still photography, and excelling at each.
Is such a goal even possible? The
people at JVC certainly think so. They
JvC Americas Corp.
www.jvc.com
strengths
• 32GB internal memory
• Records high-speed stills
• ISO to 6400
• Records 300fps for slow motion
playback
• 36Mbps sampling rate
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weAknesses
• Design not well suited to handheld use
• Battery access a bit clumsy
$900
14
have recently released the GC-PX10 as
a “true hybrid…redesigned to provide satisfaction no matter what you
choose to record.” Are they right or is
the GC-PX10 just another camera that
also shoots video?
Form
The GC-PX10 has a rather unique appearance in that it looks as though a
large lens has been jammed onto the
front of a very slim still camera next
to an oversized battery compartment/
hand-grip. The hand-grip fits naturally
in the right hand and is comfortable to
hold for short periods. Gripping with
the left hand for proper steadying of
the camera however is a bit awkward.
The lower left
Tiltable LCD screen
corner of the
camera extends
uncomfortably
into the palm of
the left hand with
the thumb resting
directly on top
of the accessory
shoe. Reversing
the grip, with
the thumb below
and the fingers
on top is more
comfortable but then the fingers cover
up both the accessory shoe and the
microphone.
Switch the camera on and the
automatic lens cover snaps open,
allowing light to enter the 1/2.3” 12
megapixel back-illuminated CMOS
sensor. The Konica Minolta HD lens
features 10x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilization. A port cover
lies along the bottom left side of the
lens barrel hiding an external microphone jack, AV/Headphone, USB
and HDMI ports, and a connector for
the included power adapter/charger.
Above these are a set of three controls
for selecting and adjusting exposure
and focus. To the right is the recording
Image Sensor: 1/2.3" 12.75M backilluminated CMOS
Lens: Konica Minolta HD lens: F2.8
- F4.5
Filter Diameter: 1.8"
Minimum Illumination: 4 Lux (1/30
shutter speed); 1 Lux (NightAlive Mode 1/2 shutter speed)
LCD: Tiltable, 230K pixel 3.0" wide
screen, touch panel operation
Built-in Auto Flash: Recommended
range - 6.5' or less
ISO Sensitivity: Still: Auto, Manual (10
0/200/400/800/1600/3200/6400)
Focus: Auto, Manual, Tele Macro,
9-Point Multi (Still), 9-Point Select (Still),
Face Detection, Face Tracking, Color
Tracking, Touch Area
Exposure Control: Intelligent AUTO,
Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
dial for selecting the various recording modes followed by the still photo
flash button, the power button and a
pair of status lights.
On top of the lens barrel is the
microphone and accessory shoe with
built-in speaker and an SD card slot on
the right side. The SD card slot may see
little use however due to the sizeable
32GB internal memory. At the rear of
the camera is a tiltable, 3-inch touch
panel LCD screen. The display does
not flip out to the side but rather tilts
straight up. This is handy for recording low angle shots or for shooting
self-portraits. Buttons for switching
between record and playback modes
lie alongside the screen, toggling between video and still image modes and
Zoom Ratios: Optical - 10x; Digital – 64x
(max.); Dynamic - 19x (18x with Advanced
Image Stabilizer set to ON)
Camera Shake Compensation: Optical
Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) and Advanced
Image Stabilizer (A.I.S.)
Terminals: mini HDMI Out ; AV Out; USB
2.0; Mic In (Plug-in power); Headphone
Out
Recording Formats: Video - MPEG-4,
AVC/H.264 (MP4); Audio - AAC (2ch); Still
- JPEG
Storage Media: 32GB internal memory;
SDXC/SDHC/SD Memory Card (Class 4
or higher SDHC/SDXC card required to
record video)
Video Recording Modes: HD1080
(UHR): 1920x1080/60P, 36Mbps; HD1080
(HR): 1920x1080/60P, 24Mbps; HD720:
1280x720/60P; iFrame: 960x540/30P
Dimensions: 5"W x 3"H x 5"L
Weight: 0.96lbs without battery
pulling up the mode specific menus.
Menu navigation is fairly intuitive and
is accomplished by touch. The video
record button and a rocker switch also
occupy the back end with the rocker
pulling extra duty on zoom, volume
and recorded clip navigation.
Topside are the continuous shooting, high-speed recording and snapshot buttons. The battery compartment is at the right front of the
camera, beside the lens. Battery access
is tricky and takes a bit of practice.
The process seems simple enough –
slide a locking lever in one direction
while sliding the compartment cover
90 degrees to it. In practice, you may
find yourself pushing in opposing
directions and having great difficulty.
Follow the directions in the user’s
guide exactly, using a slide and lift
motion, and you’ll get it. Don’t wait
until a crucial moment to swap batteries however; practice beforehand.
Function and Performance
Set the mode dial to Intelligent AUTO
and the GC-PX10 will continually
analyze and adjust to deliver results
or take full control by switching to
manual. Take crisp, beautiful, 12
megapixel still photos even in low
light with adjustable ISO values up to
6400. You can also take 8.3 megapixel
stills while recording full 1080/60p
HD video without having to switch
into still mode. One very cool feature
allows you to capture high-speed
stills. Grab those fast action shots at
60fps for up to 130 shots – that’s 120
shots in two seconds! Speaking of cool
features you can also record video at
300fps and play it back in super slow
motion – great for breaking down that
new choreography you just captured –
or use time-lapse recording when you
want to speed things up a bit.
Final Thoughts
While not likely the final step in hybrid evolution the GC-PX10 certainly
is a great next step in the right direction and the best effort we saw in
2011. It will be interesting to see what
new steps will be taken in 2012, don’t
you think?
sUMMArY
If you’re looking for one camera that
shoots it all, including high-speed
video and stills, then be sure to
check out JVC’s GC-PX10 hybrid.
Contributing Editor Mark Holder is a video producer
and trainer.
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Record it and Mix it
in the Field
When it comes to video
production, no sound
equipment bag is all-inclusive
without a portable field mixer
and recorder.
By Stephen JoSeph
A Field Recorders &
Mixers Buyer’s Guide
T
o understand how vital sound is to video productions, imagine spending your hard-earned
money going to a big budget movie shot in IMAX
and 3D that has superior picture but substandard
sound quality. Chances are you would walk out
of that theater requesting a refund. Well, sound
quality is as significant to the video production as
it is to a major production budget.
Many important pieces of equipment popularize the world of video productions, but the audio
field mixers and recorders transcend the profession by delivering unparalleled reproduced sound
that generates maximum results over the camera
operator working the sound.
Audio Field Mixers
Before you decide to purchase an audio field mixer,
there are many dynamics to consider. Portability,
power, durability and cost being the most crucial
among them. First, let me point out that sound in
video production, shoots entail more than having
a decent shotgun microphone and/or boom pole
to pick up audio. More than knobs or dials, field
mixers let you vary the volume. The audio mixer
acts as an extension of the camera’s audio controllers, letting the sound person censor and fine-tune
audio without having to shake the camera or get in
the way of the camera operator during taping.
In general, video cameras on the market come
with either one 1/8-inch audio jack or one or two
standard XLR microphone inputs and audio level
control for recording sound. Can you say limited,
boys and girls? Sure, many DV camcorders on the
market today come with two sound sources you
can control from the camcorder itself, but, in the
real world of video production, trying to check
and tweak sound from camcorder controls can be
complex. It involves too much movement, which
may cause you to jerk the camera. Straight away,
this might be acceptable if you are proposing to
shoot ventures similar to The Blair Witch Project
and Cloverfield, but not for everyday use in the
field. In reality, who would want to sit through a
shaky video recording of Amy’s wedding ceremony or little Billy’s first birthday party except
the family?
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VI D EO MA K ER >>> MA Rch 20 12
17
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Alto Professional Audio
Products
www.midasconsoles.com
•
MUSIC Group IP Ltd.
www.behringer.com
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nady Systems
www.nady.com
•
•
•
Oram Professional Audio
www.john-oram.com
•
www.altoproaudio.com
•
•
Otari, inc.
www.otari.com
•
Arrakis Systems
www.arrakis-systems.com
•
Peavy Electronics
www.peavey.com
•
Ashly Audio
www.ashly.com
Phonic
www.phonic.com
•
Audio Developments
www.audio.co.uk
Professional Sound
Corporation
www.professionalsound.com
•
Audio Technica
www.audio-technica.com
•
ATI Audio Inc.
www.atiaudio.com
•
Avid Technology Inc.
www.m-audio.com
Azden Corporation
www.azdencorp.com
•
BIAMP Corp
www.biamp.com
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bogen Communications Inc. www.bogen.com
•
www.bose.com
•
Carvin Corporation
www.carvinguitars.com
•
Crest Audio
www.crestaudio.com
•
Dangerous Music
www.dangerousmusic.com
Datavideo
www.datavideo.us
•
DiGiCo
www.digico.biz
•
Dixon Systems
www.dixonsystems.com
GCI Technologies Corp.
www.geminidj.com
Gem Sound Corp.
www.gemsound.com
GLi Pro
www.glipro.com
Harman
www.soundcraft.com
Intelix LLC
www.intelix.com
Intel-M Americas
www.inter-m.net
Ivie Technologies Inc.
www.ivie.com
juicedLink, LLC
www.juicedlink.com
Lectrosonics
www.lectrosonics.com
LOUD Technologies Inc.
www.mackie.com
Manly Laboratories, Inc.
www.manley.com
MARENIUS
www.marenius.se
•
Pyle Audio
www.pyleaudio.com
Rane Corporation
www.rane.com
•
•
Roland Corporation US
www.rolandus.com
•
•
Roland Systems Group
www.rolandsystemsgroup.com
•
•
Rolls Co.
www.rolls.com
•
Shure Incorporated
www.shure.com
•
Sign Video
www.signvideo.com
SM Pro Audio
www.smproaudio.com
•
•
•
•
•
Sound Devices LLC
www.sounddevices.com
Sony Electronics Inc.
www.pro.sony.com
•
SPL USA
www.spl.info/
•
SQN Electronics Ltd.
www.sqn.co.uk
•
•
Studio Technologies, Inc.
www.studio-tech.com
•
•
Symetrix, Inc.
www.symetrix.co
•
Tascam(TEAC)
www.tascam.com
•
•
•
TL Audio
www.tlaudio.co.uk
•
•
•
TOA Electronics Inc.
www.toaelectronics.com
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.wendtinc.net
Wharfdale Pro
www.wharfedalepro.com
•
Wheatsone Corporation
www.audioartsengineering.com
•
Yorkville Sound
www.artproaudio.com
•
•
Wendt Inc.
Samson Technologies Inc.
www.samsontech.com
•
•
TW Electronic Components www.twelco.hu
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.sonosax.ch
Alesis
www.alesis.com
18
•
SONOSAX (SAS S.A.)
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•
Samson Technologies Inc. www.samsontech.com
Rane Corporation
www.rane.com
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.protechaudio.com/
•
•
•
Protech Audio
•
Bose
•
•
•
Automixers
www.allen-heath.com
•
Midas 2011
Rackmount
Allen&Heath
•
Field Mixer/Portable (EFP)
•
Desktop
•
www.akg.com
Alesis
Website
www.alesis.com
AKG ACOUSTICS GMBH
A Field Recorders & Mixers
Buyer’s Guide
Manufacturer
•
Automixers
Field Mixer/Portable (EFP)
•
AEQ
Rackmount
Desktop
www.aeqbroadcast.com
Manufacturer
Website
Audio Mixers Manufacturers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Control Over Sound
Audio field mixers make it easier for
you to run multiple microphones
simultaneously. They give you control
of the gain (volume) of each mic you
feed into it. They let you direct the
sound to the left or right channels,
filter out any background sound,
employ limiters (compressors made to
limit the level of a signal to a certain
line), which makes it easier for you to
nip distortion in the bud.
A four-channel portable mixer, the
Azden FMX-42a, features many of the
benefits video producers can drool
over, whether a seasoned professional
or just starting out. The FMX-42a has
four balanced XLR line/mic inputs
with single level and pan controls. As
stated earlier, having four inputs allows you to use multiple mics running
from the audio mixer itself. This lets
you control the sound level of each
mic while the individual level and pan
controls allows you to pan the sound
to the left or right channels, which
you could not do from the built-in
camcorder microphone unless you
plan on shooting close up shots only.
The FMX-42a provides switchable
48V phantom power, a must for condenser microphones to receive power.
The FMX-42a also comes with quality
VU meters so you can actually see the
loudness of the level of sound you are
recording.
Six AA batteries and an optional
12V DC external connector can
power the FMX-42a. The runtime of
the batteries is approximately nine
hours. This is a reasonable duration
for a straight shoot in the field. Two
balanced XLR outputs—line and mic
switchable—a stereo mini-jack output
for DV cameras, headphones monitor
with level control, and balanced and
unbalanced output round out the features of the FMX-42a. Weighing only
three pounds (without the batteries),
this audio field mixer will not wear
you down while you are on the move.
As its successor, the Azden FMX-32,
a three-channel field mixer, has a lot
to offer. Also portable, the all metal,
battery operated audio mixer can
be directly secured to a camcorder
with hook-and-loop mounting tape.
It has three balanced XLR mic inputs,
two-channel balanced XLR line level
outputs with level control—allowing
you to feed from microphone mixers.
The FMX-32 includes a switchable
input limiter to reduce the chances of
overload distortion and a low battery LED indicator, which is ideal for
lengthy shoots in the field. In the vein
of the FMX-42a, you can power the
FMX-32 with a 12V DC connector or
six AA batteries that last longer than
the FMX-42a—fifteen hours overall.
In between the two Azden audio
field mixers, the Audio Technica ATMX341a automatic mixer takes flight
as a field mixer in any environment,
from outdoors to studio. It has a rugged design and is lightweight (a little
more than three pounds) specifically
designed for travel. There are four
mic/line inputs with single rightof-way pre-select switch for every
channel. The channels also have individual gain control and master output
level control. Now, what does all that
mean? This audio mixer comes fully
equipped for multi-mic installations
and one channel at a time operations,
allowing you complete control over
the sound of your shoot.
Shure is a name that is well-known
in the news gathering field, many
news shooters and documentary
shooters are using portable field mixers when they’re recording important
interviews. When you have a softspoken subject being interviewed by
a booming-voiced reporter, a mixer
can bring the audio to even levels
when you record in the field, and will
lessen possible problems with the mix
when editing. Shure’s FP33 can tote
along easily by a light shoulder strap
and has three XLR mic inputs and two
output ports. You put your interviewer
into channel one the interviewee into
channel two, and you can mix them
down or keep them separate, which
is usually advised. This allows you
to take the level of your interviewer
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19
Roland
www.rolandus.com
ProTrack
PalmTrack
Pocket Record
XLR(2), 1/4", MIDI,
1/4" Line(2)
XLR(2)
1/8", 1/8" Line
no
yes NP
yes MP3, WAV
yes MP3, WAV
iPod Classic, iPod 5G, iPod nano 3G NP no
SD
no no
128MB internal, SD
yes no
MicroTrack II
TRS, 1/4", 1/4" Line
no
WAV, MP3
CF
yes no
FR-2LE CF Field
Recorder
UR-2 Stereo Rack
Recorder
MR-8 8-Track Digital
Multitracker
RM-DIGIREC
XLR(2), Line
no
MP3, WAV, BWF
CF
NP
no
XLR, Line
NP WAV
SD, SDHC
no
no
XLR(2), Line
yes WAV, FAT16
CF
yes no
¼"(2)
no
128MB internal, SD
NP
MR1000
MR2000S
SOUND on SOUND
(SOS)
MR2
DP-10
VN-8100PC
VN-7200
XLR(2)
no PCM, WAV, BWF
XLR(2)
no PCM, BWF
1/4", 1/8", 1/8" Line yes PCM, WAV, BWF
USB
NP
microSD, microSDHC
yes no
yes no
yes no
1/8"
NP
1/8"
1/8"
no
yes
yes
yes
MP2, MP3, WAV, BWF
WMA
WMA, MP3
CELP
SD, SDHC
1GB internal
2GB internal
2GB internal
yes
yes
yes
NP
yes
no
no
no
VN-7100
VN-7000
VN-6000
VN-801PC
VN-8000PC
WS-600S
DS-2400
BR-800
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
XLR(4), 1/4"TRS(4),
1/8" Line
1/4", 1/8", 1/8" Line
1/4", 1/8", 1/8" Line
XLR(2), 1/4"(2), MIDI,
RCA, RCA Line
XLR(8), 1/4"(8), MIDI
1/8", 1/8"Line
1/8", 1/8”Line
XLR(2), 1/4"(2), 1/8"
XLR(4), 1/4"TRS(4)
XLR(4)
1/8", 1/8"Line
1/8", 1/8"Line
1/8"
XLR(2), 1/4"(2), 1/8"
XLR(2), 1/4"(2)
XLR(8), 1/4"(8)
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
NP
CELP
CELP
CELP
WMA, MP3
WMA
WMA, MP3
DS2
WAV
1GB internal
2GB internal
1GB internal
2GB internal
1GB internal
2GB internal
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
NP
NP
NP
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
NP MP3, WAV
NP MP3, WAV
NP WAV
SD
SD, SDHC
80GB internal
yes no
yes no
yes no
NP
yes
yes
yes
40GB internal
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
80GB internal
microSD
SD
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
yes
no
no
yes
no
yes
yes
NP
yes
yes
NP
NP
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20
BR-1600CD
R-09HR
R-05
R-26
R-44
R-4 Pro
H-1
H-2
H-2n
H-4n
R8
R16
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
NP
MP3
NP
WAV, MP3
WAV, MP3
WAV, MP3
WAV, BWF
WAV, BWF
WAV, BWF
WAV, MP3
WAV, MP3
WAV, MP3
WAV
PCM, WAV
NP
no
no
yes WAV
yes MP3, WAV
TASCAM
www.tascam.com
Yamaha Corporation
www.yamahasynth.com
702
702T
722
744T
788T
DR-680
DR-100
HD-P2
GT-R1
DR-08
DR-2d
DR-05
DR-07mkll
Pocketrak CX
Pocketrak C24
Pocketrak W24
down and bring the audio of the interviewee up. The FP33 also records tone
for setting levels, and offers several
headphone jacks, each with its own
level control. The mixer is designed
for low-power use and runs on two
9V batteries for about eight hours. An
LED light warning lets you know when
you’re running out of juice.
Picking a Mixer
Here is how you decide to choose
which audio mixer works best for
you. Ask yourself, what do you plan
on shooting? From that one question, you will quickly learn what your
needs are. For example, if you plan to
shoot weddings, then you will need a
durable mixer built for travel and convenience and with features for indoor
locations. And there are other considerations, such as how many inputs
will be needed—four, six, eight? If you
plan to shoot nature scenes, sporting
events, drag races and so on, then you
may be faced with a lot of unwanted
background noise and wind. Having
a shotgun mic or foam windscreen
will not be enough. Locations with
Recording Media
XLR(8), 1/4"(8)
1/8", Line
PCMD1
Sound Devices
www.sounddevices.com
Recording Format
R24
PCMM10/B
PCMD50
no
no
NP
yes
yes
no
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
no
no
Internal Mic
LCD Display
iO2
Sony Electronics
www.pro.sony.com
Mic Input
Recording Media
yes no
Model
Recording Format
HDD
Manufacturer
Internal Mic
AES31 BWF
Micro BR
Micro BR BR 80
BR-1200CD
Roland Systems Group
www.rolandsystemsgroup.com
Samson Technologies
www.samsontech.com
Camera Mountable
Mic Input
no
SD, SDHC
4GB internal, Memory Stick
Micro, microSD
1/8", Line
yes WAV
4GB internal, Memory Stick Pro
Duo, Memory Stick Pro HG Duo
1/8", Line
yes WAV
4GB internal, Memory Stick Pro
Duo, Memory Stick Pro HG Duo
XLR(2), Line
no WAV, MP3, MP2, FLAC CF, FAT32
XLR(2), Line
no WAV, MP3, MP2
CF, FAT32
XLR(2), Line
no WAV, MP3, FLAC
160GB internal, CF, FAT32
XLR(2), Line
no WAV, MP3, FLAC
80GB internal
XLR(4), Line(4)
no WAV
160GB internal, CF, FAT32
XLR(4), 1/4"TRS(2)
WAV, MP3
SD, SDHC
XLR(2), 1/8" Line
yes WAV, MP3
SD
XLR(2), RCA(2)
yes WAV
CF
1/4", 1/8", 1/8" Line yes WAV, MP3
SD
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, MP3
MicroSD
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, MP3
SD, SDHC
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, MP3, PCM
MicroSD, MicroSDHC
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, MP3, PCM
MicroSD, MicroSDHC
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, PCM, MP3
MicroSD, MicroSDHC
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, PCM, MP3
MicroSD, MicroSDHC
1/8", 1/8" Line
yes WAV, PCM, MP3
MicroSD, MicroSDHC
loud noise can distort and ruin audio.
Having a portable field mixer at your
disposal with low cut filters comes in
handy for those problematic sounds
most microphones pick up.
The choice of audio mixers rests
in the scenario and situation of the
project you plan to shoot. Some
features may be too complicated to
understand and grasp. Why so many
buttons? What are they for? What
does this one do? Do I need all of
these features? Questions like these
arise all the time for the first time
buyer. Sometimes skimming through
the owner’s manual adds no resolution to the question marks. We’ve all
been there, haven’t we? Nevertheless,
the plain truth of making the right
purchase is—it is better to have more
than less.
Some of those buttons and features
on audio mixers may not be what you
need when you first buy one, but, as
you learn and grow, and embark on
new horizons involving video production, they are there for you when you
need them.
When you make a choice in field
Camera Mountable
Olympus America
www.olympusamerica.com
XLR(5), Line
LCD Display
Galaxy Audio
www.galaxyaudio.com
Korg
www.korg.com
Cantar-X2
Audio Recorder Buyer's Guide cont.
American DJ
www.americanaudio.us
Avid Technology
www.m-audio.com
Fostex Company
www.fostexinternational.com
model
Manufacturer
Audio Recorder Buyer's Guide
aaton s.a.
www.aaton.com
Alesis
www.alesis.com
NP
NP
no
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
NP
yes
NP
yes
yes
NP
NP
yes
yes
yes
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
yes
yes
NP
yes
NP
alesis
www.alesis.com
Roland
www.rolandus.com
mixers, quality should always succeed
price. The same as most things in life,
the more you pay, the better you get.
Audio Recorders
The portable audio recorder—or field
recorder—lets you record audio on the
go. Unlike the audio field mixer, audio
recorders can record sound separate
from the camcorder and microphone
connections. You can mount audio
recorders to your camcorder or use
them independently to log your audio
to SD/SDHC flash cards to later transfer onto a computer’s hard drive for
editing. This in itself is a great benefit
to owning a digital audio recorder. As
in movie productions, you have the
luxury of editing your soundtrack in a
post-production environment.
Samson Zoom products, the Zoom
H2 portable digital recorder and the
H2n Handy Recorder, include many of
the features all audio recorders should
promote. The H2 digital recorder
fits into the palm of your hand for
easy travel and handling, and comes
moderately priced. What’s cool about
Zoom’s H2 recorder is that it allows
21
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A Field Recorders & Mixers
Buyer’s Guide
Fostex Company
www.fostexinternational.com
you to record directly from the front
at 90 degrees, from the rear at a 120,
or at 360 degrees for better mixing of
your audio. The H2n, however, takes
recording to another level, offering
Mid-Side stereo recording to capture
uni-directional and bi-directional audio, coming from your left and right.
The H2n also has one of the greatest
features you can have in an audio
recorder. In the event of battery loss
or power down, the H2n has a data
recovery function to restore your data
when you power it back on again.
Expect battery life to be a deciding
factor when choosing between the
H2 and the H2n. The H2 gives you up
to four hours of continuous use on
two AA batteries, but the AC adapter
provides you with longer use. The
H2n gives you over twenty hours of
continuous life on two AA alkaline
batteries, allowing you more flexibility in recording situations.
Field Audio Mixers and Audio
Recorders
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The bottom line between field mixers
and audio recorders? Going into the
field without one or the other would
be like entering a boxing ring with
only one arm.
In a sound production setup, a
mic—or mics—plug into the audio mixer, and the mixer’s multiple
output, in turn, sends audio to both
the camcorder and the audio recorder, which generates a backup
of the recorded sound. You can
monitor that sound with a set of good
headphones. Never go into the field
22
without 'phones, whether you decide
to purchase an audio mixer or not.
A professional brand of headphones
lets you supervise the audio from a
camcorder. Audio mixers and sound
recorders produce great sound, but
the headphones let you hear any
unwanted noises from electrical
equipment or vibrations. Even if the
audio mixer VU meter levels look
okay, the headphones will pick up
uninvited echoes or hums that present
problems. Always use headphones to
monitor outside of the record deck
and not the mixer.
Some Warnings and Tips
Since video productions involve a lot
of moving around—sometimes after
each shot—breakaway cables help
make connecting and disconnecting
your equipment a lot easier. They are
also a big plus to keep you from tripping over your connections.
Furthermore, it is a good idea to
strap the field mixer to your body by
placing it in an audio bag. This allows
you quick access to the controls to
adjust the sound.
Final Tips
The sound you record into the camcorder will never match the quality of
sound from audio mixers and sound
recorders. Never! Field mixers—good
ones—have input transformers that
cut out RF (radio frequency) before
it gets into your audio. Good audio
mixers have limiters for pungent
recording and they reduce the chance
of overload distortion. Most of all,
good field mixers make your sound
first-rate.
Audio recorders allow you to record
sound from your shoots separate from
your camcorder so you can edit the
sound later in your computer. Having
the ability to do this gives you more
control over the sound of your project—just as they do in the movies, but
for way less.
So, in my humble opinion, forget
about using the built-in microphone
that comes with your camcorder—
particularly if you plan to make great
video productions. Some people spend
thousands on expensive camcorders,
but pinch pennies on quality sound
equipment.
Bad Idea
Remember The Blair Witch Project
- everybody’s favorite independent
film outside of Clerks - well, for those
of you who weren’t aware, half of
that movie was shot in Hi8. Even
back then, Hi8 was considered a format for filming a recital, not a feature
film. Nonetheless, the filmmakers
used Hi8 and made filmmaking history. They focused their budget more
toward clear, flawless sound than picture quality—and it paid off for them
big time.
As a videographer—whether you’re
a beginner, enthusiasts, hobbyist, pro—
you never know where your ventures
may take you. The video producing
market is huge and filled with countless opportunities for filmmakers
to make their mark. You may have
recorded a friend’s wedding as a last
minute favor on your trusty camcorder
and everyone goes wild over your footage. They start asking you to record
parties and other events. Then, within
a year, you are earning an extra twenty
to thirty thousand for your kid’s college
fund or that sports car you’ve had your
eye on. It could happen.
Hey, you never know where video
producing ventures may lead. But
trust me on this, they’ll go absolutely
nowhere if you don’t treat your efforts
with professionalism at all times. That
starts with realizing camcorders do
not present quality sound because
they were made to give you quality
picture. Audio field mixers and sound
recorders, however, were made just for
that—great sound!
Stephen Joseph is a writer and independent filmmaker.
Buyer’s Guide
BY TERESA ECHAZABAL
An effective and efficient media storage system to store your data is crucial for today’s video
editors. As video editors, we are aware of the importance of storage for our media, in particular a
media storage system for our video files. There is a big difference between storing document files
and storing video files. Video files require not only a lot more disk space but also a faster, more
reliable hard drive. The best hard drives for storing video files can be categorized by, among other
factors, whether they are internal or external, size, speed, and whether it’s an HDD (Hard Disk
Drive) or SDD (Solid-State Drive) type of hard drive.
P
ossibly the number one hard
drive chosen by professional
video editors is the RAID hard drive.
RAID, which stands for Redundant
Array of Independent Disks, is a
unique type of hard drive that provides “redundancy.” This means that
it duplicates critical information on
your hard drive thereby increasing
its dependability and functionality. If
your hard drive should fail for some
reason, multiple drives in a RAID can
add redundancy, making data loss or
system failure less likely. RAID drives
can also give your system that extra
kick it will need when you are using
it for video editing and video storage.
For these reasons, RAID hard drives
are popular among video editing professionals and a top choice of video
editors when shopping for a hard
drive for their media storage systems.
Internal or External?
If you have the space inside your
computer tower, an internal hard drive
is probably the easiest and best solution when adding an additional hard
drive to your media storage system.
Internal drives can be purchased at
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www.amsstorage.com
Apple Inc.
www.apple.com
Applied Micro Circuits Corporation
www.apm.com
Apricorn Co.
www.apricorn.com
Archion
www.archion.com
Arecea Technology Corp.
www.areca.com.tw
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
www.asus.com
Atto Technology, Inc.
www.attotech.com
Avid Technology, Inc.
www.avid.com
Axiom
www.axiommemory.com
Axxion - EzPnP
www.ezpnp-usa.com
Bright Technoligies, Inc.
www.4bright.com
Buffalo Technology
www.buffalotech.com
BUSlink Media
www.buslink.com
CalDigit
www.caldigit.com
Cavalry Storage
www.cavalrystorage.com
Celeros
www.celeros.com
Ci Design Co., Inc.
www.istoragepro.com
Ciphertex
http://ciphertex.com
Cirago International Ltd.
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CMS Products
www.cmsproducts.com
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Corsair
www.corsair.com
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Cybernetics
www.cybernetics.com
Dane-Elec Memory
www.danedigital.com
Delkin Devices Inc.
www.delkin.com
Dell
www.dell.com
D-Link Corporation/D-Link Systems, Inc
www.dlink.com
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Dot Hill Systems Corp.
www.dothill.com
Drobo, Inc.
www.drobo.com
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Dulce Systems
www.dulcesystems.com
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Dura Micro, Inc.
www.duramicro.com
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Dynamic Network Factory
www.dnfsys.com
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Emulex Corporation
www.emulex.com
Enhance Technology, Inc.
www.enhance-tech.com
Facilis Technology Inc.
www.facilis.com
FirmTek, LLC
www.firmtek.com
Imitation Corp.
www.imation.com
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V IDEOMAKER >>> MARCH 2012
When choosing a hard drive for video
editing, the speed of the drive, or the
speed in which the plates turn, is very
Buffalo Technology
www.buffalotech.com
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Speed
pre-Configured External Hard
Drives (including RAIDs)
Storage Controllers
NAS Devices
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www.globalstor.com
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Glyph Technologies
www.glyphtech.com
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Granite Digital
www.granitedigital.com
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Grass Valley USA, LLC
www.grassvalley.com
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G-Technology by Hitachi
www.g-technology.com
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HighPoint Inc.
www.highpoint-tech.com
Hitachi Data Systems
www.bluearc.com
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation
www.hds.com
www.fujitsu.com
GIGA-BYTE Technology Co.
www.gigabyte.us
Globalstor Data Corporation
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Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
www.hitachigst.com
Hwelett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
http://h10010.www1.hp.com
IBM
www-03.ibm.com
IDEALSTOR
www.idealstor.com
Imitation Corp.
www.imation.com
Infortrend Technology Inc.
www.infortrend.com
Intel Corporation
www.intel.com
Iomega
iomega.com
ioSafe, Inc.
www.iosafe.com
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iStarUSA Inc.
www.istarusa.com
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JMR Inc.
www.jmr.com
Kanguru Solutions
www.kanguru.com
Kano Technologies Corporation
www.kanotechnologies.com
Kingston Technology Corporation
www.kingston.com
LaCie
www.lacie.com
Lenovo
www.lenovo.com
LG Electronics
www.lg.com
LIFESTUDIO
www.lifestudio.com
LITE-ON IT CORPORATION
http://us.liteonit.com
LSI Corporation
www.lsi.com
Maxell Corporation of America, Inc.
www.maxell-usa.com
Memorex Products, Inc.
www.memorex.com/en-us
Microboards Technology, LLC
www.microboards.com
Micron Technology, Inc.
www.micron.com
Micronet Technology
NetApp
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NETGEAR
www.netgear.com
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Newer Technology, Inc.
www.newertech.com
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OCZ Technology Group
www.ocztechnology.com
OLIXIR TECHNOLOGIES
www.olixir.com
Origin Storage Limited
www.originstorage.com
Overland Storage
www.overlandstorage.com
Removable Storage
Advanced Media Services
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www.formac.com
Fujitsu
Storage Controllers
www.addonics.com
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Formac Elektronik GmbH
NAS Devices
Addonics Technoligies, Inc.
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Internal Hard Drives/SSDs
www.adatausa.com
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Optical Drives
ADATA
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Until recently, traditional Hard Disk
Drives, or HDDs were the only type of
hard drive, besides the RAID hard drive,
that video editing professionals had to
choose from. These electromechanical drives are partly constructed of
spinning disks and movable read/write
heads. HDDs run on high-speed serial
interfaces, such as the standard SATA or
SCSI, which operates at a faster speed.
Solid-State Drives, or SSDs, are hard
drives much like HDDs in that their
main function is to store data. The
main advantage of SSDs over HDDs is
that they use solid-state memory to
store data, and yet they provide access
to data in much the same way as traditional HDDs. They are different from
HDDs in that they use microchips to retain data, and unlike traditional HDDs,
they contain no movable parts, making
them capable of withstanding shock
much better than traditional hard disk
drives. They are also much quieter and
have a lower access time and latency.
However, they are also much more
expensive than standard HDDs.
Solid state drives’ read/write speeds
are also significantly faster than the
standard hard drive speeds. Among
the many solid state hard drives in
the market today is the Intel SSD 320
Series, which comes in a variety of
sizes. It offers a 3GBp/s SATA, and up
to 39,500 input/output operations
per second (IOPS) random reads and
23,000 IOPS random writes. The Corsair Force Series 3 60GB has a SATA 3
6GBps interface and quick read/write
times when installed in PCs using the
latest SATA 3 6GB/s interface. And the
Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB solid
state drive has 7200 rpm, SATA 3GBps,
and 32MB Cache.
Website
www.acard.com.tw
www.acomdata.com
•
HDD or SSD
Manufacturer
ACARD
AcomData
Website
www.1beyond.com
Optical Drives
Manufacturer
1 Beyond, Inc.
electronic specialty stores or online.
There are many internal hard drives
on the market, among them are the
Seagate Barracuda XT with 2TB. This
high-capacity hard drive is very useful
for video editing because it is built on
a full-speed 7200 rpm 4-disk platform.
It has a sustained data transfer rate of
138Mbps, with a huge 64MB cache,
SATA 6GBps interface. The Western
Digital Caviar Black 1TB internal hard
drive has a rotational speed of 7200,
transfer rates of 126Mbps and a SATA
6GBps interface. The Samsung SpinPoint F3R Enterprise Class 1TB internal hard drive has a rotational speed of
7200 as well and 300Mpss. It uses two
500GB platter disks, for a total of 1TB.
However, if you don’t have room
in your system tower, you can always
opt for an external hard drive, which
is also usually a lot more convenient
than internal hard drives because external hard drives can be connected to
just about any PC or Mac. You can also
do your video editing from anywhere
- simply take the drive along with you.
In addition, as your media storage
system and your needs grow, you can
buy more external hard drives that you
can connect together so your media
storage system will never be low on
storage space. Some popular external
hard drives are the Western Digital
My Book AV 1TB external hard drive,
which includes a USB 2.0 and eSATA
host interface, an external data transfer
rate of 480Mbps, and a data transfer
rate of up to 3GBps.
The Hitachi XL3000 desktop hard
drive, 3TB, has a USB 2.0 interface
with a transfer rate of 480Mbps, and
the G-Technology G-DRIVE 2TB external hard drive comes loaded with
the power of a 7200 rpm, IEEE 1394b
(FireWire 800), and a high speed USB/
eSATA interface type.
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www.pcgearhead.com
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Pioneer Electronics (USA)
www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA
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Plextor
www.plextoramericas.com
PMC-Sierra, Inc.
www.adaptec.com
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PNY Technologies
www3.pny.com
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POWER QUOTIENT INTERNATIONAL CO.
www.pqi.com.tw
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PROAVIO, U.S.A.
www.proavio.com
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Promise Technology, Inc.
www.promise.com
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Seagate
www.seagate.com
Qlogic Corp.
www.qlogic.com
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QNAP Systems, Inc.
www.qnap.com
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Quantum Corporation
www.quantum.com
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Pexagon
www.pexagontech.com
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RAID Incorporated
www.raidinc.com
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RAIDON Technology Inc.
www.stardom.com.tw
Rain Computers, Inc.
www.raincomputers.com
Rocstor
www.rocstorage.com
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Rorke Data
www.rorke.com
www.sabrent.com
SAMSUNG
www.samsung.com
Sans Digital
www.sansdigital.com
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Sentry Group
www.sentrysafe.com
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SIIG, Inc.
www.siig.com
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Small Tree Communications, LLC
www.granitestor.com
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Sonnet Technologies, Inc.
www.sonnettech.com
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Sony Electronics Inc.
www.store.sony.com
Super Talent Technology Corporation
www.supertalent.com
Syba Tech Ltd.
www.syba.com
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Studio Network Solutions
www.studionetworksolutions.com
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Synology America Corp.
www.synology.com
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Tandberg Data
www.tandbergdata.com
TEAC AMERICA, INC.
www.teac.com
www.thecus.com
Total Micro Technologies
www.total-micro.com
Transcend Information, Inc.
www.transcend-info.com
Vantec Thermal Technologies
www.vantecusa.com
Verbatim Americas, LLC.
www.verbatim.com
Western Digital Corporation
www.wdc.com
Wolverine Data
www.wolverinedata.com
XIMETA Inc.
www.ximeta.com
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What is your throughput? Throughput
is the rate at which data is transmitted over a communication channel. If
the sustained data rate of a hard drive
dips below the required transfer rate of
video, you will get jerky video playback,
bad audio and subsequently dropped
frames. Good throughput is the result of
a good balance between your computer’s hard drive and the controller
that connects between the drives and
your computer. Good throughput, the
kind that allows video editing professionals to capture video that is smooth
and flawless and without dropped
frames, is achieved by ensuring that the
amount of data moving between your
computer and your hard drive can keep
up with the video that is being processed through the connector. In order
to accomplish this, the faster your hard
drive is the better. A rotational speed of
10000 is better than 7200, and 7200 is
better than 5400. The connection you
use has a lot to do with speed as well.
A FireWire connector will allow you to
transfer data to your hard drive much
Avid Technology, Inc.
www.avid.com
Connections
faster than a USB 2.0 connector. And
here is where RAID drives stand out.
Simply put, a RAID drive is a collection
of two or more drives put together to
act as one. Your computer reads your
RAID drive as one hard drive when in
reality you have more than one drive
linked together. Naturally, the more
drives in your RAID unit, the higher
your sustained throughput is going to
be. If you can afford it, go with a RAID
drive. Your media storage system will
love you for it.
The connectors used to hook up the
external hard drive to the computer
influence read/write speeds. There are
various types of connectors you can
use with your hard drive to transfer
data.
Among the more widely used ones
are USB connectors, FireWire connectors, SCSI connectors, EIDE and RAID
connectors. When in the market for
an external hard drive, remember to
choose a drive with a wide range of
interfaces, such as eSATA, USB and
FireWire.
How Much Can You Spend?
Hard drive storage comes in all
shapes, sizes, and capacities. Some
drives have more advantages and
features than others do, and an HDD,
SSD or RAID are factors to consider
along with cost. How much you spend
will depend on the features that come
with your hard drive.
When it comes to size, bigger is
better when working with video files
for video editing. As a video editing
professional, you can never have too
much hard drive storage. Your media
storage system, if it is used to edit
video, should also have the storage
capacity of at least 2TB, it should be
fast, with at least a 7200 rotational
speed. A solid-state Drive or a RAID
drive are even better choices. Considering all of this, you will probably
spend around $200-300 for a topof-the-line 2TB hard drive.
Teresa Echazabal is a freelance video editor, writer, and
producer.
For comments, email: editor@videomaker.
com, use article #15330 in the subject line.
You can comment and rate this article by going
online: www.videomaker.com/article/15330
•
LaCie
www.lacie.com
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important. Avoid purchasing a hard
drive with an rpm speed of less than
5400 rpm (rotational speed). A 7200
rpm desktop hard drive has a data
transfer rate of up to 1,030 Mbps and
10,000 rpm drives transfer rates are
generally higher. The highest rotational speed in the market right now
is 15,000 rpm for SATA hard drives,
and this will prove a far superior hard
drive for video editing. The major
drawback of some of these high rotational speed drives is that they tend to
run hotter than the lower rotational
speed ones. However, the newer SSD’s
are fast becoming more popular and
replacing the SATA drives and their
read/write speeds are an improvement
over the standard hard drive speeds.
Throughput
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Sabrent
Thecus
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Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. www.storage.toshiba.com
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Removable Storage
PCGearHead.com
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Storage Controllers
www.patriotmemory.com
NAS Devices
Patriot Memory
www.panasonic.com
Website
Optical Drives
Manufacturer
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Western Digital Corporation
www.wdc.com
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Be a Good Scout,
Have a
Backup Plan
BY MICHAEL REFF
Backing up your video files sounds like a wise decision, but
it’s sometimes kind of scary. How you will know those files
will be there next time you need them?
S
o you’ve finally made the transition from
video-tape to digital media management.
You’ve been shooting so long that you feel
you’ve earned all the merit badges needed to
move on up to the next level. Like a true scout,
who’s motto has always been, “Be Prepared” you
think you’re ready. But are you? When I was a
scout, be prepared meant: have a backup plan.
My backup plan was to have two backup plans.
Now that you’re managing data and erasing
your video after every shoot, you have to make
sure you have it right. Because when it comes to
backing up your video data, you had better be a
freakin’ Eagle video scout.
Backing up your data is one of the most terrifying things you will ever do as a shooter. I’ve
been in the business more than 25 years and
I still get nervous when I hit the delete button.
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Whether it’s swapping cards in the camera or
moving the footage to external hard drives, be
sure to always have a plan, and always stick to
it. It can’t be said enough. Always have a plan,
always stick to it!
Tenderfoot Badge
In order to earn your novice video scout badge,
one of the first things you should make a habit is
marking what is shot and what is not. Whether
it’s flipping a tab on the card or putting bright
colored tape on the card or box, mark it clear
and loud. Try taping the ends of the card with
hot pink tape to prevent it from making contact
to the camera or try taping the box to prevent it
from opening. You should also mark your cards
so you can tell them apart. Use a permanent
marker and put a number or letter on each card.
If you have more than one camera, try calling all
the cards from one camera “A” and the other one
“B” followed by the number. For example 1A, 2A,
3A, then 1B, 2B, 3B. Keeping them clearly different helps to avoid mixing them up in the heat
of the battle, especially if you’re not doing a lot
of daily camera work and there are long gaps of
time between shoots.
Another basic media management practice
that is essential to start from the very beginning
is to build a clear file structure on your computer
or hard drive. It needs to be easy to understand
and easy to check. In other words, don’t copy
your video into one folder titled “Video” and let
the clip numbers land where they may. Carefully
think about how you would search for something. One suggestion would be to build a series
Managing your
media can be
quite a task, so if
you know organization is not one
of your strengths,
consider helpful software like
ShotPut Pro.
Star Video Scout Badge
Once you’ve started making money with your
shooting, you’ve become a true video scout. It
will become more important to back up your
data in the field while shooting. Many new videographers don’t have a lot of money and can’t
afford several large memory cards to allow them
to keep shooting non-stop throughout the day.
If you’re one of those shooters and are limited
to one or two cards, then you will have to offload as you go. This is where picking the right
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of folders that use a combination of date and
location and card number.
Professionally we use a main folder with the
client name, inside that folder we break it out
into shoot names, inside that folder we break
it out into multiple days if the shoot happens
that way, and finally we break it out into card
numbers. The more overly precise you are the
better. This will help you quickly and clearly
check to see if you have copied the entire contents of the card before you go to erase it. Once
you have copied the card, check to see that all
of the clips are there, play a few of them back
to be sure they are working. Now you’re done.
Right? Wrong.
What happens if that drive goes bad? What if
your child puts his glass of soda on top of your
drive while playing video games on your computer and then loses at the last level after three
days of non-stop playing? What happens if you
delete it, because you have a copy of it in edit
and then forget to save that version of the edit?
There goes you’re parent’s 50th anniversary
video. If you haven’t copied your video in at
least two places, then you don’t have a backup
plan, and you definitely don’t have a backup
to the backup plan. Besides, hard drives are
cheap these days and there is even media
management software that helps check it for
you, like ShotPut Pro (www.videomaker/r/590)
You can even have your backup copy online,
if you’re in a real pinch. Websites like Vimeo
Pro (www.vimeo.com/pro) and YouTube (www.
youtube.com) may not be the best or safest
place to hold your video, but if the choice is
between having a second backup and not having a second backup, I would at least know it
was somewhere should all your drives crash
or be destroyed in some terrible catastrophic
event. And trust me, if you don’t have a backup,
something will happen to it.
Times Two
x2
An optional way to make a backup of what you
shoot, is to simul-roll. Simultaneously rolling on
a backup drive is done every day. Devices, like
a nanoFlash for instance (www.convergentdesign.com/Products/nanoFlash.aspx), can
be attached directly to the camera and carried
around with you, recording as you shoot. They
are light-weight, can run off the camera’s battery, (some cameras may need special adaptors) and use CompactFlash drives or other
small memory cards, very much like your camera. They can even automatically roll when you
equipment is essential. You will not only need
robust drives but they should be bus powered
(powered from the computer battery through
the connecting data wire) in case you are somewhere that doesn’t have access to electricity.
The drives should also be very fast, preferably
FireWire 800 or USB 2.0 or better. Speed is not
only limited to the drives, however, carefully
look at your whole system.
Laptops that allow your card to be directly
inserted into them are much faster than external
readers. If yours doesn’t have one that fits your
type of card, try running the transfer from the
camera. Typically it’s faster than an external
reader. Of course, this can only be done if you’re
not shooting with it at the time. Finding the right
moment to start off-loading the data is a talent
in and of itself. Be sure you have enough unused
memory left in the camera so as not to run out
of data before the transfer is complete. There is
nothing worse than having to stop shooting to
wait on a download. And remember we’re doing
two backups. Just because you’re shooting on
location doesn’t mean you don’t make a safety
copy, so plan ahead.
Buying hard drives for every shoot may also
not be a reality for you. Professionally we like
the client to bring their own portable hard drives
when we’re not editing for them. This saves
you money and allows the client to walk away
and keep the footage in their possession. It also
passes the responsibility onto the client, to keep
track of the footage, should they need it at a later
date. If you’re a true video scout, you may even
wish to bring your own portable hard drive just
in case you want a copy of your work or they
roll, by way of connecting to the timecode or
SDI output of your camera, should it have that
option. This method of making a backup is
excellent for clients who need a copy of their
footage immediately after the shoot and can’t
wait for a transfer to happen. The disadvantage of doing it this way, is that the memory
size is very small, usually limited to the
memory card size of 32GB per card and is
very costly when compared to portable hard
drives. But it does accomplish the golden rule
of backing up your data.
bring something that won’t work with your
computer. Just remember if you’re not backing
up their stuff in two places or more, someone
had better do it.
Eagle Video Scout Badge
By the time you have become a professional
camera operator you will have advanced in the
ways of digital media management. You’ll also
come to realize that the best way to do media management takes lots of money. Ideally,
you should strive to have as many large data
cards as possible. Eight hours of record time
will probably hold you all day long in most
insistences. This allows you to keep shooting
continuously until you get to a point where
you have the time to safely off-load your data
without rushing and making mistakes. If however you are shooting non-stop - like in a live
event - or you lack the amount of cards you
contents
full screen
Off loading your card directly onto your computer is faster than using
a reader, and eliminates one more wire for your data to pass through.
31
print
1500
Card
Number
Card
Number
VIXIA HF M40
Contour+ Helmet Camcorder
HD Flash Memory Camcorder
• 170°/125° wide-angle lens
• 1920 x 1080/30p HD video
• Rotating Sensor for Versatile Mounting
• MicroSD card slot
• 5MP CMOS sensor
• HDMI output
• Shot framing via Bluetooth & Smart Phone
• Water-resistant aluminum shell
• Storytelling editing software (Mac & PC)
• 1920 x 1080 HD recording
• 16GB Internal Flash Memory
• 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slots
• 2.37MP 1/3" CMOS sensor
• 3.0" Touch Panel LCD
• SuperRange optical stabilization
• DIGIC DV III image processor
• 24p & 30p frame modes
• 24Mbps recording
• Microphone and headphone inputs
5
Mega
Pixels
#COCPHC
Card
Number
#CAHFM40
DEV-5
®
Multiple
Days
Shoot
Names
Shoot
Names
Multiple
Days
Shoot
Names
Main Folder
Client Name
Main Folder
Client Name
Multiple
Days
Shoot
Names
Multiple
Days
Shoot
Names
Main Folder
Client Name
dollars in re-shoot fees. It would have
been a whole lot cheaper to have paid
a few hundred dollars more and got an
expert. Don’t fool around with this position.
This is not only your work, but your reputation
too.
• Records 1080p, 960p, 720p HD Video
• SD/SDHC up to 32GB
• 1/2.3", 11Mp CMOS sensor
• 2X sharper pro glass lens
• f/2.8 Fixed Focus
• 170º wide, 127º medium FOV
(including 1080p)
• 90º narrow FOV • Microphone input
GoPro 3D kit - 3D waterproof housing
for (2) 1080p HD HERO cameras, with 3D editing software
You’ve Earned your Safety Badge
Here is an example of folder
structure. Aim to make each
folder unique, even if all you
change is a number.
need to make it through the day, then the other
professional way is to hire a media management operator. This person’s dedicated job is to
do nothing but focus on making sure everything
is there, backed up, and working properly. I
should stress, however, that this operator must
be competent. I once heard a story of a company using a production assistant to do the
media management. He did a good job except
for one day where he copied over the previous
day’s work, costing the production thousands of
contents
So it’s a wrap and the day has ended. The
client has two drives with all the footage and
you have your copy, too. But wait a minute
- you don’t have a drive. How is that possible? Well if you have enough cards and you
haven’t needed to erase any, your footage is
still located where you left it, on the cards.
Whatever you do, don’t erase your cards until
you absolutely have to! I can’t tell you the
number of times I have been asked to go back
to the original cards days later because a clip
was corrupt or missing or deleted. I have had
several instances where professional media
managers have left off a clip or lost the location of the transfer. I have had producers run
over their drives, drop them in water and lose
them in the mail. If you’re not using those
cards let the data stay there. I even sometimes
reverse the order I use the cards so as to delay
the erasure as long as possible.
The other option, if you have the equipment
and the money, is to go to home and make a
backup to the card backup. Having a long-term
storage-safe copy of your footage is good idea
too. Very large servers, RAIDs or arrays, work
best for this type of storage, but most people
don’t have the space or the money for this.
There are however many companies that offer
off-site data storage for reasonable rates too.
Check your local yellow pages for one close to
you. You never know when a client might need
your help, and if you’ve saved the data, you can
save the day. Trust me. I know what I’m talking
about. Scout’s honor.
Michael Reff is Director of Photography at Turner Broadcasting
full screen
Create an archive for long term storage on a
RAID, the multiple drives will add lots of security.
print
32
Digital Recording Binoculars
HD HERO2 / 3D Kit
For comments, email: [email protected], use article
#15277 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this
article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15277
11
Mega
Pixels
#GOHOH2 / GO3DH
• Dual 1/4" 4.2MP "Exmor R" CMOS sensors
• Memory Stick PRO Duo/SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• HD 1920 x 1080/60p HD 3D
video recording
• Dual G-Lenses (f/1.8 - 3.4),
up to 10x optical zoom
• 1080p HD recording, 60 and 24 fps
• Optical SteadyShot stabilization with Active Mode
• Stills 7.1MP in 4:3, and 5.3MP in 16:9
• Microphone input • Retagging with GPS
BandH.com/VMK
#SODEV5
HDC-TM900
POV.HD
3 CMOS HD Camcorder with 3D Shooting
Digital Helmet Camera System
• 1/2.7" HD CMOS sensor
• 1920 x 1080p and 1280 x 720p
• SD/SDHC memory card slot
• 0.7m-Infinity fixed focus lens
• 142°/120°/95° field of view
• Texas Instruments Da Vinci software processing
• Rugged Design: Shock/Water/Dust Proof
• 2" LCD screen on recording Unit
• NTSC/Pal
• 32GB internal flash memory
• SD/ SDHC/ SDXC card slot
• 3x 3.05 Mp 1/4.1" CMOS sensors
• 1080/60p recording
• Optional Panasonic VW-CLT1 3D
image lens required for 3D recording
• Leica Dicomar 12x optical,
20x intelligent zoom
• 3.5" touch screen LCD screen
• Microphone & headphone inputs
#VIPOVHD
#PAHDCTM900 / Conversion Lens #PAVWCLT1
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VW-CLT1
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800-947-9925
212-444-5025
HDR-TD10
HD Video & Linear PCM Audio Recorder
Dual Sensor 3D HD Camcorder
• Full HD 1920 x 1080/30p video recording,
with studio-grade 24 bit/96 hHz linear PCM
stereo audio
• 1/4" 5.32MP CMOS Sensor
• Records onto SDHC cards (up to 32GB)
• WAV / MP3 Files
• 2" LCD screen
• Olympus fixed focus optical with
4x digital zoom
• Creative movie effects
• 1920 x 1080 Full HD 60p/24p
• Two 1/4" HD 'Exmor R' CMOS Sensors
• 3D Viewing Directly on 3.5" LCD
No Need for 3D Glasses
• 2D Playback from 3D Recordings
• Dual Wide Angle G Lenses Wide 10x
(in 3D mode) optical zoom (17x Extended)
• Built-in 64GB internal flash memory
• SD/ SDHC/ SDXC/ Memory Stick card slot
• Microphone & Headphone Jacks
#OLLS20M
#SOHDRTD10
Fax:
212-239-7770
7
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Consumer Video ............#813
Pro Video ...................... #821
Audio for Video................#91
Video Editing ................ #831
HXR-NX3D1
U32120B / U32120W
Professional 3D Compact HD Camcorder
UltraHD Video Camera (3rd Gen)
• Dual 1/4" Exmor R CMOS sensors
• Two Sony G lenses (10x optical in 3D)
• 96 GB internal memory
• One SD or Memory Stick card slot
• 3.5" LCD (view 3D glasses-free)
• Full 1920 x 1080 in 3D and 2D
• 3D modes: 60i, 50i, 24p (28 Mb/s)
• 2D modes: 60p, 50p, 60i, 50i, 24p, 25p
• Active SteadyShot in 3D
• Dual XLR inputs (line / Mic / Mic+48V selectable)
• 1/4.5" 1.6 Mp CMOS
• 1280 x 720p HD recording
(2hrs HD recording)
• Fixed focus lens with 2x digital zoom
• 2" LCD screen
• Image stabilization
• Includes Flip video rech battery
• Supports AAA batteries (optional)
#FLU32120B* (Black or White)
#SOHXRNX3D1U
HX-DC10
We Buy, Sell and Trade
Used Equipment
Store & Mail Order Hours:
Sunday 10-6 • Mon.-Thurs. 9-7
Friday 9-1 EST / 9-2 DST
Saturday Closed
HDC-Z10000
HD Dual Camcorder
Twin-Lens 2D/3D Camcorder
• Full HD 1920 x 1080 recording on
SD/SDHC/SDXC cards
• 1/2.3" CMOS sensor
• 5x optical / 12x advanced zoom
• 3", 285° rotating LCD screen
• Intelligent auto & scene selector
• Hi-Speed reverse consecutive shooting mode
• Manual & macro modes
• Record videos in the iFrame mode (Mac)
• Easy sharing & playback - includes HD Writer VE 1.0 software
• Two independent 3MOS sensors
• HD Stereoscopic 3D recording
• Dual Integrated 10x Lenses
(12x in 2D)
• Triple manual rings: focus, zoom and iris
• Multi View Coding (MVC)
Recording in 3D 1080p60
• 3.5" 3D compatible LCD
• Dual XLR Inputs
• 2D/3D Still Image Recording
#PAHXDC10K
Over 300,000 products,
at your leisure.
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#PAHDCZ10000
NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic. #0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer – General Lic. #0907906
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VIXIA HV40
3-CMOS AVCHD Flash Camcorder
Interchangeable Lens HD Camcorder
• 1/ 2.7”, 2.96MP HD CMOS sensor
with RGB primary color filter
• Frame rates: 60i, native 24p (records
at 24p), 24p cinema, and 30p (at 60i)
• DIGIC DV II image processor
• Canon HD 10x optical video lens
• Instant Aufo Focus w/ext. sensor
• 2.7” widescreen LCD screen • External mic input
• Smooth variable zoom with 3 fixed zoom speeds
• 1/3" CMOS 1920 x 1080 CMOS sensor
• Dual CF card slots
• 50Mbps MPEG-2 recording
• Canon's MPEG-2 4:2:2 color sampling
• 60p/60i, 30p, 24p MXF File Format
• 10x HD zoom lens
• 3.5" 920K dot LCD monitor
• Stereoscopic 3-D recording capabilities
• Dual XLR inputs • Waveform Monitor
XF105 Step-up: HD/SD-SDI, SMPTE Time Code, Genlock
• Three 1/3” CMOS Exmor sensors
• Records to Memory Stick PRO Duo,
SD/SDHC Cards (Dual media slots)
• 1080/60i, and 24p/30p AVCHD recording
• 20x zoom G-Lens (29.5mm wide)
• Zoom, focus, and iris rings
• Dual XLR inputs • 3.2” Xtra Fine LCD
• Low-light (1.5 LUX) capabilities
• CinemaTone Gamma and CinemaTone
Color control
• Exmor APS-size HD CMOS 16.1 Mp sensor
• Records 1920 x 1080 @ 24p, 60i, 60p
• Memory Stick PRO Duo/SD/SDHC/
SDXC card slot
• Sony NEX E series lens mount
(A series option)
• 24 Mb/s AVCHD MPEG-4 AAC-LC
• 3.0" LCD and CVF
• Quad-capsule microphone & 5.1 Sound
• Cinematone Gamma / Color • Manual audio control
#CAXF100 / #CAXF105
#SOHDRAX2000H
#SONEXVG20 (Body Only)
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GC-PX10
420 Ninth Ave.
Corner of 34th Street
New York, N.Y. 10001
3-CMOS PRO HDV Camcorder
Professional Memory Card Camcorder
• Record HD 1920 x 1080/60p
• 1/2.3" 12Mp CMOS back-illuminated sensor
• 36Mbps recording • Internal 32GB flash
memory & SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• Konica Minolta 10x optical zoom lens
• FALCONBIRD imaging processor
• Built-in auto flash
• 3.0" tiltable touch panel LCD
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• High-speed (300fps) recording & Time-lapse recording
• Supports 1920/1440 x 1080, 1280 x 720
HD formats in 35, 25, and 19Mb/ps
with variable frame rates
• Dual SDHC card slots
(loop, pre-record)
• Captures native QuickTime files
• Fujinon 10x HD lens
• Optical image stabilization
• Dual XLR audio, with phantom
• Color viewfinder and large LCD monitor
• 3 Sony ClearVid 1/3-inch CMOS
sensors with Exmor technology
• Sony G-series 20x optical zoom
lens (29.5mm wide-end)
• Native (24p/24A/30p) progressive
scan recording • Direct connectivity
to Sony’s HVR-MC1K flash memory
recorder • Records HDV/DVCAM/
MiniDV • Dual XLR inputs, SMPTE timecode • 3.2” XtraFine LCD with
921k pixels • Cinema Tone Gamma and CinemaTone Color control
• Large 4/3-type MOS sensor
• Micro four thirds lens mount
• Uses still & cinema lenses
• Two SDHC/SDXC memory card slots
(Relay Recording)
• AVCCAM Recording 1080i/p,
720p variable frame rates
• Optical low-pass filter
• HD-SDI, HDMI output, Dual XLR
#JVGYHM150
#SOHVRZ5U
#PAAGAF100
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Subscribe to our
free Catalog
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212-444-6633
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Lens Optional
NEX-FS100UK
3-CMOS NXCAM Flash Memory Camcorder
Super 35mm Sensor HD Camcorder with Lens
• Record HD 1920 x 1080/60p
• Memory Stick Duo / SD card slot
• 1/2.88" Exmor R CMOS sensor
• 3.0" wide LCD / color EVF
• Wide G series 10x optical zoom lens
• Optical SteadyShot stabilization
• 24p recording & cinema tone control
• Mic/headphone input
• Built-In GPS receiver
• 1080 and 720 HD resolution
recording on SDHC cards
• 3 1/4” 3-MP CMOS
HD image sensors
• AVCHD MPEG-4
AVC/H.264 encoding
• 10.6-megapixel still capability
• 12x optical zoom
• 2.7-inch LCD monitor
• XLR audio input, HDMI output, USB 2.0
• Three 1/3” Exmor CMOS sensors, with a ClearVid array
• Capture uses Memory Stick PRO
Duo / SDHC Cards, with relay
record capability (optional HXRFMU128 flash memory unit)
• 20x wide G series lens
• HD-SDI & HDMI output, SMPTE
Time Code in/out, Dual XLR inputs
• Built-in GPS system
• 3.2” Xtra Fine LCD
• Exmor Super 35mm CMOS image sensor
• Includes 18-200mm
Zoom Lens
• E-mount interchangeable lens mount system
• HDMI 4:2:2 uncompressed
• 1920 x 1080p 28Mbps recording
• 3.5" XtraFine LCD screen
• 1920 x 1080p slow & quick motion
• Record onto SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory
Stick cards, or Sony HXR-FMU128 (optional) • HD MPEG-4 AVCHD format
#PAAGHMC40
#SOHXRNX5U
#SONEXFS100UK ...................................................... $5,599.00
12
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AG-HPX170
HXR-MC2000U
PMW-EX3
Pro Solid State Camcorder
Shoulder Mount AVCHD Pro Camcorder
P2HD Pro Solid-State Camcorder
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
• 1920 x 1080 HD resolution
• 1/2.88" back-illuminated Exmor R
CMOS sensor
• 64GB internal memory
• Memory Stick / SD/SDHC media card slot
• 10x wide G series lens
• Assignable manual dial controls
• 3.5" wide LCD
• Geotagging with built-In GPS
• 1/4" 4.2Mp, ClearVid Exmor R CMOS sensor
• Built-in 64GB hard drive
• SD/SDHC/SDXC & Memory Stick slot
• 1920 x 1080i AVCHD (24Mbps)
• MPEG-2 SD Mode (9Mbps)
• 12x wide angle Sony G lens
• Optical SteadyShot stabilizer
• 2.7" ClearPhoto LCD
• Manual lens ring with assignable
parameters
• Two P2 card slots recording HD
(1080i and 720p) and SD (480i) f
• 20 variable frame rates
• 3 1/3” progressive CCD sensors
• HD/SD-SDI output
• 13X Leica Dicomar
wide zoom lens
• Enhanced metadata management
• Optical Image Stabilization • Dual XLR inputs • 3.5” LCD monitor
• In-camera Waveform monitor Vectorscope and two Focus assist
• Interchangeable 1/2” bayonet lens
mount, incl. Fujinon 14x5.8 lens
• 3 1/2” Exmor CMOS image
sensors that shoot full raster
1920x1080 hi-def imagery
• Recording on removable
SxS flash memory cards
• 1080 and 720 shooting modes with
selectable bit rates in both PAL and NTSC standards
• Hi-res 3.5” LCD monitor • 8-Pin remote studio connectivity
#PAAGHPX170Q
#SOPMWEX3Q .......................................................... $8,320.00
12
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4
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#SOHXRMC2000U
# SOHXRMC50U
VIXIA HF G10
XF300 / XF305
AG-HMC80
3-CMOS Pro HD Solid State Camcorder
3 CMOS Solid State HD Camcorder
3-CMOS Pro Solid State Camcorder
• 1920 x 1080 HD Recording
• Two SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots
• 1/3" 2.37Mp HD CMOS pro sensor
• 3.5" LCD & Color viewfinder
• Genuine Canon 10x HD Video Lens
• Custom cinema-Look filters
• Professional shooting assist functions
• 3 1/4.1 CMOS sensors
• 1080 or 720 HD recording
• SD/SDHC media card slot
• 12X optical smooth zoom lens
• High-definition and standarddefinition recording
• Pre-record & interval recording
• Dual XLR/3.5mm mic-in inputs
• HDMI, USB, DV, Component terminals
• Record HD 1080/720 onto
Compact Flash cards
• 50Mbps MPEG-2 4:2:2 recording
• 3 1/3" 2.37Mp CMOS sensors
• 18x Canon HD L series lens
• DIGIC DV III image processor
• 4" 1.23 Mp LCD monitor
• 1.55 Mp Color EVF
• Over and under crank
XF305 Step-up: HD-SDI Output, Genlock & SMPTE Time Code
• 10-bit, 4:2:2, native 1080 and 720p
HD resolution in variable frame rates
• AVC-Intra 100 and 50 codecs
• Two P2 card slots (hot swapping,
loop, pre-record)
• 3 advanced 1/3”, 2.2 MP
CMOS sensors • HD-SDI output
• 20-bit digital signal processor
• 17x Fujinon HD lens • Built-in scan reverse mode
• Waveform and vector scope display
#CAHFG10
#PAAGHMC80
#CAXF300 / #CAXF305
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10
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AG-HMC150
PMW-EX1R
Fax:
212-239-7770
Consumer Video ............#813
Pro Video ...................... #821
Audio for Video................#91
Video Editing ................ #831
We Buy, Sell and Trade
Used Equipment
Store & Mail Order Hours:
Sunday 10-6 • Mon.-Thurs. 9-7
Friday 9-1 EST / 9-2 DST
Saturday Closed
PMW-F3K
Professional HD Solid State Camcorder
3-CCD Pro SD/SDHC Camcorder
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
Super 35mm HD Camcorder Kit
• 64GB Internal and Dual SDHC/SDXC
card slots with relay recording
• 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image Sensor
• Canon 10x HD Video Lens
• 8-Blade Iris and Manual Focus Ring
• DIGIC DV III Image Processor
• 24Mbps Recording (AVCHD)
• 3.5" High-resolution touch panel
LCD and EVF
• Dual XLR terminals
• 3 1/3” progressive CCD sensors
• Records HD 1080/60i/30p/24p,
720/60p,30p,24p formats
• Solid-State HD recording onto SD/
SDHC media (21 Mb/ps - 1920x1080)
• In-camera Waveform monitor Vectorscope
and two focus assist displays
• Leica Dicomar13x wide zoom lens
• Optical Image Stabilization
• Time/date stamp (legal depositions) • Dual XLR audio inputs
• SxS Memory Card Recording
w/800Mb/ps Data Transfer
• DVCam Recording
• Cache Recording
• Image inversion function
• 1/2-inch Exmor 3 CMOS Sensors
• 1080P/1080i/720p Switchable
• Multiple-frame recording
• 14x HD Fujinon Lens • 3.5” LCD monitor
• Full Manual Focus Ring • Over- and Under-cranking
• Exmor Super 35 CMOS image sensor
• Includes 35mm, 50mm, 85mm lens kit
• PL lens mount, 35mm Cine lens
compatibility
• 10-bit 4:2:2 HD-SDI
• Two SxS memory card slots
• Interlace/Progressive modes
• D-SDI Dual-link output
• 3D-LINK option
#CAXA10
#PAAGHMC150
#SOPMWEX1RQ ........................................................ $6,299.00
#SOPMWF3K .......................................................... $19,890.00
Prices, specifications, and images are subject to change without notice. Manufacturer rebates are subject to the terms and conditions (including expiration dates) printed on the manufacturers’ rebate forms. Not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors. © 2000-2012 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.
800-947-9925
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AG-HPX370
XA10
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3-CMOS Pro HD Solid State Camcorder
HXR-MC50U
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available
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AG-HMC40
Over 300,000 products,
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The most knowledgeable
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Visit our SuperStore
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BY JENNIFER O’ROURKE
There’s been a lot of talk lately in blogs, websites and magazines like
Videomaker about the need to get releases whenever you step outside to shoot.
contents
I imagine a massive horde of well-intentioned videographers, with camcorder in
full screen
one hand, tripod in another, a gear bag thrown over their shoulder, and a plethora
of papers flying out from their bag; all in the attempt to get ‘that perfect shot’.
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Visit videomaker.com/VideoPro
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37
T
he truth is, you don’t always need a model
release form. The question is, when do you
have to cover your assets, and when can you
shoot freely? Hopefully, we’ll be able to shed
some light on some of the confusion.
For more than a century, photojournalists in
the United States have had the pleasure of shooting wherever and whenever they please, because
they know that the First Amendment protects
their rights to get coverage for their story. The
gray area comes about with non-journalists who
are in the dark about their implied ‘rights’ and
don’t exactly know when or why they might
need a model or talent release form.
Imagine all the breath-taking photos taken by
noted TIME and LIFE magazine photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White, who traveled the
country during the Great Depression, capturing
the drawn faces and look of loss and hopelessness of the subjects she photographed so richly.
Imagine the horrific images of the realities of
war captured by Robert Capa at Omaha Beach
and Normandy during World War II. Consider
all the video we’ve witnessed coming right off
Wall Street and across the country when the
Occupy Wall Street demonstrations unfolded.
Had those who posted Occupy images all over
the web been detained or expected to provide
model release forms, we might only have seen
a few select shots that were ‘approved’ by the
government or Wall Street leaders - images of
“scary dangerous long-haired crazy people” rather that the moving shots of senior citizens
using walkers, young families, and average
business people. If photojournalists had to get
a release form for every shot like those, it certainly would have killed the spontaneity of the
moment, and many a camera would have stayed
capped due to legal concerns.
What is Photojournalism?
An ethical photojournalist works within very
well-defined rules. The images must be impartial,
honest and tell the story in a way to complement
a newsworthy event. They must be objective. The
photographers or videographers aren’t allowed to
“stage” anything within the event to capture the
image they want - they are merely the extension
of the eye of the camera. (I know what you’re
going to ask next, but let’s not debate the accusations of right-wing or left-wing news slant today;
that’s for a different story for another time!) Photojournalists don’t need releases, they know they
are protected under the First Amendment, and if
you’re shooting for editorial purposes, neither do
you. Newspapers, TV news stations, and online
reporters aren’t required to obtain permission to
take people’s pictures at newsworthy events. This
means if you’re shooting for editorial purposes
for a news organization, you shouldn’t have to
have permission or releases, either. Usually.
What’s the Difference?
TV news and newspapers, are considered “editorial sources” rather than “commercial” operations.
Their chief purpose is to inform and educate.
TV stations don’t usually require you to supply
a model release, but publications like Videomaker
do. Although publications like ours are in the
business to “educate and inform,” our photos and
videos are illustrative scenes meant to explain an
action, event or product – so there’s a gray area
with some publications or video outlets. Some
establishments that sell footage or apply footage
Spoken
Agreement
When you don’t have a written release, or when you are interviewing a lot of people in a very short time, you can sometimes get away
with a verbal release. You do this by having the person read a short script while on camera. That verbal agreement needs to have the
person’s name, the date, the video production company or producers’ name, and clearly defined understanding of what the shoot is for.
Here is an example of how one would look*:
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(To be read aloud)
I, ______, give ______ the right to use my name, likeness, still or moving image, voice, appearance, and performance in a video program. This grant includes without limitation the right to edit, mix or duplicate and to use or re-use this video program in whole or part.
I acknowledge that I have no interest or ownership in the video program or its copyright. I also grant the right to broadcast, exhibit,
market, sell, and otherwise distribute this video program, either in whole or in part, and either alone or with other products for any lawful
purpose. In consideration of all of the above, I hereby acknowledge receipt of reasonable and fair consideration.
(*From the Videomaker “Videography Tips” webpage.)
38
for commercial use might ask for a
release before they use your photos
or video, or they might simply require
you to send them an email granting
permission. “Commercial use” means
when you are selling the images for
anything other than editorial (educational or informational) coverage. If
it’s your own work, that’s easy. If it’s
someone else’s, or there’s an unnamed person in the shot, you’ll need
their permission via a signed release.
Your local zoo might
seem public, but it’s usually a private enterprise
that might not allow you
to profit on its access. If
you’re shooting family
videos, no problem, otherwise check in advance.
Do I always Have to Have a
Release?
The answer to that question is: “It
depends.”(You knew I was going to say
that, didn’t you?) Even if you’re not
starting a production company or trying
to sell a shot to a stock media site, if you
plan to use images of unknown people
for something later on down the road
you might need a release, so it’s a good
idea to always get one up front.
I don’t want to crush your desire
to make the next great documentary,
but learn from a page out of my book.
After years of shooting for the news,
I ventured out to make my own little
documentary. I spent all summer getting interviews, shooting a backstory,
following builders and congregation
members of a 100-year-old church
that was going through a rebirth after
50 years of conflict, decay and ruin. I
had a terrific story of contention, rot
and abuse followed by an awakening
like the Phoenix from the ashes; yet
I forgot the one thing I needed above
all. Thinking the story was only going
to serve the tiny congregation for a
fund-raiser, I had no idea they’d love
it enough to want to ship it to PBS,
the History channel or any number
of broadcast potentials. But thinking the story would never go beyond
the 100-year-old brick walls, I didn’t
obtain any authentication of where the
historical photos or the licensed music
I used originated; I didn’t gather any
release forms, and many of the people
in the video had moved on. I was stuck.
Back-pedaling is the most difficult
thing to do in any venture, gathering
all the necessary information after the
fact is nearly impossible. My doc sits in
a shoebox, still unseen.
Public Property and Editorial
Coverage
You’ve probably heard that it’s okay
to shoot anywhere, anytime in public,
but even if the video you shot was
on a public street at a public event
there’s a gray area. For example, if you
stumble upon a criminal situation or
police enforcement - like someone’s
arrest, go ahead and shoot away –
but do it knowing full well that if the
person being arrested ends up getting
off due to a false identity, you can get
yourself and the news station you sold
it to in trouble. So shooter beware.
You also need to be sensitive to
people’s privacy in public if what
you’re covering is a tragic event
such as auto accident, house fire, or
medical situation. Shooting the medical personnel, firefighters or police
activity isn’t considered ‘sensitive,’ but
shooting the victim is. Knowing and
understanding the differences can
be the difference between covering a
good story and landing in court – or at
least being banned from covering any
other story for the station that aired
the errant footage. (TIP: News people
will shoot half-angles of faces they
want to obscure but still use. Let’s face
it, angst sells, but a full frontal image
of someone’s emotional pain is highly
sensitive, so shoot it if you must, but
give the editors other choices, too, so
that they can make the ultimate decision what to use and what lands on the
editing room floor.)
And, yes, sometimes you’ve heard
that recording police in the line of action is considered fair game if they and
you are on public property, but if you
are obstructing traffic, or endangering
others, or preventing them from doing
their job, they can and will take action
against you.
People in Public
What you shouldn’t do, even if it’s for
the news, is use photos or video you’ve
gathered after someone has asked
you not to use their image. You see, if
they’re in a public place, and you’re
covering a public event (or a private
event you were invited to cover),
there’s no reason to get someone mad
at you, and subsequently the news
organization you are shooting for, just
because they asked you not to use a
shot and you did anyway. There should
be plenty of other things that you can
capture with people who would be
excited to see themselves on TV. Of
course, that ‘one of a kind’ exclusive
shot would be hard to pass by - use
your judgement there!
People in public are fair game to a
certain degree, and the more famous
the public figures, the stronger your
right to shoot them.
Consider this example: you need
some crowd shots of a bunch of people
for two different types of promotional
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SubScriber
videos that are going to air in PSAs
(Public Service Announcements). You
go to the busiest intersection downtown during lunch and shoot a wide
shot of people walking on the sidewalk towards the camera. Your first
PSA is about the wonders of your little
town. Your audience will certainly
love it. You got that done, but now you
want to shoot crowd shots for the next
PSA – which is on healthy eating and
obesity. You have now just connected
those people with a product, service
or concept – and that is not okay. The
moment you use that shot, any number of people that appear in it might
think that you are calling them obese,
and how dare you single them out?
They are in a public place, you are in
a public place, so, technically it’s OK,
but doing so can cause grief, which
can cause complaints, which can
cause a potential lawsuit, which can
cause the company you are shooting
for to not to use you again.
Private Property and Location
Release
So you think you have the talent part
worked out. What about the location?
As long as you are in a public place
you think it’s okay, and you might not
need to get a location release, but you
might need permits to shoot. Many
city and state governments have film
commissions that run the video redtape for location shooting permits.
This Videomaker forum post directs you
to the U.S. Film Commission offices in
each state: www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/us-film-offices-bystate. Each state’s office can tip you
to the specific city office. When you
need to gather permits for location
shooting, plan far enough in advance,
and let them know the exact times
and dates, along with the amount of
gear and the number of crew members. Will you need to shut down
streets? Entrances to public buildings?
Parks? This requires even more redtape, so have your needs all planned
out as well as a budget for possible
processing fees.
Shooting in or at private property
requires permission of the owner or
authorized agent. Places like your local museum, mall or zoo might seem
to be public property, but they aren’t
and they have rules for photo and video that are usually printed in the fine
print on the back of your entry ticket
or in the business office. If you are
just shooting a day in the park with
family and friends, even if you plan to
post it to YouTube, that will be okay,
but if you are shooting for commercial
purposes, you might not be able to do
so without permission. The owners
might simply not want you shooting
for commercial reasons just because
they want to sell their own version of
the zoo animals’ antics, for example.
They might allow you to shoot a com-
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Covering the event at your local ballpark can be considered ‘public’ and might
not require releases. However, an illustrative training video is made to ‘educate
and inform’ and you should always get release forms.
40
mercial production (or shots for stock
footage), but they might not allow
lights, tripods, or microphones. It’s up
to you to know when and what you
can shoot. See www.videomaker.com/
article/809.
So when do I have to have
a Release?
If you are shooting for commercial
purposes, get a release. If the stock
site you’re selling to is commercial, or
has several levels of publication, e.g.,
commercial, for profit, non profit, art;
you might not need a release for the
non profit page, but you will for the
commercial page, so if you want to
have ‘full coverage’ it’s a good idea to
get permission up front.
Need a Release:
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty – you
want to know exactly when you really
need a release:
• If you are using a person in your
video for commercial purposes.
• If the event you are shooting isn’t at
a public venue – that is, if the event
is private, even if it’s in a seemingly
public place. (Yes, we know about the
paparazzi with long lenses in helicopters hovering over private parties
in Malibu, Calif. – they’re an element
unto their own and often have their
own, serious legal issues to deal with.)
• If the event is private, you might need
permission from the owner, or agent of
the property, but that is often implied
or agreed upon with the person or
organization that is booking the venue.
If you’ve been hired to shoot the event,
it’s good to look into that before you
arrive with camcorder in hand.
• If you are an invited guest to a
private event, check with your hosts
before you shoot, they might not want
any video recorded except from their
contracted vendor.
• Places that appear to be public
places but are privately owned; like a
ballpark, Walt Disney World, and other
large private venues.
• You shoot someone (unknown or
celebrity) in a public place who happens to be holding a can of Pepsi,
Budweiser or Red Bull. You can use
that image, except if you are using it
as an advertisement for that, or any
other company. Why? You’re implying
he or she is endorsing that product.
(You have to remove the product shot
to use the image publicly.)
• You are using someone in a training
video, regardless of whether they have
a speaking part or a non-speaking role.
• When someone’s face is seen in an
advertisement, endorsement or as a
representative of a business, product
or service.
• If an advertisement or endorsement
includes any company or product
trademark or a recognizable building.
• If the shot was taken on private
property.
• If the shot was taken of private
property.
• If the shot was taken on public property of events happening on private
property, like a wedding, people having a barbeque, kids in their yard or
inside someone’s home without their
knowledge or consent.
• Any time, any where when you
are shooting minors, especially very
young children. It should be understood that you never hold the camera
longer than one minute on any one
child’s antics – or the perv cops will
be on your rear-end faster than flies
on sugar. (See “Understanding the
Privacy Rights of your Subjects” www.
videomaker.com/article/13774 and
“Protecting Kids’ Identities www.
videomaker.com/article/14291.)
So When can I Shoot Without
a Release?
Don’t fret – there are lots of places
you can freely shoot, even if it’s for
commercial purposes, without getting
a signed release from the person or
agent of the property. For example,
unexpected events. If the house across
the street explodes into flames, you
might rush out to capture the activities surrounding the incident. It’s OK
to shoot the fire, the firefighters and
the emergency personnel. However,
again, be discreet and respectful about
shooting other people, especially
the grieving family, and don’t allow
your camera to linger on bystanders
watching. High tension moments like
this can get your camera yanked from
your hands, and you’ll have a legal
battle to work out. You are in your full
rights to shoot it, but you risk injury to
yourself or your gear in the meantime.
Don’t Need a Release:
• When shooting for editorial coverage as a reporter, as long as you
remember that you’re shooting what’s
in the public interest, rather than just
what might interest the public.
• When you’re at a public place such
as the beach, on the street, a government owned building like a courthouse, or federal park.
• When the person is in the background of a shot and their features are
blurred or too far away to be distinguishable.
• Any time you are shooting in a public place that is not a private gathering
(e.g., a wedding in the city park). A
photo of the overall event isn’t going
to bother anyone, but if you are seen
shooting away for longer than about
five minutes, or at one person in
particular, you might incite suspicious
people into calling the police.
• If the person is not recognizable,
e.g. the back of the head, handsonly model, large crowd shots, etc. or
doesn’t have anything on their body
that is recognizable, like a unique
tattoo.
(See“What’s Legal Producers’ Rights”
www.videomaker.com/article/13773.)
What’s that Gray Area, again?
Example: you’re hired by the promoters to shoot a local parade on public
streets. There’s no way you’re going to
get a release form from every person in
the parade and on the street watching.
You can have the promoters post signs
stating this event is being videotaped,
and/or you can ask the promoters to
mention this fact over the PA system.
You can still show your footage in the
news that night without a problem.
But if you make a ‘slam’ documentary
of your little town later, and use those
shots, someone might complain.
Bottom line, we’ve heard a lot of
stuff about videographers and photog-
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BASIC TRAINING
by K yle C as s idy
One way to get around the
need of a release form is
shooting people you can’t
identify. Backs of the head
or soft focus shots don’t
show facial features so
don’t require releases.
raphers being sued for using people’s
images, and with all that noise, you’d
think the courts would be full, and
the jails over-filled with picture-taking
shooters instead of gun-toting shooters.
Usually when someone wants to sue,
they go after the people with the deep
pockets, not the lone producer. Usually.
Where can I find a Model
Release Form?
Unless you cover news, most of your
shooting will be non-editorial, which
means you should have talent release
forms at your disposal. The appropriate release should be considered a
standard practice of video production,
like extra batteries. There are many
places where you can find sample
forms, including from Videomaker. We
sell an enormous “Book of Forms” that
has samples of every form you can
possible think of, from a model release form template to a talent release
form, to video production shooting
lists, to location release forms, to video
production costs checklists and production tracking lists for when you are
starting a production company. Some
of these can be downloaded individually on our site, others are bundled
together. The entire book can be
downloaded or purchased as a printed
copy with a CD of the forms.
Most of the language in any talent
release form can be edited to be more
specific to your needs; however, be
aware of the legal lingo, and don’t do
too much editing without seeking professional help. See the sidebar for a
link to one online release form offered
by Videomaker. Go here: www.videomaker.com/shop/instructional-books/
videomaker-book-of-forms.html to
check out our “Videomaker Complete
Book of Forms.”
Stock Footage
For most stock media sites, you are
not going to sell one frame of video to
a stock footage site if you don’t have
releases, and that includes people
in your own family. These rules are
made by the media sites, not a body
of lawmakers. You can’t control how
the person who purchases your footage will use it, so many companies
require model releases and/or location
releases of some kind. If you aren’t required to supply a model release, and
your images are accepted and used,
you’re not at risk because you have no
control over that and you technically
license the use of the footage when
you sell it to a stock video site.
Using Copyrighted Music
Consider that you’re shooting a performance, a dance recital, a child’s
school program, and the event itself is
using copyrighted music. You want to
record the event and sell DVD copies
Theoretical Advice Disclaimer
This article should be construed as informational, not legal advice. Videomaker does not
provide or offer legal advice to its readers. Videomaker, its editors and authors will not be
held responsible for any legal issues the reader might encounter based on the subjects found in
this feature. We recommend you consult a legal expert for advice on shooting in unfamiliar situations. Videomaker assumes its readers will exercise good common sense. This disclaimer
assigns you, our readers, all responsibility for your own decisions.
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Printed Release Form
Looking for a good model release form?
Look no further than the Videomaker
archives. The link above takes you to a
well written and complete online release.
Print it and keep it in a folder in your gear
bag for those “just in case” moments.
Keep copies or re-write the text to suit
your needs. This form has passed by the
eyes of a content attorney, but your state
and regional laws may differ. Remember,
any re-writes on forms like this can get you
in hot water if you’re not sure of the proper
lingo. Take care of you!
to the parents. You know the parents
will want to put their kids’ performance on YouTube, and you also
know that YouTube might send them a
C&D (Cease and Desist) takedown notice. Are you the ultimate responsible
party? No, you didn’t put the footage
online. However, you knowingly used
copyrighted music, so you might want
the purchasers of your video or the
dance recital organizers to indemnify you for any legal action brought
against you for the use of the music.
Final Thought
The one thing to remember above all
is that, living in a free country like the
United States, you might have the right
to shoot almost whenever, whoever
or wherever you want, but the person
or owners of the location that you are
shooting have rights to privacy, and
their rights might supersede yours. Be
careful. Stay legal. Use your model release forms and location release forms
wisely. Be safe out there!
Jennifer O’Rourke is an Emmy award-winning photographer & editor and Videomaker’s Managing Editor.
Video Formats Explained
It used to be so easy to start out
movie making - you'd buy an 8mm
or Super8 camera; or if you were
really industrious, a 16mm camera
and shoot and edit your movies.
In the 1980s, shooting and editing
movies got only slightly more complicated with the introduction of VHS,
VHS-C and Betamax. You could read a
two page article and know the differences between competing video formats. When video went digital though,
everything went out the window. Suddenly there was a bewildering array of
video formats – .wmv, .asf, .rm, .mov,
.mpeg, for compressing files, – and on
top of that, many of these standards
had their own sub-standards (MPEG-1,
MPEG-2, etc.) How's anyone supposed
to keep it straight?
Containers and Codecs
Possibly one of the most confusing
things about digital video formats is
the idea that there's a “container” and
“codec” – You might think it's enough
to make you yearn for the days when
you could just put a tape in the camera and start recording, but you'd be
wrong. The plethora of video formats
mean that whatever type of video production you're doing, there's a good
way to make it happen. Twenty years
ago everybody was watching movies
the same way – either on a screen
via a projector, or on a television set.
Today many, many more options exist
and people are taking advantage of
them all – from high-end HD video
with surround sound shown in a top
of the line home theater, to video
streaming from a cellphone – video is
everywhere and having a grasp of the
various formats will ensure that your
video gets where it needs to in the
best way.
An Analogy
Trying to figure out exactly what
containers and codecs are can be a
little bewildering because it's a very
technical subject. You can think of
containers as a type of publication: a
hardback book, a glossy magazine, a
newspaper, a pamphlet, a gum wrapper – all of which can contain words
and other things like photographs, or
cartoons, and yet each one works in
a different way. Think of the codec as
the way of displaying the information
you want in your publication. You
can, for example, print War and Peace
on Bazooka bubble gum wrappers, but
it will take thousands and thousands
of them and nobody will want to read
it that way; in the same way you can
put your vacation footage on an uncompressed DV format, but you won't
be able to stream it over the web.
Similarly, you likely want your copy
of War and Peace to be beautifully
bound in hardback, but that's not the
proper container for a takeout menu
someone's going to shove in your mail
slot. Words with drawings could properly be placed in a comic book, or a
hardback book, or a newspaper, but
the images in an art catalog or highend fashion magazine require heavyweight glossy paper to reproduce
properly. Every video application has
a proper codec and container. To add
one more layer of complexity: both
Compression
determines the
amount of artifacts
that appear in your
video. When you
get closer, this
blockiness can be
more apparent.
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basic training
codecs and containers go in and out of
style – so a format which was popular
a few years ago, may be something
few people are using today.
Lossy vs Lossless Compression
Usually, when video data is compressed some of it is lost. Video compression software works by looking
for redundancies in a frame (such as
one bit of blue sky next to another
bit of blue sky) and representing the
redundancies together. At very high
rates of compression this becomes
obvious, but at lower rates it's difficult
for people to notice. There arises a
desire in every movie maker to try to
use lossless formats, which preserve
all the original data, but the compression ratios aren't good enough (yet)
to make them practical. Choices at
the moment are to use the highest
quality compression available for your
intended purpose and to have multiple versions of your files for multiple
uses (i.e. one file for web-streaming,
another for disk-based distribution,
another for standard definition DVD,
another for Blu-ray, etc.).
Edit and Distribute in the Highest
Quality
The highest quality video format is
going to be the format you captured
your video in. While digital files do
not degrade in quality during copying,
every time they are compressed with
a “lossy” compression they lose data,
so converting your uncompressed DV
formatted files even into a high quality MP4 will result in a loss of quality.
While it's necessary to compress files
in order to be able to share them, you
should avoid re-compressing any more
than you have to. Keep your master
files in the original format; edit, and
create versions at whatever sizes necessary – but always from the originals.
Don't burn a DVD from a file that's
already been compressed into a low
resolution file for streaming over the
internet, instead create a separate,
high resolution, file from your editing
software. A lot of the work in deciding
how to compress video files can be
done by your video editing software.
Most consumer editing software today
will have presets for various methods
of distribution the software's video
compressor will use, such as DVD or
even iPhone video, – your DVD burning software could automatically know
which format to use in order to make a
DVD that will play on home theaters.
Containers
We'll take a look at some containers
and then at some codecs. A video's file
extension usually refers to the container. A few containers have codecs
that they almost use exclusively and
other containers that often use many
different codecs.
Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
Developed by Microsoft and released
with Windows 3.1 way back when
false teeth were still made out of
wood, AVI files have been a work
horse of digital video. Although its
popularity has been waning, lots of
legacy video in AVI can be found all
over the web. More recently, AVI has
been abandoned for Microsoft's WMV
(Windows Media Video).
One of the most maddening things
about AVI today is that the format
When compressing
for export, keep
your video as high a
quality as possible.
Export video at a
smaller size in order
to reach a certain
platform, e.g.
iPhone.
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march 2012
doesn't allow for specifying an aspect
ratio, so a 16:9 AVI video may start displaying at 4:3 – this is less of a problem
if your player allows you to manually
select aspect ratios. If you're watching
in the non-pro version of QuickTime
though, you'll have to learn to live with
people being unusually narrow.
Advanced Systems Format (.asf)
ASF is a proprietary Microsoft container that usually houses files compressed with Microsoft's WMV codec –
to make things confusing, the files are
usually designated .wmv and not .asf.
The ASF container has the advantage
over many other formats that it is able
to include DRM (Digital Rights Management), a form of copy protection.
QuickTime (.mov or .qt)
QuickTime was developed by Apple
and supports a wide variety of codecs.
It's a proprietary format though and
Apple decides what it supports.
Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD)
AVCHD is a very popular container
for data compressed with the H.264
– it comes to us through a collaboration between Sony and Panasonic as
a format for digital camcorders. It's
a file based format, meaning that it's
meant to be stored and played back on
discs or other storage devices (such as
compact flash drives or SD cards). It
supports both standard definition and
a variety of high definition variants
from 720 to 1080p. The latest version
(AVCHD 2.0) also supports 3D as well
as some high frame rates.
Flash Video (.flv, .swf)
Flash was originally created by a company called Macromedia which was
acquired by Adobe in 2005. Flash has
been around for a while and comes
in multiple versions, some better than
others. Older Flash video often uses
the Sorenson codec, newer Flash uses
H.264. It's an extremely widespread
container format used for streaming
video across the web. Its major downside is that it will not play on iOS devices such as iPads or iPhones, a conscious decision made by Apple CEO
Steve Jobs who famously called Flash
“buggy” and blamed it for problems
march 2012
with the Apple Operating System.
Jobs opted to skip Flash support in the
belief that the HTML5 standardization
of video display would solve streaming problems. (HTML5 and the way it
handles video are beyond the scope
of this article, but you can read about
it here: www.w3schools.com/html5/
html5_video.asp).
there is also a codec of the same
name, which most people call H.262,
so that it's not so confusing. Though a
world where we call something H.262
is already more confusing than it
ought to be. MPEG-2 is used for DVDs
and pretty much nothing else with the
exception of broadcast High Definition Television (HDTV).
Codecs that are Also Containers
Codecs
As if things aren't confusing enough,
some containers have codecs with the
same name.
MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is used almost exclusively for
Video Compact Disks (VCD), which are
extraordinarily popular in some parts
of the world but never caught on in
the U.S. – the video quality is substantially lower than DVDs.
MPEG-2 (H.262)
MPEG-2 is a container format, but
Windows Media Video (.wmv)
Once it was realized that the Internet was a delivery vehicle for things
like video, people started trying to
come up with ways to share video
that wouldn’t take up a lot of bandwidth and disk space. One of the big
advances was the idea of “streaming
video” – where your computer downloads only a part of a video and begins
to play while the download continues
– this means you don't have to wait
Containers are what video producers must
choose to output video files, this choice
determines which extension the audience will
find.
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45
basic training
DISTRIBUTION
march 2012
by A ndrew B urk e
two hours for a movie to download
before you can start watching. Over
the years the WMV format has grown
to include support for high definition
720 and 1080 video. To make things
complicated, files that end in .wmv are
usually stored in an .asf container.
H.264
Not only do you need to call the
MPEG-2 compression codec H.262,
you have to keep from confusing it
with H.264, which is used to compress
Blu-ray disks as well as lots of online
video. One of the very nice things
about H.264 is that you can use it at
very low and very high bitrates. The
H.264 will send highly compressed
low resolution video online and then
happily encode your high definition movie at super high bitrates for
delivery to a High Definition television. This is a very common codec for
camcorders and digital video cameras.
Its container is AVCHD.
Whether
you're having
fun with your
garage band
or seriously
pursuing a
career as a
videographer,
this DVD has the
info you need
to create videos
that rock.
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46
Switching Between Formats
It's possible to convert video from one
format to another by using a video
format converter such as the Kigo
Video Converter, which is available for
both Macintosh and Windows for $40.
If you do transfer your old AVI files to
more popular MP4 files, remember
that re-compression causes degradation, so don't delete the originals,
archive them somewhere.
What's the best video format?
While there isn't one “best video format”, there are best video formats for
particular jobs. Things to be aware of
when choosing a video format, apart
from the intended audience, (Will
they be watching video streaming
over the Internet? Do they have a fast
connection? Do they have a DVD player? Do they have a Blu-ray player?),
are the longevity of the format and
how widespread it's adoption. Flash,
for example, is a very popular video
format and its distributor, Adobe,
will probably be around for a while.
On the other hand, at the moment
Flash doesn't play on Apple's popular
iPad or iPhone. Currently, a good bet
for a forward-looking, high-quality,
versatile video format is H.264, aka,
MPEG-4/AVC, though it really needs
a better name. H.264 is supported
by a number of important players
including Microsoft, Apple and Adobe,
though in early 2011 Google dropped
support for H.264 from its Chrome
browser citing the desire to use only
open-source (i.e. non-patented, royalty free) standards.
Contributing editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who
writes extensively about technology.
Compression Software for Online Video
Web video is everywhere, playing
on laptops, through video game
consoles, in digital magazines on
tablet computers, and even on TVs
and mobile phones.
There are many web enabled devices
(electronics which connect to the
Internet) that produce video and have
made quite an impact on our everyday
lives. All this video comes from somewhere, but most camcorders typically
don’t record video fit for immediate
viewing online. Herein lies the challenge: how to get our video playing
online, and to make sure it looks its
best. Some tweaking is needed, we
must compress the video for the web.
Video compression is needed to
change our large video files into
smaller video files so that they can be
shared more easily and viewed online.
Luckily for us, there’s a whole world
of video compression software to get
our video ready for the web. Basic
video editing software like Windows
Live Movie Maker, usually includes an
AVI compressor option for the web.
The Best Compression Format?
Master:
Choosing a Music Video Genre
Forming Ideas for Music Videos
Contracts for Music Videos
Pre-Production for Music Videos
Directing Music Video Shoots
Editing Music Video
Find the right concept and your video will appeal to audiences and show off the music to its best ability. But that's
only the first step. You'll also need to understand the nuts and bolts of putting the video together, directing musicians,
editing for music and even protecting yourself with an ironclad contract.
Learn more at: videomaker.com/VideosThatRock
Professional video editing software
like Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, gives us
more advanced, detailed compression
options. There are even stand-alone
compression software tools like Sorenson’s Squeeze, Apple’s Compressor
4 and MPEG Streamclip that handle
video compression without the need
for any other software. So whether
you want your video looking its best
on YouTube, or playing loud and
proud on an iPad, video compression
software makes it happen.
Rather than compress your video and burn it
to DVD, iMovie makes it easy to share to various social networks by using preset formats
for each type of network.
It’s hard to write a video compression comparison because everyone’s
needs will differ. However, whether it’s
the best video compression software
you’re looking for or the best video
format for YouTube, we can get started
compressing right away. Most desktop
and laptop computers actually ship
with video compression software
built-in. On the Mac side, this means
Apple iMovie which comes standard
on every new computer (or as a $15
download from the App Store). On the
PC side, it’s Movie Maker, which is free
but you have to download it. Both of
these offer preset options that proVI D EO MA K ER >>> MA Rch 20 12
duce good looking web video. iMovie
is technically a video editing application, so it does much more than compress video for the web. The software
includes many basic compression
features under its share menu, which
gives you options to compress and upload to several online social networks
like YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook.
Since iMovie accepts video from most
types of cameras, we think it’s a nobrainer for your first online video.
Like iMovie, Movie Maker is a basic
video editor which includes a handful of compression features for online.
Movie Maker accepts video from a
variety of cameras and users can make
online video compression for many
outlets including email, YouTube,
Facebook and Windows Live SkyDrive
(Microsoft’s online storage service).
A third basic tool to use for compression is QuickTime player. This
small application for both the PC and
Mac offers video compression features
in a simple package. Online compression options include presets for
YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr and Facebook.
Custom compression options are
available, too. Both Movie Maker and
iMovie use presets to compress for the
47
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DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
march 2012
Open and Free
Open source free video compression software is still an elusive tool. These
apps, while free, are basic and can complete small tasks. One such product is
HandBrake (Mac/PC/Linux), a free and open source application. HandBrake
compresses video into a few of the regular formats including MPEG-4 and H.264,
along with open source Theora and Ogg Vorbis (for audio). MPEG Streamclip is
a free application that is quite powerful; it includes many of the popular web video
formats and allows for resizing, retiming and cropping of video for the web.
Premiere preserves the format of your video
while you work so that it is faster when it
comes to compressing.
web. If you want more control and
better looking video, look past these
presets, to some professional tools
and video compression techniques.
The Big Time: Specialized
Compression Software
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If we want to make the very best
online video, and attract the largest
viewing audience, we’ll have to use
some more advanced tools. These
tools allow us to compress HD video
for more than just social networks—
think web video streaming from your
website or onto a tablet computer.
Distributing to any of the 12 millionplus YouTubers that share with social
networks is a huge advantage to you
when software makes sharing easy. Of
the top sources for online video, Facebook ranked fifth with more than 42
million unique viewers in Dec. 2011,
but Facebook is also the most social
of these. Customizing video for the
right viewer is the key, and the best
software for you is the one that gets
video set for your audience.
Custom settings like bit rate, resolution, format and adaptive streaming
are features to look for. These settings
allow for fine control of video quality,
but it takes time to master. With web
video now playing in glorious 1080p
HD resolution, the need for exceptional video compression is greater than
ever. HD video has a lot more pixels
to compress than standard video. So
the demands on our video compression software are higher. You may also
want to compress many video clips all
48
at once. And what about web enabled
devices that each requires slightly different compression? It’s easy getting
so many pixels to look good online.
We just need the right tools.
Premiere Pro and Media Encoder
Adobe’s Premiere Pro CS5.5 is a
full-featured video editor with many
customizable compression options,
and is available for both Mac and
PC. Since Premiere Pro CS5.5 ($799)
allows video to be edited natively, or
in an original format, compression
times are shortened. Pair that with
special CUDA hardware acceleration (certain video graphics cards
which speed up compression), and
you have a very fast tool. Premiere
Pro CS5.5 works seamlessly with its
included partner app, Adobe Media
Encoder. This partner app allows for
even greater control over compression settings, and offers adjustable
Premiere Pro CS5.5 is well set to work in
conjunction with Media Encoder.
settings for compressing web video
for mobile devices. And since these
applications run at 64-bit (basic
compression software usually runs
at only 32-bit), adding more RAM to
our computer helps speed up each
compression task.
“Once I’m done with my edit in
Premiere”, says Ryan Brown owner
of Downtown Brown Entertainment, “I
click File > Export Media, and Adobe
Media Encoder launches.” Brown
modifies Premiere’s YouTube settings
to 1920 x 1080 resolution and 23.976
frames-per-second, for an even better
video. Taking full advantage of Premiere Pro CS5.5, Brown compresses
video for online using an Apple
MacPro 8-core with 32GB of RAM, and
an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 CUDAsupported graphics card.
at once, for playback that matches
the viewer’s Internet speed. For finer
control, Final Cut Pro X pairs with
its partner app, Compressor 4 ($50).
We can also keep editing our video in
Final Cut Pro while our Compressor
4 is compressing web video, since
Compressor is a separate, stand-alone
application.
HTTP live streaming beats the queue by
compressing multiple videos at once.
march 2012
Sorenson Squeeze
If we want a bundle of the top compression features without being affiliated with a particular video editing
app, Sorenson’s Squeeze 8 ($600) fits
the bill. Squeeze 8 is a full-featured
stand-alone application for making
online video, featuring adaptive bit
rate compression for mobile devices,
batch processing (an easy way to
make many different compressions),
and support for the latest online
video formats such as WebM. The
Sorenson community also highlights custom settings, like this one
for compressing to the web enabled
Xbox 360 gaming console: Xbox 360
1080p — Codec = H.264, Data Rate
= 3000kbps, Frame Size = 1280 x
720, Method = 2-Pass VBR. That’s
quite a mouthful! But to make the
best online video, we’ll know these
settings eventually.
It’s more important than ever to
have great looking video on the web.
This is made possible by using the
right video compression software
and practicing sound techniques. If
your needs are basic, chances are you
already have the tools to compress a
video for the web. If you’re a stickler
for details, prepare your wallet and
your calendar (to learn top-notch software, naturally.) There are still many
types of video to navigate, with many
devices like the Android video format
playing online video (and growing).
The importance of compressing video
for the web has never been greater!
Andrew Burke works as an online media strategist and
video producer.
Final Cut Pro and Compressor
Apple’s Final Cut Pro X is another top-quality video editor
that includes a host of options
for online compression, but
is only available on the Mac.
Final Cut Pro X ($300) offers
similar publishing features to
iMovie, such as a direct-to-YouTube setting, though Final Cut
compresses much faster using
its 64-bit capabilities (iMovie is
32-bit). Other features include
optimized compression for all
Apple web devices: iPhone,
iPod touch, Apple TV and the
iPad.
Another standout feature is compressing for HTTP live streaming.
This gives us the ability to compress
multiple versions of the same video
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49
Directing
Directing
March 2012
b y E a r l Ch e ssh e r
10 Tips for Great Interviews
Here are some basic interviewing
tips to arm you well, and help disarm your interviewees by keeping
them comfortable and confident.
There are many interview approaches
and styles: Are you looking for a hardcore journalistic approach or something less intense? Will you casually
guide interviewees or follow a defined
path? Video interview techniques will
vary depending on project intent and
focus and interviewee personalities.
It’s important to pay attention to the
basics before moving on to interview
sessions. Interview techniques are as
diverse as the questions you ask your
interviewees. Don’t become so involved with the technical aspects during set up that you overlook the needs
of your interviewees. It’s possible to
have the perfect setup yet the interview fails. These interview techniques
and tips will help you avoid that.
1. Plan Your Interview Approach
Interview techniques to consider:
• Using one camera or two?
• Shooting a one person production or
with a crew?
• Interviewing free style with openended questions?
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Time often isn’t on your side, so as soon as
possible, pack your camera case. A checklist
and checking batteries can sure help here too.
50
interviewers will discuss the purpose
of their session with their subjects.
Except in a person-on-the-street
interview, you should know the general questions you intend to ask and
discuss them in a pre-production session. It’s a better idea to prepare well
in advance, providing your subjects
with notes and question sheets prior
to scheduled interviews.
Stay courteous, genuine and personable. Exuding an air of antagonism
or judgmental attitude at the start is a
sure way to sabotage your interviews.
Essentially, regardless of your programming, interview style or provocative content or intent, being nice will
put your interview subject at ease.
5. Using a Stand-in During Setup
• Recording the question-and-response or response only?
• Capturing single or multiple takes
for each question/response?
• Using an interview style of a person
on the street, in a formal studio setting, or a casual/business home or
office location?
• Making your interview style provocative, to get the real story or casual
and informative?
• Shooting one-on-one with a single
interviewee or several simultaneously?
2. Time Isn’t Always on Your Side
Time is a crucial, even critical, factor
before and during interviews. It’s impossible to avoid every delay and problem,
but give yourself as much time as is
realistically and economically feasible
to get the interviews you need.
Take time to check and prep equipment before you think about shooting
interviews. Sure, that goes without
saying, but too often too many video
producers take equipment and batteries for granted. Given the opportunity,
this stuff will let you down. Don’t show
up for interviews and discover your
mic is missing, the batteries are dead
or you left your notes sitting on the
kitchen counter.
3. Prepping the Interviewee
Having jammed up on interview techniques and tips, you’re ready to put
them to work. You’ve made notes to
help guide the interviewees.
The first thing to do is prepare them
so they know what to expect and what
is expected. Good interview techniques include content and visuals.
Discuss the topic focus and interview
process with your subjects. Know the
topic and your interviewees.
Time is the measure. Focus tightly
on questions and anticipated responses. You should plan with an open
schedule and plenty of time to allow
for wandering off-script or even an
extended session for extra content.
4. Put Them at Ease
It’s hard to conduct positive interviews
if you appear too aggressive. Some
interviewers have been at this for a
long time. Their reputations precede
them. If you’ve developed interview
techniques for hardcore, gritty interview style your interviewees may arrive with defensive attitudes or chips
on their collective shoulders. On the
other hand you and your subjects may
have had very little exposure, experience or notoriety. Either way, most
Setting up prior to your interviewee’s
arrival is a good approach but that
isn’t always possible. Maybe you’re
conducting impromptu interviews
on the sidewalk or in a public place.
There’s not much planning you can
do during a run-and-gun session or
reality-show style production.
With studio, office or controlled
location interviews it’s great to have assigned help, with crew acting as standins while setting up lights and audio
while you prep your interviewees. Good
interview techniques work hand-inhand with most directing tips, as interviews are often as much a performance
as entertainment productions.
Having an assortment of clothes and accessories will help you, because his or her green
striped shirt may be inappropriate for green
screen or produce a moiré pattern.
going to go with what you get. But if
you’re interviewing an authority on the
6. When They Look Great, or Not
benefits of higher education, you’re not
Always advise your subjects regardgoing to suggest wearing what he or she
ing desired physical grooming, proper
had on after mowing the lawn.
colors and what to wear. Of course if
Occasionally you’ll have to make
you’re interviewing any person-on-thedo when, regardless of suggestions,
Lighten
Your interviewees
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51
DIRECTING
MARCH 2012
All-Time Greatest Interviews
When researching to study interview techniques you don’t
have to go very far on Google to discover The Guardian
website and its Great interviews of the 20th Century (http://
guardian.co.uk/theguardian/series/greatinterviews).
In the top spot you’ll find Richard Nixon interviewed by
David Frost followed by Diana, Princess of Wales interviewed by Martin Bashir, John Lennon interviewed by Jann
S. Wenner, Marlon Brando interviewed by Truman Capote
and Dennis Potter interviewed by Melvyn Bragg.
Others include Francis Bacon, Marilyn Monroe, Malcolm
X, Adolf Hitler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Margaret Thatcher, Fidel
Castro and what The Guardian calls Bill Grundy’s disastrous grilling of the Sex Pistols on live television.
On the other side of TV interviews is The Twenty Weirdest TV Interviews of All Time compiled by Nerve.com
editors (www.nerve.com/content/the-twenty-weirdest-tvinterviews-of-all-time )featuring some interviews that went
seriously wrong.
Among the TV personalities often noted for their interview successes or disasters are David Letterman, Conan
dressing as desired. In a studio it is often
good to have a few casual jackets in different sizes to hide the T-shirt and jeans
combo, or sweaters, scarves and other
clothing accessories to dress up or down
for the right look in an emergency.
Use angle, posture and powder for
ways to approach improvements.
People want to look their best as a rule.
Rarely will they be offended if you genuinely focus on making that happen.
7. How Did I Do? May I See It?
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Other interview techniques and tips
should always be what to do when
your subjects want to see the results
or themselves on the monitor. There’s
a broad range of possible reactions
to being told no, you can’t. As a rule
you don’t want this to happen for
reasons ranging from poor eye contact
or angle as they watch themselves on
the monitor, to being second-guessed
by subjects regarding how they look,
sound or perceive themselves.
Talk about this prior to interviews.
Explain about the eyes-on-the-monitor
syndrome or time and scheduling
restraints making it difficult to evaluate each and every session. Mileage
will vary based on who’s paying for the
production or the program’s purpose
52
O’Brien, Dick Cavett, Tom Snyder, Jim Rome, Oprah Winfrey
and of course Barbara Walters.
Interviews in this “Twenty Weirdest” include Andy Kaufman,
James Brown, Adam West, and Farrah Fawcett, Tom Cruise,
Crispin Glover, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul and Mike Tyson.
Finally, Toli Galanis, a NYU journalism graduate on quora.
com, names C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb “best in class” citing
Lamb’s talent for “staying out of the interview process, as it
should be” and suggesting, “If you study his methods, you will
mostly notice questions devoid of inflection, frame, presupposition or agenda - a rare thing.” Galanis also mentions Richard
Heffner from The Open Mind with more than 50 years in public television and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, suggesting that these interviewers are worth studying.
A whole world of interviewing history, techniques, styles, with
class and with crass is available for video producers who
want to pump up their video interview techniques.
and intent. Vanity can also rear its
perplexing head. Verbal encouragement and reassurances can help avoid
potential problems. “Great session!
Looking good!” Sounds sappy and
spurious; sometimes calmly stating,
“That’s exactly what I wanted,” without
exclamation points, will suffice.
8. When You Wear All the Hats
Producers that wear all the hats: interviewer, shooter, grip, lighting, audio;
face unique challenges. Again, time is
key. Schedule additional time that is
required for doing it all single-handedly.
Discuss sessions in advance. Share
the Q&A sheet and anticipated responses ahead of time. Set up early. Be
ready to move into interviews quickly.
Keep downtime to a minimum by being ready and pushing the agenda with
confidence. Let nothing interfere with
your primary objective: great interview
sessions with quality audio and video.
9. A Little Help’s a Big Help
It helps if you can afford or acquire a
volunteer crew. One additional body
makes a big difference, someone to
handle setup while you prep interviewees saves time. Time is money.
Getting more done in less time by
bringing in crew for audio and video
reduces risk of fatigue or overrunning
the clock. Crewing up isn’t always a
matter of money, it’s often a matter of
friends, family, wannabes or networking with other video producers.
10. A Well Known Secret
An underlying theme of many Videomaker articles is managing your time
by being prepared and informed. This
strongly applies to acquiring great
interviews instead of mediocre or
disastrous ones. See the associated
sidebar, All-Time Greatest Interviews
for some interesting study sources.
You don’t get great interviews by
being a run-and-gun videographer
operating on serendipity with large
doses of luck. The impulse to get to
the fun stuff is huge but take some
time to prepare yourself. Solid video
interview techniques will put you on
top of your game.
Contributing editor Earl Chessher is a veteran career
journalist, independent video producer and author of
video marketing and production books.
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Editing
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markEt placE
march 2012
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DVD Authoring Freeware
You don’t have to look too far to
find a bunch of DVD authoring
freeware options on the internet.
However, not all free DVD authoring software is created equal.
What’s safe? What works best?
What should you avoid?
It can be tricky sorting out the good
DVD authoring software from the ones
that will crash frequently or leave you
high and dry with technical issues.
Let’s take a closer look at how to pick
the best free DVD authoring software
for your needs.
What is DVD Authoring Freeware?
DVD authoring freeware is exactly
what it sounds like: free software.
Yes, free DVD authoring software
does exist and there are quite a few
options. But the truth of the matter
is that many of the options are free
for a reason. They’re generally not
as feature-rich as their commercial
counterparts and they may not be as
stable, too. As long as all you need
is some simple DVD authoring tools,
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Softpedia provides a seal of approval and is
revocable. There is also a 100 percent clean
certification that is good for personal use not commercial.
54
of someone that has gone by the
wayside.
We’ve come to expect a few bugs
here and there. You get what you pay
for. This is especially true if you’re
pushing these applications to their
limits. The good news is that the best
providers do try their best to correct
any bugs and even the big software
companies out there have bugs too.
At the end of the day, though, if you
absolutely need to have a disc burned
and ready to go to a client, free DVD
authoring software is probably not a
good fit for you.
New stuff: expanded online video and 3D
categories and new cause marketing categories
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APRIL 2O, 2012
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Solutions for all Operating Systems
Freeware has gotten a bad wrap with
a host of problems related to the free
software market, and DVD authoring
freeware is no stranger. There are a
few bad apples out there that have
spoiled the mood over free DVD
authoring software.
assurance often found on the best
options is “100% Free” Softpedia.com
certification. The certification process
is done by Softpedia and guarantees
that the software
does not contain 48
any
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malware, including spyware, viruses
and other nasty stuff that would put
your personal and private data at risk.
We highly recommend you steer clear
of any options that aren’t certified. It’s
not worth it.
Spyware: They’re Watching You
Stability Issues
they’re definitely worth a closer look.
After all, free is hard to beat.
What to Watch Out For
You may have heard of the term
spyware. It’s a version of software
called malware and it’s no good.
Spyware is usually installed
inconspicuously onto the user’s
computer and it secretly collects
data about the user, such as private
information and Web viewing history.
This data can then be sent to another
party via the Internet. Spyware can
also install other software and/or mess
with your computer’s settings and
ultimately create quite a nightmare for
you. So, naturally, you’ll want to avoid
this when you go looking for DVD
authoring freeware.
Our most important tip for free DVD
authoring software is to fully research
the software developer. One nice
As you might imagine, some free DVD
authoring software options just aren’t
as stable as the more professional
(and expensive) options. Some of the
software developers in this category
are one-man-bands. They are indeed
talented developers, but even for
them, keeping software bug-free can
be a real challenge. Always check
the forums and FAQs for a glimpse
into some of the technical issues
that might arise. Check if the DVD
authoring freeware provider has a
tech support area on its site or a way
to contact the creator. Also, check to
see when the last release was for the
current version of the DVD authoring
software. If it’s several years old,
then it’s probably a personal project
By far, Windows has the greatest
selection of the best DVD authoring
software. Linux also has a few good
options, and the Mac is just hohum. But all three of these operating
systems (OS) do have DVD authoring
freeware options, so whatever OS
you’re running it will not be a factor.
There are two interesting points,
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versions are not supported.
If you have an earlier version
of Windows, there is another DVD
authoring software solution for you.
DVDStyler is one of our favorites.
After being malware free, or having
few stability issues, open source
freeware - with many supporting
developers, is the next fallback for
choosing DVD authoring 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.
DVDStyler Version 1.8.4.2
however. First, Windows
has bundled Windows DVD
Maker with Windows 7 or
Vista packages. This means
that it integrates nicely with
the free Windows Live Movie
Maker software. These two freeware
options team up nicely (we’ll cover
this option in greater detail later).
Second, while Windows has its DVD
Maker software available as a free
download, Mac has its iDVD software
bundled with its OS. Both options
seem like freeware even though the
cost of admission is owning those
respective operating systems.
DVD Authoring in the Web World
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We’re keeping an eye out on this
field of DVD authoring freeware for
one good reason: we can’t help but
wonder if many of these solutions can
sustain development and technical
support in a world with YouTube
being so prevalent today. We know
that home video enthusiasts still
want to watch their videos on their
big screen TVs, and DVD is just the
tool for the job. But we wouldn’t be
surprised to see a few of these options
lose steam and wither away. For this
reason, we also highly recommend
DVD authoring software that is open
source. This means that they are not
only free to use for the end user, but
free for other developers to use and
contribute to the source code of the
project. Open source DVD authoring
software generally has more support
from a community of developers and
therefore is more likely to survive
difficult market conditions. We can’t
predict the future, but we feel more
confident about the open source
solutions outlasting any others (except
maybe Microsoft).
56
DVD Authoring Software Review
Let’s quickly review our main tips
about selecting DVD authoring
freeware. First, choose solution
providers that are “100% Free”
Softpedia certified and avoid installing
malware on your computer. Second,
thoroughly research what stability
issues might exist and what options
you’ll have for tech support. You don’t
want to be left with a bug and no
support. Third, when in doubt choose
open source DVD authoring software
as it is typically more likely to have
development support and a longer
future. Now let’s get into some of our
choices for the best DVD authoring
software for free.
Windows DVD Maker
If you’re using a Windows computer,
I can’t think of a better option for
you. This one is free, works nicely
with Windows Live Movie Maker
(the free video editing software)
and is designed by one of the best
software development companies
in the world. Hands down, this is
probably your best bet. It’s got a nice
user interface with a relatively low
learning curve. There’s no malware. It
has stability and thorough technical
documentation. Although it’s not open
source, this application is such a nice
complement to the operating system
that I don’t see how or why it would
be discontinued in the near future.
However, if you are working with
Windows Vista, DirectX 9 must be
supported by your video card. Earlier
DVDStyler is an easy to use DVD
authoring software solution. It’s an
open source project and has the
support of a team of developers
working on the project. They’re
frequently posting fixes to the
software and making improvements
and taking feature requests. It’s also
proudly “100% Free” Softpedia.com
certified. But most of all, we like that
it’s available for Windows (XP, Vista,
7, and 2000), Mac OS X, and Linux,
too. So, it’s cross-platform compatible,
which makes it great for schools
or classrooms that have different
computers with different operating
systems. DVDStyler is compatible with
a long list of different video and audio
codecs, including the most common
types, like H.264, AVI, DV, WMV,
MPEG-4, QuickTime, AC-3, WAV and
many more.
These are our top choices for DVD
authoring freeware. Both combine
an easy-to-use interface that should
please the home video hobbyist. If
you’re using a Windows 7 computer,
your best bet is Windows DVD
Maker, Mac users can rely on the
bundled iDVD application, and earlier
Windows versions and computers
running Linux can take advantage of
DVDStyler.
There’s certainly nothing wrong
with freeware, however, be wise about
your selection process and follow our
tips to keep yourself out of trouble.
The last thing you need is a nightmare
virus keeping you from enjoying your
vacation video and a bag of popcorn.
Contributing columnist Mark Montgomery is a web content specialist and produces instructional videos for a
leading web application developer.
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ON
The Right Mic for the Job
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intimidating for the newcomer and
microphone choice is certainly
toward the top of the list.
Every shoot is different and while a
single camera can work in just about
any situation, microphones have
more specific roles. Whether it’s
recording studio microphones with
a sound mixer, or a run-n-gun field
shoot with no other sound equipment, One-size-fits-all doesn’t apply
here. It’s easy to get bogged down in
all the types of patterns, electrical
connections, shapes and sizes. Then
you have to decide if microphone A is
really worth it to you. If your eyes are
blurry from catalogs, spec sheets and
online vendors, let us insert a little
clarity in your search for the right
microphone.
Environments
For just a bit, let’s think about the
audio recording equipment required
for the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs.
If you’ve never seen the show, you
have to look it up online. Host Mike
Rowe and his crew visit a wide variety
of locations seeking the dirtiest jobs
in America. Waste processing, pig
pens, sewage ponds, meat packing,
the list of dirty locations numbers in
the hundreds. And his audio crew has
to be ready for just about anything. In
addition, they don’t work in a studio,
so their audio recording equipment
has to be portable and pretty much
bullet-proof.
Dirty Jobs isn’t shy about showing
its crew and equipment, including
audio production and voice recording gear. Typically, the host and his
guests all wear wireless lapel mics and
the audio dude also carries a shotgun
mic on a boom pole. This is a simple
backup strategy. While either type
of microphone could work just fine,
there’s always extra recording equipment in case something bad happens
- which it often does.
Having one or more of everything
is great, but we can’t all afford that.
So it’s up to you to make the best
choice of microphones, given your
typical recording environments.
Shooting in a controlled studio situation would be a dream for most of us,
but we work with what we’re given.
An outdoor shoot could take place on
a busy street corner or in the middle
of 200 acres of pasture. An indoor
shoot might be in a glass-walled
executive office or a warehouse. You
just never know.
Another consideration is how
many people will be on camera. Do
you always shoot talking heads or is
there a possibility of another person
in the shot? How do you handle three
or more people? What about a dozen
folks gathered around a conference
table? The good news is that there’s
a microphone (or microphones) for
every scenario. Understanding the
strong points and how each type of
mic works is a great place to start.
Microphone Speak
You’ve probably seen several terms
used when describing microphones.
Pick A Mic...
...any mic. Now, pick two or three more similar mics from different manufacturers.
When you hook them up and listen to their output, each will sound different. One
mic might be crisp and clean while another is muddy and dark. One mic might
be a little thin sounding while another booms with bass. Regardless of pickup
pattern, no two mics sound alike and you’re going to have to decide which one
works best for you and your production style. Before you make a purchase, try to
audition several models. This may mean borrowing from friends or visiting a local
store, just let your ears be your guide.
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59
AUDIO
audio
MARCH 2012
MARCH 2012
advertising index
ABE’s Of Maine |__________________ 57
Adorama |________________________ 53
Being aware of the
pickup pattern of
a mic is important,
and should serve to
keep you in focus
of where sound is
being collected.
contents
Omnidirectional
Bi-directional
We’re going to break them down into simple
categories of directional, non-directional and
specialty mics.
Directional microphones pick up sound
primarily from one end of the device - sort of a
point-and-shoot thing. The most common type
of directional mic is called “cardioid” for the upside down heart-shaped pickup pattern. A quick
look at the pattern shows that this type of mic
favors sound from the front, while still picking
up some sound on the sides. Virtually no sound
is received at the back of the microphone. This
type of pickup pattern helps to reject background noise and accentuate the sounds you
want to record, whether that is a voice, music or
sound effects.
There are a couple of variants on the cardioid design - specifically, the super-cardioid and
hyper-cardioid. Each has a progressively narrower sweet spot while rejecting more sound from
the sides of the mic. You’ll also notice that as
the mics become directionally tighter, they also
start to pick up a bit of sound from the rear. The
amount is small and shouldn’t pose a problem.
The ultimate in directionality is the shotgun microphone. These mics are extremely
sensitive toward the front with small bumps
Balanced cables are typically thicker and longer than unbalanced cables.
Other wires like extension cords and computer cables need to be kept apart
from unbalanced cables to avoid interference.
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60
with little signal loss. This type of
connection also naturally rejects radio and electromagnetic interference.
An unbalanced microphone uses
only two connections; a ground and
the signal. You may see this type of
connection on mics designed specifically for consumer and prosumer
equipment, since they rarely use
balanced audio. Short shotguns,
lavalier mics and even wireless mics
could have a simple unbalanced
audio connection. Normally, these
microphones use an 1/8-inch connector. Unbalanced microphones have
limited cable lengths and may pick up
more electronic noise than balanced
models.
Application Notes
Now that you know how they work,
it should be easier to choose a microphone based on your shooting
application. For instance, many news
reporters use handheld cardioid mics
while reporting on camera. It’s a fast
and easy way to get decent sound. If
your video needs that sort of immediacy or just the look of news,
you can’t go wrong with a handheld
Wrapping Up
For the video creator, the right microphone is a key investment in your
audio production equipment. It’s
something you’ll take on every shoot
and use as often - or more often than your camera. Picking the right
one for your production style gives
you the power and flexibility to bring
home excellent audio every time,
regardless of the location or other
circumstances. Choose wisely.
Electrical Ramblings
Of course, microphones are only useful in
video if you can attach them to your camera or
recorder. Fortunately, there are just a few things
to deal with here. First, a microphone is either
balanced or unbalanced in its electrical connection. A full discussion is beyond the scope
of this article, but it’s pretty easy to figure out
which is which. Most balanced microphones
use a three-pin connector, called an XLR connector. If you look closely, you’ll see the pins
numbered 1-3 with pin 1 as the ground connection, pin 2 carrying the positive portion of the
signal and pin 3 carrying the negative portion.
Balanced audio is preferred in the pro audio
world because it allows very long cable lengths
cardioid, super or hyper-cardioid
microphone.
Sit-down interviews are often done
with omni-directional lavalier microphones. This gets the mic close to the
talent and the non-directional nature
helps minimize volume changes as
the talent moves his or her head. It’s
also the mic of choice in public meetings like a church service or seminar,
although omni-directional headset
mics have become popular in recent
years too.
If you’re shooting a concert, play
or office meeting, a boundary mic is a
great place to start. By placing the mic
on the floor or table - central to all
the key players - you can be confident
that you’ll pick up everything you
need. It provides a more open and
slightly distant sound when compared
to other mic types, but you can compensate with post processing.
For those just starting out, or needing one mic to do it all, choose a
shotgun mic. A nice one will be more
expensive than some of your other
options, but this microphone type is
a workhorse. It can be used overhead
for interviews and small groups, as
a handheld mic, and for other utility
recording like sound effects and voice
overs. Whether stand or boom pole
mounted, a shotgun mic is hard to
beat.
Contributing Editor Hal Robertson is a digital media
producer and technology consultant.
[Clockwise from left] Shotgun, boundary,
and lavalier represent very different types of
mics and each excels in different tasks.
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the
Cardioid
of pickup to the side and rear. This means you
can either pick up sound from further away
or better isolate the sound close up. Because
they’re so sensitive, they also tend to pick up
more handling noise. That’s why you’ll often
see them mounted in some type of shock absorbing device.
Non-directional microphones - also called
omnidirectional mics - don’t emphasize sound
from any direction. In fact, their pickup pattern
looks like a ball or sphere around the head of the
mic. They’re available in hand-held models, but
the most common non-directional microphone
is a lapel or lavalier mic.
Finally, we come to specialty microphones.
There are many variations here, but we’ll concentrate on two that a video producer might use
from time to time. If you need to cover a large
area with a single mic, it’s hard to beat a boundary microphone. Boundary mics lay on a flat
surface like a wall or floor and pick up sound
in a half-sphere pattern. Without getting into a
physics lesson, a microphone on or very near a
flat surface becomes equally sensitive to all frequencies, 360 degrees around the microphone.
This means you’ll record anything happening
anywhere near the mic.
Another specialty microphone is the bidirectional or figure-8 mic. This mic has a unique
dual pickup pattern - much like two omnidirectional mics with one on either side of the
mic body. One side is out of phase with the other
and both patterns are combined into a single
connector. There are several audio tricks that can
be performed with a mic like this, but a common
application is recording two sound sources at the
same time. For instance, a voice and an instrument, or a speaker and the audience.
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63
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PROFIT MAKING
b y M i k e Wi l h e l m
Commercial Production
Producing a television commercial is
as much about client relations as it is
about creativity and the ability to sell
a product or service to the viewer.
Your primary focus is to help your
client achieve his or her goals, but it’s
also important to build a level of trust
that will ensure their return for future
production. Whether you’re dealing
with a brand new client or someone
who you’ve worked with for years,
these three tips will help guide you to
better client relations.
Listen and Ask Questions
One constant in commercial production is that every business owner or
manager you encounter loves talking
about what they do. Your first meeting
with them should be used for information gathering. Find out what exactly the business does and how they
do it. Even if it doesn’t seem pertinent
to the commercial, small details can
come in handy when you’re trying
to get inside the head of the business
owner. Ask about what they hope to
achieve from the commercial and follow up with questions that potential
customers may have about what the
business offers them. Being inquisitive
and listening to everything the clients
has to say will show them that you
consider yourself a part of their team
and are invested in their success.
Consider the Client’s Personality
While your primary focus is to help
achieve your clients' goals, you also
need to assure they get what they want
out of the production and from you as
a producer. Often this means bending
to your client’s ego. You’ll find that
many businesses want to advertise to
send a message to their competitors, or
to gain local fame, rather than simply
grow the business. They may not tell
you this outright, but be mindful that
ulterior motives may exist. You will be
able to judge when would be a good
time to challenge their way of thinking
or when to keep quiet after you know
them better. Some clients will be very
open to your ideas, and criticism of
their's, while others will want you to
do what they ask without question.
Work Confidently
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Arrange an informal meeting with your client
before the day you shoot to gather details.
64
In order to give clients the best commercial possible, you will need to earn
their trust. When it comes to deciding
how long a graphic is going to stay on
screen, it is best that they trust your
opinion on the matter over that of their
neighbor or delivery driver. With a new
client, the way to gain this trust is to
make sure they are aware of your experience and expertise. Don’t be boastful
or arrogant, but casually talking about
experiences with similar productions
and results you’ve seen, specifically
where they are relevant to your client,
will tactfully convey your experience.
In addition, it always helps to wow them
with technology. When in a studio or at
an edit bay, turn on all your equipment.
VU meters, vectorscopes. Even a near
completed project timeline will tell your
client that what you’re doing requires
training expertise that not everyone has.
By following these three simple tips,
you'll be able to grow and maintain a
level of trust and confidence with your
clients, and give them peace of mind
about how their commercial will turn
out. If you’re lucky, the client will return
to you with more work and as you
continue to develop your relationship,
your ability to give them an effective
advertisement will improve, as will their
willingness to hand over the reigns and
allow you to work your magic.
Mike Wilhelm is an Associate Multi-Media Editor at
Videomaker.
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March 2012 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

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