Introducing the XA20, Canon's full-featured, Wi-Fi(r) compatible, compact professional camcorder designed to seamlessly fit your HD workflow. Dual SD Card Slots with simultaneous HDand web-version dual recording 35Mbps MP4 Built-in dual-band 5 GHz and 2. GHz wi-fi
Introducing the XA20, Canon's full-featured, Wi-Fi(r) compatible, compact professional camcorder designed to seamlessly fit your HD workflow. Dual SD Card Slots with simultaneous HDand web-version dual recording 35Mbps MP4 Built-in dual-band 5 GHz and 2. GHz wi-fi
Introducing the XA20, Canon's full-featured, Wi-Fi(r) compatible, compact professional camcorder designed to seamlessly fit your HD workflow. Dual SD Card Slots with simultaneous HDand web-version dual recording 35Mbps MP4 Built-in dual-band 5 GHz and 2. GHz wi-fi
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Turn Your Tablet Into a Teleprompter page 50
AUGUST 2014 In Color and Monochrome YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO Go From Dreamer to Director Videomakers Directing Toolkit is designed to give you pro-level directing skills, fast! Videomaker.com/ProDirector is Back 327 August Cover.indd 1 6/24/2014 10:54:06 AM CUPESMAR-13-075_B.indd 10-24-2013 1:39 PM Lauren Moise / Lauren Moise 1 Job Client Media Type Live Trim Bleed Pubs CUPESMAR-13-075_B Canon Print 7 x 9.75 7.75 x 10.5 8 x 10.75 VIDEO MAKER Job info Due at 10/25 Issue: Dec Notes Art Director Copywriter Account Mgr Studio Artist Proofreader Nick Deyring None Jared Goldwasser Lauren Moise None Approvals Fonts Proxima Nova (Bold, Regular, Light, Light Italic, Bold Italic) Images XA20_3.jpg (RGB; 428 ppi; 70.09%), Canon_ KO.eps (30.09%) Inks Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black Fonts & Images Saved at None from nyc01lmoise by Printed At 2013CanonU.S.A., Inc. All rights reserved. CanonandDIGICareregisteredtrademarks of theCanonInc. intheUnitedStates andmay alsoberegisteredtrademarks inother countries. Wi-Fi is a registeredtrademark of theWi-Fi Alliance. All other product andbrandnames aretrademarks or servicemarks of their respectiveowners. Dual SD Card Slots with simultaneous HD- and Web-version dual recording 35Mbps MP4 Built-in dual-band 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Introducing the XA20, Canons full-featured, Wi-Fi compatible, compact professional camcorder designed to seamlessly t your HD workow. Our new full HD 1920x1080 HD CMOS Imaging Sensor with high-sensitivity and wide dynamic range ofers up to 35Mbps MP4 and AVCHD recording capability, simultaneous HD- and Web-version dual recording, and slow- and fast-motion recording. A Canon 20x High Denition Optical Zoom Lens with Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization enables you to capture precise and sharp video, while two phantom-powered XLR Audio Inputs with Manual Gain Control deliver accurate sound. With built-in dual-band 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, the XA20 gives you reliable signal transport. You can also manage settings and operations remotely with its wireless control capabilities. Find out more at pro.usa.canon.com/XA20 20X Optical Zoom Lens with Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization Cost-efective shooting solution S:7 S :9 .7 5
FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 10/25/2013 10:50:13 AM contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 1 22 30 Features Columns 2 50 54 58 61 64 Reviews Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera By Adam Vesely Sony FDR-AX100 Camcorder By Adam Vesely Audio-Technica ATH-AG1 Headset By Ty Audronis MAGIX Video Pro X6 Editing Software By Doug Dixon Dell P2815Q Ultra HD Monitor By Ty Audronis 8 12 15 17 19
38 44 Next Month Narrative Filmmaking Shot Assist Tools Explained How to Pull the Perfect Key Make Movie Ideas a Reality Story Arc and Freytags Pyramid On Sale August 26, 2014 Contents Volume 29 Number 02 AUGUST 2014 Viewfinder The New TV By Matthew York Basic Training DIY Tablet Teleprompter By Kyle Cassidy Profit Making Cash in Your Content By David G. Welton Editing Tune Software for Peak Performance By Chris Ace Gates Lighting The Essential Green Screen Kit By Chuck Peters Take 5 5 Inspiration and Organization Tools for Video Editors By Chris Ace Gates Increase YouTube Visibility with Channel Collaborations YouTube has implemented many ways to connect with like-minded media consumers and creators of the moving image worldwide, but cross-promotion & collaboration may be the best tools yet. by Morgan Paar Create a YouTube Studio in Your Room There is a distinct advantage to having your own YouTube studio. It will bring a level of professionalism and sophistication to what you shoot, regardless of its square footage. by Marshal Rosenthal How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype The scenario is simple: we have an interview wed like to conduct. The host and interviewee are far apart from each other, and travel of any sort isnt in the budget. How should we proceed? by Peter Zunitch Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow While organization and creativity may not always go hand in hand, having a few assets at your disposal can help expedite the creative process and make your video production projects painless. by Dave Sniadak www.videomaker.com Subscribe Departments 4 5 6 60 Whats On Videomaker.com Quick Focus New Gear Ad Index Subscribe to Videomaker and save up to 76% off the newsstand price! Try an issue risk-free at: videomaker.com/subscription On the Cover Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera 44 58 8 22 50 327_TOC.indd 1 6/25/2014 11:21:08 AM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/5/2014 1:37:49 PM contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 2 The New TV Not so many years ago recent enough that many of us can re- member TV programming was controlled by a very small group of wealthy and inuential people who owned and operated the three big TV networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. Television was anything but demo- cratic. It was very limited. The only viewpoints expressed were those of the head honchos at the big stu- dios. These elite network executives decided which programs would be produced and which would not. The idea of making TV at home was un- imaginable in that day. Before long, over-the-air broadcast had expanded with more channels, and soon cable came on the scene. Cable TV, and subsequently satel- lite, gave viewers a far wider range of entertainment options, and exposure to more broad and varied points of view. In the 1990s we experienced the desktop revolution, when camcord- ers came into the mainstream and digitizers and capture cards allowed early adopters who were willing to crack open their computer cases to install new hardware, to edit video on their PCs. With the introduction of the DV recording format and IEEE 1394 FireWire technology, the ability to shoot and edit broadcast quality video, became affordable enough that many could make media at home on their computer. Today, broadcast TV is a dinosaur that may be teetering on the brink of extinction. The new video king is online. From DVR recorders, to on- demand services like Netix, to video distribution portals like Vimeo, the web has opened the way for anyone with a camera and an Internet con- nection to be a broadcaster. YouTube estimates that 100 hours of video are uploaded to its site every minute. According to its published statistics, more than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, and more than PRI NTED I N USA Videomaker (ISSN 0889-4973) is published monthly by Videomaker, Inc., P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927. 2014 Videomaker, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher is prohibited. The Videomaker name is a registered trademark, property of Videomaker, Inc. Editorial solici- tations welcomed; publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited material. Editorial-related photos and artwork received unsolicited become property of Video- maker. Single-copy price: $5.99; $7.99 in Canada. Subscription rates: one year (12 issues) $19.97; $29.97 in Canada (U.S. funds); $44.97 Foreign Delivery (prepayment required, U.S. funds). Send subscription correspondence to Videomaker, P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA 95927. 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These materials are not to be construed as an endorse- ment of any product or company, nor as the adoption or promulgation of any guidelines, standards or recommendations. 6 billion hours of content are watched monthly almost an hour for every human on earth. We have come a long way in the democratization of TV since those early days of the big three broadcasters. Now, video is ubiquitous. Access to production equipment is no longer a hindrance to producing media. Consumer hobbyists and professional broadcasters often own and use the same equipment. History is happen- ing right now. You are part of it. We are writing a new chapter in the histo- ry of visual communication. Distribu- tion to a global audience is available to anyone online. Today, everyone is a journalist. A documentarian. An entertainer. An educator. An activist. There is an audience for every pro- gram, no matter how small the niche. As producers of media in 2014, we have the opportunity to reach an audi- ence larger than those early television executives could have imagined. The question is, what will we do with this opportunity? Inform, instruct, inspire, entertain. Join the global conversa- tion. The world is waiting to see what youve got. VIEWFINDER b y Ma t t h e w Yo r k subscription information Videomaker Subscription Fulfillment P.O. Box 3780, Chico, CA 95927 telephone: (800) 284-3226 e-mail: customerservice@videomaker.com address P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927 telephone: (530) 891-8410 fax: (530) 891-8443 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. MatthewYork is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor. publisher/editor associate publisher director of content associate editor associate editor art director/photographer contributing editors director of advertising advertising representative telephone (530) 891-8410 account executive director of business development marketing marketing coordinator web analyst
information systems IT assistant web developer director of finance accountant customer service /fulfillment coordinator Matthew York Patrice York Mike Wilhelm Greg Olson Jackson Wong Susan Schmierer Kyle Cassidy Chris Ace Gates Mark Holder Mark Levy Terry ORourke Isaac York Olin Smith Terra Yurkovic Joseph Ayres Jordan Claverie Seth Hendrick Jill Lutge Stephen Awe Jessica Anderson Tiffany Harness For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17011 in the subject line. 327_C1 Viewfinder.indd 2 6/24/2014 2:55:55 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/24/2014 9:38:35 AM contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 4 Go Mobile Reading on the go? Find Videomaker on your iPhone and iPad along with apps that help video producers on location. Go to www.videomaker.com/r/676. The Videomaker Community Speaks Out QUESTION: From Arthouse: So I have a bit of a dilemma. Ive recently purchased a $8500 cinema camera (with lenses) and I got it on credit so I still have to pay a lot of it back. I run a small video production company so I can pay it off through various client projects but recently Ive been approached by a camera [rental] company who are inter- ested in renting out our camera to their customers in return for 50/50 split of the rental charge. The [rental] company has assured us that if anything were to ever happen to the camera it would be covered by insurance that the person hiring the camera would be forced to take out before being able to hire it in the rst place. I was wondering if anyone had any ex- perience of this or any strong opinions? What would you do? REPLY: From fx1shooter: I would offer my ser- vices but NEVER rent out my bread and butter! If something happens to it you may have to delay a 100% paying job because you dont have it. If you dont use it sell it to the rental ofce and tell them if you do need it. You will rent from them. My 2 cents worth! Keep shooting! See more at: http://www.videomaker. com/r/771 Controlling Depth of Field Once you understand the power of depth-of-eld, the next step is learning to control it. Find out how use different methods to get the look you want. http://www.videomaker.com/r/769 August 2014 Whats on Videomaker.com Talk to us online! Love Videomaker? Tell the world! Share your videos, nd extra content, talk to us! We want to know who you are. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/VideomakerOnline Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/videomaker Catch us on YouTube youtube.com/videomaker Add us on Google+ videomaker.com/GooglePlus .... Canon C100 VS 5D Mark III We take the Canon C100 and the 5D Mark III out for a spin to compare the footage and form factor, and nd out which camera gives you the best bang for the buck. http://www.videomaker.com/r/770 Videomaker Webinars Videomaker has an- nounced its upcoming Fall/Winter schedule for training webinars. Held once a month, these one-hour webinars allow you to interact with the Videomaker editors as they teach essential techniques to creating high quality video, with lots of time for Q&A. Upcoming titles include: DSLR Video Production, Titles and Graphics For Video, Audio for Video, Camera Movement and Composition and Post Production Workow. Visit videomaker.com/ webinar for the schedule and content details. Correction In the July 2014 issue of Videomaker on page 17, we incorrectly stated that as a weakness, the HP Z1G2 used an mSATA SSD rather than SATA. In real- ity our conguration had two SATA SSDs in addition to the mSATA SSD for boot. We regret any inconve- niences that may have occurred due to this error. 327 D12 What's On.indd 4 6/24/2014 9:58:22 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 5 Sun Surveyor is the type of app thats essential for location scouting, as it tells you exactly where the sun or moon will be at any particular time. Rather than going to a location at a specic time, Sun Surveyor empow- ers you to location-scout wherever you want, then use your smartphone to nd out exactly where the sun will be on the day and time youll be shooting. Not only does this help you estimate what your shadows will look like, it may also help you take stunning landscape time-lapse videos, using the sun or moon in creative ways. Quick Focus Storehouse is a unique app that uses video, photos and text to create compelling stories, shared across multiple devices via the app itself or a web browser. You can think of it as a classy digital scrapbook. Once youve collected a handful of media, simply lay it out using Storehouses easy to use story editor. The nal results are extremely visually compelling stories that really cant be achieved on Face- book or other, more traditional media sharing platforms. Adobe Voice is a free app aimed at creating explainer videos. These are the kinds of videos other mobile and web apps use to ex- plain how their service works. Weve all seen these before: xylophone or ukulele music over mainly animated graphic visuals with a easy to un- derstand, friendly voice-over. Adobe Voice takes the normally complex process of creating animated video and makes it easy, then helps you share it via Twitter, Facebook, email or your own website. Storehouse (Free, iOS) Sun Surveyor ($6.49, Android; $6.99 iOS) Adobe Voice (Free, iOS) Every month the selection of video apps on both the App Store and Google Play gets better and better! This month we look at a range of apps, from the highly specialist Hoid for Android, to the more consumer-friendly Storehouse for iOS. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17376 in the subject line. Hoid Pro is a special- ized media player, and the rst that supports the H.265 format. In addition, Hoid Pro will play back Apple ProRes and MXF les. Obviously, this type of application isnt for everyone, especially considering the price, but for pros who need to be able to view recently compressed 4K les or ProRes les that just came off a cinema camera, Cinemartin's Hoid Pro looks like a great option. Other- wise non-Pro and Gold are available. Other pro codecs supported include XAVC, XAVC-S, AVCHD and more. Hoid Pro ($13.53, Android) 327 D9 Quick Focus.indd 5 6/24/2014 2:56:31 PM page 4 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 6 with a screen resolu- tion that comes in at a sharp 2160 x 1440. It's powered by a 4th generation Intel Core processor, i3, i5, or i7, making it able to handle desktop Windows applications such as Adobe Creative Cloud. Users can take advantage of the Surface Pen and multi-position kickstand to express their cre- ativity with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and even draw masks in Adobe After Effects. Internal storage on the Surface Pro 3 comes in options of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. Pricing ranges from $799 for a Surface Pro 3 with 64 GB of storage and an Intel i3 processor, to $1949 for a model with 512 GB of storage and an Intel i7 processor. Microsoft has stated that Surface Pro 3 units should begin shipping this summer.
NEW GEAR Video Copilot MotionPulse Some of the best videos are made great because of their sound design. This means that one of the best tools a video editor can have is a collection of high-quality and useful sound effects. Big cinematic sounds are whats needed to create videos of epic proportions. Video Copilot, the makers of Element 3D, Optical Flares, Action Es- sentials 2 and more, have announced the release of their MotionPulse Sound Design Tools. MotionPulse Sound Design Tools is a collection of over 2000 sound effects in 24-bit 96KHz quality, WAV and MP3 les. Video Copilot is known for their cinematic style products, and MotionPulse Sound Design Tools ts in with their existing product line. The set features ve libraries: Machines, Signals, Organic, Velocity and Impact. The sound effects contained in each library perfectly coincides with the librarys name. Machines are well designed, complex mechanical sounds. These mechani- cal soundscapes are often desired, but in the past were only found on the desktops of precision-obsessed sound designers. Signals is lled with glitches, scratches, statics, distortions, pulses and other electronic noises. Organic is A Summer of Post-Production lled with lifelike sounds, liquids, lifeforms, meat slices, medi- cal and more. Velocity includes a variety of swishes, drones, atmospheres and more. The featured sound effects all come through as high quality volumetric sounds. Impact is a collec- tion of crashes, hits, impacts debris, bass drops and trailer hits. Theyre perfect for punching up critical points in an edit. MotionPulse Sound Design Tools are exactly what one would expect from Video Copilot. The libraries are ideal for trail- ers and high-energy action pieces. Each individual library is available at $49.95. The MotionPulse BlackBox, containing all ve libraries, is available for purchase from Video Copilot as an instant download for $149.95. Video Copilot is also offering a bundle deal of MotionPulse BlackBox and Shockwave Particle FX, 50 HD rendered particle elements for a price of $199.95. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Computers are an ubiquitous part of any video production, from planning in pre-production, all the way to nal nish- ing in post-production. Tablets and mobile devices have entered into the landscape that was once occupied by lap- tops. Theyre able to accomplish many tasks but are limited in what they can do. A tablet is great for pre-production, scripting, storyboarding and scheduling. Theyre even used on set to slate takes and run teleprompter software, but theyre not viewed as technology that can handle true post- production tasks. Just like it happened with laptops, the capabilities of tablets are changing. Microsoft announced the forthcoming Surface 3 tablet, a tablet that is able to run the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a power packed tablet, expanding on the computing power of a laptop with the functionality of a tablet. The Surface Pro 3 is 12-inch tablet 327 D5 New Gear.indd 6 6/24/2014 9:52:02 AM Blackmagic URSA is the worlds rst high end digital lmcamera designed to revolutionize workow on set. Built to handle the ergonomics of large lmcrews as well as single person use, URSA has everything built in, including a massive 10 inch fold out on set monitor, large user upgradeable Super 35 global shutter 4K image sensor, 12G-SDI and internal dual RAWand ProRes recorders. Super 35 Size Sensor URSA is a true professional digital lmcamera with a 4K sensor, global shutter and an incredible 12 stops of dynamic range. The wide dynamic range blows away regular video cameras or even high end broadcast cameras, so you get dramatically better images that look like true digital lm. The extra large Super 35 size allows for creative shallow depth of eld shooting plus RAWand ProRes means you get incredible quality! Dual Recorders Blackmagic URSA features dual recorders so you never need to stop recording to change media. Thats critical if you are shooting an historical event, important interview or where you just cannot stop shooting! Simply load an empty CFast card into the second recorder and when the current card is full, the recording will continue onto the second card, allowing you to change out the full card and keep shooting! www.blackmagicdesign.com Introducing Blackmagic URSA, the worlds rst user upgradeable 4K digital lm camera! User Upgradeable Sensor Blackmagic URSA features a modular camera turret that can be removed by unscrewing 4 simple bolts! The camera turret includes the sensor, lens mount and lens control connections and can be upgraded in the future when new types of sensors are developed. This means your next camera will be a fraction of the cost of buying a whole new camera! Choose professional PL mount, popular EF mount and more! Built in On Set Monitoring! Say goodbye to bulky on set monitors because you get a massive fold out 10 inch screen built into Blackmagic URSA, making it the worlds biggest viewnder! The screen is super bright and features an ultra wide viewing angle. URSA also includes two extra 5 touch screens on both sides of the camera showing settings such as format, frame rate, shutter angle plus scopes for checking levels, audio and focus! Blackmagic URSA PL Blackmagic URSA EF $ 5,995 $ 6,495 FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/17/2014 9:03:40 AM page 6 contents full screen print contents full screen print
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 8 REVIEWS b y Ad a m Ve s e l y D16: $3,300, D16M: $4,000 Bolex is back! Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera Digital Bolex www.digitalbolex.com STRENGTHS Decent dynamic range Robust codec Inexpensive lenses Solid construction WEAKNESSES Lackluster built-in LCD Monitor Noisy high-iso performance Limited documentation I n March 2012, Joseph Rubinstein started the Digital Bolex campaign on Kickstarter to create a camera that would bring the charm and desired look of 16mm lm to the digital age using a Super 16-sized sensor and a RAW-based codec that helps preserve image delity. That Kickstarter campaign was a great success, and nearly two years later the Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera came to the market for those looking for the nostalgia of working with 16mm cam- eras without the hassle of using actual lm. Everything from the form factor to the sensor choice comes together to create an unusual blend of the old and the new, providing an opportunity for those willing to work with something that is a little different than what the mainstream camcorder market is offer- ing. The big question is, can a camcord- er that is designed to emulate a specic look and feel be useful for a variety of cinematography needs? Going Retro If you are going to create a product with a retro design, the rst thing that is always appreciated is consistency. Digital Bolex has done a fantastic job with this. Everything from the exterior design of the D16 and it's packaging, to the cool and hip marketing mate- rial on the Digital Bolex website has a cool, hip vibe that attracts the eye. The 2K CCD sensor, working in conjunc- tion with the Cinema DNG RAW codec, completes the package by creating a 16mm lm-like look with up to 12 stops of dynamic range. The D16 has a unique teardrop shape that tapers toward the back, and most of the buttons and controls have no labeling to detract from the mini- malistic design. The detachable pistol grip, which includes a recording trig- ger, blends in perfectly with the D16s design and provides a pretty comfort- able operating mode for handheld shots. The lens features a C-Mount, which uses a threaded connector rather than a bayonet system like most modern mounts. On the top is a cold shoe mount for accessories, a small LCD monitor for settings and video monitoring, and basic function buttons for accessing the settings menu and to start or stop recording. One interesting aspect of the D16 is the fan vents on the very front, which allow hot air to be expelled from the camera body by a small multi-speed fan. The left side features a second cold shoe mount, two XLR inputs with phantom power, 4-pin 12V power input and output, and 1/8-inch headphone and composite video out- puts. On the right side youll nd two cranks, one smaller than the other, that can be used to control various camera settings and two small knobs for controlling the audio recording levels. On the back, below the control buttons, there is a small media door that reveals two CompactFlash slots as 327 C5 Digital Bolex D16.indd 8 6/24/2014 2:57:29 PM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 9 TECH SPECS Sensor Size/Type: Super 16-sized CCD Video Format: 12-bit Adobe Cinema DNG (RAW) Resolution/Frame Rate: 2K (24/30), 1080p (24/30), 720p (24/30/60), 480p (24/30/60/90) Recording Media: Internal 256/512GB SSD and Dual CF slots Display Size/Resolution: 2.4" 320x240 Lens Mount: C lightweight and can be found fairly cheap these days. Operating the D16 handheld and being able to squeeze the trigger on the pistol grip to start and stop recording felt very natural and is a nice feature to have when grabbing quick shots that dont need the stability of a tripod. The grip is easily removable and attaching a tripod plate in its place is just as easy. The small internal fan eventually red up between shots but is set by default to turn off when recording is started. When the recording stops, it will start back up if the internals need cooling. We started to shoot some footage of the surrounding grass, ponds, and trees. One thing became quite apparent when shooting with the D16: make sure you have an external eld monitor with you for focusing and setting exposure! We used the internal LCD monitor, which has an adjustable angle of about 5-10 degrees, has a very low resolution and has fairly poor viewing angles. These factors lead to some of our test footage being slightly soft in focus and some shots were overexposed. Attaching something like a Zacuto EVF solves this problem, but be prepared to factor that cost into the cost of the camera, be- cause external monitoring is essential. The internal LCD monitor is OK for changing settings or checking your shooting parameters, but should prob- ably not be used as your main monitor- ing source when shooting. While shooting with the D16, youll have to adjust a lot of settings before each shot, as everything is set manu- ally. You wont nd anything that is automatic on the D16, so easy access to ISO, white balance and audio levels is a must for proper use. The D16 has two crank wheels on the side that can each be set to adjust one of many available settings including ISO, shutter angle, white balance and headphone levels. The clicky feel of the crank wheels made them a delight to adjust, but the D16 often lagged behind when adjust- ing the parameter assigned to the crank Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera REVIEWS Roll Film To put the D16 through its paces, we ventured out to a small community park in the California foothills on a bright, sunny day. The harsh sunlight and bright colors created a lot of contrast be- tween lit and shady areas, so this was a great location to test the dynamic range of the Super 16 CCD sensor. We had four lenses to use with our D16: a 10mm fixed f/4, a 10mm f/2.8, a 25mm f/0.85 and a 50mm f/1.4. We also had a gradual neutral density filter we could use in place of adjusting the aperture for bright scenes. Three of the lenses had focus rings, but the 10mm f/2.8 did not and could only be focused by actually unscrewing the lens little by little on the mount itself. This proved to be a somewhat precarious proposition, as we were operating handheld at first and hav- ing the lens not solidly mounted created a sense of impending doom that was difficult to ignore. The other lenses worked as you would expect on any other camera that uses fully manual lenses. On the positive side, C Mount lenses are small, well as a USB 3.0 connector for trans- ferring les to a computer. The D16 has a very solid build quality and is much heavier than it ap- pears. Weighing in at 8lb. without the pistol grip, the D16 is very dense and can get a bit heavy when operating handheld for an extensive period of time. The control surfaces are placed in appropriate locations for easy ac- cess while shooting, although it can be difcult to see the monitor on top and adjust settings if you are shooting using a tripod at head height. Overall, the smooth curves and classic looks make the D16 one the most unique looking cameras available. Audio/video I/O and side-panel cold shoe Included Lens: None Audio In: XLR Inputs (2) Audio Out: 1/8" Headphone Video Out: HDMI, 1/8" Composite Other Interface: USB 3.0, 12/V 4 pin XLR In/Out Shutter Range: 45-360 Shot Assist: Aspect ratio guides, zoom for focus ISO Range: 100-800 Battery: Non-removable, 4-hour life 327 C5 Digital Bolex D16.indd 9 6/24/2014 2:57:37 PM page 8 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 10
SUMMARY The Digital Bolex D16 and D16M Cinema Cameras are solid options for cinematographers that want full manual image control and enjoy working with a form factor similar to the 16mm film cameras of yesteryear. AdamVesely is a videographer/director of photography and a still photographer in Northern Calif. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17006 in the subject line. wheel. It also was not clear how much turning was required to adjust a setting. If you turned the crank one click, noth- ing changed, but turn too many clicks, and youll pass the setting you actually wanted. This imprecision made the crank wheels a little ddly to use, but they worked OK for the most part. There are a few other quick-access features to help get things ready for shooting. You also can press the Enter button to zoom in the video to 100 percent and move the zoomed in section around to help with focusing. You can also press the Display button to turn on a set of helpful overlays with common aspect ratios or turn the monitor off completely. The audio levels have dedicated control knobs, which are used to ad- just each channel individually. There is no built in microphone, so you must use an external mic through the two XLR ports to record any audio. For- tunately, the audio interface captures clean, 24-bit 96kHz audio, which sounded good from our small shot- gun mic. The headphone jack can be used to monitor the sound, but if you are recording using one channel, the audio will only come out of the left or right headphone and not both. One small point of contention with using the D16 is that you must dis- cover some things on your own as the documentation provided is very limited. There is only an eight page quick-start guide available on the Digital Bolex website at time of writing. There were a few settings for the LCD monitor that we wanted clarication on, so we visited the website to look for the full user manual. Where there should be a link to download a full user manual, there are the words, Coming Soon. It would denitely be nice to have a full manual available that documents every feature and setting for users that may not be familiar with all the terms used in advanced video production. In the Cutting Room The D16 records using the Adobe Cin- ema DNG codec, which uses about 5GB of disk space per minute of footage. This robust codec plays a large role in providing the increased latitude and exibility you have with the footage in your editing software. Before you can bring the Cinema DNG les into your editing software, they must be pro- cessed rst by intermediary software in which you can adjust basic param- eters of the footage including the color temperature and color proles that are applied. Once this step is done, the footage can be edited similarly to many other professional codecs. The CCD sensor in the D16 uses a global shutter, which doesnt produce any rolling shutter or Jell-O effects when panning the camera rapidly. This is nice to see in a world full of CMOS sensors, which are commonly aficted with this behavior. However, CCD sensors can be affected by very bright sources of light and can cause strange vertical lines to appear when the pixels get hot and overow into their re- spective columns. The dynamic range shown in our test footage was very good, showing detail in both bright and dark areas of the frame. Footage shot in low light using the maximum ISO setting (800) generated a high level of digital noise, but this can be used to en- hance the 16mm lm look, if desired. Digital Bolex also created a mono- chrome camera, the D16M, which is identical in design to the D16 except for the sensor. The CCD sensor in the D16M only captures luminance values, which results in a cleaner im- age with less digital noise than one captured with a full color sensor. Our test footage from the D16M had a smooth, pure quality that looks much more satisfying than desaturated color footage, and the image is very clear of digital noise. All the highlights have a slight glow to them and the overall ef- fect the monochrome sensor provides is quite impressive. If you are inter- ested in shooting in black and white often, the D16M is denitely a camera you should check out. Its in the can! The D16 and D16M Cinema Cameras are certainly interesting diversions from the mainstream camera market. There are some quirks involved in operating them, but the results you get are worth the trouble. Both of these cameras provide a unique form factor and sensor combination that produces a specic quality and expe- rience similar to working with a Super 16 lm camera. There is also some- thing attractive about working with a fully manual camera that lets you do exactly what you want to the image. Whether it is for nostalgic purposes or simply to take advantage of the ad- vanced codec and pure image quality, the D16 and D16M Cinema Cameras will be attractive to cinematographers that are looking for something differ- ent than the usual suspects. Digital Bolex D16 Cinema Camera REVIEWS CompactFlash slots and USB 3.0 connection 327 C5 Digital Bolex D16.indd 10 6/24/2014 2:57:46 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/24/2014 8:27:13 AM page 10 contents full screen print contents full screen print
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 12 REVIEWS b y Ad a m Ve s e l y $2,000 4K Goes Mini Sony FDR-AX100 Handycam Camcorder Sony Electronics Inc. www.sony.com STRENGTHS Large sensor Built-in ND filters Built-in adjustable viewfinder Excellent feel/build quality WEAKNESSES Excessive rolling shutter at telephoto Non-standard hot shoe design Only one memory card slot Battery charges on camera S onys Handycam line has been around since 1985 and a lot has changed since then. In this new digital age, things seem to get smaller, faster and less-expensive at an unprecedented rate. With the 4K revolution in full swing, professionals and consumers alike are clamoring to get their hands on equipment that takes advantage of the extra resolution and detail that 4K footage provides. One of the biggest issues prevent- ing more widespread adoption of 4K is fact that most 4K equipment is expensive and usually has a steep learning curve to operate. Also, most high-end 4K camcorders record at very high bitrates, which require more media storage, further increasing costs. Sonys FDR-AX100 Handycam camcorder lls the gap between pro- fessional and affordable, recording 4K UHD video, using the efcient XAVC-S codec and is not much larger than Sonys previous agship Handycam models. The price point and ease of use helps to lower the barriers of en- try for consumers and professionals to start using 4K workows while seeing all the benets it can provide.
Mini 4K The FDR-AX100 is in Sonys Handycam line, which is traditionally aimed at consumers, but this camcorder has an appearance that oozes professionalism. The 4K emblem proudly gleaming on the side announces the headline fea- ture and the whole body looks fantas- tic. The high quality nish and texture gives off a professional vibe and the camcorder is well-balanced for a great feel in hand. Keep in mind that this is not a camcorder that will t in your pocket, and nor would you want it to. Tipping the scales at 2lb., the FDR- AX100 is denitely at the high-end of the Sonys Handycam line in size and weight, but it is still small and light compared to Sonys larger professional 4K camcorders. The lens hood and cover on the front are solid and can be easily removed and installed. Holding the FDR-AX100 with the built-in strap is comfortable and the controls for taking photos, starting, stopping recording and enabling the focus magnier are within easy reach. There is a variable zoom rocker on top that is easily operable with the gripping hand. On the back is an articulating and ippable viewnder and controls for the three built-in ND lters, including an auto-enable switch. The battery is mounted far enough from the tripod mount that it can still be removed when attached to most small-to-medium-sized tripod plates. On the left, youll nd the 3.5-inch LCD touch display and below it, are buttons to enable manual modes for iris, gain/ISO, and shutter speed. There is a small dial toward the front to manipulate settings while they're set to manual mode. Above the manual dial is an auto/manual focus button and a switch to change the large lens ring between control- ling focus or zoom. When the LCD display is open, it reveals a single SD/ 327 C5 Sony FDR-AX100.indd 12 6/24/2014 9:59:06 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 13 magnication button, you are asked to touch the area of the screen you want magnied and even after magnica- tion, there are arrow buttons to move the area of magnication around the frame. The autofocus worked pretty well most of the time, but there were occasions when we zoomed the lens out to the widest setting while panning and the camcorder would stay out-of- focus for several seconds before snap- ping back in. The FDR-AX100 features zebra stripes and peaking settings to help with adjusting focus manually and getting proper exposure levels. The FDR-AX100 features three built- in ND lters which help greatly when you are outdoors and want to use lower f-stop values in bright light. They can be set manually or there is an auto- matic function that will engage them when the smallest aperture is reached and the exposure is still too bright. The automatic ND lters worked pretty well in our testing, although there is a slight icker to the image when the lter engages. The lens also features Sonys SteadyShot image stabilization which denitely helped reduce jitter and vibrations when walking with the cam- era or when using the telephoto end of the zoom. However, when standing still, we saw the image stabilization exhibit some odd behavior, snapping to and fro rather than gently gliding as most optical image stabilization does. This was only noticeable at the long end of the zoom lens, but it is some- Sony FDR-AX100 REVIEWS dont need while recording. The menu system itself is a bit difcult to navigate as it is organized into unexpected cate- gories. It is also frustrating that you can go three levels deep in the menu sys- tem, make a selection on one setting, then get kicked all the way back to the top level of the menus, having to drill back down if you wanted to change a second setting in the same area. There is an adjustable viewnder that is sharp and bright. The viewnd- er can be used for critical focus and is perfect for when you dont want to disturb others with the brightness of the LCD display. The Zeiss lens and Exmor CMOS sensor combination on the FDR-AX100 produce a picture that is sharp and full of vibrant color. The relatively large sensor helps to create a shallower depth of eld when used at the lesser f-stop values of the lens. The lens has a 12x optical zoom, which is controlled by a variable rocker on the grip. The rocker button is little and has a small amount of travel, so it requires a deli- cate touch if you want to zoom slowly. While the image is very clear at all fo- cal lengths, it should be noted that we saw some pretty serious rolling shutter skewing when panning at moderate speeds while zoomed in. The lens ring has just the right amount of resistance and works very well for controlling focus and zoom. We found it to be more valuable to control focus, as the zoom rocker works better for smooth zoom movement. Focus can be made easi- er using the focus magnication fea- ture which takes advantage of the LCD touch screen wonderfully. After pressing the MS card slot and buttons for switching to playback mode, enabling NightShot, and changing picture parameters. On the top there is a built-in 5.1-channel surround microphone and a hot shoe for mounting powered accessories. Overall, the FDR-AX100 does an ex- cellent job of tting all of its features into a small and substantial chassis that is easy to hold and operate. Performance We took the FDR-AX100 out to shoot the owers and plant life that spring has brought about and we were very impressed by what we saw. The 3.5- inch LCD panel has a high resolution and is easy to see when facing direct sunlight. The LCD display is also a touch screen, which is used to navigate the menu system and make changes to the conguration. On the home screen, there are touch buttons for starting recording and zooming, as well as a plethora of icons indicating the various settings of the FDR-AX100. Some of these settings only show up momen- tarily when rst starting the camcorder, but a press anywhere on the screen will bring them back and they can be touched directly to bring up options for that function. This works pretty well, as it leaves your display uncluttered with settings information that you Controls beneath LCD and SD card slot Focus magnifier 327 C5 Sony FDR-AX100.indd 13 6/24/2014 9:59:15 AM page 13 page 12 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 14
SUMMARY The Sony FDR-AX100 blurs the line between professional and consumer camcorders and does so at an aggressive price point. It is small, easy to use, and relatively affordable. It also has a large sensor, a great lens and tons of manual controls. AdamVesely is a videographer/director of photography and still photographer. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17102 in the subject line. Sony FDR-AX100 REVIEWS thing to note if you plan on relying on telephoto handheld shots. One of the best things about the FDR-AX100 are the manual adjustment controls which allow you to control the iris, gain and shutter speed individual- ly. After pressing one of these buttons, you use the small manual dial to adjust the setting. If youd like to change a dif- ferent setting, simply press that button, then adjust it with the dial. There is also a Manual button that can be long- pressed to assign settings including exposure and white balance. This setup for manual adjustments worked pretty well for us when we got the hang of it, but you have to be careful to see which function you are currently manually adjusting before you press any buttons. If you press the button for the currently selected setting, you can accidentally kick the setting back to automatic, which could ruin your shot. The FDR-AX100 features a 1-inch sensor and performs pretty well in low- light, but gain can be added when there isnt enough light to properly expose the image. Adding gain also adds noise to the picture, but it isnt very distract- ing and doesnt affect the color levels as much as weve seen in other camcord- ers that are similar in size and price. There is also the NightShot feature, which uses an infrared emitter to see in total darkness, though the color is heav- ily affected. It's worth mentioning that the lens hood should be removed when using this feature as it casts a shadow on your subject when using the infrared emitter to illuminate your scene. There is a built-in 5.1 channel sur- round microphone that has several manual settings that are usually found in more expensive, professional cam- corders. There are settings to control the audio levels manually, reduce wind noise, make the microphone behave more directional and even try to cancel out the voice of the camera operator. It should be noted that the 5.1 channel recording is only available when using AVCHD; XAVC-S modes record in stereo. One interesting feature of the FDR- AX100 is the built-in Wi-Fi capability that allows you to transfer video clips to your mobile device for instant sharing or use your mobile device as a remote control. In order to transfer video clips, you have to have enabled the Dual Recording feature which produces low bitrate MP4 les, in addition to the full-size video les when the camcorder is recording. The Sony PlayMemories Mobile app is available for both Android and iOS and is free to download. While our experience with the FDR- AX100 was mostly pleasant, there are a few issues that keep it from being per- fect. The rst thing would be to include an adapter for the recessed, non-stan- dard hot shoe so that you can attach third-party accessories like a eld monitor or an external microphone. The FDR-AX100 has one media card slot, but it would be nice to have two for being able to record continuously from one card to another or record- ing to both simultaneously for backup purposes. Perhaps the biggest issue we encountered during our testing was that the FDR-AX100 froze up a couple times when changing resolutions and frame rates. This left the top half of the screen garbled and required us to remove and reconnect the battery to get the camcorder to function again. Is- sues like this may already be addressed with rmware updates, but we thought it was worth mentioning. The Bottom Line Sonys FDR-AX100 is a product that blurs the line between professional and consumer equipment and does so in a way that favors both groups. It still feels like a Handycam, but behaves more like a professional cam- corder. If you are looking to jump on the 4K bandwagon but want to get a camcorder that is versatile enough to be used in both a casual and profes- sional capacity, we highly recommend looking into the Sony FDR-AX100 Handycam camcorder. TECH SPECS Sensor Size/Type: 1.0" back-illumi- nated Exmor R CMOS Video Format: XAVC-S (UHD/HD), AVCHD (HD) Resolution/Frame Rate: 3840x2160 (24p, 30p), 1920x1080 (24p, 30p, 60i, 60p), 1440x1080 (60i), 1280x720 (30p) Recording Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Memory Stick PRO Duo/XC-HG Duo Display Size/Resolution: 3.5" 1920x480 LCD monitor Optical Zoom: 12x Lens: 9.3-111.6mm f/2.8-4.5 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens Audio In: 1/8" (3.5mm) Audio Out: 1/8" (3.5mm) Video Out: HDMI Other Interface: Multi/Micro USB ter- minal On-camera 5.1 mic 327 C5 Sony FDR-AX100.indd 14 6/24/2014 9:59:23 AM
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 15 REVIEWS b y Ty Au d r o n i s $300 Best Gaming Headphones Ever? Audio-Technica ATH-AG1 Headset Audio Technica www.audio-technica.com/ STRENGTHS Comfortable headband Impressive looks Included USB DAC WEAKNESSES Short cable High price Poor seal around the ears Average sound quality T he specications of the ATH-AG1 headphones are impressive for sure. Even some DJ headphones dont have the specs these headphones have. Bass response down to 5Hz, and an upper-range to 35,000 Hz. Compare that to an average studio monitor at 56Hz-22,000Hz, and you cant wait to hear what the headset can do. The massive 53mm driver units denitely t a bass-heads specications, and you immediately imagine that you wouldnt so much be using a headset as put- ting your head between two powerful speakers. With a closed-back design, and soft, huge, cushy ear pads; a seal should be formed around your ears and produce mind-numbing bass, and block out most outside noise. Really, by the specications alone, they should sound spectacular. The reality is, when you consider the price, the sound qual- ity is just OK. At $300, Audio-Technica clearly had to make a compromise between the speakers and the mic. The marketing claims they are an audiophile gamer dream. The unfortunate reality is that the ATH- AG1 doesnt sound any better than the Sony Hi-Res Stereo Headphones that sport a list price of only $150, and signicantly lower quality than the $180 Sennheiser HD 558. OK, so those are prosumer headphones, and dont have microphones, so lets look at something more in the gaming market. The top-of-the-line headset we found is the $250 Ear Force Z Seven by Turtle Beach. The specica- tions arent as nice, but the cans t more snugly around the ears, and thus the bass response of the speak- ers sounds much better (and are a bass head dream). The ATH-AG1 headset does have good speakers, and you can hear the massive bass response, but it doesnt sound very bassy. When tested using a boom sound on an 808 drum kit from a Roland Fantom synthesizer, it becomes really evident. An 808 boom is that very bassy kick drum sound that is so common in pop music that its even referred to in the song Like a G6. The 808 sounded more like a toy. Why? Because without a good seal around your ears, the sound escapes, and although the low frequency response range allows the bass to be heard, it doesnt move enough air to resonate on your eardrums. This is why custom in-ear monitors are desir- able. They dont have huge drivers, but the seal in your ear lets you hear bass. This sound leakage is probably because Audio-Technica went with a traditional round-design for the cans instead of over the ear headphones with an oval design. With the right seal around your ears, even an open- back headphone (like the Sennheiser) will generate a better bass sound. If they were priced around $100, the 327 C5 Audio Technica ATH-AG1.indd 15 6/24/2014 2:49:37 PM page 14 contents full screen print contents full screen print
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 16 Form Factor: Headset Frequency Response: 5Hz-35,000Hz Maximum Input Power: 1,000 mW Connectors: USB, 1/8" (3.5mm) Stereo Cord Length: 3.3' (1m) + 6.6' (2m) adapter cable Transducer Type: Condenser Pickup Pattern: Cardioid Mute Switch: Yes Impedance: 38 ohms Sensitivity: 100dB/mW SUMMARY At a price of $300 you'd expect it to be the best headset ever. What the ATH-AG1 delivers feels like compro- mised sound quality to make up for exceptional comfort and a decent microphone. Ty Audronis is a professional in the television and film industry. Hes scored many productions, and worked as a sound designer in award-winning productions. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17533 in the subject line. sound card with only the standard 1/8- inch plugs. Another point of strangeness, the headphones came with one audio cable extension cord. Well, they call it an extension, but its really an adapter. The headphones themselves use a standard 1/8-inch, 4-ring plug to couple the stereo headphones and the microphone to one plug. The adapter has one 3-ring headphone plug and one 3-ring mic plug. So, if your USB port is more than 3 feet away, youre out of luck to plug into the USB DAC. Should you buy them? Really, theyre not bad headphones. Its not a terrible microphone. Sure the audio cables are a bit strange and the DAC can cause some conicts on your system. Often with headsets, you either have great headphones with a terrible mic or a great mic with terrible head- phones. Neither is the case with the ATH-AG1. However, when compared to anything within $150 of the price point, the headphones on the ATH-AG1 are either merely equalled, or vastly outclassed. They do look impressive. The initial impression when you see them is whoa. And putting them on does honestly feel incredibly comfort- able, other than the leather cups that make your ears sweat. The ATH-AG1 doesnt weigh down your head, the mic is out of the way, and the mute but- ton is convenient. But $300? We were expecting a bit more for our dollar. Audio-Technica ATH-AG1 REVIEWS suited for high-delity capture, but for YouTube gaming commentary, its denitely usable. When compar- ing the quality of the mic to another gaming headset, the Steel Series Sibe- ria V2, the ATH-AG1 was notably bet- ter. The saving grace is that the mic is far enough away from your mouth to eliminate plosives, i.e., the popping sounds caused by your breath. Luck- ily there is a mute button for the mic in a convenient, but not bumpable spot. So, screaming out expletives can be held back from your team- mates in games. The only complaint we had on the ergonomics of the ATH-AG1 headset was moving the mic out of the way. The pivot-point of the mic is a bit rough, and moves it up to a 45-degree angle. This puts the mic up on your eye. The only way to really move the mic out of the way is to move the exible tube the mic is attached to. To move the mic out of the way, we'd prefer to not have to deform the mic post. With the ATH-AG1 headset, you do have to deform the mic post. The USB DAC The USB DAC is truly plug and play. We tried this on a Dell XPS 8300 with Windows 7 64-bit. Within a few sec- onds of plugging in the USB DAC, the headphones were ready to go. However, after a day of use, a previously stable machine was suddenly crashing on the dreaded blue screen of death even at idle. Upon investiga- tion, the crashes were triggered by the existing sound card. After remov- ing the sound cards driver, the crashes went away. With some cards you may be stuck using the USB DAC as your sound card, or using your sound these headphones generate would be more than acceptable. Hows the mic? We tried this headset with games from Call of Duty to the R/C ight simula- tor RealFlight 7. In all the games we asked people how we sounded over the mic. The response was a resound- ing um... OK I guess. Skype, Face- Time, WebEx all the same: so-so response. On recording (Pro Tools), it wasnt passable as a professional voice- over mic, nor for any singing, though we wouldn't expect it to. We wouldnt advise anything but a studio condenser mic for voice-overs, but this is Video- maker, so we had to try, right? With a frequency response of 100Hz-12,000Hz, the mic really isnt The ATH-AG1's nicely-placed mute button TECH SPECS 327 C5 Audio Technica ATH-AG1.indd 16 6/24/2014 2:49:47 PM
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 17 REVIEWS b y Do u g Di x o n $400 ($15 disc optional) Pro Value MAGIX Video Pro X6 MAGIX pro.magix.com STRENGTHS Professional editing Proxy editing, multi-cam, 4K, 3D, title editor, color corrector Edit nested sequences as objects WEAKNESSES Missing some pro features such as RED support, closed captions DVCPRO25/50/HD and AVC-Intra codec require additional fee Limited optimization for variety of GPUs Y ou may know MAGIX in the U.S. for its broad selection of consum- er software for movie and music cre- ation, photo and graphic design, and website creation. From a broader view, MAGIX has branches across North America and Europe, and is the multi- media software leader in Germany. MAGIX has a similar portfolio of professional software tools, including Samplitude Pro X for audio recording, mixing and mastering, Xara Designer Pro X9 for graphic and image design, and MAGIX Video Pro X6. MAGIX positions Video Pro X6 as a pro level video editing tool at $399. Its a signicant step up from MAGIX Movie Edit Pro and other consumer video edit- ing tools, but with a traditional interface that should be familiar and comfort- able when escaping the limitations of consumer tools. Its strong enough with 64-bit performance, tools and special effects to satisfy the needs of small production companies such as wedding videographers or smaller broadcast sta- tions. You might think of it as occupying the middle ground between consumer and pro, something like Apples now- discontinued Final Cut Express. So how does Video Pro X6 stand up to pro- level expecta- tions? The best way to nd out is to take a tour through the application, highlighting its new and more distinc- tive features.
Whats New The big news for Video Pro X6 is the move to full native 64-bit support, with an optimized video engine for the Intel Core i7 and new H.264 and audio codecs and GPU acceleration for AVCHD export. With the additional 64-bit headroom, this version has also expanded support for Ultra HD and 4K including editing and export presets. It also adds two 64-bit effects plug-ins: proDAD Mercalli V2 to stabilize shaky videos and Red Giant Magic Bullet Quick Looks templates. The most impressive new editing feature is support for nested sequenc- es. You can choose an entire video sequence and embed it as a movie object in a project so it can be directly edited with effects and animations. The effects section has also been redesigned, and the important video effects have been GPU-optimized, including an HDR effect. In addition to usability improvements like better editing handles and keyframe ease in/out, Video Pro X6 also adds four new measuring instruments to precisely monitor your video: Vectorscope to calibrate and check color tint, Wave- form Monitor to check levels, Histogram to correct over/under-exposure and RGB parade to analyze the brightness distribution of individual colors. These are GPU optimized to support real-time operation up to 4K resolution.
Input and Formats The rst test of pro-level video tools is support for a broad range of devices 327 C5 Magix Video Pro X6.indd 17 6/24/2014 2:59:22 PM page 16 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 18 TECH SPECS OS: Microsoft Windows 7 and greater Minimum CPU: Dual core processor with 2.0GHz (Quad-core processor rec- ommended) Minimum RAM: 2GB Space for Installation: 2GB Graphics/VRAM: Yes with resolution of at least 1280x1024 License Restrictions: None to note Requires Internet Connection: On activation SUMMARY MAGIX Video Pro X6 video editing software offers professional produc- tion starting at $400. Its fully 64-bit, with support for 4K and pro cameras, and full of features including multi- cam editing, stabilization and scalable proxy editing. Additional bonuses, like nested sequences, make it even more interesting. Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17100 in the subject line. Video Pro X6 supports the Virtual- Dub plug-in format (.vdf) for effects, as well as proDAD VitaScene and Adorage. The general audio effects are augmented with echo/reverb, timestretch/resample, and tools for audio cleaning.
Rendering and Export While Video Pro X6 can import and edit a variety of professional camera formats, its export is focused on tra- ditional le, device, and Web formats. It exports to the standard PC-based video editing le formats, including AVI, WMV (HD), QuickTime and MPEG variants to H.264. It also transfers to digital camcord- ers, VHS recorders and mobile devices. And it provides disc authoring for DVD, AVCHD and Blu-rays with menus and chapters. For playback online, you can upload directly to YouTube, Vimeo, MAGIX Online Album and showfy.com, or output as a Flash video for a website.
Pro Video After taking a tour of MAGIX Video Pro X6, you can see that it stands up well in providing many professional video editing features and exibility at a mid-range price. If youre stepping up from consumer tools, youll nd that the interface is familiar and com- fortable but without the limitations and restrictions. MAGIX Video Pro X6 REVIEWS ed basic editing mode corresponding to Movie Edit Pro, with a drag-and- drop storyboard interface. The full, standard interface then provides dual program and source preview monitors above the timeline, with a media pool window for accessing content and effects and a project folder window to stash and prepare material. The timeline also offers a scene overview mode for quick organiza- tion and rearranging, and a multi-cam mode with up to nine source tracks and automatic audio synchronization. You can drag and drop to arrange content on the timeline, with options to move and group clips across one or all tracks. Other tools include time stretching and gap search to nd areas of black frames, plus a built-in title editor with templates. For audio, there are advanced op- tions to automatically recognize tempo to help you adjust video cuts to the beat of a music track, a real-time multi- channel mixer that supports 5.1 sur- round sound, and a soundtrack mixer to automatically create soundtracks for various moods.
Effects The media pool tabs provide access to a wide variety of transitions and effects. The collection also includes design elements including collages, backgrounds and intros/outros. You can load, save and copy effects as your own presets. Then add key- frames to adjust the effect parameters over time, or use the effects curve overlaying the clip in the time- line to adjust and copy the anima- tion. You also can apply effects masks per param- eter to modulate the result of the effect based on the intensity of the mask. and formats, from Ultra HD consumer cameras to professional cameras. Video Pro X6 stands up very well here, with support for standard SD and HD video formats including AVCHD (progressive), H.264, ProRes, DNxHD, XDCAM, NXCAM, DVCPRO and AVC- Intra (although these last two require an activation fee of $70). Video Pro X6 also supports current DSLRs, and is optimized for popular models including the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EOS 7D, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH3, and Olympus OM-D cameras. And it provides 3D import, editing and export.
Editing For getting your work done, Video Pro X6 provides a traditional editing interface design in a muted grey look. To help new users, it offers a simpli- Color correction interface 327 C5 Magix Video Pro X6.indd 18 6/24/2014 2:59:34 PM
VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 19 REVIEWS b y Ty Au d r o n i s $700 4K for Well Under $1K Dell P2815Q Ultra HD Monitor Dell www.dell.com STRENGTHS Excellent price point Great picture Lightweight Thin frame WEAKNESSES Low refresh rate Software interfaces don't scale well 4 K movies have made media profes- sionals excited over the last few years. Now that prices have come down on 4K cameras, and technol- ogy has gotten better for post with a new plethora of 4K monitors, faster computers and better storage; its time to step up to the plate and get ready to add 4K movies to the average post production workflow. But, just as it was when the standards switched to HD from SD, 4K movies can be a minefield of buzzwords, resolution hedging, poor frame rates and shallow color space. Dell introduces their 4K moni- tor, the 28-inch P2815Q; painstakingly designed for post-production, and at a relatively reasonable price. Is it a viable monitor for the video professional? What is 4K anyway? Unlike HD, which is measured in vertical lines (i.e. 1080p is 1920x1080 progressive), 4K is measured in hori- zontal space. 4K can be anywhere from 3,800 to 4,100 pixels, going across an image horizontally. For instance, a GoPro HERO3: Black Edition can shoot 3840x2160 and 4096x2160, while a RED ONE shoots at 4096x2304. Each is technically considered 4K video, but have a fair difference in pixel counts. The Dell P2815Q follows the standard of 3840x2160. To Dells credit, they dont mention 4K in any of their literature. In- stead, Dell uses the Ultra HD moniker. Drilling Into the Specs Lets be fair, this is a beautiful screen. The colors are rich, the blacks are black and the design is great. With that out of the way, it could be a tad better. The 30Hz refresh rate at full resolu- tion, and the 5ms response time can certainly be improved. But remember, this is a 28-inch 4K monitor priced at well under $1,000. Contrast that with the HP ZR2740w (2560x1440) at $900, and its a great value. Also, that 28-inch rating doesnt get cropped off by the frame around the screen; its truly a 28- inch viewable area. Great contrast 1000:1 and perfect viewing angles 170-degrees horizontal, 160-degrees vertical wont leave you playing musical chairs with your client for opti- mal viewing and the anti-glare coating doesnt affect clarity nor color. The P1815Q is lean too. The narrow frame will allow you to use multiple monitors without the giant gap to tra- verse when moving your mouse across the desktop. There are no speakers on the monitor. Some may wrinkle their nose at that, but a professional would be using powered speakers on a good sound device not mixing using tiny speakers on their viewing screen. Its light at 11.4lb., so using third-party stands for your multiple monitors wont rip the corner off your desk. This 4K monitor has a port for everything: a DisplayPort, mini Dis- playPort, HDMI (1.4), USB upstream and four USB 3.0 ports. It even has a DisplayPort out. Alright, but how does it feel to use? Text is tiny. If you use this monitor for writing documents, youll need glasses. If you dont need glasses, you soon will. Fitting that many pixels on a 28- inch monitor results in breathtakingly clear imagery, but reading can be prob- 327 C5 Dell P2815Q.indd 19 6/24/2014 2:52:54 PM page 18 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 20 TECH SPECS Display Type: LED backlit LCD (Ultra HD / 4K) View Size: 28" Resolution: 3840x2160 Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 Input: HDMI 1.4, mini DisplayPort, Dis- playPort, USB 3.0 Output: USB 3.0 (x4), DisplayPort Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Brightness: 300cd/m2 (typical) Frequency: 30Hz Colors Supported: 1.1 billion [1.073] Speakers: Optional speaker bar Stand/Mount: Included, adjustable height /tilt/pivot view monitor within Adobe Premiere Pro CC in a RED project. A professional in post-production will pick up on a slight strobe effect when editing foot- age at that frame rate. After about three hours solid of editing, this author felt a bit light-headed, so take some breaks. Nobody should sit at a computer with- out looking away for that long anyway. Lets reiterate that the Dell P2815Q has amazing color and clarity. If youve ever been swimming and come up, then your ears unplug and you imagine you can hear like never before; thats what this moni- tor is for your eyes. Considering the relatively low price, youll nd yourself taking all sorts of things for granted. Remembering having to edit Dell P2815Q REVIEWS lematic. Also, your wrist will soon need a brace. As icons and text gets smaller, exacting pixel-accurate clicking with your mouse will require more skill. The color is extremely accurate right out of the box, and the moni- tor has all of the familiar controls for setting it to your taste. Using a Huey Pro color calibration device and calibration software, barely made any difference to the image. Although wed suggest using such a device on any screen, this screen seems to only need one for adjusting the monitor for the changing light conditions between open windows and ofce lighting. To which the P2815Q adjusted to the cali- bration software commands perfectly. The 30Hz refresh rate can be a little odd when editing 24fps footage. We used the 4K monitor primarily as a pre- port CUDA. So, all the benchmarks and scores in the world mean nothing if your video card doesnt support the command set your software is trying to use. But wait. Im not a 3D artist. Wrong. Believe it or not, if you use any post- production software, youre using 3D technology. Whether its for simple tran- sitions, or highly intricate compositing, your computer is using 3D processing to do the heavy lifting. When you key out that green screen and put your weather reporter in front of a map, your com- puter is literally putting the layer of your reporter in front of that map in 3D space. The better your card can accelerate this process, the more real-time output you can do with more layers of effects, transitions and composites. Hence the need for a rip-roaring video card that can speak the same language as your software. So what video card is right for you if you have $4,000-$5,000 to spend? It completely depends on your software needs. We can tell you this: The AMD W9100 rips through 3D calculations like a minigun rips through bullets obliterat- The Dell P2815Q monitor was tested using the AMD W9100 video card in a Dell Precision T7600. The performance of the W9100, in conjunction with the P2815Q 4K monitor, was impressive. Many effects were rendered real-time. At times, the high-quality 4K display was the only reminder you were push- ing loads and loads of pixels. Diving down into the nitty-gritty, the W9100 represents a third of the performance improvement over its older brother (the D700), and roughly $1,000 cheaper than the NVIDIA Quadro K6000. Sounds amazing, right? It is, but nothing is perfect. Any software that uses CUDA to render (rather than OpenCL) will be left in the dust by systems running NVIDIA chipsets. The W9100 supports OpenCL, while NVIDIA supports both. What is CUDA? What is OpenCL? Simply put, command sets that video cards parse into 3D graphics. These are currently the two big boys on the block, and a lot of software developers (for instance Maya and The Foundry) that use OpenCL, while some prefer to sup- AMD FirePro W9100 ing lag time and giving you all the per- formance you could hope for, provided those 3D instructions are OpenCL. The final Luxmark score of 1306 will definitely make you happy. In Premiere Pro CC, editing non-proxied RED R3D footage was as easy and fast as editing HD XDCAM footage. Our only suggestion is that prior to spending the $4,000 or saving the $1,000 over the Quadro K6000 you may want to make sure youre optimized for OpenCL and have no need for a CUDA-based card. With little performance difference between the W9100 with 4K and an average editing bay working with 1080p footage, this number-crunching beast of a video card will leave you giggling and working not waiting for the machine to catch up with your creativity. Cont i nued on page 53 327 C5 Dell P2815Q.indd 20 6/24/2014 2:52:40 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/30/2014 9:51:28 AM page 20 page 21 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 22 Lets explore whats involved in producing a high-quality video interview session using web-based communications systems. Hows it done? How can we avoid the pitfalls? Is it even worth it? How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype BY PETER ZUNITCH with the capability for rather decent sound and picture quality. Youll also need some type of desktop/laptop computer for all participants. At the time of this writing, Skype for iOS and Android is gaining support for confer- ence calling, so some mobile use may be limited. There are many programs out there to record Skype video, but the two you should seriously consider are Ecamm Call Recorder for Mac, and Evaer for PC. These two programs (both less than $30) have the capability of recording each side of the conversa- tion individually, in full resolution. You could use screen capture programs like Camtasia or QuickTime, but you T he scenario is simple: we have an interview wed like to con- duct. The host and interviewee are far apart from each other, and travel of any sort isnt in the bud- get. How should we proceed? In the old days one might set up a satellite feed, and with any kind of substantial budget that would still be a possibility, but at that point you could all but hire a local crew to shoot it for you. What if we could do away with all that? What if we could use cloud services?
Hardware & Software Well begin with Skype: the standard Internet communications tool com- bining free video chat functionality 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 22 6/24/2014 1:45:59 PM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 23 may nd a drop in quality. Also, post- production may be that much more complicated, as youll have to crop images and take out overlays. These programs capture the actual com- munication streams and nothing else. Linux users may conduct conference call or use a screen capture program. Congure the recorder to use side- by-side recording with the best avail- able codec your computer can handle (H.264 is a good bet), and set a desired destination folder. The presenters do not need a copy of the recording software on their machines. Note that the recording programs can some- times have strange side effects when conferencing more than two people. 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 23 6/24/2014 1:46:11 PM page 22 page 23 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 24 with Skype, youll want to set up a pre-recording test session with each of them. During this time, call them on the phone and be prepared to walk them through downloading and installing the software. Youll then need to help with installing the hardware. Luckily, its usually as simple as plugging in the two USB cables, waiting and then selecting them in the Skype audio/video prefer- ences panels. The Skype interface is different from Mac to PC, however, so conrm with your speaker which computer they are using and be intimately familiar with both. Finally, youll need to walk them through log- ging in and connecting the video call. To avoid po- tential issues, all users will need to be accepted as contacts with the host account that initiates the call, and everyone should be on the same Skype primary revision whenever possible. If one caller for example has version 5.1 and the other has ver- sion 6.1, then they will be unable to communicate fully, but mixing 6.1 and 6.3 should be OK. Con- sider having a few generic accounts that you can lend out to your presenters on a temporary basis. This will allow your presenters to skip the hassle of registration, and has the added bonus of having all accounts pre-added to your contacts list. Before recording, check the general camera framing for each side and have them adjust light- ing as best as possible. Ideally, they should not be sitting with a window behind them, and should have some sort of light on their face coming from next to or behind the camera. Dont push the issue too much though, as youre asking your talent to be your crew and too much fussing can lead to resentment and grumpy presentations. This is one time when some xing in post may actually be preferable to live tweaking. A good tip Using the latest version of Skype and the latest recording program can avoid an insane amount of issues. In practice, its best to have each user on a wired broadband connection. The signal can often uctuate in quality and wireless connections will only exacerbate the issue. Each person should use an external webcam, as they provide better quality that built-in cameras and place less strain on the CPU. The Logitech C920 is a great option as it provides HD 1080p at $100. Youre also going to want a USB headset, as using computer speakers can sometimes create an unwanted echo through the transmission, even with noise cancellation turned on. Companies like Plantronics make a wide variety of headsets that will t any bud- get. Why use a USB headset over analog? You just plug it in and it works. Not everyone you record will understand how to install and congure analog headsets, and some may not have a mic input on their computer. Wireless headsets are generally less conspicuous but youll most likely notice a good deal more compression on the audio.
The Setup Without question, the hardest part of the pro- cess is getting the call started. There are many things that can go wrong and sometimes the stars being aligned is the only way things end up working. Youll need to develop extreme remote directing and troubleshooting skills, and be able to display an incredible amount of patience. Often its best to create a How-to/best practices manual to send out to each partici- pant. If your presenters have no experience Ecamm and Evaer allow you to record your Skype calls from either Windows or Mac OS X. How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 24 6/24/2014 1:46:23 PM With JVCs 23X Zoom, your shots will take center stage. 2012 JVC. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective proprietors. Camera shown with optional shotgun microphone. Innovation Without Compromise 14X vs. 23X Our new GY-HM600 is your ticket to amazing performances. With the new GY-HM600, JVC introduces the next generation of handheld ProHD cameras. Light and easy to use, its equipped with a newly developed Fujinon 23X Wide Angle (29mm667mm) Zoom lens, and delivers remarkable imagery. The GY-HM600 offers intuitive features that make it ideal for shooting news, sports, and independent production. You can also count on superb low-light performance with excellent sensitivity (F11@ 2000 lux). Heres some other great features: Three 1/3-inch 12-bit CMOS sensors (1920 x 1080 x 3) Produces ready-to-edit HD or SD files in multiple file formats: .MOV (Final Cut Pro), .MP4 (XDCAM EX), AVCHD SDXC/SDHC memory card recording (2 slots for simultaneous or relay recording) For more information on the GY-HM600 Series, talk to the Pros at JVC. Visit pro.jvc.com JVC-1905 HM600 7.75x10.5:JVC-1905 HM600 7.75x10.5 11/19/12 1:01 PM Page 1 FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 11/19/2012 2:27:16 PM page 24 page 25 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 26 To maximize picture, have all parties close any non-essential programs, including email and web browsers. Before hitting record, wait a minute or two after the call is started as Skype can take a few moments to warm up to its best picture quality.
The Recording To start a conference call, control (command) click the username of each participant in your contacts list and click Video Call. Alternatively, start with one and add others one at a time. Decide who will start and conclude the conversation, and inform all participants of the desired approximate duration. Participants who are only observing the conversation, and not contributing should mute their mics before you hit record. Give a 10 second countdown, warning everyone that you will mute yourself somewhere around ve (if youre not participating). At that point, turn off your camera and audio feed on the Skype screen and hit the record button in the recording program. This prevents irrelevant streams being sent to the recorder, and minimizes extraneous noise. The recording system can take a second or two to start after pressing the button so make sure your host doesnt jump the gun. Unless you see a warning message, you can be pretty sure that the recorder is working just ne. Consider having the host mention that the video is being recorded via Skype. People are used to web quality videos these days and will be forgiving of a picture that is less-than-perfect, or that everyone is wearing headsets if they under- stand the context in which video was shot. Unlike almost any other video production, your guests should talk directly into the camera lens whenever possible. This will give the im- pression that they are talking to the audience as well as the other participants. They should also be aware that ideally they will be on screen from is to keep the camera a little wider, and heads a little more toward the center of the frame than you would normally place them. You cant adjust the cameras during recording, but this allows you the maximum potential to re-frame in post. Given the medium, the quality loss caused by this will be all but irrelevant. Ideally you want all presenters to end up proportionally the same, but you dont have to shoot them that way. Angle and stability of the cameras should take precedence over lling the frame. Inform the presenters that they should feel free to move, but try their best not to lean back or for- ward. This will not only make them really small or large on the screen, but can cause the most image breakup. Also, avoid backgrounds that move; the less non-essential movement the better. Troubleshooting Tips Have everyone check for updates to all software. If headsets arent available, have everyone turn down their speakers as low as possible and disable the auto volume feature. Set levels manually. Ensuring faces are lit brighter than the background help prevent color temperature fluctuations. Black flashes on your screen dont necessarily mean black flashes up in your recording. Lower connection quality will result in audio/video sync issues. Sometimes restarting the call and/or connecting people in a different order can make a stubborn video connection work. Never assume your participants have working knowledge of their computer, let alone Skype. Be aware that many universities and corporations have firewalls that dont allow Skype. If you run into this issue, a service like bluejeans.com can help in an emergency. Most comput- ers now come with webcams installed, but having one thats detached from your monitor allows you more freedom with your camera angles. How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 26 6/24/2014 1:46:39 PM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 27 you hear dropped words or see the picture fall below acceptable quality. If things get really bad, consider re-establishing the call. It can help, but its not guaranteed. Note that the recording programs should smartly lter out overlays (like the annoying your mic is off icon, and notication sounds beginning to end, so when theyre not talking they should not do anything they dont want to appear on camera. A casual, yet aware presenta- tion is the best approach for an Internet-record- ed conversation. Be conscious during the talk that the audio is constantly clear, and be ready to interrupt if Additional Considerations Google Hangouts has a built in recording system and supports up to nine callers at once, but there is no way to disable the image from autofocusing on the current speaker. Adobe Connect provides better remote control over the conference, but output is currently FLV only, and you must download the stream in real-time after the recording. Screen capture programs are great recording alternatives, but not all will recognize every chat systems audio as a valid input. Approach producing remote recordings as professionally as you would any other production, and present yourself accordingly. Time of day can be a big factor. Know your time zones and make sure everyone else does too. Try not to schedule your recording during peak Internet usage hours. Examine your images carefully before shooting for possible offensive or identifying material in the background and have your talent remove it before recording. Want to live stream your Interview? Try XSplit Your data is the most critical part of your professional life. Our mission is to support your workows with quality products backed by an industry-leading warranty. For over 20 years Glyph storage solutions have been designed for content creation workows needing speed and capacity. The all-new Studio family is equipped with rugged all-metal enclosures, pro-grade internal power supplies, disk health monitoring, and intelligent cooling systems. Every Studio series hard drive is backed by Glyphs outrageous, industry-leading warranty and a team of tech support professionals who know and understand your production environments. The original drive for professional content creators. 3 YEAR HARDWARE WARRANTY 2 YEAR LEVEL I DATA RECOVERY 1 YEAR OVERNIGHT ADVANCE REPLACEMENT FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 3/11/2014 4:19:56 PM How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 27 6/24/2014 1:46:48 PM page 26 page 27 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 28 Peter Zunitch is an award-winning video editor in NewYork. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17030 in the subject line. like other contacts logging on and off), but as a safety measure, consider disabling such noti- cations. Resizing the windows and accidental screen saver interruptions should not affect the recording, and it is okay to turn on your mic at times to talk to your presenters, as long as youre muted when you rst start the recording. Recording duration will be limited strictly to your hard drive space and codecs used. At the end of the recording, stop the capture system and then turn your hardware back on to nish the calls. Its best to open the output folder and quickly check the recording before you let everyone go.
Post-Production With Ecamm, the rst thing youll want to do is open up the included Movie Tools and use the Split Sides of Conversation, which quickly makes a separate movie le of each presenter. Dragging your videos into your editing timeline at this time can be a hassle, as the frame rate is variable; a format which disagrees with most edit systems. To alleviate this, convert each to a DV stream using Compressor or something similar, adjust- ing the frame rate to a xed standard FPS. Youll nd that the process is incredibly accurate, and syncing your presenters is as simple as lining up the rst frame of each angle. Now is the time to ne-tune framing and color correction. Consider arranging the pre- senters so they are angled towards one another. Consider placing borders around the images to hide the edges, and lling the rest of the frame with a neutral background, lower thirds, bugs and other relevant information. A complete look will really make the production. Be aware that Skypes modest frame rate and less-than-perfect picture can be an advantage during editing. You can sometimes hide jump cuts, deleted frames and dissolves within the image and average viewers will not even notice them. If you really must make an edit, or need to break up the monotony, feel free to go to a single shot of a person during a long speech. With practice, youll quickly establish two- shot and single looks that you can quickly switch between. Consider as well, any cutaways that can help demonstrate the topic, as these can cover edits in obvious places. If your edit system supports nested sequences, its a great help to build the single-person and multi-person layouts in separate timelines, and then drop them into a master timeline. This way, making an edit means simply cutting from one track to another.
Final Thoughts Understand that this is not an exact system. Results will vary and there are times when you will simply not get a satisfactory recording. There may even be times when you will have to postpone your conference. Inform all participants of these possibilities, and have a contingency plan in place. Should a participant have video trouble, but audio comes through, a graphic with an image of the speaker can go a long way to preserving clarity in com- munication without disrupting the interview. If possible, a backup recording system can also be a great reassurance. Hardware screen grabbers, though less than ideal for primary systems, are great for backups. Patience, knowledge and the proper prepara- tion is key, but with experience a remote pro- duction is not only possible, but a revolutionary concept. It can save time, money and yield more than satisfactory results. You should never feel restricted by budget and distance. If you need that specic input from a source and cant get there any other way, jump on the Internet, set up your chat and dive right in. How to Create a Cable News-like Interview Over the Web with Skype Camtasia allows for selective screen recordings. Simply dial in the dimensions and place the dotted green line around the part of the screen you want to record. 327 F04 Create interview with Skype.indd 28 6/24/2014 1:46:56 PM H5 HANDY RECORDER Four Tracks. Evolved Recording. zoom-na.com 2014 Zoom Corporation EVOLVED RECORDING The all-new H5. Built with an interchangeable capsule system and ultra-low noise foor. The H5 handles up to 140 dB SPL and captures moments in near-perfect audio. Were Zoom. And Were For Creators. FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 5/12/2014 2:03:29 PM page 28 page 29 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 30 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow 327 F04 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow.indd 30 6/24/2014 10:00:37 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 31 Organization and creativity often clash in the production process. Sticking to these simple philosophies will enable you to turn around great content without the hassle of having to start from scratch with every project. BY DAVE SNIADAK Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow I n life, crossing the line between idea and action is as simple as getting started. In a book about personal motivation, Scott Belsky penned this brilliant philosophy, An idea can only become a reality once it is broken down into organized, actionable elements. When applied to the video world, ideas that start with organization can mean the difference between delivering a great video quickly and burning countless buckets of midnight oil attempting to assemble every piece of the puzzle in a haphazard fashion. While organization and creativity may not always go hand in hand, having a few assets at your disposal can help expedite the cre- ative process and make your video produc- tion projects painless. Before you start your next video project, listen to a few experts in the production industry and consider follow- ing a few of their simple words of wisdom. Start a Self Assessment In the video world, we all claim to be the ex- pert of our own domain. Our video projects are always better than those of our brethren, 327 F04 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow.indd 31 6/24/2014 10:00:45 AM page 30 page 31 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 32 this way: A house is built on a foundation of con- crete. This foundation serves as the base for all of your supporting elements that form the home. Much the same way, your video projects should be structured with a solid base. Determining what youll need to develop in the editing process begins in the pre-production phase of your video project. The easiest way to do this is to create a project template. Call it something like Project Base and work from there. As you build up this tem- plate for your video projects, create bins and assign names reective of the type of content youre working with video, music beds, audio tracks, lower thirds, etc. Once youve done this, save the project and then duplicate it every time you start a new project. Be sure to do a Save As for the new project and name it according to your specic video project. The most important part of the video produc- tion process starts in pre-production, said Rob- ert Weiss, who runs MultiVision Digital, a New York City-based production company. Making sure that all resources are known and what the key message points will be. We need to essen- tially see the video on paper rst. Going into post with a plan makes the effort that much more efcient. Know When to Fold(er) Em Having bins and folders established in your video project will make the allocation of assets much easier. As you import video les, graphics or im- ages, being able to simply drag and drop them into their respective bins will mean you or your editor will be able to easily nd and manipulate the content without wasting time searching for the les one by one. That will mean, much like Kenny Rogers advised in his song The Gambler: Know when to walk away and know when to run. Set yourself up for an easy exit by doing the little things before you even shufe the deck. All video production professionals know that efciency is the key to effective video projects. Naming your folders, even taking the time to name your individual clips, means the little bit of time invested right out of the gate has prepared you for success once you sit down to polish your video project. Stock Up on Common Content If youre in the business of turning around web videos that share similar visuals open- and our editing is always seamless and our nished product is worthy of screening at the nest lm festivals the industry has to offer, right? Right. While this advice may not apply to you, take a step back from your edit bay and consider that maybe your workow isnt as streamlined as it could be. As you review your most recent projects, do you nd yourself scrambling to locate video les? Are you constantly switching between multiple hard drives to track down content? Are you willing to admit that maybe, just maybe, you could use some post-production renement before embarking on your next creative adventure? Admitting you have a problem is the rst step. Doing something to x it is the next one. Purging Old Habits The easiest way to solidify a streamlined video production process is to realize the way you may have been doing things in the past arent the best way to do things in the future. This all starts with the way you begin the editing process. If youre used to simply uploading all of your video les and other content into one general bin within your editing software, thats perhaps the rst place you can make a big change. Clear visions at the outset will help make for clean results at the nish. Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who leads all multimedia work for BioCentury, a biotechnology publish- ing company in Redwood City, Cali., summed this thinking up perfectly. My protocol is prob- ably different in that I consider myself an ex- periential editor, Fitzgerald said. This means I want all of the media ingredients on hand but still desire the freedom to let a story breathe on its own apart from a rigid academic script. Much the same way musicians seem to make beautiful music, streamlining for me means understanding what I am trying to do and what the vision of the project is. Building Blocks For Better Beginnings The key is to organize all of your assets by the type of le youre working with, while working within a template project workow. Think of it M UCH THE SAM E W AY M USICIANS SEEM TO M AKE BEAUTIFUL M USIC, STREAM LINING FOR M E M EANS UNDERSTANDING W HAT I AM TRYING TO DO AND W HAT THE VISION OF THE PROJECT IS. Je ffre y
F itz g e ra ld 327 F04 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow.indd 32 6/24/2014 10:00:54 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 33 who has been involved in several notable Hollywood projects. Some- times it can be as small as a special effect, or a video clip that starts the creative process. Additionally, using a graphic design program like Illustrator or Photoshop can help you create polished lower thirds and title slides that can be easily adjusted for each project. Simply highlight the text or im- age layer, duplicate it and adjust with the content you need for your existing video project. Having high- quality lower thirds and graphics in your video template should boost the production quality of your video proj- ects and leave a lasting impression with your viewers. ing sequences, title slides, motion effects with interchangeable drop zones you likely know that stock footage and template motion projects can make your post production life much easier. Utilizing online stock footage companies can be a great virtual partner in delivering excellent visuals at a decent value. While your project budget may not allow you to take the time to capture that breathtaking time-lapse of the Grand Canyon, or a high speed video of a model eating an apple in slow motion, integrating stock footage can be the driving force in creating memorable web videos. As far as using motion graphics templates, the resources you can nd online from companies like Videohive.net can either be a stopgap in delivering the look you need, or it can serve as a valuable learning tool to create the visuals you want, but werent sure how to produce. I nd templates to be a good resource and great source of inspiration, said Nick DiNinno, W E N EED TO
ESSEN TIALLY SEE TH E VID EO O N PAPER FIR ST. G O IN G IN TO PO ST W ITH
A PLAN M AKES TH E EFFO RT TH AT M U C H
M O R E EFFIC IEN T. R o b e rt W e is s FullPageAD_Template.indd 48 9/4/2008 1:53:16 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 1/7/2009 12:10:56 PM 327 F04 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow.indd 33 6/24/2014 10:01:02 AM page 32 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 34 Keeping Watch Anyone whos been in the video world longer than ve years knows that while variety may be the spice of life, it can wreak havoc on a streamlined video production pro- cess. Whether youre using ProRes, AVCHD, HDV or XDCAM format clips, unifying your creative process by integrating multiple clip formats can slow your post production efforts to a halt if your computer isnt that your software is working in your best interest. Preset Preparation Having your proverbial production ducks in a row before embarking on any video project is key to ensuring a streamlined workow. However, there are ways you can integrate template-based workow solutions into your video production. Start by determining the look and feel you want for your video les, then adjust your camera settings accordingly. Most prosumer level video cameras allow users to save certain settings. Whether youre looking to shoot cinema-grade 1920x1080 at 24 fps, or 1280x720 at 60 fps to slow things down, being able to quickly and eas- ily switch between video formats can save you time on location that can be better spent shooting, rather than setting the production specs. Begin With the End in Mind If theres one thing utilizing a tem- plate-based workow can do, its that it makes your end-result that much easier to deliver. Who wants to key- frame a motion graphics element over and over again if it can be replicated and rened with a few simple tweaks? Why waste a day rebuilding new title slides and lower thirds when you can simply change one piece of the puzzle and export a new graphic le? These questions, and many more, can be solved by using template-based video production processes. It make time to nesse your templates and your workow before you are operating at maximum efciency, but youll get there. Your video projects are sure to benet from your streamlined ap- proach to post production, regardless of the format of your video les.
up to the task. In the past, you had less than a handful of video formats to choose from when ingesting or exporting your content. Nowadays, utilizing watch folders can save you the hassle of watching your comput- er painstakingly render your video les into your idyllic video format. Depending on your interpretation of the phrase watch folders, the term actually refers to the process of encoding a large amount of content into a desired video format. There are several software options when it comes to encoding your video les. Compressor is the standard Apple- based platform, while Adobes Me- dia Encoder software plays nice on both PC and Mac based platforms. Encoding.com offers exceptional resources for editors looking to take their encoding needs into the cloud. When it comes to deliver- ing the goods to your clients, using a cloud storage site like DropBox or Box.com allows you to upload and deliver the les without the hassle of needing to protect a video link. Dont run the risk of having a le get out to the public before its ready for sharing, via a Vimeo or YouTube link, and trust Dave Sniadak leads all creative work for a Minneapolis- based marketing agency. He also serves as a sideline videographer for the local NFL franchise. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17151 in the subject line. YOUTUBE ANNOTATION TEMPLATES If your business is producing web videos, consider building a template that gives you a closing slide to add to your video projects that feature annotated links to similar content. YouTube allows users to embed hyperlinks to other videos on YouTube by simply clicking on the video timeline and adding some information. Use your template to build a title slide or a series of lower thirds that can be selected in the YouTube video editor. From there, select from a drop down list of options YouTube Annotations offer. You can simply add nota- tions to the screen, highlight certain elements within your video project, or even have selected portions of your video be clickable to other content. The goal with annotation is to drive views to your other video projects. If your video production work allows you to create web videos or series that can easily be shared, recommending other work within your existing video projects is a great way to deliver the content viewers want without a lot of extra work. N ic k
D iN in n o I FIN D TEM PLATES TO
BE A GO O D RESO URCE AN D GREAT SO URCE O F IN SPIRATIO N . SO M ETIM ES IT CAN BE AS SM ALL AS A SPECIAL EFFECT, O R A VID EO CLIP THAT STARTS THE CREATIVE PRO CESS. 327 F04 Secrets to Streamline Your Workflow.indd 34 6/24/2014 10:01:10 AM Page 1 800-947-9925 212-444-5025 Fax: 212-239-7770 Store & Mail Order Hours: Sunday 10-6 Mon.-Thurs. 9-7 Friday 9-1 EST / 9-2 DST Saturday Closed We Buy, Sell and Trade Over 300,000 products, at your leisure. www.BandH.com
HERO3+ Black Edition
UltraHD Sports/Helmet Camcorder Supports 4K, 2.7K, 1440p & 1080p video Capture up to 12MP photos at 30 fps 20% smaller & 30% longer battery life Ultra wide angle glass lens Camera housing waterproof to 131' Improved wind-noise reduction Protune is an advanced video mode Supports both NTSC and PAL systems Auto Low Light & SuperView video modes Built-In Wi-Fi & Wi-Fi Remote 600'transmission range #GOH3PBEA HDR-FX7 3 CMOS HDV Camcorder 3 1/4" CMOS, 16:9, ClearVID technology sensors Carl Zeiss 20x Vario-Sonnar T Lens High-Definition 1080i recording Super SteadyShot optical stabilization Expanded focus assist 3.5" LCD screen & Color viewfinder Zoom and focus rings Focus and zoom precision controls Built-in & 1/16 ND Filters HDMI, Microphone, Headphone, & LANC connectivity #SOHDRFX7 HDR-AS100V POV Action Cam Record up to 1080 60p (50 Mbps) video XAVC S HD 1080p recording 1/2.3Back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor Built-In GPS & Wi-Fi connectivity One-Touch NFC smartphone pairing Micro SD/SDHC Memory Stick Micro Included housing is waterproof to 16.4 Wide Zeiss Tessar lens SteadyShot image stabilization Interval still recording Smartphone, or optional Live-View remote (RM-LVR1) 24p high-speed 120 fps and 240 fps shooting with sound. #SOHDRAS100V HDR-TD30V 3D Flash Memory HD Camcorder Dual 1/3.91 back-illuminated Exmor-R CMOS sensors Record to SD/SDHC/SDXC MS PRO-HG Duo & XC-HG media 1920 x 1080 Full HD 24p/60p video Sony G series wide 10x 17x extended zoom lens 3.5" (16:9) LCD screen & Color viewfinder 5.1-ch recording Optical image stabilizer with Active mode Watch 3D on 3.5" (16:9) LCD without special glasses Built-in GPS Microphone & headphone input #SOHDRTD30VB VIXIA HF G30 HD Flash memory Camcorder Full HD 1920 x 1080p Recording at 60 fps Canon 2.91MP 1/2.84 HD CMOS Pro Sensor Canon 20x HD Video Lens (3.67 - 73.4mm) Record in MP4 (35Mbps) or AVCHD (28Mbps) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slots Built-in Wi-Fi & Free Movie Uploader App OLED 3.5 touch Panel display & joystick Color 0.24 Viewfinder Optical Image Stabilization #CAHFG30 GC-PX100 HD Everio Camcorder HD 1920 x 1080p recording SC/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot 3" touch panel LCD 1/2.3 back-illuminated 12.8 MP CMOS sensor 29.4mm f1.2 wide angle lens Optical image stabilizer with A.I.S. 10x optical zoom & 16x dynamic zoom Supports shooting speeds up to 600 fps Built-in Wi-Fi Capture still images in bursts of nine frames a second #JVGCPX100 HC-X920 3 CMOS Flash Memory HD Camcorder 3x 1/2" back-illuminated CMOS sensors 12x optical, 25x advanced Leica Dicomar lens (f/1.5 maximum aperture) Record to SD/SDHC/SDXC media Remote WiFi mobile device tether plus Ustream sharing Manual controls 3.5" (16:9) LCD screen & color viewfinder 3D recording capable with optional Panasonic VW-CLT2 3D lens Optical image stabilizer Microphone & headphone input #PAHCX920K HDR-CX900 HD 1" Sensor Camcorder 1 Exmor R CMOS sensor XAVC S 1920x1080 60P, 30P, 24P / AVCHD 1920x1080 60, 30, 24p, 1440x1080/60i; and MP4 1280x720 30p video recording resolution BIONZ X processor / high speed 120fps Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* Lens 12x optical zoom & 24x clear image zoom 0.39 OLED EVF / 3.5 XtraFine LCD Wi-Fi / NFC connectivity Optical SteadyShot image stabilization #SOHDRCX900B HXR-NX30 Compact HD Camcorder Shoots AVCHD Up to 1080/60p at 24Mbps Balanced Optical SteadyShot Equipped with Dual XLR Inputs Built-In 96GB Flash Memory Capacity Pro Audio Control & Level Adjustment Built-In Projector & 3.5" LCD Monitor Built-In Stereo Shotgun Microphone Super-Wide Carl Zeiss 10x Optical Lens Features SD or Memory Stick Card Slot #SOHXRNX30U Phantom 2 Vision Quadcopter with Integrated FPV Camera 14 MP stills and 1080p video 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Downlink for Smartphones Smartphone mounts to controller for FPV iOS/Android App for monitoring/control Phantom 2 Vision+ Quadcopter with Gimbal-Stabilized Camera 14MP, 1080P Camera stabilized & controlled with an integrated 3-Axis Gimbal Phantom 2 Vision #DJPV..................... Phantom 2 Vision+ #DJP2VP .............. 20 Mega Pixels 20 Mega Pixels 12 Mega Pixels 12 Mega Pixels 20 Mega Pixels VIXIA Mini X HD Camcorder Record 1920 x 1080p resolution High-sensitivity 12.8MP CMOS sensor Records HD MP4 (30p/24p) or AVCHD (60i) format SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot Built-In Wi-Fi & live streaming function 2.7 variable-angle LCD Ext microphone input & headphone output Records linear PCM 16-bit at 48 kHz audio Records slow or fast motion or interval recording Canon wide & close-Up f/2.8 fisheye lens Black #CAVMINIXB 12 Mega Pixels HC-V750 WiFi HD Camcorder 1/2.3", 12.76Mp BSI MOS sensor Crystal Engine Pro+ image processor 5 Axis hybrid optical imaging stabilization Advanced level shot function Optical 20x, intelligent 50X zoom Records HD 1920 x 1080 at 120 fps Remote live-view and filming via Panasonic image App Home/baby monitoring via Wi-Fi to Smartphone or tablet #PAHCV750B 12 Mega Pixels 13 Mega Pixels Phantom 2 Vision+ Phantom 2 Vision Videomaker 08-14 JN140450.indd 1 6/24/14 1:21 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 35 6/24/2014 10:51:11 AM contents full screen print contents full screen print Prices, specifcations, 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. 2000-2014 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. Page 2 When in New York, Visit our SuperStore 420 Ninth Ave. Corner of 34th Street New York, N.Y. 10001 Over 70,000 square feet of the latest gear The most knowledgeable Sales Professionals Hands-on demos Convenient free parking available BandH.com/catalog 212-444-6633 HXR-NX5U 3-CMOS NXCAM Flash Memory Camcorder Three 1/3 Exmor CMOS sensors, with a ClearVid array Capture uses Memory Stick PRO Duo / SDHC Cards, with relay record capability (optional HXR-FMU128 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 #SOHXRNX5U XF100 / XF105 HD Professional CF Camcorders 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 Features: HD/SD-SDI, SMPTE Time Code, Genlock #CAXF100 .......................... $2,499.00 #CAXF105 ..........................$2,999.00 AG-AC90 AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder Three 1/4.7" HD 2.19MP CMOS back illuminated sensors 1920x1080 native with variable 60p, 60i, 30p and 24p frame rates Five-Axis optical image stabilization Dual SD Memory Card Slots 12x zoom (f/1.5) and 25x digital zoom lens 3.5" LCD screen & LCOS color viewfinder Six scene presets, and seven programmable user buttons Interval Record, Pre-Record, Record Check, Last Clip Delete AVCCAM HD Recording Modes Two-Channel XLR Audio Inputs #PAAGAC90 XA10 Professional HD Solid State Camcorder 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 #CAXA10 ........................... $1,499.00 NEX-EA50UH HD Shoulder Mount Interchangeable Lens Camcorder Exmor APS-C CMOS sensor (AVCHD / MPEG2-SD) Add lenses without being locked on a lens brand or lens mount Supplied 18-200 servo power zoom E-mount interchangeable lens system Use Alpha A-mount lenses with 15point phase detection AF Mechanical shutter Still Picture 3.5LCD Panel Records on media card and FMU128 Simultaneously Record onto Memory Stick/SD/SDHC/SDXC/HXR-FMU128 (Optional) #SONEXEA50UH AG-AC130A / AG-AC160A 3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders 3x 1/3, 2.2 MP CMOS sensor - 18-bit dsp 22x optical zoom lens 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24 & 720p60 Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots AVCHD & DV recording (SD) modes AG-AC160A Step-up Features: HD-SDI & LPCM audio recording 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable Slow/quick motion recording mode #PAAGAC130A .................................... #PAAGAC160A .................................... AG-HPX250 / AG-HPX255 3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders 3x 1/3, 2.2 Mp CMOS sensor - 18-bit dsp 22x optical zoom lens HD-SDI & HDMI output 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable Slow/quick motion recording mode P2 card and DVCPRO mode recording 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24 & 720p60 Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris AG-HPX255 Step-up Features: Remote terminal for studio control #PAAGHPX250 .................................... #PAAGHPX255 .................................... PMW-100 XDCAM HD422 Handheld Camcorder 1/2.9" CMOS Sensor (1920 x 1080) XDCAM 422 MPEG-2 Codec at 50 Mb/s 10x Zoom Lens - 40-400mm (35mm Equiv) 3.5" LCD Screen (852 x 480 Pixels) HD-SDI & HDMI Outputs Dual XLR Inputs / Timecode & Genlock I/O DVCAM Recording Dual ExpressCard SxS Card Slots Compatible with XDCAM Disc & EX Formats #SOPMW100 XA20 / XA25 Professional HD Camcorder 1/2.84 HD CMOS sensor with RGB primary color filter 20x HD Zoom Lens 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots with relay and dual recording Canon Digic DV 4 image processor Built-in Wi-Fi technology with FTP transfer capability Optical image stabilization 3.5 LCD screen and color viewfinder 2 phantom-powered XLR audio inputs Native 24p and slow- and fast motion recording XA25 Step-up Features: HD/SD-SDI output Pre-record 3-sec. buffer #CAXA20 ........................... $1,999.00 #CAXA25 ........................... $2,499.00 GY-HM600 / GY-HM650 ProHD ENG Camcorder Three 1/3 (1920 x 1080) 12-Bit CMOS sensors Dual SDXC/SDHC card slots, dual-backup, continuous recording MPEG-2 / AVCHD / H.264 Recording 23x Fujinon wide zoom lens F11 Sensitivity Optical image stabilizer 3.5 LCD screen with focus assist HD-SDI and HDMI connections GY-HM650 Step-up Features: WiFi with Apps for iOS/Android, Live transmission (streaming), Secure FTP File upload via WiFi #JVGYHM600U .................................... #JVGYHM650U .................................... GY-HM70U Shoulder Mount AVCHD Pro Camcorder 1/2.3" 12Mp CMOS image sensor 3" touch screen LCD and LCOS EVF 3.76-37.6mm f/1.2-2.8 JVC HD GT lens Optical image stabilization 10x optical zoom, 16x dynamic zoom Records 28Mbps AVCHD 1080/60p Dual snap-on battery system enable hot swapping Two SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slots High frame rate, up to 300fps recording #JVGYHM70U FDR-AX100 4K Ultra HD Camcorder 1" Exmor R CMOS sensor with direct pixel readout XAVC S, AVCHD, and MP4 recording options 4K ultra HD video at 30 fps Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* Lens 0.39" OLED EVF 3.5" XtraFine LCD Wi-Fi / NFC connectivity Optical image stabilization #SOFDRAX100 AG-AC160A 15 Mega Pixels 12 Mega Pixels Videomaker 08-14 JN140450.indd 2 5/22/14 4:34 PM NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic. #0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer General Lic. #0907906 Page 3 800-947-9925 212-444-5025 Fax: 212-239-7770 Store & Mail Order Hours: Sunday 10-6 Mon.-Thurs. 9-7 Friday 9-1 EST / 9-2 DST Saturday Closed We Buy, Sell and Trade Over 300,000 products, at your leisure. www.BandH.com XF300 / XF305 3 CMOS Solid State HD Camcorder 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 Features: HD-SDI Output, Genlock & SMPTE Time Code #CAXF300 ..........................$4,999.00 #CAXF305 .......................... $5,999.00 EOS C100 EF Cinema Camcorder Super 35mm 8.3MP CMOS sensor Canon EF mount with EF contacts Dual SDHC/SDXC memory card slots Exceptional low light sensitivity and wide dynamic range Dual XLR audio connectors DIGIC DV III image processor Full manual control and focusing aids Multiple recording modes and frame rates High resolution EVF and integrated LCD screen #CAC100EF AG-AF100A Digital Cinema Camera 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 #PAAGAF100A FDR-AX1/PXW-Z100 Digital 4K Camcorder 1/2.3" back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS Sensor 3.5" LCD screen Dual XQD Memory Card slot Records 4K video resolutions (Up to 3840x2160 60P/50P) 20x Sony G-Series zoom lens Records in 2K and 4K: 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p Video format XAVC S format, MPEG4-AVC/H264 XLR audio Input PXW-Z100 Step-up Features: 4K XAVC Intra 422 MXF 3G-SDI Slow & Quick Wi-Fi Remote #SOFDRAX1 ..........................$4,499.00 #SOPXWZ100 .......................$5,499.00 NEX-VG30 Interchangeable Lens HD Camcorder and Lens 16.1MP Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor Includes E-mount f/3.5-6.3 18-200mm OSS zoom lens A-Mount capable with optional A-mount lens adapter XGA OLED electronic viewfinder Direct power zoom with variable zoom speed control Optical SteadyShot image stabilization Comprehensive manual controls expanded focus, zebra, and peaking Quad Capsule Spatial Array Surround mic (5.1 channel) Mic/Headphone jacks #SONEXVG30H NEX-VG900 35mm Full-Frame Interchangeable Lens Camcorder 24.3MP full-frame 35mm Exmor CMOS HD sensor E-Mount, and A-Mount with includes LA-EA3 A-mount lens adapter 1080/60i/60p/24p Quad capsule microphone with XLR option Tru-Finder OLED viewfinder with eye sensor 3.0" LCD screen Uncompressed 1080 HDMI Output Memory Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC Cinematone Gamma with comprehensive manual control #SONEXVG900
Pocket Cinema Camera Active Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount Super 16mm Sized Image Sensor Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at 220 Mbps 3.5 LCD with 800x480 Resolution Uses SDXC and SDHC Memory Cards EN-EL20 Compatible Rechargeable Battery HDMI, LANC, 3.5mm Audio Input and Output Records Full HD 1920x1080 CinemaDNG RAW Portable Design (5" Long & 12.5 oz) 13 Stops of Dynamic Range #BLPKCINECAM EOS C300 Cinema EOS/PL Camcorder Body Super 35mm CMOS sensor Dual CF card slots Multiple recording formats HD-SDI, HDMI, XLR audio Canon DIGIC DV III image processor Timecode I/O, Genlock in & Sync out 50 Mbps MPEG-2 EF or PL lens mount Canon XF Codec - 4:2:2 color sampling High-resolution VF and 4", 1.23 MP LCD High-Speed, Slow-Motion, Time-Lapse and Stop-Motion #CAC300EF........................................... #CAC300PL .......................................... PMW-300 3 CMOS XDCAM HD Camcorder 3x 1/2" Exmor HD CMOS sensors 14x Fujinon HD Series lens 50Mb/s HD recording at MPEG HD422 Interchangeable EX lens mount HD-SD/SDI and HDMI outputs Record to SxS, SD, Memory Stick, & XQD cards Semi-shoulder style camcorder 3.5" color LCD viewfinder Advanced signal processing Timecode and genlock interfaces Optional wireless adapter #SOPMW300K1 ................. $7,999.00 PMW-F5 / PMW-F55 CineAlta Digital Cinema Cameras 8.9MP Super 35mm CMOS Image Sensor 2K and HD Recording Highly Modular Design SxS Pro+ media cards Dynamic Range Rated at 14 Stops Native FZ-Mount and PL-Mount Adapter Olivine Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Optional AXS-R5 docking recorder enables 4K and 2K resolution video recording in 16-bit RAW PMW-F55 Step-up Features: 4K /2K /HD Recording #SOPMWF5 ...................... $16,490.00 #SOPMWF55 ....................$28,990.00 PMW-200 XDCAM HD422 Camcorder Three 1/2" Exmor CMOS sensors MPEG HD422 at 50 Mbps recording HD422 1080p at 24 & 30 fps HD422 720p at 24, 30 & 60 fps Fujinon 14x zoom (servo/manual) lens Dual SxS memory card slots Four Channels of 16-bit audio Supports MXF and XDCAM EX workflows Articulated 3.5" LCD screen Timecode & Genlock input Cache recording Up to 15 seconds #SOPMW200 .....................$6,299.00 Cinema 2.5K / Production 4K Cinema Interchangable Lens Cameras with EF Mount Canon EF and Zeiss ZE mount compatible lens mount 2.5K image sensor 12-bit RAW, ProRes, DNxHD, and CinemaDNG RAW formats Super wide dynamic range 5" display size Variable frame rate recording Records to removable 5 SSD drives SDI video output and Thunderbolt Port Includes DaVinci Resolve and UltraScope Uncompressed and compressed recording Production 4K Step-up Features: 4K super 35mm sensor #BLCINECAM....................................... #BLPRODCAM4K ................................. 16 Mega Pixels Lens not included Lens not included Lens not included Lens not included 24 Mega Pixels Lens not included Lens not included Videomaker 08-14 JN140450.indd 3 5/22/14 4:33 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 36 6/24/2014 9:24:43 AM Prices, specifcations, 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. 2000-2014 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. Page 2 When in New York, Visit our SuperStore 420 Ninth Ave. Corner of 34th Street New York, N.Y. 10001 Over 70,000 square feet of the latest gear The most knowledgeable Sales Professionals Hands-on demos Convenient free parking available BandH.com/catalog 212-444-6633 HXR-NX5U 3-CMOS NXCAM Flash Memory Camcorder Three 1/3 Exmor CMOS sensors, with a ClearVid array Capture uses Memory Stick PRO Duo / SDHC Cards, with relay record capability (optional HXR-FMU128 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 #SOHXRNX5U XF100 / XF105 HD Professional CF Camcorders 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 Features: HD/SD-SDI, SMPTE Time Code, Genlock #CAXF100 .......................... $2,499.00 #CAXF105 ..........................$2,999.00 AG-AC90 AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder Three 1/4.7" HD 2.19MP CMOS back illuminated sensors 1920x1080 native with variable 60p, 60i, 30p and 24p frame rates Five-Axis optical image stabilization Dual SD Memory Card Slots 12x zoom (f/1.5) and 25x digital zoom lens 3.5" LCD screen & LCOS color viewfinder Six scene presets, and seven programmable user buttons Interval Record, Pre-Record, Record Check, Last Clip Delete AVCCAM HD Recording Modes Two-Channel XLR Audio Inputs #PAAGAC90 XA10 Professional HD Solid State Camcorder 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 #CAXA10 ........................... $1,499.00 NEX-EA50UH HD Shoulder Mount Interchangeable Lens Camcorder Exmor APS-C CMOS sensor (AVCHD / MPEG2-SD) Add lenses without being locked on a lens brand or lens mount Supplied 18-200 servo power zoom E-mount interchangeable lens system Use Alpha A-mount lenses with 15point phase detection AF Mechanical shutter Still Picture 3.5LCD Panel Records on media card and FMU128 Simultaneously Record onto Memory Stick/SD/SDHC/SDXC/HXR-FMU128 (Optional) #SONEXEA50UH AG-AC130A / AG-AC160A 3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders 3x 1/3, 2.2 MP CMOS sensor - 18-bit dsp 22x optical zoom lens 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24 & 720p60 Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots AVCHD & DV recording (SD) modes AG-AC160A Step-up Features: HD-SDI & LPCM audio recording 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable Slow/quick motion recording mode #PAAGAC130A .................................... #PAAGAC160A .................................... AG-HPX250 / AG-HPX255 3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders 3x 1/3, 2.2 Mp CMOS sensor - 18-bit dsp 22x optical zoom lens HD-SDI & HDMI output 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable Slow/quick motion recording mode P2 card and DVCPRO mode recording 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24 & 720p60 Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris AG-HPX255 Step-up Features: Remote terminal for studio control #PAAGHPX250 .................................... #PAAGHPX255 .................................... PMW-100 XDCAM HD422 Handheld Camcorder 1/2.9" CMOS Sensor (1920 x 1080) XDCAM 422 MPEG-2 Codec at 50 Mb/s 10x Zoom Lens - 40-400mm (35mm Equiv) 3.5" LCD Screen (852 x 480 Pixels) HD-SDI & HDMI Outputs Dual XLR Inputs / Timecode & Genlock I/O DVCAM Recording Dual ExpressCard SxS Card Slots Compatible with XDCAM Disc & EX Formats #SOPMW100 XA20 / XA25 Professional HD Camcorder 1/2.84 HD CMOS sensor with RGB primary color filter 20x HD Zoom Lens 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots with relay and dual recording Canon Digic DV 4 image processor Built-in Wi-Fi technology with FTP transfer capability Optical image stabilization 3.5 LCD screen and color viewfinder 2 phantom-powered XLR audio inputs Native 24p and slow- and fast motion recording XA25 Step-up Features: HD/SD-SDI output Pre-record 3-sec. buffer #CAXA20 ........................... $1,999.00 #CAXA25 ........................... $2,499.00 GY-HM600 / GY-HM650 ProHD ENG Camcorder Three 1/3 (1920 x 1080) 12-Bit CMOS sensors Dual SDXC/SDHC card slots, dual-backup, continuous recording MPEG-2 / AVCHD / H.264 Recording 23x Fujinon wide zoom lens F11 Sensitivity Optical image stabilizer 3.5 LCD screen with focus assist HD-SDI and HDMI connections GY-HM650 Step-up Features: WiFi with Apps for iOS/Android, Live transmission (streaming), Secure FTP File upload via WiFi #JVGYHM600U .................................... #JVGYHM650U .................................... GY-HM70U Shoulder Mount AVCHD Pro Camcorder 1/2.3" 12Mp CMOS image sensor 3" touch screen LCD and LCOS EVF 3.76-37.6mm f/1.2-2.8 JVC HD GT lens Optical image stabilization 10x optical zoom, 16x dynamic zoom Records 28Mbps AVCHD 1080/60p Dual snap-on battery system enable hot swapping Two SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slots High frame rate, up to 300fps recording #JVGYHM70U FDR-AX100 4K Ultra HD Camcorder 1" Exmor R CMOS sensor with direct pixel readout XAVC S, AVCHD, and MP4 recording options 4K ultra HD video at 30 fps Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* Lens 0.39" OLED EVF 3.5" XtraFine LCD Wi-Fi / NFC connectivity Optical image stabilization #SOFDRAX100 AG-AC160A 15 Mega Pixels 12 Mega Pixels Videomaker 08-14 JN140450.indd 2 5/22/14 4:34 PM NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic. #0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer General Lic. #0907906 Page 3 800-947-9925 212-444-5025 Fax: 212-239-7770 Store & Mail Order Hours: Sunday 10-6 Mon.-Thurs. 9-7 Friday 9-1 EST / 9-2 DST Saturday Closed We Buy, Sell and Trade Over 300,000 products, at your leisure. www.BandH.com XF300 / XF305 3 CMOS Solid State HD Camcorder 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 Features: HD-SDI Output, Genlock & SMPTE Time Code #CAXF300 ..........................$4,999.00 #CAXF305 .......................... $5,999.00 EOS C100 EF Cinema Camcorder Super 35mm 8.3MP CMOS sensor Canon EF mount with EF contacts Dual SDHC/SDXC memory card slots Exceptional low light sensitivity and wide dynamic range Dual XLR audio connectors DIGIC DV III image processor Full manual control and focusing aids Multiple recording modes and frame rates High resolution EVF and integrated LCD screen #CAC100EF AG-AF100A Digital Cinema Camera 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 #PAAGAF100A FDR-AX1/PXW-Z100 Digital 4K Camcorder 1/2.3" back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS Sensor 3.5" LCD screen Dual XQD Memory Card slot Records 4K video resolutions (Up to 3840x2160 60P/50P) 20x Sony G-Series zoom lens Records in 2K and 4K: 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p Video format XAVC S format, MPEG4-AVC/H264 XLR audio Input PXW-Z100 Step-up Features: 4K XAVC Intra 422 MXF 3G-SDI Slow & Quick Wi-Fi Remote #SOFDRAX1 ..........................$4,499.00 #SOPXWZ100 .......................$5,499.00 NEX-VG30 Interchangeable Lens HD Camcorder and Lens 16.1MP Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor Includes E-mount f/3.5-6.3 18-200mm OSS zoom lens A-Mount capable with optional A-mount lens adapter XGA OLED electronic viewfinder Direct power zoom with variable zoom speed control Optical SteadyShot image stabilization Comprehensive manual controls expanded focus, zebra, and peaking Quad Capsule Spatial Array Surround mic (5.1 channel) Mic/Headphone jacks #SONEXVG30H NEX-VG900 35mm Full-Frame Interchangeable Lens Camcorder 24.3MP full-frame 35mm Exmor CMOS HD sensor E-Mount, and A-Mount with includes LA-EA3 A-mount lens adapter 1080/60i/60p/24p Quad capsule microphone with XLR option Tru-Finder OLED viewfinder with eye sensor 3.0" LCD screen Uncompressed 1080 HDMI Output Memory Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC Cinematone Gamma with comprehensive manual control #SONEXVG900
Pocket Cinema Camera Active Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount Super 16mm Sized Image Sensor Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at 220 Mbps 3.5 LCD with 800x480 Resolution Uses SDXC and SDHC Memory Cards EN-EL20 Compatible Rechargeable Battery HDMI, LANC, 3.5mm Audio Input and Output Records Full HD 1920x1080 CinemaDNG RAW Portable Design (5" Long & 12.5 oz) 13 Stops of Dynamic Range #BLPKCINECAM EOS C300 Cinema EOS/PL Camcorder Body Super 35mm CMOS sensor Dual CF card slots Multiple recording formats HD-SDI, HDMI, XLR audio Canon DIGIC DV III image processor Timecode I/O, Genlock in & Sync out 50 Mbps MPEG-2 EF or PL lens mount Canon XF Codec - 4:2:2 color sampling High-resolution VF and 4", 1.23 MP LCD High-Speed, Slow-Motion, Time-Lapse and Stop-Motion #CAC300EF........................................... #CAC300PL .......................................... PMW-300 3 CMOS XDCAM HD Camcorder 3x 1/2" Exmor HD CMOS sensors 14x Fujinon HD Series lens 50Mb/s HD recording at MPEG HD422 Interchangeable EX lens mount HD-SD/SDI and HDMI outputs Record to SxS, SD, Memory Stick, & XQD cards Semi-shoulder style camcorder 3.5" color LCD viewfinder Advanced signal processing Timecode and genlock interfaces Optional wireless adapter #SOPMW300K1 ................. $7,999.00 PMW-F5 / PMW-F55 CineAlta Digital Cinema Cameras 8.9MP Super 35mm CMOS Image Sensor 2K and HD Recording Highly Modular Design SxS Pro+ media cards Dynamic Range Rated at 14 Stops Native FZ-Mount and PL-Mount Adapter Olivine Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Optional AXS-R5 docking recorder enables 4K and 2K resolution video recording in 16-bit RAW PMW-F55 Step-up Features: 4K /2K /HD Recording #SOPMWF5 ...................... $16,490.00 #SOPMWF55 ....................$28,990.00 PMW-200 XDCAM HD422 Camcorder Three 1/2" Exmor CMOS sensors MPEG HD422 at 50 Mbps recording HD422 1080p at 24 & 30 fps HD422 720p at 24, 30 & 60 fps Fujinon 14x zoom (servo/manual) lens Dual SxS memory card slots Four Channels of 16-bit audio Supports MXF and XDCAM EX workflows Articulated 3.5" LCD screen Timecode & Genlock input Cache recording Up to 15 seconds #SOPMW200 .....................$6,299.00 Cinema 2.5K / Production 4K Cinema Interchangable Lens Cameras with EF Mount Canon EF and Zeiss ZE mount compatible lens mount 2.5K image sensor 12-bit RAW, ProRes, DNxHD, and CinemaDNG RAW formats Super wide dynamic range 5" display size Variable frame rate recording Records to removable 5 SSD drives SDI video output and Thunderbolt Port Includes DaVinci Resolve and UltraScope Uncompressed and compressed recording Production 4K Step-up Features: 4K super 35mm sensor #BLCINECAM....................................... #BLPRODCAM4K ................................. 16 Mega Pixels Lens not included Lens not included Lens not included Lens not included 24 Mega Pixels Lens not included Lens not included Videomaker 09-14 JN140537.indd 3 6/24/14 5:21 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 37 6/25/2014 2:26:20 PM page 32 page 37 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 38 Increase YouTube Visibility With Channel Collaborations BY MORGAN PAAR B efore the appearance of the Internet and, more specically, the birth of the social video-sharing website YouTube in 2005, building an audience for even a single lm was a monumental endeavor. Now video producers can start to build an audience with the clicks of a few computer keys. And for those who want to invest a bit more time and effort, collaboration can earn you many more active audience members. YouTube has implemented many ways to connect with like-minded media consumers and creators of the moving image worldwide in their nine-year existence, but cross-promotion & col- laboration may be one of the best tools yet. Let us show you how you can grow your audience in ways you may never have thought possible. Subscribers On its most basic level, YouTube makes it easy for lmmakers to reach people interested in watching the types of videos they are producing. For example, if a lmmaker made a four-minute video about an organic, permaculture chocolate farm in Panama, tags would be added upon up- load such as organic, permaculture, choco- late, Panama, Central America, etc. This way, anyone searching for any of these topics would have an easier time nding this video. However, we need to go one step further. The foundation upon which you will build a large fan base starts with subscribers, not just viewers. You may have watched videos where the creator im- plores you to Like the video and Subscribe to their channel. Having large view and like counts are important, but a large number of subscribers opens all new doors. Niche Many will subscribe to your channel if they like the vein of your work. Keep this in mind when uploading videos. You probably want to keep your channel to a specic niche. For example, your travel video channel should not be lled with videos of your nephews and nieces or your best video game results. Put those clips on an- other channel. Stay specic and fans will want to see what your next production by subscribing to your channel. Like-Minded Creators It gets deeper. YouTube is now encouraging more advanced users to think beyond the concept of Phil Wang Jacksonville Jaguars Panasonic GoPro Devin Graham Wheezywaiter Stephen Anderson Miranda Sings Taylor Davis Penatonix Assasins Creed Halo Nathan Moore Wayne Brady Ryan Higa DeStorm Videomaker Gardiner Sisters Chris Romrell Robert Bennett CBR Stunt team Lindsey Stirling Freddie Wong Lana McKissack Peter Hollens William Joseph 327 F12 YouTube Collaboration.indd 38 6/25/2014 11:14:06 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 39 Increase YouTube Visibility With Channel Collaborations Chances are, if youre fortunate enough to have participated in one, you learned a very important lesson on your very first day of any video production class: Know your audience. Collaborating takes time, its not just a click of a button. You will need to foster relationships, plan events with your collaborators and execute them. Lets look at a few ways that YouTube sug- gests you take advantage of collaboration. Demographics Demographic is dened as the statistical data of a population, according to Dictionary.com. In simpler words, what type of people are, or should be, watching our videos? If were shoot- ing GoPro footage of base-jumping or whitewater kayaking off of 20-foot waterfalls, are we inter- ested in spending a lot of time trying to part- ner with producers who make video for senior citizens or nomadic goat herders in the Sahara Desert? Probably not. Identify and understand your audience. Guest-star Organize an appearance in your collabora- tors video and vice-versa. If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million. If you cant physically appear in your collabora- tors video because they live 5,000 miles and an ocean away, video Skype in or produce a pre- your immediate fans and followers and to engage directly with your fellow YouTube creators. By fostering relationships with like-minded pro- ducers, you can grow your own audiences even faster than previously possible. In as few words as possible, collaboration is working with other video creators to cross-pro- mote content between channels. For example, the travel video channel No- madic Frames (full disclosure: the authors You- Tube channel) could search out similar travel video type channels such as The Perennial Plate and Eight Miles from Home. As of the spring of 2014, Nomadic Frames had only 12 subscrib- ers and fewer than 10,000 views. The Perennial Plate had almost 2,000 subscribers and close to a quarter of a million views, where Eight Miles from Home was just shy of 3,500 subscribers and was quickly approaching half a million views. It would be a tremendous advantage to Nomadic Frames to make it easier for Perennial Plates and Eight Miles subscribers to nd a di- rect path to Nomadic Frames travel videos. And as Nomadic Frames grows, their fans will most likely be interested in the videos of Perennial Plate and Eight Miles. Phil Wang Jacksonville Jaguars Panasonic GoPro Devin Graham Wheezywaiter Stephen Anderson Miranda Sings Taylor Davis Penatonix Assasins Creed Halo Nathan Moore Wayne Brady Ryan Higa DeStorm Videomaker Gardiner Sisters Chris Romrell Robert Bennett CBR Stunt team Lindsey Stirling Freddie Wong Lana McKissack Peter Hollens William Joseph 327 F12 YouTube Collaboration.indd 39 6/25/2014 11:14:15 AM page 38 page 39 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 40 Frames talks to Perennial Plates subscribers, Nomadic can send them a link to their own food/ restaurant videos, which will hopefully impress viewers enough to inspire them to subscribe to Nomadic Frames YouTube channel. How To Find Collaborators There are a few ways beyond a random search to nd fellow lmmakers to collaborate with but one of the most efcient, according to YouTube, is through the YouTube Top Fans tool. Sign in to your YouTube account, click on your prole picture in the upper right corner of your YouTube page, click on the Video Manager link which will appear in blue just to the left of your prole pic and click on COMMUNITY on the left side of the page after the jump. If you have a large enough number of subscrib- ers, you will see a Fans link option appear under the word COMMUNITY. If you dont, like Nomadic Frames doesnt, you wont see it. Get more subscribers! Another page Nomadic Frames does not have access to, due to not having enough subscribers is the Insights page. Insights lets one see which videos their fans are watching and the channels they have subscribed to. This could be a treasure trove if you have a large following. You will need to connect your YouTube channel to Google+ to utilize Insights. Another, more obvious technique, not to men- tion easier, is to nd which of your fans are also shot video and send it to them so it appears within their program. Consider video chats or Internet Hangouts with each other. And the easiest appearance could be a shout-out or positive mention. Links Help their audience nd your channel by using annotations, playlists, links or any other way within the video or in the About section of their videos YouTube page. Interaction It takes a lot of time and effort to organize a collaboration, but your work doesnt stop there. Once the collab is live, you should be present and active with your potential future subscribers. Leave comments on the videos page and be sure to answer any viewers ques- tions, tweet on Twitter, post on Google+, put something up on Facebook, pin to Pinterest, post to tumblr, Instagram and even LinkedIn. Remember, we said it wouldnt be as easy as a click of a button but a bit of personal interac- tion can go a long way. Personalization If Nomadic Frames is going to collab with The Perennial Plate, who make videos about food around the world, then Nomadic Frames should showcase some of their videos about food in a customized playlist. Then, when Nomadic Phil Wang Jacksonville Jaguars Panasonic GoPro Devin Graham Wheezywaiter Stephen Anderson Miranda Sings Taylor Davis Penatonix Assasins Creed Halo Nathan Moore Wayne Brady Ryan Higa DeStorm Videomaker Gardiner Sisters Chris Romrell Robert Bennett CBR Stunt team Lindsey Stirling Freddie Wong Lana McKissack Peter Hollens William Joseph Increase YouTube Visibility With Channel Collaborations 327 F12 YouTube Collaboration.indd 40 6/25/2014 11:14:26 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 41 creators. This maybe more time con- suming, but anyone with any amount of followers can do this without having to worry about connecting to other forms of social media or having the right amount of subscribers. Success A big collaboration success story happened to Sarah Dussault, a.k.a SarahFit who, at the time of publish- ing, has more than 170,000 YouTube followers. If I could pinpoint the specic events during my YouTube career that really helped propel it to the next level, it honestly has to do with collaborations and working with other YouTubers, said SarahFit, dur- ing an interview with Tim Schmoyer of VideoCreators.tv. Surround yourself with successful people and dont be afraid of compe- tition build those relationships that you already have, SarahFit said. If someone starts getting really popu- lar or you start getting much more popular than someone else, dont lose that friendship. I still am very good friends with a lot of different YouTubers that started at the bottom and now theyre way above me and if I had just stuck my nose up at them Phil Wang Jacksonville Jaguars Panasonic GoPro Devin Graham Wheezywaiter Stephen Anderson Miranda Sings Taylor Davis Penatonix Assasins Creed Halo Nathan Moore Wayne Brady Ryan Higa DeStorm Videomaker Gardiner Sisters Chris Romrell Robert Bennett CBR Stunt team Lindsey Stirling Freddie Wong Lana McKissack Peter Hollens William Joseph Increase YouTube Visibility With Channel Collaborations FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/19/2014 8:06:26 AM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/25/2014 9:35:22 AM 327 F12 YouTube Collaboration.indd 41 6/25/2014 11:14:35 AM page 41 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 42 Maroon 5 came to Kutiman for collaboration. http://thru-you.com/ Third Party Collaboration Third party apps and websites are beginning to get in on the collaboration gig. FanBridge makes Channel Pages, which they call a collaboration engine for YouTube channels & video marketers. It is easy to set up and it is YouTube Certied. It is free to list your channel and there are paid spon- sor opportunities. Once you sync your YouTube account you can search for collaborations and be found by other mediamakers or a wider content creator community. There are articles written about Channel Pages in Forbes and other internet and tech publications if you want to learn more or just go to their website. http://channelpages.com/ Get Down to Work Collaborating is not easy work. Youll have to put in time and effort, but by collaborating with like-minded video creators, you can ac- cumulate audiences far bigger than previously imagined. Plus, you might just make a few new lmmaking friends. in the beginning, I would have missed out on a lot of cool opportunities. SarahFit reached out and custom-built a work- out for one woman who tweeted that she needed atter abs, expecting nothing in return and the woman gave SarahFit a shoutout in a video a couple of months later. That single mention brought SarahFit 10,000 subscribers, which was a lot for her at the time. Foster those relationships somewhere off of YouTube... also help them out through other social medias like Twitter. Collaboration can come in many forms. Here is a ne and funny example of celebrity col- laboration between comedy crew Barely Politi- cal (more than 3,500,000 subscribers at time of print) and the worlds most famous skateboarder, Tony Hawk: Tony Hawk Skateboarding Secrets! http://youtu.be/yhtgqtGjCUY Unorthodox Collaboration One of the more unusual collaborations, and one of our favorites, comes from Jerusalem- born Ophir Kutiel, better know as Kutiman. To produce his ThruYou project, Kutiman collected sound bites, samples and other audio bits from musicians on YouTude to create entire songs and nally an album. ThruYou received more than 10 million views in about two weeks. This earned him a mention in Time magazine when they named it one of the Best Inventions of 2009. After this touch of fame, well-known acts such as Morgan Paar is a multiple award-winning filmmaker and photographer who specializes in travel video, audio and stills. Paar earned two degrees in filmproduction and he produces media, teaches filmmaking and consults fromhis base in NewYork City. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17133 in the subject line. Phil Wang Jacksonville Jaguars Panasonic GoPro Devin Graham Wheezywaiter Stephen Anderson Miranda Sings Taylor Davis Penatonix Assasins Creed Halo Nathan Moore Wayne Brady Ryan Higa DeStorm Videomaker Gardiner Sisters Chris Romrell Robert Bennett CBR Stunt team Lindsey Stirling Freddie Wong Lana McKissack Peter Hollens William Joseph Increase YouTube Visibility With Channel Collaborations 327 F12 YouTube Collaboration.indd 42 6/25/2014 11:14:46 AM The Store You've Known For Over 50 Years 378 5th Avenue New York NY 10018 Contact us to fnd out why we have been in the photography industry longer than anyone else. We stock one of the largest selections of products available. For a FREE GIFT with online purchase use Promo Code: Video082014 at checkout. 855-244-5800 www.42photo.com We Carry: Point and Shoots DSLR's Macro, Zoom and Wide Angle Lenses Pro Video Cameras Pro Video Camcorders Filters Memory Cards Batteries Flashes and MUCH MUCH MORE ... 42nd St. Photo.indd 48 6/24/2014 9:01:48 AM page 43 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 44 A home studio in a small room will enable a setup for shooting professional- quality YouTube videos. S hooting video has become almost totally automated on the consumer end. Once the camera has been turned on, it can take over doing many chores a human once had to, such as focusing the image or adjusting the color balance. This has led to the misconception that when shooting inside a room, it can be left as is and the camera will take up the slack. But thats erroneous, because the room inuences and affects the nal video. Does that mean you have to build a home studio in a big room in order to shoot YouTube videos? Do you have to spend a lot of money to build your YouTube studio? Does that the room have to be devoted entirely to shooting? No, to all three questions. But it does mean that the basics for capturing video and sound must be put into place. And time must be spent looking for equipment from a number of sources, such as the local hardware store, photo store and online retail- ers. Still, there is a distinct advantage to having your own YouTube studio setup, since it will bring a level of professionalism and sophistication to what you shoot. Location In a small room, the ability to shoot full-length body shots may not be possible. Half-length may be the norm; for example, a TV newscaster- like setup where the talent is seated behind a table. So the next step is to create a dead zone in the room both for what the camera can hear and an on-air zone for what it will see. Light Control Lets look at light control rst. Any external lighting must be elimi- nated. For example, windows must have blinds, curtains or masks that remove any light from entering. This might require using black velour on a curtain rod that can go in front of the window shades to further cut off light. You might need to apply black fabric directly to the windows with tape to seal around the edges (paint- ers tape, for example, is a temporary tape that wont pull up paint or dam- age the material it has been placed against). Doors must also be dealt with, but the majority of light-leak will be conned to the oor and can temporarily be taken care of by using a thick towel to reduce the draft or for a more permanent solution, make a skirt from a dark, light-trapping material that hangs down from the bottom of the door. Sound Control Extraneous items in the room should be removed to lessen sound vibra- tions in general, although couches and other dense items not wood will absorb sound rather than reect it. Carpeting will be of aid here also, but if there is no carpeting, carpet remnants can serve the purpose. The number of these required will depend on the volume of the oor in theory, but in reality it will be a matter of YouTube Studio 327 F04 Make YouTube Studio.indd 44 6/25/2014 9:15:27 AM DSLRs, like this Canon EOS 70D, are a great option for a home YouTube studio, as they are inexpensive, versatile and produce a great image. VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 45 Create a BY MARSHAL M. ROSENTHAL trying different amounts in different locations on the oor while record- ing, then listening to how it sounds, and repeating with varied placement until the sound quality is desirable. As a matter of course, sounds can be mufed using such means as weather stripping around windows and doors and closing up any holes or vents. Removing extraneous sounds from the room can prove more difcult, especially if the person is an apart- ment dweller. Loud noises from neighbors can be dealt with by asking the neighbor making the noise to refrain from what they are doing or by changing ones schedule to avoid the times noises are at their highest. Street noise must also be taken into account, shooting at the time when the garbage truck rumbles down the street makes little sense when another time can be used instead. With these physical liabilities dealt with, creating an aural dead zone can be accomplished through the use of sound absorbing panels. Similar in nature to those that go un- der a speaker or subwoofer to mufe the sound, these panels reduce the reection of sound as it bounces off the walls. They are available from different companies, for example, Auralex Acoustics. The size and shape of the room dictates the num- ber of panels that will be needed, but more important than number is their actual placement. Working with sound deadening panels which will go on walls and the ceiling, will require the same kind of trial and error as that of the rugs noted above, but as an inexpensive aid to all this, there are digital sound level meters which provide the means for match- ing the overall audio response to that of the acoustic environment and seeing how the noise pollution is being affected. If possible, the voices or sound sources that are going to be recorded should be those used for the various tests. Studio Setup The physical items that will be on-camera should be chosen with care, for example, if a person is go- ing to be seated behind a table, the table shouldnt be one with a highly reective surface. Chairs should be simple and also avoid having reec- tive qualities (wood is better than chrome) and should be of neutral color with no discernible pattern on the fabric. If the on-air zone extends to the oor, then clean, neutral low- pile carpet is best. Plain white or colored photographic rolls of paper that are hung at the back of the set and swept down and extended past the cameras view can provide a oor as well (requiring replacement after a shoot, as feet/shoes will leave marks and indentations). YouTube Studio in Your Room 327 F04 Make YouTube Studio.indd 45 6/25/2014 9:15:42 AM page 44 page 45 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print LED lights provide nice, soft light, are dimmable and consume a small amount of electricity. Unfortunately, they often cost more than their tungsten counterparts. VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 46 lens will provide a view that is well- designed for waist-up shooting and will not distort when brought closer. It also has a shallow depth of eld that is well-suited for use when the background is close to the foreground subjects. DSLRs can adjust exposures manually with f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO. When space really becomes an issue, a wide angle lens, like a 35mm lens, can make up for the lack of space. However, care must be taken against the image being distorted around the edges. An overall solu- tion for many will be to get a zoom lens that provides a range such as a 18135mm lens. Lighting The basics of good lighting remain the same regardless of the size of the room: for a standard single subject lighting scheme, the usual three-point lighting design is desired. You place two lights on either side of your sub- ject at 45-degree angles and the third behind or above your subject. Alternately, if you have one light with a softbox or diffused light source, you can set it slightly to the side near the camera position to create an over- all diffused lighting scheme. Both the soft box and individual lights might have good success at being bounced off a wall or the ceiling. Whether this works or not requires trial and error. Camera There are two choices here: tradition- al video cameras and DSLRs. Video cameras come in varying types, but most possess a zoom lens of some magnication. However, these camer- as are notorious for not having good wide-angle coverage. What could be more problematic is whether there is enough space between the camera and subject. This can best be deter- mined by creating the setup in the room, aiming the camera and seeing exactly what restrictions the view presents. Niceties such as creating a shallow depth of eld with a wide f- stop or tight close-ups are a function of the camera, not the space. Some accommodation between camera and space might be necessary lters and creative camera angles taking up the slack, but in general, if theres a prob- lem between camera and the room, rst see if theres another room that can be used. Getting a new camera might seem like the last resort, but if it is unable to provide the desired results because it just isnt capable, then it might be time to replace it with a model whose features suit your needs. If a DSLR is to be used for shooting the video, theres the advantage of be- ing able to change the lens to suit the room, rather than relying on the zoom feature. Typically speaking, a 50mm In any case, the separation of the person from the background must be such that any shadow can be elimi- nated, such as being thrown to the side (this will be evident with green screen). Test your exposure levels and move the lights forward or back, depending on if you need more or less light. Place some gaffers tape on the oor, marking the lights and camera tripod position for future shows. Incandescent light sources can be purchased locally or online and most producers will nd buying a kit that consists of a set of reectors and stands is better than going a la carte. Although they cost more, LED lights provide a stable and consis- tent light source without any of the heat issues of incandescents. Heat can also become a greater issue for incandescent lights and should be monitored closely. Changing the intensity of the lights can be done by physically moving their position or through the use of dimmers, which must be rated for the voltage that will be coursing through them. In either case, do not tax your AC power by having all the lights plugged into the same AC out- let and, if possible, a separate surge protector extension should be used. Additionally, high-quality extension cords are recommended to ensure stability and safety. A decision on which type of light- ing to use for the YouTube studio must be made. Tungsten lamps generate greater heat than LEDs, and both types of lighting can be dimmed to alter their intensity. Also there are many LEDs that can be had with dimming built into the product. LEDs have another advantage: they have a greater shock resistance and are less likely to be damaged from being moved over time. Filters to convert the 3200K of tungsten to 5500K (day- light) are readily available but will require mounting on holders placed in front of the lights. These lter holders will also need accessories, such as bar doors, ags, etc. to allow for control of the light. Another source of broad lighting for a YouTube studio can come from Create a YouTube Studio in your Room 327 F04 Make YouTube Studio.indd 46 6/25/2014 9:15:56 AM Lavalier mics are the go-to mics for small YouTube studios for a reason: Theyre easy to use and capture audio from a single speaker very well. VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 47 daylight-temperature uorescent light strips. These can be suitable for casting light on backgrounds or from walls to provide ample illu- mination in small areas. However, unlike stand-based lights, these lighting strips will need to be solidly attached/mounted to the wall and are far more invasive. But when the room has low ceilings that preclude the ability of raising lights up high, having these light strips attached can be an effective solution. Audio Capture Sound is as important as video, and since only limited adjustments are possible with a cameras built-in microphone, you should always use an external microphone. As for which microphone to get, it depends on where the mic is to be positioned. For example, Blue Microphones Yeti USB mic is designed for tabletop use, while Audio-Technicas ATR-6550 provides Create a YouTube Studio in your Room a shotgun directional mic that can be used out of view, but near the cam- eras position. Shotgun mics, with a supercardioid pickup pattern, are great since theyre designed to gather in sound from only one direction and can avoids unwant- ed sounds. Using a shotgun mic will require a stand so as to control place- ment, and making sure that it doesnt cast any shadows on the subject is an obvious concern. 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 rst 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. Available in DVD or Digital Downloadable Formats. 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 Whether you're having fun with your garage band or seriously pursuing a career as a videographer, this training video has the info you need to create videos that rock. Learn more at: videomaker.com/VideosThatRock 327 Music Video DVD.indd 48 6/23/2014 4:15:29 PM 327 F04 Make YouTube Studio.indd 47 6/25/2014 9:16:15 AM page 46 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 48 Background Its important to note that what the camera sees behind the person should never be distracting. This includes furniture, posters or family photos on the walls, doors, cupboards or anything that isnt intentional for the theme of the video youre shoot- ing. For instance, if youre shooting a video on a DIY home improvement expert, strategically placed tools can add to the look, as long as its not over done. Background material can be taped to the wall for temporary use or through the use of spring clamps and C-stands if the surface can be held together. Another option is to have a multi- purpose background. The basic background can consist of a paper roll white or any color desired as gotten from a photo supply house or art center that is attached to a cur- A lavalier mic, on the other hand, has the advantage of being less notice- able while also picking up the sound from the person wearing it, if care- fully placed. These mics vary in price and sensitivity, and many can be used with wireless transmitters. This then permits the subject free movement without the constraints of wiring to deal with. Generally, condenser mics will work well in a small YouTube studio environment, though more expensive than dynamic, they are well suited for indoor use and their output is louder and better detailed. Since there is no single standard for the quality of the audio that will be transmitted from YouTube to listen- ers, or the speakers or headphones on which they are heard, the selected mic must capture clean and clear sound with as little distortion as possible. Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology and consumer electronics freelance writer located in Los Angeles. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17142 in the subject line. SOFT BOX USE FOR A SMALL ROOM Controlling incandescent or LED lighting in a small area can be difficult. For this reason, the use of a soft box might be the best solution. A soft box is essentially a covering that goes over a light with space between the light source and the front of the box to allow for the diffusion material to spread the light out. This light has a broader range of coverage and also removes the sharp shadows that direct lighting can produce. Fill lights can be dispensed with in most cases as a result. On the negative side, contrast is also lowered and must be compensated for, and they often take more space than the light fixture alone. If using a soft box in your studio, be sure to use one made of non-flammable material. tain rod. The sides of the rod can be held in place with clamps attached to tall photographic stands. If you dont have stands, but need a background solution, wooden rods that are taped to dumbbells or which have been encased in a pail that has been lled with quick-drying cement can hold a paper roll. The paper can also be covered with stylistic touches, such as fabric, or have streamers or balloons attached to it to create an entirely dif- ferent background. If youre planning a virtual back- ground, there are a variety of green screen options. The easiest are fabrics, being fairly easy to handle in larger sizes, the main disadvantage are wrinkles in the fabric, as they must be ironed out or they will cause irregular- ities in the lighting. If you dont care that its green, you can nd special chromakey paint to use on a smooth wall for a permanent setup. By using a green screen, most editing software can take the nal video and insert a background of your choosing be it a simple white wall, a window view into a garden or a scene from Star Wars. Unlike years past, green screen technology for home use has reached levels that do not require a steep learning curve or cost thousands of dollars. Finishing the YouTube Studio Having a dedicated room to shoot your YouTube videos is a luxury that many may not be able to afford. But even if the accoutrements must be as- sembled and then disassembled each time a video is to be made, theres no getting around the need for creating a visual and aural environment that makes what is being shot the center of attention. This can be done by ap- proaching and attacking each of the problem areas that video and audio will encounter in the room and solv- ing them in a patient and straightfor- ward manner. Collapsible green-screens are incredibly handy in tight spaces. Simply clamp one to a stand, or even lean it against a wall, and youre all set. Create a YouTube Studio in your Room 327 F04 Make YouTube Studio.indd 48 6/25/2014 9:16:30 AM Whether youre a beginner or professional, were available to answer all your questions before, during and after the sale. 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Squeeze 9 is now up to 6x faster than competitors with multi-core encoding, enhanced quality, and better adaptive bitrate encoding. $ 499 00 Call for special multi-seat and educational discounts prod-vmkr.indd 1 6/20/2014 1:28:51 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/24/2014 9:42:45 AM page 48 page 49 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print BASIC TRAINING VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 50 The company they founded was called TelePrompTer, and what they invented was a mechanical device designed to scroll large printouts of a script in the vicinity of the camera in time with a speaker. Mechanical teleprompters took off, and talent, from U.S. presidents to talk show hosts, utilized them. They were used on television for decades, even as re- cently as 1992 on the Johnny Carson show, where they had resided since the shows incep- tion. The idea with these mechani- cal teleprompt- ers was fantastic, but there was one small prob- lem the talent couldnt look at the camera and read teleprompt- ers at the same time. This was ne for certain programs, but for shows like the evening news, they didnt t the bill. Way back in the nifty 1950s, the tele- vision nally gained some traction. It took a few decades for TVs to nd their way into most of our homes, though they were commercially avail- able since the 1920s. Televised news broadcasts overtook the newspaper and radio as the principal news source for families. A new era of media- based tools and video technology was underway, paving the way for genera- tions of future Videomaker readers. In 1950, a year before the rst video tape recorder was invented, a couple of crafty folks founded a company dedicat- ed to advancing lm and television. The idea was to build an active scrolling cue card system that could help the talent deliver lines on camera without being required to memorize large amounts of text in short periods of time. DIY Tablet Teleprompter Tablets such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab have equipped budget-conscious video pros with more options, up to and including building a makeshift teleprompter. b y Ru s s F a i r l e y That problem was short-lived. In 1953, Jess Oppenheimer, the creator, producer and head writer for I Love Lucy, needed his prompters to allow his stars to give testimonial-style com- mercials directly into a camera. We all know that eye contact implies sincer- ity, so the on-camera teleprompter was born out of necessity. What is it? In its simplest form, the modern tele- prompter is comprised of a few basic components. A monitor or tablet pro- jecting an image of text, a place to rest that monitor or tablet, reective glass held on an angle over the monitor and a hood to cover a video camera aimed through the glass. The hoods job is to keep the camera in a completely dark spot so it doesnt show through the glass and keep the camera lens from seeing the glass. Professional models have valuable features such has variable speed control remotes, which allow an operator to follow the cadence of the talent working from the teleprompter. In recent years the advent of the LCD monitor has helped advance the teleprompter, allowing them to be- come smaller, lighter and more afford- Apart from the teleprompter mirror, you should be able to find every- thing you need at the local craft store. P h o to s b y R u s s F a ir le y 327 C10 Basic Training.indd 50 6/24/2014 2:53:45 PM BASIC TRAINING VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 51 able. In much the same way, tablets such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab have allowed budget conscious producers some even more ac- cessible options, up to and including building a teleprompter from scratch to house a tablet. The practice of building a teleprompter from scratch has become popular in the last few years, particularly because the parts arent ter- ribly complex and the screens are becoming less expensive and more widely available. So, maybe we should build ourselves one for use with a tablet. There are plenty of nicely-built examples online to draw from, and this is one example adapted from a cool DIY prompter devised by J. Alan Meier of HeyJustJ. This rig is cheap, simple and looks decent enough to bring it to a clients site. Plus, if it doesnt suit your needs, a couple of quick searches should bring you some other options.
What Youll Need A couple of cheap 8" x 10" plastic or wood picture frames black, if possible Two small hinges with small screws Some Velcro A bit of .5" plywoodenough to ft inside an 8" x 10" hole Some black fabric Some wire coat hangers A large elastic band or small black bungee cord Some strong glue, staples, fnishing nails and any form of light adhesive. Drill, screwdriver, tape measure Optional: an 8" x 10" piece of real teleprompter mirror (beam splitter mirror)about $45 from telepromptermirror.com
Step One: Prep the Frames Take the two picture frames and remove the cardboard backing and that sweet sample shot the manufacturer sticks in there. For the frame that will become the tablet tray, remove the glass, and then glue, screw and/or nail the 8" x 10" piece of wood into the bottom of the frame so that it is ush with the bottom of the frame and leaves a lip on the top side. Be careful not to split or break the frame if you choose to nail or screw it in. Screw a 15mm rail block onto the bottom of the wood to allow the teleprompter to mount to a tripod rail system. Alternatively, its possible to nd a 1/4" or 3/8" threaded wood insert, which can accept a tripod head or plate. The rail system is preferred because a camera can mount to the BASIC TRAINING AUGUST 2014 We recommend having an extra pair of eyes handy for quality control purposes. The small, wire constraints included with most frames work perfectly for holding the prompter glass in place. Before applying the hinges, make sure both frames are as centered as possible with one another. These small hinges should be all it takes to keep the two frames together. 327 C10 Basic Training.indd 51 6/24/2014 2:53:53 PM page 50 page 51 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 52 BASIC TRAINING AUGUST 2014 On what is to be the hinged side, screw a hinge onto either side of the top frame and then screw the hinges into the lower frame. Using small screws there shouldnt be an issue with splitting the frame. Take a couple of snipped pieces of a wire hanger to create small braces for the teleprompt- er. Pieces of equal length around 7-8 should do the tricktheyre easy to trim later on with wire snippers. Bend each end of both of them 90 degrees so they can t in the holes drilled in the frames. Drill holes just large enough for the wire braces along the sides of the upper and lower frames. Match them up on either side by mea- suring before drilling. Test out the angles youll get using the braces and add extra holes to allow for different setups. To keep the wire braces from popping out of the holes, slide a large elastic band around the lower frame and slide it up until it covers the braces and keeps them in place.
Step Two: Finish er Off Now its time to put a hood in place. First of all, take your fabric, blankie, shirt or sheet whatever you chose to use and cut it into a piece large enough to wrap of the way around the teleprompter and hang far enough back to fully cover whatever kinds of video cameras you might put in there. If this is going to appear in front of clients, hemming rough edges with a sewing machine isnt a bad idea. Take some small rectangles of Velcro and stick them to the top edge of the reector frame as well as one piece on each side of the base frame about three-quarters of the way toward the front of the teleprompter. Some Velcro comes with a peel off adhesive side, which is great, but if it doesnt, use strong glue or a staple gun to lock those pieces in place. In fact, its not a bad idea to toss a staple or two in each piece just to be sure. Match up the opposite Velcro piece on the hood material afxed using staples then attach the hood to the teleprompter so that it sticks smoothly along the top frame and covers the This is what your final hinge arrangement should look like. Two bent wires will hold the top frame up while the teleprompt- er is in use. This is what the final setup should look like before the black cloth is applied. same set of rails as the teleprompter and remove the need for a second tripod, but both methods work ne. For the frame that is to act as the reector, if you decided to go with a real prompter mirror, insert it now. Use the frames small wire re- straints, which usually lock in the cardboard and glass to now just lock the glass in place. If you choose to skip using the snazzy tele- prompter mirror, the original glass from the picture frame will work, but wont reect quite as well. Place the lower tray, opening-side up on a table or workbench and center the second reector frame, glass-side down on top of the lower tray. THE BEST APPS WILL ALLOW FOR USE OF A REMOTE CONTROL, ADDING A PROFESSIONAL TOUCH. 327 C10 Basic Training.indd 52 6/24/2014 2:54:05 PM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 53 BASIC TRAINING AUGUST 2014 sides of the device by sticking to the bottom frame Velcro. As a precaution, its recommended to put Velcro on the back of the tablet and into the tablet tray to lock it in place. Some people may choose to skip this step, but it never hurts to protect an investment. There are plenty of variances that can be made to this design, but this guide should help with getting started. If this is a bit daunting, there are other options to get a tablet close to the camera. You can purchase mounts that attach to a microphone stand to hold a tablet in place. If the talent stands far enough from the camera, its still possible to read off-camera without being too noticeable. Getting Rolling To use this new wonder, open the teleprompter and lock it in place with the braces and elastic band, sit a tablet in the tablet tray within the bottom frame, mount a camera to the rails the teleprompter is mounted to and pull the cover back over the lens. Then theres direction for the speak- er. Experiment shooting at different distances from the teleprompter to see how noticeable eye movement it. The further away from the camera the bet- ter, but there will be a distance where either the framing is off or the speaker can no longer read the teleprompter. Its been fun building a teleprompt- er, and its all ready to shoot with, but theres a bit more to it. Placing a tablet into the prompter is half the battle, but how does that text le, Word document or PDF make itself seen on the prompter glass and scroll auto- matically? Like most things, theres an app for that. Plenty of them, in fact.
Whats app, Doc? Whether using iOS devices or one of the myriad devices running Android, there are quite a few decent options for prompting software. The best apps will allow for use of a remote control, adding a professional touch into the mix. Russ Fairley is the owner of Russ Fairley Productions Inc., a turnkey video production company. He also founded After Effects Toronto and hosts RFShow.TV. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17021 in the subject line. Teleprompt+ for iPad is pretty much the industry standard tele- prompter app for iPad. Text can be im- ported from Dropbox or Google Drive, or entered directly in the app. Text can be mirrored so it appears properly on the teleprompter, and the speed of text playback can be controlled on the iPad itself or on another device on the same network. If using the iPad to VGA adapter, the text can be output to an external device, which would prove handy for the teleprompter operator. Other notable iPad prompting apps include Prompster Pro, iQPrompter, Prompterous and ProPrompter. For Android devices there are similar options. PromptWare Plus covers all of the same bases as Tele- prompt+, with portrait or landscape text scrolling. Mirrored text is also in there, of course, as well as an option to control speed with a custom wire- less remote. Other notables in the Android market are Android Prompter, Visio- Prompt and EZ Prompter. A version of Prompterous is also available for Android.
Prompting a Conclusion DIY projects are fun and rewarding, and in some cases they can solve a problem. Building a teleprompter allows videographers to gain great ex- perience and expertise with the device before showing up to a client site, or before dropping major dollars on a proper prompter purchase. Is a DIY solution perfect for every job or in place of a professional tele- prompter and operator? Not really. Itll work perfectly for personal videos, but for professional gigs it is recom- mended to use a professional tele- prompter and a separate operator, to keep camera operators and directors focused on operating the camera.
SUMMARY With its impressive image quality and amazingly low price, the Dell P2815Q 4K monitor gives you the freedom to work, and is definitely a must-get. Ty Audronis is an expert in post-production workflow. Hes consulted on workflowand technology for several global, high-end post-production houses. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17116 in the subject line. REVIEWS Dell P2815Q 4K movies in low-resolution prox- ies, and then having to re-edit when re-uprezing the project because of aws never noticed with prox- ies? Editing 4K movies now has the post-production workow of editing for HD. Computers are faster, video cards are beeer and 4K monitors such as this Dell P2815Q are far more nancially justiable. Crowd- ing around a workstation for dailies and editorial reviews is far more efcient than the entire post produc- tion department schlepping down to a theater for minor reviews. The Bottom Line This 4K monitor is fantastic. Sure, it has some minor aws with re- fresh rates and pixel response time. However, youd be extremely hard- pressed to nd another 4K monitor to seamlessly integrate into your 4K workow with better quality in this price range. Were pleased that Dell spent their manufacturing and design budget purely on the quality of the display, and no useless features such as integrated webcams and speakers. Its when you get into your work, and dont notice anything no hindranc- es, no generating proxies, no wonder- ing if colors are accurate and can concentrate on what youre produc- ing, you know youre seeing quality. It's much like visual effects, where it's what you dont notice thats the real prize. In that sense, and virtually every other, Dell has done their job splendidly. Cont i nued f r om page 20 327 C10 Basic Training.indd 53 6/24/2014 2:54:23 PM page 52 page 53 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 54 but theres a problem if copyrighted music is playing in the background. The only solution is to acquire the rights to the song, and that can get expensive and complicated.
Ad Varieties YouTube ads take three forms: display ads, overlay in-video ads, and what YouTube calls TrueView InStream ads. Lets take a closer look at each type. Display ads are 300x250 pixels and take the form of typical Google-style webpage ads remember, Google owns YouTube. Once registered in YouTubes Partner Program, display ads appear by de- fault on partners pages. When a viewer clicks on one of these ads, you earn money. If you embed your video in another website, you wont take advantage of the moneymaking potential of these ads. Partners have a choice of allowing embedding or not. Overlay in-video display ads are ban- ner ads that appear near the bottom of the video window, minimally obscur- ing your content. The opaque ads ap- pear at about the 10-second mark and, if desired, can be closed by the viewer. The ads minimize automatically if the viewer does nothing. Since they are im- possible to ignore, overlay in-video ads generate more revenue than display ads. You can opt out of including these ads on your YouTube channel. The currency of online advertising is CPM, which literally means cost per mille mille is Latin for thousand. If we apply this cost-per-thousand met- ric to online advertising, then CPM is the cost of one thousand impressions an impression is a single ad shown to a viewer. You can earn a slice of that revenue.
YouTube is King YouTube was created in 2005, ac- quired by Google in 2006 and is indisputably the largest online digital video warehouse. YouTube states that more than one billion users visit each month. Collectively, hundreds of millions of YouTube users upload 100 hours of video every single minute. YouTube created its Partner Pro- gram in 2007 allowing video produc- ers with a free YouTube account to en- able the monetization feature through their settings dashboard. The program now includes more than a million peo- ple earning money from their YouTube videos. Thousands of channels a collection of videos under one account are making more than $100,000 a year, according to YouTube. So how do you go about turning your videos into cash on YouTube? Most importantly, you must own 100 percent of the content that means you hold worldwide commercial us- age rights to both the audio and video content. Say you have a cute video of a pre-school ballerina who comi- cally misses a cue while performing to a copyrighted song. You may have a video with huge audience appeal, PROFIT MAKING Your videos could earn you cold, hard cash by monetizing your online content. Lets take a closer look at the path to making money with your video production skills. b y Da v i d G. We l t o n Cash in Your Content 40 % mobile viewing comprises 40% of global 80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the U.S. 80 % 61 YouTube supports 61 languages YouTube claims that viewing time 327 C7 Profit Making.indd 54 6/24/2014 2:30:26 PM PROFIT MAKING AUGUST 2014 VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 55 TrueView InStream is akin to adver- tisements viewed on broadcast TV. In most situations, the ads precede your content. Depending on the length of your work, ads may appear during or at the end of your production like your favorite sitcom. Like live broad- cast TV, its not possible to avoid these in-stream commercials. However, YouTube claims that 75 percent of their InStream ads are skippable after ve seconds of viewing. You can opt out of these too, but these ads can potentially pull in the big bucks. YouTube is available on hundreds of millions of mobile devices. YouTube claims that mobile viewing comprises about 40 percent of global viewing Skip YouTube ads take three forms (left to right): display ads, overlay in-video ads and TrueView In- Stream ads. time. Speaking of global, YouTube supports 61 languages. Thats a good thing because the video warehouse giant reports that 80 percent of its trafc comes from outside the U.S. Paid subscriptions are yet another method to monetize your YouTube content. If you have a channel with more than 10,000 subscribers, you Videomaker Subscribers, Beware this Fraudulent Subscription Agency: Magazine Subscriber Services You may be contacted by unauthorized subscription agents asking you to renew your subscription. These companies are not authorized to represent Videomaker nor are they affiliated with us in any way. Please do not give out any personal, payment or credit card information to any company you have not previously done business with in regards to your Videomaker subscription. You can view a full list of known fraudulent agencies at: videomaker.com/alert Videomaker will not accept orders from companies on this list. Videomaker renewal notices will only come with zip code 95927 (Chico, CA) on the return address envelope. If you are contacted by any of suspicious companies regarding Videomaker magazine, please let us know immediately by writing to: Videomaker Customer Service P.O. Box 3780. Chico, CA 95927 customerservice@videomaker.com SUBSCRIBER ALERT! subalertFOURTHpageSQUARE.indd 108 6/23/2014 4:18:31 PM FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 6/24/2014 8:12:57 AM 327 C7 Profit Making.indd 55 6/24/2014 2:30:38 PM page 55 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 56 can activate this option. For viewers, channels offer 14-day free trials, fol- lowed by subscription rates beginning at $0.99 a month. Product placement has become a necessary evil for healthy revenue streams in many broadcast television series. For instance, Toyota paid to be in- cluded in scripts of the award-winning sitcom Modern Family. Sure enough, youll nd several shameless plugs for the Toyota Prius throughout the show. Once YouTube producers nd large audiences, they may choose to increase their earnings by including product placements also called brand integration in their work. However, YouTube may decline to monetize pro- ductions with product placements. The best advice is to check rst.
Paid Access In 2004, Vimeo launched its video- sharing website this competitor actually beat YouTube to the web. Vimeos statistics pale in compari- son to YouTube's, but nonetheless, it boasts more than 26 million registered members and reaches an audience of 170 million each month not too shabby. Vimeo attracts serious lm- makers and offers fewer unrened productions like GoPro cameras attached to anything that moves. For $9.95 per month or a price break of $59.95 per year Vimeo Plus allows members to activate a virtual tip jar. Happy viewers can For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17124 in the subject line. David G. Welton is a professor of Media Studies. submit tips using their credit card or PayPal ac- count. For more social networking reach, Tip activity can be shared to Facebook, Twit- ter, Tumblr and Google+. Step up to Vimeo Pro for $199 per year to take advantage of Vimeos on-de- mand service that allows viewers to rent or buy your content. Launched in 2013, Vimeo On Demand is a direct distribution system that allows video producers to set their viewing price, format (stream or download) and geographic reach while maintaining full ownership. Vimeo offers in-player transaction support, enabling produc- ers to sell work on their own sites or embedded elsewhere. Filmmakers have posted more than 6,000 titles to Vimeo On Demand cov- ering a broad range of subjects since its launch. Content creators keep 90 percent of revenue generated, while Vimeo hangs onto 10 percent. Viewing prices start at $0.99. Selling tickets to viewers to watch a live video event is another way to monetize your work. Going live can bring immediacy and excitement to your content. Ustream.tv offers a paid service, starting at $99 per month, which allows producers to sell access to live pay-per-view events. Ustream handles the viewers Pay Pal and credit card transactions, leaving you free to focus on creating something compel- ling for your viewers to watch. Direct sales of DVDs and Blu-rays are yet another way to turn your work into cash. Amazon offers an Individual Plan that allows a maximum of 40 sales per month. This plan charges the seller $0.99 per item, a referral fee of 15 percent of selling price and a clos- ing fee of $1.35. Step up to unlimited sales with the Professional Plan for PROFIT MAKING AUGUST 2014 $39.99 per month plus the same fees of the individual plan. Path to Success Theres at least one company with the mission of helping people nd more success with their YouTube channel. For a slice of your prots, Maker Stu- dios, owned by the Disney Company, specializes in helping YouTube content creators hit it big on the global stage. One Maker Studios success story is a YouTube channel called PewDiePie (pronounced PEW-dee-pi) run by Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, a Swedish video game commentator. According to SocialBlade.com a free website that estimates the earning potential of YouTube channels PewDiePie has more than 27 million subscribers and has amassed more than four billion views. These numbers translate to So- cialBlade estimating monthly earnings for PewDiePie ranging from $169,000 to $1,400,000. Not bad, even at the low end. Aaron Lobnitz, a 23-year-old Cali- fornia college student and avid video gamer, is adept in how to earn money through YouTube. However, hes realistic about his slender chances of becoming the next PewDiePie. He does remain optimistic though, in YouTubes moneymaking potential. YouTube content is a great way to drive trafc to your website and then advertise a product to them, Lobnitz said. For example, Lobnitz uses afli- ate programs like iTunes and Amazon, which offer a slice of sales that origi- nate from the owners website. Maybe your chances of scoring the next huge YouTube viral sensation seem distant. Possibly a more realistic goal might be to earn enough cash to buy that next piece of gear youve been dreaming about. Whatever your aspirations, go out, create some com- pelling content and watch the cash stream in. 26 PewDiePie has more than 26 million subscribers and more than 4 billion views. 4 million subscribers billion views Estimated monthly earnings ranging from $169,000 to $1,400,000. *SocialBlade estimate PewDiePie 327 C7 Profit Making.indd 56 6/24/2014 2:30:48 PM Subscribe to Videomaker and Save up to 76 % off the Newsstand Price Beef up your video production skills videomaker.com/save76 for as little as $ 1.39 an Issue 321 VM Magazine Sub.indd 26 6/24/2014 9:45:06 AM page 56 page 57 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print EDITING VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 58 Running complex software can tax your computer resources, and force digital traffic to slide over to the slow lane. Every editor should dig into their software settings, so they can fly in the fast lane and get to their destination on time. video editors who never take the time to gure out how their system can be optimized, and instead keep everything running using the default presets. Fortunately, video editing software publishers, such as Adobe, Avid, Sony Creative and Autodesk make it pretty easy for the average video editor to pop the hood and harmlessly monkey around with their systems settings. A look under the hood of video editing software can be daunting. There are a lot of parts that can be tweaked to cus- tomize how everything runs. A video editor doesnt need to be a certied engineer to optimize their software, but it sure helps if theyre a little bit of a shade tree mechanic. With a little ne tuning and some basic mainte- nance, a video editor can get their video editing software to run like a nely tuned sports car. A video editor is usually concerned with what they can do with their video editing software, not what they can do to their video editing soft- ware. For this reason there are many Tune Software for Peak Performance b y Ch r i s Ac e Ga t e s The Basics There are some simple adjustments a video editor can make to their video editing system to help it run at opti- mal performance levels. These adjust- ments are all based on the assump- tion that a video editors computer hardware is up to date and is able to handle the latest video editing soft- ware. Having the minimum amount of RAM required by the software doesnt always cut it when an editor is trying to get creative. Hard drive space can be an issue as well. Even though sys- tem architectures have changed over the years, its still a good idea to have video editing software installed and running off of the system drive. Source media, on the other hand, should be stored on a separate drive thats fast and has the throughput to play the media in real time. When it comes to running the system, a video editor should do a clean boot up of their machine. A fresh start often takes care of little glitches from a ma- chine thats been running for a while. The video editing software should be the only program open at the time of operation. This helps insure that all available system resources are After Effects Prefer- ences pane can be intimidating to the uninitiated. To improve performance, skip the General tab and go straight to Display. 327 C3 Editing.indd 58 6/24/2014 2:46:16 PM EDITING EDITING AUGUST 2014 VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 59 poured into the task of video editing and not slowing things down. Optimizing Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects is a standard piece of video ef- fects software that is widely used by video editors. Part of what makes Adobe After Effects so powerful is not only its robust tool set, but the ways it can be optimized to help speed up the video editing workow. It serves as a great example of how to optimize software, as its highly integrated with computer hardware and is commonly used in a video editors workow, regardless of which editing platform they work with. The rst place a video editor should go to optimize Adobe After Effects is the Preferences menu. You can access this menu under the Adobe After Effects menu on a Mac, or in the edit menu on a PC. Finding and experiment- ing with the preferences menu in most video editing software can result in enhanced system performance. In Adobe After Effects, under the display tab in the Preferences menu, a video edi- tor should check the box to Hardware Acceler- ate, Composition, Layer and Footage Panels. By default, After Effects uses software processes to render everything. With this check box clicked, After Effects will take full advantage of the sys- tems hardware. The hardware components of a video editing system play into how the video editing soft- ware performs. Hard drive usage plays a factor in system performance. Under the Media and Disk Cache tab of the Preferences menu, a user should make sure that Enable Disk Cache is selected and then choose a folder for the disk cache location. The folder should be on a fast drive that is always accessible to the system. An SSD is optimal, as there are no moving parts or mechanical systems to depend on. Just as hard drive usage is an important part of hardware and software integration, so is RAM allocation. The more RAM made available for video editing software, the faster the overall system will perform, but there is a catch. If the computer itself doesnt have enough RAM to perform properly, it will weigh down on the video editing software. The trick is to allocate the maximum amount of RAM possible to the video editing software in use, while still mak- ing enough RAM available for the computer to operate. As stated earlier, it helps to only have the video editing software open when working on a project. After Effects helps the user allocate RAM under the Memory and Multiprocessing tab of the Preferences menu. A video editing softwares working environ- ment can be adjusted to optimize its perfor- Adobe After Effects Secret Menu Just like In-and-Out Burger, Adobe After Effects has a secret menu. Video editors cant place an order for a 4x4 or an Animal Style burger off the secret menu, but they can dis- able their layer cache to optimize Adobe After Effects for big renders. Its a menu that doesnt normally show up in After Effects, and can only be found if the video editor knows how to call it up. This is more of a leftover artifact from the early days of After Effects, but it still comes in handy from time to time, and better yet, its a fun fact to know. If a video editor is having problems rendering out of Adobe After Effects and continually gets an out of memory error, the secret menu is the way to go. In order to get to the secret menu, the user needs to hold down the Shift key, navigate to the Adobe After Effects menu and select Preferences > General (On a PC, its in the edit menu). Once the Preferences window opens the user can let go of the shift key. The navigation menu on the left hand side of the window should have Secret as the bottom option in the menu. Inside the Secret menu, the user can check the Disable Layer Cache button and set the number of frames at which Adobe After Effects will purge the layer cache while rendering. It works best to purge every 0 or 1 frames. This will increase render time, but it will take care of those pesky out of memory errors. 327 C3 Editing.indd 59 6/24/2014 2:46:27 PM page 58 page 59 contents full screen print contents full screen print EDITING AUGUST 2014 VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 60 mance. Adobe After Effects has no shortage of environmental adjust- ments. The composition window of Af- ter Effects is where a video editor does much of their work and where they are able to view a project in progress. The video editor doesnt always need to view their project at full resolution. The system will run faster if the resolution of the preview in the composition win- dow is decreased, because it uses fewer system resources. There is an adaptive resolution icon at the bottom of the composition win- dow. When clicked it gives the video editor the following options: Off (Final Quality), Adaptive Resolution, Draft, Fast Draft and Wireframe. Off (Final Quality) uses the most system resourc- es and is the slowest. It helps a video editor to be precise in their work and to see the highest quality image theyll be able to output. Adaptive Resolution is a great option for working fast because the resolution of the composition window is contin- gent on what the video editor is doing. If there is nothing happening, the window will display a full resolution image. If the video editor is working, such as adjusting a parameter, the system will give a fast draft preview at a lower resolution. Once the adjust- ment is made the window will return to full resolution. The wireframe view is ideal for working fast when block- ing multiple high resolution assets or 3D content. It shows the video editor a wireframe bounding box of the assets without rendering any of the image. There are some simple workow tips that will change a systems speed. If a project needs to be nished in 32-bit color, its okay to do the initial work at an 8-bit color depth and then switch over once the set-up of the project is completed. The thing to remember here is that some effects will work at an 8-bit depth but are not able to perform correctly at 32-bit. Perform- ing an ofine edit of high-resolution video les, such R3D 4k, will be less taxing on system resources. The user can turn off effects when working on a project to speed things up. The project will hold up as long as the effects are turned back on for the render. Life in the Fast Lane The road to success for a video editor is a long one, but its wide open and the only speed limits are technical ones. Youre best served by being your own mechanic. By getting your hands dirty, you can maximize the performance of your video editing software. All it takes is familiarity with what options for optimization are available. The best way to learn how to customize video editing software is to talk shop. Taking the time to chat about whats going on under the hood doesnt just build camaraderie, its a great way to gain knowledge and share advice. A little tinkering can soup up the most stock video editing system and turn it into a hot rod editing bay that cruises in the fast lane. Chris Ace Gates is a four time Emmy Award-winning writer and video producer. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17054 in the subject line. Settings panels vary widely from software to software (like this panel inside Avid Media Composer), but most of the same basic op- tions are found in all of them. ADVERTISING INDEX 42nd Street Photo ________________ 43 B&H Photo/Video & Pro Audio __ 35-37 Blackmagic Design ________________ 7 Canon ___________________________ C4 Digital Bolex _____________________ 11 Eagle America Sales Corp. _________ 55 Glide Gear _______________________ 41 Glidecam Industries Inc. ____________ 3 Glyph Tech Inc. ___________________ 27 JVC Professional Products _________ 25 Kino Flo _________________________ 33 Libec Sales Of America ____________ 21 Litepanels (VITEC GROUP) _________ C3 Shure, Inc. _______________________ C2 VideoGuys _______________________ 49 Videomaker Instructional DVD Make Music Videos _______________ 47 Videomaker Subscribe ____________ 57 Videomaker Subscription Alert _____ 55 WeVideo _________________________ 41 Zoom North America ______________ 29 327 VM Ad Index.indd 68 6/25/2014 9:38:39 AM 327 C3 Editing.indd 60 6/25/2014 9:39:09 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 61 The reason for these color prefer- ences is a very practical one. In order to pop a person off of the background, the color behind them must be dis- tinctly different than any color on them. Any part of the subject that is too similar in color value to the back- ground risks becoming fully or par- tially transparent, and that will never work. The bright, hideously ugly green that is commonly used for chromakey effects is a favorite because it is vastly different than the color tones found in skin, hair and, in most cases, cloth- ing. Therefore, for the purposes of this Shooting great green screen shots and pulling clean chromakeys may seem daunting to the uninitiated, but with the continual improvements the industry has made to camera and ed- iting technology, going green is easier than ever. A producer with a high quality video camera and an editing application like Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, or Sony Vegas Pro, already has the expensive parts covered. The rest is paint, light and technique. The good news is that greatest difference between gorgeous green screen shots and crummy chromakeys isnt about the cost of equipment. Its about knowledge and execution; and those can be taught. So lets take a closer look at the key components of setting up and shoot- ing good green screen footage to help achieve optimally clean chromakeys in the edit suite. How It Works While the technique is often called green screening in casual conversa- tion, the technical term for the effect is chrominance keying, and the color green, though preferred by many producers, isnt really a requirement. Chromakeying is a process of isolat- ing and replacing any color value within a frame of video with another image. Any color you can shoot can be chromakeyed, so you can key out a blue sky, a purple bedroom wall or a yellow sticky note. However, TV, video and lm professionals generally prefer two colors: bright green and bright blue. LIGHTING With these simple tips for creating and lighting a green screen, editors will have a far easier time pulling clean keys. The secret to success is to shoot with the edit in mind. b y Ch u c k Pe t e r s discussion we will base our technique on using the color green. Going Green One of the rst considerations before building out a green screen set is size. If the scripts calls for chromakey- ing a sock puppet into outer space, a few pieces of poster board may be plenty. However, if the goal is to shoot a full-body shot of a subject, the green screen must be much larger. For full head-to-toe chromakeys, the green screen will need to ll the entire frame behind the subject as well as the oor. The Essential Green Screen Kit C-stands and clamps can keep a roll of green paper up and taut during a shoot. 327 C13 Lighting.indd 61 6/25/2014 9:05:06 AM page 60 page 61 contents full screen contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 62 For best results on this scale, look into one of the many professional green screen products on the market. These may be permanent berglass cyclo- ramas or foldable fabric backdrops. In most cases, a combination of waist- up and head-and-shoulders shots will work well enough. Shots of this style can be accomplished with one of several low-cost, homemade green screen backgrounds that can be set up fairly quickly. Experiment by building your own green backdrop using fabric, paper or paint. Remember, the key is color, not molecular makeup. Head to a local hardware, hobby or fabric store and see what is available. Fabric: Head to a fabric store and look for bright green cloth sold by the yard. Make sure the material is not too thin or shiny. Thin, shiny fabric will not take light evenly. The more thick, opaque and matte the material, the better. Also be aware of width. While you can pur- chase bulk fabric in any length you like, you may be limited by the width of the LIGHTING AUGUST 2014 strip. You can certainly overcome this limitation by sewing a seam, but if that seems like too much work, consider us- ing another approach. Paper or Plastic: Affordable green screen backdrops made of paper rolls or foldable plastic are commercially available. These work well when sus- pended on a frame or hung between C-stands. You can also make your own green screen by piecing together several bright green poster boards that can be purchased at any depart- ment store or hobby shop. While not the ideal solution, some tape along the seams on the back side can net a workable hunk of green for a couple dollars. There is bright green gaffer's tape if you want to get fancy. Paint: With a little paint, any avail- able section of wall can become a green screen set. Any home hardware store with a paint section will have a whole host of green paint swatches that can work for your chromakey color. The national chain hardware stores will mix up small samples for around $5 each. It might take two or three sample containers to get all the paint needed to paint a large enough area, but with a paint roller and $20, any empty wall can be transformed into a special effects backdrop. Paint is still a viable option even if a wall cannot be dedicated. Instead of paint- ing a wall, consider painting a couple 4x8-foot pieces of wall panel or insu- lation board. They take paint well, and can be hung for shooting, then taken down for storage. Lighting the Wall Once the paint has dried, its time to throw a little light on the wall. The secret to successful green screen keys is to light the green wall as evenly as possible. The wall must be lit up nice and bright for optimal chromakey results. No one should expect to get good results by merely setting up the wall and shooting with available light. Because the computer needs to key out a narrow color range, the goal is LOCK IT DOWN Because the subject will be com- posited over a new background, camera moves, whether in the form of handheld shots, loose tripod drags, pans, tilts or zooms, are not good partners for chromakey shoot- ing. To get this right, youll have to mark your wall and track your camera in post-production, which can be really tough to pull off cor- rectly. Shooting chromakey with the camera solidly locked into position on a sturdy tripod is a much simpler process. Unless youre adventurous, set your framing, hit record and step away from the camera. It can save you hours in the edit room. Soft lights are ideal for green screen lighting, as they minimize problematic shadows. to minimize any shadows or shifts in shade. Bright hot spots are as harmful as dark areas. There are a few ways to go about lighting a chromakey back- drop evenly. Which technique you should use, depends largely on the lighting gear you have available. Tubular Fluorescent Bulbs: Afford- able tubular uorescent lights are a simple hardware store solution for casting even light on a green screen set. This can be achieved by hanging one or two lights slightly in front of the top of the set, and on the oor facing up. The number of xtures will depend on the size of the wall. Tungsten Lights: Small and medium sized walls can be lit with one or two tungsten xtures. Start with a single light placed on a low stand directly behind the talent, pointing back at the wall. Soft lights distribute the light more evenly, but you can also try using a hard 327 C13 Lighting.indd 62 6/25/2014 9:05:16 AM VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 63 LIGHTING AUGUST 2014 Chuck Peters is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning writer and producer. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17038 in the subject line. light with an adjustable beam set to ood, with diffusion over it. For head and shoulders shots, this may be all the set lighting thats necessary. For larger sets, dedicate two additional lights positioned in front of the backdrop and out to the sides. These can be physically moved closer to, or farther from the set to adjust where the beam falls and with what intensity. Separate the Subject The last piece of the puzzle is lighting the subject. One of the most common mistakes that causes failed chromakey shoots is positioning the subject too close to the wall. Its important to put as much distance as possible between the subject and the set. This is im- portant because light bounces. Light reecting off of the green screen can create a green halo around a subjects hair, shoulders and skin that will wreak havoc when trying to pull the key in post-production. A subject too close to the backdrop can also cast catastrophic shadows on the set. It is best to not try to light the subject with the lamps that are being used to light the wall. Instead, pull the subject away from the green background and light them with a separate set of lighting instruments. If you can, use a backlight with a minus green gel over it to help counteract green spill from the background. Like- wise, make sure that the lights for your talent do not spill onto the background and wash out the color. Camera Considerations There are a few camera considerations that chromakey shooters need to know before they roll. One important tech spec is color subsampling. Cameras and codecs that compress color at 4:2:0 or 4:1:1 color sampling lose chromi- nance information, and neither of these sample rates is an ideal option for pull- ing clean keys. For ideal results, the foot- age should be shot with a camera using 4:2:2 color space (or better, 4:4:4). With a smooth, evenly lit green screen backdrop and a well-positioned subject, shooting high quality chro- makey footage is a breeze. Most of the magic of chromakey happens before the shoot, in building and lighting the set, and in post production when the key is performed. With these simple tips for creating and lighting a green screen, editors will have a far easier time of pulling clean keys. The secret to success is to shoot with the edit in mind. CLASSIFIED NETWORK RE-MASTERING RE-MASTER old, obsolete and damaged video & audio tapes to modern tape/file/ disc formats. Disaster recovery specialists. (800) 852-7732 www.specsbros.com STOCK MUSIC EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES Reach 100% of a Steadily Growing Video-Producing Audience in Videomakers Classified Network! Contact us at: www.videomaker.com/about-us/advertising/ FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 8/23/2013 10:04:26 AM Copyright clear / No re-titled music Use in Unlimited Productions No Account Required Search, Preview, Download! Royalty Free Music Youll Be Proud to Use! CSSMusic.com 800-468-6874 Videomaker Ad2 - 1-15-14_Layout 1 1/16/14 1:08 FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd 48 1/17/2014 2:27:23 PM Wireless & Shotgun Mics Portable Mixers & More Sounding better all the time. Come see whats new at www.azden.com WR32-PRO Dual Channel Wireless Receiver Great for DSLR Shooters Get In-Sync Free Go to: www.insyncpubs.com Check Out our New Digital Magazine New & Used Film & Video Equipment 327 C13 Lighting.indd 63 6/25/2014 3:26:31 PM page 62 page 63 contents full screen print contents full screen print VI DEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 201 4 64 the tactile feel of writing and draw- ing ideas out by hand. Its quick, easy and theres no learning curve. Plus, its fairly inexpensive. Scratch Folder What is a scratch folder? Its not manilla, its simply a folder the user keeps on their computer, or an external hard drive, to hold any digital pieces of inspiration they come across. Video editors are used to keeping folders lled with sound effects, music beds, stock video clips, and other types of content that they use over and over again. Its not a far stretch to make a new folder for the sole purpose of collecting inspiration. Camera Lets be honest. More than anything, video is about images. The best way to capture an image is with a camera. Sketching comes in at a close second, but it takes a lot more time than the click of the shutter. Cameras are a ubiquitous part of our culture, mobile devices are rated by consumers on how good the internal camera is. Capturing images is easy. By com- bining a camera with one of the other organizational tools mentioned, a video editor should be able to easily build their own image library for the purpose of inspiration. I ts easy to understand the need for a le structure when it comes to video editing, but how much thought is given to the organization of ideas and inspiration? A video editor needs a constant intake of ideas and inspira- tion, otherwise their video editing will start to look more like a template and less like a crafted vehicle for commu- nication. Ideas are all around us and inspira- tion can strike at any moment. A video editor just needs to be aware of it and turn that inspiration around and put it into projects. Coming up with ideas is a small fraction of the bigger picture. Video editors should have a way to capture that inspiration and a method of organization so they can easily ac- cess those inspired ideas. Here are ve readily available tools that can be used to capture and organize ideas. Social Media Social media is good for more than cat videos and cupcake recipes. The different social media platforms have built-in tools that provide a simple means for organization and can be useful to the video editor. Video shar- ing sites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, are lled with amazing videos that should be a great source of inspira- tion. A video editor can do more than scour these sites for interesting tech- niques, they can like the videos that stand out to them. If a video editor has a prole on either YouTube or Vimeo, they can go back through their likes to nd videos they found inspiring. This helps in a pinch when deadlines are approaching and a creative spark b y Ch r i s Ac e Ga t e s 5 Inspiration and Organization Tools for Video Editors is needed. Other social media plat- forms, such as Pinterest and Tumblr, are good for capturing ideas from various websites and storing them under the users prole. Social media isnt going away, and if used right its a powerful tool for the creative mind. Evernote Evernote is a free note taking and organization app. Its cloud-based and platform agnostic, meaning as long as any user has an internet connection they can access it from any device. This makes it super easy to jot down ideas at a moments notice. Evernote is able to read text in images, making pictures and image les searchable by the words in the image. If the user were to take a picture of a book at the bookstore and upload the image to Evernote, the title of that book is now tagged in Evernote and the user never had to write down any text. Evernote allows inspiration to be captured and accessed when needed. A Notebook Creative people have used pen and paper to capture inspiration for cen- turies. It doesnt require any power or an internet hookup; its a reliable tool. There is something special about Chris Ace Gates is a four time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. He is a big fan of animation and transmedia storytelling. TAKE FIVE 5 q u i c k p r o d u c t i o n t i p s Organization is a big part of video editing. A video editor is best served by being surrounded with tools that provide optimal organization. For comments, email: editor@videomaker.com, use article #17400 in the subject line. LETS BE HONEST. MORE THAN ANYTHING, VIDEO IS ABOUT IMAGES. 327 C15 Take 5.indd 64 6/24/2014 2:55:14 PM www.litepanels.com/astra A NEW STAR IS BORN YOUR VI SI ON, I N A BETTER LI GHT MEET THE ASTRA
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