If you are interested in shooting scenes using chromakey (also known as greenscreen, bluescreen or bluebox), here is an interesting blog that discusses shooting chromakey for post production.
At the 2006 VidExpo this fall, a graphic artist from a Denver television station discussed shooting greenscreen for post production.
Many of us think of using an external box or video switcher to create greenscreen effects in real time. And while this may be the way to go when you are shooting a weatherperson in front of a map, it's not always the best way to go.
You can make some fascinating composite video clips by using the greenscreen capabilities of Final Cut Pro, or even something as simple as an Avio or Casablanca editing appliance.
Take a look at the linked article and see if you can stretch your imagination when keying in your next project.
Are you a budding video producer? Does your class have the next Spielberg or Lucas? Do you know how to start with an idea and then end up with a finished video production? This is a blog that will share real-world media production techniques, ideas and suggestions with K-12 students and instructors. We'll discuss what works, what doesn't, and how to keep a project from blowing up in your face.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Planning a video yearbook
In the old days (back when I was in High School) everyone would get a printed, hardbound yearbook at the end of the school year. You remember those....there would be photos of all the class members, sports highlights, music concerts, plays and a lot of shots of students goofing around.
Here in the 21st century, the old style printed yearbook still is around. However, more and more schools across the country are producing video yearbooks in addition to the more traditional printed yearbook. In a video yearbook, you show the visuals and sounds that make your High School years memorable.
The key to a video yearbook is planning ahead of time. When I work with schools who want to produce a video yearbook, I try to have a planning session with them during the first three weeks of school, so they have an idea of what they need to do before Homecoming and other events occur. It's tough to shoot video of the Homecoming game if it is already over.
You start by thinking of your video much like a printed book. Books have chapters, and so do video yearbooks. What chapters will your video have? Sports? Fine arts? Speech contest? Mock trial? Everyday life in the classroom?
What do schools include in a Video Yearbook?
How will you sort your images into "chapters"?
Example #1
I. Fall Activities
II. Winter Activities
III. Spring Activities
Example #2
I. Sports
II. Music and drama
III. Everyday life
IV. Graduation
Example #3
I. Senior collage part one
II. Football and basketball
III. Senior collage part two
IV. Life in the classroom
V. Senior collage part three
VI. Drama, arts, music
VII. Prom and graduation
Here are the steps I recommend:
1. Make an outline of “chapters” you want in your yearbook.
2. Write down the specific video clips, still photos, sound bites or interviews you want for each chapter. Find out what you may already have.
3. Assign someone to videotape events you need (Homecoming, Class Play, etc). Have shots of as many different students as possible, not just your friends
4. Obtain permission to use any copyrighted music.
5. Gather all still photos needed. Carefully label them so that they can be returned to owners.
6. Log tapes so you know what clips are on each tape.
7. Put still photos in the order you plan to use them in the yearbook. A still photo is on the screen for 5 seconds; so it takes one minute to show 12 photos. Make sure you don't want to show 400 photos in 10 minutes.
8. Write down all titles and credits before you begin editing. Check the spelling of names.
9. Allow enough time to complete the project. Then add an additional 25% to that, because something always ends up taking longer than you thought it would.
Here in the 21st century, the old style printed yearbook still is around. However, more and more schools across the country are producing video yearbooks in addition to the more traditional printed yearbook. In a video yearbook, you show the visuals and sounds that make your High School years memorable.
The key to a video yearbook is planning ahead of time. When I work with schools who want to produce a video yearbook, I try to have a planning session with them during the first three weeks of school, so they have an idea of what they need to do before Homecoming and other events occur. It's tough to shoot video of the Homecoming game if it is already over.
You start by thinking of your video much like a printed book. Books have chapters, and so do video yearbooks. What chapters will your video have? Sports? Fine arts? Speech contest? Mock trial? Everyday life in the classroom?
What do schools include in a Video Yearbook?
Senior portraits
Music, drama or other activities
Competitions & Awards
Every day life at school
Teachers
Sports
How will you sort your images into "chapters"?
Example #1
I. Fall Activities
II. Winter Activities
III. Spring Activities
Example #2
I. Sports
II. Music and drama
III. Everyday life
IV. Graduation
Example #3
I. Senior collage part one
II. Football and basketball
III. Senior collage part two
IV. Life in the classroom
V. Senior collage part three
VI. Drama, arts, music
VII. Prom and graduation
Here are the steps I recommend:
1. Make an outline of “chapters” you want in your yearbook.
2. Write down the specific video clips, still photos, sound bites or interviews you want for each chapter. Find out what you may already have.
3. Assign someone to videotape events you need (Homecoming, Class Play, etc). Have shots of as many different students as possible, not just your friends
4. Obtain permission to use any copyrighted music.
5. Gather all still photos needed. Carefully label them so that they can be returned to owners.
6. Log tapes so you know what clips are on each tape.
7. Put still photos in the order you plan to use them in the yearbook. A still photo is on the screen for 5 seconds; so it takes one minute to show 12 photos. Make sure you don't want to show 400 photos in 10 minutes.
8. Write down all titles and credits before you begin editing. Check the spelling of names.
9. Allow enough time to complete the project. Then add an additional 25% to that, because something always ends up taking longer than you thought it would.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Hand holding your camera
There are some times that you just can't use a tripod while you're shooting video. Yet you still want clear audio and a crisp picture without shaking or distracting camera movement. So, what do you do?
A few years back, I was helping a local high school with a special homecoming project. It's a long story, but this event was newsworthy enough to have some regional TV stations cover it. What a great opportunity to observe professional videographers and ENG crew at work.
If you look at the camera operators in these photos, they are hand-holding their heavy pro camcorders. Their footage looked excellent when I saw it on the 10pm news that night. Here are two tricks they used to make their footage look so darned good.
1. They got close to the subject.
2. They used the wide-angle setting on their zoom lenses.
Hey, these folks weren't shy about getting up close and personal when shooting video footage. So they got within a foot or two of their subjects. That not only let them fill the screen with the action, but there was another benefit. By getting so close, the on-camera microphones did a great job in picking up the audio.
Why zoom back to the wide-angle setting? By doing that, any camera movement or shaking was minimized. Remember that when you zoom in on a subject, you not only magnify the image, you magnify any shake or shimmy as you are taping.
We only have two things to work with when we produce a video...and those are PICTURE and SOUND.
By getting close to the subject and shooting at wide angle, we have good pictures.
By getting close and using the on-camera mike, we get good sound.
Remember you can't made a good video out of bad footage. Using these tricks from the pros let us shoot good footage.
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