Whether your aspiration is to become the next Steven Spielberg or just have fun with the camera, it is important to be the best video producer you can be.

The wide availability of lightweight portable cameras and inexpensive video editing software means that just about everyone can try their hand at video production, but if you are serious about your craft there are some important points to consider.

Understanding how the video editing process works and how to make the most of it will help you excel at your craft.

Watch the Films of Those You Admire

Learning from others who have mastered their craft is always a great way to learn, so take some time to step away from the camera and look at the work of filmmakers you admire.  Whether you love the films of Alfred Hitchcock or David Lynch, you can learn from the way they approach their craft.

As you watch your favorite films again, watch with a discerning eye and ask the same questions your film school professor would ask. Why did the director choose to film the scene that way?  What impact do the lighting choices the director made have on the overall look and feel of the film?  No matter what type of film you are trying to make, looking at what others have already done can be a big help.

Take Control of the Lighting

Lighting is an essential part of any video production, and it is important to control your lighting as much as possible.  You may not be able to completely control the lighting when filming outdoors, but you can adjust the type of filters you use on the camera and the shadows you create with set pieces.

Whether you are filming indoors or out, try to have the lighting approach the subjects from above and to the side, rather than straight on. Also be careful when filming your subject with a light source in front of them.  That kind of setup can leave your subject too dark to see. Watch out for shadows as well – those shadows can cause real problems with the clarity of the scene.

Also be careful when mixing more than one type of lighting – the results can be quite unpredictable.  Some types of light can have a distinctive tint that is hard to fix in editing.  Studio lights, for instance, tend to have more reddish elements than natural sunlight, while florescent lights can cast a greenish tint that may be hard to correct.  For continuity of the scene it is best to stick to one type of lighting instead of trying to mix several lighting elements.

Use External Microphones Whenever Possible

Using an external microphone can be a big help, especially if you are unable to get close enough to your subject to capture quality audio. External microphones are also useful when shooting in noisy situations – an external mike will give you better control over which sounds you capture.  Wireless microphones are cheap these days, and they can be quite convenient for filming the scenes you need to capture.

Also look at microphones with different directional patterns – these microphones can provide an even greater level of control.  While traditional microphones are designed to capture sound coming from all sides, a unidirectional microphone is optimized to pick up sound from a single direction.  If you are filming in a very noisy location you may also want to pick up a noise cancelling microphone – these mikes are designed to only pick up sound that is directed at them.  A noise canceling will pick up the dialog quite readily, while canceling out the ambient noises that could otherwise mar the scene.

No matter what type of microphone you choose, it is helpful to wear headphones while you are recording.  This will allow you to hear exactly what is being captured by the mike.  You will be able to tell right away if something is not right, and you will be able to make adjustments on the fly, without have to reshoot the entire scene or spending hours on editing.

A Tripod is a Must

No matter what type of filming you are doing, a tripod is an absolute must.  It can be hard for even the steadiest hand to hold the camera still, especially during those long shots.  A tripod will ensure the camera stays steady, and it will allow you to focus on getting just what you want out of every shot.

There are a number of excellent tripods on the market, including many models that are very lightweight and easy to carry around.  Just be sure to get a tripod that is easy to use and easy to set up, especially if you will be filming in many different locations.

By using these tips you can enhance the beauty of your finished production and get your new pastime off to a great start.  Video production can be a wonderful hobby – or a thriving career.  The key is taking a professional tack and learning as much as you can about the craft of filmmaking.

(Author: Bonnie Conrad)

The goal of an internet marketer is to attract as many customers as possible while keeping advertising cost to a minimum.  This requires the use of several mediums in internet marketing, one of those being video marketing.  Internet video marketing is becoming more relevant than ever.  YouTube is becoming a more popular search engine than Yahoo.  People are reading less and watching more.

Increased Exposure

Starting a video marketing campaign will give you access to post on some of the web’s biggest websites.  You would not be able to access this amount of traffic without the aid of video marketing.   Through video marketing you will be able to target people who would not normally search for your product.  Some people prefer to watch TV rather than read.  It is only logical that some people would rather watch a video than read text online.  That doesn’t mean that they are any less of a consumer, or less valuable.  People who watch TV are more apt to impulse buy than those who read.  This is the audience that you want to target.

Video marketing will help to get Google on your side.  When you search for something on Google, you will most likely be presented with a video from YouTube that relates to your search.  It is no surprise that YouTube would be sponsored high in the Google search, Google owns YouTube.  If your topic is in a particular niche, you could gain access to the first page of Google with little, or zero, effort.

YouTube can boost your page rank as well. YouTube allows you to place a link to your website on your video profile page. This link is a do follow link and will help you to gain organic traffic from the Google search.

YouTube isn’t the only site that allows you to post videos. Expanding your marketing campaign to websites like MetaCafe and Vimeo will help you to increase your reach even further. MetaCafe and Vimeo are both ranked in the top three hundred sites in the world for traffic by Alexa. Gaining access to that amount of traffic should be a driving factor for any business.

Create a Brand

Video marketing is one of the best ways to build a brand name and put a face to your online business. Creating a stream of videos that will inform your viewers and entice them into visiting your website or buying your product is a delicate process. Your spokesperson should represent your website well.  If you are selling diet pills, you shouldn’t have someone who is overweight selling them. You will need to determine what your end customer is looking for, and deliver that in the video.

By creating a brand name you will gain more exposure through word of mouth than you could have otherwise. Branding is a concept that has been in practice since the dawn of consumerism. A great example of the perfect brand name campaign is Band-Aid. When people start referring to a product with the brand name, you have reached the echelon in branding. You don’t search for something on the internet, you Google it.

Syndication

There is no better way to create a viral effect for your product than through video syndication. Syndication is the process of allowing others to post your content on their site. A proper video marketing campaign can start out on one website like YouTube, and end up on thousands.  YouTube, and other similar video websites, give the opportunity for others to embed the videos on their own websites or social media sites. If your video is catchy, or informative, your branding efforts could be realized sooner than ever. If branding fails, syndication will increase your amount of traffic and sales.

Become an Expert

People tend to believe what they see on video. By creating an informative video with the intention of educating your audience, you can successfully harness their trust and be seen as a leader. If the video is done correctly, you will be viewed as the expert in your field. What you say will be given more relevance than if you had not created the video. People will be more apt to follow through with a sale if they trust the salesperson. The internet is filled with predators and it is your job to convince your customers that you are not one. A good video marketing campaign can do that.

Internet video marketing can be a way to reach a new audience, build a brand, syndicate your work, and become an expert. Building a successful video marketing campaign will drive targeted, repeat traffic to your site. This will be done through a large referral base generated by the video sites, a boost in search engine ranking, and word of mouth. There is no easier way to harness the power of word of mouth than by creating an internet video marketing campaign.

YouTube has a reputation as the best place to post video on the web. It’s not the only site that hosts video, though, and for some purposes, it isn’t the best. There are a wide variety of sites available, all of which offer free uploads.

Vimeo: For video producers with the equipment to produce high definition video, Vimeo is the best choice of hosts. Vimeo is the first video sharing site to support HD uploads.

Viddler: When it comes to learning from the process of creating a video, Viddler has one feature that puts it a step above other sites. Viddler offers a more in-depth commenting system than other sites, allowing the producer of a video to get good feedback on her work.

Facebook: Many students are very comfortable using Facebook to host their videos: they are already comfortable using the site and they are easily able to share their videos with friends. It can be difficult to share a video with a person who is not a member of Facebook, but, depending on the purpose of the video, that isn’t always a drawback.

There are literally hundreds of websites that offer video hosting services. The qualities to look for in a good host are security, reliability and community. Community can be especially important: after all, why post a video online if not to share it with others?

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