My goal - Video production

Music Makers Progress Logs
#1

This year, I would like to begin producing quality videos for the web for a number of projects. I’m well overdue with putting out videos of samples and reviews for guitar and recording gear for my shop. I’d love to help create some instructional stuff too.
Some of my hesitations are:

  • I have a face for radio :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
  • I’m super self-conscious of how I’m perceived when speaking
  • Coming up with creative ways to present material without being cheesy
  • etc

I have zero experience with video editing software. I’m sure I can make the audio sound decent (and perhaps that’ll be a slightly different process also), but I have no experience with transitions from shot to shot etc. I really want to avoid using pre-done templates that make it obvious.

I’ve decided that it may be best to start by having some guys help me that are more comfortable in front of a camera and I’ll be behind the lens. Maybe work my way in at certain points until I feel more at ease. The challenge is finding the right people that have a similar vision and are also talented.

Those are a few roadblocks and challenges, but I don’t intend to let any of that stop me from trying.
I’d love any input on valuable places to learn some basics and what I should expect. The fact that I don’t really have any videos done for gear for the shop has cost me a fair amount of potential customers. It’s time I learn!

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#2

  1. Don’t show your face. No need if you’re thgat ugly: don’t want to scare the punters.

  2. Transitions in video editing software are a piece of piss. Fancy ones are like special crossfades which are premade and you just load onto the video timekline in most editing progs. Soft fades from one shot to another are just … crossfades. (I think that word comes first from fiolm/video editing and on into audio software).

The last one’s the toughy. Coming across not cheesy. But I’m sure you can do it.

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#3

I’d love to help out with the technical side of making videos. I have that down for at least simple instructional videos. I can’t help much with the actually making good videos side of it though, but I want to join the conversation so I can learn.

I’m to the point now where I just use Reaper for my video editing. As long as you aren’t doing anything crazy, Reaper can handle it. You’ll probably want to find something else if you want to do fancy titles though. Reaper’s titling abilities are very very basic.

99% of the time, a hard cut is the best transition anyway. Crossfades when you are feeling really special. Anything beyond that is gimmicky.

I find talking into a camera really really hard. It’s hard to talk to a camera but pretend like you are talking to a person. I have a hard time pulling it off, and it shows.

Good lighting goes a long way, and you can get decent lighting for pretty cheap on amazon, and it’s not too hard to learn, but if you are doing it yourself, there’s a lot of room for messing it up. I still get my lighting messed up sometimes and I’ve spent a lot of time behind the camera and dealing with lighting.

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#4

I’d say just about everyone has those ‘fears’ or inhibitions. You’ll just have to dive in and not worry about it. You can always do the videos and ask for opinions before publishing, but if you’re going to be the ‘face’ of your business “it is what it is”, and let people see who you are authentically. Authenticity is the new marketing. Believe it or not.

Boz’s first video was awkward, but still quaint and interesting. I liked it, and understood it was his first. He has since become much more professional with the videos, and I think they’re really good now. It just takes learning and practice. You won’t learn until you feel the burn. :flushed:

I used Sony Movie Studio 13 the other day, and turned out something pretty decent for someone else. It was quite easy after maybe 1/2 day of learning curve, and the software was maybe $50. My only experience before that was video in Pro Tools and Windows Movie Maker. I did try video in Reaper as Boz mentioned, but the video window froze after a few seconds and didn’t see a way to edit videos with that (except the audio, which is what I did).

I saw your ‘headshot’ on your Bryan (bholst) member icon, you’re a reasonably handsome guy. Nervousness is natural, and yeah I’m camera shy too I guess. Work with it until you can be comfortable enough to be on camera. It may take some time, but YOU are the guy to do it for your own business.

A lot of people struggle with scripting and voiceover aspects, if they go that route. Again, I think you probably need to put your own voice on your videos (“Hi, I’m Bryan” etc), but I do voiceover and could help you with that or at least coach you on getting your performance smooth and workable.

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#5

For “daily” stuff, iMovie is very handy.
For the past days, I edited a full interview (about 6 people speaking, 3 cameras, external sound recording, 1h30 of recording) with iMovie 5 only.

Plus, like audio recording you have to have a first step, then another, then…
Looking how others do could be a good starting point: if you want to talk about a new guitar, how a journalist would do (it’s his/her job BTW)?
Writing something down could also help to know what you need: front facing, close-up, screenshots, details, texts…

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#6

I actually do a lot of video production for my work (I’m a teacher), and I even get to teach it to students. A few things I can think of that might make it easier:

Camera’s used to be a huge cost, but nowadays you can film with a half decent SLR and get phenomenal quality. The last two professional crews that I saw, used SLR’s exclusively, and two cameramen set up iPhone 6s’s to do B roll footage. When I asked them why they were doing this, they told me that for simple B roll stuff you only get to see it for a few seconds on the screen, (as cutaways, flashes) and the iPhone camera is brilliant for this job.

Invest in some decent tripods. They don’t have to cost the earth, but they must not break. If you only intend to take static shots, almost any half decent tripod will do. If you want to move the camera around, then you need to start thinking of video camera tripods that are designed to tilt and pan.

One of the best investments my work made was buying a slider. It looks like a long rod / pipe with a camera mount on it. You can then slide your camera manually or tilt it slightly and have the camera slide slowly glide creating an amazing professional shot.

If you’re place is well lit, then you’re good to go. If not, then some lights and reflectors will be needed, and are easy to set up.

For editing, you’ll have to think about sound and picture. The sound should be easy for you to deal with, as long as you pick up voices clearly and add your own sounds / music in the editing. For editing videos, depending on whether you’re on a Mac or PC, iMovie will let you do an amazing job. I myself have to use Final Cut Pro as we do a lot of multi camera work at the moment. For the PC you can get some really good free software (Lightworks is excellent) and some half decently priced software (Adobe Premier Elements = $100 or so)

When I started out I watched a whole load of Lynda.com videos, which are excellent in showing you how to construct videos.

Here’s a link to a video I made about 4 years ago:

Please don’t judge the sound! I hadn’t yet got into mixing and the whole thing was filmed, and overdubbed in an afternoon. Editing took two more afternoons. All speech was recorded on a Zoom H2 in a classroom!

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#7

Wow guys! I’m so stoked to see all of this input already. Thank you!!

I’ll definitely show my progress on here as it comes along. This is awesome to know you’re all willing to help me along the way. Feels a lot like when I stepped into RR the first time :wink:

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#8

hey man what are you using for the video editing. That would help to know. Also never stick with a shot for more than 10 secs without some kind of action.(camera moving, cutting to a different angle, person is doing something interesting) Seems like it would become hyperactive but that is not the case 10 secs is quite a long time when you. Finally don’t be afraid to edit. I would say start by cutting more than you think you should from clips. You will probably find in the long run that you wish you had cut more.

#9

Well, I have Pro Tools for the home studio, but I also have a slightly older version of the Adobe suite, so I have access to After Effects etc

#10

so you have premier pro with that adobe suite?

#11

I believe I do? I’m going through that tonight. I recognize it sounds silly that I don’t even know what I have, but I only installed part of it. It was a great deal when I was working with the schools and I really only needed Photoshop at the time :wink:

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#12

If you have Creative Cloud you have Premiere.

It’s a capable program. Use it, for sure.

I work as a video editor/producer for an ad agency. Our stuff is low-ish budget but that’s just the game in my part of the world. I can definitely help with some pointers of the actual creation and/or editing process.

Script out what you plan to say to get the words in your head, but then throw the script out and just talk about the reason for the video with your own words and demeanor.

Truthfully, the world craves honesty and genuine-ness (I feel like there’s a word out there to replace that but my brain just isn’t giving it to me right this second). If you’re a little wonky-looking but are enthusiastic and authentic, they’ll love you. If you’re attractive as hell but a douchenozzle, they’ll love you for the wrong reasons.

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#13

Right cool. I use premiere and i like it. It is fairly easy to learn so the bigger really comes down to recognizing what makes a good video. It is like developing your ears it takes time. I would suggest trying one and throw it in the bash this and it will be a fun learning experience for all of us.

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#14

Thank you so much! I appreciate your willingness to help. Also, the second half of your reply cracked me up and made my day :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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#15

I’ll definitely post them when I start. Even if I don’t like them, I’m sure you’ll have tips for me!

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#16

Authenticity? :slight_smile:

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#17

oh how I wish that were true. People crave the illusion of authenticity. But shiny lights are still far more intriguing.

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#18

I can add to my previous post. You’ll obviously be filming the direct stuff - shots of the products, shots of you talking or demonstrating the equipment. One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you film extra - more than you need. Film stuff that can be used in transitions or intros or outs. For you this could be filming simple things like plugging stuff in, turning dials, going through presets, but also other things like cutaway shots of instruments, cables, microphones, lights. Come editing time, there’s nothing more frustrating than saying “if only I had a shot of a guitar cable being plugged into…” and not having the shot. The other side effect of this is, if you do it regularly enough you might end up with a small library of b-roll shots that can be used on different videos.

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#19

I can’t believe I missed this thread. I have been struggling with video. This is an awesome thread for me. The Lynda videos are really good.

#20

bumping this thread back up. A video question reminded me of this thread. I have some gear that I’ve acquired and I’ll post the list, but I’m planning to shoot some gear demos soon, so I’ll post what I’m doing (shooting, editing, etc) as I go.