Buying a video camera can be a frustrating experience. Not just choosing a camera, listening to a sketchy sales pitch and wrestling with sticker shock. The real frustration comes with discovering not only how it works, but learning how to shoot good movies with it right away. Most of us just want to turn on the camera and go… This episode is the first in a multipart series where users can glean common sense tips, and hopefully shoot better video. In this episode we examine the benefits and liabilities of the digital zoom.
The hope and expectation with this series is to guide new and experienced storytellers through the sometimes daunting process of creating an entertaining video. I expect to present my opinions based on real-world experience, and not based on a preference of one manufacturer over another. I will do my best to avoid the jargon and technical hoo-ha that floods most video blogs. If you are looking for a site that discussed the micro-volts of a particular CCD, this would not be the site. I want to give you some basic skills in shooting, lighting, audio, and editing.
I also want to shed some light on all the great new ways you can distribute your content. Just like digital technology and photo web sharing sites put and end to developing at the corner drug store, the same wave is sweeping through personal video creation. I am guessing that sharing your videos on line with friends and family will eliminate those long, grueling nights watching bad home movies in your neighbor’s living room. At least one can hope.
As a little background, I have been given the opportunity to teach documentary production at the university level for over 15 years, 13 of them at the University of Washington in Seattle. In addition, I teach at the UW Graduate School in the Digital Media Masters Program. I have worked in television and film for 30 years as a producer, writer, photographer and editor. My clients in the past 15 years have been predominately national and international productions for BBC, PBS, Disney, ABC, TLC, and Discovery. Most of my work is as a producer and editor, by my love is storytelling. I have extensive experience on editing platforms made by Avid, Discrete, Adobe and Apple. I do my best to be platform agnostic and I also tend to choose a particular tool based on what I can do with it… That is framed more by my comfort level than necessarily the potential of a particular platform.
There are very few “rules” to content creation. But there are a million “guidelines”. These guidelines are often framed by the experience of thousands of storytellers who have gone before us learning what works in a particular situation. I will do my best to give you the guidelines that have worked for me, and to always explain that what I present is not necessarily gospel, but knowledge gleaned from 30 years at the craft of storytelling.
My grandfather said you can’t argue taste, so opinion is just opinion. You may have one belief and I may hold another, but don’t let it stop you from commenting on the points of view I have put forward. I love a healthy and respectful dialog. It is a great way for all of us to learn and improve at the craft. Don’t be shy to comment on these posting, even if it is to say, “Dude, you have a face for radio.” You can contact me at drewke@u.washington.edu if you have questions, I will do my best to get back to you.
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