Selecting a Tripod, Microphone and Camera for Web Video

Get a big edge with your video blog by using a good tripod, microphone & camera. These can also help... For more, please check out the product link in the Links section.

High quality copies of this video as well as additional DVD’s, books and digital downloads and more are available at videomaker.com/vstore. This time on Tips and Tricks, we are going to look a little deep breath improving the content and understanding some of our options when making online video. The first thing that we’re going to want to look at is a type of video camera that you’re using. It doesn’t have to be the best; it doesn’t have to shoot high definition video, you can use any type of camera that you want using number that you need to capture your video to computer. And there are some things that you should look for. Number one, make sure that it comes with a mic input. People attend to be—to sit through bad video but they are not willing to sit through bad audio. Having a mic input allows for more clarity when capturing voice over, foley and sound effects. There are few of our mics that you’re going to want to look at and decide which one is right for your need. A lavalier is a small mic that attaches to the shirt or collar that generally use to pick up subject voices during interviews. A shotgun mic focuses on a certain subject by picking up audio at a give in direction. A cardiod mic is a standard mic from use by reporters and picks up audio in a heart shape pattern. When using a mic, remember that closer is better. Number two, make sure that it has the ability to hook up to your computer. Most order cam recorders have a fire wire input and most AVCHD camcorders come with the USB input. If you end up going with a flash camcorder, be sure that your computer has an SD card slot. Number three, use a tripod. With three lays of support using a tripod create shots that are stable and eliminates bad shaky video. There are multiple different types of tripod and camera supports to choice from that you might want to consider. A monopod has a single stuff or pull use to support a camera. People generally like to use monopods if they want the ease of a hand held shot by the support of the tripod. It’s lighter and much more convenient if you are on the go. A gorilla pod is a smaller tripod that has bendable support which allow for it to mount onto a tree branch or on otherwise, hard place to put a full size tripod in. In terms of lights, it all depends on where you want to take your video. They say that a paint or paints with his brush and a videographer paints with his lights. This means the better you light your scene, the more professional it could look. You can also add elements and styles based upon how you light. The foundation for all professional shoots is known as three point lighting. Essentially, placing one light source in front of the subject, another light off to the side to fill in the shadows, and a light in behind the subject to separate them from the background. The same technique can be apply with normal house lights. Simply place one in front of the subject and one behind the subject. Sure, it sounds as good but some light is better than no light. In terms of editing, Mac users can go with iMovie and PC users can use Windows Movie Maker. These have enough to them to make sure that you are cutting up the bad and just using what you need. When shooting your videos, be sure to use multiple takes from different angles to give yourself the most amounts of options to use later on in the editing process. And lastly, in case you’re unaware, you must have a fast internet connection to upload videos online. This means dial up is going to help you much and broadband is the way to go. You’re looking at a 768 kbps minimum to upload video which can be found in a Cable Modem Service or DSL. Now that we know what to use to make better online videos, it’s time to go out there and apply these techniques on our next video shoot.