IntroductionWelcome| 00:04 | Hi! I am Rob Sheppard.
| | 00:05 | Welcome to Shooting Video with a DSLR.
| | 00:08 | DSLR cameras are designed primarily for
shooting still photographs, but recently
| | 00:13 | many DSLRs have now include the
capability of shooting HD video.
| | 00:18 | In this course, I'll introduce you
to equipment and shooting techniques
| | 00:22 | that will allow you to transition
from still photography to shooting video
| | 00:26 | with a DSLR camera.
| | 00:28 | I'll start by identifying the major
differences between composing individual
| | 00:32 | still photographs, and telling
a story over time with video.
| | 00:36 | Next, I'll take a look at the ideal
equipment for shooting video, including
| | 00:41 | camera supports, lights, and
even specific camera components.
| | 00:46 | Finally, we'll go hands-on.
| | 00:48 | As I shoot video of an event, I'll
explore vital techniques for capturing
| | 00:51 | the action with a DSLR, like choosing the
right shutter speed and recording great audio.
| | 00:56 | Well, anybody with a video-capable
DSLR should benefit from this course,
| | 01:01 | some knowledge of the
foundations of still photography is ideal.
| | 01:06 | As a photographer and a videographer,
I'm really excited about the possibilities
| | 01:10 | of shooting video with a DSLR.
| | 01:13 | Let's get started!
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| What video can do for you| 00:00 | I am really excited about the
possibilities of shooting video with a DSLR and
| | 00:04 | I hope you are too.
| | 00:06 | My goal is to make all of this a
littlest less intimidating, so that you feel
| | 00:10 | comfortable going out and
shooting your own videos.
| | 00:14 | I want to show you a simple and short
video I have shot and put together with a
| | 00:18 | DSLR, and here it is.
| | 00:21 | (Jazz music playing)
| | 00:23 | One reason this particular video
grabs your attention is because of the
| | 00:26 | subject matter obviously.
| | 00:28 | But that would not gain your
attention if the video had been shot from a
| | 00:31 | distance and didn't make you feel like
you're right in there with the dancers.
| | 00:36 | This was shot with a DSLR, a few lenses,
a shotgun mic, and a video head on a tripod.
| | 00:42 | all things that are readily
available to any photographer.
| | 00:46 | I would not expect you to go out and
record swing dancers, but I have a feeling
| | 00:50 | that you have subjects
that you really care about.
| | 00:53 | Subjects that would look
great when shot on video.
| | 00:56 | Caring about your subject in some way is
important for video, because the viewer
| | 01:00 | is going to be seeing lots of
different things about that subject even if you
| | 01:03 | are only doing a short video.
| | 01:06 | Learning to work with your camera's
strengths and limitations, rather than
| | 01:10 | struggling against it, will help you
immensely and that's where practice comes in.
| | 01:15 | So, get ready to have fun and get out
and shoot some video and really enjoy the
| | 01:21 | process, because video can be a
fun way to work with your DSLR.
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1. Differences Between Photography and VideoStopping time in photography vs. recording over time with video| 00:00 | One of the cool things about digital
cameras today is they allow you to shoot video.
| | 00:05 | Now you are probably used to
shooting still photos with your camera.
| | 00:09 | Shooting video is a little different.
| | 00:11 | It's not simply a matter of
flicking a switch to go to video.
| | 00:14 | It can be very helpful to
understand a little bit about the difference
| | 00:18 | between still photography and video in order
to get the most out of video with your camera.
| | 00:24 | In this movie, we are going to look at
a key difference between video and still
| | 00:28 | photography and how you produce
and work with individual shots.
| | 00:33 | This has little to do with equipment, but a
lot to do with how you approach your subject.
| | 00:38 | Think about it.
| | 00:39 | You're out taking pictures of some great
location or a subject like these swing dancers.
| | 00:45 | As a photographer, you look for
individual shots that really stand out.
| | 00:49 | Perhaps scenes create a vision for
you that will make a cool picture you
| | 00:53 | could put on your wall.
| | 00:55 | The point is that you are looking
for single images and you are looking
| | 00:59 | for single best images.
| | 01:01 | You might use these images in a
slideshow or something like that, but you are
| | 01:05 | still going to look for that one key
picture that expresses how you feel about a
| | 01:11 | particular scene or subject.
| | 01:13 | You move around and look for the best
angle, the best light, use the best focal
| | 01:19 | lengths that can really bring
the most out of that subject.
| | 01:21 | Well, video is a bit different.
| | 01:24 | With still photography, anyone looking at
your pictures will look at them one at a time.
| | 01:30 | The experience is always
about the individual image.
| | 01:34 | However, with video, you are looking at
an experience of images or shots over time.
| | 01:42 | Video plays out over time.
| | 01:44 | In fact, usually video will play out
with multiple images or shots over time.
| | 01:50 | It is rare that you can actually
compose a scene for video and just let the
| | 01:56 | camera keep recording minutes of video,
because people are not used to that.
| | 02:01 | They will get bored.
| | 02:02 | They will get tired of watching your video.
| | 02:06 | Video is about change over time, which
is exactly what still photography is not.
| | 02:12 | In fact, one of the strengths of still
photography is to be able to distill a
| | 02:17 | visual from a complex part
of life into a single image.
| | 02:22 | The best of photography creates still
images that are in a sense timeless. Oh, sure,
| | 02:29 | if you wanted to put your camera on a
tripod in an interesting location and just
| | 02:34 | turn the video on, it will
record that scene for many minutes.
| | 02:38 | There is a problem with that.
| | 02:40 | That's not how people look at video.
| | 02:43 | People are used to seeing video from
television and they are used to seeing
| | 02:48 | sequences of images come
together in movies from Hollywood.
| | 02:52 | So video has to be built from multiple
images or shots that create an impression
| | 02:58 | of the scene or the subject as
the video plays out over time.
| | 03:02 | Think of it this way.
| | 03:04 | Photography is about stopping time.
| | 03:08 | Video is about recording time and the
convention for the way we look at video
| | 03:15 | recording time is multiple little clips
or scenes that come together in order to
| | 03:21 | show something about a subject or scene.
| | 03:25 | Video is literally built from
a series of individual shots.
| | 03:31 | Now we will be talking very specifically
about some ways that you can do exactly
| | 03:36 | that in later portions of this course.
| | 03:40 | But for now, it's helpful to start
thinking about video as based on individual
| | 03:45 | clips that come together to create a whole.
| | 03:50 | You will be going out shooting and
looking for a variety of shots that you can
| | 03:54 | use to portray your subject.
| | 03:57 | This approach to a subject is very different
than you have been used to with photography.
| | 04:02 | But with a little time and effort,
there is no question you will be able to
| | 04:07 | start shooting video and explore this
fun way of capturing the world around us.
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| Shooting for movement over time| 00:00 | When you start shooting video,
remember this important concept.
| | 00:04 | Photography stops time,
while video records over time.
| | 00:08 | In this movie, we are going to look
at another key difference between video
| | 00:12 | and still photography
| | 00:13 | that is also related to time,
but in a different way.
| | 00:16 | Now we are going to look at movement over time.
| | 00:20 | Since still photography is about
stopping movement, you cannot actually show
| | 00:24 | movement in a photograph.
| | 00:25 | Well I know some of you are thinking
"Gee, I could shoot with a slow shutter
| | 00:30 | speed and show a blur to capture movement."
| | 00:33 | That's true you can, but you can't
actually show the movement in action.
| | 00:37 | All you can do is show an interpretation
of the movement, but it's still stopped.
| | 00:43 | There is nothing moving in a finished
photograph about stopped action on the
| | 00:47 | sports field or dancers on a stage.
| | 00:49 | They will both show something
about movement in the photograph.
| | 00:53 | On the other hand, video shows us
movement in action actually happening.
| | 00:59 | We can watch as dancers
make their moves to the music.
| | 01:02 | We can watch a football
play develop on the field.
| | 01:04 | We don't have to wait for
action to pause at a key moment.
| | 01:08 | We simply record video
through the entire movement.
| | 01:12 | We don't have to worry about missing the
action because we timed the shot wrong
| | 01:16 | for a photograph, because video is
continuously recording that action.
| | 01:21 | This is a very important
difference between photography and video.
| | 01:26 | Many photographers miss this point,
because when they start shooting video they
| | 01:29 | simply turn on the video and record the scene.
| | 01:32 | They aren't necessarily looking for movement.
| | 01:35 | Yet because movement is so important
to video, viewers have a tendency to get
| | 01:39 | bored if video has no movement at all.
| | 01:43 | This gets to be very interesting when
you compare two versions of movement:
| | 01:46 | a stopped action versus action in progress.
| | 01:49 | Suppose you see a nice still photograph
that shows off a bit of stopped action
| | 01:53 | such as these dancers here.
| | 01:56 | This is a photograph that will
catch your attention, and even if you
| | 01:59 | don't care a lot about dancing, you'll still
find it a very interesting and dynamic image.
| | 02:04 | So, even without anything moving in the
photograph, that image catches our attention.
| | 02:10 | Yet if you put an image or video on
screen without showing the movement,
| | 02:16 | the viewer would quickly tire of it.
| | 02:20 | Viewers want to watch the
movement of the subject.
| | 02:23 | The difference is obvious.
| | 02:25 | We want to see the action
going on if we're watching video.
| | 02:29 | We'll be working in-depth with
movement later in this course.
| | 02:33 | But for now it's important to keep in
mind this very significant difference
| | 02:37 | between video and photography. Movement.
| | 02:40 | Right away, you have a take away for
shooting video: look for and record movement.
| | 02:46 | This does not mean that video
has to be constantly moving.
| | 02:50 | Movement just to add movement can
create images that are hard to watch or even
| | 02:54 | make your viewer feel a little seasick.
| | 02:58 | What you do want to look
for is touches of movement.
| | 03:02 | For example, you are shooting some action
like these dancers, but it is in between action.
| | 03:07 | Look for something happening that
might give some sort of movement, such as a
| | 03:11 | gesture while they are talking.
| | 03:13 | Even that little touch of movement can
give a feeling of something happening at
| | 03:17 | this place and that you're not
showing us a still photograph.
| | 03:21 | Movement that is obvious, such as
someone dancing, is pretty easy to deal with.
| | 03:26 | Finding movement in other situations
is not always so easy and often requires
| | 03:31 | you to simply be patient.
| | 03:33 | Watch, wait, and record as the
subject or the scene changes.
| | 03:38 | Often something will occur that will
give just a little bit of movement that
| | 03:42 | will change your visual from being
a photograph to being something more
| | 03:45 | interesting for video.
| | 03:47 | So be aware of movement, understand its
importance to video, and you immediately
| | 03:53 | gain a good start on thinking
about shooting video with your DSLR.
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| Composing for constantly changing visuals| 00:00 | In this movie, we are going to go
a little deeper with the idea of
| | 00:03 | changing visuals over time.
| | 00:05 | With video, you are looking for more
than a single best shot and you look for
| | 00:10 | images that play out over time.
| | 00:12 | Looking for change has a lot to do with that.
| | 00:16 | Think again about a still photo.
| | 00:18 | We look at photographs one at a time.
| | 00:20 | Indeed, a lot of our experience of
photographs is based on individual images
| | 00:25 | that we see on the wall, on page of a
book, in an advertisement, and so forth.
| | 00:30 | You may have heard the
phrase "the decisive moment."
| | 00:34 | This comes from the work of
photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.
| | 00:38 | Cartier-Bresson was a French
photographer known for his impeccable
| | 00:42 | compositions of street scenes.
| | 00:45 | His photographs work so well, because he
took the picture at the decisive moment
| | 00:50 | where everything in a scene all
came together in a great picture.
| | 00:54 | That's something all
photographers strive to do in a photograph.
| | 00:58 | We want to find that decisive
moment when dancers hit a peak action.
| | 01:02 | We want that decisive moment when light is
just right on the landscape and so forth.
| | 01:07 | While specific moments can be
important in video, we are not looking for that
| | 01:12 | one decisive moment to pull the
trigger, so to speak, and take the picture.
| | 01:17 | We are looking for groups of images
that come together to create an impression
| | 01:22 | of the subject, event or scene in such
a way that it literally comes alive for
| | 01:27 | the person watching the video.
| | 01:30 | We are looking for shots that show
off the area of a big scene and we are
| | 01:33 | looking for shots that
show of details of that scene.
| | 01:36 | We are looking for shots that show
relationships of things in that scene.
| | 01:41 | All of these shots are then brought
together to make a complete video.
| | 01:46 | That's what editing is all about.
| | 01:48 | Editing video is not about software or
any other technology, though obviously
| | 01:53 | you need them in order to be able to do that.
| | 01:56 | Editing video is about having a lot of
different shots of a subject or a scene
| | 02:02 | and then being able to bring them
together to create a complete impression of
| | 02:07 | whatever it is you are recording on video.
| | 02:10 | So, one thing that you will immediately
be doing as you shoot video is looking
| | 02:14 | for variety of shots.
| | 02:16 | You are not going out and looking
for the one shot at the decisive moment;
| | 02:20 | you're going out looking for distinctive and
different shots that will give you variety.
| | 02:25 | With video, you will be looking for
change over time, you will look for movement,
| | 02:31 | and you will look for that
variety in all of your shots.
| | 02:36 | Editing video starts right here.
| | 02:38 | If you do not have variety in shots,
you say, "Oh, I am missing something.
| | 02:42 | Maybe I need a close-up of some feet," and
now we have something. It puts it together.
| | 02:47 | Because if you don't have what you
need to put that together, it's very
| | 02:52 | frustrating, and not having the shot is
just-- I can't even begin to tell you
| | 02:58 | how frustrating that is when you're editing.
| | 03:00 | So, in one sense, you can never
have too much variety for video.
| | 03:05 | Now, I want to be clear.
| | 03:07 | This does not mean setting up every
shot in the same way that you would
| | 03:11 | carefully set up a still photograph.
| | 03:13 | Often, when shooting video, pros will
very quickly shoot all sorts of images
| | 03:19 | around the main scene.
| | 03:20 | They may be set up for a really nice
overall shot of a subject, but as pros
| | 03:25 | finish recording that subject, they
will start looking for other details of the
| | 03:29 | scene while they're still
set up in that same spot.
| | 03:34 | The fact is, the pro who is shooting
video will always look for that variety.
| | 03:38 | A very simple example would
be an event like the dancing.
| | 03:42 | A lot of people record
events, but what do they shoot?
| | 03:45 | They shoot the obvious
action but not a lot more.
| | 03:49 | That's really hard to use for editing video.
| | 03:53 | Suppose the photographer shooting
video quickly got shots of faces of
| | 03:58 | individual dancers, shots of feet,
shots of the setting, and so forth.
| | 04:03 | Now, that would be variety and that
would give such a dynamic impression of what
| | 04:08 | this dancing was really all about.
| | 04:11 | Even if all you cared about was a
specific dancer, having these other shots would
| | 04:16 | give a richness of context and
experience from the dancing that would make the
| | 04:21 | video more interesting.
| | 04:23 | That's what video is really all about.
| | 04:25 | It is about being able to change the
visuals constantly as video plays out and
| | 04:31 | the only way you can change those
visuals as if you have shot them.
| | 04:35 | So, start thinking about shooting
variety and capturing variety quickly as
| | 04:40 | you shoot video.
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| Adjusting to shooting for a non-RAW medium| 00:00 | One thing that has become very
important to photographers is the capability
| | 00:04 | of shooting RAW files.
| | 00:06 | Even if you have not had a need to
shoot RAW, some photographers use it
| | 00:10 | occasionally and some photographers use
it all the time, but most photographers
| | 00:14 | are aware that it has
special processing capabilities.
| | 00:19 | Video in a DSLR, on the other
hand, has no RAW capability.
| | 00:24 | In this movie, we are going to look at what
no RAW capability means for shooting video.
| | 00:29 | If you're used to the control you get
with RAW, you will have to adjust. You do
| | 00:34 | not get that control with video.
| | 00:36 | There have been a lot of
misconceptions about RAW, because RAW is really a
| | 00:40 | unique concept to photography.
| | 00:43 | A RAW file is not
arbitrarily better than a JPEG file.
| | 00:47 | In fact, a JPEG file is actually
a RAW file that has been processed
| | 00:51 | smartly inside your camera.
| | 00:54 | A JPEG file is a file with a limited
amount of information that can be processed.
| | 00:59 | If the file has been shot very
carefully and you don't need to do a lot to it,
| | 01:03 | then it won't look any
different than a RAW file.
| | 01:06 | However, if there are any issues with
that file from when it was captured,
| | 01:11 | you will be more limited as to what
you could do compared to a RAW file.
| | 01:15 | A RAW file is an image file that
has a huge amount of information in it
| | 01:20 | compared to the JPEG file.
| | 01:22 | You can do much more with it, gaining
more tonal and color information out of
| | 01:26 | it compared to JPEG.
| | 01:28 | RAW image files have extra
capability for when you need it.
| | 01:33 | RAW files allow you to dig more detail
and color out of bright areas and dark
| | 01:38 | areas in your photograph.
| | 01:39 | RAW files offer the ability to do
significant fixing to an image without quality loss.
| | 01:46 | You can't do that with video.
| | 01:48 | If you start getting sloppy with how you are
taking your pictures, your video will suffer.
| | 01:54 | You have to be sure that your
exposure is good, that you've chosen a white
| | 01:58 | balance, and that the light is
appropriate for your subject and scene.
| | 02:02 | There is no RAW for video in a DSLR.
| | 02:07 | If you're used to shooting JPEG files,
this might not be such a big issue.
| | 02:11 | Video exposure has very many
similarities to JPEG, but if you are used to
| | 02:16 | shooting RAW files and then working on
them in the computer, you're not going to
| | 02:20 | be working on your video
images in the computer in that way.
| | 02:25 | Now, maybe you have seen some video
editing software and noticed there are some
| | 02:29 | capabilities for adjustment of things
like exposure, white balance, and so forth.
| | 02:34 | That's true, there are those capabilities,
but they are quite limited compared to RAW files.
| | 02:39 | If you start making major adjustments
in the computer on a video file, it is
| | 02:44 | going to start to come
apart in terms of quality.
| | 02:48 | By come apart I mean the
quality drops in a hurry.
| | 02:51 | You will lose tonality, you will pick up
noise, you'll have color issues, you'll
| | 02:57 | have issues with how smooth gradations are.
| | 03:00 | In other words, you're going to have problems.
| | 03:02 | So, the best thing to do is shoot
your video as best as you can with the
| | 03:07 | understanding that you're not going to be
able to fix big problems later in the computer.
| | 03:12 | I will be talking more about how to
shoot better quality video in other
| | 03:17 | movies in this course.
| | 03:19 | For now, just keep in mind that you need
to be careful and don't get sloppy with
| | 03:24 | how you shoot video.
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| Understanding resolution for video| 00:00 | I delayed talking about resolution
with video until now, because I wanted
| | 00:04 | to introduce you first to some general
things that make video different than photography.
| | 00:09 | I didn't want you to get caught up in a
lot of numbers and technology before you
| | 00:14 | really started to get a feel
for the video medium itself.
| | 00:18 | In photography, you can
change resolution at will.
| | 00:21 | In fact, camera manufacturers are
constantly changing resolution to try to get
| | 00:25 | you to buy the newest and
latest camera with higher resolution.
| | 00:30 | There are cameras that shoot at 10
megapixels, 15 megapixels, 20 megapixels and more.
| | 00:36 | HD video is totally different.
| | 00:39 | it has two resolutions and only two resolutions.
| | 00:43 | It doesn't matter how expensive your
camera is, how big the sensor is, even how
| | 00:48 | many megapixels your camera has.
HD video still has only two resolutions.
| | 00:55 | They are simply called 1080 and 720 HD.
| | 01:00 | This is a big deal.
| | 01:02 | Photographers are used to cropping
their photos, taking part of an image and
| | 01:06 | getting rid of the rest, changing
the shape and the format and so forth.
| | 01:11 | You cannot do that with video.
| | 01:13 | 1080 HD video refers to a video
image that is 1920x1080 pixels in size.
| | 01:21 | 720 HD is 1280x720 pixels.
| | 01:26 | If you look at the actual resolution
of your camera's photo files, you'll
| | 01:30 | probably discover something like
4000-6000 by 3000-4000 pixels,
| | 01:36 | a huge difference compared to video.
| | 01:39 | That is something very
important to keep in mind.
| | 01:42 | The mega pixels of your camera have
nothing to do with the resolution of the
| | 01:46 | video coming from your camera.
| | 01:48 | 1080 video gives you an image size
approximately equal to two megapixels.
| | 01:54 | 720 video gives you an image size that
is approximately equal to one megapixel.
| | 02:00 | So, if you had thoughts of simply
shooting video and then taking still pictures
| | 02:05 | from your video, you might want to
think again. You're not going to have a
| | 02:09 | resolution that will allow you to do that.
| | 02:13 | That might sound like your camera
doesn't have to do a lot of work because it's
| | 02:17 | working with such a small image file
compared to the big megapixel still
| | 02:21 | photos that we are used to with photography.
| | 02:25 | Well, a single image from video would
not be very big, but you're not dealing
| | 02:30 | with single images here.
| | 02:32 | With video, you are typically shooting
at approximately 30 frames per second.
| | 02:38 | That means your camera has to deal
with thirty 1-2 mega pixel photographs per
| | 02:43 | second and keep doing it for however
long you continue to record the scene.
| | 02:48 | That's a lot of data for the camera to handle.
| | 02:51 | Both resolutions actually do look
very good on an HD television set.
| | 02:57 | Both are true standards for
high definition television.
| | 03:02 | Now, is there an advantage to
shooting 1080 over 720 video?
| | 03:07 | Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Both display well on an HD television set.
| | 03:13 | The resolutions refer simply to how many
pixels are in the image area, not to how
| | 03:18 | large or small the image will display on screen.
| | 03:22 | But if you're going to do limited
cropping to your image or if you want to do
| | 03:27 | some effects with your video, then
having the higher resolution with more pixels
| | 03:32 | to work with can be an advantage.
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| Choosing a video frame rate| 00:00 | Frame rate is another technical area
that is important to know about but you do
| | 00:04 | not have to go out and constantly
change the setting on your camera.
| | 00:08 | This is worth understanding the
differences, so you can make the choice when
| | 00:11 | you want or need to.
| | 00:13 | I mentioned that video is
typically shot at 30 frames per second.
| | 00:17 | That's the traditional way that video is shot.
| | 00:19 | A lot of video is actually shot at 29.97
frames per second, which is nearly 30
| | 00:26 | frames per second, but it's based on an
old standard that continues today for the
| | 00:30 | way that video is timed for broadcast.
| | 00:33 | Your camera may also give you
different options for the frame rate such as 60
| | 00:37 | frames per second or 24 frames per second.
| | 00:41 | In some parts of the world, you may also see
50 frames per second or 25 frames per second.
| | 00:47 | If you want to keep things simple,
shoot at 30 frames a second and your
| | 00:50 | video will be fine.
| | 00:52 | And if your camera will only give you
a certain frame rate, you'll also be
| | 00:56 | fine shooting that.
| | 00:58 | If you have options on your camera,
you can experiment to see what those
| | 01:02 | choices might do for you, but you could
never change from 30 frames per second
| | 01:06 | and have excellent video.
| | 01:09 | The main choice you will see on camera's
shooting 1080 HD video is between either
| | 01:13 | 30 frames per second or 24 frames per second.
| | 01:16 | Video has long used a 30
frames a second as a standard.
| | 01:21 | That gives a certain video look because of
the way that images change on the screen.
| | 01:27 | When we're watching video or film,
we're watching a lot of little still pictures
| | 01:31 | going by in a hurry.
| | 01:33 | Our mind puts them together
and makes it look like movement.
| | 01:36 | At 30 frames a second, our mind
puts them together in a way that looks
| | 01:40 | like traditional video.
| | 01:42 | Film on the other hand has always
been shot at 24 frames a second.
| | 01:46 | While it may not seem like a big
difference between 24 frames and 30 frames per
| | 01:50 | second, it is enough to change
the way our brain sees the movement.
| | 01:54 | If something is moving, video tends
to make that movement looks smoother.
| | 01:59 | If the camera moves across the scene,
that move tends to look smoother with
| | 02:03 | 30 frames per second.
| | 02:05 | You won't see the differences here in the
way the video is rendered for the course.
| | 02:09 | However, I've included two movies of
the same action at the 24 and 30 frame
| | 02:14 | rates as free exercise files that
you can download from the course page.
| | 02:20 | Check these files out and
compare the way movement is captured.
| | 02:24 | Now, you might think it would be a good
idea to keep everything looking smoother.
| | 02:29 | However, we are so used to seeing
films from Hollywood shot at 24 frames a
| | 02:34 | second that our brain starts
associating that frame rate with a film look.
| | 02:39 | While, there are other things that
give a true film look, 24 frames a second
| | 02:44 | definitely has that feeling.
| | 02:45 | 60 frames per second is another option,
but is a more specialized speed often
| | 02:50 | used for sports to really smooth out movement.
| | 02:54 | So what should you shoot?
| | 02:56 | The best thing to do is try and
discover for yourself what a given frame rate
| | 03:00 | looks like with the type
of video you are shooting.
| | 03:04 | Then choose the one you like best, keeping
in mind some of the ideas presented here.
| | 03:09 | But if you just want to keep it simple,
you could always shoot at 30 frames per second.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
2. Gearing UpComparing DSLRs with traditional camcorders| 00:00 | Are you starting to get a feel for what
video is all about, especially how video
| | 00:04 | is different than the still
photography that you may be used to?
| | 00:07 | In order to shoot video, you
obviously need some gear that's going to help
| | 00:11 | you get better video.
| | 00:12 | In this movie, we're going to be
talking about the camera part of that gear.
| | 00:17 | We'll look at some of the important
features of your camera, as well as
| | 00:19 | differences that you can expect to see
with cameras and how that might affect
| | 00:23 | your approach to shooting video.
| | 00:26 | You can get quality HD video from any DSLR
on the market today that captures HD video.
| | 00:32 | But why are DSLRs good for video?
| | 00:35 | It isn't about megapixels.
| | 00:37 | In an earlier movie, we talked
about how megapixels really don't have a
| | 00:40 | big effect on video.
| | 00:42 | Trying to get more and more megapixels in
a camera won't help you get better video.
| | 00:47 | DSLR design does not make
them optimum for shooting video.
| | 00:51 | Camcorders are designed from scratch for video.
| | 00:54 | They are designed to be held in
convenient ways for video as well.
| | 00:59 | DSLRs are designed for still photography
and not for video, meaning they are not
| | 01:04 | always the most
comfortable cameras to use for video.
| | 01:06 | OK, again then why do we shoot
video with the DSLRs other than they are
| | 01:12 | something new that camera
manufacturers can market?
| | 01:15 | Because you get some features not
readily available with traditional camcorders.
| | 01:21 | First is interchangeable lenses.
| | 01:24 | This is a big deal.
| | 01:25 | It is now easy to shoot wide angle,
super telephoto, fisheye, macro, and so on,
| | 01:32 | capabilities that are not
available for a camcorder user.
| | 01:36 | These lenses include single focal length
lenses that are not available for camcorders.
| | 01:42 | Zoom lenses, as you kno, are the
most commonly used DSLR lenses.
| | 01:46 | Single focal length or prime lenses were
the only way to use lenses before zooms.
| | 01:52 | The big advantage of a prime lens is lens speed.
| | 01:55 | These lenses can be made to allow a
lot more light through the optics with a
| | 02:00 | wider, faster, maximum f-stop.
| | 02:03 | On a zoom, you might have
a maximum f-stop of F-4.
| | 02:06 | But with a prime lens, you could have
an f-stop of F-2 or even wider such as
| | 02:10 | F-1.4, or like on this lens, F-1.2.
| | 02:15 | Such lenses let in 4 to 10
times the light of the slower zoom.
| | 02:21 | In addition vamcorders typically use
very small sensors, sensors that are
| | 02:25 | smaller than any used on any DSLR.
| | 02:29 | That means a severe
limitation on wide-angle capabilities.
| | 02:33 | Most Camcorders cannot shoot very wide at all.
| | 02:36 | All DSLRs offer a far greater range of
wide-angle possibilities than anything
| | 02:42 | the traditional camcorders have had.
| | 02:45 | Small sensors also mean very short
focal lengths that have to be used for even
| | 02:50 | normal shooting, which means that
traditional video camcorders always have a
| | 02:55 | lot of depth of field.
| | 02:56 | You can see that here.
| | 02:58 | There is a shot with a camcorder, lot of
depth of field, the background shows up really well.
| | 03:02 | The dancers are about equal in sharpness.
| | 03:05 | And this one shot with the DSLR. We now
have limited the depth of field to the
| | 03:09 | front dancer and the back row
starts falling off out of focus.
| | 03:13 | Any DSLR will allow you to control
depth of field better than most camcorders.
| | 03:19 | Camcorders typically have a LCD
that flips out from the camera.
| | 03:25 | And that makes it very easy to see what's
being recorded and for when you're shooting.
| | 03:30 | Most DSLRs don't have that.
| | 03:32 | Viewing video while shooting was
designed into the camcorder, yet this was not
| | 03:37 | meant to be part of the design of a DSLR,
and that is a weakness of this type of camera.
| | 03:42 | Now some DSLRs such as this one are
getting flip-out rotating LCDs, which are a
| | 03:49 | big help, though most cameras do not have
this feature and you can miss that when
| | 03:53 | you're shooting video.
| | 03:55 | Camcorders have been designed to
get the best from audio recording.
| | 03:59 | They have rather large and
specialized microphones that are built into the
| | 04:04 | camera as well as microphone jacks
for plugging an external microphone in.
| | 04:09 | DSLRs have not done as well with audio.
| | 04:12 | Some cameras do not even
have a plug for an external mic.
| | 04:15 | That's a big disadvantage for audio recording.
| | 04:18 | In addition, no DSLR has what could be
called a quality microphone for recording audio.
| | 04:25 | The little dots that are right
here and there are just 4 little dots,
| | 04:28 | that's it for getting any sound
into that microphone and it's a little
| | 04:33 | tiny microphone anyway.
| | 04:35 | So if you're looking to purchase a DSLR for
video, makes sure that it has a microphone jack.
| | 04:41 | That will do as much as anything
to allow you to get better audio.
| | 04:45 | Better audio starts by
having an external microphone.
| | 04:48 | Most camcorders give you a range of
possibilities for how to change your
| | 04:53 | exposure and focus controls.
| | 04:54 | While you always have a lot of control
over exposure and focus when shooting
| | 04:58 | still photos, many DSLRs do not have the
same capability when you're shooting video.
| | 05:04 | It is helpful to at least have manual
exposure possibilities with a DSLR and
| | 05:09 | video because that allows you to
control important aspects of shooting, such as
| | 05:13 | changing your depth of field.
| | 05:15 | All in all, a camcorder was designed from
scratch to do the job of shooting video.
| | 05:21 | A DSLR never was.
| | 05:23 | Yet we are all going
over to shooting with DSLRs.
| | 05:26 | I love shooting video with a DSLR. Why?
| | 05:29 | Back to interchangeable lenses.
| | 05:31 | Camcorders have traditionally
not allowed you to change lenses.
| | 05:34 | For example, macro shooting
is really important to me.
| | 05:38 | It was not easy to do that with a camcorder.
| | 05:40 | But now I can get some amazing shots of
little critters that truly come to life
| | 05:45 | by using my DSLR and a macro lens.
| | 05:49 | In addition, you gain flexibility in
shooting very high-quality video with a
| | 05:54 | DSLR and at a very reasonable price.
| | 05:57 | You cannot match the look that you
get with a DSLR shooting video without
| | 06:02 | spending a lot more money for a camcorder.
| | 06:05 | Shooting video that has a very
distinctive look at a very reasonable cost,
| | 06:10 | these are the big reasons why so many
photographers and videographers are using DSLRs
| | 06:15 | for shooting video today.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Comparing sensor sizes among DSLR cameras| 00:00 | In this movie, we'll be looking
deeper at the DSLR as gear that records
| | 00:04 | video, including information about
sensors and how they affect video recording.
| | 00:09 | One thing in a DSLR that can affect
your video is the sensor size, such as Full
| | 00:14 | Frame, APS-C, and Four Thirds.
| | 00:17 | We have those cameras here.
| | 00:19 | Full Frame in this Canon 5D, APS-C
in this Canon 60D, and Four Thirds in
| | 00:26 | this Panasonic GH2.
| | 00:28 | Sensor size, however, is not
an arbitrary quality issue.
| | 00:32 | In fact, if you are shooting video in
normal conditions at low to moderate ISO
| | 00:37 | settings, you're not going to see any
difference in quality between video that
| | 00:41 | was shot with different sensor sizes.
| | 00:44 | There are two things that sensor
size really does affect. First, noise.
| | 00:48 | Larger sensors have less noise
but this is not a simple issue
| | 00:52 | so I will talk more about it in the next movie.
| | 00:55 | Second, sensor size affects how
the camera perceives the world with a
| | 00:59 | given focal length.
| | 01:01 | This has advantages and
disadvantages for the photographer.
| | 01:04 | The larger the sensor size, the larger
the lens you will need to work with it.
| | 01:09 | If you want a small, highly compact
DSLR with video plus a complete set of
| | 01:14 | lenses that weigh less and take up less
space, look at an APS-C or a Four Third Sensor.
| | 01:20 | The size does not matter then
you can consider other factors.
| | 01:23 | It is important to understand that
these are formats, not cropped sensors as so
| | 01:28 | many people like to call them.
| | 01:30 | A cropped sensor implies that a so
called Full Frame sensor is both optimum
| | 01:34 | and the parent sensor. It is not.
| | 01:37 | It is simply a larger format.
| | 01:39 | There are larger formats
still, such as 645 and 4x5.
| | 01:43 | So in a sense, the Full
Frame format is cropped too.
| | 01:47 | Thinking in terms of "crop" will get you
into trouble and prevent you from truly
| | 01:51 | seeing what a format can or cannot do for you.
| | 01:54 | How a focal length acts on the angle of
view seen by the camera is affected by
| | 01:59 | sensor size or format.
| | 02:01 | A 100 mm lens, for example, does not
act the same for different sensors.
| | 02:06 | Consider that lens on a Full Frame format.
| | 02:09 | That same focal length on an APS-C type
camera will act like a 150 mm lens would
| | 02:16 | have acted on the Full Frame.
| | 02:19 | And with a Four Thirds camera, it acts like
a 200 mm lens would act on the Full Frame.
| | 02:26 | Now, another way of looking at this
is that a 50 mm lens on a Four Thirds
| | 02:32 | format camera will act like a 100 mm lens on
a 35 mm format and a 70 mm lens for APS-C camera.
| | 02:42 | Lot of photographers like this effect
because the actual or real focal length
| | 02:47 | gives a distinctive look for what
is in and out of focus in your scene.
| | 02:52 | If you use different focal lengths
that gave a consistent angle of view on
| | 02:56 | different formats, you would see
changes in depth of field, even though framing
| | 03:00 | would not be the same.
| | 03:01 | The larger formats would
actually give you less depth of field.
| | 03:05 | So you can definitely get a stronger
selective focus effect with a larger
| | 03:09 | format, for example.
| | 03:11 | On the other hand using a smaller
sensor gives you more a telephoto effect with
| | 03:15 | any given focal length so that you gain
telephotos in smaller, lighter lenses.
| | 03:20 | In fact smaller sensors mean
smaller and lighter lenses overall.
| | 03:26 | So if you want to travel light while
shooting video, look into that smaller sensor.
| | 03:30 | Smaller equipment packages can also be
easier to use when you're shooting video handheld.
| | 03:35 | In addition, equal quality lenses of
equivalent focal length will generally be
| | 03:40 | less expensive for smaller sensors too.
| | 03:44 | In the past, a lot of photographers felt
they needed a full frame sensor in order
| | 03:48 | to make the most of wide-angle lenses.
While you do have a few more wide-angle
| | 03:53 | focal length options with the larger sensors,
| | 03:55 | today all camera and lens
manufacturers have a full range of focal lengths
| | 04:00 | available for all sensor sizes.
| | 04:03 | All DSLRs offer a greater range of
wide-angle focal lengths than anything
| | 04:08 | camcorders have ever had.
| | 04:11 | And traditionally DSLRs have a
special dedicated sensor that is made
| | 04:16 | specifically for autofocus that
sits up in the viewfinder area.
| | 04:20 | When a DSLR shoots video, that
autofocus sensor is no longer available.
| | 04:25 | The only sensor that is available to
help you with autofocus is the same sensor
| | 04:30 | that is recording video.
| | 04:31 | That causes some distinct technical
challenges for cameras and manufacturers.
| | 04:37 | Cameras certainly will be able to do
better and better autofocus when shooting
| | 04:42 | video as new models come out.
| | 04:44 | But for now, many cameras are
limited to manual focus for video or
| | 04:48 | autofocus that is slow.
| | 04:51 | For some of the same reasons, many
cameras are limited as to what you can do
| | 04:55 | to adjust exposure.
| | 04:57 | You may find that the only really good
solution for adjusting exposure on your
| | 05:01 | camera is to use manual exposure.
| | 05:03 | The important thing is not to feel
that you have to have one way of exposure
| | 05:07 | or another, but simply to recognize what
your camera is capable of or not capable of.
| | 05:14 | Understanding what your camera can
and cannot do will help you get the
| | 05:18 | most from your camera.
| | 05:19 | Every camera has its strengths
and weaknesses and you can use that
| | 05:23 | information to your advantage.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Considering noise when comparing sensor sizes| 00:00 | If you look at the advantages of a
smaller sensor, it might seem that the
| | 00:04 | smaller sensor has a distinct
edge over the large sensor for video.
| | 00:09 | After all, you can get more for your
money in a smaller, lighter package, and
| | 00:13 | with equal image quality.
| | 00:16 | In fact, there is an important factor
to consider with sensor size that may
| | 00:20 | affect your choice of camera and
how you shoot with it. That's noise.
| | 00:25 | Noise is that granular pattern
that occurs across the image.
| | 00:29 | It looks like someone threw sand on your photo.
| | 00:31 | Just about every DSLR today does very
well controlling noise at ISO settings of
| | 00:37 | 400 or less and many do well above that.
| | 00:42 | However, as you go above ISO 400,
noise will generally become more visible.
| | 00:49 | Larger sensors have less noise.
| | 00:51 | There is no doubt about that.
| | 00:53 | This means that you can shoot your
video at higher ISO settings or in lower
| | 00:58 | light levels with a Full Frame sensor
compared to an APS-C size sensor or an
| | 01:03 | APS-C size sensor
compared to a Four Thirds sensor.
| | 01:07 | A qualification to that is that as
new sensor technologies come onto the market,
| | 01:13 | you may find that a new small
sensor does better with noise than an
| | 01:17 | older large sensor.
| | 01:19 | Noise in a still photo is static,
obviously, because the photo is not moving.
| | 01:25 | Noise is more active in video, because it
is moving and can become much more obvious.
| | 01:31 | While noise is directly related to
sensor size and ISO setting, it is also
| | 01:37 | related to exposure, which means that
the dark parts of a scene can have more
| | 01:41 | noise than bright parts.
| | 01:44 | That can make the noise
pattern change as you shoot.
| | 01:48 | To be honest, that noise difference
might not matter to your video shooting if
| | 01:52 | you mainly shoot in bright light.
| | 01:54 | We're talking here about conditions
that require significantly higher ISO
| | 01:59 | settings than what you might use
in average conditions, settings that
| | 02:04 | could be 800 or above.
| | 02:06 | However, if you want or need to shoot
in very low light conditions, such as
| | 02:12 | shooting at night without adding
light that might be distracting to your
| | 02:15 | subject, then that large
sensor size can be a big deal.
| | 02:20 | Ultimately, the benefits and
disadvantages of small versus large formats comes
| | 02:26 | down to three main points.
| | 02:29 | One, small sensors need smaller lenses.
| | 02:32 | So their systems will travel
lighter and with less bulk.
| | 02:35 | Two, larger sensors have much
less noise at high ISO settings.
| | 02:42 | Three, sensor size affects the focal
length you can use for a given image area,
| | 02:48 | which will affect the look of the shot.
| | 02:51 | So what should you do?
| | 02:52 | That is something you
have to decide for yourself.
| | 02:55 | If you already have a camera, then
these ideas may help you decide what your
| | 03:00 | camera can or cannot do.
| | 03:02 | If you decide to buy a new camera,
perhaps this will assist you in that purchase.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Choosing memory cards and batteries| 00:00 | Once you have a DSLR that shoots video,
you need to be able to record that
| | 00:04 | video onto a memory card.
| | 00:07 | You are already familiar with memory cards,
because you need them to shoot still photos.
| | 00:11 | However, there are some things that you
should keep in mind about memory cards
| | 00:14 | when shooting video.
| | 00:16 | If you are shooting RAW photos for
your still photography, then you probably
| | 00:20 | have a large memory card,
maybe more than one card.
| | 00:24 | You know that RAW files take up a lot of space
and so you need that memory to deal with that.
| | 00:30 | Video takes up even more space.
| | 00:33 | One of the things that is critical for
shooting video is that you use big memory
| | 00:37 | cards and that you have enough total memory.
| | 00:40 | Remember that video is like 30 little
pictures taken per second and every one
| | 00:46 | of them has to be recorded to your memory card.
| | 00:49 | How much memory do you
need in your memory cards?
| | 00:52 | I can't give you an exact figure,
because this depends on the resolution,
| | 00:57 | the frame rate used, and how the video is
compressed when it is shot and recorded
| | 01:01 | to your memory card.
| | 01:03 | Different types of video
compression are used depending on the camera.
| | 01:07 | Still, your camera is likely to
do something similar to mine.
| | 01:11 | What I have found when I am shooting
with this camera, which is a Canon EOS 60D,
| | 01:17 | I get approximately 20 minutes
of video per eight gigabyte card.
| | 01:22 | The 8 gigabyte card is a good size,
because it's relatively inexpensive
| | 01:27 | compared to bigger cards and yet it is large
enough to record a significant amount of video.
| | 01:33 | If you can afford a
bigger card though, go for it.
| | 01:37 | Anything smaller than eight gigabytes
will cause your card to fill up very
| | 01:41 | quickly when you are shooting video,
and if you add in some shooting of RAW files,
| | 01:46 | you will probably be
frustrated with that smaller card.
| | 01:50 | Different cameras will take
different types of cards as well.
| | 01:53 | The two main cards that are used for
DSLR cameras today are SD cards and
| | 01:59 | Compact Flash or CF cards.
| | 02:01 | If you have bought one of these
cards recently, you're probably okay
| | 02:05 | for recording video.
| | 02:06 | Remember that your camera is doing a
lot of work capturing video by recording
| | 02:12 | all of those little images
onto the card very quickly.
| | 02:15 | The card has to be able to keep up, so
that it has to be fast enough to write
| | 02:20 | data without choking the video.
| | 02:23 | Almost any eight gigabyte or larger
card that you would buy today is likely
| | 02:28 | to be fine for video.
| | 02:30 | Though you do want to be careful to use
Class 6 or higher for SD cards, or use
| | 02:36 | CF cards with a high speed rating.
| | 02:39 | If you have older smaller cards, you
will want to test them to see if you can
| | 02:43 | actually use them for shooting video.
| | 02:47 | Batteries are another important
accessory because of the amount of time that
| | 02:51 | your camera is on while shooting video.
| | 02:54 | Also in video mode, the LCD screen is
always on, which can really use up battery power,
| | 03:01 | and that's more than
most photographers are used to.
| | 03:04 | I find that I need approximately one
battery per eight gigabyte memory card.
| | 03:10 | You may find that you need more or less
depending on your particular camera and
| | 03:14 | how you are shooting.
| | 03:16 | The point is that you are going to need
enough batteries when you are shooting video.
| | 03:21 | It is very frustrating to have that
great video shot in front of you and your
| | 03:25 | camera is out of power.
| | 03:28 | Having enough batteries
is an important investment.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Understanding video tripods| 00:00 | In this movie, I am going to help you
select and use a tripod and head when you
| | 00:04 | are shooting video with your DSLR.
| | 00:07 | Remember that video is
about shooting over time.
| | 00:10 | It is not about a single image.
| | 00:13 | Because of that, the camera has to be held
steady over the time needed to make the shot.
| | 00:18 | I am sure you have watched home
movies or home videos where the camera was
| | 00:23 | constantly bouncing and moving
all around, very hard to watch.
| | 00:27 | Well, it is possible to handhold the
camera for video, especially with some of
| | 00:32 | the special rigs now available on the market.
| | 00:34 | The best way to hold your camera
steady over time is to use a tripod.
| | 00:39 | Video is also about shooting with motion.
| | 00:42 | So you need a head that supports smooth motion.
| | 00:46 | To best understand how a video head
works, let's first take a look at a tripod
| | 00:50 | head used for still photography.
| | 00:52 | You are familiar with the standard heads
that come with tripods for still photography.
| | 00:57 | Whether a ball head or a pan/tilt head,
photo heads are designed to make it
| | 01:02 | easy for you to position your camera for the
single shot and then hold the camera very still.
| | 01:08 | They are not designed for you to change
position during the shot, because that's
| | 01:12 | not what you do for a still photo.
| | 01:14 | Video heads are designed for stable
positioning over time even as the camera is moved.
| | 01:22 | Video heads are usually fluid heads
that use a type of hydraulic mechanism to
| | 01:26 | dampen the movement and make it smoother.
| | 01:29 | They also include special tensioning knobs
that control how smoothly your camera can move.
| | 01:34 | Okay, I am going to demonstrate.
| | 01:36 | Here with our cameras that's on a
standard ball head for still photography,
| | 01:41 | if I loosen this head, the camera goes
all over the place and it doesn't move
| | 01:46 | very smoothly as you try to
shift the camera's position.
| | 01:51 | Now here is a clip, which was using a
camera mounted on a ball head, and watch
| | 01:56 | how jerky the movement is.
| | 01:58 | No matter how much you practice, it is
never really going to be much better.
| | 02:03 | Now let's look at a fluid head.
| | 02:06 | Moving the camera around now is a
pleasure and as the camera moves, it is not
| | 02:12 | bouncing all over the place.
| | 02:15 | It is possible to have a very smooth look
for moving the camera across the scene as
| | 02:20 | you can see in this clip.
| | 02:24 | As you start looking for a fluid head,
you'll find there is quite a price range.
| | 02:28 | You can get a decent fluid
head for a little over $100.
| | 02:32 | You can also get nice friction-based
fluid-like heads for video that are little
| | 02:37 | less than that, or you can spend
several thousand for a fluid head.
| | 02:42 | For DSLR shooting, you are not going to
need one of the most expensive fluid heads.
| | 02:47 | But what you get as you pay more for a
fluid head is better dampening in the
| | 02:51 | movement so that you get smoother moves
and you gain more controls that allow
| | 02:56 | you to more precisely control
the movement of your camera.
| | 03:01 | Working with the more expensive
video head can indeed would be a pleasure.
| | 03:05 | But such heads are not only more
expensive, they are also bigger and heavier.
| | 03:10 | Still, even the least expensive
fluid head is going to help your video.
| | 03:15 | As for the tripod itself, you have a few options.
| | 03:18 | I highly recommend that you get a
carbon fiber tripod or at least one of the
| | 03:23 | lightweight aluminum alloys.
| | 03:25 | Now these carbon fiber tripods, even on
a big one like this, very light weight,
| | 03:30 | very easy to carry around with you.
| | 03:33 | Such a great investment.
| | 03:36 | Any tripod is a good investment,
because it won't go out of date like a camera
| | 03:40 | and you'll use it for years.
| | 03:42 | A good tripod will definitely
improve your video recording.
| | 03:47 | You can use an existing tripod
and simply add a video head to it.
| | 03:52 | Dedicated video heads often have a
special ball and bowl mount between the head
| | 03:58 | and the tripod to make the
leveling very easy to do.
| | 04:02 | When you are doing camera moves such as
a pan across the scene, you want to have
| | 04:06 | your head level before you start.
| | 04:08 | Okay, so I am going to give you a few quick
tips on how you can best use your fluid head.
| | 04:14 | First thing you do want
to do is level your tripod.
| | 04:17 | Use a level that's built into your tripod
head or that's built into some new cameras.
| | 04:23 | On standard tripods, you'll be
adjusting the length of the legs.
| | 04:27 | But with video tripods, there is a
little piece right here that allows you to
| | 04:34 | loosen the bowl so that the ball moves
around freely, makes it very easy to get
| | 04:40 | your camera level, then
you lock the bowl in place.
| | 04:44 | Once you have done that, you want
to balance the camera on the head.
| | 04:48 | That's fairly simple to do on a head like this.
| | 04:51 | It has a plate that slides back and
forth and you could move it back and forth
| | 04:55 | until the camera balances best, based on the
lens and camera that you are working with.
| | 05:00 | More expensive video heads will have
additional controls that will help even
| | 05:05 | more with that balancing.
| | 05:07 | As you move the camera around, keep a
light touch on the handle, because a
| | 05:13 | light touch allows you to move more smoothly
and start and stop the movement more easily.
| | 05:19 | As far as that movement goes, always
practice with that camera before you start
| | 05:25 | shooting your video.
| | 05:26 | Know where your camera move is going
to start, know where it's going to end.
| | 05:32 | Now once you have done these things,
get positioned comfortably behind the
| | 05:36 | tripod before you make a camera move.
| | 05:39 | You want to be sure that you can move your
own body comfortably to keep up with that move.
| | 05:46 | That will help a lot in making sure your
camera moves smooth, especially for longer moves.
| | 05:53 | So, be sure to practice all of these techniques.
| | 05:56 | There is no question that practicing
with your camera, tripod, and video head
| | 06:01 | will make your videos look better.
| | 06:03 | Learning to work with the tripod for
video rather than struggling against it
| | 06:07 | will help you immensely.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Working with other camera supports| 00:00 | Tripods and video heads are important,
but there are other camera supports
| | 00:04 | you should know about.
| | 00:05 | Camera support is always important for
video because you're constantly recording
| | 00:10 | something over time.
| | 00:11 | It is difficult to hold the camera perfectly
still over time without some sort of support.
| | 00:17 | First let's look at the monopod.
| | 00:19 | Monopod is essentially one leg
of a tripod with a head attached.
| | 00:23 | You don't need a fluid head or anything
like that because with the monopod, you
| | 00:27 | can always turn it back-and-
forth without any problems.
| | 00:31 | You will need some sort of head though
simply to allow the camera to be tilted
| | 00:36 | up and down without making the
monopod change away from being upright.
| | 00:43 | A great advantage of a monopod is simply it
is very lightweight and easy to carry around.
| | 00:48 | It does not take up a lot of space, so you can
use it even in a crowd and get a stable image.
| | 00:53 | Monopod does have a tendency to move to
one side or another as you move, but if
| | 00:58 | you're careful in how you hold it and
careful in how you move with it, you can
| | 01:03 | get remarkably stable shots with this support.
| | 01:07 | Another important
support for video is a beanbag.
| | 01:10 | Now, I consider beanbags so
important that it is always in my camera bag.
| | 01:14 | With a beanbag, I can use almost
anything solid for support by simply putting
| | 01:19 | the beanbag on that solid
object and the camera on the beanbag.
| | 01:23 | A beanbag traditionally was
simply a bag filled with beans.
| | 01:27 | Today's modern beanbags are usually a
high-tech fabric bag filled with plastic
| | 01:32 | pellets. This makes the bag very lightweight
and you never have problems with it getting wet.
| | 01:37 | To use a beanbag, simply find a solid
support, put the beanbag down on the
| | 01:43 | support and place the camera on the
beanbag pushing the camera down slightly, so
| | 01:48 | that the bag molds to the camera.
| | 01:51 | Now, right now, there are a lot of
hand held supports being marketed for DSLR
| | 01:55 | such as this one from Redrock Micro.
| | 01:58 | These supports can make it more
comfortable to hand-hold your camera while
| | 02:02 | shooting video, but they also
tend to be rather expensive.
| | 02:06 | Now, on this particular one, this is
set up for low angle shots. It makes it very
| | 02:10 | easy to hold the camera that way.
| | 02:12 | It also has a follow focus control,
which allows you to focus very easily and
| | 02:18 | smoothly when you need that type of control.
| | 02:21 | But you really have to try out these
types of rigs to see if your working style
| | 02:25 | is appropriate for the gear and for the
particular way it's set up, because this
| | 02:29 | comes with different sorts of handles
and things that come out of the back, and
| | 02:34 | all sorts of ways of working that
might be good for you, might not be.
| | 02:38 | It can also be difficult to tell how
well you are going to like these supports
| | 02:42 | without actually trying them against
your own body and with your own hands.
| | 02:47 | Now, there is no question a tripod
makes it easier to shoot video, even if you
| | 02:52 | are used to shooting your
photographs without one.
| | 02:54 | When you're shooting a still photo, you
don't have to worry about keeping that
| | 02:58 | camera steady for many seconds
of a shot. You do with video.
| | 03:03 | However, I have found that a monopod
and a beanbag can be excellent ways of
| | 03:08 | holding your camera still for video
without always having to go to a tripod and
| | 03:13 | you may find that some of the
specialized supports will help you as well.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Using focusing aids for shooting video| 00:00 | As you have begun shooting video with
your DSLR, you've undoubtedly thought a
| | 00:05 | bit about using the LCD.
| | 00:07 | You have to use the LCD for shooting
video with the standard DSLR because the
| | 00:11 | light is not going to your regular viewfinder.
| | 00:14 | It is only going to the sensor for video.
| | 00:17 | In this movie, we are going to be
talking about some focusing issues that we
| | 00:21 | have with video when shooting with a DSLR.
| | 00:24 | I am going to give you some ideas
about dealing with these problems, including
| | 00:29 | showing you some accessories
that may help. Let's face it.
| | 00:33 | The LCD can be hard to use for focusing.
| | 00:36 | However, since that's all we have for
video, we are going to have to deal with it.
| | 00:41 | So, let's look at some ways we can get the
most out of using the LCD on your camera.
| | 00:47 | First, focus fast.
| | 00:49 | There's actually research done that says
that focusing is more accurate and more
| | 00:53 | consistent when you do it quickly.
| | 00:55 | The reason for this is because as you
focus quickly, the image goes in and out
| | 00:59 | of focus fast enough that you
can really see the difference.
| | 01:03 | So, if I look at this particular image
here and I go in and out of focus very
| | 01:08 | quickly, you can see that when it's sharp
| | 01:11 | it snaps in and out of focus.
| | 01:13 | However, I do it slowly, fades in
and out and it's harder to see where
| | 01:19 | that focus point is.
| | 01:21 | Another thing to look for is contrast.
| | 01:24 | You actually will find that the image
on your LCD gets more contrasty where it
| | 01:28 | is sharp and less
contrasty where it is out of focus.
| | 01:32 | It's sometimes easier to look for
that contrast than it is to actually see
| | 01:36 | whether something is sharp or not.
| | 01:37 | So, if you look here, I am going to
again do that and watch that and you could
| | 01:42 | see the contrast change.
| | 01:44 | I am going to zoom in a little bit
so you can see it even better.
| | 01:47 | See the contrast change around that dial?
| | 01:51 | That really helps to know
if we are in or out of focus.
| | 01:55 | Now, if your subject is not moving
or it is moving to and from the same
| | 02:00 | location, you can use a focusing aid
that is available on most DSLRs today.
| | 02:06 | This can magnify your image on your
LCD and then you do your focusing.
| | 02:11 | So, I am going to push button here and it
magnifies it, so I can see it much, much easier.
| | 02:17 | Now, every camera handles this a little
differently, but having a magnifying view
| | 02:21 | can really help you zero in your focus.
| | 02:24 | So, again I can look at this and
watch it go in and out of focus.
| | 02:27 | Then I can magnify it even one more
step and that really shows off my sharpness
| | 02:35 | Then I go back and I know that it's
sharp right in that area. Finally, practice.
| | 02:41 | I can tell you from experience that
you really do get better at focusing with
| | 02:46 | your LCD when you practice.
| | 02:49 | If the only time that's you are using
your LCD for focus is when you have to
| | 02:53 | shoot video, you're going to find
it more challenging and frustrating.
| | 02:59 | To make focusing on your LCD easier,
you can find magnifiers and hoods that go
| | 03:04 | over your LCD and help you see it better.
| | 03:07 | I find the Zacuto finder is highly
corrected, which makes it really work well in
| | 03:13 | magnifying that LCD.
| | 03:15 | These devices are attached to your camera
back in several ways depending on the unit.
| | 03:20 | They block light from hitting
the LCD and magnify the full image.
| | 03:25 | They're a very effective way of getting
a better view of your LCD for focusing
| | 03:29 | and composing, including
changing focus as you shoot.
| | 03:33 | One thing about this is the modern
LCDs have such a high resolution that when
| | 03:38 | you magnify them, you're actually
seeing detail really well for focusing.
| | 03:43 | Now, there is no question.
| | 03:45 | There is an added cost for these
things and the Zacuto unit is not cheap.
| | 03:51 | Maybe you can get by with just
practice using your LCD and learning to get
| | 03:56 | the most from it, or you may find
that having an aide like this makes the
| | 04:01 | experience of shooting video so much better.
| | 04:04 | Now, another option is a small
external monitor like this one from
| | 04:08 | Marshall Electronics.
| | 04:09 | These get even more expensive than finders.
| | 04:12 | However, if you want a really great
experience in shooting video, you may want
| | 04:17 | to consider this: that experience
can translate into better video.
| | 04:21 | I really like these external monitors.
| | 04:24 | They give you a bigger view of your
video as you shoot which helps immensely for
| | 04:29 | focusing, including focusing as you shoot.
| | 04:32 | Plsu, you can position this monitor.
| | 04:34 | I am putting it up on the
camera, very easy to do.
| | 04:37 | And you can position this for getting a
higher angle, lower angle and so forth.
| | 04:45 | I also like having this extra monitor
when playing back my video in the field.
| | 04:50 | It's a lot easier to see what I got or
didn't get when looking at the video.
| | 04:54 | Now, what you're seeing here is actually
what would be displayed on this monitor.
| | 04:59 | So, it's pretty cool to be able to see
that bigger, not this big of course, but
| | 05:03 | bigger on this monitor with your camera.
| | 05:06 | Now, to be honest, I don't always use
an extra monitor or finder when I am
| | 05:12 | shooting because it is something extra
added to the camera and sometimes it's
| | 05:17 | just unwieldy and inconvenient.
| | 05:19 | Sometimes it's much simpler to
work with the camera and it's LCD.
| | 05:23 | And like I said, with practice
you can do that quite effectively.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Choosing lighting gear| 00:00 | One challenge we have with video is as
the light level drops, we can't simply
| | 00:04 | choose a slower shutter speed
than one thirtieth of a second.
| | 00:08 | Once the lens is at its maximum aperture,
the only thing we can do is increase
| | 00:12 | the camera's ISO setting.
| | 00:14 | That can be a problem because a higher
ISO can mean more noise and less quality
| | 00:19 | for your video. Or we can add some light.
| | 00:22 | Lighting could be a whole course in itself.
| | 00:25 | So, I will just touch on some things that
can help you as you start shooting video.
| | 00:29 | Lighting doesn't have to be
complicated and I'm going to give you a few tips
| | 00:33 | about choosing lights
and using them very simply.
| | 00:36 | With video, you have to
have a continuous light source.
| | 00:40 | That light has to be on all
the time while you are shooting.
| | 00:44 | You have two basic types of lights to
choose from for a typical video shooting.
| | 00:48 | Quartz lights or LED lights.
| | 00:51 | Quartz lights are a traditional
light source that work very well.
| | 00:54 | They're relatively inexpensive.
| | 00:56 | In fact you could go down to Home
Depot and buy some quartz work lights
| | 01:00 | that could be used for video.
| | 01:01 | Although the protective cages over
them might create some odd shadows.
| | 01:05 | But even quartz lights made for video
are not necessarily all that expensive.
| | 01:11 | It is important to note two
things about quartz lights.
| | 01:14 | First is that they have incandescent
color temperature. That means they have to
| | 01:18 | be used with your white balance set
for tungsten or incandescent light.
| | 01:23 | The other thing is they get very hot.
That's why I don't leave it on all the time.
| | 01:27 | You have to be careful with quartz lights
because you can literally get burned from them.
| | 01:32 | In fact, all this heat can be enough to
make your subject uncomfortable as well.
| | 01:36 | So, I am going to turn this
off now so I don't burn myself.
| | 01:40 | LED lights are relatively new for video.
| | 01:44 | They are rapidly coming down in price
but they're still more expensive than
| | 01:48 | quartz lights for their power.
| | 01:50 | They also usually don't have the
output that quartz lights can have and as
| | 01:55 | you see they are actually balanced
generally for daylight, which the
| | 02:00 | conditions are here.
| | 02:02 | Now, LED lights are great
because they are never hot.
| | 02:06 | You can turn them on for a long
time and at most they get warm.
| | 02:11 | You never have to worry about getting burned
from them or about overheating your subject.
| | 02:15 | How do you use these lights?
| | 02:17 | Again, that's a whole another course.
| | 02:19 | However, there are two things you can
do immediately without having to know
| | 02:23 | a lot about lighting.
| | 02:25 | Sometimes, this will help you capture video
that could not be captured in any other way.
| | 02:30 | First, just bounce the light off the ceiling.
| | 02:33 | Turn the light up toward the ceiling,
turn it on and this works actually very
| | 02:37 | well with quartz lights.
| | 02:38 | It gives an immediate boost to the light
level of the room and it looks natural.
| | 02:43 | You may find that the light looks
better bounced from one side or the other of
| | 02:47 | the subject, but basically you
just aimed the light at the ceiling.
| | 02:54 | Second, you can put a light up
high and to one side of your camera.
| | 02:58 | You could bounce that light off of
anything white, from an actual photo
| | 03:02 | reflector or a white wall, or you could put some
diffusion material in front of it to soften it.
| | 03:07 | But be careful when using diffusion with
quartz lights so that you don't set the
| | 03:12 | diffusion material on fire.
| | 03:13 | Keep it away from that hot lamp.
| | 03:16 | Then use a reflector on the other side of
the subject if needed to fill in the shadows.
| | 03:21 | Simply, having a key light and
some sort of fill light can make a big
| | 03:26 | improvement of shooting your subject.
| | 03:28 | As you progress, you can start to
think about adding hair lights and other
| | 03:32 | lights to the background.
| | 03:34 | Now, if you want to go further with
this, you will find lots of books on
| | 03:37 | photographic lighting techniques.
| | 03:40 | Just substitute one of the continuous
light sources I've discussed instead of a
| | 03:45 | flash or strobe that is
mentioned in the text. But most of all,
| | 03:49 | turn those lights and experiment.
| | 03:51 | You will learn a lot by recording
video as you position a light around a subject.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
3. Hands-On Shooting: Switching to VideoAdjusting how you shoot| 00:03 | That was great guys. Thank you, Dave and Kim.
| | 00:07 | We're here at a stage where
swing dance practice is going on.
| | 00:10 | Using this fun setting and activity I'm
going to get you started on making some
| | 00:14 | adjustments to how you
shoot HD video with your DSLR.
| | 00:19 | Now we're going to put the DSLR to
practical application and show you how it can work.
| | 00:25 | Shooting video with a DSLR has some
similarities to still photography, which I
| | 00:29 | was just doing there, but it
also has some distinct differences.
| | 00:33 | There are things that DSLR can and
cannot do with video and it's good to
| | 00:38 | know its limitations.
| | 00:39 | Now, we're going to be working
directly with the DSLR to shoot some video
| | 00:44 | and explain some of the ways that you're
going to work with video in your own projects.
| | 00:49 | Remember that shooting photography really
is a different mindset than shooting video.
| | 00:54 | With photography, you're
after that single best shot.
| | 00:57 | When you go to video, you're going to
be looking for groups of shots that go
| | 01:01 | together to create a video.
| | 01:04 | So first I'm going to shoot these
dancers while looking for that optimum still
| | 01:08 | shot to show them off.
| | 01:10 | Okay, take it from the top.
| | 01:12 | (Music playing)
| | 01:42 | Hey! That was great.
| | 01:43 | Thank you Dave and Kim. All right!
| | 01:46 | You know that kind of shooting.
| | 01:48 | You can see the effort to find
individual interesting shots and moments.
| | 01:53 | Stills can also be vertical and
horizontal and then there are short shots.
| | 01:58 | I mean, what's one of the keys about
this is you're finding that short little
| | 02:01 | shot, because all you need
is the shutter to go off.
| | 02:05 | So you move on, you take the
shot, move on, take the shot.
| | 02:08 | You're watching for that specific moment
that's going to work as a still picture.
| | 02:13 | You're not worrying about anything
except what still shots that can be captured.
| | 02:19 | So you're not trying to watch the
whole movement over a whole period of time,
| | 02:24 | but you're looking for those little
moments that you can capture in a still.
| | 02:29 | Well as you put those together, that
might make a nice short slideshow, but
| | 02:36 | there is really not enough there to
get a feeling of something actually
| | 02:40 | happening, because all you're
getting are these little quick little
| | 02:43 | moments, these peak shots.
| | 02:46 | So we're not getting the feeling of
flow, we're not getting the feeling of
| | 02:49 | something really going on.
| | 02:51 | So I'm going to re-shoot this now for a
video to find a variety of shots and to
| | 02:56 | try to get more of that flow.
| | 02:58 | But first, I'm going to put
that the camera on a tripod.
| | 03:02 | Putting it on tripod helps stabilize
it and helps really to emphasize the
| | 03:07 | movement of the dancers rather
than the movement of the camera.
| | 03:10 | It also helps for consistency of shots.
| | 03:13 | Now also remember as I'm shooting, is
I'm going to be looking for video clips
| | 03:17 | that fit with other shots.
| | 03:19 | I'm not just going to simply shoot the
whole thing from one place; I'm going to
| | 03:23 | move around a little bit and look to
work this scene to get some variety and to
| | 03:27 | try to show off the whole flow.
| | 03:30 | So let me turn on the camera to Video.
| | 03:34 | This particular camera has
a totally different setting.
| | 03:38 | So I am ready to go and I am
going to turn around and get started.
| | 03:44 | Get set and let's take it from the top.
| | 03:50 | (Music p laying)
| | 04:44 | Okay, that was great guys.
| | 04:46 | Thank you, Dave and Kim!
| | 04:48 | Now, did you notice the difference?
| | 04:50 | You can see that the shooting is done
over time, watching for things happening
| | 04:55 | over that time, watching for movement,
following the movement, seeing the
| | 05:00 | different types of action that
are going on to get some variety.
| | 05:03 | One of the things that's important,
I have to be watching and shooting over the
| | 05:07 | entire time any action is taking place,
so that I can look for that movement,
| | 05:13 | look for the movement in the dancing,
the movement of the camera following them,
| | 05:17 | looking for things happening in
relationship to one other, and I also have to be
| | 05:22 | looking for a variety of shots
that can go together in the video.
| | 05:26 | Of course I'm only shooting horizontals,
because there are no verticals in the video.
| | 05:32 | What a difference, right?
| | 05:33 | Well this isn't really hard to do,
but you have to be thinking about it.
| | 05:37 | You can't simply point your camera at the
subject and shoot little clips of video.
| | 05:42 | You need to think about how one segment
of video might fit with the rest of the
| | 05:47 | video that you're shooting.
| | 05:48 | That doesn't have to be a hard thing
to do if you just keep in your mind that
| | 05:52 | this is what you're going to do.
| | 05:54 | So key things to keep in mind about
this is that video is over time, fluid,
| | 06:01 | following movement, still photos,
you're just looking for that short bursts of
| | 06:05 | action, that moment that you capture
that can be shown in a still single image.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Limited "fixing" of images| 00:00 | One thing about a practice session for
swing dancers is that this is the time
| | 00:04 | they iron out all of the problems.
| | 00:06 | They correct mistakes and
get ready for the performance.
| | 00:09 | Now, when they go to a performance,
they don't have much of an opportunity
| | 00:13 | to correct mistakes.
| | 00:14 | Of course, as you are learning how to
shoot video with your DSLR, you're going
| | 00:19 | to make mistakes and
you're going to correct them.
| | 00:21 | But most of the time you
will correct them by re-shooting.
| | 00:24 | In general, you're not going to be
correcting your shots by going back to the
| | 00:28 | computer in a way that you
might work with still photography.
| | 00:32 | Video has very limited flexibility
in being able to handle changes in the
| | 00:37 | shot in the computer.
| | 00:38 | That doesn't mean you have to be perfect.
| | 00:40 | It does mean you have to check
your shots and reshoot problems.
| | 00:45 | Work to get that shot right, so that
you have the best shots you can when you
| | 00:49 | are ready to edit your video.
| | 00:51 | In practical terms, what does that mean?
| | 00:54 | I'm going to shoot some video to show you.
| | 00:56 | Okay guys, I'm going to have you start
dancing, you can practice away, and I am
| | 01:00 | going to start shooting. So go ahead.
| | 01:02 | Now, as I am doing this, what's
happening here is not a problem.
| | 01:07 | They are in the center and
I have a good clean video.
| | 01:10 | But, if I start fall him over
here, oh! I have a problem.
| | 01:13 | I've got this sign showing up
that's not doing very much for me at all.
| | 01:17 | Go back in through here, they're doing
okay, looking good, they're looking fine.
| | 01:22 | Now if I go well, oh!
| | 01:22 | Wait a minute, I get this
big black line on this side.
| | 01:25 | That's an issue, it's going to look
weird, and I can't crop it. Sure,
| | 01:29 | maybe I could have cropped it vertical out of
here in a still photo. Can't do it with video.
| | 01:34 | So I've got to be paying
attention to those edges.
| | 01:37 | So now I come back in and they're looking great.
| | 01:39 | But if I decide, well, I want
a little different framing, oh!
| | 01:41 | Wait a minute, I've got
to watch that edge again.
| | 01:44 | So you've got to be careful as you are shooting.
| | 01:46 | Okay, you can finish that up. Thank you!
| | 01:49 | So watch what you're doing as you're shooting
and make sure that you are paying attention.
| | 01:55 | Now one thing that's very easy to do
with still photography that's related to
| | 01:59 | this is fixing a crooked photo, because
if you're fixing a crooked photo, that is
| | 02:02 | essentially cropping and then
straightening things out. In a still photo that
| | 02:06 | doesn't hurt the image quality
much and it doesn't take much time.
| | 02:10 | However, that same change in video
would result in serious cropping, a loss in
| | 02:16 | quality, and a lot of time spent
rendering the crop when you are editing.
| | 02:20 | Remember, video uses thirty
1-2 megapixel images per second.
| | 02:26 | When you fix crooked video or do any
other cropping, that means you are making
| | 02:30 | your computer fix thirty
1-2 megapixel images per second.
| | 02:34 | That takes a lot of time to do a render.
| | 02:37 | And remember that the image quality
of video isn't anywhere near what you
| | 02:41 | get from a still photo.
| | 02:43 | So at this very low resolution, relatively,
you do that cropping or fixing of a
| | 02:49 | crooked frame and you're
going to lose image quality.
| | 02:52 | So another thing is to always remember
to carefully level your camera when you
| | 02:57 | are getting ready to shoot
and as you're shooting.
| | 03:00 | With practice you'll do this very quickly
and it will become just a part of the
| | 03:03 | craft of shooting video.
| | 03:04 | On this particular tripod there is a
knob down here that I can loosen that
| | 03:09 | allows me to quickly level the camera, and
there is a little level, the bubble level here.
| | 03:15 | A lot of tripods do have
bubble levels. Tighten it down.
| | 03:19 | Make sure it's level, because then
you don't run into those other problems.
| | 03:24 | Now, these elements of shooting video
do not have to be anything difficult.
| | 03:28 | It is just a matter of paying attention
to certain details, such as no cropping
| | 03:34 | and keeping your camera level.
| | 03:36 | Do this a few times and it will
become an automatic part of your craft.
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| Understanding the challenge of shutter speed| 00:00 | When you're shooting video, you'll
quickly notice that shutter speed choice is
| | 00:04 | very different from video to still photography.
| | 00:07 | Yes, the shutter speeds are the same,
but not how we choose them for action.
| | 00:12 | There is a lot of action going on with dance.
| | 00:15 | If you were shooting still photos, you
would have to consider how to choose your
| | 00:18 | shutter speed in order to stop the action.
| | 00:21 | Or you might decide to show
blurred action with a slow shutter speed.
| | 00:25 | So what I might do is shoot with a wide
aperture and a high shutter speed such
| | 00:32 | as 1000th of a second to stop the
action. Or I might try something completely
| | 00:37 | different such as a shutter speed of
1/10th a second to show a motion blur and
| | 00:42 | give a feeling of movement in that way.
| | 00:45 | Well, I can't do either
of these with normal video.
| | 00:49 | First, remember that video is
shot at 30 frames per second.
| | 00:53 | If you divide 1 second by 30 you get
1/30th of a second, which means that 1/30th
| | 00:58 | of a second is the slowest
possible shutter speed for video.
| | 01:03 | Now in some cameras, you can set
very high shutter speeds for video.
| | 01:07 | So you might think there is no limit there.
| | 01:09 | Think a little about video.
| | 01:11 | Remember the 30 frames per second.
| | 01:14 | If you shot those 30 frames per second
at 1/30th of a second, you end up with
| | 01:19 | all of that entire 1 second filled with images.
| | 01:23 | There would be no gaps between each shot.
| | 01:25 | Now suppose you shot at 1/1000th of a second.
| | 01:30 | The total time used would be 30 1/1000th
of a second for the 30 frames, meaning
| | 01:37 | that 970/1000ths of that second,
| | 01:41 | nearly the entire second, will be blank.
| | 01:44 | That puts a huge gap between each frame
that causes the video to stutter or chatter.
| | 01:51 | Our eyes are not capable of
creating smooth motion with that gap and so
| | 01:55 | action looks unnatural.
| | 01:57 | Let's take a look at what
these look like for video.
| | 02:01 | First here are the dancers shot at 1/30th second.
| | 02:08 | Did you notice how smooth the action looked?
| | 02:10 | It looked like normal video.
| | 02:12 | Now I shut the same
dancers at 1/640th of a second.
| | 02:21 | Did you see how chattery or
stuttering the action looked?
| | 02:25 | That did not look normal for video.
| | 02:27 | While shooting at such high shutter
speeds can give a very interesting and
| | 02:31 | unusual look for an action filled
scene, kind of a special effect,
| | 02:36 | and in addition a high shutter speed
with video is important if you want to
| | 02:40 | look at still frames from that video.
| | 02:43 | Network sport, for example,
| | 02:44 | will set up a special camera for
freeze frames that will be shooting at very
| | 02:49 | high shutter speeds just so they can
go back to it and freeze the action.
| | 02:53 | So if you wanted to check details of the
action of these dancers, you would need
| | 02:58 | a high shutter speed.
| | 02:59 | But normally for video, you will be
choosing a shutter speed between 1/30th
| | 03:05 | and 1/90th of a second.
| | 03:07 | You won't see much difference
between those shutter speeds.
| | 03:11 | I also find that you can get away with
as high as 1/125th of a second if the
| | 03:16 | motion is not too fast.
| | 03:19 | Some video purists feel that the ideal
shutter speed is 2 times the frame rate.
| | 03:24 | That would mean if you are shooting
30 frames per second, you would choose
| | 03:27 | 1/60th of a second for the shutter speed.
| | 03:31 | But one thing to remember about video
is that you are limited in your shutter
| | 03:36 | speed so as long as you're between
1/30th and 1/90th of a second and
| | 03:41 | occasionally go up to 1/125th
of a second, you'll be okay.
| | 03:45 | Shutter speed choice is definitely a
different thing to consider with video
| | 03:50 | versus still photography.
| | 03:52 | The speeds may be the
same, but the results are not.
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| Getting the right exposure| 00:00 | Since you cannot shoot RAW with video on
a DSLR, you know that means you need to
| | 00:05 | be more careful about exposure.
| | 00:07 | So we're going to look at
exposure with video in this movie.
| | 00:10 | And now that we're on location
shooting these swing dancers, we can look a
| | 00:14 | little bit more about how to
actually deal with exposure when you are
| | 00:19 | shooting video like this.
| | 00:22 | Now remember, since we have no RAW,
it's really important to pay attention to
| | 00:27 | how you check your exposure.
| | 00:30 | I am using manual exposure.
| | 00:32 | Auto exposure with video on your camera is
probably not what it is for still photos.
| | 00:38 | On many cameras today, the camera
takes over the exposure totally, as if you
| | 00:45 | chose a non-adjustable auto exposure
mode, regardless of the mode that you took.
| | 00:50 | You may also find that all sorts of
weird things are happening, including the
| | 00:55 | changing of the ISO and weird
shutter speeds and all that stuff.
| | 00:58 | So at this point in the technology,
most DSLRs actually work best for video
| | 01:04 | in manual exposure.
| | 01:06 | However, manual exposure happens to be
a very good way to handle video exposure
| | 01:11 | because frequently things will be
changing during the time you are recording
| | 01:15 | that could make auto
exposure change inappropriately.
| | 01:20 | Such as auto exposure making
unwanted adjustments to keep up with what is
| | 01:25 | happening that could cause a
flickering or changing in brightness of the
| | 01:29 | scene as you shoot it.
| | 01:31 | That's very annoying in video.
| | 01:33 | So I am going to show you how I check
exposure by using the LCD and the exposure
| | 01:39 | scale on this particular camera.
| | 01:41 | Now remember that your camera may
have slightly different options.
| | 01:45 | You're going to have to check your
manual and figure out how it deals
| | 01:49 | with exposure for video.
| | 01:50 | But son this camera, I actually get an
exposure showing up down at the bottom,
| | 01:55 | There's a little scale and it tells
me if the exposure is right or wrong.
| | 01:59 | And on this one, it looks like I can bring
it down a little bit to put it in the middle.
| | 02:04 | And that tells me I am in the range.
| | 02:08 | If I have a problem with overexposure, I am
going to crank it up so it is overexposed.
| | 02:13 | A lot of times what I will do is
actually take a quick picture and you'll see
| | 02:18 | it starting to blink.
| | 02:20 | That blinking is something that I look
for that tells that I'm over exposure.
| | 02:24 | So if I then take the exposure back
down to a more normal, now I'll show you.
| | 02:30 | I actually take the picture again.
| | 02:32 | And you can see there's no blinking.
| | 02:34 | Just because there is no blinking
does not mean I have a good exposure,
| | 02:37 | because if I've under exposure I am
going to have some problems too and there
| | 02:41 | will be no blinking.
| | 02:42 | So lot of times I will take the
exposure just step to where it just starts to
| | 02:46 | blink and then back it off slightly.
| | 02:49 | The other thing that is useful in
many cameras is to use a histogram.
| | 02:54 | If you have a histogram there are some
things that you can look at as to how
| | 02:57 | the right-hand side is hitting the histogram
and whether you're getting a good exposure or not.
| | 03:04 | So those are some of the basic
things of what I am going to look for for
| | 03:07 | exposure but I still have to be
thinking about some limitations.
| | 03:11 | And one big limitation for
video is that shutter speed.
| | 03:15 | As you only have a narrow range
of shutter speed that you can use.
| | 03:19 | So sooner or later, you're going to
run into that challenge because of that.
| | 03:23 | Now when you are looking at really
bright conditions, you're going to have
| | 03:27 | to use small f-sops.
| | 03:28 | And that's okay, if you want small f-stops.
| | 03:32 | If you want wide f-stops because you want a
limited depth of field, you have a problem.
| | 03:38 | So you have to cut the light and you're
going to need to get a neutral density filter.
| | 03:43 | Not a graduated neutral density filter,
| | 03:44 | but a neutral density filter that is a
dark gray filter that knocks down the light.
| | 03:50 | There is no other option because of the
slow shutter speeds that have to be used.
| | 03:54 | So what I would do is simply put that
over the lens, it cuts the light, and I am
| | 03:59 | able to use the slow shutter speed
and the wide aperture that I need.
| | 04:04 | So this is a very valuable accessory
when you are outside in bright light level.
| | 04:11 | Now, if light levels are low and you
need to use the slow shutter speed,
| | 04:16 | remember you can't go
slower than 1/30th of a second.
| | 04:18 | At that point you're going to have
to change the ISO setting to increase
| | 04:23 | the camera sensitivity.
| | 04:25 | Luckily most cameras today do a very
good job and capture quality video at ISOs
| | 04:31 | easily from 100 to 400 and even 800.
| | 04:35 | And even if you have to go higher,
remember, if the light is very low, having a
| | 04:40 | little noise in the picture might not even hurt.
| | 04:42 | That might just give the
image an edgier look to it.
| | 04:45 | However, there isn't any other option
if you're going to use the existing light.
| | 04:50 | So in this case if the light levels are
low or if I felt I needed to use a small
| | 04:55 | aperture, we'll stop this down.
| | 04:59 | Okay, now I am starting to get
limited as to how far I can go.
| | 05:02 | I am still okay here but that's way too dark.
| | 05:05 | I can't do that without
going in to changing the ISO.
| | 05:10 | I have to do that, because
otherwise I run into trouble.
| | 05:13 | So we'll go back to where I was before.
| | 05:19 | That's what we're looking
for very, very important.
| | 05:21 | And the only other option is you have
to bring some lights in and add light in
| | 05:25 | order to get your exposure correct.
| | 05:28 | Another thing that can help in low
light conditions is to use the fast lenses.
| | 05:33 | Photographers are very
familiar today with using zoom lenses.
| | 05:37 | Zoom lenses are not very fast. That means
they don't have a wide maximum aperture.
| | 05:42 | Single focal length or prime lenses
have become popular for video because they
| | 05:46 | do offer a faster maximum aperture.
| | 05:49 | In fact you can get some of these
lenses that have really big openings.
| | 05:54 | They have a really fast maximum aperture.
| | 05:57 | And so this lens really lets in a lot a light.
| | 06:00 | You can see how much light it lets in.
| | 06:02 | And if I put it on this camera with
this lens, that would help me shoot at much
| | 06:07 | lower light levels without increasing the ISO.
| | 06:10 | Now shooting in wide aperture
with such a lens also gives some very
| | 06:14 | interesting effects.
| | 06:15 | When you shoot wide open with a
fast lens, you get some really nice
| | 06:20 | selective focus effects.
| | 06:22 | A lot of people think this makes video
look more like it was shot with movie fill.
| | 06:27 | And sometimes that's a great look.
| | 06:29 | It doesn't look like the video
that the home video cameras shoot.
| | 06:33 | In addition all these things come
together to really help you get better images.
| | 06:39 | So remember that you need to think
about exposure when shooting with video.
| | 06:43 | But if you pay attention to some of
these tips and pay attention to how you deal
| | 06:48 | with exposure, how you set your ISO,
using a neutral density filter, and looking
| | 06:54 | into maybe using fast prime lenses,
you're going to get better results.
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| Setting the right white balance| 00:00 | One thing that is still a bit new to
digital photographers is white balance.
| | 00:04 | You might be used to using auto white
balance but if you're going to shoot video,
| | 00:08 | you must learn to work with
specific white balance settings, not auto.
| | 00:12 | White balance is how your camera
calibrates the way it records the color of light.
| | 00:16 | This ultimately affects all
of the colors in your scene.
| | 00:20 | Different light sources
have different colors of light.
| | 00:22 | To show you that, I have some
different types of lights here to demonstrate.
| | 00:27 | Just keep in mind that the color of
light coming from the sky is a different
| | 00:31 | color than the light coming from the direct sun.
| | 00:34 | The light coming from a fluorescent
light is a very different color than light
| | 00:38 | coming from an incandescent light.
| | 00:41 | Our eyes sort of have an automatic
color balance feature that allows us to
| | 00:46 | adapt to any type of light
situation and see colors correctly.
| | 00:50 | Here you see a nice arrangement of flowers.
| | 00:53 | They look correct as you see them
because the video camera recording them has
| | 00:58 | been balanced to that light.
| | 01:00 | Now look what happens when the light changes.
| | 01:04 | The color changes dramatically because the
camera is not balanced for these conditions.
| | 01:11 | Let's change it back.
| | 01:12 | Now it looks more normal.
| | 01:14 | And what is interesting about this is
as I am standing here, I am not seeing the
| | 01:19 | change that you are.
| | 01:20 | I see a little bit of a change when the
lights first change on and off-- because
| | 01:24 | we do see the color change.
| | 01:26 | But my eyes adapt it for and
now the flowers look perfectly normal.
| | 01:32 | The camera doesn't react that way.
| | 01:34 | It has to be balanced to the light,
whether the camera is doing that
| | 01:37 | automatically or you are making
a specific white balance choice.
| | 01:42 | Well, you might think that auto
white balance would then be perfect.
| | 01:46 | Unfortunately auto white balance
causes real problems for video.
| | 01:50 | Auto white balance is designed to change.
| | 01:53 | It has to in order to adjust to changing light.
| | 01:56 | Auto white balance can and often will
change from shot to shot. That's a problem.
| | 02:03 | Imagine the two different colors that
you saw here being shot with a camera over
| | 02:08 | here and then a camera over
here and you put them together.
| | 02:11 | That color change is going to be a real problem.
| | 02:14 | So regardless of whether color changes
are strong or subtle, they are going to
| | 02:18 | show up in your edited video.
| | 02:21 | Remember that video is
about a sequence of shots,
| | 02:25 | not individual photos that stand alone.
| | 02:28 | Any difference in color can make a
jarring change to your viewer, making your
| | 02:33 | edits obvious and distracting.
| | 02:35 | Not something you want. So what do you do?
| | 02:39 | The easiest thing is to simply match
your white balance choices with the light
| | 02:43 | that is on the subject.
| | 02:45 | For the flowers here, I can match their
light with the tungsten setting because
| | 02:48 | that is the light that they're in.
| | 02:50 | So I am going to go over here and
change it to see the white balance, and it's
| | 02:55 | on Tungsten light. It looks pretty good.
| | 02:57 | Anything else now just
simply does not look as good.
| | 03:03 | So, I'll go back to
Tungsten because that looks right.
| | 03:06 | If the light changes to a daylight
color, then I need to match a white
| | 03:10 | balance setting to that.
| | 03:12 | So again I am going to turn on the
White Balance and I am going to go over to
| | 03:17 | Daylight, so now the gray of
the table looks more normal.
| | 03:21 | I don't have that kind of funky look that
I had with the White Balance on Tungsten.
| | 03:28 | Tungsten is not balanced for daylight.
| | 03:31 | This daylight balanced light
is also like shooting outdoors.
| | 03:35 | When outside, choose a setting
appropriate to the conditions there, such as Sun
| | 03:39 | for daylight, Cloudy for cloudy,
Shade for shade, and so on.
| | 03:44 | Now some cameras have a
Kelvin temperature option.
| | 03:48 | White balance happens to be more than
selecting a Kelvin temperature, which
| | 03:52 | affects the color of light from blue to amber.
| | 03:54 | However, you'll find in many situations
Kelvin does give you a degree of control
| | 03:59 | over how warm or cool your
subject and scene will look.
| | 04:02 | It works well for tungsten light, so I
am going to switch back to this other
| | 04:05 | light over here and go to the camera.
| | 04:09 | And I am going to change this
to Kelvin and see what happens.
| | 04:13 | So go over to the K and right now it's on 3200.
| | 04:17 | Everything looks fine.
| | 04:18 | As I start to change it to a lower
number you can see it starts to get very blue.
| | 04:23 | Start to go in the other direction, go
to a higher number, things look warm.
| | 04:28 | And I can go back to 3200 and I can play
with that to really tweak the warmth or
| | 04:33 | coolness of a particular scene.
| | 04:36 | A final way of adjusting white balance
is to set a custom white balance that is
| | 04:41 | specifically measured by your camera.
| | 04:43 | This can be a very accurate way of using
white balance but it does mean you have
| | 04:47 | to take the time to do it.
| | 04:49 | Unfortunately, different cameras from
different brands do this custom white
| | 04:54 | balancing differently.
| | 04:56 | You're going to have to check your
camera manual to see exactly how to set a
| | 05:00 | custom white balance with your camera.
| | 05:03 | The important thing is to choose a
specific white balance, whether it is a preset
| | 05:08 | or whether it's custom white
balance, whatever works for you,
| | 05:11 | and leave it set while you are
shooting a location, subject, or scene.
| | 05:17 | You want all of your shots to have locked-
down, unchanging color because then your
| | 05:23 | edited video will look its best and
your viewers are going to expect it.
| | 05:29 | That will happen if the white
balance is set to one thing.
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|
|
4. Sound IssuesUnderstanding the importance of audio| 00:00 | Audio or sound is not something
most photographers think about.
| | 00:04 | If you were simply photographing some
dancers, you would not think much about
| | 00:08 | the sound and you would still
have a good-looking set of images.
| | 00:13 | So let's take a look at
some stills without audio.
[00:00:17 .89]
| | 00:25 | Maybe you would have liked to have
heard some music along with those photos but
| | 00:29 | frankly, you can look at them and
enjoy what you see without any sounds.
| | 00:34 | Now, let's try that with video.
| | 00:46 | Not the same.
| | 00:48 | We really miss having some
sound or audio with video.
| | 00:53 | You're going to need to have
something with your video at all times.
| | 00:57 | If the sounds from your location are
inappropriate to what you are shooting,
| | 01:01 | then you may end up using music or
some other sounds playing with your video,
| | 01:06 | but you're still going to be aware of
the audio both as you shoot and as you put
| | 01:10 | your video together.
| | 01:12 | As we discussed in an earlier chapter,
you cannot capture anything on video that
| | 01:17 | is not in front of your lens.
| | 01:19 | That's not true with audio.
| | 01:21 | Audio is happening all around you, and
it will be picked up by your microphone.
| | 01:27 | Let's play back that video clip
but this time with some audio.
| | 01:32 | (Music playing. Feet shuffling and snapping.)
| | 01:41 | Now suppose there were some sounds that we
didn't expect and didn't hear while shooting.
| | 01:47 | Let's take a look at how extraneous
sounds might affect the shot.
| | 01:52 | (Music playing)
| | 01:55 | (Car horn honking)
| | 02:02 | You can hear and see from that clip
that what you don't see can still be very
| | 02:06 | important as you're recording video.
| | 02:08 | One of the things that you must be
aware of as you are shooting video is the
| | 02:12 | sound around you, not just
the sound in front of you.
| | 02:17 | Let's take a look at example of
interviewing one of the dancers.
| | 02:22 | Female speaker: Swing
dancing brings you together.
| | 02:25 | It brings you to a simple time where
the roles are defined. One person follows,
| | 02:30 | one person leads, and there is only
three things that matter and it's the music,
| | 02:34 | the dance floor, and your partner,
and you just forget everything else.
| | 02:39 | Rob Sheppard: Not bad.
| | 02:40 | Notice that the sound of the
dancer is clear and understandable.
| | 02:44 | I will be giving you more tips on getting
better audio in another movie in this program.
| | 02:49 | Right now, I want you to become aware of
the sounds around you because that will
| | 02:55 | do a lot for helping you
get better video and audio.
| | 02:59 | So let's play that
interview again with something else.
| | 03:02 | Female Speaker: For many people
who swing dance-- (phone rings through dialogue)
| | 03:04 | the vintage lifestyle,
the vintage clothing.
| | 03:07 | It's all part of the
preservation of what they love.
| | 03:11 | So they want to dress, they want to
dress the dance, they want to dance the
| | 03:15 | dance, live the dance,
their home, their car, everything.
| | 03:19 | Some people will take it to that extreme.
| | 03:22 | Rob: What a difference, right?
| | 03:24 | That's what I mean by how important audio is.
| | 03:28 | Both of those interviews were
shot in exactly the same way.
| | 03:31 | Yet notice how the video from that
last segment did not look as good.
| | 03:37 | That is a common reaction that we have
to video when the audio is not adequate.
| | 03:43 | Poor audio will hurt your video.
| | 03:46 | Audio is very important to video.
| | 03:49 | You don't have to stress over it
because there are some things that you can
| | 03:53 | do to make this easy.
| | 03:55 | But the key is you need to be aware of
how important sound is to video and how
| | 04:01 | it is all around us.
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| Learning to work with sound| 00:00 | Audio is a very important part of video.
| | 00:03 | Being aware of the sound around you
can be more important than the audio
| | 00:07 | gear you are using.
| | 00:09 | Even a poor mic will do better
than the best mic if the poor gear is
| | 00:15 | recording good sound to start with and the
great mic is having to deal with a lot of noise.
| | 00:21 | Well, let's talk a little bit about gear.
| | 00:24 | I have mentioned this before but I want
to mention it again, that the microphone
| | 00:27 | on your camera is not the
best for recording audio.
| | 00:31 | On this camera, it's these little tiny
dots that are at the top of the camera.
| | 00:37 | That's it for the microphone.
| | 00:39 | It'll get you something for audio
| | 00:41 | that can get you started, but
it has some severe limitations.
| | 00:46 | Camera manufacturers aren't in the
business of giving you great audio.
| | 00:49 | Adding a microphone to a camera costs money.
| | 00:52 | So they will skimp there rather
than in other parts of the camera.
| | 00:56 | In addition, a microphone built into
the camera will pick up sounds of the
| | 01:00 | camera itself, including your handling
the camera or something like an image
| | 01:05 | stabilization lens where the motor is going
and that's transmitted up to the microphone.
| | 01:12 | That sound can be very
distracting and it will drive you crazy.
| | 01:16 | But of course if your camera does not
allow you to add another microphone then
| | 01:20 | you have to use the
microphone that comes with it.
| | 01:23 | It is possible to record reasonable
audio if you are limited to the microphone
| | 01:28 | in your camera, if you pay attention to
the sounds around you and you get the
| | 01:33 | microphone and of course your
camera as close as possible to the sound.
| | 01:37 | A good option for recording audio is
a little shotgun microphone like this.
| | 01:42 | These mics typically fit into the hot-shoe
of your camera and are small and compact.
| | 01:48 | They are very easy to use because you
don't have to do much other than put the
| | 01:52 | microphone on your camera,
plug it in, and turn it on.
| | 01:56 | Even though a shotgun mic is attached
to your camera, it will pick up very
| | 02:00 | little noise from your camera,
because the shotgun mic has sort of a sound
| | 02:04 | shock-absorber built into the mount
that minimizes transfer of noise from the
| | 02:09 | camera to the microphone.
| | 02:11 | Your camera's microphone pretty
much picks up everything around it,
| | 02:15 | front, back and sides, with a
little more emphasis to the front.
| | 02:19 | A shotgun mic narrows the angle of
acceptance for sound coming to the
| | 02:23 | microphone, compared to the mic on your camera.
| | 02:27 | It doesn't eliminate the sounds
coming from the sides like a lens might
| | 02:30 | eliminate any visuals there,
but it does greatly reduce them.
| | 02:35 | A shotgun mic though does record things
behind your subject perfectly well and
| | 02:41 | sometimes behind you at your camera as well.
| | 02:44 | So be aware that although the shotgun
mic is focused, it is not automatically
| | 02:51 | on just your subject.
| | 02:53 | This little Sennheiser MKE 400
microphone works very well for me, but there are
| | 02:59 | other brands that work very
well as well such as the Rode.
| | 03:03 | You do have to remember to turn the
microphone on and off and it's a good idea
| | 03:09 | to always keep a spare battery
for the microphone in your bag.
| | 03:12 | Without a battery, the microphone doesn't work.
| | 03:16 | A lavalier microphone is a microphone
that attaches to your subject on clothing
| | 03:20 | near the person's mouth, just like
I have a lavalier microphone here.
| | 03:26 | You can actually attach a lavalier
microphone near any sound that is
| | 03:29 | important for you to record.
| | 03:31 | One big advantage of a lavalier is that
it is so close to your subject and its
| | 03:35 | sounds that it mostly hears your
subject and minimizes other noises.
| | 03:41 | A microphone can be attached directly
to your camera through a wire or cable or
| | 03:47 | it can be attached to a wireless
transmitter that sends a signal directly to a
| | 03:53 | receiver on your camera.
| | 03:54 | A wireless microphone is very common
for lavalier mics because it really frees
| | 03:59 | up the person doing the talking.
| | 04:02 | But you could do just fine with a wired
lavalier mic if you don't want to spend
| | 04:07 | the money for a wireless system.
| | 04:09 | You might also consider
using a hand-held microphone.
| | 04:12 | One advantage of a hand-held microphone
is when you're doing interviews, because
| | 04:17 | you can talk into the microphone and
then you can put the microphone close to
| | 04:20 | your interviewee to get their response.
| | 04:23 | You can use a hand-held microphone while
you're simply talking to the camera but
| | 04:28 | not everyone is going to be comfortable with it.
| | 04:30 | Sometimes nonprofessionals try too
hard with a hand-held microphone and the
| | 04:34 | resulting video looks strained.
| | 04:36 | Don't worry about getting
all sorts of microphones.
| | 04:39 | You don't need them.
| | 04:41 | Most people shooting with a digital
SLR will be perfectly happy with either a
| | 04:46 | shotgun mic or a lavalier mic.
| | 04:48 | Either one will do a lot better
than the microphone that's built into your camera.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Gearing up for audio| 00:00 | I can't overemphasize this:
| | 00:03 | sound or audio is critically
important to shooting video.
| | 00:07 | Without good audio in the finished and
edited video, your video simply will not
| | 00:13 | be perceived well by your audience.
| | 00:15 | In fact, it won't even look as good,
because what we see is influenced by what we hear.
| | 00:22 | Working with audio starts by just
being aware of the sound around you.
| | 00:27 | Just hearing problems in the sound
environment as you prepare to shoot can help
| | 00:31 | you make adjustments to how you
shoot, so that you get better sound.
| | 00:36 | It would be really nice to be able to
listen in to what your camera is hearing,
| | 00:40 | look for its audio by
plugging in some earphones.
| | 00:43 | That's something that is common with a
true camcorder, but at this point, very
| | 00:48 | uncommon with DSLRs.
| | 00:50 | There are some accessories available
that will allow you to listen into your
| | 00:54 | audio, but these accessories can be expensive.
| | 00:57 | So to start, you are going to have to
pay attention to the sounds that are
| | 01:01 | going on around you.
| | 01:02 | It also helps to play back
your sound on your camera.
| | 01:07 | Now I realize that your
camera has a small speaker, right?
| | 01:10 | On this camera, there is this little
thing right on the side, a bunch a little
| | 01:14 | holes, and behind that's the speaker.
| | 01:16 | That's it, and you don't have the
capability of using earphones, but you can
| | 01:20 | still hear something from this, and
being able to confirm that you got sound
| | 01:25 | and be able to listen to it
| | 01:26 | will at least let you know that you
recorded some audio and what it might sound like.
| | 01:31 | Lean in.
| | 01:33 | Get your ear close to the speaker as you
playback the video and audio to check it.
| | 01:38 | This is especially important if
you're doing any kind of an interview.
| | 01:42 | One of the worst things to happen if
you shot someone talking on camera is
| | 01:46 | to get back to your computer, ready to edit,
and you find out there is no sound there.
| | 01:52 | One thing that can really help is getting the
camera and microphone close to your subject.
| | 01:58 | A big mistake a lot of
photographers make is when they don't get the
| | 02:02 | microphone close enough.
| | 02:04 | The closer your microphone is to the
subject, the more likely you are going
| | 02:08 | to get quality audio.
| | 02:09 | Remember that the microphone is
going to pick up stuff all around you.
| | 02:13 | So when the microphone is close to your subject,
| | 02:16 | that is what it will mostly here.
| | 02:19 | Immediately you get better audio.
| | 02:22 | If you are using a shotgun mic,
be sure it is pointed at your subject.
| | 02:26 | Okay, that may seem a little obvious.
| | 02:28 | But if you're shooting a wide angle
shot and you frame up your subject that's
| | 02:33 | talking with another sound up from a
subject, at one side or the other of your
| | 02:37 | frame, your microphone might be
pointing right down the middle at something
| | 02:41 | entirely different and not
pick up a person talking very well.
| | 02:46 | It can actually help to take your
microphone out of the hot shoe and point
| | 02:52 | it at your subject.
| | 02:55 | You can hold it there, but
then you might pick up some noise.
| | 02:59 | But you can also use a small clamp or
hot shoe accessory. Put this in and then
| | 03:05 | point the microphone at your subject.
| | 03:09 | There is also a neat little trick
that many audio experts will do.
| | 03:13 | Use a longer cable with your
microphone so that you can get the microphone
| | 03:17 | away from your camera and point it at
your subject from up high, down low, and
| | 03:23 | so forth, so that your microphone is not
picking up all the extra stuff that's around.
| | 03:29 | When your microphone is
somewhat to the side or below--
| | 03:32 | the below often works very well, because a lot
of times there was not a lot of sounds above--
| | 03:36 | it can really help minimize the problems of
sounds that are coming to your microphone.
| | 03:43 | Now another thing that you will see
pros doing a lot is they'll take a
| | 03:47 | microphone like this and put
it at the end of a long pole.
| | 03:51 | This is called a boom, and this allows
them to get the microphone in closer to
| | 03:56 | the person and really point it
right at the audio that is important.
| | 04:03 | If you are using a lavalier microphone,
be sure that it is clipped to clothing
| | 04:08 | near the person's mouth.
| | 04:11 | A lavalier can really help when you
have a noisy situation, because the
| | 04:15 | microphone now is very close to the
source of the sound: your person on camera.
| | 04:21 | But be careful of noisy clothing
| | 04:24 | that can add very
distracting sounds as a person talks.
| | 04:28 | Also, remember to hide the wire that's
coming from this microphone out of the way.
| | 04:33 | What happens is, is that wire is
just dangling and it starts moving as
| | 04:37 | the person is talking.
| | 04:39 | It's very, very distracting.
| | 04:41 | As you record any audio, once
again, be aware of the sounds that are
| | 04:46 | happening in the background.
| | 04:48 | Very often you can time your recording
in between the problem sounds, but you
| | 04:54 | have to be aware of those
sounds in order to do that.
| | 04:57 | Another thing that helps is to record
some of the sounds that are going on as
| | 05:02 | you are doing your recording.
| | 05:04 | This helps when you are editing
someone talking, for example, and there is a
| | 05:08 | sound happening behind that person's
voice in part of your clip, but not the rest.
| | 05:14 | That can make for a very abrupt sound
change if edited. The person is talking,
| | 05:18 | you cut out something, and now there
is a part where there is not that sound
| | 05:22 | and it just cuts away.
| | 05:24 | So you can take that little audio that
you recorded separately and blend it
| | 05:28 | across the edit to make
the whole thing sound better.
| | 05:33 | It also often helps to just stop
whatever you are doing at some point and record
| | 05:38 | a minute of something
that is called ambient sound.
| | 05:42 | That's the sound that's going on all around you.
| | 05:45 | So, what happens is that sound can be
used when you have gaps in your audio.
| | 05:51 | It can be used if you have problem sounds,
because you can cover it up with that.
| | 05:55 | So you just stop and say "All right, we
need to record the sound here, so I need
| | 06:01 | everybody to be quiet for one minute.
All right, recording sound."
| | 06:11 | And that's going to be one of the longest
minutes that you have ever waited to end,
| | 06:16 | but its worthy effort to have that extra audio.
| | 06:21 | There will be situations where
bad sound just can't be turned off.
| | 06:26 | If you aren't recording somebody
talking, then a lot of times you can simply
| | 06:30 | record your scene without
sound and add some sound in later.
| | 06:34 | That could be just music or it could be
some ambient sound that you recorded earlier.
| | 06:39 | If the sound is really bad, don't
fight it, because you'll never make it better.
| | 06:45 | Recognize that that sound is bad and
that you either have to try something
| | 06:49 | different from recording, or you're going to
have to replace it when you edit your video.
| | 06:55 | Audio recording is as much about being
aware of the sounds around you as it is
| | 07:01 | about using specific gear.
| | 07:03 | Now the gear you use and how you use it
is also important, as that can affect the
| | 07:08 | quality of the sound that you do record.
| | 07:11 | Pay attention to a few simple things
about sound and you will get better
| | 07:16 | audio and video.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Recording with external audio gear| 00:00 | I want to talk now about some
advanced techniques for audio.
| | 00:04 | Now I want to be clear that you don't
need this as you get started but you may
| | 00:08 | hear or read about it
and wonder what's going on.
| | 00:11 | Well, one challenge to audio comes from
something called AGC or automatic gain control.
| | 00:17 | And what it's doing is it is
recording your sound at a certain level.
| | 00:21 | But like all automatic things is that
when you shoot automatic that doesn't
| | 00:25 | always give you the best results.
| | 00:27 | Same thing for recording sound, and
sometimes this will give the wrong level of
| | 00:33 | sound being recorded.
| | 00:35 | Unfortunately most cameras do not
allow you to turn off AGC or to control how
| | 00:41 | loud or soft you record audio.
| | 00:44 | One way around this is to use a
separate recorder such as this Zoom H4n,
| | 00:50 | a popular recorder among video pros.
| | 00:54 | Now you simply plug your mic into this
recorder and set the levels as to how
| | 00:59 | loud you're recording.
| | 01:00 | In addition, you can use headphones to
monitor the signal as you're recording
| | 01:06 | and as you're setting it up.
| | 01:07 | A recorder like this also allows longer
recording times than you can get from a
| | 01:13 | DSLR for recording audio.
| | 01:17 | In addition, you can add different
types of microphones to this recorder.
| | 01:22 | Now you can add this type of a
microphone. You can add a lav.
| | 01:26 | But there are some professional types of
mics that use something called an XLR connector.
| | 01:32 | This connector can not be easily used
with a DSLR but it can be easily used with
| | 01:38 | a recorder like this, just
plugging it into the bottom.
| | 01:41 | In fact, you can plug in almost any
type of microphone you can imagine to
| | 01:46 | a recorder like this.
| | 01:50 | Now one problem that you might have
guessed is that the audio, the good audio, is
| | 01:55 | now separate from the video.
| | 01:58 | That's why this is often
called a double system sound.
| | 02:01 | You can record with a loud sound that
has a visual component to help you with that,
| | 02:07 | because what happens is as you
take a big sound, like a hand clapping, and
| | 02:13 | when that comes together, you match
that up in the software in the computer.
| | 02:18 | The thing that you're probably most
familiar with is the clapboard that you've
| | 02:22 | seen Hollywood using. Scene 1, take one.
| | 02:27 | And when that sound comes together,
the clapboard comes together, your hands
| | 02:30 | come together, whatever. You have a
visual thing happening and the sound at the
| | 02:34 | same time that is easy to
line up in the computer.
| | 02:38 | In addition, there is software that is
called Pluralize that will help you do
| | 02:44 | that automatically in
most video editing programs.
| | 02:48 | Well, sound is so important to video
that pros will sometimes use special gear
| | 02:52 | like this to help get better sound.
| | 02:56 | The point of telling you this is
not to suggest that you go out and buy
| | 03:00 | this gear or that you try it, but to
give you some additional perspective
| | 03:05 | on recording audio.
| | 03:07 | At some point you may run across this
type of recording audio, or as you progress
| | 03:12 | you may need a better way of
controlling your audio recording.
| | 03:17 | And a double system does give you that.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
5. Hands-On Shooting: Refining Your Video TechniquesBasic shooting| 00:00 | As I discuss video techniques with a
DSLR camera, I would suggest you get your
| | 00:05 | camera out and give them a try.
| | 00:07 | One of the great things about working
digitally is that you are not using up
| | 00:11 | anything, such as film or video tape.
| | 00:13 | So there's no cost to
experimenting and trying out techniques.
| | 00:17 | Even if you don't have a great
subject to work with, like we do with these
| | 00:21 | dancers here, still give some of these
things a try just so you can get a better
| | 00:25 | feel of how your camera is going to shoot video.
| | 00:29 | In this lesson, we are going to really
get down and look at applying some basic
| | 00:33 | techniques that you will
need for shooting your video.
| | 00:37 | First, let's talk about composition.
| | 00:39 | You are dealing with a very wide
format when you are shooting HD video.
| | 00:44 | This is much wider than you are used to
using when you're shooting still photos.
| | 00:49 | It is important that you use the
entire width for your composition.
| | 00:53 | If you are only paying attention to
the center part of your image area,
| | 00:57 | you will easily pick up stuff on
one side or the other that could be very
| | 01:01 | distracting to your video.
| | 01:02 | Remember that you can't crop off those
things just like you would do with a still photo.
| | 01:08 | So a still photo, you have
that distraction, chop it off.
| | 01:11 | Video, you're stuck with it.
| | 01:13 | So be very concious of what is happening
over that whole wide frame and then use
| | 01:19 | the frame too visually.
| | 01:21 | So let's compose some shots of these
dancers to really give you an idea of what
| | 01:25 | that's like. And I am going to
record them as they move around.
| | 01:29 | Right now, we are looking at a
composition that is just them in the center.
| | 01:34 | Now being in the center is not bad
because all of the stuff that's on the
| | 01:38 | outside belongs to the setting.
| | 01:41 | It looks like they are in a place. I don't
have anything extra on one side or another.
| | 01:45 | This is the type of shot that a lot of
times photographers get into trouble with
| | 01:49 | because they are so conscious of that
centered subject that they don't look at
| | 01:54 | the stuff along the sides.
| | 01:55 | All right, now I am going to
have you guys move out to the edges.
| | 01:59 | So as they move out to the edges, you can see
they are at the opposite sides of the frame.
| | 02:05 | Now this is still an interesting composition.
| | 02:07 | I am working over this whole image area.
| | 02:10 | Not just the center now but
using everything in the frame.
| | 02:14 | Okay, now Dave, would you
go and stand next to Kim?
| | 02:16 | So now, I am using the frame very
differently because I've put basically the
| | 02:22 | subject matter way over on one side and
then using space through the rest of the frame.
| | 02:27 | It is a very interesting way of using a
composition like this; however, you got
| | 02:32 | to be careful that stuff on that side,
the side away from your subject, doesn't
| | 02:37 | have a bunch of stuff in it
that's going to be distracting.
| | 02:40 | Okay, now let's have both
of you go on the other side.
| | 02:44 | So now, this is just the
opposite so they're on the far side.
| | 02:48 | The far right side this time.
| | 02:50 | We've got the subject matter way off
on the side and then you've got this
| | 02:53 | wonderful space to use
up that entire 16x9 frame.
| | 02:58 | Now that's important to keep in mind,
is using that whole space, and that's
| | 03:03 | one way of doing it.
| | 03:04 | Don't be afraid to really put
something off to one side or the other.
| | 03:09 | But if you do that, pay attention to
the whole rest of the frame because it's
| | 03:13 | very important and people do notice.
| | 03:16 | Okay, thank you guys and you can go
back to the center. And as you change
| | 03:21 | compositions, you will start by really
doing something very important for video
| | 03:26 | and that's getting a variety of shots.
| | 03:29 | You will hear me talking a lot about
getting variety throughout this course
| | 03:32 | because getting variety is so
important to shooting video.
| | 03:36 | Video is always made up of multiple shots
and you cannot edit what you don't shoot.
| | 03:42 | Once you start editing your video, this
is going to come home to you very quickly.
| | 03:47 | You'll find out that all of a sudden,
you are going to be asking yourself,
| | 03:50 | why didn't I get this or that
particular composition or shot?
| | 03:53 | Well, you usually can't get those shots
again when you are sitting in front of
| | 03:57 | the computer doing your
edit. So what do you do?
| | 04:00 | Shoot what you think you
need, then shoot some more.
| | 04:04 | You can't go wrong in getting those extra shots.
| | 04:07 | Another thing you need to consider is
not just how many shots you make, but how
| | 04:12 | long the shots last.
| | 04:14 | This also is going to affect your editing.
| | 04:17 | Still photographers often have a
tendency to shoot video too short.
| | 04:22 | Photographers are used to just getting
that single shot so they are not thinking
| | 04:26 | about the time needed.
| | 04:28 | A good rule of thumb is the ten-second rule.
| | 04:31 | When you are recording video, simply
remember to shoot at least ten seconds.
| | 04:37 | This doesn't matter whether you're
shooting something with lots of action or
| | 04:40 | something with very little action.
| | 04:42 | That's just a good habit to get into.
| | 04:44 | So you would be doing something like
this and I am going to have our dancers do
| | 04:49 | a little bit of dancing again for us
and I am going to change the display
| | 04:53 | here, so it shows a timer.
| | 04:55 | It is going to actually tell me how much
time is going by, and not all cameras have this.
| | 04:59 | This does.
| | 05:00 | I am also going to be able to watch
the little blinking light that says that
| | 05:04 | recording is occurring and that
blinking light occurs about every one second.
| | 05:10 | So I just count in my head about the ten seconds.
| | 05:13 | So we will have get started and go ahead.
| | 05:18 | So I am waiting for this.
| | 05:19 | The counter is going up here.
| | 05:21 | I am also paying attention to the
blinking light and now that I know-- okay,
| | 05:27 | now I have gone over my minimum. They
can go further if I like the action.
| | 05:31 | Otherwise I think I got it. Great!
| | 05:33 | Thank you.
| | 05:35 | So I have in that case
almost 20 seconds of video.
| | 05:39 | That's important to be able to do that.
| | 05:42 | You need that time to help
you when you are editing.
| | 05:44 | If your clip is too short, you
will not be able to use it properly.
| | 05:49 | Just by using the full width of your
frame, shooting a lot, and shooting at least
| | 05:54 | 10 seconds per shot, you are going to
have a good start to getting great video.
| | 05:59 | I will discuss some specific ideas in
other movies in what things you're going
| | 06:04 | to look for when you are
creating that variety of shots.
| | 06:07 | But the ideas you have just heard
will really help you get started.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Shooting video to tell a story| 00:00 | By now you know about
shooting video with variety.
| | 00:03 | Now I am going to give you some
specific ideas on what sorts of things to shoot
| | 00:08 | to help you get that variety.
| | 00:11 | Video is a great way to tell a story, but
I don't want you to think that you have
| | 00:15 | to do some Hollywood type of story.
| | 00:18 | Story is simply the bringing
together of separate shots in video to tell
| | 00:23 | something about your subject.
| | 00:25 | Story and video comes from the combining
of these separate shots, not a single shot.
| | 00:32 | Story begins with three things:
| | 00:34 | a beginning, a middle, and an end.
| | 00:37 | Something is happening and something
happens first to get the action going.
| | 00:41 | That's the beginning.
| | 00:43 | There is some sort of ending to what is
going on and obviously that's the end.
| | 00:47 | Everything between that
beginning and end is middle.
| | 00:52 | So as you are deciding what shots to take,
you can look for a beginning, keeping
| | 00:56 | alert for things happening during the
action, and then look for something that
| | 01:01 | shows an ending also during that action.
| | 01:03 | Then as you record everything
else, that becomes your middle.
| | 01:08 | The beginning, middle, and end
structure of story helps you look for
| | 01:13 | specific things happening.
| | 01:15 | However, not all stories
are going to be obvious.
| | 01:19 | So here are three ideas that you can
think about that will help you find stories.
| | 01:24 | First, there is the coverage of an
event, something very specific going on.
| | 01:30 | That's pretty obvious and it could
be as simple as a birthday party or it
| | 01:34 | could be a larger event such as a dance contest.
| | 01:37 | The difference in such events is
the total time from beginning to end.
| | 01:42 | You are still looking to find those
beginning shots, ending shots, and something
| | 01:48 | that ties them together through the middle.
| | 01:51 | There will be an order to the finished
video, but the beginning, middle, and end
| | 01:55 | do not have to arbitrarily fit a timeline.
| | 01:59 | So here is the look at an event video.
| | 02:04 | (Female speaker: All right, let me get it straight.)
| | 02:06 | (Male speaker: So it's two swing
outs and then the prep, right?)
| | 02:08 | (Female speaker: Yes, it's two
swing outs and then the prep.)
| | 02:09 | (Male speaker: Okay, and then we're
going to hit it for the count of 7ths and 8ths.)
| | 02:11 | (Female speaker: Uh huh. And three triple spins.)
| | 02:13 | (Male speaker: And three
triple spins, okay. I got it.)
| | 02:18 | (Male speaker: I think the hat will stay on.)
| | 02:20 | (Male speaker: I think we're good to go, babe.)
| | 02:21 | (Female speaker: All right. Let's hit it.)
| | 02:23 | (Music playing)
| | 02:52 | (Applause)
| | 02:57 | Rob Sheppard: Second, there is a story about
who or what a subject is about, details that tell
| | 03:02 | you something about a location or an individual.
| | 03:06 | Now we are going to watch a short story
based on one of the dancers and this is
| | 03:10 | based on an interview to provide the
basis of the story and then showing details
| | 03:16 | around that story that help tell it.
| | 03:19 | There are still a beginning, middle,
and end, but it is not the same sort of
| | 03:24 | story at all as an event.
| | 03:26 | (Music Playing)
| | 03:30 | (Kim Clever: Swing dancing brings you
together, brings you to the simple time
| | 03:34 | where the rules were defined.
| | 03:37 | One person follows, one person leads,
and there is only three things that
| | 03:41 | matter, and it's the music, the dance
floor, and your partner, and you just
| | 03:44 | forget everything else.
| | 03:47 | My great-grandmother owned a
clothing store in her 30s, 40s, and 50s.
| | 03:51 | Since I was little girl, she
started giving me those clothes.
| | 03:54 | So I started collecting vintage
clothing when I was just in elementary school.
| | 03:59 | By the time, I hit high school, I was already
wearing vintage clothing on a regular basis.
| | 04:04 | I wanted my social activities
to match what I was wearing.
| | 04:09 | So I learned all the dances from the
20s to the 50s, and which outfits should
| | 04:13 | be worn while performing those dances, and
I found other people that were like-minded.
| | 04:21 | Swing dancing is bigger now
around the world than it ever was.
| | 04:25 | The actual swing era was
so short and was so quick.
| | 04:28 | The second coming of swing has lasted longer.
| | 04:31 | (Music playing)
| | 04:39 | Rob Sheppard: Third, there is narrative,
the traditional story of Hollywood or television.
| | 04:45 | Narrative has a very strong beginning, a
very strong middle, and a very strong end.
| | 04:52 | But what makes it different than an
event story is that there is a very specific
| | 04:57 | sequence of shots that must be shown in
order once the video is edited in order
| | 05:03 | for the story to make sense.
| | 05:06 | Each shot, from beginning to
end, builds on previous shots.
| | 05:10 | Narrative tells a story about
something happening and changing over time.
| | 05:16 | Let's look at a narrative
based on our dancers.
| | 05:27 | (Music Playing)
| | 06:18 | Now you have just seen three
illustrations of stories and there were certainly
| | 06:24 | different ways of shooting them and
you saw like all kinds of things that are
| | 06:28 | related to even photography that you know
such as lighting, and shot angles, and so forth.
| | 06:33 | But all of them, if you cut down to the
core, were basically about a story from
| | 06:39 | beginning to end in terms of having a
beginning shot, some sort of an ending shot,
| | 06:45 | and then some things in between,
and any of these stories really can be
| | 06:50 | as simple as you saw there, or if you want to
shoot a lot more that's a lot more complex,
| | 06:55 | go for it.
| | 06:56 | But when you first start thinking about
story, it's probably a good idea to keep
| | 07:01 | your story pretty simple.
| | 07:04 | Keep focused on finding something that
begins the story, something visual that's
| | 07:09 | going to get your viewers' attention.
| | 07:11 | Then something that carries the story
along through the middle and something
| | 07:16 | visual that really says
here is the end of the story.
| | 07:19 | That's a great way to get started in
capturing a variety of video for story.
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| Shooting for coverage| 00:01 | As you shoot and edit video, you'll
start to learn a lot about what is needed to
| | 00:05 | put together an edited video show.
| | 00:08 | You will especially understand how
important it is to have variety in your shooting.
| | 00:12 | I have made a big deal about
shooting variety because I want you to start
| | 00:15 | putting that idea in the
back of your mind as you shoot.
| | 00:18 | I am going to talk about coverage now.
| | 00:21 | Coverage is sort of like variety
because it helps you think about shooting a
| | 00:25 | number of different shots.
| | 00:27 | What is different about coverage is that
it refers to some very specific ways to
| | 00:32 | frame your subject and cover
it with a variety of shots.
| | 00:37 | Remember that you are not looking for
the perfect shot as you might be when
| | 00:41 | you're shooting a still photo.
| | 00:43 | You are looking for sequences and groups
of shots that will go together to build
| | 00:47 | an interesting video segment that will
both capture your viewer's attention and
| | 00:52 | tell a story about your subject.
| | 00:53 | I'd like to give you three shot types
that can be grouped in this way and are
| | 00:58 | used by Hollywood, by professional
video shooters, by television, by news
| | 01:02 | videographers, in fact by
nearly everyone who shoots video.
| | 01:07 | I'm going to do this as I shoot these
dancers, but this time I'm going to frame
| | 01:11 | them in very specific ways.
| | 01:14 | First, there is the wide shot.
| | 01:15 | Now, the wide shot is how I have
this set up right now and the wide shot
| | 01:20 | shows this overall scene.
| | 01:22 | It gives a feeling of setting.
| | 01:24 | It's sometimes called an establishing
shot because it shows off or establishes
| | 01:29 | where the subject is for the viewer.
| | 01:30 | It tells us where this
action is going to happen.
| | 01:35 | It is also an environmental shot because
it shows off the environment of the subject.
| | 01:39 | Second, there's a medium shot.
| | 01:41 | Now, I am just going to just zoom in
on this and come in for a shot where
| | 01:47 | I really am starting to feature the dancers
more importantly than the whole environment.
| | 01:53 | So, here the subject becomes very
important, but I'm not in so tight that I
| | 01:59 | don't see a little bit of the surroundings.
| | 02:01 | The surroundings are important
as background but not as setting.
| | 02:05 | Because of the size of your
subject in the frame, we really see the
| | 02:08 | relationships between the subject
and other things, and in this case,
| | 02:11 | between the two dancers.
| | 02:13 | We can really see their interaction.
| | 02:15 | That's a really great thing.
| | 02:17 | Now third, there is the close shot.
| | 02:20 | Now, with the close shot, I am going to
go in and zoom in even tighter, so I'm
| | 02:24 | mainly getting just their faces.
| | 02:27 | And anytime, we have a close shot, we
start to emphasize details about the subject.
| | 02:32 | Now, this could be a close-up or a
macro shot in traditional photography terms
| | 02:37 | but it doesn't have to be.
| | 02:39 | A close shot refers to how close you
are getting to a particular subject.
| | 02:44 | If you have a bigger subject, then
your close shot is not going to be a
| | 02:47 | traditional close-up in
traditional photographic terms.
| | 02:51 | Close shots are almost always dramatic.
| | 02:53 | They help provide a distinct
contrast from a medium shot or wide shot.
| | 02:59 | They show off details of the subject
that you can't see in any other way.
| | 03:04 | You might have one big wide shot and
several medium shots, but then you'll find
| | 03:08 | it's very easy to get a lot of close
shots of a particular subject, and having
| | 03:13 | that variety is never a problem.
| | 03:16 | Now, there's one other type of shot to
consider as you're shooting your video.
| | 03:20 | This is not one of the big three
shots because it is usually not directly
| | 03:24 | related to your subject, although it
is related to where you're shooting.
| | 03:29 | Also, it's not always used in editing
but it is a shot that I think that you as
| | 03:33 | a photographer will appreciate.
| | 03:34 | It's called a cutaway.
| | 03:37 | One of the challenges that you will
always face with video is when you
| | 03:41 | are editing, you may find you have
to make edits at certain places that
| | 03:45 | look a little awkward.
| | 03:47 | A way to cover up that awkwardness is
to use a cutaway, which is simply a shot
| | 03:52 | that cuts away from the main action or subject.
| | 03:56 | There is usually a medium shot or a
close shot that shows something of the
| | 04:00 | setting or the environment but
not usually of the subject itself.
| | 04:03 | So, again you can cut away from the subject.
| | 04:06 | As you're shooting your coverage, keep in
mind that all of the shots have to go together.
| | 04:11 | You need to be careful of exposure and
white balance, so all of your clips will
| | 04:15 | cut together or edit smoothly.
| | 04:17 | It's important not to forget
audio while you're shooting coverage.
| | 04:21 | Be sure to capture some of the
ambient sound and even some of the existing
| | 04:25 | sounds of your subject separate from
actually recording the subject itself.
| | 04:29 | This will give you more flexibility
when you are editing because you will be
| | 04:33 | able to use some of those
sounds to help with other visuals.
| | 04:37 | Now you have some good ideas on how to
get more variety in your shooting for video.
| | 04:42 | Think about and look for different shot types.
| | 04:45 | Wide, medium, close and cutaway, and
that will help you get the right kind of
| | 04:49 | variety you need for video.
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| Understanding how to shoot movement| 00:00 | Video is about movement.
| | 00:02 | If all you show viewers were a bunch of non-
moving images, you would simply have a slideshow.
| | 00:07 | Nothing wrong with a slideshow, but
that's not what video is all about.
| | 00:11 | In this movie I am going to
talk about the basics of movement.
| | 00:14 | Sure, you could take your camera and
follow your subject around and get all
| | 00:18 | sorts of movement, but when you do that, you
may find that your end result is not watchable.
| | 00:24 | That kind of movement when it's played back
on the screen tends to make viewers seasick.
| | 00:29 | So let's get started by looking
for simple movement of your subject.
| | 00:33 | If you start looking for movement, you
will find it, but you have to get in the
| | 00:38 | mindset of looking for movement.
| | 00:40 | Now obviously it's pretty easy
shooting these dancers when they're dancing
| | 00:44 | because there's lots of movement.
| | 00:45 | But to get you started thinking about
movement and change, we're going to look at
| | 00:50 | them not dancing and see what kind of
movement we can find there, because when
| | 00:54 | you can find movement
anywhere, you can get better video.
| | 00:59 | Now it's important to think about this
because you've got to put together lots
| | 01:04 | of pieces of a video in a final edited piece.
| | 01:08 | When you do that, if you've got these
very still shots that have no movement
| | 01:13 | whatsoever, you're going to
have some problems with editing.
| | 01:16 | So, having some movement is really helpful.
| | 01:18 | So right now they are talking
and I am going to start recording.
| | 01:22 | As I record, I want to not
just record and say, Oh, I got some movement.
| | 01:27 | I want to keep recording until I see something
really interesting happening in that movement.
| | 01:33 | Sometimes that'll happen in a few
seconds, sometimes you might have to let the
| | 01:37 | camera just roll for a while so that
you make sure that you catch something
| | 01:42 | interesting in their movement.
| | 01:44 | Then once you figure that you have had
enough and something that you can be able
| | 01:48 | to use, you can turn your camera off.
| | 01:50 | Now one of the things to keep in mind
about that is that you're not going to
| | 01:54 | use a huge long piece of video, but
you need it so that you can get the right
| | 01:59 | movement, so you capture that long amount but
you're only using the piece that really works.
| | 02:04 | But you've got to keep
shooting to get it. All right!
| | 02:07 | Let's go back to actually
shooting the dancers doing some dance.
| | 02:11 | One of the things to keep in mind when
you're shooting a specific action is to
| | 02:15 | start shooting before the
movement starts if you can.
| | 02:19 | Then be sure you shoot the ending
parts of the movement along with the actual
| | 02:24 | stopping of the action itself if it stops.
| | 02:26 | If you catch movement late, keep
shooting until it finishes or you've shot long
| | 02:32 | enough to know that it's going to
keep going and you don't need that.
| | 02:35 | It is really helpful in video editing to have
both the beginning and ending of a movement.
| | 02:41 | If you're shooting something quick
such as action in a soccer game, then that
| | 02:45 | beginning and ending
movement may all be in one shot.
| | 02:48 | The key, however, is that you are
shooting from before the movement starts until
| | 02:54 | after the movement ends.
| | 02:56 | Let's see how that works with a dance movement.
| | 02:58 | So I am going to have them do a
little number here and I am going to get a
| | 03:03 | wider shot, so we can actually see them,
and so you guys would get ready, and I
| | 03:07 | am going to start recording before they
actually start doing the dance move and go ahead.
| | 03:25 | Now notice they ended and
I did not stop recording.
| | 03:28 | I am going to stop recording now
because you need to be sure you have
| | 03:32 | gotten enough of the shot.
| | 03:35 | So I will always do the extra because when
you're editing, you cut that off. No big deal.
| | 03:39 | It's easy to cut something off.
| | 03:41 | You can't add something you never captured.
| | 03:43 | Once you start looking for movement
though, whatever it is, and it's a whole range
| | 03:48 | of action, whether it's a little bit of
movement or big movement, you will find
| | 03:52 | you will be naturally
recording these very things.
| | 03:55 | Keep in mind that you're
also looking for change.
| | 03:58 | In general, change will give movement.
| | 04:00 | Movement doesn't have to fill up your
whole image area but it is very helpful
| | 04:04 | to your video when all of your clips
have at least a little bit of movement in them.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Shooting the moving subject| 00:01 | In this movie, I want to refine
how to shoot a moving subject.
| | 00:05 | As you shoot video, you should be
looking for movement and starting to shoot it,
| | 00:09 | but sometimes the subject will simply
move in place and other times the subject
| | 00:14 | will move all over a large area.
| | 00:16 | That can be a challenge.
| | 00:18 | These dancers can certainly move over
a large area and if you're trying to do
| | 00:21 | a medium shot, that can be very difficult
because they can get in and out of your shot.
| | 00:26 | So we need to think of ways of dealing
with movement besides just backing up and
| | 00:31 | showing everything in a wide shot,
because that ends up giving a subject that's
| | 00:35 | very small plus the movement
very small in this big frame.
| | 00:40 | One thing I can do here is find a
vantage point that will show the movement
| | 00:44 | in more or less one spot, so I can keep the
camera steady while the subject moves around.
| | 00:49 | When your subject moves but the frame
stays still, the movement of the subject
| | 00:53 | can often be emphasized in a very nice way.
| | 00:58 | So right now, they are
going to be dancing in one area.
| | 01:00 | I know this for this particular one,
so I am going to start recording, and go
| | 01:04 | ahead with our first.
| | 01:07 | So now we have them moving around,
we see them staying in frame.
| | 01:10 | I know that that's the type of dance they're
doing and it works very well and it looks great.
| | 01:15 | All right, thank you. Perfect!
| | 01:21 | After you have that type of shot,
another very interesting option for
| | 01:25 | movement is to find a place where you
can shoot a defined area and have the
| | 01:29 | movement go through it.
| | 01:31 | This definitely gives a feeling of
moving through space because the subject is
| | 01:36 | literally moving from one
side of your frame to another.
| | 01:39 | When you're capturing such a shot, it's
a good idea to continue to shoot until
| | 01:43 | your subject is fully out of the frame.
| | 01:46 | This gives you better edit options.
| | 01:49 | All right, I am going to frame these up
and start to look at some of the action
| | 01:53 | that is going to go through the frame.
| | 01:55 | And when I do this, I am
going to come in tight like that.
| | 02:00 | All right, I want you guys come off to the
side and I will start recording and go ahead.
| | 02:09 | So now we will wait for them
to come through. Very nice!
| | 02:15 | All the way out. Thank you. Perfect!
| | 02:18 | And what a neat thing for the movement!
| | 02:20 | Could you see how they just went
right through the frame? Very, very cool.
| | 02:24 | That's a neat way of dealing with action.
| | 02:27 | Now, one thing to watch out for when
shooting movement is that you shoot enough
| | 02:31 | of movement that when you are editing
your video together, you're able to match
| | 02:36 | movement between shots.
| | 02:38 | With these dancers that would mean
that as I took a wide and medium shot of
| | 02:42 | them, for example, I was sure that
some of the movement was repeated.
| | 02:47 | It can look very awkward if your
subject is doing one type of movement in
| | 02:51 | one shot and then it's edited against
another shot where the movement totally changes.
| | 02:56 | Finally, think about
gestures as a part of movement.
| | 02:59 | Gesture is a unique or
distinctive movement of your subject.
| | 03:03 | You can shoot gestures as medium or
close shots and you can even get cutaways of
| | 03:08 | people gesturing around the main action.
| | 03:11 | Gesture does not simply mean
someone talking with their hands.
| | 03:15 | It means watching for a unique
movement or gesture, whether that is from a
| | 03:20 | person, a plant, an animal or even a machine.
| | 03:24 | If there is some sort of movement
that gives a gesture that is unique and
| | 03:28 | distinctive for your subject.
| | 03:30 | So, let's take a look at them dancing
another little bit of movement here and
| | 03:35 | I'm going to look for a specific
spot of gesture. Okay, go ahead.
| | 03:40 | Now watch, they are moving.
| | 03:41 | We have got some nice movement and
then we start seeing things happening.
| | 03:45 | Now we are watching for something is
going to really give us that cool gesture
| | 03:48 | and that was a really neat movement of
the twirl. That gave us a gesture that was
| | 03:54 | unique from all the rest
of it that was going on.
| | 03:57 | Ultimately, the key is in movement is
to be aware of movement of your subject
| | 04:03 | and what is happening to the subject
as it moves through the image area.
| | 04:07 | This is a very different
mindset than still photography.
| | 04:11 | But once you start thinking this
way, you'll discover all sorts of
| | 04:15 | moving possibilities.
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Creating movement| 00:00 | You can shoot movement of your
subject based on having the camera still.
| | 00:04 | That's a good way to start looking at
movement, because once you start moving
| | 00:08 | the camera, you can introduce very
confusing movement for the viewer.
| | 00:12 | But moving the camera is an
important part of video, so I'll be talking
| | 00:16 | about that in this movie.
| | 00:18 | Most photographers are familiar with
panning a camera across the scene to
| | 00:22 | follow a moving subject.
| | 00:24 | You take a shot with a slow shutter
speed as you move the camera to blur the
| | 00:28 | background and your subject is relatively sharp.
| | 00:31 | That can be an effective photograph.
| | 00:33 | Panning, moving that camera,
is also important for video.
| | 00:37 | Now you are actually recording the
movement of the panning of your camera.
| | 00:41 | Panning can be used to follow a subject
moving through the scene or it can be
| | 00:45 | used to pan across a larger scene to
show that scene without having to back up
| | 00:50 | and just do very wide shot.
| | 00:53 | Because you are recording the actual
movement of your camera as you pan, it's
| | 00:57 | very important to have a video head on
your tripod and that you level your head.
| | 01:02 | You need to be able to move the camera
smoothly and level across the scene, and
| | 01:08 | a standard photo head will
not allow you to do that.
| | 01:11 | Well, let's look at what happens when
we pan across this whole dance scene.
| | 01:16 | First though, I'll try practicing the
shot so that I know what I am going to do
| | 01:20 | with the pan, where I am going to
begin it and where I am going to end it.
| | 01:23 | You will find that even accomplished
pros will do a few practice shots of a
| | 01:28 | pan, just so that they can make sure
they are getting the movement down smooth
| | 01:32 | across a unique scene.
| | 01:33 | So before they even start dancing, I
am just going to try panning across the
| | 01:37 | scene, see where I am beginning,
where I am ending. All right!
| | 01:41 | Now I am going to have you guys do
a tight area where you are dancing.
| | 01:47 | I am going to start recording.
| | 01:48 | I am going to start over on the side,
and I move across them, nice even smooth move,
| | 01:55 | and then I end.
| | 01:59 | Okay, so that's moving
across the scene. Thank you.
| | 02:03 | Another use of a pan would be to
follow a subject, such as that these
| | 02:08 | dancers moving across the stage or
one dancer moving through a larger
| | 02:13 | movement of a dance.
| | 02:14 | So now I am going to go in a little bit
tighter and I am going to have you do
| | 02:19 | a looser dance, and go ahead. And I am
going to follow Kim as she moves through the scene.
| | 02:27 | They serve as a very
interesting way of using movement.
| | 02:33 | Great, thank you.
| | 02:37 | Okay, let's take a look at a tilt
while our dancers are doing some dance.
| | 02:44 | So right now I am going to zoom in, and just
start above them, and I will start recording.
| | 02:49 | Go ahead.
| | 02:50 | So while they are going, I am going to
tilt down, all the way down to their feet
| | 02:58 | and hold on the feet, and
there we go. Thank you.
| | 03:02 | So that gives us an idea of how a tilt works.
| | 03:06 | Now another way of moving your camera in
a sense is moving your camera's lens by
| | 03:11 | zooming, another way of creating movement.
| | 03:14 | One problem though that you are going
to have with a DSLR is that most zoom
| | 03:19 | lenses have not been built for
continuously shooting as you zoom.
| | 03:23 | I mean they were never made for that.
| | 03:25 | They were meant for still photographers.
| | 03:26 | So you may find that the zoom
mechanisms don't works smoothly or that you
| | 03:32 | actually see a change in exposure
as the lens adjusts for the zoom.
| | 03:37 | Okay, those were never problems when you
are shooting still photos, but they are
| | 03:40 | big problems when you are shooting video.
| | 03:43 | A zoom lets you zoom in from a wide shot
to a specific detail in a scene or you
| | 03:50 | can start in on a detail and
zoom out to reveal the whole scene.
| | 03:54 | But you have to have a zoom
lens that allows you to do that.
| | 03:59 | So let's try that here.
| | 04:00 | So I am going to have you guys
again do a dance, a tight area.
| | 04:06 | So I am recording and go ahead.
| | 04:10 | So we have got them moving.
| | 04:12 | I am zoomed in tight on their feet, and I
zoom out to reveal them dancing on the stage.
| | 04:19 | All right! Thank you, very nice.
| | 04:23 | And that's exactly how we do it.
| | 04:25 | Now last type of camera movement I
am going to talk about is actually
| | 04:29 | moving your camera.
| | 04:30 | So we are going to take it off the
tripod and there are lots of ways that we can
| | 04:37 | create some movement.
| | 04:39 | But it's long been an effective way
of creating interesting visuals in
| | 04:43 | television and movies.
| | 04:45 | The challenge is keeping the movements
smooth and even as appropriate to the scene.
| | 04:50 | If you are moving your camera around
and it's bouncing all over the place
| | 04:53 | and you are doing kind of this, it's
going to be really hard for your viewer
| | 04:57 | to watch that video.
| | 04:58 | It's going to be like they are
watching something shot on a moving boat.
| | 05:01 | Well, there are a lot of pieces of gear
available that can help you smooth out
| | 05:06 | the moving camera, but they can also
take a bit of a bite out of your wallet.
| | 05:11 | This gear can get very expensive.
| | 05:13 | You don't need to have all of that,
although it can help at times having some support.
| | 05:18 | It can make holding the camera easier
while you are shooting over the time that it
| | 05:23 | takes you to record your shot.
| | 05:24 | But another way of dealing with the
moving camera is to shoot with the
| | 05:28 | wide-angle focal length.
| | 05:29 | So set your lens to its widest setting.
| | 05:32 | Then use an image stabilizer if you have it.
| | 05:36 | Image stabilization is a great tool,
and plus shooting with a wide-angle lens
| | 05:42 | period helps minimize the bouncy movement.
| | 05:44 | Telephotos, not only do they magnify
things at a distance, they also magnify any
| | 05:49 | movement of your camera.
| | 05:50 | So having that wide-angle and adding in the
image stabilization can really be a nice effect.
| | 05:56 | So I am going to have them move and
I am going to move a little bit with them,
| | 05:59 | because it gives a very different look.
| | 06:01 | So I am going to start shooting and I
am going to have you guys okay, you are
| | 06:04 | going to move toward me.
| | 06:10 | All right! Thank you, and that gives a very
different feeling and it can be kind of cool.
| | 06:16 | But you got to practice with that and
it takes some practice to kind of make
| | 06:20 | your movements smooth as well.
| | 06:22 | As you start moving your camera, watch
how fast the camera is moving and the
| | 06:28 | smoothness of the move.
| | 06:29 | You will have to practice moving your
camera to get the right speed and the
| | 06:34 | right smoothness to the shot.
| | 06:35 | While any practice doing this is going to help,
| | 06:38 | you will find that you almost always
have to practice a shot, whether that is
| | 06:44 | a pan, a tilt, or moving camera, before
recording video, because every scene is unique.
| | 06:49 | That means every movement is going to
be unique and you need to know what
| | 06:54 | your movement is going to
be from start to finish.
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
6. Preparing for the EditPreparing for the edit| 00:00 | Once you start shooting video with your
camera, you are going to start getting a
| | 00:03 | bunch of video files, and
what do you do with them?
| | 00:06 | Well, you're going to want to start to
edit them and there are courses about
| | 00:09 | video editing at lynda.com.
| | 00:12 | So I am not going to talk to you about that.
| | 00:14 | What I do want to talk to you about is
preparing for the edit, and that starts
| | 00:19 | with getting your video onto your computer.
| | 00:22 | One thing nice about digital video is
that this takes very little time and
| | 00:25 | effort compared to when
people had to shoot with videotape.
| | 00:29 | You probably already have a memory
card reader for getting your image files
| | 00:33 | into your computer.
| | 00:35 | A card reader is important and will be
faster than downloading big video files
| | 00:40 | through most cameras.
| | 00:42 | Video files are big and I would
suggest you do not import these files to your
| | 00:47 | main hard drive in your computer.
| | 00:49 | Get a large external hard drive
and dedicate that just to video.
| | 00:54 | I would recommend at least 1
terabyte and probably more.
| | 00:58 | Also, be sure this is a fast hard drive.
| | 01:01 | Look for a drive speed of 7500 rpm.
| | 01:05 | You need this speed in order to get
video off of the drive without any loss of
| | 01:09 | frames or audio while
playing back and editing video.
| | 01:13 | So what you want to do is set up
this hard drive with one main folder you
| | 01:16 | can label Video Files.
| | 01:18 | You actually want to have a specific
place for your files to go rather than
| | 01:24 | simply using the Movies folder or the
Videos folder on your main hard drive,
| | 01:29 | because you can very quickly run
out of space on that hard drive.
| | 01:33 | In addition, there can actually be
some problems when the hard drive that has
| | 01:36 | your editing program is the same
drive that is holding your files.
| | 01:40 | It is possible to import your video
through a program such as Lightroom or
| | 01:44 | Aperture or your editing program,
but it's just as easy to import them
| | 01:48 | directly to a hard drive.
| | 01:50 | So I am going to open up my external hard
drive, and now I have a big empty space here.
| | 01:56 | I am going to right-click and get New Folder.
| | 01:59 | Now you can right-click with
both Windows and with the Mac.
| | 02:02 | I highly recommend having a right-
click mouse, because it gives you these
| | 02:07 | context-sensitive menus.
| | 02:08 | Otherwise, you always have to hit Ctrl+
Click for a Mac to get this particular menu.
| | 02:14 | All right! So I've got a folder.
| | 02:16 | I'm going to call this Video files, and
then I'm going to open this because I'm
| | 02:25 | going to start creating my own
file structure and this is important.
| | 02:29 | So once you get this open in whether
it's Finder like here or whether it's
| | 02:34 | Windows Explorer, you're
working with the same sorts of things.
| | 02:37 | I'm going to open up this
and start my own structure.
| | 02:40 | It's very important that you create a
structure for how you are saving your
| | 02:45 | files that make sense for you.
| | 02:47 | Simply throwing all of your video files
randomly into this big folder is not going to help.
| | 02:53 | I like to create a
structure that starts with the year.
| | 02:56 | So I am going to right-click again. New Folder.
| | 02:59 | We'll call this 2011.
| | 03:02 | Now what you use is going
to depend on your needs.
| | 03:04 | But you need to have some way of
structuring your folders just like you would
| | 03:08 | structure them in a filing cabinet.
| | 03:11 | So I'm going to open this up and
I'm going to create another New Folder.
| | 03:16 | What I like to do is actually create a
folder that tells me where and what and when.
| | 03:22 | So in the name here, I'm going to
put-in California for the where, the what is
| | 03:28 | Swingdancing, and the time is when?
| | 03:34 | It's 0111, hit OK, and now I have this folder.
| | 03:41 | If I open that, I have an empty folder.
| | 03:45 | That is California swingdancing 0111.
| | 03:47 | Now if I look at how this is structured,
you can see I've created a structure
| | 03:52 | that starts with my hard drive, moves
over to Video files that are specifically
| | 03:58 | a place for my video, then I have a
year, and then I have a folder that's
| | 04:03 | specific to the event,
the location, and the time.
| | 04:07 | Again, the way you structure that is
going to be up to your needs, but pick
| | 04:12 | some sort of structure.
| | 04:13 | It's very important.
| | 04:14 | Let me go back to this, so
I just see the open folder.
| | 04:17 | Now I am going to open up my memory card
and I now have you can see a couple of folders.
| | 04:24 | These are typical.
| | 04:25 | Now different brands will have it
slightly different, but you will look for the
| | 04:28 | same sorts of things.
| | 04:29 | So I am going to open up DCIM.
| | 04:31 | Then you'll see a thing that says
100CANON. Open that up and there are all of
| | 04:36 | my little video files.
| | 04:38 | I am going to select them all.
| | 04:40 | Now how you select them all?
| | 04:41 | You can click-and-drag over them like
this. You can click on one, do Command or
| | 04:46 | Ctrl+A to select them all.
| | 04:48 | Depends on how you're working
and what your preference is.
| | 04:51 | One thing that you might notice is that
your camera may record something called
| | 04:56 | thumbnails that are THM files.
| | 04:59 | These are very small files.
| | 05:01 | It doesn't actually matter
if you were to drag them over.
| | 05:04 | They are used by the camera for certain things.
| | 05:06 | But you don't have to have them.
| | 05:09 | You don't have to drag them
over onto your hard drive.
| | 05:11 | You're not losing anything significant
if you don't. So I need to drag these over
| | 05:17 | onto my new open folder where
I have the CA swingdancing 0111.
| | 05:24 | So now we've got all the files in the folder.
| | 05:30 | I actually will keep another external
hard drive where I will copy these over
| | 05:35 | again for backups, because I
do like to have that backup.
| | 05:38 | But once you're done, it's good
idea to eject your memory card.
| | 05:42 | Now you can eject it here in Finder.
| | 05:45 | You can also eject it by right-
clicking the actual icon on your desktop.
| | 05:51 | You can also do the same
thing in Windows Explorers.
| | 05:54 | Right-click on the actual
name of the drive and eject it.
| | 05:58 | So we'll just eject that.
| | 06:00 | I now have my swing dancers ready to go
and I want to start looking at them.
| | 06:06 | The way to really make this easy to
do is just click on a particular file,
| | 06:13 | whichever one that you want to start
checking on, and with Mac, this is so simple.
| | 06:17 | You just hit the Spacebar and it starts playing.
| | 06:23 | So I can watch it.
| | 06:26 | I can do that with all of them and
decide if there's ones I like or dislike,
| | 06:30 | get rid of stuff that really
isn't needed, and so forth.
| | 06:33 | Now if you're working with
Windows, you can't do that.
| | 06:36 | You have to double-click on the actual
file and it will open into a program.
| | 06:42 | What program is going to depend on
what your computer is actually setup for,
| | 06:46 | but it will open up into a dedicated
program to play the file and you can
| | 06:49 | check it that way too.
| | 06:52 | Now once you've done all of
this, you're ready to edit.
| | 06:55 | There are courses about
video editing here at lynda.com.
| | 06:58 | But whatever you use for editing your
video, have fun with it, make lots of
| | 07:03 | videos, send them out to your friends
and relatives, put them up on YouTube.
| | 07:08 | You're going to have a lot of possibilities.
| | 07:10 | So go for it.
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ConclusionStay focused| 00:00 | You have now completed a journey
through shooting video with a DSLR.
| | 00:04 | Shooting video can be a lot of fun.
| | 00:06 | It's something highly
different than still photography.
| | 00:09 | Now you can capture movement and sound
and put it all together in stories about
| | 00:14 | the world all around you.
| | 00:16 | I know that I've talked about some
things that are things that you're not used
| | 00:19 | to doing all the time.
| | 00:21 | It will take a little time and
effort to master all of these techniques.
| | 00:25 | But think about it. When you first
started shooting still photos, you didn't
| | 00:28 | master all that in a short time either.
| | 00:31 | Have fun while you're shooting.
| | 00:33 | Enjoy the experience of
learning this new medium.
| | 00:36 | You may find it challenging at first to
go back and forth between shooting video
| | 00:40 | and shooting still photos.
| | 00:42 | You may decide to do only one or
the other at a time. That's okay.
| | 00:46 | You'll find that dealing with video and
shooting both video and stills becomes
| | 00:50 | easier the more that you do it. So just do it.
| | 00:55 | And as you shoot, you might want
to give yourself some assignments.
| | 00:59 | I think that's a great thing to do with video.
| | 01:01 | Pick some sort of subject that you are
familiar and comfortable with, then shoot
| | 01:05 | a whole variety of video on just that subject.
| | 01:07 | Remember the different shot types,
movement, and watch your sound.
| | 01:12 | And put that together as a short video.
| | 01:14 | To put your video together, you will need
to learn a bit about editing your video.
| | 01:19 | I think that one of the easiest and
best programs for the average photographer
| | 01:23 | is Adobe's Premiere Elements.
| | 01:25 | It's also relatively
inexpensive, under a $100.
| | 01:28 | The most recent version is
available for both Macs and PCs.
| | 01:33 | You can learn more about that in Premiere
Elements Essential Training here at lynda.com.
| | 01:39 | But most of all, get out and shoot.
| | 01:42 | Have some fun and explore
what video can do with your DSLR.
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