How to Film?

Aug 6, 2008
103
1
This is off topic but I had to post this.

It pisses everybody off when one goes to see a video, and its made of horrible quality. The camera is shaky, lighting is bad, and theres little to no audio. We have all seen this before. So recently I wanted to film some magic. So I got my camera and my cameramen. After wasting a couple of hours...the videos were absolute peices of garbage. Now when I go to the Media section of Theory 11 there are many nice videos. For example I looked in the cardistry section. The videos are not shaky, they have different and good angles, audio is well mixed in, the camera is stable, and it is well edited. This is to help me, and other fellow members who may not know how to record a video.

How Do You Film?

How do you take different camera angles? ( im assuming everybody only uses one camera?)

What software do you use to edit?


If you know how to film a video well. Tell us what you do to make it look good? [/COLOR]
 
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Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
Tripod.

And could you please type in dark blue/black? Red on white is a bit brighter and for some people, it hurts their eyes.
 
Oct 20, 2008
273
0
Austin, TX area
How do you keep your camera steady?

I film primarily using my Canon Powershot, which is easily mounted on a tripod. Monopods may also be useful if you have a separate cameraman.

A basic, full sized tripod goes for under $30 these days. Even the cheap ones are surprising in their friendliness. Do avoid using the seven dollar, eight inch tripod.

My secondary camera is a Hi-8 (I believe) that uses what looks like miniature VHS tapes. It, too is designed to be mounted on a tripod.

My wife and I both own a full-sized tripod.

How do you take different camera angles? ( im assuming everybody only uses one camera?)

Get more than one camera. Synchronize your video by using some sort of clapboard or similar device. Then you can time the videos to run concurrently in your editor by lining up the frame when the clapboard goes down.

What software do you use to edit?

Windows Movie Maker is standard on Windows PCs, starting with XP if memory serves.

I personally prefer Sony Vegas. The $90 price point is steep, but you get a lot for your money -- including some fairly nice DVD creation tools.

Hardcore users lean toward Adobe After Effects.

I have never owned an Apple product. Not only has the price been out of my range, but the media creation software I need has been PC based since 1995. Hopefully a Mac user will follow up.

If you know how to film a video well. Tell us what you do to make it look good?

Know how to do it well? I'm at least adept at turning raw footage into a video. :D

Learn how to light your video before you even start filming. Three point lighting. Diffusion. Lighting your video correctly before it gets committed to tape or SD Card or any other medium will save you a lot of hassle when you send it to the editor, and will naturally look better for your efforts.

On the subject of lighting: Robert Rodriduez filmed some scenes of El Mariachi with house lamps. They were all he had. Yet he did a nice enough job of positioning those lamps that his efforts were praised by unknowing critics for the great sense of atmosphere. Seriously -- learn to position what you have.

Read books and web sites on the technical side of filmmaking. Yeah, I went there. I have seen an occasional high quality tutorial at YouTube as well. At the very least, play with different filters. My personal taste is to run every picture and video that leaves my computer through the Curves tool. When done right, it brings out that last bit of detail.

Are things in other videos that you dislike? White title text on a flat blue field, perhaps? Don't do them.

Please don't forget about sound. We live in an age of talkies. I would personally say to learn in this relative order: compression, equalization, some sort of noise filters (de-essers, low/mid/high-pass filtering, etc..) and gates.
 
Jul 13, 2008
382
0
I use a tripod as said before, and sometimes have two cameras filming the same thing at once in different angles. I use Final Cut Express for editing and Live Type for titles. I suggest getting a cheap HD camera like a flip or a Kodak .
 
Jun 6, 2010
796
0
Nashville, TN
Since Andrew answered most of the questions, I have a lot less typing to do. But he didn't answer this question well.

How do you shoot from multiple angles with one camera?

Make sure you can do all the moves identically. Then get your camera and tripod and film the whole thing, (no zooming, no talking, no nothing) at one angle. Then put the camera at another angle and do the same. Edit these together smoothly to make a nice, interesting video.

Which leads me to my next question.

What editing software do you use?

For Windows:

Well if you're looking for really basic editing, use Windows Movie Maker. Its simple, easy and gets the job done. And lets not forget it's FREE. But if you want to look into more in-depth editing that can make videos look a lot better than you shot them, you should get Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I would suggest not getting Sony Vegas Pro, it's pretty complicated and costs about $50 more than Movie Studio. However Movie Studio is only $40. So it won't really break the bank. Here is a link to where you can get it.

For Mac: (Note that I do not have a Mac, so some of my info may be a little incorrect)

If you want a basic editing software that's free and comes with the Mac, use iMovie. But for a more advanced editor, get Final Cut Pro. I use it on a daily basis in my media class at school and it's actually pretty good. I don't know where you can get it, but it would be a good idea to check your local Apple Store.

Now this wasn't one of your questions but I will still answer it.

What camera should I use?

HD!! Get an HD camcorder. I wouldn't suggest getting a big, professional camera. The cameras that I think are the best ever would be: Sony Handycam, Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1. But it doesn't really matter, as long as you like the quality and the model fits you. I also wouldn't get a Flip since you want to use a tripod. But I'm not sure if a Flip can or can't use a tripod.


Hope I was helpful. :)
 
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How do you take different camera angles? ( im assuming everybody only uses one camera?)

In some of my videos on my old channel (youtube.com/MarchingMoses) I used multiple camera angles for a spectator camera point of view. However if you truly want multiple angles you can either do the clapper approach as mentioned before or, and this is what I do, have a specific word you use to know when to sync up the video. In nearly every video editing program you can see the audio tracks, zoom in until you see the audio in sync (testing it of course to make sure they match up) and then find the audio track which sounds the best to use. If you are doing a studio performance as Aaron suggested, I recommend that you play music in the background while you film. This way you can match your moves to the beat. Then simply replace the audio in your editing software.


What editing software do you use?

I've used WMM before but it didn't quite cut it for me. I am currently working on becoming a YouTube partner, and it just had way too many restrictions.

I use Sony Vegas Pro 9 (though 10 is coming out soon so I may upgrade) and I have had very good results from it. I also recently got Adobe After Effects CS5 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 though I am still learning how to use them. All of these programs work really well regardless or not if your are a PC or a Mac.

If you do own a Mac, iMovie is fantastic. If you use it in conjunction to FinalCutPro you get great results. Most of the big YouTubers use these programs (iJustine, DeStorm, etc) In addition many of them use Adobe After Effects. My friend is on a Mac and she gets great responses with iMovie and FinalCut.

What camera should I use?

I have two I use. A Sony Webbie HD (which is my parents) and a JVC Picsio HD Camera. The Picsio is great, though I am currently saving up for a Kodak Zi8. T11 uses a Zi6 for all of their blogs so if you like the look of them you'll love the Zi8. One of my friends owns the Zi8 and its his baby. HD is deff the way to go. Flip cams are great because you can always have them on you. I'd also recommend you get a condenser mic. This will make your audio sound a lot better. Another method you can do is, if its a studio recording, is get a gaming mic and the Audio program Audacity (free). You record your audio through the program and then in you editing software replace the camera audio with the one from the computer. Syncing it up is easy. When you hit record just count down from three, pause, and go on. You can easily see the breaks in the editing program so you'll be able to sync it up. If your camera doesn't have an audio input, you can apply this technique to a live recording. Instead of a computer, use a pocket recorder. Get a nice mic to use, hook it up to the recorder and you are good to go. I am actually getting one of these for that reason (my camera lacks an audio input)

Lighting and Editing

Like I said I use Sony Vegas, for all of my new videos, I adjust with the brightness and contrast. All I mess with the lighting levels, and sharpness. This gives you a much more crisp video. if you go to my new channel, youtube.com/JustJoshinMagic, you can see some examples in my live clips.

Other Thoughts

YouTube is your best friend. If you have any questions on how to do something to your video to make it look better, you can always find a tutorial on YouTube.

Tripods are great if you want a video to not shake. If you are filming live, find a camera with a movement filter so that way it will reduce shakiness

if you have any questions let me know =]

If you go to both of my channels (MarchingMoses and JustJoshinMagic) you can see how much the video quality has improved since I started making videos

Hoped I helped!
 
Oct 20, 2008
273
0
Austin, TX area
If you are filming live, find a camera with a movement filter so that way it will reduce shakiness
Again, I'm no camera freak -- but both cameras I own call it "Digital Image Stabilization" or DIS. That term may appear. It's also why I suggested the monopod.

I still have to argue for the curves tool instead of brightness/contrast. The advice was even given to me by a very accomplished digital artist.
 
Again, I'm no camera freak -- but both cameras I own call it "Digital Image Stabilization" or DIS. That term may appear. It's also why I suggested the monopod.

I still have to argue for the curves tool instead of brightness/contrast. The advice was even given to me by a very accomplished digital artist.

Thanks I was blanking on the name.

I use both the curves tool and the brightness/contrast tool. I read about that in a film magazine. They interviewed Hollywood editors about what you can do to make your own films look movie grade
 
Aug 6, 2008
103
1
Thanks a lot guys hopefully soon I'll have a good quality video made. Where is this "Curves tool" avaliable? Is it in sony vegas? I just purchased Sony Vegas and am learning to use it. By the way the new windows live movie maker sucks. Many features that were previously available on it are now gone. Also I was curious how long does it take you guys to make a new video? This seems to be a long process.
 
Thanks a lot guys hopefully soon I'll have a good quality video made. Where is this "Curves tool" avaliable? Is it in sony vegas? I just purchased Sony Vegas and am learning to use it. By the way the new windows live movie maker sucks. Many features that were previously available on it are now gone. Also I was curious how long does it take you guys to make a new video? This seems to be a long process.

Its called Color Curves... from editing time, to rendering, to processing on Youtube, I could prob get a god video done in 2.5 hours
 
Nov 9, 2010
188
1
I'm eagerly awaiting Zach Mueller's response to this thread. I used to take some film classes in high school but that feels like ages ago (well, a few years at least) and Zach's video about his magician friend is pure gold when it comes to the technical stuff.

(So unless I was clear enough, Zach - answer! ;) )
 
Nov 7, 2010
68
0
I havent made any videos dealing with cardistry or magic, but I'm into animation, film, etc.

First off you need a camera. For cardistry you might want to opt for one with a higher fps( I hate slow-mo footage with low frame rates, looks terrible unless the person pixel blends in AE, which ive never seen), for magic 23.976 or 30 works. 1080p is nice, but 720 will work also. You want one that you can use easily and suites your own needs. For multiple angles you can use more than 1 cam or try and film the same move twice. If you want audio dont worry about built in mics, invest in a separate one.

For lighting you want a couple lights. if you want to show a face you want to position 2 lights on opposite sides at the right intensity, and might need a fill. You can also use gel or a cloth to diffuse the light if needed. Tweak stuff around until you reach something you want. Having a friend to work with you always helps for filming and editing

When filming, decide on the amount of post production you want. If you will be doing lots of color grading then desaturate your footage so you get room to work with. try and keep as much detail as possible. Also play around with depth of field and your backgrounds.

For post production you can start with imovie or wmm. I use adobe premiere pro and after effects, sometimes 3DS Max for 3D models(AE is $1000, Premiere is $600 i think, and 3DS Max is like....$3000, but both adobe and autodesk have HUGE student discounts) . It is all about how you want your footage to look. Different looks create diffferent moods. Ive seen cardistry movies in greyscale that look nice and oversaturated that are equally good. Usually great editing and animations make for a "professional" look. Play around with you editor also, get familiar with settings. For title sequences you can go big with 3d letters and titles and cool looking animations, or you can stay simple. Used correctly, plain text can look very nice. I'm too lazy to type out tips and tricks and other things, but feel free to PM me with questions or requests. One important thing: NEVER Take a tutorial and just change the text. its lame and unoriginal. Learn the concepts and fundamentals from the tutorial and make your own thing. I might take the time to write a nice article on this stuff eventually. Filming tricks and cardistry don't usually require too much compositing, but its not hard to green screen and chroma key someone so they look(convinvingly) like they are doing magic on the roof of a skyscraper.

To answer some other questions of yours:
-It takes me anywhere from an hour to 10-15+ to finish an animation and finalize post production. Add a few hours for rendering( Gotta upgrade to 16gb or RAM+ soon.)
-Filming time usually depends on the length of the film, but since cardistry and magic dont require a script or anything im assuming its a bit shorter.
-Tripods work, but if you have a 2nd person some camera movement can be great.
-Mac users can use Final Cut Pro too(think its $1000, express is cheaper), but adobe products work for mac too
 
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Nov 7, 2010
68
0
Heres a list of decent to great editing software

-Pinnacle Studio
-Sony Vegas 10(different versions of it are available)
-Adobe Premiere Pro and Premiere Elements
-Adobe After Effects
-Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express
-Photoshop comes in handy for some things
-Final Cut and Adobe each have great software dedicated to titles also

There are more but I forgot them for now

3D
-3DS Max
-Cinema 4D
-Blender

Trials of most of these are available, download them and try each out. Some like AE have a steep learning curve and take years to master
 
Jan 5, 2010
658
2
Alabama
Also, this hasn't been mentioned yet, take a look at CyberLink Pro Director 9. It's only $60 and has a HUGE amount of features and effects, as well as a lot of download-able content.

I'm currently filming a little going away project for a friend that includes a little cardistry, and my two cameras are my iPhone for and my Kodak Zi8, both record great HD quality! There have been some pretty amazing videos done with the iPhone 4, and it even has iMovie! Obviously you will want to use more than the iPhone's iMovie for what you're looking for though.

Here's two examples of what can be done with an iPhone's camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HymoNGR3G5w

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6amrKRmI1bI

Watch both in 720p :p
 

Bizzaro

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2007
464
10
Vegas
www.smappdooda.com
Get more than one camera. Synchronize your video by using some sort of clapboard or similar device. Then you can time the videos to run concurrently in your editor by lining up the frame when the clapboard goes down.

Hardcore users lean toward Adobe After Effects.

Just to clarify a bit here, clapboards are primarly used to synch sound (but can be used for video as well). They are primarily used for multiple camera shoots.

Also, After Effects is more like Photoshop for video. You don't ever want to do full on editing in it. You use it to punch up certain clips.

Premiere is the non-linear editor of choice for me.

I do agree that the best way to fake a good video is with proper lighting and sound.
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,182
119
31
Houston, TX
I definitely am. I will probably refer to this thread once I get my editing system. I want to know more about how those iPhone video's were done because those are sick! I want to learn to do the same with my Evo
 
Jan 5, 2010
658
2
Alabama
Well, the music video was shot ENTIRELY with an iPhone 4, and then edited on a computer. Most likely with a great editing program :p

'Apple of my Eye' on the other hand was shot AND edited completely on the iPhone 4 with iMovie! It never left the device other than exporting it to YouTube in HD.
 
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