Advanced checklist of Video Production

If you’re planning a slightly more format video shoot, you’ll probably want to bring the items on the basic checklist as well as these more advanced items:
• Lights
• Clothes/wardrobe for the cast
• Make-up and hair-care items
• Fans (to simulate wind and mess up that hair you just combed)
• Extension cords
• Reflectors
• Stool
• Backdrop
• Clamps
• AC adapter and/or battery charger for camcorder
• Microphone
• Audio recorder (don’t forget batteries and blank audio tapes or MiniDiscs)
• Slate
• Script

Basic Checklist of a Video Production

This basic checklist includes important items that you’ll need on virtually any shoot, no matter how informal:

• Camcorder
• Your camcorder owner’s manual
• Extra charged batteries
• Spare blank tapes
• Lens cleaner
• Lens filters
• Tripod
• Duct tape
• Camcorder accessories (remote control, telephoto lens, and so on)
• Scene list

How to create your own sound effects for digital video production?

As you watch a TV show or movie, it is easy to forget that many of the subtle little sounds you hear are actually sound effects that were added in during editing, rather than “real” sounds that were recorded with the video image. This is often because the microphone was focused on the voice of a speaking subject as opposed to other actions in the scene. Subtle sounds like footsteps, a knock on the door, or splashing water are often recorded separately and added to the movie later. These sound effects are often called Foley sounds by movie pros, and someone who makes Foley sounds is called a Foley artist. Foley sound effects are named after audio pioneer Jack Foley, who invented the technique in the 1950s.

Recording your own sound effects is pretty easy. Many sounds will actually sound better in a video project if they’re simulated, as opposed to recording the real thing. For example:

• Breaking bone: Snap carrots or celery in half. Fruit and vegetables can be used to produce many disgusting sounds, and they don’t complain about being broken in half nearly as much as human actors.
  
• Buzzing insect: Wrap wax paper tightly around a comb, place your lips so that they are just barely touching the paper, and hum so that the wax paper makes a buzzing sound.
• Fire: Crumple cellophane or wax paper to simulate the sound of a crackling fire.
• Footsteps: Hold two shoes and tap the heels together followed by the toes. Experiment with different shoe types for different sounds. This may take some practice to get the timing of each footstep just right.
  
• Gravel or snow: Walk on cat litter to simulate the sound of walking through snow or gravel.
• Horse hooves: This is one of the classic sound effects. The clop-clopclopping of horse hooves is often made by clapping two halves of a coconut shell together.
• Kiss: Pucker up and give your forearm a nice big smooch to make the sound of a kiss.
• Punch: Punch a raw piece of steak or a raw chicken.
• Thunder: Shake a large piece of sheet metal to simulate a thunderstorm.
  
• Town bell: To replicate the sound of a large bell ringing, hold the handle of a metal stew pot lid, and tap the edge with a spoon or other metal object. Experiment with various strikers and lids for just the right effect.

Some sound effects might be included with your editing software or are available for download. Pinnacle Studio, for example, comes with a diverse library of sound effects, which you can access by clicking the Show Sound Effects tab or choosing Album➪Sound Effects. If the sound effects aren’t currently listed, navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Studio 8\ Sound Effects, and then open one of the thirteen sound-effect category folders such as \Animals or \Squeaks.
Apple iMovie 3 also includes some built-in sound effects. Open iMovie and click the Audio button. To view a list of sound effects, make sure you have iMovie Sound Effects listed in the menu at the top of the audio browser). You may also be able to download additional sound effects periodically from www.apple.com/imovie/audio_effects.html. If you use Windows Movie Maker, you may be able to download free sound effects from Microsoft. Visit www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ and look for links to downloadable sound effects. If you are using another video-editing program, check the documentation or visit the publisher’s Web site to see whether free sound effects are available.

How to manage ambient noise during digital video production?

Ambient noise is the general noise that we don’t usually think much about because it surrounds us constantly. Ambient noise might come from chirping birds, an airplane flying overhead, chattering bystanders, passing cars, a blowing furnace, the little fans spinning inside your computer, and even the tiny motor turning the tape reels in your camcorder or tape recorder. Although it’s easy to tune out these noises when you’re immersed in them, they’ll turn up loud and ugly in your audio recordings later on. If you’re recording outdoors or in a public gathering place, you probably can’t do much to eliminate the actual sources of ambient noise. But wherever you are recording, you can take some basic steps to manage ambient noise:

• Use a microphone: I know, this is about the millionth time I’ve said it, but a microphone placed close to your subject will go a long way towards ensuring that the sound you actually want to record is not totally overwhelmed by ambient noise.
• Wear headphones: Camcorders and tape recorders almost always have headphone jacks. If you plug headphones into the headphone jack you can listen to the audio that is actually being recorded, and possibly detect potential problems.
• Shield the camcorder’s mic from wind: A gentle breeze may seem almost silent to your ear, but the camcorder’s microphone may pick it up as a loud roar that overwhelms all other sound. If nothing else, you can position your hand to block wind from blowing directly across the screen on the front of your camcorder’s mic.
• Try to minimize sound reflection: Audio waves reflect off any hard surface, which can cause echoing in a recording. Hanging blankets on walls and other hard surfaces will significantly reduce reflection.
• Turn off fans, heaters, and air conditioners: Air rushing through vents creates a surprising amount of unwanted ambient noise. If possible, temporarily turn off your furnace, air conditioner, or fans while you record your audio.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers: You know how annoying it is when someone’s cell phone rings while you’re trying to watch a movie; just imagine how bothersome it is when you’re making a movie! Make sure that you and everyone else on the set turns those things off. Even the sound of a vibrating pager might be picked up by your microphones.
  
• Shut down your computer: Obviously this is impossible if you are recording using a microphone that is connected to your computer, but computers do tend to make a lot of noise, so shut them down if you can.
  
• Warn everyone else to be quiet: If anyone else is in the building or general area, ask them to be quiet while you are recording audio. Noises from the next room may be muffled, but they still contribute to ambient noise. Likewise, you may want to wait until your neighbor is done mowing his lawn before recording your audio.
• Record and preview some audio: Record a little bit of audio, and then play it back. This might help you identify ambient noise or other audio problems.

Recording Sound

Recording great-quality audio is no simple matter. Professional recording studios spend thousands (sometimes even millions) of dollars to set up acoustically superior sound rooms. I’m guessing you don’t have that kind of budgetary firepower handy, but if you’re recording your own sound, you can get pro-sounding results if you follow these basic tips:

• Use an external microphone whenever possible. The microphones built in to modern camcorders have improved greatly in recent years, but they still present problems. They often record undesired ambient sound near the camcorder (such as audience members at a play) or even mechanical sound from the camcorder’s tape drive. If possible, connect an external microphone to the camcorder’s mic input.
  
• Eliminate unwanted noise sources. If you must use the camcorder’s built-in mic, be aware of your movements and other things that can cause loud, distracting noises on tape. Problem items can include a loose lens cap banging around, your finger rubbing against the mic, wind blowing across the mic, and the swish-swish of those nylon workout pants you wore this morning. I discuss ambient noise in greater detail in the following section.
• Obtain and use a high quality microphone. If you’re recording narration or other audio in your “studio” (also known as your office) use the best microphone you can afford. A good mic isn’t cheap, but it can make a huge difference in recording quality. The cheap little microphone that came with your computer probably provides very poor results.
  
• Position the microphone for best quality. If possible, suspend the mic above the subject. This way the microphone will be less likely to pick up noises made by the subject’s clothes or bumping of the microphone stand.
  
• Watch for trip hazards! In your haste to record great sound, don’t forget that your microphone cables can become a hazard on scene. Not only is this a safety hazard to anyone walking by, but if someone snags a cable, your equipment could be damaged as well. If necessary, bring along some duct tape to temporarily cover cables that run across the floor.

Earlier I mentioned that you should plan which video scenes you want to record. Planning the audio scenes that you want to record is also important. For example, suppose I want to make a video about a visit to the beach. In such a project I would like to have a consistent recording of waves crashing on the shore to use in the background. But if I record short, 5-to-10-second video clips, I’ll never get a single, consistent audio clip. So, in addition to my various video clips, I plan to record a single, unbroken clip of the ocean.

Avoiding timecode breaks

Each frame of video is identified using a number called a timecode. When you edit video on your computer, timecode identifies the exact places where you make edits. On your camcorder, a timecode indicator tells you how much video has been recorded on the tape. This indicator usually shows up in the camcorder’s viewfinder or the LCD panel. A typical timecode looks something like this:

00:07:18:07

This number stands for zero hours, seven minutes, eighteen seconds, and seven frames. If you have a 60-minute tape, timecode on that tape probably starts at 00:00:00:00 and ends at 00:59:59:29. In some cases, however, the timecode on a tape can become inconsistent. For example, suppose you record one minute of video, rewind the tape 20 seconds, and then start recording again. Depending on your camcorder, the timecode might count up to 00:00:40:00 and then start over at zero again. An inconsistency like this is called a timecode break. A timecode break is more likely to occur if you fastforward a tape past a blank, unrecorded section and then start recording again. When you capture video from a digital camcorder into your computer, the capture software reads the timecode from the tape in your camcorder. If the software encounters a timecode break, it will probably stop capture and be unable to capture any video past the break.
The best way to avoid timecode breaks is to make sure you don’t shuttle the tape (fast-forward or rewind it) between recording segments. An alternative approach is to pre-timecode your tapes before shooting. If you do have to rewind the tape — say, someone wants to see a playback of what you just recorded — make sure you cue the tape back to the end of the recorded video before you start recording again. Many camcorders have an end-search feature that automatically shuttles the tape to the end of the current timecode. Check your camcorder’s documentation to see whether it has such a feature.

Don’t abuse the zoom lens

Most camcorders have a handy zoom feature. A zoom lens is basically a lens with an adjustable focal length. A longer lens — also called a telephoto lens —makes far-away subjects appear closer. A shorter lens — also called a wide angle lens — allows more of a scene to fit in the shot. Zoom lenses allow you to adjust between wide-angle and telephoto.
Because the zoom feature is easy to use and fun to play with, amateur videographers tend to zoom in and out a lot. I recommend that you avoid zooming during a shot as much as possible. Overuse of the zoom lens not only disorients the viewer, it also creates focal and light problems whether you’re focusing the camera manually or using autofocus. Some zoom lens tips include

• Avoid zooming whenever possible. I know how tempting it is to zoom in on something cool or interesting in a video shot, but you should exercise restraint whenever possible.
• If you must zoom while recording, zoom slowly. You may need to practice a bit to get a feel for your camera’s zoom control.
• Consider repositioning the camera instead of using the zoom lens to compose the shot. Wide-angle lenses (remember, when you zoom out you make the camcorder’s lens more of a wide-angle lens) have greater depth of field. This means more of the shot is in focus if you’re zoomed out. If you shoot subjects by zooming in on them from across a room, they may move in and out of focus. But if you move the camera in and zoom the lens out, focus will be less of a problem.