How to Plan for a Video Production?

Camcorders are so simple to use these days that they encourage seat-of-the pants videography, which isn’t always the best idea. Just grabbing your camcorder and hastily shooting may be fine if you’re shooting the UFO that happens to be flying overhead, but for most other situations, some careful planning will improve your movie.
The first thing you’re probably going to do in any video project is shoot some video. Even if you are shooting a simple school play or family gathering, you can and should plan many aspects of the shoot:

• Make a checklist of shots that you need for your project. While you’re at it, make an equipment checklist too. I’ve included a video-shoot checklist at the end of this chapter.
• Survey the shooting location. Make sure passersby won’t trip over your cables or bump the camera. (It makes you unpopular, and can ruin your footage to boot.)
• Talk to property owners or other responsible parties. Identify potential disruptions, and make sure you have permission to shoot. For example, your kids’ school probably doesn’t mind if you shoot video of Suzie’s band concert, but commercial concerts or sporting events usually have rules against recording performances.
• Plan the time of the shoot. This is especially important if you are shooting outside. What part of the sky will sunlight be coming from? Do you want to take advantage of the special light available at sunrise or sunset?
• Bring more blank tapes and charged batteries than you think you’ll need.

You never can tell what may go wrong, and preparing for the worst is always a good idea. When it comes to blank tapes and spare (charged) batteries, too many is always better than not quite enough. If you want to shoot high-quality video, you’ll be happy to learn that staging an elaborate video production with dozens of staff members, acres of expensive equipment, and professional catering is not necessary. But you can do some simple things to improve any shooting situation — whether you are casually recording a family gathering or producing your own low-budget sci-fi movie. The following sections help you shoot better video, no matter the situation.

Camera Stabilizer Shopping List

Although modern camcorders are small and easy to carry around, you’ll probably find that most of your shots benefit from a tripod or other method of stabilization. Even the cheap $20 tripod that you got for free with your camcorder purchase is better than nothing for stationary shots. If you’re looking for a higher-quality tripod, here are some features that can make it worth the extra cash:

• Strong legs and bracing: Dual-stanchion legs and strong bracing greatly improve the stability of the camera.
• Lightweight: The best tripod in the world doesn’t do you any good if it’s so heavy that you never take it with you. Better tripods use high-tech materials like aircraft aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber to provide lightness without sacrificing strength.
• Bubble levels: Some tripods have bubble levels (like those carpenters use) to help ensure that the camera is level. Few things are more disorienting in a video shot than an image that is slightly skewed from level.
• Counterweights: Adjustable counterweights help you keep the tripod head and camera balanced even if you’re using a heavy telephoto lens or other camcorder accessory.
• Fluid heads: This is probably the most important feature of a highquality tripod. A fluid head enables you to pan the camera smoothly, eliminating the jerky panning motion associated with cheaper tripods.

Lighting Equipment Shopping List

Most digital camcorders provide automatic aperture control (often called exposure). The aperture is the part of the camera that controls how much light is let in through the lens. It expands and contracts depending on light conditions, much like the iris in the human eye. But all the automatic controls in the world won’t make up for a poorly lit scene. Basically you are going to need several key bits of gear to better light your scene:

• Lights: Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “No kidding.” You can buy professional lights if you wish, but you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get good lights. Fluorescent shop lights are affordable and provide good-quality light, as are halogen work lights available at many hardware stores.
• Backdrop material: For some shots, you may want a backdrop behind your subject. You can make a backdrop frame out of pipe or cheap 1x3 pine boards (also known as furring strips) from your local lumber yard, and then tie, clamp, or staple the backdrop material to the frame.
  
• Clamps: While you’re at the hardware store buying lights and backdrop stuff, pick up some cheap spring clamps. Clamps can be used for holding backdrops together, holding lights in position, or playfully clipping unsuspecting crew members as they walk past.
  
• Extension cords: You’ll need to plug in all your fancy lights somehow.
• Duct tape: If you can’t do it with duct tape, it probably can’t be done! I like to use duct tape to secure extension cords to the ground so that they aren’t a trip hazard.
• Translucent plastic sheets and cheesecloth: Get these at your local art supply store to help diffuse and soften intense lights.
  
• Reflective surfaces: Use poster board, aluminum foil, or even plastic garbage bags to bounce light onto your subjects. Crumple foil to provide a more diffuse reflection, and tape the foil or plastic bags to boards so they’re easier to handle. Lights get hot, so use care when handling them after they’ve been in use for a while. Also, if you use plastic, cheesecloth, or other materials to diffuse light, position those materials so they aren’t too close to hot lights.

What’s wrong with my camcorder’s mic?

After spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a high-tech digital camcorder, you may be frustrated by the so-so quality of the audio recorded by the built-in microphone. The problem is that the camcorder’s mic is prone to pick up a lot of noise you don’t want, while not recording enough of the audio you actually want. Unwanted noise includes wind roar, people chatting next to or behind the camera, and even the camcorder’s own tape drive. In this clip, I shot a scene of my son watching sea lions at a local seaport. The camcorder’s mic picked up the sound of barking sea lions, which is fine, but it also picked up voices of people chatting outside the video frame and various other undesirable sounds. If all I want in this shot is the sound of sea lions barking, I’ll have to rely on another method of recording.

How to select an audio recorder?

Separate sound recorders give you more flexibility, especially if you just want to record audio in a certain location but not video. Many professionals use DAT (digital audio tape) recorders to record audio, but DAT recorders typically cost hundreds or (more likely) thousands of dollars. Digital voice recorders are also available, but the amount of audio they can record is often limited by whatever storage is built in to the unit. For a good balance of quality and affordability, some of the newer MiniDisc recorders are good choices.

If you do record audio with a separate recorder, one problem you’ll have later is precisely synchronizing the audio recording with the video image that you recorded. Professional video and filmmakers solve this problem using slates. A slate is that black-and-white board thingie with all the chalk writing on it that someone snaps closed just before the director yells, “Action!” The slate isn’t just a kitschy Hollywood gimmick. When the slate is snapped closed in front of the camera, it makes a loud snapping noise picked up by all audio recorders on the set. That sound and the video image of the slate can be used later to precisely synchronize the separate audio and video recordings. If you plan to record audio with a separate audio recorder, I recommend that you construct and use a simple slate of your own. You can make it using two boards and a hinge purchased at any hardware store. (Just watch your fingers, okay?)

How to choose a microphone?

If you want to connect a better microphone to your camcorder, the best place to start is with your camcorder’s manufacturer — you’ll need a really long cable. (Just kidding.) Usually accessory microphones are available from the manufacturer. These accessory units make use of connections, accessory shoes, and other features on your camcorder.

One type of special microphone you may want to use is a lavalier microphone — a tiny unit that usually clips to a subject’s clothing to pick up his or her voice. You often see lavalier mics clipped to the lapels of TV newscasters. Some lavalier units are designed to fit inside clothing or costumes, though some practice and special shielding may be required to eliminate rubbing noises.

You might also consider a hand-held mic. These can be either held by or close to your subject, mounted to a boom (make your own out of a broom handle and duct tape!), or suspended over your subject. Suspending a microphone overhead prevents unwanted noise caused by breathing, rustling clothes, or simply bumping the microphone stand. Just make sure that whoever holds the microphone boom doesn’t bump anyone in the head! Microphones are generally defined by the directional pattern in which they pick up sound.

The three basic categories are cardioid (which has a heartshaped pattern), omnidirectional (which picks up sound from all directions), and bidirectional (which picks up sound from the sides). A good place to look for high-quality microphones is at a musician’s supply store. Just make sure that the connectors and frequency range are compatible with your camcorder or other recording device (check the camcorder’s documentation). Finally, the Internet is always a good resource as well. One good resource is www.shure.com, the Web site of Shure Incorporated. Shure sells microphones and other audio products, and the Web site is an excellent resource for general information about choosing and using microphones.

How to pick the Right Accessories for Your Camcorder?

Few pieces of digital video gear are as underappreciated as camcorder accessories. Beyond the obvious things like a camcorder bag and spare tapes, there are a couple of extras which I feel are critical whenever you shoot video.
These include

• Extra batteries: Your new camcorder should come with at least one battery, and I recommend buying at least one extra. Lithium Ion batteries are preferable to NiMH batteries because Lithium batteries last longer, and you don’t have to worry about completely discharging them before recharging. (NiMH batteries have always been a pain because you were supposed to completely discharge them before recharging, and then you had to recharge them as fully as possible because NiMH batteries had a “memory” that would often prevent it from accepting a full charge.) A Lithium Ion battery, on the other hand, is more like the gas tank in your car: You can top it off whenever you want!
• Lens cleaner: Your camcorder’s lens will inevitably need to be cleaned. Purchase a cleaning kit specifically recommended by your camcorder’s manufacturer. This is important because the lens on your camcorder might have a special coating that can be damaged by the wrong kind of cleaner. Avoid touching the camcorder lens with anything (as much as humanly possible). I like to use canned air (available at computer supply stores) to blow dust or sand off the lens.
• Lens hood: Some high-end camcorders have hoods that extend out in front of the lens. A hood shades the lens surface to prevent light flares or other problems that occur when the sun or some other bright light source reflects directly on the lens. If your camcorder didn’t come with a hood and your manufacturer doesn’t offer one as an accessory, you can make a hood using black photographic paper tape (available at photographic supply stores). Make sure you check the camcorder’s viewfinder, however, to ensure that your homemade hood doesn’t show up in the video image!
• Lens filters: Filters fit onto the front of your lens and serve a variety of purposes. Some filters correct or modify the light that comes into the lens. Polarizing filters reduce reflections on glass or water that appear in a video shot. A neutral density filter improves color in bright sunlight. A clear or UV (ultraviolet) filter is often used simply to protect the camera’s lens from getting dirty or scratched. Filters usually screw into a threaded fitting just in front of the lens, and you can purchase them from consumer electronics or photographic supply stores. If your camcorder doesn’t accept a standard filter size (such as 37mm or 58mm), you will probably have to order filters specially designed for your camcorder by its manufacturer.

Some high-end cameras (such as the Canon GL2 or Sony DCR-VX2000) have built-in neutral density filters that you can turn on and off or adjust. This is a handy feature, but I still recommend that you always install at least a UV filter in front of your camcorder’s lens to protect it from damage. A $15 UV filter is a lot easier and cheaper to replace than the glass lens in your camcorder. Tiffen (www.tiffen.com) sells a variety of camcorder filters; their Web site includes some excellent photographs that illustrate the effects of various lens filters on your video image.