Tips

Important Video – Slightly Off Topic

March 25, 2008

Today is Diabetes Alert Day.

My company helped produce this video about an important public issue. Please watch.

Field Production Strategies for Video Podcasting

February 16, 2008

Podcast and New Media Expo 2007: The rules of the studio don’t apply the same in the field. In this session you will learn how to properly capture your video content outside of a controlled environment and unpredictable lighting and background noise. You also learn how to achieve the best results when encoding files for various output devices. See how the experts retain overall quality with an overview of the latest methods and technologies. This session will also share best practices for multi-camera productions.

Download mp3:
Distributing Video in Various Formats: How To Make the Right Choice (1:00:46 min 27.9 MB)

Testing the Feed

February 16, 2008

FEED Validator
There are lots of things that can break an RSS feed. A misplaced character, a misformed date, the list goes on. Fortunately testing a feed is easy. Once you have your feed and media available online, you’ll want to test it. The easiest way is to visit http://www.feedvalidator.org/ where you can enter the adress for your feed. If there are errors in your feed, they are clearly identified. The website also offers suggestions and links to more information on how to fix common problems. This website is invaluable and shoot be a part of your testing process.

On-Camera Considerations

December 04, 2007

Here are a few extra tips to help less-experienced on-camera talent or interviewees.

Bring at least one alternative set of clothing.
Herringbone, stripes, or small patterns do not look good on camera. Avoid vivid patterns, plaids, and geometric shapes.
Please keep you’re jewelry simple.
Do not wear bright white. Cream, eggshell, or light gray are preferred.
Unless told otherwise, maintain eye contact with your interviewer throughout the interview.
Relax.

Interviewer Tips

November 30, 2007

Becoming a good interviewer is an acquired skill that takes training and practice. For the less experienced, here are a few helpful pointers.

“Edit in the Camera.” Encourage short answers and come back to topics again. Better to focus on good, tight answers than trying to cobble together six takes to make your point.
Avoid enumeration or the phrase “Like I said before.” It is highly likely that you will use only part of the answer (such as step three, without steps one and two).
Ask leading, open-ended questions… being sure to ask a single question only.
Don’t be afraid to stop and start over. Do not let an answer ramble on. Smiles and nods encourage subjects that they are ‘on-target’ and can stop trying to talk themselves out of a corner.

Keep Two Sets of Cables Handy

November 23, 2007

A mantra that we like to repeat often is this: 90% of all problems are cable problems. A bad cable can destroy your production. From pops in the interview, to a flickering client monitor, a bad cable can do all sorts of damage.

Cables are cheap, re-shoots are not. To avoid expensive problems keep two sets of audio, video, and FireWire cables with your camera bag. And when a cable goes bad, toss it and replace it.

FireWire – A Technology with Many Names

November 20, 2007

If you are shopping for FireWire technology, you’ll often see it referenced by two additional names. Sony frequently calls the technology i.Link, while others favor the generic IEEE 1394, which refers to the number given to it by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The technology is identical, what is at play here is a resistance to use the FireWire logo and name which is closely associate with Apple, Inc. which co-developed the technology. Adding to the confusion is that there is FireWire 400 and FireWire 800. The technology called FireWire 800 uses a 9-pin connection type and is much less common. It is generally used for higher-speed hard drives and is usually not found on cameras.

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