Category: Video

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10 Great Links For Video Resources

If you’re like me, no matter how much you think you know – when it comes to video production and editing – there’s always something you don’t know.
I have been helped on numerous occasions with a little help from my friends and great resources.

Here’s my Top 10 List of Online Resources and Blogs for Video Info

http://forums.creativecow.net/ Info, forums and tutorials
http://www.dvinfo.net/ Tutorials and interactive forum.
http://www.2-popforums.com/forums/ Forums for video discussions.
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa Apple’s discussion forums
http://tiny.cc/BbKwL Ken Stone – Final Cut Pro guru
http://digitaljournalist.org/ Monthly online magazine
http://tiny.cc/qcrWh Digital Juice -Tutorials and forums.
http://tiny.cc/vfKr0 Chuck Fadely’s Blog – great info on video
http://www.photoshopforvideo.com/ Photoshop Tips
http://www.lynda.com Training for just about anything!

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Video and Social Media – A Great Partnership

Facebook hit one billion video views last month. There are four times as many video views as actual Facebook members. That’s astounding. It also speaks volumes about how much video has become a part of our lives. With Facebook, people are sending video messages to “friends” without sharing them globally on You Tube or other video host sites. http://tiny.cc/v3d8K. Social networkers can also embed their Facebook videos on other web sites or blogs.

But if you think one billion video views in a month’s time is amazing, then you’ll be stunned to hear that YouTube gets over one billion views in a day!

And let’s not forget the new iphoneG3 that is not only a display tool for video, but a tool that can create video content as well. And this is not one of the new hybrid still cameras that also shoots video files – it’s a phone!

So between the new tools that create video content, coupled with the new tools that allow us to share video content, video is becoming a new “norm” in how we communicate. And with these new tools it has become easier for the consumer to use video to communicate. Does that mean video professionals should feel threatened. Not at all. To me it means that because video is becoming the new “norm” there is more and more of a demand for it. And that means that for my clients who have only worked in print before, are now finding a need to deliver their message in video to consumers who have come to expect it. And that’s good for me and my business.

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Family Biographies

I think one of the most gratifying areas I create videos for is in documenting family stories. This past weekend, I traveled to Michigan for a large family gathering. Because this part of my family is over 800 miles from me, I don’t get to see them as often as I like. I also know that the years go by like minutes these days and that many of my aunts, uncles and cousins are getting on in years.

On this particular trip I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and decided to set up time to get my relatives to sit down for video interviews. I wanted to archive their stories for future generations of our family. Mom,Jereta, Joyce, Dorlen, Frenchie

We took an afternoon and one by one, each aunt and uncle told me stories of growing up and the hard, but happy life they had on the family farm. They talked a bit about my mother and I’m grateful for that because she is no longer here to tell her story.

At times the tales were funny and it times they were quite emotional. But I think at the end of the day we all agreed that what we had accomplished in taping their stories,  was an important thing to do. Video is such a wonderful tool for documenting a family’s story because they are telling their stories in their own way, with their own voice. Creating family biographies is one of the most rewarding areas that I work in. And it’s also the most appreciated.  I’d like to think in my own small way that I’m continuing a legacy for future generations to come.

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Pinetop Perkins – Still Singing the Blues at 96

Yesterday, July 7th as the world mourned Michael Jackson’s passing, another music legend, Pinetop Perkins turned 96 years old. Pinetop Perkins, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, AR

Pinetop Perkins is a legend in the world of “blues” music. He taught Ike Turner how to play piano during the 1940’s while working on Hopson’s Plantation in Clarksdale, MS. Pinetop still tours the world playing his boogie woogie style blues. Even at 96 years old – he’s still living his passion for the blues.

I met Pinetop in Mississippi in 2002 while there for his homecoming. I had recently embarked on one of my earliest video projects – a project about the Delta blues musicians and the part of the world that gave birth to that music.  http://tiny.cc/ntwso My approach was to shoot still environmental portraits of these musicians, but more importantly capture video interviews of them talking about their youth and the Delta.

Pinetop Perkins, Clarksdale, MS I spent the morning with Pinetop sitting on the front porch of an old shack on Hopson’s Plantation. The crowds from the party the day before had come and gone and it was just the two of us, having a conversation on a glorious October morning. It was memorable and I captured his stories which I hope will be heard by generations to come.

That day led to many other wonderful encounters over the years with Pinetop and even a trip to the Grammy’s when Pinetop was honored as a lifetime achievement recipient.

Pineop_Ike_Gail

Seven years ago when I asked him what the blues was, he replied “ Something worrying you so bad that you mights need to cry about it – you got the blues if you can’t sing em”. I try to remember those words when I’m down – and sing the blues to carry my troubles away.

Happy Birthday Pinetop.

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Woodstock and The First Man on the Moon

What does Woodstock and the first man on the moon have in common? They both are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month. Amazing not only that it has been 40 years but that those totally different events happened in the same summer.

I remember both vividly. I watched the moon landing being televised on my 18th birthday. And I was part of the crowd at Woodstock.

At the time – to me – Woodstock didn’t seem like a historical event but the moon landing did. A few months ago I visited NASA and the control room where the best and the brightest facilitated that historic event. Houston_NASA_2202 It was humbling. But what really hit home was how basic the room was in terms of technology. Rotary dial phones and just a handful of buttons on the consoles. I instantly remembered a moment on TV when they showed NASA technicians feverishly using their slide rules. My daughter doesn’t even know what a slide rule is.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come in 40 years. I suppose to some 40 years may seem like a long time – but to me it sure went fast. Most likely I won’t be around in another 40 years and I can’t help but wonder what changes technology will bring to our lives.
But underneath the technology is the human spirit and the drive of pursuit. Let’s hope that we humans use technology wisely.

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Mobile Video Explosion

Apple’s new iPhone 3Gs has had a huge impact on YouTube since it’s debut this month. In fact video uploads are up 400% each day since the new iPhone came on the market. But aside from the impact of the iPhone, YouTube uploads have increased 1700% over the last six months.

Those statistics are not only phenomenal, but could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to uploading and sharing videos. No doubt there will be a deluge of some really bad videos that will be bounced around.  But just think how this technology can effectively  convey your message or your company’s message – if presented in a creative, and strategic way. When a web video is done well – it can circle the globe exponentially and virally in a matter of hours. Never before has it been as easy to share video.

The downside of course to any new technology or gadgets is that people jump on the bandwagon without first defining what it is they want to do with it – and why. Just like with the rise in popularity of social media marketing, a business needs to determine how and when to embrace these new tools and do so in a way that’s consistent with their brand or message.

Some thoughts on how you can utilize web videos in your business:
1. How to’s or instructional videos
2. Behind the scenes showing how you or your staff work
3. Client testimonials
4. Relaying your company’s message

And remember just because every one is doing it – doesn’t mean it’s right for you. You need to answer that question for yourself.  But if you do embrace video in your marketing efforts – if done right, it can create awareness around the world and it’s never been easier.

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Travel and Video

When I started out as a still photographer over 30 years ago, I knew I wanted to travel. And that’s exactly what I did, I traveled the world on assignment for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Islands, Smithsonian and many more. I shot over 18 stories for National Geographic Traveler alone.

Over those years, I found myself doing a lot of observing as well as interacting and listening to people from cultures around the globe. I was fascinated by their stories. I documented my observations through my images and when it all came together perfectly my visuals told their story.

Many times I would feel the need to add audio or movement to fully capture the spirit of a place. When digital video came along and now HD it was a dream come true. Technology making all that possible for an independent shooter.

Travel and the medium of video are a perfect match. Adding the sounds of a destination or a recorded conversation adds another dimension to a story. Much of what I remember from past trips I’ve taken are the sounds of the environment. The prayer chants from a mosque in Giza at dawn – the bells of a sleigh in the snow in Banff- a yell from a street vendor in NYC – children laughing in a school yard in Blarney, Ireland. All ideal elements for a video format.

As well as adding the dimension of sound, shooting video allows you to add movement. Photographs are moments in time – video is time in motion. When you shoot travel, you want to immerse yourself in the place you’re in to get a full sense it. Whether it’s dance or a bustling market or a ferris wheel, video captures the energy of a place. I got fabulous footage from shooting from a ferris wheel. It acted like a giant jib when I shot from the ride as the wheel came around.

As far as shooting travel, adding video to my skills has opened up new ways of seeing many places I had been to dozens of times before. And with smaller and more discreet cameras, I can be less obtrusive. Video and travel – a perfect match.

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Marketing Yourself with Video

Video can be a great way to market yourself and your business online. It has become easier and easier to upload or embed video to your website http://tiny.cc/Ymuj8 and your blog. In additon, video host sites like You Tube or Vimeo allow you to upload and share your videos and let you create your own TV channel. http://www.vimeo.com/kellymooney/videos You get the value of people sharing your video virally and referring others to it. You can also create a link back to your website or blog.

With that said, you want your video to call attention to your business and be consistent with your brand. It needs to be entertaining or informative and relevant to your target audience for it to be noticed and shared. The quality has to be decent enough to get your point across and if your business is a creative one like photography or video production, good quality is a must.

Your video can be about yourself, how you work and can show you in action. Photographer Chase Jarvis has a nice promotional video on his site. http://tiny.cc/NacGq And depending on your target audience – it can be instructional. The video should be short – less than 5 minutes and engaging. You want to make people remember you and come back to your website or blog.

With all the new tools like the latest iphone and the Flip, creating videos for blogs and emails has never been easier.

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Utilizing the Tools – Convergence of Video and Photography

Every once in awhile I see a blog or a video that really strikes a chord. Today I saw a video that caught my attention for all the right reasons. It was a video that was produced by a photographer Alexx Henry demonstrating how he used technology in a new way to create a One Sheet, commonly referred to as a movie poster.

He had an idea to make the typically static movie poster, come to life with motion. His ultimate goal was to shoot the movie poster and have it appear like a still photograph in his customary style – but with the surprise of coming alive with motion. He chose as his tool the amazing HD video camera, THE RED. But first he needed to do some testing and to sell the idea to his client. For that he used the hybrid camera, the Canon 5D Mark II. He also needed to use hot lights. Because he was shooting motion, he couldn’t use flash. He chose to use HMI lights to get the same look and feel of the lighting style he brings to his still photographs.

Watch the video – it will give you more insight into his project. I loved his last statement. “A great photographer once told me that if you deliver exactly what a client expects, you aren’t doing your job”. He not only delivered the “surprise” he was looking for, but then some.

http://bit.ly/IFsje

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Online or Web Video

Many of my clients who do business on the internet recognize the power of online video as a marketing tool. Online video can promote their brand by connecting with their customers. It also can give some insight into their company’s personality by providing extra information. And if done well, your online video will be shared virally on social media sites, potentially building a following.

I’ve done testimonial web videos for clients where their customers tell their story. I’ve been hired by publishers to shoot video interviews with authors to talk about themselves and their book – in a sense, like a video book jacket. I’ve shot “how to’s” for companies to show how to use their products. I’ve produced many web videos for the travel/resort markets which is the ultimate way to promote a destination because you can work in the sights and sounds of a place.

I have also created web videos for educational institutions to recruit students who respond much better to the internet than print brochures that are mailed. I’ve created videos for non profits to create awareness and aid in their fund raising . And I have produced and shot numerous online videos for editorial markets. Online video stories are becoming more and more popular with magazine publishers.

What’s most important in creating online videos is that they must be authenticate and entertaining. Those ingredients will not only attract  viewers but will cause a viewer to share the video and spread the word. Be sincere and be engaging. Keep them short. Make sure your video can be embedded and emailed so that it can be shared on different social media sites. Web videos can be inserted on websites, blogs, electronic newsletters and can be the most affordable and effective way of getting your message out. But remember – this is your brand so be consistent. Approach it with the same quality as you would in other promotions. Give it a personality without the hard sell.