How Video Teachers Define Industry Standard Equipment
The following message is a call to arms for video production educators throughout the world. It may be a wake-up call for some. It may be a shot in the arm for others. It may upset some yet put some at ease. The following message is to be used as the surfboard to help you crest the wave of 2021 and beyond because frankly —nothing will ever be the same for you.
Must-Have Affordable Camera Gear for Beginners
The hardest thing about being a student filmmaker is not having the gear you need to start working on your craft. You are so eager to get started, but you don’t have anything to do so. Maybe you have the advantage of using your school’s gear for your projects, but you finally decide it’s time to start investing in your own because you don’t want to borrow anymore.
Try a Tripod
A tripod's purpose can be described in the famous Three S Theory, which I just made up. Tripods keep it Steady, keep it Straight and keep it Smooth. Put a camera on a tripod and it will be steady. It won't bob, wave or float, assuming it's locked down. It will sit there like a rock until you get ready to move it. That's steady.
The Flimsy Shirt and Tipsy Tripod
This saying is true in many areas of life, including visual storytelling. Our tools extend beyond our cameras, lights, and microphones to the various tips and tricks that we acquire along the road of practice made perfect. These useful techniques become the difference between knowledge and experience, which yields wisdom. To this effect, here are some helpful hints that might assist you in becoming a little better with your tools.
The Roland V-600UHD: Big Bang With Big Potential
On the surface, the V-600UHD is a standard switcher. Eight channels of video, a T-bar, audio meters, and of course the cut and auto buttons that are standard issue with all switchers. On the back, there are 4 HDMI and 2 SDI inputs paired with audio in. As for outputs, you have 1 SDI out, three HDMI outs, of course a multi view out and a pair of XLR outputs for audio. Again, pretty standard stuff… But just like frosty, there is a lot of magic under that hat.
Hands on Review of the New IDX VL-4X Charger
Our student work force operates at a very high level of production that actually competes with most local production companies in terms of quality. In order to get many hands on gear at the same time, we search for budget friendly products that can stand up to any expected abuse in the field. The VL-4X is a slim, lightweight 4-channel charger that is portable and affordable, making it a perfect fit for our needs.
A Look at BMD’s Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a small, lightweight, cinematic camera that is perfect for student users and professionals alike. It is easy to hold, easy to operate, and easy to see why this is one of the most popular cameras on the market. Inexpensive at $1295, this camera fits nicely into new or existing workflows especially for users who want high-end cinematic style camera on a low-end budget.
SuiteCG Announces Team Rosters
Team Rosters has been planned from the beginning as a key feature of SuiteCG MultiSport Scoreboard, and we're excited to get it out the door in time for fall sports. Player selection is a breeze. With three clicks (and in about that many seconds) from the user interface you can have a player's headshots and bio up on the screen. Click to open the roster, click to select the player from large buttons with the players name, uniform, position, a headshot, and then a click in Graphics Control to animate the headshot element.
A Graphics Solution You Have to See to Believe
I recently got my hands on NewBlueFx’s Titler Live 4 and that was the answer. I used Titler Live at my previous school for our sports shows but I never used it for news. One of the things I remembered about Titler Live is how easy it was to build graphics. One of the things I was most excited about with Titler Live 4 was the integration of spreadsheets into the serving of graphics info.
Mic Types for Your Production
Have you wondered about HiZ versus LowZ, dynamic versus condenser, cardioid versus omnidirectional or shotguns and lavaliers versus handheld and boundary mics? Throughout this article, we will take a look at impedance, the two major ways microphones work, microphone pickup patterns and microphone styles. So sit back, relax and proceed through this quick look into the sometimes confusing world of microphone choice.
Audio for Video
Audio is possibly the most overlooked element in video production. That's too bad because audio quality can make or break any video project, regardless of budget. You may be able to fix some things in post-production, but why go to all the trouble when you can get it right the first time? This article explores 10 tips for gathering the best possible audio on your next shoot. Some are common sense tips, but many are hard-earned lessons from the field.