Creating videos

[CashWiley]

So Kuro is recording video! So cool. In his WIP thread, a side discussion about shooting video came up, so I thought it might be nice to have a thread on the topic. Recording, equipment, software, setups; there is a lot that goes into making videos!

 

I did find a thread on software from a couple years back, so there's a starter on that part of the process, but it would be nice to have the different technical aspects in one spot.

[Girot]

Though its stupid expensive I found I simply cannot live without Adobe Premier.  I learned enough to be competent in a day or two.  YouTube is a wonderful resource for "How To"s.

 

I've got a generic camcorder but it works fairly well.  I did learn that proper lighting is 110% CRITICAL.  If you want a darker grittier feel to your video you can do that during editing using filters and effects.

[Kuro Cleanbrush]

So, the setup I tried last time for my video is:

 

 

 

 

The flip-up screen on the camera was absolutely essential, as it let me see what the camera was seeing without having to walk around the tripod or crane my neck too badly.  Also the two lamps seemed to be enough, but I may experiment with a third one someday.

 

After all that, it was off to Lightworks to piece together the video.  I will agree with reviewers that Lightworks definitely does not have a nice, gentle learning curve, but it really does work very well once you get the hang of it.

[CashWiley]

Thanks, Ian! (I keep wanting to spell it Iain, I have an English buddy)

 

Putting the side light in and having the camera to the right are a couple things I want to try. Also, I'll check out Lightworks. I like how you incorporated the music into the video, I wonder if I should record my own transition music :)

 

Did you cut in any voice-over or was it all live?

[Kuro Cleanbrush]

Definitely put some of your own recording in!  That would be great!

 

As far as voice-over, no, everything was live (my only good computer mic is a gaming headset, and I didn't figure that that would produce the best audio for voice-overs).  I just tried to think beforehand of what static pictures I wanted to include so I could talk about them during the filming as if they were actually in front of me.

[CashWiley]

I just bought an MXL R144 ribbon mic with a pop filter and boom stand that was probably the biggest upgrade to (home) recording quality I've made...$85 (for the mic). Catches so much more low-mid than the Shure dynamics I normally use, though it's best in combination with one of the Shures, which catch some mid-high better and round it out nicely.

[Doug Sundseth]

If you already have and are comfortable with Photoshop, it can be used for video editing (and you can use the same adjustment layers on video clips that you can use on any other image in Photoshop). This is not to say that it's the editing software I'd choose in a vacuum, but if you have it, you should probably take a look.

[CashWiley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWsUWm2syKM

 

There's a quick attempt as this cold began to take over my head. I cut the audio and put in some guitar work, since it was mostly me mumbling and clearing my (sore) throat). At least I didn't cough!

 

Anyway, still a long way to go. That was me trying not to move around and stay in the focal plane, hah.

 

Just a quick touch up to a couple spots I had splorched some metallic paint onto, and then a quick cleanup when I noticed the initial cleanup (before the video) had left a thin splorch of its own...

 

I used MS Movie Maker because I was getting to loopy to register an account with Adobe (I'm sure I have one!). And the googled-up youtube these days, ye gods I don't want everything all lumped together wth.

[CashWiley]

Looking at it this morning, I'm not sure how I'll be able to make a useful video with my painting posture! The focal plane is already super shallow and I struggle to keep the mini in the picture, but I thought it wasn't too bad.

 

Then I watched Kuro's awesome video again :(

[Kuro Cleanbrush]

The mini really did stay in focus nicely, and I could easily see the paint you were applying, (also, the acoustic guitar was a very nice, learning-inspiring touch) so I'd say you're off to a great start in developing your setup!

 

I can definitely see where not having a table or something to consistently rest your arms in the same spot will be difficult; though I had to fight with this even with the table, as I usually find myself moving the mini around all over the place to get the best angles for my painting hand (and then there's the added difficulty of the filming angle preventing me from using my "fine-detail" brush hold).

[klarg1]

This thread is interesting, daunting and inspirational, all at the same time.

 

I'm not sure that I'd ever want to publish a painting video, but it's interesting to see how you guys are doing it.

[Doug Sundseth]

Cash, you might consider shooting straight down toward a table rather than over your shoulder (?). Then set your wrist on a rest to keep the mini at a consistent distance from the lens and keep your framing consistent. That might also give you a somewhat cleaner background.

[CashWiley]

Problem is I paint on the sofa, it's tough to get the tripod setup anywhere. I have a small house! My wrist rest is my knee :p

 

For videos I think I may need to set up at the desk I had intended for a paint station...but it's freezing at that end of the house (opposite end from the woodstove).

Edited December 10, 2014 by CashWiley

[Pegazus]

Looked good to me. Subscribed!

 

My setup is just a webcam that I glued two magnets to the back of, then have a piece of modular bracket that I mounted to a cabinet. That way, I can set the auto-focus to be just above the table and have both hands free.

 

And I've been using MS Movie Maker exclusively. I find it super easy to use, especially cutting out all my throat clearing. Hint: stop moving or move out of the camera view, so the cuts look natural.

 

Course, I don't know how far you plan on taking it. I know I was a nervous wreck my first couple of videos, but now I think I could do a multi-hour live stream without issue.

 

EDIT: Oh, was going to mention that I tried using the Apple laptop computer for making the videos, but found the editing to be really horrendous on that. Yeah, yeah, I could probably find some how-tos that would make it simpler. But my brain goes on vacation when I come home.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Pegazus

[CashWiley]

I'm really needing a laptop at this point, I had hoped to get around it last year by getting a nice tablet; but that was before I decided to get into DAW and now vidya. The DAW in particular demands a monster laptop, so it's probably not going to happen any time soon.

 

I am using my Canon T5i with the 18-135 kit lens. The 64GB SD card I have should give me over an hour of 1080p video. The only other lens I have is a 70-300.

 

It shoots nice video, but it's pretty bulky and the depth of field is really shallow. I'm having to zoom a little to get it as tight as I have it, and that's still not near the tightness and focus Kuro is achieving!