Video Nation A DIY guide to planning, shooting, and sharing great video from USA Today's Talking Tech host

by Graham, Jefferson

• ISBN13: 9780321832870
• ISBN10: 0321832876
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-10
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr

Summary

This is the complete guide for anyone who wants to produce web video, from Jefferson Graham, host of USA Today's Talking Tech To create great web video you don't need a crew of lighting experts, cameramen, and actors. You also don't need an expensive camera rig and equipment. You've got more tools available at your disposal that you think and when you're doing it on your own you've got to know how to think quickly, be nimble, and harness the simple tools and technology available to you. In Video Nation, you'll learn everything you need to get your show on the web from one of the top experts around! Jefferson Graham, host of USA Today's Talking Tech, takes you skillfully through the art of video creation and distribution. And you'll have a lot of fun along the way. You'll learn what equipment you need to get started--from bare bones optimal to wish list state-of-the-art great. You'll get the skinny on sound and lighting. You'll learn how to properly set up and shoot and interview. You'll even get to take your video to the next level by using multiple cameras as they do on TV. You'll also find over 30 video lessons on the disc so you see the concepts from the book in action, including attaching your camera lens to an iPhone, adding basic transitions to your clips using simple editing techniques, and much, much more.

Author Biography

Jefferson Graham is a long-time technology columnist for USA TODAY, and host, producer, and editor of the USA TODAY 'Talking Tech" and "Talking Your Tech" video shows, which feature interviews with tech newsmakers and celebrities, and reviews of the latest gadgets. Tech guests have included celebrities such as Carson Daly, Selena Gomez, Jeff Dunham; tech stars like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus and Pandora's Tim Westergren; and YouTube breakouts iJustine and the Annoying Orange himself, Dane Boedigheimer. All the shows are produced professionally on the same DIY budgets described in this book. Graham is the author of nine books and is also an accomplished Manhattan Beach-based portrait photographer, videographer, and jazz guitarist.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xiv
Everybody is a Star	p. 2
Be Your Own One-Man Band	p. 4
The Basic Elements of a Web Video Production	p. 7
Start with the Idea	p. 8
Go with Your Gear	p. 8
Plan Your Shoot	p. 9
Shoot with Savvy	p. 10
Interview Intelligently	p. 10
Master Watchability: B-roll	p. 11
Perfect Postproduction	p. 12
Edit with Ease	p. 12
Share It with the World	p. 13
Track Your Success	p. 13
Real-Life Scenario: Producing "Talking Tech"	p. 13
What Type of Video are you Producing?	p. 18
Styles of Web Video	p. 20
The Parody or Comedy	p. 20
The Advertorial	p. 20
The Product Demo	p. 21
The Vlog	p. 22
The Webisode	p. 22
The Tutorial	p. 23
The Interview	p. 24
Producing an Interview	p. 24
Booking the Interview	p. 25
Interview Tips: The Five Best Questions	p. 25
Taking It to the Web	p. 26
Producing a Small-Business Video	p. 27
Promoting Your Business	p. 27
Taking Your Ideas Directly to the Web	p. 28
Speaking to Your Customers	p. 28
Ideas for Any Business	p. 31
How Andrew "Fundy" Funderburg Uses Video to Sell His Business	p. 32
Producing a Parody	p. 34
How the Pros Do It	p. 34
Quick Step-by-Step: Creating a Parody	p. 35
Where Ideas Are Born: Producing "Talking Tech" 125 Times a Year!	p. 39
ijustine and Her Online Parodies and Vlogs	p. 40
Ideas Pitched to Me	p. 39
Ideas I Seek Out	p. 42
Give It a Try	p. 43
How Dane Boedigheimer Comes Up with Ideas for "Annoying Orange"	p. 44
Gear Guide	p. 46
The Right Camera for You	p. 48
Entry-Level Video Cameras	p. 50
Point-and-Shoot Camcorders	p. 50
Point-and-Shoot Still Cameras	p. 51
Mirror-less Compact Cameras	p. 52
The iPhone	p. 54
The iPad	p. 54
Digital SLRs	p. 55
Wearable Cameras	p. 58
Lighting Equipment	p. 59
One Step Beyond Entry Level	p. 60
Midrange	p. 61
On-Camera Light	p. 62
Audio Gear	p. 63
Lavalier Microphones	p. 63
Stick Microphones	p. 64
Mic Flags	p. 65
Shotgun Mies	p. 66
Audio Recorders	p. 66
Best Bets for Audio Recording	p. 67
Camera Mounts	p. 68
Tripods	p. 68
Tiny Tripods	p. 68
Basic Tripods	p. 69
Better Tripods	p. 69
Monopods	p. 69
Steadicam	p. 71
Accessories for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch	p. 72
Stabilizers	p. 72
Microphones	p. 73
Other Attachments	p. 74
Video-Editing Software	p. 75
My Gear	p. 77
How to Use Your Gear	p. 78
The iPhone	p. 80
Simple Steps for Shooting with the iPhone	p. 80
Simple Steps for Shooting with the iPad	p. 81
Apps for the iPhone and iPad	p. 82
Point-and-Shoot Cameras	p. 86
DSLR Cameras	p. 88
Video Cameras	p. 90
Preproduction Planning	p. 92
Preplanning Basics	p. 94
Make Arrangements for Your Shoot	p. 95
Plan to Arrive Early	p. 95
Visualize Your Setup	p. 96
Plan Your Camera Positions	p. 97
Make an Equipment Checklist	p. 97
Decide Where to Place Your Subject	p. 98
Decide If You'll Do a Stand-Up Shot	p. 100
Be Ready to Do B-roll	p. 100
Prepare for Sound	p. 102
Write Out Your Interview Questions	p. 103
The Importance of Planning: Lessons Learned	p. 104
Production Day	p. 108
Getting Started on Location	p. 110
Camera Placement	p. 111
Position Your Subject	p. 112
Audio Check	p. 114
Mystery Guitar Man (Joe Penna) on Making Videos	p. 116
Lighting	p. 118
Outdoor Light	p. 118
Window Light	p. 120
One-Light and Two-Light Setups	p. 121
Pro-light Setup	p. 124
Softboxes	p. 124
LED Lights	p. 125
One-Man Band: Boua Xiong	p. 126
Production Examples	p. 128
Shooting with an iPhone	p. 128
Interviewing and Collecting B-roll on Location	p. 129
Business Videos Shouldn't Be Boring	p. 131
Remote Interviews	p. 132
Valentina Trevino's Weekly Art Painting Videos	p. 134
Shooting Techniques for Different Camera Setups	p. 136
Shooting with One Camera	p. 138
Check Lighting	p. 138
Position the Camera	p. 138
Check Sound	p. 139
Frame the Subject	p. 139
Start Shooting	p. 140
Take Shots for B-roll	p. 141
Final Pointers	p. 141
Shooting with Two Cameras	p. 141
Framing the Subject and Yourself	p. 141
Start Shooting	p. 142
Shooting with Three Cameras	p. 143
Framing and Positioning	p. 143
Interesting Angles	p. 143
Important Tips	p. 145
Avoid an Embarrassing Shoot	p. 145
Keep Things Moving	p. 146
Stay on Topic	p. 146
Wrap It Up	p. 147
Remember the Five Ws of Interviewing	p. 147
Penn Jillette	p. 148
Video Editing	p. 150
Entry-Level Editing Programs	p. 152
Hardware Required for Editing	p. 153
Windows Recommendations	p. 154
Mac Recommendations	p. 154
External Drives	p. 155
Card Readers	p. 156
The Essentials of Video Editing	p. 156
Getting Started with the Editing Workflow	p. 158
The Basic Editing Process	p. 158
Import and View Your Footage	p. 159
Create a Script and Record Narration	p. 159
Add the B-roll	p. 159
Using Simple Video-Editing Software	p. 161
Movie Maker for Windows	p. 161
iMovie for Mac	p. 162
Adobe Premiere Elements	p. 169
Editing Video on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch	p. 173
Step-by-Step Editing with the iMovie App	p. 173
Real-World Scenario: The Bloggin', Vloggin' Grandma	p. 175
How It Started	p. 176
Production Values	p. 177
Gear	p. 177
The Shoot	p. 178
The Editing Process	p. 179
Promotion	p. 180
The Latest	p. 181
The Vlog Process	p. 181
Advanced Video Editing	p. 182
Introducing Final Cut Pro X	p. 184
A Quicker Way to Edit	p. 184
The Layout	p. 185
Hands On in Final Cut Pro	p. 187
Create a Desktop Folder	p. 187
Create an Event	p. 187
Create a Project	p. 189
Import Footage	p. 189
Let's Edit!	p. 190
Share the Video	p. 195
Multicamera Editing	p. 196
Putting All the Clips Together	p. 196
More on Creating Multicam Clips	p. 197
Angle Viewer	p. 198
Sound Enhancements	p. 199
Chroma Key Effect	p. 199
Sharing the Final Product	p. 202
Exporting Videos	p. 204
Choosing a File Format	p. 204
Saving Videos with Premiere Elements	p. 204
Saving Files in iMovie	p. 206
Exporting in Final Cut Pro X	p. 206
Finding a File in the Future	p. 206
Best Source for Answers to Compression Questions	p. 207
YouTube Rules	p. 208
Final Check	p. 209
Uploading Videos to the Web	p. 209
A Home for Your Masterpieces	p. 209
Uploading to YouTube and Creating Your Channel	p. 211
Creating a Title	p. 212
Categories	p. 213
Importance of Words	p. 214
Tagging	p. 215
More on Links	p. 215
Scream It to the World	p. 216
Subscriptions	p. 216
Views	p. 217
Making It Viral	p. 218
Tweaking Your Channel	p. 219
Facebook	p. 221
Twitter	p. 222
Summing It Up	p. 223
Index	p. 224
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