Where to start?

Lensflare

Lensflare

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Simon Everett
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This video malarky is even more of a monefield than photography!
I am getting to the point where I am being asked to produce video as well as stills. I have no idea about it, other than to use the video setting on my compact (P7800) and shoot in whatever it churns it out in. I don't even know what format that is. :whistle: The little product videos I have produced have been well enough received for me to look to do it more thoroughly. Yes, I get wind roar in the built in microphone, yes it gets bumped and banged about so the video jumps - little I can do about that when you are in a boat in rough water, trying to video another boat in rough water at speed, and you have to stand on your own feet at the same time.

I have been wondering about what to do for editing stuff first I've(never seen Photoshop, never seen Lightroom either, for stills let alone video). I have used a simple cut and chop editing package so far and have managed to put a single music track over the top - but I can't remember where or how I got that music. I think someone was with me showing me, the trouble is, I have now forgotten how I even did that.
Movie Maker is the one I have used, but it doesn't work with both video cameras - or I don't know how to get it to talk to the little video camera I have (Garmin Virb).

I have looked for some kind of tutorials, but it isn't easy to find any that don't talk to you as if you already know what you are doing. And the trouble with a watching a video is, you can't ask the person what they mean.

So, how do you get started properly - as in doing more than just cutting out the worst bits
Thanks,
Simon.
 
Same as shooting stills. Either take an organised course, and/or read lots of books, watch more videos, read forums (plenty of video/film focussed ones out there). Shoot lots, then shoot lots more.

Bear in mind, in the moving picture world, jobs are more often separated. e.g. shooting, directing, producing, editing, graphics, motion graphics, grading, etc., etc. from a lower level than in stills. (These are all separate jobs in photography as well of course, but it's only on much higher end productions where they're all split out to different people). You can still do it all yourself with video, just be prepared for (several) really steep learning curves.
 
No 1 rule shoot more footage than you think you need. When editing rarely stay on a shot for more than 30 seconds, watch TV and notice how frequently the shot changes, you don't notice it, that's the art of editing. Watching a shot from the same position for ages gets boring, usually. Get yourself a good editing prgram and learn how to use it. I use Serif MoviePlus X6 they used to do a freeby version but looks like that has been discontinued.

http://www.serif.com/movieplus/?utm...edium=redirect&utm_campaign=301Redirects_MPSE

As regards shooting from boats you will need some sort of gimbal to help keep things steady. An external mic with a dead cat to cut wind noise is another need. I use A Rode videomic.
 
A gimbal is not going to be possible - it is too bulky. There simply isn't the room in the boats for that and it will have to be hand held. I don't know if there is a small, compact gyroscope type steadycam thing, but the ones you see on the touchline and places are about 100 times too big!

Would you continue to use the compact camera, get a DLSR that can also do video (D5) or a proper video camera, but it has to be small enough to fit in with my stills kit - I travel by motorbike.
 
What size of boats are you operating from? What boats are you filming?

Issue with something like a RIB is more to do with damaging your back if you slam from a wave when sitting twisted?
 
st599 said:
What size of boats are you operating from? What boats are you filming?

Issue with something like a RIB is more to do with damaging your back if you slam from a wave when sitting twisted?
Click to expand...

All sorts, from the likes of this, which when they get going is 40 knots, even in 2m seas:



To this kind of thing - sometimes in pretty rough conditions so as to get the animated, airborn action. Shold give you some sort of idea. Not easy to choreograph either. You have to get it as it heppens, then stitch it together afterwards, and you will have maybe 2 hours to get the stills, get test work done (actually drive the thing, get performance figures, fuel consumption figures, look the boat over and shoot the video.

Give you a better idea of the sea conditions we look for



60-odd knots in an 8 tonne RIB, a Madera with 3x 300hp (before being tuned) supercharged outboards, these were actually giving 420hp apiece. It looks calm, but you think of the swell required to get a RIB like that airborne!

Nothing to hold onto, you just stand there and do your best not to fall about the place, two cameras, one in hand, one round your neck.








Other times it is as excitig as these.....



Or as awkward as these, playing in the surf off Mesuienburg (RSA) I was in the 4.5 tiller boat to shoot this:



 
Shot something similar to the first last year. Although at 40 knots, the sailing boats were getting away from us.

We had a (relatively) small camera on a handheld gimbal and a shoulder mount.

We managed to get usable footage out of both cameras. Don't expect autofocus to work, so you'll need to manually adjust it.
Fix your frame rate and shutter speed, choose an iris for depth of field then adjust the iso for correct exposure. Then tweak.

Things you need to think about:
1) crew safety, it's very easy to injure your back bouncing around on a RIB
2) ergonomics, how easy is it to focus, adjust iris?
3) how good is the camera for sports video? Is 50p or 50i available? Is there a camera knee setting? (The HD spec is nearly 30 years old, it was designed for a lower dynamic range than we're used to today, so broadcast cameras cheat)
 
st599 said:
Shot something similar to the first last year. Although at 40 knots, the sailing boats were getting away from us. *1

We had a (relatively) small camera on a handheld gimbal and a shoulder mount.

We managed to get usable footage out of both cameras. Don't expect autofocus to work, so you'll need to manually adjust it.
Fix your frame rate and shutter speed, choose an iris for depth of field then adjust the iso for correct exposure. Then tweak.

Things you need to think about:
1) crew safety, it's very easy to injure your back bouncing around on a RIB
2) ergonomics, how easy is it to focus, adjust iris?
3) how good is the camera for sports video? Is 50p or 50i available? Is there a camera knee setting? (The HD spec is nearly 30 years old, it was designed for a lower dynamic range than we're used to today, so broadcast cameras cheat)
Click to expand...


*1 I have the other Scorpion, so 60 knot capability!

1) I have been the chief boat tester for various boating magazines for 30 years. I raced both RIBs and monohulls offshore for several years, including marathon races. I am not phased by this aspect.

2) I haven't a clue what you mean by this. All I know of video is the television camera icon on a compact camera.......literally.

3) Ditto - was is 50p ? and 50i ? What do you mean by a 'knee setting'?

You say fix your frame rate - it is only the one setting as far as I know, how do you change the shutter speed on a video camera? As in, what does it do? Same question for the iris....it is just an automatic camera - or if not, how do you meter for a manual exposure when filming ever changing light? I am using a compact camera with a video mode, that's it at the moment. To move up, I need help with what kind of camera I need - as I asked, DSRL or a video camera.....then what to look for in a compact unit. Having done that, what to look for in how to deal with the subsequent film footage.

PLEASE?
 
Hi,

On a pro video camera, Iris (or aperture) and focus are done manually - you don't normally change the Iris once recording, but focus is done on a ring on the lens. Autofocus will hunt all over on shots like you're taking, so you either need a fixed focus lens, or the ability to manually focus.

50p and 50i are scan types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_scan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlaced_video

Shutter speed and frame rate are independent - https://vimeo.com/blog/post/frame-rate-vs-shutter-speed-setting-the-record-str

Exposure is done using a system called zebras -
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo86fpfyyuE
(although his statement on shutter speed is only correct for 25p, use 1/100 for 50p/50i) You could use a 100% zebra on something white on the boats.

Personally I'd look for a video camera that I could add a cheap shoulder mount to which was able of setting the exposure in such a way that it wouldn't keep changing mid shot. A bonus would be a decent focusing system.

Good online places to start:
View: https://vimeo.com/17853099

http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/television/self-shooting
 
Brilliant - thanks. I'll read thoroughly later - got to ride 200 miles to llyn peninsular for tomorrows shoots now though - not looking forward to it to be hoinest. Long drive, and then Northumberland on Friday...too much.
 
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