If you've done any shopping for a camcorder, you already know the options are staggering.
You've got hundreds of models to choose from, well over a dozen manufacturers,
six formats, claims about lux ratings, more than a dozen features,
and a price range that goes from about $600 to over $2,000.
How are you going to choose the camcorder that's right for you?
Well, if you stick with us during this segment, we'll help you.
There are a few questions you should answer before you start shopping,
and they'll save you a lot of time.
For example, you can ask yourself whether making a tape that you could play at home
in your VHS VCR is important to you.
If that is important, you'll look toward VHS camcorders or VHS-C.
Also, what size camcorder would you prefer?
Do you like to shoot with a large camera?
If so, you would look toward VHS or SVHS cameras, but if you like small,
you would look toward the 8mm family, which includes 8mm and Hi8,
or towards VHS-C and SVHS-C.
How are you going to shoot, on a tripod or handheld?
If you're going to be shooting handheld, a full-size camcorder like this
in the VHS or SVHS formats offer you a more stable shooting platform.
You can also get image stabilization in any of the formats.
And how much do you want to spend?
VHS and 8mm are the least expensive of the camcorders, followed by VHS-C.
At the top is SVHS-C, SVHS, and Hi8.
These are high-band formats.
They offer you better image quality, but they do cost quite a bit more.
How long would you like to tape?
If you'd like to tape longer than two hours on a single cassette,
you'll need to look at the VHS or SVHS camcorders.
Also, you can look at the 8mm family.
They all take long tapes.
If you don't mind shooting a half an hour or less, though,
you can look at VHS-C and SVHS-C camcorders.
Another good question to ask is how much manual control would you like
over your camcorder?
If you've shot a still camera, you're used to lots of manual control.
With camcorders, however, that kind of control only comes with
the higher-priced cameras.
The last question to ask yourself is are you going to edit?
If so, you're going to be taking your video down two, three,
maybe even four generations.
You want to start out with an excellent image.
That requires a high-band format, SVHS, SVHS-C, or Hi8.
These start out with a better image, and you end up with a better image.
If you edit, are you going to use an edit controller?
If so, you're going to want to lean towards the 8mm family.
Both standard 8mm and Hi8 offer a control L jack on almost every model.
It allows you to plug an editor right into them.
And last, are you going to audio dub?
In other words, are you going to replace audio that you shot in the field
with some other sound, say narration or a sound effect?
If so, you can only audio dub with camcorders from the VHS family.
Here's a quick summary, format by format.
VHS camcorders offer the following advantages.
You can play the tape in your VCR.
They have longer, sturdier tape and audio-video dub capability.
Some of the disadvantages, no editing control,
and poor sound quality unless you have hi-fi stereo tracks.
Compact VHS or VHS-C.
Advantages, much smaller and lighter than full-size VHS,
and you can still play its tapes in a full-size VCR thanks to this adapter.
Disadvantages, a shorter recording time and a costlier tape.
The advantages of SVHS, high resolution,
S-video inputs and outputs, hi-fi audio on some units, and more manual controls.
Disadvantages, costlier tape and no VHS-VCR compatibility.
For SVHS-C, the same as the above,
plus smaller size but a shorter recording time.
Thanks to a narrower tape,
8mm family camcorders can be built smaller,
yet they still offer a full two hours recording time.
Most units have an edit interface jack
and offer better sound quality than VHS linear audio.
Disadvantages, higher tape cost,
and no compatibility with home VHS-VCRs.
They also tend to be a little more expensive overall.
Hi8, the newest format of all,
has the same advantages and disadvantages as standard 8mm.
Plus, high resolution, more manual controls,
S-video inputs and outputs,
but it has the highest tape costs of all.
And there are the formats at a glance.
Now, before we send you out shopping,
there are a couple things we want to warn you about.
First, don't get too caught up in the lux rating.
There's no standard from manufacturer to manufacturer
in how to measure lux,
so you really can't compare two models from different makers.
Regardless of whether a camcorder says it's a half-lux or a six-lux unit,
it still requires a lot of light to capture good video.
Also, don't be confused by brand names.
There are actually only a handful of manufacturers that make camcorders,
so oftentimes you can get a very good model at a lower price
under a different label.
Also, don't be afraid to shop for closeouts.
The last model of last year's line might still be the perfect camcorder for you.
Now, we realize we've thrown a lot of information at you in a few minutes,
so I would suggest you may want to rewind and watch this segment again
so you can get everything you need to know to find that perfect camcorder.
I wonder why this thing won't focus.
Hi, Janice.
Hi, Lauren.
Hi, Mick.
I'm trying to shoot some video of my puppy with this new camera I got,
and I can't get it to focus right.
It seems kind of blurry or something.
Well, let me take a look.
Okay, you've got it in auto-lock mode,
which means all the functions of the camcorder are done automatically,
focus and iris and all those other things.
I think if we take it out of auto-lock and put it on manual focus,
you'll have better luck.
Try that.
You can shoot right across me and I'll hold Mick here.
So I turn this little thing here?
Yeah, the manual focus knob right down there.
Oh, okay.
That makes a big difference.
Is that better?
Yeah.
Well, you know, as long as you're here,
can I ask you about another button on here I don't know?
Sure.
Edit search.
Edit search, okay.
What edit search allows you to do is basically cue up your tape
to the point that you want to begin recording.
A tape that you might already have something on?
Exactly.
If you've already shot some video and you put a tape in here,
you want to be sure that you're not recording over something important.
So edit search, it goes in both directions.
On this particular camcorder,
it has a minus button to scan backwards on the tape
and a plus button to scan forward.
The other day I was trying to video my cat
and she had jumped up into the window and it was sunny out,
and when I was trying to focus on her, I couldn't make her out.
She was just really dark.
Okay, well, generally you don't want to shoot in a situation like that.
You want more light falling on your subject than is behind.
But sometimes you can't, obviously, you can't change things.
You can't move your cat.
In that situation, you use the backlight button.
Oh.
Okay, what the backlight button does is it makes your whole image brighter,
everything.
In other words, the outside is going to get brighter,
but the cat is also going to get brighter.
So your subject is going to be, you know, you can make it out.
It's not just a black blob.
I think we've covered most of the buttons on your camcorder.
I brought mine along because I want to show you
a couple other functions and buttons you should know about.
There's a lot of buttons on that one.
And this has got a lot of buttons.
Yeah.
If people begin to think of you as a video maker,
they will start handing you their camcorders and saying,
well, you shoot this for me, a party or something.
It's really good to know the features of a lot of different camcorders.
Here's one you're going to come across a lot, this button.
It's called white balance.
Even though our eyes don't pick it up,
every different kind of light has a slightly different color.
And if you don't tell a camcorder what kind of light you're shooting in,
it won't know how to render the colors.
So the way you set white balance on this particular camcorder
is you frame up a white object so it fills most of the screen,
because I'm going to have you hold this piece of paper,
and it's sitting in the light that we're shooting in,
and I'm just going to fill the screen with it.
And right now, boy, the colors are really wacky.
That does not look white at all.
So now I tell it to basically calibrate itself for the light in this room,
and there we go.
Now I have proper skin tone from you.
Okay, if that's white balance, then what is exposure?
Okay, that's the exposure or iris control.
Much like the iris in your eye, there's an iris in the camcorder
that controls how much light passes through the lens and hits the sensor.
So basically, if your camcorder is fooled for whatever reason
with lighting conditions, you can take control
and decide exactly how bright something's supposed to be.
Would I have used that when I had trouble with backlight?
Yeah, you could have.
In fact, this is like a really complex backlight control.
When you hit backlight on this camcorder, it increased the iris.
It opened up the iris more, which is exactly what you can do with this.
Another button you should know about is called high-speed shutter.
Basically, what it allows the camcorder to do is freeze action.
If you take a tape that you've recorded
and you put it in your home VCR and you step through frame by frame,
a lot of times things will be really blurry.
What the high-speed shutter does is it makes each and every frame very distinct.
If you shoot a car going by, you can see the holes in the rim.
Or a bike, you can see the individual spokes.
A lot of people use high-speed shutter for sports.
A golfer or a tennis player will analyze their swing frame by frame
to see what they're doing wrong.
So high-speed shutter just allows you to freeze action.
Well, Janice, I hope that gives you a better idea of what to do with all those buttons on your camcorder.
Oh, you've been a great help. Thanks.
Yeah, now you can get some really good video of Mick.
Hi, Tom. How's it going?
Very good.
Ready to do a segment on video lighting?
Yes. What we're doing here is I'm setting up to do a cooking show.
So we've got a kitchen setting.
The only problem with it is the light level is too low.
So I'm going to bring that light level up with some lighting and set up to light the chef.
What I've got here are three different lights.
This is a basic hardware store light.
It's still a quartz light, so the light temperature matches the other lights.
But it's a pretty affordable way to go.
So really designed for industrial or backyard use.
It's nothing to do with video production.
Right, but it's pretty versatile.
They're like $14, and from that standpoint, it's a pretty good value.
So how many watts is that light?
It's 250 watts. This light is 500 watts. We have it set up for.
As well as power, though, the professional lights provide you the versatility of the accessories and the way they're set up.
In this case, we have a light that's got barn doors on it.
You can use these to control the spill of the light.
So if you don't want light striking on a wall or something, you can fold the barn door down and block the light off.
It also has light control things, accessories.
This is a scrim. This helps cut the light level down, so you don't want quite the output.
You can just quickly cut that light level down without having to change the bulb.
Now this is 1,000 watts, so it's twice the output of this light.
This is probably the light you see the most on video shoots.
They're very compact, pack down real well. They're durable. They hold up real well.
It's got a reflective surface I see here.
And again, you can use these as barn doors so you can block that light down, keep it from spilling.
And a special little receptacle here for one of these. This is an umbrella, I guess, that you just kind of put that in front of it
so that it winds up being a reflective kind of device I see.
Right. It softens that light down.
What I'm setting up here is the main light.
What I'm going to do is to help diffuse that light a little bit so it doesn't cast such harsh shadows,
we're going to put a diffusion material in front of the light.
This is just a nylon product that we stretch onto a PVC frame.
So it's a little diffusion kit of some type.
Right. Now this is something you could use a bed sheet to do this.
I mean you don't have to get as extravagant as this, but if you do it every day, this is nice. It's really quick.
So behind it we have one of our 1,000 watt total lights there,
and you're going to point that right at the reflector or the diffusion material.
Right through.
I see.
Now instead of a second light for a fill light, I'm just going to use a reflector card.
This is a piece of foam core like you've seen before.
You get it at art supplies, stores.
So it's really not a specialty photographic or video product, just an art product for mounting photographs on or something.
But they're real durable and versatile. You can cut it up. You don't have to worry about the cost. They're pretty affordable.
So just mount that onto a standard light stand I guess you've got there.
What will you say? A hardware clamp? So that's on there.
So that's going to serve as that second light so we don't have to bring in another light.
This light from the hardware store for an accent light.
Accent light, just to bring out the third dimension I guess.
We'll shoot this into the back of our subject, and it will help separate them.
Put a little rim light on them, and it will also light the backgrounds though.
Okay, put that in.
Let's have the chef come in and we'll see how this lighting is working.
Let's see if this cooking show is going to really fly.
And what I'll do is I'll adjust the light a little bit here.
This panel.
You turn that a hair. If you bounce your main light directly into the fill, it's going to add a little more fill from that side.
Here again the accent light is just to help separate her off the background some.
And put a little rim around her shoulders and her hair.
And let's see how this is looking.
There we go. Very good.
All right, let's review what we've learned in this segment.
We've learned that the inexpensive lights that come with camcorders are kind of handy sometimes,
but if you have them up off the camcorder they're better,
but they're still not quite as effective as a hardware store light which has some limitations.
And then we've got the professional lights that provide a lot more light output.
Also they give you the versatility of all the accessories that you can use with them.
And we've got the inexpensive foam core which allows you to bounce light.
Or these panels so you can diffuse the light so you don't get those harsh shadows.
All right, so next time you're making video indoors, remember all the things we've taught you in this segment.
Thanks for being with us, Tom.
You're welcome.
Hello.
Hello.
Hi, Tom.
Hi, Matt.
How's it going? You ready to talk about reflectors?
Yeah, yeah. Come on in, I'll tell you everything you need to know about reflectors.
Right.
I even put a chair out for you, Matt.
Knowing that we would be coming, huh?
And I suppose that means I sit here, right?
Yeah, go ahead and have a seat.
First, I'm going to set up light up and show you a couple of different things that you can do with reflectors.
But let me show you a few different types of reflectors and things you can do.
You don't have to get fancy with the reflectors.
There's stuff in your house now or around really affordably.
This is a piece of foam core.
This you can get at picture framing shops, art supplies.
I get it from a photo supply, but it's available a lot of places.
It's just a rigid board, white board.
Low tech reflector, huh?
Low tech, affordable.
I think a four by eight sheet's about $15.
So you can afford to cut it up.
You don't have to worry about throwing out a piece.
Or another thing I use is this is a piece of art board, white art board.
But on the back side, it's silver.
Great.
So you're getting a very reflective reflector along with a soft reflector all in one.
And how about commercially available products?
I know that there's a couple of companies that make, I don't know what they call them, hoop reflectors?
Hoop reflectors, yeah.
Let me grab a couple.
The nice thing about these is they're real compact.
They hold up real well.
You can use them over and over again where the boards eventually wear out.
But these are really nice because small size opens up in a pretty large reflector.
Now this actually, rather than a reflector, is diffusion material.
And this we'd use in front of light.
Let me grab a light stand.
I use light stands in the studio, but you don't need to use light stands.
A tripod is probably more typical of a video maker's entourage.
So you've got one of those high-tech general purpose hardware store available clamps there, I see.
Yeah, from the Fuller Brush Company.
These, I think they go for about two and a quarter a piece.
It's probably the most useful tool I have.
Again, they come in a wide variety of sizes, too.
See here, you've got nice, diffused light.
It's really even.
But if we pull this out, it's pretty harsh.
You get real deep shadows under your glasses, and the opposite side of your face is pretty dark.
Where we pull this in, and it gives you a real nice, diffused look.
Now, if you look here, another thing you can do with these, the background behind you now is pretty dark.
It's a dark gray.
But if we pull the diffuser out here, and let some of the light spill past the diffuser panel,
we can light the background up separately from you.
One light, two functions there, right?
Right, right.
And then, to fill the opposite side of your face in, we bring in a second reflector with another one of these handy clamps.
And we can brighten that side of your face up.
So now, we're getting away with what a lot of video people would use two lights to do to give nice, even portrait lighting for you.
This is a reflective mirror.
Essentially, what it is is a piece of reflective plexiglass.
Now, this one happens to be a commercial model with a clamp and everything.
You don't need to get that fancy.
You can just get a piece of reflective plexiglass from, like, a glass supply.
But I can bring a hair light in.
Oh, wow.
Again, catching the spill off that light and bring that third light in as a hair light.
So, you want to do a before and after on that, Tom?
Yeah.
I'll just flip it up out of the way, and then we'll drop it back in.
I see.
So, all you're doing is catching some light that's kind of going toward the ceiling and putting it back down on the top of the subject's head.
Right. We're catching some of that raw light again spilling past the reflector, and we're adding a hair light.
Are there any other uses, Tom, of reflectors?
Well, you know, one thing we could do is we could go outside, and I could show you outside ways that you could use reflectors to get away with lighting somebody in the middle of the day and pull it off real cleanly.
All right. Let's go for it. Let's do a jump cut.
Okay, Matt. Well, here's a good case of use outdoors.
Here's a place where we're going to use the subject again.
You have this really hot spot on one side of your face and a deep shadow on the other side, and the cameras are going to make it worse because the contrast range can't handle it.
Where here, we'll show you with a diffusion panel.
If I hold this up, it instantly evens your face out and really makes a big difference.
We take the before and after.
We can improve it even a little bit better.
If we take a white reflector from below, I'll hold this one.
I'll let you just hold down your hands, and this is going to bounce some light back in your face, and then we add the diffusion.
Good. Let's do a before and after, ready? This is after, before.
Okay. We'll bring it back up.
After.
And now we have essentially what looks like studio lighting on location.
All right, so here we go with a dark background, a dark foreground.
I have no light on my face from the natural sun. We've got a very bright background blowing out.
You can see Tom's now bringing the reflector in, and you see a pretty significant difference.
There's without.
Before.
After.
Great, and that's all it is. One guy over there with a reflector.
Hi, I'm Larry Lerfefeld, audio consultant for Video Maker Magazine.
And you know, for years, filmmakers and videographers have used recording studios like this with this type of equipment for their productions.
With the advancement in today's audio technology and a few good pointers, you'll be able to achieve the same high quality results right at home in your own studio.
And speaking of studios, let's go to one right now that might have similar equipment to what you might have at home yourself.
You know, there's nothing more important to good video than good audio, and there's nothing more important to good audio than good microphone techniques.
There are so many different makes and models of microphones, how do you decide which one is right for each particular shoot?
There are no absolute rules. You learn an awful lot through trial and error.
But through the years, the pros have learned some valuable guidelines, and one of those is to get the best sound you possibly can with a minimum of hassle.
So why not just use the Camcorder's built-in microphone?
In relatively quiet surroundings like this, with your subject about four feet away, it probably would work fine, but...
If you're in a busy atmosphere like this one, the background noise levels may be so loud you won't be able to hear a thing I'm saying.
But if you use a handheld microphone like this, you'll dramatically cut down the background noise and be able to hear me perfectly.
This is a real important factor when you're considering what type of mic to use for the environment you'll be shooting in.
Speaking of background noises, do you have any idea what wind noise really sounds like?
Well, it sure doesn't sound like wind. Wind noise is a thumping, crashing sound often accompanied by a total loss of audio as your Camcorder's built-in level controls clamp down on the volume.
You can eliminate most, if not all, of the wind noise by using a handheld microphone and placing a windscreen on it like this.
Actually, you should use a windscreen whenever you're shooting outdoors, even on a calm day.
Let's take a look at the different types of external microphones you can plug into your Camcorder.
Basically, they come in four body styles, the handheld, the lavalier, the shotgun, and the pressure zone microphone.
First, there's the handheld microphone, like this one, which you've already watched me use.
One of the most important things to remember when using a handheld mic is keeping about six to eight inches away from your mouth
and then talk across the microphone and not directly into it, because if you talk directly into it, your peas will pop.
Next, there's the lavalier or tie clip microphone, like the one I'm wearing.
You often see these on TV news anchors and talk show hosts.
While these microphones work great if the person isn't moving around, if they do start squirming, they have a tendency to pick up the sound of the clothing rubbing against the microphone itself.
Above Karen is a shotgun microphone mounted on a boom.
These microphones work great because they allow the microphone to be further away from the subject than normal and still pick up good quality sound.
Disadvantages, you have to aim the microphone precisely, and sometimes they have a tendency to be a bit hollow.
Finally, there are pressure zone microphones.
These microphones can be placed on any flat surface where there's a need to pick up audio from a wide area.
And remember, when you choose a microphone, pick one not only for its body style and mount, but also for its pickup pattern.
As illustrated in this diagram, an omnidirectional microphone picks up sound from all directions.
It's the easiest to use because you don't have to worry about where to point it.
But if you're trying to discriminate between the sound of your subject and unwanted background noise, the omnidirectional mic is a poor choice.
A directional pickup pattern, on the other hand, indicates the microphone is more sensitive to sounds directly in front of the microphone, and sounds to the side and behind are suppressed.
Even more directional microphones are called supercardioid or superdirectional microphones, and the most directional of all are the shotgun microphones we spoke about earlier.
These microphones are called hypercardioid or hyperdirectional.
Another important factor that influences the sound quality you get is the technology a microphone uses to convert acoustical energy into electrical energy.
There are two main types of microphone technologies, condenser and dynamic.
Dynamic microphones work like miniature electrical generators, and they literally create electricity from the tiny movements of air that occur when sound vibrates air molecules.
Dynamic microphones tend to be extremely rugged and can handle very high sound pressure levels, but generally they don't sound quite as crisp and clear as a good condenser microphone.
A condenser microphone has two plates that are separated by air, and as the air vibrates, the plates move closer and further apart, creating corresponding changes in electrical charges.
Choosing between a dynamic and condenser microphone usually amounts to nothing more than six of one and half a dozen of the other, because the more you work with microphones, the more accustomed you'll become to their subtle variations.
Finally, there's one accessory that shouldn't be overlooked no matter what kind of microphone you're using, and that accessory is a set of headphones.
Hey, you wouldn't shoot your video without looking through the viewfinder, right?
And without a set of headphones like this, you really can't tell what kind of audio quality you're getting from your microphone.
So listen up, and thanks for watching.
Telephoto lenses bring objects closer, and wide angle lenses broaden our horizons, and diopters and macro lenses help us get very close to small objects.
The zoom lens on your camcorder is actually several different lenses that change from wide angle, that's zoomed all the way out, to telephoto, zoomed all the way in.
This new reality begins with light.
Light reflects off whatever object your camera looks at, and then bounces into the lens.
The lens is curved on one or both sides, either in, that's concave, or out, which is convex.
Now inside the barrel are several of these lenses.
They are arranged to zoom and focus as you see fit.
Well, why should you care?
Well, because your lens distorts reality, and the focal length of the lens determines how reality will be distorted.
This way you can distort reality according to your plans rather than chance.
Now here we can point the camcorder at our friend Kristen, who's standing in front of a bush.
From 10 feet away we can zoom the camcorder all the way in on her face.
This shot shows Kristen from the bottom of her chin to the top of her forehead.
That's equal to a focal length of about 60 millimeters.
Now let's zoom out to a head and shoulder shot.
This is what we would see with a 30 millimeter lens.
Zoom all the way out for a head to toe shot, and the wide angle setting on the camera is about 8 millimeters.
Now in this shot, Kristen and the bush appear to be about the same size and very far apart.
Now if I were to move toward Kristen and zoom out as I go, what happens?
Well, Kristen stays the same size in the viewfinder, but the bushes seem to get smaller and farther from her.
Now let's take a look at some of the tricks of the telephoto lens.
Here's one called collapsing the distance.
Say you're shooting a documentary about bullfighting, and you want your on-camera reporter standing next to a raging bull, or at least a really mean cow.
By zooming all the way in and positioning your camera far enough away from Kristen with the bull behind her,
it will appear as if they're next to each other, even though the bull is a long way away.
And one piece of advice on zooming all the way in on anything, use a tripod.
Even with a lens stabilization device, it's tough to hold a telephoto shot steady.
A tripod makes it easy.
Now suppose you've taken Kristen to a restaurant.
Naturally, you're going to want to videotape the occasion.
Now as you pan from Kristen, who's in focus, to the bartender, you notice the bartender's focus is soft.
That's because this is a low-light situation, and you have a very shallow depth of field.
Depth of field is that area where the objects you're shooting are in focus.
The official definition is the distance from the nearest object in sharp focus to the furthest object in sharp focus.
If the waiter and Kristen were both in focus, they both would have been inside the depth of field of your lens.
The three elements that affect the depth of field are the focal length of the lens, the aperture, or iris, and the distance to the subject.
Well, shoot outside on a sunny day, and the whole world's in focus.
But if you're feeling artistic, you might want to change your depth of field.
Well, say Kristen is depressed because her latest epic, it's called Ode to a Low-Flying Pelican, was just rejected by the National Anthology of Poetry.
Well, by moving the camera closer to Kristen and zooming out to the wide-angle setting, we've created a shallower depth of field.
Now I can focus so only Kristen is sharp.
With the surroundings out of focus, it increases the feeling of isolation and loneliness.
Well, the only other way to decrease the depth of field is to change the iris on your camera.
What does the iris do? Well, it controls the amount of light getting through the lens.
If your camera does not have a manual iris, a neutral density filter will cut the light by various degrees.
Use a wide-angle lens, and when Kristen moves up within a couple inches of your camera, you'll get a funhouse mirror.
It's a big, goofy, distorted, weird-looking effect.
This is called barrel distortion.
You know, video making is all about selective reality.
You take a three-dimensional world and convert it to two dimensions on a three-by-four ratio screen.
Well, with the lenses, we can vary what we see inside that screen.
So select your reality. Dare to be different, to do it your way.
Welcome to the exciting world of filters.
I'm Dave Richardson, and for the next several minutes, we'll explore the fascinating effects filters can have on your videos.
When used properly, filters can add a special touch to your productions.
Filters vary from clear to multi-image.
A filter that is a must for all video makers is the clear filter.
The clear filter provides protection from scratches, dirt, and even the breaking of your precious lens.
When using filters, especially if you have little experience, always use a monitor so you can view the effect on your video.
There's also no substitute for experimentation in becoming proficient with filters.
Filters come in two styles, the round threaded filters that screw onto the end of the lens,
and the square filters that slide into a universal holder attached to the lens with an adapter.
Common diameters of zoom lens faces are 37, 46, 49, and 52 millimeters,
usually imprinted near the front of the lens as well as in the instruction manual.
If your camera is a different size, adapter rings will let you use different size filters.
When shooting reflective surfaces such as the sky, snow, water, or glass,
a neutral density filter known as a polarizer limits the amount of light reaching the lens from certain directions.
By simply rotating the outer element of the polarizer from vertical to horizontal, you can make reflections and highlights disappear.
The diffusion filter is a great tool for setting soft romantic moods or even a suspenseful mood,
often seen in television commercials and feature films.
Diffusion also works well when recording still photographs on videotape, lending a softer look to a picture.
An inexpensive way to achieve a similar effect is with an ultra-sheer nylon stocking.
White or gold colored nylons work best with a lens that will dismount,
enabling you to fasten the nylon behind the lens with a rubber band.
For a lens that will not dismount, simply fasten a larger piece of nylon over the front of the lens and fasten with a rubber band.
Fog filters are made of lightly sandblasted glass and cause lights to flare and mist.
Images will appear to be immersed in fog even on the sunniest of days.
These filters are available in degrees of fog thickness, from fog 1 to fog 3.
A less expensive alternative is Vaseline.
The amount and direction of Vaseline you smear on your lens determines the distortion of your visual.
Koken makes a variety of colored Vaseline that will distort the color of your video as well.
Filters are available in every color imaginable.
The five basic colors are yellow, orange, blue, green, and red.
Each of these has a filter factor designated by numbers from 1 to 6.
One color filter that can be especially useful is the Sepia filter.
It has a brownish-orange color and lends an old-fashioned historical look.
Warming filters called 81, A, B, or C are a light amber color.
They add warmth to light in colors and can make a nice shot like this even nicer.
Starburst filters come in handy in special situations.
They create spectacular images by capturing light from bright sources and streaking it off in 4, 6, or 8 directions.
Graduated filters are transparent on the bottom.
Like the name implies, they gradually change to a see-through color on top.
A sunset like this can become much livelier with an amber or tobacco graduated filter.
With no more than some card stock and a sharp craft knife, you can create any number of vignette effects.
When using a cutout mounted in a filter holder, remember that the smaller the opening
and the further the cutout from the lens, the sharper the shape will appear.
Try recording at the telephoto end of the zoom range.
Multi-image filters have different facets to split images various ways.
For example, here my image is being multiplied five times.
Multi-image filters range from two images up to six.
Okay, put me back the way I was.
Much better.
I've only shown you a portion of the numerous filters and effects you can create to spice up your video productions.
A word of caution, however.
Although filters are creative and fun to use, you should be careful not to overuse them.
Too many filter effects can take away from the overall effect of your production.
Have fun with filters, and I'll see you next time.
You know, there's the statues up here, Ron.
Maybe what we should do is focus just on the statues and how you could frame the same thing, you know,
a zillion different ways in terms of composition.
Sure, and examples of wide, medium close-ups and that sort of thing.
Yeah, and then from, you know, low, high, you know, left, right, behind them and stuff like that.
I think these will give us some good elements to work with.
We can kind of manipulate where they are in relation to us and where we are up and down,
and I think we can tell a story here.
You know, Matt, probably the first thing to keep in mind would be the rule of thirds,
which is if you take the viewfinder and think of drawing tic-tac-toe lines across it,
you want to put the most visual elements or the things you want to draw the viewer's attention to on those lines.
So in this case, let's just frame up these statues,
and here we have a couple of them which work out about on those thirds lines,
and that's probably a pretty good composition just for having sort of a wide shot,
giving someone a feel for what's out here.
So, Matt, in this case, this leads us right into the subject of headroom.
As I come in, focus on you and pull out.
If I do a medium shot here, I probably want a little room over your head.
Notice I'm putting your eyes, or you will see when you see this picture,
that I'm putting your eyes right about at the third mark on the screen,
using once again the rule of thirds,
and then as we were to do a medium shot, we pull out to a wide shot.
Once again, we want to have your eyes about at the third mark,
and we can go back to a medium shot.
There you are. Your eyes are at the third point.
We can go into a medium close-up.
Now we're cropping your head so you don't have any headroom anymore.
We're keeping that same proportion of the most important things,
your eyes and your mouth are around the thirds.
Then we come all the way into an extreme close-up,
once again trying to keep your eyes around the third point.
Show me your camera view of good architectural demonstration versus poor,
just inside this building, or are you inspired to even do it because of that staircase?
Yeah, it would depend on the story you're telling, but all things being equal,
you look at that arch and you think you'd probably want to emphasize how big it is
and the feeling of grandeur, so probably drop down a little more.
Like I said, sometimes we create a reality you might not see when you're there in person,
but with a camera we drop down, give a different perspective,
and look up at the arch, and there you have, which is probably a pretty good shot.
We have the arch framed over to about the one-third mark on the side.
So let's go catch some people, because I guess people, Ron,
that's the whole thing moving composition is a whole different animal, I guess, right?
Yeah, and in this world...
In fact, how's the cameraman doing now?
We hope he's doing well.
As we do this, we use the same general rules.
We want to have what we call lead room for you,
which is we want to have more open space toward the direction of travel.
And I'm giving you, because it's a wide shot, I'm giving you some head room,
once again putting your face about the one-third mark on the screen,
which draws the viewer's attention to you,
and you are the most important thing in this picture.
Okay, here's a good place to sit down, I think, Ron.
This looks like it'd work. In fact, what I'm going to do is set down my camera,
and I'm going to have the video maker photographer work here, and I'll just play director.
Now, Matt, if you and I are sitting on the bench,
and we're taking a picture of you in this interview,
we'll leave some lead room, that's room in front of your face.
The back of your head doesn't matter as much as the front.
We just want some open space in front of you,
so it doesn't have that closed-off feeling on the screen.
Of course, it's a proportional thing.
As the camera were to move around and face more head-on with you,
that lead room tends to disappear.
It's just a proportional thing, and it's something that, with practice, you get a feel for.
All right, Ron, so did we cover most of the basics of composition today?
I think we hit a lot of the high points.
Of course, some people can spend a whole lifetime learning this,
and I know a lot of your viewers do, but I think we hit a lot of the basics.
All right, well, that's it for the composition segment.
Let's head on to the next one.
Let's do it.
Hi, I'm Bob Marshall, photography consultant for the Video Maker Magazine staff.
You may have seen some of my work on one of the major television network newscasts,
and chances are I shot it without a tripod.
Some of the shots of your lifetime are going to come when you don't have time to grab your tripod.
Maybe you just don't have an opportunity to set up.
Whatever, you've always got to be ready to shoot from the hip.
Once, in the middle of a riot, my car was turned over and set on fire with the tripod in the trunk.
It wasn't much good to me then.
In this tape, we'll show you a few tricks of the trade to get smooth, steady shots under any conditions.
I call it reflex shooting because it becomes second nature.
You probably know some of these tricks already,
but the more you use them, the less you'll have to think about them when the best shots come your way.
The first thing to do is to get to know your camera all over again.
Sure, there's a hand grip and a strap to hold your hand in place.
That puts your thumb and fingers in position for the on-off switch and the zoom control,
but that's only the beginning of the number of ways you can hold your camera.
You've probably already learned how to use your free hand for extra steadiness,
cupping your camcorder, especially if it's a compact model.
But there are other parts of your body you can use for support too.
Try crossing your legs to form a support for your camcorder.
You may have to use your thumb and fingers in different ways to work the controls.
The whole idea is to figure out how your camcorder can become an extension of your body to give you maximum control.
Spread your feet.
Keep them at least shoulder width apart, maybe a little bit more, and bend your knees a little bit.
That way you can absorb any sort of shocks.
What's more, you shouldn't keep your elbow out here away from your body.
That way your camera can wobble more.
Shorten that lever by bringing your elbow in tight against your chest.
That way you'll get more support.
Breathe comfortably.
If you start to hold your breath, you're going to wobble because you'll be struggling.
And try to keep both eyes open.
If you close the eye that's not glued to your viewfinder,
you won't be ready for anything unexpected that comes along.
Wherever you go, there are natural tripods and camera platforms all around you.
You just have to know where to look for them.
One of the easiest things to do is to lean into a wall like this.
Rest your weight on your shoulder.
That way it'll hold you in place and give you the sort of smooth, steady camera platform you're looking for.
It's even better than a wall if you can find a corner like this one because it gives you support on two sides.
Your feet should go out in front.
That way the weight will tend to hold you in place.
And if you carry a camera case or a camera bag like this one,
that can make a great camera platform even better than your tripod
because it lets you get down low for great low angle shots.
Your zoom lens can magnify objects that are far away, bringing them up close.
But it's also going to magnify any kind of shakiness in your shot.
It's better to get closer to your subject and shoot on a wider angle setting.
That way your shots are going to look rock steady without using a tripod.
Up until now we've been talking about how to hold your camera steady,
but there are going to be times when you want some motion in your shots, either a pan, a tilt, or a zoom.
The key to getting smooth continuous action is to practice before you actually start rolling tape.
Let's take a look.
Okay, Ben, are you ready? Let's go.
Let's go back to that standard resting athletic position.
It's the steadiest because it's what your body naturally wants to do.
Use it to your advantage when you're panning.
Your body wants to return to this position, so work with it, not against it.
Practice your pan before you start with a smooth, even motion.
Move your torso and hips, returning your upper body to that resting position.
Point your feet at the place where you want to end your pan, then turn to where you want the pan to start.
That way your body is doing what it wants to do naturally, returning to that straight ahead position,
and you aren't fighting against your own muscles.
One of the most common mistakes is using too many tilts, pans, or zooms, even a combination of the three.
That's what really separates amateur video from professional work.
Approach shots will always have a clear start, middle, and ending point.
Most of the time you'll want to avoid moving your camera,
but there will be times when you'll want to shoot while you're in motion.
You've probably seen TV news photographers do this before.
We call it backpedaling.
Whatever you do, don't lock your knees, stay relaxed, and think about gliding.
Take complete steps, don't shuffle.
Remember, when you are backpedaling, you won't be able to see where you're going,
so you may want to ask a friend to guide you, grab the back of your pants,
and make sure that you don't wind up running into trouble.
I can't stress safety concerns enough.
I still have a steel screw in my ankle from this slip and fall on an icy road in South Dakota.
But don't be afraid to use your camcorder.
Take it out and shoot as much tape as you can.
That's the only way you'll ever become a reflex shooter.
With a little bit of practice, you won't even have to look for camera platforms.
They'll just pop up in front of you when you need them the most.
The secret to reflex shooting is getting comfortable with your camera.
You can modify all of the hints on this tape to find out what works best for you.
But practice, that way you'll be ready when the shot of a lifetime comes along.
And remember, if you can get there safely, you can shoot from there.
For Video Maker Magazine, I'm Bob Marshall.
Thank you for watching.
See you next time.
See you next time.
See you next time.
See you next time.
See you next time.