• How Do Camcorders Work?
• What’s the Differences between Standard-Def and Hi-Def video?
• Should I Invest In a Hi-Def Camcorder, or Not?

This is the second part of a 3 part series dedicated to expanding your knowledge.

Get all the information you’ll need to make a smart choice when you buy your next camcorder.

Or, just learn how camcorders work.  This stuff is really cool- really.

There’s been a bumper crop of new camcorders that fit in your pocket.

I’ll give you the skinny on these new slim cams.

Learn how to  share your video creations on YouTube – using iMovie ‘09 on your Mac.

I’ve had several requests on this topic.  Please let me know if this video helps.

• Stay tuned for many more iMovie ‘09 tips and tricks.

File this one under: Obvious

To make awesome home movies, you need to take your camera out of the closet.

• How many times have you seen something really cool, and you wished that you had your camcorder?

Say you went out for a beer at the Las Vegas Lounge in Philadelphia.  You order a Miller Chill with lime, and then you see Danny Bonaduce walk in wearing an Evil Knievel costume.  Then, he challenges you to a thumb war.

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See why a tripod is the best weapon against bad home movies.

(Makes you want to see Scar Face again, doesn’t it?)

As children, we all drew our own version of stick figures.

Now… Stick Man like you’ve never seen him before.

My daughter, Jessica wrote the story, and I used Adobe After Effects to bring it all to life.

Enjoy.

What’s one way to INSTANTLY improve the way your videos look?

Make sure there’s enough light on your subjects.

Many camera manufacturers claim that their camcorders perform well in low light.

Don’t let your camera’s tech specs fool you into ignoring your environments lighting.

If you’re shooting inside, and it’s dark, then you should try to light your scene.

I bought an inexpensive work light at the Home Depot to handle this task.

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Ensure your audience a great viewing experience!

We all know that watching a video shot using poor camera work is hard to watch.

You know it.  I know it.  Your father-in-law… needs to read this.

As you recall, telling a story is the most important thing to do when making a video.

The next most critical thing is to use good, solid, time-tested camera techniques.

If the mere mention of watching your videos make people scatter like cock roaches in light, you may suffer from what I call HMD.

6 Easy ways to practice good camera technique

1. Hold your camera steady while shooting - Keep your elbows close to your body.
2. Don’t pan and tilt all the darn time!! - There’s nothing wrong with slowly panning across your scene… once.  After you get your wide sweeping (slow) pan, then concentrate on tighter, and again, steady shots.
3. Hold your Shot – Hold your shots for at least 5 seconds.  I usually shoot between 8 and 15 second long clips.
4. Frame your Shots – Try to make the things your shooting look nice in the image frame.
5. Get Close Ups – Your viewers want to see the details of the who and what your showing them.
6. Get Sound – If it’s a video of your kids, your audience WANTS to hear them SAY cute things.  If it’s a video of your friends, then you want to HEAR them say something clever or funny.

• • To get any decent audio of your subjects’ speech, your camera will have to be within 4 feet of the person speaking.  (Unless you have a shotgun mic or a lavaliere mic.)

Stay tuned, class, for more detailed discussions of all of the above!

Never let your recording media get the best of you.

Wrangle your home movie acquisition media before it gets out of control.

What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when  starting to make a movie?

It’s not what camcorder to use.  Or what computer you want to edit on.

The story is the most important thing.

You should think about what you want to do in your video before you start to shoot anything.

Movies are fast becoming the new family album.

Try to tell complete stories about the people you know.

Keep in mind that a good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

As you shoot, keep track of where things would fit- and if you’re missing any pieces to your story.

Some Story Ideas to Springboard From:

• Your father served in the army during WWII?
  • He has an incredible story to tell.
  • Interview him and have him tell his own story.
• Your daughter won an award for creative writing?
  • Have her describe the process she went through to write her winning entry
  • She can talk about the judging.  Was she nervous?
  • This story could end nicely with the winning poem being recited to camera.
• The family went on a vacation
  • Edit a highlight reel from each day of the trip.
  • Each family member can describe their favorite activity during their vacation.