Recently we read this great post on Outside-Blog about suggestions for gear for the aspiring documentarian. All you really need to make documentaries are just a few lightweight cameras that can shoot 1080×1920 HD video and some audio equipment to get that perfect audio. Here are the essentials needed:
Buying all this equipment, brand new, would cost you around $10,900 and with California tax (8.25%) you’d need to add another $900. Eleven hundred dollars is no laughing matter, however if you compare today’s equipment with that of the past I think you’ll find shooting your own documanatry is much more affordable…and not to mention, lighter weight.
For more tips on Film making visit http://AliVega.com
When making a film (a commercial, a documentary, or video of your three-year-old) it’s important to keep composition in mind. Composition is important because a poorly composed shot can make your movie flat and uninteresting, taking the care to properly arrange your shot and you can create depth and visual interest.
Some Tips to consider when composing your shot:
1. Try to incorporate a foreground, middle ground, and background. Your subject will usually be in the middle ground. Behind them is the background, which establishes the environment. Often forgotten is the foreground, unless you’re going for an lonely feel, you should try incorporate something between the camera and the subject.
2. The Rule of Thirds - Within the frame of your shot, visualize lines in thirds vertically and horizontally. Ideally your subject your subject is near one of the two vertical lines or the four points that are made with the intersecting lines. This rule is almost always used in photography, but it’s applied in filmmaking since they go hand in hand.
3. Make sure there’s enough light! – Lighting plays an important role by showing the audience depth between the subject and the background, as well as creating a focus point where you want the audience to look at.
Remember, you want your audience to be drawn into your scenes, this is a world you’re creating for your audience, try to keep things interesting! Watch this short video that goes into further detail about composition.
Move on over Flip camera! Zoom announced their new 1080p HD video recorder.
The Zoom Q3HD Handy Video Recorder is able to record up to 1080p at 30 FPS, 720p at 60 FPS, up to 4x digital zoom, 2.4 inch color LCD, NTSC/PAL, HDMI outputs and USB 2.0. Staying true to their roots the Zoom Q3HD comes with built-in stereo microphones, blowing most of the flip or handycams out of the water when it comes to sound quality.
2. Download the app to your iPod/iPhone, for iPod Touch download the “ScreenSplitr” app and for iPhone download the “Display Recorder” app. To download these you can search on Cydia, which is found in your jailbroken iPod/iPhone.
3. Make sure your app is On and running on your device.
4. Go to plutinosoft.com/idemo and follow the instructions on there. Once you’ve done all that, then you should be able to use your device with your monitor.
Here is a quick video that shows Steps 3 and 4. Enjoy!
*Before you get started your iPod touch/iPhone must be jailbroken. Search for how to jailbreak an apple device online. Don’t worry it’s legal to jailbreak an apple device, however, you will void your device warranty. It is not guaranteed jailbreaking will work, this is to be done at your own risk.
Vimeo is holding their 1st Annual Festival and Awards and you can be a part of it! The easy way will be to buy tickets to the festival which claims; “Two days of amazing talks, workshops, screenings, and parties. Rub elbows with the best creative minds in online video.” The hard way is receiving an invite as one top 20 videos from each of the 10 categories. With a $25,000 grant to create another video on the line, filmmakers from across the globe have submitted over 6,500 videos! The winners will be announced during the Vimeo festival in New York City October 8-9.
AliVega Video Productions isn’t saying that everyone thinks the same things are funny, but the majority of funny videos have five key component, and here they are!
Surprise: Viewers like when something happens that they didn’t expect. It’s often a let down if they can guess the ending.
Speed: Viewers don’t want to wait around for the joke, they want it fast and simple to understand.
Title: The title of your video is the introduction, if your video doesn’t live up to their expectations from the title your viewer will be disappointed.
Message: Most funny videos say something about the big picture. It’s not just about one particular action in the video, but society as a whole.
Sharing: If your video is funny, your viewer will often want to share it with other people. Make your video easy to share and its popularity will only grow.
Contact AliVega Productions for more information on about editing funny videos at our contact page.
The 15-year-old ad campaign “Got Milk” is not letting their age hold them back.
Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) is releasing new iPad versions of advertisements in an effort to stay trendy. The first ad ran in Sports Illustrated’s first iPad issue along with other brands such as AT&T, Sprint, Toyota, and more. Vivien Godfrey, CEO of MilkPEP, explains that “The iPad videos present a great opportunity to achieve richer, deeper engagement with the targe audience.” Contact AliVega Productions for more information on how to use video to better your business.
Flash Mobs (pronounced flash mäb) occur when a large a group of people are summoned (often by e-mail or text message) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action (unusual and often pointless acts) before dispersing. For those of you lucky enough to witness one you know the drill, as for everyone else, we get to watch it thanks to YouTube! Here’s a list of the top 5 flash mobs caught on video.
1. Bristol Lightsaber Flashmob – The Official Video
2. The Liverpool Street Station T-Mobile Dance
3. Frozen Grand Central
4. Sound of Music at the Central Station Antwerp in Belgium
5. Flash Mob in “Stary Browar” Poznan, Poland
Which was your favorite? Have you ever been in or witnessed a flash mob? Comment below.
When you first pick up a video camera as a beginner, your first instinct is often to center everything. This is a huge mistake. Resist the urge! By moving your video camera to the side a little can add interest to your footage. Known as the “Rule of Thirds” this concept is the idea of dividing your frame into a “tic-tac-toe board” then placing your subject on the intersections points.
This little step is a start of making your videos more interesting. Contact AliVega Productions for more information on how to improve your video footage.
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