By: J&J Video Productions-Wedding Video Specialists-Cleveland, Ohio
How do I shoot a wedding video? Two words come to mind immediately, and those two words are "very carefully". If you think you can just go and plop down a video camera on a tripod in a church or anywhere for that matter, and shoot a wedding video, you are sadly mistaken.
The first thing you have to do is know exactly what is going to happen during the wedding ceremony. By doing this, you eliminate the element of surprise, which can cause serious problems. In my 27 years of shooting wedding videos, the knowledge of what to expect during the wedding ceremony has saved my hide many times. You always need to be prepared when shooting a wedding video.
For example, during a wedding, the bride takes a rose and places it at an outdoor grotto. If you didn't know that was going to happen, please tell me how you would get that shot. I would love to know what kind of magic you would have to use to get that in the wedding video. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
Another consideration is the fact that every church or synagogue has different rules regarding photograhers and videographers. What you do not want to do is upset the officiant, because I can assure you, it will be the last time you are permitted to shoot a wedding video in that church.
I have been told horror stories by different officiants. Probably the most incredible abuse of the privlege of shooting a wedding video occured at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church near Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. A videographer thought it would be clever to shoot the vows looking up toward the ceiling, sliding on his back to get between the priest and the bride and groom during this crucial time of the ceremony. Needless to say, that videographer should have asked permission from the priest before trying something that stupid.I am certain the priest would have given him a resounding NO at his ridiculous request.
In all seriousness, shooting a wedding video takes time, planning and experience, as well as a little bit of common sense. Just like in sports, you have to learn the game and practice the game. Know the rules, abide by them and you will come out a winner.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
SHOULD I BUY A REALLY EXPENSIVE VIDEO CAMERA?
By: J&J Video Productions-Wedding Video Specialists-Cleveland, Ohio
Sure, why not? You know that bigger is better and more expensive must be the best, but is that really true? If you're shooting wedding or event videos, or even corporate videos, why would you waste thousands of dollars on an overpriced camera when a moderately priced camera will do the same job just as well, if not better?
Over the years, my experience in shooting wedding videos has taught me many things, but I think the most important lesson I learned is this; Let's say you and I went out to buy video cameras. You find a camera that costs $15,000.00 and I find a camera that sells for $2000.00. The $15,000.00 camera has a lot more gadgets than mine. It looks very high tech compared to mine. However if you read the specifications on the cameras, you will find that the most crucial elements needed for video production are pretty much the same.
Let's assume that the expensive camera will be operated by someone who has been in the field shooting wedding videos for 3 months. I will take my $2000.00 camera to another wedding. The difference is that I have more than 25 years of experience shooting wedding videos. In the end, which video do you think will turn out better?
Most uninformed people would think the $15,000.00 camera would far out perform the $2000.00 camera. The truth is, the end result is far different.
The wedding video produced by the $2000.00 camera is far superior to the video produced by the $15,000.00 camera. So, what does this tell you about purchasing cameras? It isn't how much you paid for the camera. I think we all knew that the wedding video produced by the less expensive camera was going to be be superior to the video produced by the expensive camera.
The reason this happened is because the operator, the videographer shooting the wedding on the less expensive camera, has 25+ years of experience shooting wedding videos, or for that matter any type of video. The person with the experience knows exactly what to shoot during a wedding, as well as where to place the camera for the best effect and he knows when to use the zoom lens and how to keep the picture in focus. A person with 3 months experience cannot possibly know what to do if someone opens the back door of the church during the ceremony. A flood of outdoor light can seriously mess up your video. The person shooting the video with the expensive camera doesn't know where the backlight switch is, or how to use it to make an immediate correction and save the video.
The experienced person will most likely expect someone to open the door during the ceremony and be prepared to make the correction on the spot. The experienced videographer will be prepared for this prior to the start of the wedding.
The extreme high end pro video cameras can cost a fortune and they are set up not to shoot wedding videos, events or even corporate video. They are set up for broadcasting live television or wireless transmission to a satellite etc.. Why would you think that buying a camera like that is going to do you any good when your niche is the consumer market?
In conclusion, when you buy a video camera, you must know first of all what you will be shooting. Secondly, you should read the specifications and compare them. If you find the more expensive camera can shoot under water and you plan to do underwater work, then if would make sense to pay more. I know to many professional videographers that think just because they have expensive cameras, this means their wedding videos will be better, when in fact the videos are less than perfect.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Sure, why not? You know that bigger is better and more expensive must be the best, but is that really true? If you're shooting wedding or event videos, or even corporate videos, why would you waste thousands of dollars on an overpriced camera when a moderately priced camera will do the same job just as well, if not better?
Over the years, my experience in shooting wedding videos has taught me many things, but I think the most important lesson I learned is this; Let's say you and I went out to buy video cameras. You find a camera that costs $15,000.00 and I find a camera that sells for $2000.00. The $15,000.00 camera has a lot more gadgets than mine. It looks very high tech compared to mine. However if you read the specifications on the cameras, you will find that the most crucial elements needed for video production are pretty much the same.
Let's assume that the expensive camera will be operated by someone who has been in the field shooting wedding videos for 3 months. I will take my $2000.00 camera to another wedding. The difference is that I have more than 25 years of experience shooting wedding videos. In the end, which video do you think will turn out better?
Most uninformed people would think the $15,000.00 camera would far out perform the $2000.00 camera. The truth is, the end result is far different.
The wedding video produced by the $2000.00 camera is far superior to the video produced by the $15,000.00 camera. So, what does this tell you about purchasing cameras? It isn't how much you paid for the camera. I think we all knew that the wedding video produced by the less expensive camera was going to be be superior to the video produced by the expensive camera.
The reason this happened is because the operator, the videographer shooting the wedding on the less expensive camera, has 25+ years of experience shooting wedding videos, or for that matter any type of video. The person with the experience knows exactly what to shoot during a wedding, as well as where to place the camera for the best effect and he knows when to use the zoom lens and how to keep the picture in focus. A person with 3 months experience cannot possibly know what to do if someone opens the back door of the church during the ceremony. A flood of outdoor light can seriously mess up your video. The person shooting the video with the expensive camera doesn't know where the backlight switch is, or how to use it to make an immediate correction and save the video.
The experienced person will most likely expect someone to open the door during the ceremony and be prepared to make the correction on the spot. The experienced videographer will be prepared for this prior to the start of the wedding.
The extreme high end pro video cameras can cost a fortune and they are set up not to shoot wedding videos, events or even corporate video. They are set up for broadcasting live television or wireless transmission to a satellite etc.. Why would you think that buying a camera like that is going to do you any good when your niche is the consumer market?
In conclusion, when you buy a video camera, you must know first of all what you will be shooting. Secondly, you should read the specifications and compare them. If you find the more expensive camera can shoot under water and you plan to do underwater work, then if would make sense to pay more. I know to many professional videographers that think just because they have expensive cameras, this means their wedding videos will be better, when in fact the videos are less than perfect.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Monday, January 18, 2010
Web 2.0 and UPLOADING VIDEOS
By: J&J Video Productions-Wedding Video Specialists-Cleveland, Ohio
The internet has pushed the world forward at a frantic pace, with more and more people getting online either at work or at home. Because of this most people have email accounts and some form of social networking site, whether that is Myspace, Facebook, Bebo or Twitter and now people what to share every aspect of their lives with the world.
Because of this there has been a heavy demand for web video production technology to allow people to upload memorable moments of their life on to these various mediums and share them with the world. Usually these result in some form of flash plug-in that allows people to view the content but doesn't allow them to download it. This is a vital security feature of a web video production tool as users don't generally want their home videos downloaded and edited. Generally if you set up good privacy settings on your account the video will only be visible by people you allow.
Another aspect of the web video production software is the relative ease at which you can upload your homemade videos to these social networking sites, it may all seem simple from the front end, but there is a series of clever components working in the background to convert your movie into a flash file or.flv which makes it secure for the internet.
Of course if you want to get really involved with video editing then you can purchase software which will enable you to perform advanced web video production for sites such as YouTube. With this software you will be able to create entrance slides, add music, tweak the video input settings and a number of other hilarious changes that will hopefully increase the popularity of your video.
If you videos become really popular on YouTube you will be featured on the main page of the site. Obviously it is vital that you don't release any information or details in these videos that you wouldn't otherwise want released onto the internet. It is obviously great that we can share some much information and share our successes and dreams with people all around the world today, but at the same time there are a host of people that prey on unsuspecting and unprotected users.
Web video production has been a major enhancement of internet protocol over the last decade and it looks like staying around for the foreseeable future, so use it, but use it wisely.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
The internet has pushed the world forward at a frantic pace, with more and more people getting online either at work or at home. Because of this most people have email accounts and some form of social networking site, whether that is Myspace, Facebook, Bebo or Twitter and now people what to share every aspect of their lives with the world.
Because of this there has been a heavy demand for web video production technology to allow people to upload memorable moments of their life on to these various mediums and share them with the world. Usually these result in some form of flash plug-in that allows people to view the content but doesn't allow them to download it. This is a vital security feature of a web video production tool as users don't generally want their home videos downloaded and edited. Generally if you set up good privacy settings on your account the video will only be visible by people you allow.
Another aspect of the web video production software is the relative ease at which you can upload your homemade videos to these social networking sites, it may all seem simple from the front end, but there is a series of clever components working in the background to convert your movie into a flash file or.flv which makes it secure for the internet.
Of course if you want to get really involved with video editing then you can purchase software which will enable you to perform advanced web video production for sites such as YouTube. With this software you will be able to create entrance slides, add music, tweak the video input settings and a number of other hilarious changes that will hopefully increase the popularity of your video.
If you videos become really popular on YouTube you will be featured on the main page of the site. Obviously it is vital that you don't release any information or details in these videos that you wouldn't otherwise want released onto the internet. It is obviously great that we can share some much information and share our successes and dreams with people all around the world today, but at the same time there are a host of people that prey on unsuspecting and unprotected users.
Web video production has been a major enhancement of internet protocol over the last decade and it looks like staying around for the foreseeable future, so use it, but use it wisely.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Making a Corporate Video Successful
By: J&J Video Productions-Wedding Video Specialists-Cleveland, Ohio
Producing a video for your company can be an exciting and potentially stressful experience. There’s more to it than simply assigning a video production company to the task and crossing your fingers.
To get the most from your video production dollars, we’ll take a look at seven top tips for making your corporate video a success.
1. Start with Results. The first step is to work out exactly what you want your video to achieve. Is it to train staff on a new procedure or is to increase interest at trade shows? Design your video concept around the desired result. Often clients get caught up with showing off their company that the main message gets lost.
2. Write a brief. Once you know what you want to achieve, work out what you want to show and explain in your video. Formulate a brief that specifies your objectives, target audience, the countries your video will be viewed in and any required languages. A list of all the shots that you need is also helpful. Will the bulk of the shots be at your premises and do you need your CEO to talk to camera? Video production companies will try to calculate how many days filming are required to work out the cost, so it’s important to know how much needs to be filmed at the outset.
3. Know your image. What sort of image do you want to present to your customers? While watching your corporate video, your customers will be left with an impression of what type of business you are and what to expect when doing business with you. If your television program happens to be radically down-market than your up-market product suggests, then you create cognitive dissonance in your prospects. This will mean that your viewers will be left with an uneasy feeling that something isn't quite right with your company and will automatically distrust your message. To avoid this, make sure the quality of production reflects the quality of your product/service. This can involve using a professional camera operator with broadcast quality gear to having a graphic artist design maps and titles.
4. Messages. One of the key areas to work out is what communication messages you need to get across. Work out the 4-6 key messages and develop the video around these. If you have too many messages people will tune out. Essentially, make sure you give information that your audience wants to know (not what you think they ought to know).
5. Script. The script provides the backbone to any video project. It’s always worthwhile spending extra time refining the script. As a rule of thumb, it needs to be completed before any filming begins. The best kind of script is short and sharp and revolves around your main messages. The quicker you can get your message across, the better the result. Avoid putting everything into the script, as wall to wall voiceover is quite tiring (and boring) to watch.
6. Assign a contact person. A designated person from your firm will need to be available to work with the video production company. The production house will need script information and approval, help in organizing shoots, copies of your logo and other relevant materials and someone to view a draft of the video and then finalize. This person will also need to make sure that the look and feel of the video best represents your company.
7. Get expert advice. A good production company will be able to advise you on the best format for your needs such as the music, the filming, editing style and how the schedule will run. They will also be able to take your brief and come back with a range of suitable suggestions. Don’t stress about the technical issues. That’s the job of your video production company.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Producing a video for your company can be an exciting and potentially stressful experience. There’s more to it than simply assigning a video production company to the task and crossing your fingers.
To get the most from your video production dollars, we’ll take a look at seven top tips for making your corporate video a success.
1. Start with Results. The first step is to work out exactly what you want your video to achieve. Is it to train staff on a new procedure or is to increase interest at trade shows? Design your video concept around the desired result. Often clients get caught up with showing off their company that the main message gets lost.
2. Write a brief. Once you know what you want to achieve, work out what you want to show and explain in your video. Formulate a brief that specifies your objectives, target audience, the countries your video will be viewed in and any required languages. A list of all the shots that you need is also helpful. Will the bulk of the shots be at your premises and do you need your CEO to talk to camera? Video production companies will try to calculate how many days filming are required to work out the cost, so it’s important to know how much needs to be filmed at the outset.
3. Know your image. What sort of image do you want to present to your customers? While watching your corporate video, your customers will be left with an impression of what type of business you are and what to expect when doing business with you. If your television program happens to be radically down-market than your up-market product suggests, then you create cognitive dissonance in your prospects. This will mean that your viewers will be left with an uneasy feeling that something isn't quite right with your company and will automatically distrust your message. To avoid this, make sure the quality of production reflects the quality of your product/service. This can involve using a professional camera operator with broadcast quality gear to having a graphic artist design maps and titles.
4. Messages. One of the key areas to work out is what communication messages you need to get across. Work out the 4-6 key messages and develop the video around these. If you have too many messages people will tune out. Essentially, make sure you give information that your audience wants to know (not what you think they ought to know).
5. Script. The script provides the backbone to any video project. It’s always worthwhile spending extra time refining the script. As a rule of thumb, it needs to be completed before any filming begins. The best kind of script is short and sharp and revolves around your main messages. The quicker you can get your message across, the better the result. Avoid putting everything into the script, as wall to wall voiceover is quite tiring (and boring) to watch.
6. Assign a contact person. A designated person from your firm will need to be available to work with the video production company. The production house will need script information and approval, help in organizing shoots, copies of your logo and other relevant materials and someone to view a draft of the video and then finalize. This person will also need to make sure that the look and feel of the video best represents your company.
7. Get expert advice. A good production company will be able to advise you on the best format for your needs such as the music, the filming, editing style and how the schedule will run. They will also be able to take your brief and come back with a range of suitable suggestions. Don’t stress about the technical issues. That’s the job of your video production company.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I Want To Shoot Wedding Videos
By: J&J Video Productions-Wedding Video Specialists-Cleveland, Ohio
So you're one of the millions of people out of work and unable to find a job. You've sent out hundreds of resumes and received no response. What do you do now? It comes to mind that last week you were a guest at a wedding and you saw someone videotaping the event, and bingo! You now know what you can do. You're going to be a wedding videographer. It looks easy enough, just get a video camera and run around filming everything. You can probably make hundreds of dollars for one day's work.
Let's stop right there. It takes a lot more than just grabbing a video camera and shooting everyone to make a wedding video. There are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration before you can expect to shoot a wedding video, or any video. One of the first things you need to decide on is what kind of a video camera you want to use. Even though video cameras look alike, they can be as different as night and day. Some cameras are well suited for work in low light situations, and others are not. Another big difference is, some cameras use videotape, and others use memory cards.
It is also important to know the horizontal and vertical resolutions. This can make the difference between a crystal clear, network type, broadcast quality video and a blurred out, fuzzy, low resolution video. We're just talking about the actual camera here. We haven't even considered the other aspects of producing a professionally done wedding video.
The cost of video cameras can range from $100.00 to well into 5 figures.
Once you have actually shot a wedding video, you will inevitably find many different kinds of problems, such as someone standing right in front of your camera, people bumping into your camera, kids showing their latest acrobatic stunts learned on the playground last week and drunk people embarrassing themselves. How are you going to fix all these problems? The bride and groom will not appreciate these images in their wedding video. It's up to you to fix them. This requires editing.
If you want to talk about opening a can of worms, editing systems are a good place to start. Are you aware that each camera may require a different editing system because of the way it recorded? There are many cameras that use the same editors, but there are just as many that don't. With the advent of high definition coming into play, this adds a whole new dimension to editing video. Are you purchasing an editing system that will be obsolete in 2 years? Or, are you purchasing one that requires multiple pieces of additional equipment to make it work? Will you have to purchase a computer with a hard drive and video card the size of Cleveland? Does your editor have a title generator and special effects.
The next thing you have to deal with is deciding what format the final product going to be. Is it going to be tape, a DVD, a standard DVD, a high definition DVD, or a Blu ray DVD? More importantly, is your editor equipped to burn the DVDs or run the tape? Do you have any idea how much an editor is going to cost? I have seen editing systems that can range from $5000.00 to almost a million dollars.
So now, do you still want to be a wedding videographer? And one more thing. We haven't even talked about the accessories, audio systems, lights, tripods, cords, microphones, and sound mixers. Had enough? Let the professionals do the wedding videos, since they have been trained, and schooled. Save yourself the headaches and the lawsuits from unhappy brides.
Today's brides and grooms are sophisticated consumers. Years ago, they really didn't understand what the difference was between a good video and a professional video. Today they are tech savvy and will definitely know whether or not they have an amateurs video or a professionally produced video.
J&J Video Productions is an independent Video Production Company located in Cleveland Ohio. J&J Video Productions specializes in Wedding Videos and covers Parma Ohio and Cuyahoga County Ohio as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan area. For further information please visit our website at http://jandjvideoproductions.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
