Metadata is the organizational information (both visible and hidden) behind digital content that communicates the asset’s structure, administrative info, and description. 

All kinds of files contain metadata: from text documents to MP3s. Computers use this information to understand a file’s details. For web pages and uploaded content, search engines use metadata to organize and align content with relevant search queries. Metadata also details who owns the content and if there are control permissions.

While the idea of metadata may sound complicated, it’s easy for anyone to add metadata to videos — which is a great thing! Video metadata is essential for making videos discoverable through search engines. 

In this post, we’ll discuss the types of metadata, how to add metadata to videos, and how to use video metadata to increase organic traffic. 

What is Video Metadata?

Similar to the traditional card catalog at your local library — used to index and locate library books — video metadata makes it possible for search engines to analyze and understand rich content web pages.

There are many types of metadata. Metadata might describe content, contain user requirements, illustrate the relationship between two files, and more. 

Every web page includes metadata. Page titles, headers, alt text, and descriptions are examples of metadata that search engines use to organize and rank content.

When it comes to adding metadata to videos, there are four main types: title, description, tags, and URL. We’ll discuss how to optimize these later. 

Why is Video Metadata Important?

More and more, Google presents videos for search results — even outside of the Video tab. 

Unlike web pages, which include keyword information, videos rely on metadata to communicate the subject matter. Therefore, metadata is essential for video SEO.

Search engines rely on metadata to categorize digital assets, like videos and images, and correctly display them in searches.

The 3 Major Types of Metadata 

There are many types of technical metadata. Here are the three most common:

• Descriptive: This is a video’s contextual information. The metadata includes title, tags, description, and technical information like runtime, file type, size, or date created. 
• Administrative: This is the comprehensive information on who owns a file and who is permitted access. It may include user requirements, copyright information, rights management, license agreements, and other technical data. 
• Structural: This is organizing metadata that dictates the relationship between assets. Like the chapters of a book or episodes in a series, the structural metadata establishes and maintains these connections (i.e. the pages of a website).

While all forms of metadata are important to the structure, security, and organization of content, descriptive metadata is what we’re most concerned with when optimizing the discoverability of video content. We’ll discuss this next.

How to Optimize Video Metadata for Search Engines 

Each of your videos should attempt to rank for a specific keyword phrase. To choose the best keyword phrase, research how people search for a particular topic.

1. Verify that the keyword phrase you want to use is receiving significant monthly traffic with Google’s Keyword Planner.
2. Use an Incognito window and search for the keyword phrase. Review the competition. Ensure that the search term produces the expected results and aligns with your target audience.
3. Consider: can you compete with the current search results? Does Google trust your website (authority) or are you still establishing your brand?

   Note: The more general the keyword, the more likely there is significant competition. When answering a more specific query (called a long-tail keyword), you have a better chance of competing with other search results.
   
   Oftentimes, long-tail keywords are specific questions you can answer. These types of keywords may not be as easy to verify with Google’s Keyword Planner. In this case, use Google search to narrow the topic down with “People Also Ask”.

4. Upload the file to your video hosting platform (such as SproutVideo) and include the keyword in the video’s metadata.

How to Optimize Each Type of Video Metadata

As mentioned above, the four types of video metadata that communicate your video’s content to search engines are the title, description, tags, and URL. 

Video Title

This is the first opportunity to include keyword search terms for your video content. Focus on ranking each video for a single general keyword term.

Choose a title that correctly describes the video to encourage longer watch times. Longer watch times tell Google that visitors are engaging with your content, which raises the likelihood it will rank for that search term. 

Note: If you want to ensure your web page (where the video is embedded) can display alongside the video snippet in search results, the video title and page title need to match. For example, if the page title is “How to Make Papier Mâché,” the video title should be the same.

Video Description

The information you include in your video description will display beneath the title in search engine results. The description is another opportunity to add keyword search terms. 

Include keywords closer to the beginning of the description, and concisely explain what people should expect from the video. Try to be as descriptive as possible without abusing keywords. Search engines tend to frown upon keyword overloading.

Video Tags

Much like hashtags on social media, tags (or meta tags) are another way to tell search engines about your content. The tags you create should include keyword search terms that describe your video or organize the content. 

Three to four tags (at most) work best. Keep the tags short and straightforward.

For example, a video on “How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese” might include the following tags: “vegan recipes,” “vegan mac and cheese,” and “vegan soul food”.

Tags also help you organize your content into categories that viewers can easily search through. Categorical organization becomes more important as your library of content expands. 

Overall, meta tags have less influence than the video title and description in positioning your videos for search engines.

Embedded URL

This may not apply to all videos. However, an embedded video on a web page is affected by the metadata of that page, which includes the URL. Therefore, the page URL should contain the main keyword phrase of the video. 

For example: 

• A page on How to Make Papier Mâché might have a URL of “https://example.com/how-to-make-papier-mache.html”.
• If that page is a broader guide on Papier Mâché that includes a video on How to Make Papier Mâché, the URL might be https://example.com/papier-mache.html”.

For pages with multiple videos, the video you want to rank for that page should be the closest to the top of the page. Its title should be the same as the page title as well. 

How to View, Edit & Add Metadata to Videos 

The video metadata you need to optimize for search engines is visible metadata. On the SproutVideo platform, this information is easily edited in the settings for each video. 

Whichever platform you use for video hosting, the title, description, and tags are generally easy to locate when editing a video’s settings. In most instances, you can view the metadata for each video’s settings as well. 

How to Add Metadata to Your Videos

Most video hosting platforms let you add or edit your video’s metadata directly within the video details page. In the SproutVideo platform, simply click on the video title to edit its settings.  

How to View the Metadata of a Video File

You can access your video metadata directly on your computer without third-party apps or tools.

• For Windows, right-click the file and select Properties, then Details. 
• For Mac, right-click the file and select Get Info. 

In both cases, the file type will limit what information can be changed. 

For more complex metadata information, you may need a metadata editor. However, you can likely use your video editing software to edit your video’s metadata. 

How to Index Your Videos (Don’t Skip This Step!)

Finally, it’s time to tell search engines about your content with a video sitemap. This step tells search engines to crawl your website and index the content you upload. 

Video sitemaps are common, but they can be tricky to create and maintain. If you’re a SproutVideo user, you’re in luck! 

• For our hosted video website users, we automatically create a video sitemap and submit it to Google and other search engines for you. 
• For other SproutVideo users, we make it easy to create and submit a sitemap. Once submitted, we keep it updated as you continue to add more content to your library. 

In other words, we ensure search engines know about your new content. For complete instructions on how to set up your video sitemap, follow these steps at Video Sitemaps for SEO.

The Benefits of Structured Data: JSON-LD

Structured data is often called the language of search engines. JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data (JSON-LD), specifically, is the structured data that Google recognizes. This makes it highly valuable schema to include on your website. 

JSON-LD can be included on webpages without disrupting the HTML, as it includes no HTML itself. It can also be added to any part of the page, not just within the <body> of the website. You can use this free tool to easily generate the JSON-LD data needed for your page!

One of the major beenfits of JSON-LD for search engine optimization (SEO) is that Google uses this data to create rich snippets when presenting your content in search results. This might include your website logo, social proof (such as product review stars), and more. 

Overall, structured data allows search engines to more easily understand, organize, and connect the elements of a page. This, in turn, improves search engine visibility and enhances a website’s overall performance. 

Note: SproutVideo customers who use our hosted video websites can skip this step. We automatically submit video sitemaps and include JSON-LD data. Simply upload your content and add the metadata information.

Expand Organic Reach with Video Metadata

The short and sweet of video metadata is that it allows you to rank videos with search engines like Google. Video metadata creates a strong video marketing strategy, wherein the people looking for your content can organically discover it. 

It’s not always possible to predict how well a video will rank with search engines. However, the instructions in this blog post provide best practices for video metadata to give your video content an SEO advantage. You can improve the reach of your content even more with these SEO tips.

The post What is Video Metadata and How Do I Use It? appeared first on SproutVideo.

First, we’ll introduce you to the 10 essential planning documents that cover every stage of video content production, from brainstorming, through wrap. Next, we’ll look at each phase of production, and cover some of the most useful apps for creating and organizing the planning documents you’ll need. 

The 10 Essential Content Planning Documents

1. Creative Brief: a marketing document that outlines the strategy of a creative project. It may include a description of the audience, deliverables, and publication channels.
   • Creative brief how-to guide and examples
2. Treatment: a pitch deck that summarizes the message and tone of a project.
   • Film treatment examples
   • Commercial treatment examples
3. Mood Board: a collage of images and text that conveys the general look and feel of a project, sometimes integrated into the treatment.
   • Mood board how-to guide and examples
4. Script: a written description of all the words and actions that will take place in a video or animation project.
   • Script examples
5. Shot List: a breakdown of the video or animation script into a list of shots. For photography, this is a list of images in the project. It also includes information about what is required for each shot.
   • More information and examples of shot lists
6. Storyboard: a visual sketch of each shot in each scene of the script.
   • Storyboard examples
7. Stripboard Shooting Schedule: a master top-down schedule of your shoot, where each strip (or row) represents a scene or a shot. 
   • Stripboard shooting schedule examples and templates 
8. Day out of Days Report (DOOD): most often used on longer shoots and bigger productions, this is a grid that marks the beginning, middle, and end of each actor or model’s time on set.
   • Day out of days report template
9. Call Sheet: a one- or two-page document that includes the most important information for the shoot day, such as shot schedule, location, crew list, contact information, and even the weather forecast. 
   • More call sheet information and templates
10. Production Report: a daily summary briefing of each completed shoot day, including payroll obligations, shots covered, any delays or overages, talent and location releases, and more.
    • Production report template 

Phase 1: Creative Brief, Treatment, and Mood Board 

Let’s begin at the first step for creative teams: the concept. The creative brief will provide the creative team with its project goals. Once that document is in hand, it’s time to collect your team’s scattered ideas into a clear, creative concept. This process typically begins with a treatment. For some film projects, a treatment can be a text-only document that you can create in any text editor or script software (listed below). However, for commercial video projects, photography projects, or social projects that may include a mix of motion and still images, the treatment can become a complicated, visually-rich pitch deck that includes a mood board. 

These tools can help simplify the task of making a compelling visual treatment:

• Canva (web app) is a powerful tool that makes it easy for non-designers to create clean, eye-catching presentations.
• Visme (web app), much like Canva, makes the process of creating designs and layouts a painless, turnkey process. 
• Milanote (web app) is a tool to organize your creative products into a visual board.
• Shotdeck (web app) gives you access to thousands of film clips for decks for pitches, treatments, etc. to help you fill your document with existing visual content that fits your project’s mood. 
• Pinterest (web app) is not just for accent walls and sconces; it will help collect all your reference and inspiration imagery in one place when planning your mood board and treatment presentation. 

Phase 2: Script and Shot List

Once the treatment is approved, you’ll move on to the script. And from your script, you’ll make your shot list. For commercial projects with little or no narration or dialogue, a Google doc might seem like the easiest choice for writing out script ideas. It’s free, there’s no learning curve, and it’s an easy collaboration tool. But proper script formatting can be very important, and the proper formatting in script software will make it much easier to convert your script into your shot list, and then turn your shot list into the next planning documents your shoot will require. 

Some script software will organize your entire project by using your script to break scenes down into a shot list, inform your storyboard, populate your shooting schedule, establish your budget, and plug your project info into a call sheet to keep your shoot days organized. 

All-in-One Scripting and Project Management

• StudioBinder (web app) is the leading film production management software that also includes a scripting component. Overall, StudioBinder has tools for everything from scripting, storyboarding, budgeting, shot listing, scheduling, and creating call sheets. However, the subscription can get pricey if you want to collaborate. 
• Celtx (web app, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android) is a subscription-based platform that started as script software, and now includes a lot of project management tools and mobile apps.  

Standalone Scripting

• Final Draft (Mac, Windows, and iOS) is the de facto standard of the film and television community. It’s pricier than most, and probably best for creatives that need to collaborate at the higher end of the film and TV industry. 
• WriterDuet (web app) is a free script application that makes collaboration easy.
• Arc Studio (web app, Mac, Windows, and iOS) offers a free browser-based option, or more feature-rich premium desktop and mobile versions. 
• Trelby (Windows) is a free, lightweight scripting option. 

Phase 3: Storyboard

Once you have a script, it’s time to storyboard. Let’s be honest; very few content creators also happen to be gifted illustrators. For the rest of us challenged scribblers, storyboards can be daunting! Using stock photography, clipart, location scouting shots, and other off-the-shelf visuals to represent each shot can save you from having to … you know … actually draw.

Here are some great tools to help make storyboarding more manageable: 

Storyboard Illustration

• Procreate (iOS) is a feature-rich industry standard for professional tablet illustration. 
• Photoshop (Mac, Windows, and iOS) is the industry standard for professional desktop illustration. It can be overwhelming for non-illustrators and may require extra tools like a Wacom tablet for illustration. 
• Paper (iOS) is free, and lighter on features. However, anyone outside of professional artists and experienced illustrators won’t miss the extra functionality.

Storyboard Layouts

• Storyboarder (Mac and Windows) is a free app with stellar reviews and robust features that integrates with Photoshop for image creation, as well as Premiere, Final Cut, and Avid for creating animatics from your boards.  
• Studiobinder and Celtx are also fantastic storyboarding and shot listing tools. (Just a reminder.)

• Boords (web app) is another good option, with collaboration tools and an animatic feature. 
• Plot (web app) is a simple subscription-based storyboarding app with fewer features and a lower price point.

Phase 4: Shooting Schedules, DOODs, Call Sheets, and Production Reports

The creative is signed off and your project is greenlit. Now, it’s time for the final step: planning and logistics. If your script and storyboard are the heart of your shoot, these documents are its brain. First, you’ll order your shot list into a shooting schedule and , if your shoot is big enough to require one, a DOOD (day out of days). Next, you’ll create a call sheet for each shoot day that covers the shots on the shooting schedule for that day, as well as the rest of the information your cast and crew will need. Finally, when your shoot day is wrapped, you’ll make a production report that summarizes all the important shoot information for your records. It’s worth investing time and effort into these documents because the success of your shoot ultimately relies on them. 

Here are the best apps to make this process easy: 

• Set Hero (web app and iOS) is a call sheet and crew contact management software with subscription or per-project pricing.
• Studiobinder (web app) lets you send call sheets directly to mobile apps so your crew has up-to-date information on locations, schedules, and shots. 
• Yamdu (web app) offers call sheet generation, contact management, scheduling, and more. Subscription pricing of this app is higher than others. 
• Celtx (web app, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android) has less functionality than the apps above, but might be worth using if budget is a consideration and you’re already using Celtx for other elements of your project.  

Find the tools and apps that are right for you, and start working on these documents early. The more time you invest into these planning documents before you begin shooting, the easier your shoot day(s) are likely to be. 

The post 10 Essential Planning Documents for Video Production appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this week’s How To Video: Post Production episode, we’re going to be taking a deep dive into the different types of video codecs, and the effect they have on your footage.

How Digital Cameras Record Footage

Like most digital processes, camera footage starts as just data – 1s and 0s. The camera’s sensor is made up of red, green, and blue pixels more commonly referred to as megapixels. These pixels capture light, and convert that energy into information that the camera can read, and which eventually, you’ll be able to edit in post-production before outputting a finished video.

Footage Format Options

In order for you to use the footage captured by the camera, the camera has to format the image. There are several different routes you can go when deciding how you want your camera to deliver your footage. You can get raw data, compressed raw data, or color space footage.

The options available vary depending on the camera you use. Below, we’ll look at the three most common formats.

Uncompressed Raw

This is basically the data that we referred to in the first section. These files are going to be enormous since this format contains the maximum amount of data possible.

Think of it as getting a raw photo for each frame of your video. That’s a lot of data!

Because of this, very few people, if anyone, use completely raw footage. However, in theory, this would give you the maximum editing options in post-production if you had a system that could handle such large files.

Compressed Raw

Compressed raw is exactly what it sounds like: a compressed version of raw footage. This format squeezes the footage down to something a bit more manageable without losing the ability to make big adjustments in post-production. ISO, color temperature, and color space are all aspects you’ll be able to control in post.

For many, this is one of the best options to choose if your camera supports it. You’ll lose the least amount of quality while maintaining a relatively manageable file size.

Unfortunately, the best raw compression codecs are usually reserved for higher-end camera systems like Red and Arri. Many other brands have raw options, but might end up losing some of the data when processing the image due to “lossy” compression.

Color Space Codecs

These options compress your footage even further. Consequently, you’ll lose some post-production options, but you’ll gain back huge amounts of space on your memory cards.F

Log

Log (Logarithmic) color space is a popular choice because it allows for the most dynamic range in your footage by keeping the darker areas from creating noise, and the brighter areas from being blown out. It does this by squeezing the image into the middle of the color spectrum to then be edited in post.

Once Log footage has been imported to your editing program of choice (we use Adobe Premiere Pro), you have to apply a LUT (look-up-table), which converts it to a standard color space. A LUT is basically a color preset that you apply to your footage. There are LUTs like the REC.709 LUT which will bring your footage from Log to a more standard look, and there are much more creative LUTs that can give your footage a unique look and feel.

The Standard or REC.709

This codec, which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, will look the “best” straight out of the camera. Instead of applying a LUT to Log footage or extensive editing to raw footage, this footage needs very little editing in theory. It is the standard delivery color space, with full color and contrast.

Which is Right For You?

Depending on your camera, you might not get much of a choice in terms of how your image is compressed. If you do have options, here’s how to know which is right for your project.

Minimal Processing

If you need to use the footage right away, with minimal processing, The Standard is a perfectly fine choice. The trade-off is that you won’t be able to fine-tune the final result to the same extent as other formats. A great example of this would be if you’re shooting a documentary that accumulates hundreds of hours of footage. If you tried to shoot that raw you would end up with terabytes of footage that would be completely unmanageable. This is where your camera’s standard format will really help your process.

More Control

If your project requires a specific look, you’ll want more control over the color grading process. As your control over the image increases, so does your file size. Consider whether or not the rest of your workflow can manage large files for editing. If you’re not concerned about file sizes, compressed raw or the Log color space is a step up from REC.709 in terms of the ability to edit in post.

Maximum Color Correction

To go even further, uncompressed raw footage would be your next option. This is going to be for super-specific situations where you need complete control over the image.

One example where you’d need that level of control would be a detailed product shot that only lasts a couple of seconds. While the file size will be very large, you’ll have all the information you need to manipulate the footage to your liking.

One thing you have to take into consideration is your ability to actually color correct the footage for Log and raw. While there are lots of LUTs you could use, the color science involved to create the right look can be very complex. For more information, watch our How To Video episode on color grading.

Each of the different footage formats have their advantages and disadvantages. Questions about which one you should use? Share them in the comments below for expert advice.

The post Clearing up Codecs: Raw, Log, and Compression Demystified appeared first on SproutVideo.

Whether you read from a script or prefer to ad-lib, our tips will help you do so succinctly and efficiently. We’ll show you how to draft a script and use a teleprompter, or film a stream of consciousness with jump cuts, for a business-worthy video.

Winging It

While this style of videos isn’t normally associated with business video, we wanted to include it as an option. You essentially just set up your camera and start talking.

This style is most suited to informal videos that need a personal touch, as exemplified by well-known YouTubers and vloggers. For instance, Casey Neistat and Peter McKinnon have built large followings on YouTube using this editing technique almost exclusively.

There are a few different approaches you can take with this style, including straight jump cuts, multi-camera jump cuts, or minimal cuts resulting in a very long video.

Jump Cuts

A jump cut is a type of cut in editing that separates two sequential shots of the subject. This type of edit is usually reserved for informal videos on social media because the edits are very obvious, as the video just jumps forward in time.

It’s popular because it’s a fast and efficient way to cut down lots of footage to just the intended message. It’s also convenient for when you’re filming yourself because you can just let your stream of consciousness unfold without interruption.

After recording, you simply go back and cut down your message to a short, concise video using jump cuts. This makes the video extremely fast-paced, which can be good for keeping your audience engaged.

Multi-Camera Jump Cuts

This technique borrows heavily from the standard jump cut, but adds another camera or two. The idea here is to cut back and forth between cameras every time you need to make a cut. This technique will still result in a fast-paced video, but will be a little more polished since the edits can be somewhat concealed by switching the point-of-view between cameras.

Minimal Cuts

This last approach entails using jump cuts very sparingly, if at all. While it’s technically the easiest – you just speak on camera and make minimal edits after filming – it risks resulting in a video that might be rambling, or possibly boring. Very few can pull this off in a captivating way, especially if they are just starting out.

Scripting

One of the best ways to ensure that your message is going to come across well is to script it out fully before you record. This will help clarify your message, ensure you won’t forget anything, and make the editing process much easier.

Script Development

Writing a script can be difficult, but it gets easier with practice. Start by brainstorming, move on to an outline, and then flesh it out with the details you’d like your audience to know. For more guidance on scriptwriting, read our blog post, “8 Script Writing Tips for Online Video.”

Once you have a rough draft, it’s time to start testing your script. The best way is to read it out loud. It’s one thing to write what you’re going to say, it’s another thing to actually say it. By sounding out your script, you can make sure the words sound good on camera and work well with your particular style of speaking. Make edits to your script as necessary.

Draft Assembly

At this point, you should grab your phone or power up your webcam and make a practice film of yourself delivering the draft script. Be sure to only use your webcam for the draft assembly. For your final video, use a higher quality camera if available.

Next, import that footage into your editing program of choice and create a very quick rough draft video. This will undoubtedly reveal more changes you need to make in your script.

Once all changes are made, and you’ve locked in your script, record yourself once again delivering the finalized script. Now, import that version into your editing program, and use it to cut together an assembly of your video. Add placeholders for b-roll sections so you can easily

Next, go back to your finalized script, and label the sections that will be covered with b-roll and which will be on-camera. Having this mapped out ahead of time will make recording your final video much easier.

You’ll be able to distinguish between the on-camera sections, where you really need to nail the lines and look professional while doing so, and the b-roll sections, where you can simply record while reading directly from the script. Now that your editing assembly and script are finalized, you can finally move on to recording the final video.

Delivery

Generally speaking, there are two ways to deliver your message on camera: memorization, or using a teleprompter. Both have benefits, but ultimately it will depend on what is most comfortable for you.

Some people can memorize long paragraphs and deliver a captivating message, while others thrive at reading out loud. So how do you decide which tactic is right for you?

Start by recording yourself reading your script as convincingly as possible. Then review the footage to see how you sound when reading out loud. If you sound more like a robot, give memorization a shot. It might come across as more natural.

On the other hand, if you struggle with memorization, sticking to a script and teleprompter might be the way to go. Here are tips for both approaches.

Memorization

Memorizing lines is a skill that comes naturally to some, and requires more work for others. If you can get the hang of it, it’ll make on-camera appearances a lot less painful.

The idea is simple. You’ll need to memorize each section of your script verbatim, or enough of your script to improvise a little while staying on message. If you choose to memorize, you’ll have to make sure your script is broken into manageable sections, possibly broken up by b-roll, so it’s easier to get through it without making a mistake.

The longer the on-camera segments, the more difficult it will be to deliver. Keep this in mind when writing your script if you plan on using memorization.

Teleprompter

At SproutVideo, we typically use a teleprompter. A teleprompter is a device you can place in front of your camera that displays your script while you’re recording a video.

When it comes to teleprompters, there are many different hardware and software options to choose from. We use the One Take Only Pad Prompter.

If your camera has rods, like ours does, you can attach the teleprompter right to the camera. If not, there are options that either clip to the lens or have small tripods of their own. On the software side of things, we use the PromptSmart Pro App on an iPad or smartphone.

Minimizing Eye Movements

While many people use teleprompters, most don’t want it to be obvious that they’re reading a script while on camera. Here are a few tips to help hide it from viewers’ eyes.

First, make sure you don’t sit too close to the camera and the prompter. The closer you are to the camera, the more conspicuous your eye and head movements will be while reading, as seen in the example below.

Next, make sure the text you’re reading isn’t too spread out. Similar to recording too close to the camera, if your eyes have to move all the way across a wide screen to read, your eye movements will be more exaggerated.

If you’re using your phone as a teleprompter, horizontal or portrait mode should be an OK width to minimize eye movement. If you’re using something bigger like an iPad, be sure to adjust the margins in the app to keep your eye movement as subtle as possible when reading.

Finally, you’ll want to adjust the speed of the text on the prompter. This will likely be a trial and error situation.

Choose a starting speed, and attempt to read a paragraph or two out loud. Adjust faster or slower as needed until you feel comfortable. Some software has voice recognition to scroll as you speak, however, in our experience it doesn’t work well enough to recommend.

More Helpful Tips

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many of us will have to learn new skills while adjusting to working remotely at home. Over the years, we’ve created many resources to help make your job easier.

For getting comfortable in front of the camera check out our posts` “27 Ways to Feel Like a Natural in Front of the Camera” and “Afraid of the Camera? Face Your Fears With These 13 Tips.”

Watch our How To Video episode for finding music if you’re struggling to lock down that perfect track.

If your video team has become a remote operation due to COVID-19 restrictions, explore our guide for collaborating effectively with a remote video team.

For more tips, browse through our Video Library on our blog.

The process of delivering a message on video will be time-consuming at first, but, when you get more comfortable with your process, you’ll speed up and improve.

Questions about delivering your message on video? Get expert advice in the comments below.

The post Exactly How to Nail Your Message On Camera appeared first on SproutVideo.

To ensure that you get off to the right start, we’re looking at the gear you’ll need as well as three key steps to take prior to shooting. Watch the video below and keep reading to learn all the secrets to being the star of your own show.

Minimum Gear

If all your fancy equipment is packed away at the office, never fear. You can still achieve excellent results with minimal gear.

After all, filming yourself is technically as easy as pulling out your smartphone, turning on the camera and pressing record. However, with a few add-ons and adjustments, your production value can increase exponentially.

Camera

While filming yourself at home, just about anything will work. Of course, the better the camera, the better your result. You can use your smartphone, a point-and-shoot camera, DSLR/Mirrorless cameras, a camcorder, or if you happen to have it, a professional cinema rig. Our main camera is the Sony FS7 camcorder with a Fujinon 18-55mm zoom lens.

The one type of camera we wouldn’t recommend is your webcam. While using your computer to film your video might be convenient, the quality of your video will take a pretty drastic hit. Webcams are usually much lower quality than smartphones, so if you have to pick between them, go with your phone.

If you have multiple options, or are looking to purchase a camera for your at-home filming, take a look at our guide to the camera features that matter.

Tripod

Next, you’ll want to make sure your shot is as steady as possible. A tripod is an ideal choice in this situation. After all, if you have to film yourself for more than a few seconds, you can’t really hold a camera at the same time.

Having a stable shot instantly makes your video seem more professional. For our video purposes, we use the Sachtler Flowtech 75.

If you can’t get your hands on a tripod, opt for propping your camera up on a flat surface so that it’s level and secure. The ideal height and distance of your camera from your subject will depend greatly on how you compose your scene, which is covered below.

Lights

Lighting is an extremely important part of any professional video production. Too dark, and even the best camera will struggle. Too bright, and your shot will be blown out or silhouetted.

While you can use dedicated lights to film yourself, a big window is an easy option to light your scene, as Nick did in the video above.

The most important tip is to face the light source. This will illuminate your face and background in a flattering manner.

When your light source is just a window, it will be hard to make any fine-tuned adjustments. Your best bet is to prepare as much as possible and be open to testing different times of the day to see what looks the most aesthetically pleasing.

If you do have lights, check out our post, “Achieve Flattering Lighting on Camera in an Office Environment.” While that post was written for the office, all those tips apply to your home as well.

Microphones

Another extremely important aspect of your video is going to be how you sound. Similar to the last two pieces of equipment, using an actual microphone will be your best bet. We suggest using a lav or external boom microphone for the best result. Check out our previous “How To Video” episodes for an in-depth overview of your audio options.

If you don’t have an external microphone, do your best to record in a quiet room. Check for any sounds that might be picked up as background noise, such as fans, an A/C unit, or your family in the other room. Removing these background noises help with sound clarity more than you think.

Set Composition

Composition refers to the placement of everything you can see through the viewfinder of your camera. To create an ideal composition for filming yourself at home, look for an area of your home with ample room to position yourself in front of a simple, clean, and distraction-free backdrop.

The first thing you’ll want to do is frame your shot. This is essentially as easy as it sounds. Once your camera is in place, take a look at your viewfinder to make sure that your background looks the way you want. Check the edges and corners, and make sure nothing looks out of place.

Background

Your background setting could go one of two ways depending on the materials you have available. First, you could go with a real background, meaning the actual space you’re sitting in. Depending on the video you’re filming, that could be your living room, home office, or whichever room is available. This has the benefit of adding a more personal look and feel to your video.

The second option, if equipment permits, would be to set up a paper backdrop as if you were in a studio. You can also use a wrinkle-free sheet in a pinch. This keeps the composition very clean and simple, and focuses the attention more on you.

Framing The Subject

Next, you’ll have to get into the shot to make sure that you, the subject, are framed correctly. You’ll need to decide if you want to stand or sit, and how much of your body you want to be shown in the video.

In our How To Video series, we generally use a medium shot, and a real background with the subject seated, as seen below. This is a great shot to use if you’re just starting out.

Checking Your Composition

To check your composition while shooting solo, you have several options. Many cameras have a flip-out screen so you’ll be able to see just enough to make adjustments to your scene. When you’re using your phone, you can set it up in selfie mode to check your composition. If your camera doesn’t have a flip-out screen, you could purchase an external monitor, or potentially use an app to connect your smartphone as an external monitor.

If none of those options work for you, simply turn on the camera, sit down, and record yourself for a few seconds. Once you’ve done that, go back to your camera to review and adjust your composition from there.

Focus Types

In this context, focus refers to the region of space that will be visually sharp in the video as opposed to being fuzzy or blurry. In almost every instance, you’ll want your subject to be ‘in focus.’

Autofocus

For most cameras, you’ll have the option of choosing manual focus or autofocus. If you go with autofocus, it will without a doubt make it easier to film yourself. It basically makes this process a “set it and forget it” situation. Autofocus uses in-camera or lens technology to keep the focus on the subject while filming, which is ideal for a solo project.

However, autofocus isn’t always as reliable as we would like it to be, and varies from camera to camera, if available at all. All smartphones, DSLR/mirrorless, and point-and-shoot cameras have autofocus built-in at this point.

However, not all lenses support it. Most photo lenses do, but rehoused lenses are less likely to. And, if you’re using a camcorder, only the newest models support autofocus, such as Canon’s cinema line with face detection autofocus built-in.

Review your equipment specifications, and record a quick test to see how reliable the autofocus is before you start filming yourself for real.

Manual Focus

If you’re choosing to go the manual route, or autofocus isn’t available, there are ways to ensure that your focus is tack sharp without someone monitoring the camera.

One option is to lock in focus prior to filming. To do this, you’ll need to place something in the frame right where you would be sitting or standing. This allows you to head back to the camera to focus on that object. In the shot below, we had a very good boy stand in as our subject.

Once you get back in the frame, you should be completely in focus and ready to move on.

A more professional option would be to attach a follow focus to your camera, and then pull focus while looking at an external monitor. A viewfinder or flip-out screen is most likely too small and too far away to pull focus, so you’ll need a dedicated external monitor to pull this off.

The last (and the most fun) option would be to get a focus dog like Lucy in the video above.

Last Looks

This is the last step before hitting the record button. Last looks is your chance to troubleshoot any visual details that you need to before you start rolling. Check for lint on your shirt, put the final touches on your hair or makeup, check your background for any distractions, and go over any other small details that you might need to adjust.

An easy way to check for these types of issues is to start filming for a few seconds and say a few lines. When you review this short clip, look for absolutely anything out of place. Be meticulous about it, while also reviewing your natural body movement to make sure you stay in focus. If you have an external monitor, it can be used for last looks as well.

Pro Tip: You can also take this time to amp yourself up before recording. Even the most experienced speaker can get nervous in front of the camera. Check out our post “27 Ways to Feel Like a Natural in Front of the Camera.”

Shooting at home may seem like a daunting task, but with a little planning and review, you will be filming a professional-looking video by yourself in no time. Questions about getting started? Get professional advice in the comments below.

The post How to Film Yourself for a Professional Result appeared first on SproutVideo.

Since stop motion animation requires a certain level of precision and attention to detail, there are many pitfalls to be aware of. From the lighting to the plan of action, these six key factors can impact your final result. Here’s our guide to getting it right.

What is Stop Motion Animation?

Stop motion animation is a specific type of animated video where the action taking place is filmed one frame at a time. Typically, it’s done with inanimate objects to bring them to life in unexpected ways.

A particularly famous subcategory of stop motion is claymation. A hugely popular series called Wallace and Gromit was made entirely from claymation, with each video taking a tremendous amount of work hours to produce.

Recently, at SproutVideo HQ, we got into the Halloween spirit with a stop motion animation of our own. Check it out:

Stop motion can be used for all types of video, from feature-length films to ads on social media. It’s flexible, since nearly any object can be animated one frame at a time, but also comes with lots of creative constraints. Here are the six steps you need to take to get it right.

1. Precise Planning

Stop motion video is one of those projects that sounds a lot simpler than it is. Moving and filming an item a frame at a time should be straightforward enough, right? Turns out, there’s a lot more to it than that.

Stop motion animation requires a lot of planning to turn out well because the process is almost completely linear. Unlike with other types of video, you can’t do multiple takes to see if one turns out better than the other.

If anything changes during the course of filming, you can’t quickly reset and pick up where you left off. It’s very difficult to add anything in or take something away on the fly. You typically have to start over to make even simple corrections.

Sketch or storyboard what you want your action to be. Have a very clear concept and script before you start rolling, since there’s no backtracking once you start moving elements around on camera.

2. Control the Lighting

Make sure to use studio lighting if possible. By studio lighting, we mean a controlled environment where you can set and adjust the lighting very precisely. Usually, you use different types of artificial light sources directed at your subject to get the effect you want, and block out natural light sources.

Otherwise, imperceptible changes in natural light will make your stop motion flicker during playback. Even a small difference in shadows or brightness can really stand out with this type of animation.

Our guide to tabletop shooting is a can’t-miss if you’re planning a stop motion animation video. It’ll walk you through exactly how to set up your lighting for this type of project.

3. Lock Down Your Camera

Make sure to use a sturdy tripod, and DON’T BUMP IT. This is harder than you might think, since stop motion shoots tend to be lengthy, and usually require a lot of walking around, moving props, eating take-out, etc.

No matter how much action and chaos might be going on in the studio, be careful around your camera. Use road cones, gaffer tape, or other obstacles if need be. If you bump the camera, you may have to start from scratch.

A small change in your camera angle can throw off everything. From the lighting to the perspective on your subject, it’s very important to keep it consistent for a polished end result.

4. Lock Down Your Subjects

Consistent lighting and a stationary camera are key to filming smooth and appealing stop motion animation. Similarly, for your subject, any movement has to be very intentional.

Make sure to change only one element at a time, and take the time to figure out how to lock down the items on screen that aren’t supposed to move. The smallest nudge to an object that wasn’t meant to budge can be really obvious and distracting. If your subject is a pile of small slips of paper, for instance, a sneeze is all it takes to ruin your shoot. 

For example, for our pumpkin video, we drilled holes into our tabletop and bolted the pumpkin to it to keep it from wiggling around while our artist carved it. This is a bit extreme, but it was necessary for a large, relatively heavy object like a pumpkin. We also used brightly colored tape to mark the positioning of our second pumpkin.

For smaller scale shoots, you can use double-sided tape, velcro, or other crafty solutions to prevent unwanted movement.

Of course, sometimes, a small amount of movement in background objects can be desirable in animations. For instance, when we animated watercolor sketches for our Earth Day celebration video, we wanted the elements to move around a little to appear more lifelike and natural. Here’s an excerpt as an example:

With stop motion animation, a little extra wiggle can add energy and excitement to what’s happening on screen. However, you still need to introduce it with intention, otherwise it can be overwhelming and distracting from the main action.

5. Make Small Movements

Stop motion animation rarely looks as smooth as live action shots. That’s part of its appeal and one of its defining characteristics.

However, there is a difference between jumpy and stuttering animation, and a more professional result. The trick is not to move too much at once. This requires a level of patience and attention to detail that other types of filming simply do not.

Making small, incremental movements will result in smoother animation. Of course, there is a limit to what’s feasible in a given timeframe, or simply to preserve sanity.

Before shooting, perform some simple tests by moving an object across the screen in different measures to figure out what looks right for your project.

6. Shoot More Than You Think You Need

Shoot a frame at every small change, and add more frames than you think you may need. If your playback is too slow, you can always speed it up in your editing software, or remove frames. However, you can’t create frames that aren’t there after your shoot is completed.

Here are your options for capturing your stop motion animation on camera.

Still Photo Cameras

Most stop motion animations aren’t actually filmed – they’re photographed. The approach is simple. Use a still photo camera, and snap a photo after each movement. Each photo represents a frame of your video. During the editing process, you can duplicate frames as needed for your animation. 

The main advantage to using a photo camera is that you have more lighting options. Strobes or constant lighting both work with this approach. Another good tip is to use a shutter remote or bluetooth app to control the camera so you don’t accidentally bump it while pressing the shutter button.

Video Cameras

If you’re using a video camera, all you need to do is record a second or two for each frame. This is similar to using a photo camera, but will likely result in more frames than you really need, and requires the use of constant lighting. 

Alternatively, you could record the entire process without stopping and starting the camera for each frame. This reduces the amount of contact with the camera, which can help ensure it stays stable throughout. Also, it gives you more options since you could create a high-speed time lapse of the entire shoot in addition to your stop motion animation. 

However, you’ll have to edit out a lot of frames to create your stop motion animation. Also, you’ll use quite a bit more storage space with this approach.

For our pumpkin shoot, we had to use a video camera because of the transition from stop motion to rolling video at the surprise reveal. Otherwise, we would’ve used a photo camera. No matter what, we wanted a high-speed time lapse of the process, so we recorded that part separately with a GoPro.

If you have a stop motion animation video ready to share with the world, you can get started with a 30 day free trial today!

Questions about making your own stop motion video? Get expert advice in the comments below.

The post The Six Secrets to Stop Motion Animation appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this post, we cover tips to help executives be at their best in front of the camera. First, we’re tackling the topic of appearance, including what not to wear, and some quick fixes for the day of the shoot. After that, we’ll cover helping them project their best, along with some speaking tips to ensure their message is clearly communicated.

Dress for Video Success

It’s particularly important for executives to look the part when appearing on camera. Still, your wardrobe is a highly personal choice because clothes reflect our personalities, stature, and culture. You should always feel comfortable in your clothes, and feel like yourself. However, there are some definite rules of thumb when choosing what to wear on camera.

Color Correction

Now is not the time to try out that neon yellow tie unless it’s for a very specific, very important reason. Certain colors are much more flattering on camera than others. You also want to help your executive strike the right tone with their outfit.

Do’s

Simplicity is key for a professional appearance. The clothing should not distract from the speaker. In fact, it should be one of the least interesting things about the shoot.

Think timeless over trendy. If you’re making an investment in video, you don’t want it to look dated once this fashion season is over.

Solid, neutral colors, like navy, gray, lavender, light blue, or camel are conservative, professional options. Warm colors and jewel tones, like coral (perhaps a slightly darker shade of Pantone’s Color of the Year), amethyst, honey, and cobalt can also work well with many skin tones, and offer a more striking choice.

Don’ts

While some might be tempted to wear a statement-making color like black or red, nix it. These colors might be eye-catching in-person, but they will pose technical problems on camera.

Bright red is likely to “bleed” and give a hazy tinge to the person’s appearance. Also, it can bring out reddish undertones in skin colors, which might not be that flattering.

Meanwhile, black clothes tend to lose definition on camera, making the wearer look shapeless. Textures and proper lighting can help, but dark gray or navy is a much better choice.

If red and black are too much, bright white might seem like a safe choice for presenting a clean, crisp look. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. White is how you set your camera’s color balance. Large amounts of the color can throw off other visual aspects in the shot. It’s also very unforgiving of any stains, marks, or lint.

If your executive is dead-set on wearing one of these colors, push them towards more neutral shades, like gray or burgundy. You can always suggest wearing a small pop of color in their accessories (like in our headline image above), or tie or shirt collar. 

One more color to avoid is a bit of a special case. Green is a common choice for keying out parts of the shot to replace it with another image. That’s why videographers use a green screen for a CGI background. Avoiding bright green is the safest choice for ensuring your executive won’t be embarrassed by any clever editing in case someone decides to have some fun with the footage.

Perilous Patterns

Another consideration when it comes to wardrobe is patterns. In short, stay away from them, and stick with solids as much as possible.

Too often, small patterns aren’t picked up well on camera, and result in what is known as the moiré effect. Basically, most cameras don’t do as good a job of reading tight patterns, like pinstripes, herringbone, fine checks, or houndstooth, as the human eye. The result is a distracting, strobing effect. 

Large patterns, like paisley, are not as prone to technical visual issues. However, they can still take attention away from your speaker and are best avoided.

Less Is More

When it comes to accessories and other details, less is more. Unless it’s part of the brand or there is a very specific reason for it, forgo the excessive jewelry, loud make-up, and ornate hair bobbles.

Lest they think you’re boring and expect everyone to look exactly the same, have your executive choose just one item that stands out. The idea is to help their personality shine through by avoiding unnecessary visual distractions. 

Another consideration regarding jewelry is that it might jingle or chime, which can be picked up by the microphone. Background noise can detract from the message, make editing a lot harder, or necessitate more retakes. 

The ultimate goal is to keep the focus on their message versus what they’re wearing. Before we move on from the topic of appearance, here are some super helpful and incredibly easy-to-procure items that can make a big difference if you have them handy on the day of your shoot.

Easy Wardrobe Fixes

Forewarned is forearmed as they say. Give your subject a heads up on what to wear. Provide photos or some guidelines to help ensure they look their best. Ask that they bring options to the shoot if they’re aren’t sure of what to wear.

If that’s not possible, or they don’t follow your pointers, you can still quickly correct many issues.

• A spare blazer or cardigan in a neutral color can help cover up a loud shirt.
• Provide simple tie options in case the one they chose has a problematic pattern.
• A plain button down in a universally flattering color can also be a wise option to have on hand.
• A tie clip will help them look polished.
• Safety pins, double-sided tape, or even an emergency sewing kit can fix a loose button or a gaping neckline.
• Addition by subtraction – simply removing problematic accessories is the way to go if you can’t provide more neutral alternatives.

Other Must-Have Items for Your Shoot

• Eye drops: Allergies or an all-nighter? Who knows and it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your speaker looks their best, period. Pro tip: If your speaker happens to have a skin blemish, try applying eye drops to it with a cotton swab. The same ingredient that helps do away with eye redness can sometimes help redness associated with acne.
• Soft-hold hairspray: Lighting can pick up even one stray hair that is sticking up. Use soft-hold hairspray to tame fly-aways without losing the natural look and movement of your speaker’s hair.
• Lint roller: This one is pretty self-explanatory, and especially useful if your speaker is wearing darker colors. If you forgot to bring it, even Scotch tape will do in a bind.
• Clothes steamer: Even the best clothing choices won’t look right if they’re wrinkled. A steamer is more flexible on a shoot than an iron.
• Eyeglass cleaner: Also self-explanatory, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t think of this until it comes time to edit the video! And by then, it’s too late to do anything.
• Matte powder: Whether it’s nerves or just the heat from the lights, patting a translucent matte powder onto your speaker’s face – especially their T-zone area – will banish trace evidence of either. If your speaker happens to be bald, don’t be too shy to suggest putting some on their head as well. They’ll thank you for that, too. 

Preparation & Practice

The main takeaway from this section is going to be practice, practice, practice. But before your speaker can do that, there are some things you need to do.

First, define the scope of the video project. Identify the objective of the video and how much time your speaker will have to say what they need to say.

Be sure to account for other details. Will they be moving or remain in the same place? Stay inside, or venture outside? Will they be the only person speaking?

Once these details are squared away, and the script or question prompts are ready, share it with them so they can begin familiarizing himself with the wording and practicing to make it their own.

Practice Makes Perfect

When you deliver the script or prompts to the executive, schedule a read-through a few days before the day of the real shoot to run through everything. This will give them an idea of what stepping in front of the camera feels like. It will also give you a chance to identify any issues they need to work on ahead of the shoot.

After your practice together, encourage them to continue rehearsing on their own. They may even want to film themselves on their phone or webcam to identify anything they need to correct. 

Here are some key factors to having a polished presence on camera. Don’t be afraid to give kind yet direct feedback so your speaker can improve upon these if necessary.

Cadence and Inflection

Cadence and inflection have to do with the speed and rhythm of speech and the pitch and tone of voice. The key to a speaker sounding natural, even when reading from a script, is for them to become familiar with the material beforehand.

That way, they’ll know where each sentence is leading, and they can control for both cadence and inflection. Once they’ve got a good handle on the talking points, they can add a bit of personality to it and make it their own.

Eye Contact

If your speaker has trouble making or maintaining eye contact, put a small sticker just above the camera and have them focus on that when they practice. That way, they won’t feel as intimidated or uncomfortable, while the audience will still feel like they’re speaking directly to them. Everybody’s happy!

Alternatively, you can place the teleprompter – which doesn’t need to be fancy and can simply be an app downloaded onto an iPad – in a similar position to the camera.

Posture

Provide pointers in the script notes to remind the subject to sit up or stand straight, with their shoulders back. Even when they’re just practicing, these notes will help that habit to sink in.

When it’s time to shoot, don’t be afraid to remind them. Even a subtle signal like adjusting your shoulders, or sitting up straight yourself, can prompt them to do the same.

Facial Expressions

Frowning, grimacing, lip biting, and lip pursing are all examples of totally normal things humans do with our faces when we’re speaking or thinking. It can make sense when in live conversation with someone, but on-camera, it can look odd.

If your speaker has a habit of doing any of these things, don’t be afraid to bring it up, and don’t be surprised if you have to mention it more than once. It’s subconscious, so they likely won’t even realize when they are doing it.

Let them know ahead of time you’ll be reminding them to avoid certain movements. That way, it will feel routine and won’t make them self-conscious or flustered (which will likely lead to them doing it even more).

Gestures

While you don’t want your speaker to use their hands or move around too much while they speak, you also don’t want them to be unnaturally stiff. Gauge which side of the spectrum they fall on. If they need to loosen up a little, share tips from the following video.

Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you can get someone on camera, the more comfortable and familiar they’ll become with the process.

Hopefully, all of this will come in handy the next time you need to feature your executive in a video. In fact, we recommend sending this article to them, and invite any questions you or they might have. You can share your questions in the comments below for expert advice! 

The post How to Help an Executive Look Good on Camera appeared first on SproutVideo.

There are so many options for cameras on the market. Choosing the right one to purchase, or just to use for a video project, can be challenging. In fact, there really isn’t a single right answer to the question, “Which camera should I use?”

Instead, we’d like to defer to the experts on this topic. We surveyed four professional videographers to learn what they consider to be their go-to camera – the one they reach for time and again. Keep reading for amazing insights into which camera systems the pros use, and why.

Meet the Experts

At SproutVideo, we’re lucky to be connected to a network of professional videographers by our mutual passion for all things video. Here are four of our friends who were kind enough to share their expert opinions on this all-important choice for anyone producing video.

Scott Jansson

Scott has more than a decade of experience filming documentaries, food videos, corporate videos, and broadcast news. You may even recognize him because he collaborated with SproutVideo on our horror video lighting tutorial. He splits his time primarily between New York City and the Boston area, though he frequently works internationally too. Scott typically works with a crew size of one to six people on his shoots.

Edu Rabin

Edu lives in Porto Allegre, Brazil, and has a decade of experience filming commercials, TV dramas, and feature films. His clients are typically regional networks or companies, and he mainly films on location. On an average production, Edu typically loops in a gaffer, grip, camera assistants, and loggers, as well as up to four additional assistants.

Stephan Alessi

Stephan’s fashion, athletic wear, and beauty shoots have taken him all over the world, though he often works in New York City where he’s based. Although he’s been filming for around seven years, he only started focusing on videography three years ago. When shooting stills, it’s often just Stephan and one other person, but on larger shoots, a crew of eight to ten is more typical.

Ben McIntre

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Ben primarily works on documentary films, with nearly four underway at the time of writing. He also produces shorts and commercial work, and counts NGOs, networks, distributors, and digital publications like Vice. His projects take him primarily into Africa and Asia, though he also films in Europe and the US.

As is typical for documentary filming, the crew size is often quite small. Ben usually works with a director, a producer or two, sound, and an AC. Occasionally he’ll add a gaffer and second camera operator depending on the job.

Now that we’ve met the experts, let’s see what our panel has to say about their go-to cameras!

What is Your Go-To Camera?

The most popular makes of camera amongst our experts are Sony and RED. Here are the details on their responses:

Scott Jansson

I use a Sony FS7 very frequently because I own one, but I’m not exactly tied to it. I tend to vary my camera choice according to the needs of the project.

Sony FS7 Photo Credit: B&H Photo

Edu Rabin

My camera choice is driven by budget. When possible, I’ll use a RED Epic Dragon and Alexa Mini. Otherwise, the Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 4.6 K and Sony A7SII with Atomos Inferno are a great choice for low budget productions. I’m also very fond of the Zeiss 1.3 High Speed. I like the way they “destroy” the digital sharpness with all the flares and the “milky” feeling the image gets when framed and lit in a certain way.

Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro Photo Credit: B&H Photo

Stephan Alessi

I use the RED Epic Weapon for most of my motion shoots. If I’m shooting stills, I rely on the Canon 5D MK IV.

Ben McIntre

I use a lot of different camera systems, and just try to get the best thing for the job, regardless of what I own. In general I use a lot of Sony FS7, Canon C300 Mark II and Arri Amira. I also shoot with Alexa Mini or RED cameras on occasion. While I’ve owned a Sony FS7 for years, I just bought a RED Gemini that will be my new in-house camera for a wide variety of jobs I do.

RED Gemini Photo Credit: B&H Photo

Why Is It Your Go-To?

Our experts mainly cited versatility and reliability in their reasoning behind why a particular camera was their go-to. For video, versatility means a camera can perform in a wide range of circumstances, and can deliver results for a variety of projects. For instance, our experts described the Sony FS7 as a workhorse that can deliver results for different types of shoots.

Stephan also added that he prefers the RED Epic Weapon because of the balance it offers between image quality and file size. Since his clients often need to edit the footage into various formats for online distribution and social media, he finds they have more options when using this particular camera.

Since Ben just switched from a Sony FS7, we wanted to get his thoughts on what drove the decision. He said:

I didn’t find the FS7 performed adequately in lowlight. There was too much image noise, and one of my long term projects involves a lot of dim settings, so it really showed…The RED Gemini is something I can use with a shoulder mount, or shoot handheld like the Canon C300 Mark II. I can dial in a data rate the production can handle. It’s just an easy camera to assign to anything.

What Would You Improve About Your Camera System?

Proving that no camera is perfect, all of our experts had a few criticisms of their preferred camera system, and identified missing features they’d like to see.

Scott Jansson

I have a few input-related improvements I’d like to see. I would love to be able to assign a button to switch between 4K and 1080. And, I could really use a start/stop button below the lens mount.

As for the rest of my wish list, I’d feel much better if the cable to the viewfinder was detachable. It would also be nice if the record symbol (Red/Green) on the viewfinder would stay on even if all the info in the display is off. An additional tally light visible to the camera operator could also solve that problem.

Also, I’d like the ability to simultaneously shoot a proxy while shooting 4k in camera. I’d like the other internal record options to be available without the extension unit. Finally, I’d like to see the extension unit be powered by Sony BP bricks rather than v-mounts.

Edu Rabin

Well, I would love to see more diversity in terms of equipment and lenses coming down to Porto Alegre and Brazil in general. Rentals are very expensive because of the high importation taxes we have to pay. I would love to have more lenses, anamorphic lenses for example, in my palette.

Stephan Alessi

One word: PRICES!

Ben McIntre

For my new camera, the RED Gemini, I’ve found the fan system can be a little loud when in hot weather. I have to bring more batteries with me now and change them more often, when compared to the Canon C300 Mark II or FS7. But I wouldn’t expect that to be a big problem. It just works great though. Very little to complain about so far.

Which Camera System Would Be Best for a Small One- or Two-Person Shoot in an Office or Home Setting, and Why?

Scott Jansson

For me it’s not really about the number of people involved in a home or office setting that will determine which camera system I use. It’s based entirely on budget, and project or client needs.

Camera functionality is fairly similar across all systems in terms of the ability to record an image, and the amount of time and work it takes to get up and running. That being said, I may limit the number of accessories involved if it causes camera build-time to be excessive without adequate support personnel, but again, it’s all dependent upon the project.

In a general use situation, the decision really comes down to personal taste, creative scope, level of technical aptitude, and what you’re willing to spend.

Stephan Alessi

The one you have easiest access to. Usually the camera you already have is the best choice.

Ben McIntre

I’d use an Alexa Mini or RED. The smaller the crew, the less you can do with light.

I really try to push for the best camera I can in those scenarios, even if it means less lighting gear and cheaper lenses to fit the budget. Some people go the other way with it, but I’ve always been drawn to a more naturalistic lighting style anyway, so for me that approach makes sense.

So, Which Camera Should You Get?

It’s the $100,000 question (yes, some camera systems cost that much, and more). As you can see, rather than there being one single answer, it comes down to several factors, including budget, your project-specific needs, and level of technical ability.

Expensive cameras are generally more complex to operate, but will perform well in a wider range of circumstances. Here, we’ve provided some general guidelines by budget because it’s an approximation for the level of technical aptitude required, and how versatile the camera is likely to be.

Budget

The camera systems our experts rely on cost $10,000 and up. But you definitely don’t need to spend that much to get a serviceable camera.

$1,000 and Under

Consider using the camera built into your phone. Modern iPhones and Androids perform very well for basic video needs, and can shoot 4K video. With the right accessories, you can create remarkably beautiful video with your phone. Even better? You’ll always have it on you.

Of course, you can always rent more upscale cameras while sticking to a lower budget so long as you are filming infrequently. This is also a great way to test out different camera models before committing to any particular option.

GoPro and other action cameras are another solid choice at this price point depending on what you’re filming.

$1,000 – $5,000

DSLR cameras with video capabilities are likely your best bet at this price point. Look for full frame sensors, and be sure to build lenses into your budget – you’ll need them!

If you prefer a video camera over a DSLR, many camera brands produce prosumer ranges at this price point. They’re often similar to professional cameras, but with more streamlined menus, fewer inputs, and smaller sensors. Not all models offer interchangeable lenses, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your needs.

$5,000 – $10,000

If you’re investing in a camera system to use on a regular basis, the Sony FS7 was a standout choice according to our experts for a variety of reasons. It’s at the high end of this range, but it’s a powerful and capable camera. A more budget-friendly option from Sony is the FS5, which is essentially a camcorder version of the FS7.

Another solid option at this price point is the Canon C200 EF, which our experts also mentioned as comparable to the FS7. It’s known for its particularly lifelike color tones. Canon also has an excellent reputation for reliability.

$10,000 and Up

If you’re one of the lucky ones for whom budget is less of a concern, the RED line of cameras is hard to beat. There were a couple different RED cameras that were mentioned in this post, including the RED Epic Weapon or Dragon, and RED Gemini. All are pricey to be sure, but also very solid, high-performing cameras.

Subscribe to our email list to get the next episodes in our How To Video series in your inbox. The next few episodes focus on cameras, and we’ve already covered audio and lighting. By following along, you’ll become an expert in all things video.

Got a question about cameras? Please share it in the comments below for expert advice!

The post Expert Advice: What’s Your Go-To Camera? appeared first on SproutVideo.

In truth, post-production processing of audio is an entire career track because it’s so specialized and involved. Yet there is quite a lot you can do to improve your audio if you know the basics.

In this episode of our How To Video: Audio series, Nick LaClair, head of video production for SproutVideo, walks you through removing unwanted background noise, and optimizing your vocals in Adobe Premiere. Watch the video tutorial below to learn how to edit your audio, and work more efficiently when processing audio in post. His tips will help you save time and avoid common pitfalls when polishing your audio tracks.

Audio Editing Video Tutorial

This in-depth audio editing tutorial will show you how to sync your audio in Adobe Premiere, edit your audio in Adobe Audition, and put it all back together for an optimal end result. Along the way, Nick provides plenty of additional pointers for improving your workflow when editing audio.

For guidance on making sure your audio inputs are as good as your outputs, check out our episodes on three popular mic types and when to use them, and advanced video audio techniques.

Keeping reading for step-by-step instructions to replicate Nick’s audio editing workflow.

1. Sync the Audio and Video in Premiere

First, you need to make sure your audio and video files are synced properly before beginning the editing process. This is key because ultimately, your edited audio track will be tied to your video track. By syncing them from the get go, you’ll save time and effort later on.

Note: if you did not use an external recording device, and recorded everything with your camera, your audio should already be synced.

In Adobe Premiere, select your audio and video sequences, right click, and then select Create Multi-Camera Source Sequence.

Nick uses the timecode option to sync his audio and video. Another option would be to use the audio waves to sync the audio from the external recorder and the camera.

Next, click OK, and you’ll have a new multi-camera sequence with your audio and video linked. Rename your sequence to something easy to remember – you’ll thank yourself later!

In Adobe Premiere, multi-camera sequences do not behave quite like regular sequences. To edit this one, right click it, and select open in timeline. Whether you have one camera, or ten, they should all be linked with your audio in your timeline.

In the image above, you can see the blue video track is synced with the three green audio tracks below it.

2. Audio Editing in Adobe Audition

The next step is to import the audio into Adobe Audition to clean it up. It’s important to do this before you start editing your video.

Chances are, you’ll generate multiple clips when editing your video. If you don’t process your audio first, you’ll have to make changes to each individual audio clip. Not only is that very inefficient, it also introduces the possibility of mistakes or inconsistencies in your audio clips.

Selecting the Tracks to Edit

Your project might be a little different, but the idea here is the same. Simply select the project containing the audio track you want to clean up and follow these next steps.

Highlight your project, then use the Edit dropdown menu to select Edit in Adobe Audition and select Sequence:

You can leave all the options on the default settings, and just click OK.

If your project contains audio tracks you’re not planning to use (such as scratch, or reference, audio from camera, etc), mute the tracks you do not need. In our case, we are only using the boom mic, so we mute the other two.

In the image above, the small ‘M’ button will mute the audio tracks you’re not using. They’re greyed out to the right. The track highlighted in green is the unmuted audio from our boom mic, which we’ll clean up in the next couple steps.

Apply a Preset

Audio presets are a great way to save time and effort in Adobe Audition. The right choice comes down to the type of audio you’re working with and the overall effect you’re going for.

In many cases, a clean, rich, natural-sounding vocal track is the goal you’re working towards. Here are the steps to take to achieve it.

First, select your active track by clicking on the vertical green banner on the right. Next, go to the ‘effects rack’, which is a list of available effects.

The preset for Radio Announcer Voice is a great choice for vocals. It includes multi-band compressor parametric equalizer, and a hard limiter.

For his project, Nick leaves the compressor alone, and tweaks the equalizer. You’re aiming for a full, rich sound. Too much on the low end makes vocals boomy, while too much on the high end will make your “S” sounds harsh and hissy. He also lowers the gain setting to prevent clipping, and then uses the Hard Limiter to change the ceiling to -5 DB.

The exact settings to use here will vary according to your project and the effect you’re going for. Play with the settings until you get the sound you want.

Background Noise Reduction

The last step for cleaning up audio is to apply noise reduction. You can’t do this by track – you have to do this to each individual clip.

For that reason, Nick recommends keeping your audio rolling when in an interview. Don’t start and stop the recording, otherwise you’ll end up with multiple clips that have to be cleaned up individually. You can save a lot of time by avoiding this in the first place!

To remove background noise, you have to first isolate the sound you want to remove. Double click your clip to open it, and use the plus key to zoom in. We’re looking for a quiet spot in between the vocals that contains the background noise (or noise floor or room noise) we want to remove.

Next, choose effects and select “noise reduction,” then “capture noise print.” Pictured below is a quiet section we selected for the noise print.

Too little noise reduction, and you’ll hear the noise floor in the room in your audio. Too much, and your subject will sound as though they’re underwater. Similar to the effects applied to your audio, the right amount will be specific to your project.

And there you have it! Your audio should sound clean and polished, and is now ready to be sent back to your video project in Adobe Premiere.

3. Exporting the Processed Audio

Navigate back to your original project. Then, go to File, Export, Export to Premiere Pro.

You can either export each track separately as a stem, or mix it all down to a mono track. Since we’re only using the one audio track from our project, we’ll mix it down, and export it as a mono track. You can leave all the options on their default settings, and click OK.

Adobe Audition will now render your new audio file, and export it to Premiere. The best part? It’ll automatically be linked to our Premiere project. Aren’t you glad you synced it all up in step one?

4. Editing With the New Audio Track

Audition has created a new copy of the sequence, and added our mono track as a new track. For this project, we’ll mute everything except the new track.

Now we’re ready to edit our video! To simplify things for editing, first you’ll want to create a new normal sequence from this multicam sequence. Select and drag your multicam sequence to the New Item icon in the lower right-hand corner of the project window.

The resulting new sequence is the one you’ll edit.

Efficient Post-Production Workflow

The great thing about this workflow is that all your audio is nested into your multicam sequence. No matter how much you edit down your new sequence, you can always go back and make changes to your audio track in your multicam sequence, and those changes will automatically update over your entire edit sequence.

In just three short episodes, we’ve covered a lot! We showed how to select the right type of microphone and place it correctly, advanced audio techniques and dual recording systems, and audio editing in Adobe Audition.

Now that you’ve learned how to perfect the audio in your videos, it’s time to put them to work. Here at SproutVideo, we provide premium video hosting that comes with a variety of top-notch marketing features including a variety of calls-to-actions and lead capture forms you can use to engage your audience. Try us free for 30-days to see for yourself.

The post Four Easy Steps to Clean Up Audio in Post-Production appeared first on SproutVideo.

Advanced Audio Tutorial

In this episode, we’re going deeper into selecting the right microphone, and placing it with your subject. We’re also going to address ways you can prevent common audio issues, like clipping or distortion. Finally, we’ll cover why dual system audio recording might be worth your while, and how to use the gear required.

Once again, we looped in Mike Infante, who you might recognize from our last audio episode where he helped us cover when to use which popular type of mic. He’s an expert production sound mixer from Lakhota Film.

As you can see, there is a lot more to great sounding audio than choosing the right mic. Keep reading for a deep dive into each part of the process.

Boom Mic Placement and Types

Proper positioning of your boom mic is the first and easiest way to help ensure your mic clearly captures your speaker’s vocalizations.

To begin, set up the mic directly in front of your speaker. Angle your boom mic towards them at a 45 degree angle, and as close to them as possible without actually having the boom mic in the shot. The 45 degree angle affords your speaker the ability to move around a bit as they speak without sacrificing your audio’s consistency.

As a reminder, when you hear “boom mic”, all that really tells you is that you have a mic on a boom. The actual mic in use will vary according to your needs. Two commonly used boom mics are shotgun microphones and cardioid microphones.

Shotgun Microphones

One of the most popular boom mics you’ll encounter is the shotgun microphone. This is the longer, directional microphone we discussed in our last audio series post. It’s a great all-purpose tool.

Shotgun mics are popular because they can be positioned farther from your subject than other types of mics. And therefore perform well in a wider range of circumstances than other mics.

This has to do with their pickup pattern, also known as a polar pattern. Shotgun mics mainly capture sounds from directly in front of them, though they also pick up some sound from the rear and the sides. Depending on what you’re filming, they make a solid choice for many types of shoots.

Limitations

Although this type of mic can be really versatile, it does not perform as well “off-axis.” Meaning, if your subject shifts to either side while speaking (versus speaking directly at it as you initially positioned it), you’re going to notice the inconsistency in your audio. This may not matter for your shoot, but if it does, it can simply be something for you and your speaker to keep in mind while shooting

Hypercardioid Microphones

The other microphone you’ll see used on a boom is a hypercardioid microphone, a type of cardioid microphone. Cardioid microphones are named for their heart-shaped polar pattern. A hypercardioid mic is most sensitive in the front, and reduces noise coming in from the sides and rear.

As a boom mic, cardioid microphones capture clear, rich sound, with minimal noise from the room. The mic’s proximity to your speaker will determine how much space they have to move around without affecting its ability to pick up the sound of their voice consistently. Still, its polar pattern allows more wiggle room than the shotgun mic.

For all those reasons, it’s the mic of choice for most professional audio technicians for indoor shoots, especially for vocal or speech purposes.

Levels and Limiters

Microphones are only part of the puzzle. Once you’ve got the right mic in the right place, there’s still more to be done to ensure you’re capturing the best audio possible. That’s where levelers and limiters come in to play.

Levels

Audio levels are balanced by adjusting the gain on your recorder. It’s important to set your levels so the audio doesn’t clip and distort. Clipping (or peaking) occurs when your audio suddenly increases in volume, and becomes distorted.

It’s better to err on the side of caution and set your levels slightly lower than you might want to use in the end. You can always bring them up in post, but you can’t save audio that is too loud and clips (or distorts). Mike often sets his levels so the audio spikes at -18 dB.

Limiter

A limiter works differently to help you control your audio range. True to its name, a limiter will limit the level of a signal to a certain threshold by lowering the gain automatically. As mentioned above, peaks or clips in sound can distort your audio. That won’t happen if you set your limiter threshold properly.

Dual System Audio

Recording your audio separately from your video and syncing them later is known as dual system audio. Why would anyone want to go through the extra steps to record separately? As Mike explains in our video, the benefits mainly come down to having more advanced audio options and better audio control.

In a typical setup, you’d have your camera and microphone(s) positioned just as you normally would. With dual system audio, however, the microphones record to a separate audio recorder.

Simple enough, right? Here are the details on how to set up a dual system.

Gear Needed

Other than your camera and microphone(s), you need an external recorder to capture your audio. You might also want a slate, depending on how you plan to sync your audio (more on that below).

External recorders offer specific advantages over recording to camera.

First, they typically have more inputs, which allow you to record more microphones simultaneously.

Additionally, most external recorders come with higher quality preamplifiers that provide a clearer signal with less low ambient noise. They range from the simple and affordable:

To the powerful and expensive:

These dual system recording devices can be costly, though there are reasonably-priced options available as well.

Syncing Your Audio

If you decide to record with a dual system, there are three ways for you to sync your audio to your video.

Timecode

The easiest way is to sync is with timecode, which literally aligns the clock in your mixer with the clock in your camera. While this is the easiest way to sync, it’s only going to be available in more expensive camera and mixer options.

Software and Audio Waves

The second approach is to sync the files on your camera and the files on your mixer using software that matches their audio waves. Most popular video editing programs, such as Premiere, can sync audio and video using audio.

This process is straightforward if your camera’s “scratch” or “reference” audio is similar or identical to the audio from your recorder. However, when you’re recording something far away from your camera, the audio files might not match well enough to sync.

If you worry this may happen on your shoot because you know you’ll be recording far away from your subject, keep in mind that an easy way to combat this is to send an audio output from your external recorder back into your camera so they match.

Slate

The third way to sync is to slate. Yep, the old classic is still used today. All you need is a sound you can see and hear happening so you know exactly where to line up your audio and video.

You can use a clapboard (pictured in the video) or just clap your hands. That’s about as simple – and as inexpensive – as it gets when it comes to dual system recording synchronization.

Just as we explained in our first audio series post, more expensive gear is going to make your job easier. Still, to capture decent audio, you really only need to employ the basics: proper mic choice, and mic placement.

If you’ve made it this far in the post and watched the video above a couple times, you are well on your way to accomplishing better audio. A huge thank you to Mike Infante for sharing his insights with us!

Be sure to check back for the third post in this audio series where we’ll give you some post-production tips and tricks for making the most of your audio during the editing phase. Of course, we’re always listening in the Comments and on Twitter @sproutvideo if you have any questions about what we’ve covered today.

The post All About Advanced Video Audio Techniques appeared first on SproutVideo.