Table of contents for Videography in Videography

Video has become such an essential part of our everyday lives it’s almost impossible to find a camera or smart device that isn’t capable of recording movies. If you’ve been wondering why it’s become so ubiquitous, the answer probably lies in the fact that video does some things much better than stills – and those things are becoming increasingly part of our lifestyles. Where stills shine Stills photography is better at capturing moments in time and preserving them for us to contemplate. Whether we view the pictures on screens or print them for framing or as mementos to hand out to family and friends or as pages in a photo book, still pictures will continue to play an important role in our lives. But as our lives grow busier, many…

Modern cameras and smartphones include built-in microphones and many provide a range of audio controls that enable you to control how soundtracks are recorded. However, once you move beyond basic video shooting, you’re likely to require something better – or more – than the recording device provides. In this chapter we look at the basic requirements for capturing soundtracks for your movies, address the limitations of most cameras and outline some of the available accessories you can use to improve the quality of your audio recordings. Built-in microphones While the built-in microphones in today’s cameras and smartphones are better than in the past, they have several important limitations that can affect the quality of the audio recordings that accompany video footage. 1. Size. The first issue with a built-in microphone…

Few people enjoy watching unedited video footage so it’s worthwhile devoting time to editing your clips and combining them into a watchable production. Some cameras are supplied with a trial version of the software the manufacturer recommends, which should let you join, trim and split video clips. If you find it works well, it’s easy to purchase the full version online. If the software bundled with your camera is too basic and doesn’t provide functions like titling, audio dubbing and exporting in the required format, check out the applications listed in this chapter. You need a suitable computer with a powerful enough processor, fast enough graphics card and enough memory – both RAM and storage – for your completed movies. Computer requirements The following specifications are required for editing HD…

When trying to decide which type of camera will suit you best, start by asking yourself how you plan to use the video footage you record. Will you be recording family events or travels? Do you want to produce videos (‘vlogs’) for posting on social media, or maybe record short movies to enter in competitions? Then consider whether your videos will be used professionally or just shared with family members and friends? How do you think they’ll view them? All videos are played back on screens: smartphones, tablets or computers or (occasionally) TV sets. The resolution of the playback screen affects the shooting resolution. Common smartphone screens have 2778 x 1284 pixels (around 3.5 megapixels), while tablets are around 2732 x 2048 pixels (5.6 megapixels) and TV sets are usually…

These days just about every camera that is above the most basic level includes a time-lapse/interval recording shooting mode. This setting records video frames at very long intervals in order to permit speeded-up playback in which time seems to be moving much faster than it would in real life. Time-lapse recordings are commonly used to show slow processes that normally wouldn’t be visible in real time, such as flowers opening, the growth and/or decay of plants, the evolution of a construction project, the passage of clouds across the sky, people or traffic moving in an urban environment or the movements of the sun or stars across the sky. An evolution of the technique is used for stop-motion animation, which combines a sequence of stills with small differences between individually photographed…

Videos shot with smartphones are easiest to share as the phone can connect directly with your favourite social media sites. Most sites have similar requirements which are outlined in the box on this page. Travellers and vloggers are among the people most likely to share videos online via social media and it’s increasingly easy to do. Although you may find it hard to access the internet in outback Australia, it’s straightforward in cities and larger towns. Many countries have installed high-speed internet services in popular tourist places to enable anyone with a smartphone to share their videos from out-of-the way places. Climbers on Mount Everest enjoy easy access to Wi-Fi and the Tanzanian government has announced there would be internet connectivity on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, an important source…

There are two ways to get a camera to record video. One is via a mode dial and the other is by pressing a dedicated Movie button (which normally carries a red dot for easy identification). A few manufacturers provide only one of these options on some models in their ranges. The illustrations on these pages show two examples, one with only a setting on the mode dial and the other with both mode dial and dedicated button controls. In cameras with only a mode dial setting, you must press the shutter release button to start and end a movie recording. Where a dedicated Movie button is provided, you should press it to initiate and stop recording. By default, audio soundtracks are recorded while each clip is being recorded so…

The best movies are usually created with a purpose and a potential audience in mind. You can record something as simple as a family event or a sporting or cultural performance or take a more professional approach and include a narrative soundtrack, live actors/performers or ‘talking head’ interviews. Your objective might even be to provide a ‘time capsule’ for future viewing. At the professional level, the video could be a sales pitch, a product endorsement or demonstration or a request for funding for a charity project. You should have a clear idea of how your movie will be viewed since this can affect your approach. Is it just for home viewing or are you involved in vlogging at a semi- or full-professional level? Keep in mind that you will be…