Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company

Editors don’t always have the luxury of working with raw files that are entirely the same. Sometimes, footage of varying formats will come in to the studio and editors are required to convert those files into a format suitable for post-production or for sharing via FTP or for upload to a website.

MPEG Streamclip from Squared5 is a video file conversion program available for a free download. In this tutorial we introduce MPEG Streamclip and provide a brief overview on how you can pull footage from a DVD, an existing video file, or even a website, and convert it into a format suitable for your particular project.

A few months ago I posted a couple of articles outlining ways in which you can help make the post-production process a little more efficient.  The foundation for a smooth post-production is laid during the actual shoot. If you are disciplined and organized in production, then the edit will get off to a good start. There are two major things you need to do throughout the shoot - slate each shot and maintain a shooting log.

Slating each shot means placing a clapboard, card, a piece of paper, etc. in front of the camera before each scene. Written on the slate is valuable information pertaining to the individual shot, like scene number, take number, production title, and date. Having this information appear before every take will help your editor keep track of all the shots throughout post. Even if you are working both as director and editor, a slate is an invaluable tool.

In addition to slating each shot, it’s important to keep a running log of everything you shoot. A log contains a description of each take and a record of what happened during that particular take. It will help you remember, for example, if the pickup truck blocked your main actor on the fourth take or the sixth take. It will help you to remember if the conveyor belt moved at just the right speed on the third or the fifth take. And it will help you to remember when your interview subject used that great sound byte.

This all sounds great, in theory. The reality is, sometimes in the hectic pace of a documentary corporate shoot, or low-budget indie project, it can be easy to get off track. However, the iPhone has apps available to help make the process easier and more convenient. iSlate, from iBuiltThis, is a digital clapper that allows users to conveniently slate and log their shots. It’s perfect for a run-and-gun project with a bare bones crew, because you will always have your phone with you. And since it’s only $3, iSlate is a great option when compared to actual chalk and dry-earse slates on the market.

I love my iPhone. It’s incredible to have that many resources and tools in one device. I’m always interested in learning about new apps that can increase productivity and make my life a little more organized and efficient. Last month I posted a video about Cinemek’s storyboarding application, Hitchcock. Today I wanted to post a little information about Helios. Released last April, Helios is a tool for cinematographers that will allow you to calculate the position of the sun for any given day, at any given time, at any given location around the world. This can be an incredibly useful tool for DP’s working with natural light. Let’s say you have an exterior shoot in Grand Rapids, MI next month, but it’s overcast and rainy on your location scout . With the Helios app, you can instantly calculate where the sun will be at the exact moment of your shoot. It’s a great way to keep track of the ever-changing lighting conditions when shooting outdoors.

While in college, I majored in film/video production and minored in art with a photography concentration. When it comes to sketching/drawing, I am capable, but by no means am I an expert. That’s why, when it comes to storyboarding my projects, I am much more comfortable writing out a shot list with simple diagrams. Drawing storyboards is just too time consuming for me.

Pre-visualization is an excellent tool for any video/film project, including marketing/promotional videos for a client. To have the ability to show a client what your vision is (rather than describe it) is a huge plus. That’s why my eyes almost popped out of my head a few months ago when I ran across a storyboarding app for the iPhone. It’s called Hitchcock and it’s from Cinemek. The app allows you to create professional storyboards by using the phone’s camera. Simply take a photo, add in camera directions, and lay it on your timeline. You can even insert music and other audio if you’d like. Once the storyboard is complete, you can export it as a pdf and email it to your client or others on your crew. Take a look at the demo below.

Hitchcock in action! from cinemek / Hitchcock on Vimeo.

SMPTE color bars

Color bars are a necessary reference tool for anyone in video production. They help technical directors, camera operators, and editors calibrate their equipment to ensure accurate color representation and consistency across cameras and monitors. Knowing how to use them is important. A few years ago, I found a great tutorial at Video University on how to adjust your video monitor using color bars. Be sure to bookmark the article for future reference.

1. Allow the monitor to warm up for a few minutes
2. Dim the room lights and block any reflections on the monitor
3. Feed color bars to the monitor either from a camera or “house bars”from your editing system
4. Set the contrast also called “picture” to its midpoint
5. Turn the chroma also called “color” all the way down until the color bars
   are shades of black and white

Next, you will need to adjust the brightness and the contrast of the image by using the three narrow bars at the bottom right.

Brightness

Notice the three narrow bars labeled 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 on the bottom right. Adjust the brightness control until the middle (7.5 units) pluge bar is not quite visible. The lightest bar on the right (11.5 units) should be barely visible. If it’s not visible, turn the brightness up until it becomes visible.

Since 7.5 units is as dark as video gets, you should not see any difference between the left bar (3.5 units) and the middle bar (7.5 units). There should be no dividing line between these two bars. The only division you should see is between 11.5 and 7.5

Contrast

The next step is to set the contrast control for a proper white level. To do so, turn the contrast all the way up. The white (100 unit) bar will bloom and flare. Now turn the contrast down until this white bar just begins to respond.

Color

Adjust the hue of the monitor until the Yellow bar is a lemon yellow, with no shades of orange or green. Adjust the Magenta bar until you eliminate the red and the purple. If you aren’t confident in your ability to “eye-ball” these shades, consider the following:

Many professional monitors have a blue-only switch. If your monitor has one, switch it on. If your monitor does not have a blue-only switch, you can use a piece of blue lighting gel. Hold it to your eye like a viewing lens. If you see any of the red, green or yellow colors, double the blue gel over to increase the blue effect.

By using the blue-only switch or a piece of blue gel, you have removed the red and green elements of the picture. Only the blue remains. If the tint and color (also called “hue”) are correct, you should see alternating bars of equal intensity.

1. With the blue switch on (or your blue gel in front of your eye) turn the chroma or color until the grey bar at the far left and the blue bar at the far right are of equal brightness. One trick is to match either the gray or blue bar with its sub-bar.
2. Adjust the hue control until the cyan and magenta bars are also of equal brightness.
3. You can also match either of them with their sub-bars. Now the four bars - gray, blue, cyan, and magenta should be of equal intensity. The yellow, green and red (which are black in the diagram) should be completely black.

You should now have a properly adjusted video monitor. However, if flesh tones don’t look right, you may need to make further adjustments to the chroma and hue.

There’s a fine balance that has to be made between delivering a high-end product and maintaining a budget that your client finds reasonable.

Let’s say you’re getting started in your video production business and you need to keep your production costs low to attract new clients. However, you also want to create content with high production values to give the appearance that your client spent more than they actually did. You always want to go for the “wow” factor. So, how can you create videos with great production value while working with a modest budget?

1. Learn everything you can about proper cinematography techniques. One of the easiest ways to make more aesthetically-pleasing videos is to know the basic concepts of cinematography. Video production is a craft. Don’t think that you can pick up a camera and then point and shoot. You have to learn about composition, framing, camera movements, lighting. You have to learn all you can about the camera itself and its functions. Don’t take this first lesson for granted. This is a necessary pre-production task that won’t cost you anything but time, but it’s the foundation for better looking productions.
2. Capture good audio. Nothing spoils a video faster than bad audio. Make careful considerations regarding your locations. Scout them first. Listen for anything in the vicinity that could cause a problem for your audio track. If you can, hire an experienced audio mixer/boom man for your shoot. Even if the crew consists of just you and the sound guy. Trust me, it will be worth it.
3. Keep the crew to a minimum. Your production budget can really spin out of control once you start adding on grips, audio technicians, editors, etc. When you’re starting out, you will need to function as producer/writer/director/DP/editor in order to keep your costs down. However, you have to concede the fact that while you’re on location you won’t be able to do everything yourself. Start off by hiring one assistant to help you with gear. A fair rate for this individual is anywhere from $200-$350 per day, depending on his/her experience.* (a day rate is based on a 10-hour day. You can pay your assistant a half-day rate if you are on location no more than 5 hours.)
4. Develop a shot list. This is a no-cost pre-production task that will save you time while on location. Each shoot needs to run as efficiently as possible. Time is money. So, always write out a shot list before arriving on location.
5. Rehearse before shooting. The less tape you use, the less money you spend. The less footage you put on your P2 card (or other solid-state media), the less space you take up on your hard drive, meaning less money. So, always rehearse with your talent before shooting. Go over the action and the camera moves. Make sure everyone is clear on what’s to happen when the camera rolls.
6. Take advantage of DIY techniques. High-end productions utilize dollies and cranes to create smooth camera movements. Those movements look very professional on screen and ramp up the production value of any video. But that equipment costs money - a lot of money. But have no fear. There are a number of wonderful do-it-yourself resources on the web for creating the same professional look at minimal cost. Just look at our previous post about creating a dolly move without the use of a dolly. Also look at tutorials from sources like Triune Films and read DIY stuff from FilmmakerIQ. Here’s a quick tutorial on creating your own camera car mount.
7. Invest in stock footage. This will be a rather pricy upfront cost, but the resource will quickly pay for itself. Let’s face it - Shooting at the beaches of Mexico would be too expensive. Grabbing that aerial shot over the Colorado Rockies is probably out of reach. But, if you had a library of stock footage, you could quickly plug in that aerial shot when the subject matter calls for it and by doing so you can instantly increase the production value of your video. A good resource for stock footage is over at Digital Juice.

There are a number of ways to keep your costs down while giving your client a video that “wow’s” them. All it takes is a little imagination and resourcefulness. And as your business gains momentum, you can start investing in bigger crews, better cameras, and additional gear.

I am an extremely organized person. I like to maintain ongoing records of how I spend my day. As a business owner, this becomes especially useful when I’m working on tasks to develop new leads. It’s good to be able to go back and compare the time invested into lead generation versus the amount of work I actually received. It’s also important to keep accurate records of my time because my work is based on bids given out to clients. At the end of every job I need to create a detailed production report to compare my actual costs with my estimated costs. That way I’m better prepared to bid on the next job.

Before my iPhone I was using Outlook to track my time, but this was often cumbersome, because on my version of Outlook there was no good way to export the data into an organized time sheet. So, while searching the App Store a few weeks ago, I came across Eternity, a great little time log tool. You can get a free version to try it out, but it’s very limited and won’t let you export the records via e-mail. However, the full version ($7.99) will allow you to post limitless entries and will allow you to email reports to yourself. This is my first week using the full version and I love it. It’s far superior to Outlook, not only for its organizational tools and detailed reports, but also because it’s mobile. Since it’s on my iPhone, the app stays with me, so I’m able to keep much better records of how I spend my time throughout the day. Worth the money, for sure.

When the original iPhone first launched, I thought to myself, This thing is incredible, but I’ll never get one because it’s too expensive. Then, last summer the iPhone 3g launched at $200. At that point my interest in this little gadget went up quite a bit. Still, I waited. And for people who know me, that’s a difficult task to achieve. I’m always drawn to the latest gadget. I finally jumped on the bandwagon in December and I’m glad I did. Not for its entertainment value, per se, but for its marketing value.

In my line of work, it’s much better if you can SHOW people what you do, rather than just TELLING them. So, I loaded my phone with some of my demo reel samples. Now, when I’m out networking or meeting with potential clients, I’m able to instantly show them the latest thing I’ve been working on. Not only are they impressed with the work, but they’re impressed that I can show it to them on my phone. Plus, when you’re in a large group, the iPhone gets attention. That’s another plus for me. People will come over to see what we’re watching and I have an opportunity to market my business even further. Use tools that are available to you and you can market your services in new and unique ways. And remember, video will always grab someone’s attention.

Yes you can waste a lot of time on YouTube watching videos with little to no commercial appeal. However, many filmmakers, cinematographers, etc. are using YouTube and other online hosting sites to promote themselves and their work. The goal is to get as many views as possible and to drive people to your site. Now you have the option to embed a link directly into the video. You can do this through a site called Linked Tube. Here’s how it works: When you go to Linked In, you will see a sample YouTube clip on the left and a series of blank fields on the right. Here’s what you need to do to embed a link into your own YouTube clip:

1. Open up your YouTube video and grab the designated YouTube ID. Enter that series of letters and numbers into the first field.
2. Enter the text for the link into the second field.
3. Enter the URL of the website to which the video should link.
4. Enter the “hover title.” This is a brief description of the website that will appear when a user’s mouse hovers over the link.
5. Click “Save & Get Code.”
6. Copy and paste this code into the video when you embed the video onto other sites.

The great thing about this widget is that whenever someone embeds the video to their site and shares it with others, the link you have embedded goes with it.

I recently purchased the new Panasonic HVX-200a, a recent update to the original HVX-200. I was pleased to see that The HVX Book by Barry W. Green was included with my purchase. This is a great sidekick for anyone using the HVX. He also wrote a companion volume for DVX-100 users, aptly named The DVX Book.

Both books provide valuable information on how to achieve the best results from these impressive prosumer cameras. Every feature of the camera is explained in detail, but Green also provides important technical information that you won’t find in the manuals. He also gives helpful hints on how to use the camera to improve your cinematography skills.

What excited me the most about The HVX Book was a companion CD which contains about 24 different scene file presets.* The presets give the user an incredible amount of options for the way the image looks on screen — the “war epic” setting is a desaturated look, similar to Saving Private Ryan. “Desert” has a bit of an orange cast. “Dark Neo” mimics the look of the Matrix movies. This is a great tool for anyone who uses the DVX or HVX.

*Both the DVX and the HVX have six different scene files. Each scene file is customizable so you can adjust picture saturation, hue, tint, noise, frame rates, etc. Each setting you manipulate is stored within the scene file, so you can create multiple looks at the turn of the dial.