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  • HOW TO Improve Video Quality The Cheap Way

    Posted by admin on July 28th, 2009 and filed under cheap movies | 25 Comments »

    VIDEO DESCRIPTION:
    Here is a list of video equipment that will help improve your production quality:

    I’ll be doing a live chat next week: http://www.stickam.com/profile/smpfilms

    -LIGHTING-
    Clip Lamp (Cheap)
    http://www.lightbulbemporium.com/proddetail.asp?prod=60-836
    Bulb For Clip Lamp (Cheap):
    http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/reveal_main.htm
    Work Light (Slightly Cheap):
    http://www.lightinguniverse.com/products/view.aspx?sku=266966
    Pro Soft Box (Not so cheap):
    http://www.amazon.com/Nova-Video-Soft-Box-36/dp/B000GFOG18/ref=sr_1_12/102-4243580-9012931?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1176960057&sr=1-12

    -CAMERAS-
    If your going to shop, look at all the camcorders in your price range on cnet.com because they give the best reviews in my opinion. Just remember, sometimes cheaper isn’t always better.

    Starters: Use a cheaper camcorder to learn with between the prices of $150 – $400. MiniDVs are the best because you may need the tapes for future TV opportunities. Stay away from SVHS, DVD, and Digital8. If your buying your first camcorder, but you don’t have much money then buy the Canon ZR500:
    http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_ZR500/4505-6500_7-31660615.html?tag=prod.txt.1

    Pros: You have 2 choices here… realistic or film-like. For a realistic look, I would recommend the Sony DCR-VX2100 (that’s what I use):
    http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_DCR_VX2100/4505-6500_7-30567263.html?tag=prod.txt.1

    If your making videos to be shown on TV, then go with the film-like camcorder. For this, I recommened the Panasonic AG-VX100B (nearly every major TV network is using this for mobile projects):
    http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_AG_DVX100B/4505-6500_7-31568573.html?tag=prod.txt.3

    If your going to buy a camera, shop around. Think about the types of videos you plan on making and focus on finding the features that suit you. For example, if you want to shoot at night, then get a camera that is better in low light. If you plan on shooting more day time, then get a camera that has good color (the bigger the lens, the better the color). Ebay isn’t always the best place to purchase cameras though because there are people who will scam you there. Trust me, I learned from experience.

    -WHITE BALANCING-
    Normally you should adjust the white balance your camcorder before filming, but not all cameras can give you the right settings. So for this tutorial, I added a little bit of brown to my video in editing to show you an example of what white balancing does.

    -GREEN SCREENS-
    Here’s a good site I found on how to make a portable one. However, I just baught some cheap bright green fabric and tacked it to my wall, lol… Hey, if it works!
    http://www.stormforcepictures.com/howto-buildamobilegreenscreen.php

    SIDE NOTE: In this video, there is a shadow around me when the background is white… I put it there myself as an effect because I used a lot of shadow effects in this video, so no, it wasn’t a green screen or editing problem.

    -PANNING STABLIZERS-
    I’ve always recommended the Pan Pilot, but I’ve also got a cheaper alternative method for keeping your camera steady while you walk. You can always buy a tripod with a handle on it and open the legs up. The legs will act as weights that will steady your camera as you walk, yet it’s not as smooth as the Pan Pilot
    http://www.PanPilot.com

    -SOUND PROOFING-
    Definately look into this if you plan on recording indoors a lot:
    http://www.knoxfoam.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/soundproofing/sound.htm?E+scstore

    -MICROPHONES-
    WIRED: If your camera picks up too much other noice (like echos or unwanted environmental sounds), then consider getting a directional mic. I have this one, but I didn’t use it for this video so you could hear the echos. Otherwise, it would have been clearer.
    http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_ECM_MSD1_microphone/4505-6469_7-30456347.html?tag=also

    WIRELESS: First off I’d like to say that Sony’s wireless mics suck, here’s what I’m talking about:
    http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=WCS999
    Do not buy that!

    STARTERS: If you’re going to spend that kind of money on wireless microphones to do candid camera stuff, try this… buy a smaller camcorder (for example, that Canon) and put it in a place that is out of view of your candid cam, but within range of your audio. The Canon is very small so you can hide it in a bag or a large pocket. You could then film with one camera from a distance and at the same time, use the Canon to record your sound. When you go to edit, just take the sound from the Canon and add it to your candid video footage. Wala! Plus, you’ll own 2 cameras in case you ever want 2 camera angles.

    PROS: If your camera doesn’t have any XLR ports (for better wireless or boom mics), then consider getting an XLR adapter:
    http://beachtek.com/cgi-bin/online/store.php

    Duration : 0:5:29


    [youtube OePFgmyvnWo]

    25 Responses

    1. 1one3three2two Says:

      look up shut it …
      look up shut it down micheal its in badass

    2. YoungBlood0123 Says:

      ha, you could use …
      ha, you could use the color correction in adobe premiere, get it for free through torrents.

    3. dakotafast97 Says:

      WOW nice camera …
      WOW nice camera want one like that but WAY too Expensive for me i Just use a flip video camera $150 usd

    4. pimdestoere Says:

      you can download a …
      you can download a demo of sony vegas pro8.0

    5. TaroWalthr Says:

      fuck off no one …
      off no one cares……..jk isnt that camera olddd

    6. harley1211 Says:

      Selling a

      Selling a
      PANASONIC AG-EZ35
      WITH AN FISHEYE LENS AND WIDE ANGLE LENS VISIT MY PAGE FOR THE CAMERA

    7. OldBaileyProductions Says:

      motion for mac… …
      motion for mac… adobe after effects for PC… they are not for free but you can probably find someone who has it… good luck

    8. MrGetafuckinglife Says:

      i like this video. …
      i like this video. i like how you no what your doing and not someone that knows all trying to teacher

    9. aberdudeify007 Says:

      Soney Vegas 9 …
      Soney Vegas 9 Premium, but its an illegal download search it, Download the trail, and the Keygen for the seriel permanent code, then look up a tutorial on soney vegas Green screen Works great for me!!!

    10. drdan123456 Says:

      you are HOT
      you are HOT

    11. TheMagicBlood Says:

      anything else cause …
      anything else cause that one is pretty bad right now i am using Cinagobs keyer and its pretty good but im just wondering if there is anything better that is free

    12. GuitarFr3ak2008 Says:

      i think wax 2.0 …
      i think wax 2.0 works

    13. TheMagicBlood Says:

      whats a good green …
      whats a good green screen program that is free?

    14. DarthXboxian Says:

      very informative …
      very informative and great, thanks a bunch!

    15. SgTSalamander Says:

      wallmart sucks
      wallmart sucks

    16. superconrad60 Says:

      why do you need a …
      why do you need a green screen how to edit the backgroud dude thanks for the hints do

    17. Jessicanofear Says:

      OMg ur amazing… …
      OMg ur amazing… thanks much!

    18. monkey67ful Says:

      thanx heaps.I am an …
      thanx heaps.I am an ameteur film maker and your tips have really helped.

    19. lekgolocrap Says:

      wal-mart is racist …
      wal-mart is racist to mexicans, like me

    20. InspiredMayhem Says:

      Also, shoot your …
      Also, shoot your industrial light into the ceiling. This gives much more natural-looking lighting (most light sources are from above), and it won’t cast shadows on the greenscreen. If you have a second light, use it like SMP does, so you have some reflection (life!) in your eyes, and an evenly lit greenscreen.

    21. InspiredMayhem Says:

      I know this is a …
      I know this is a slightly older video. I wouldn’t recommend DV to anyone, anymore, especially if they’re shooting greenscreen. Too much compression. Now there are plenty of low-cost HD cameras that record to hard drive. It’ll be much easier to pull a matte on the greenscreen than with DV.

    22. PMskatepark Says:

      hey dude in the …
      hey dude in the description it says AG-VX100b

    23. Bramleyhousemedia Says:

      Yea I agree with …
      Yea I agree with Superpickle2. recently got myself a Hard Drive based HD camcorder. A nice feature is that it also takes and records to Micro SD cards. To record HD onto this media you need at LEAST a Class 4 card. At the moment I’ve only found 8Gb cards of this class (got one for £16), but in time prices will drop and capacities will increase.

    24. superpikle2 Says:

      i like hdds not …
      i like hdds not minidv

    25. JasonHoneycutt Says:

      (I’m uming you …
      (I’m uming you mean 5.4 megapixels, not 54?) You might wanna check out the Nikon D90, I have that in addition to my HVX. It shoots 12mp pictures and has 720p HD avi films. You can get the body for around $1,000, packages start around $1,299. It’s a better still camera than a ‘video camera’ but you make some good beginner films with it, do a search for D90 video on YouTube, you’ll be impressed. Higher end, you’re gonna want a Scarlet made by red, but it’s not very user-friendly for beginners.

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