Category Archives: Video production equipment
Obtaining a quote for a video production
We are often asked for quotes on a video but given very little information to base the costs on.
A production company need to work out what crew to use, what equipment we will need and how long it will take to film and edit everything. There is no single way of doing things.
To get the best and most accurate costs you are best to put together a brief which the production company can work to. Not sure what you want in your video?
The following list is some of the elements that might impact on the cost of a video if they were to be included. Providing the answers to these questions will help you build your brief.
- What are the main elements to be filmed?
- Will you need Graphic animations (maybe to show an internal mechanism)?
- Is there to be a voice over used to narrate the main story of the video?
- Can all the video be shot in one location on same day?
- How many things to be filmed at the same time?
- Describe what will need to be filmed. Some things like presentations are best filmed from two different cameras.
- Will you want music added to the video. At the beginning and end or all the way through?
- Do you need text to be placed on-screen to explain or annotate things in the video?
- How long is the video likely to last?
- If the content is interviews, how many interviews will there be?
- Is the filming to be done indoors or outdoors?
Hopefully by now you are starting to get a feel for what is involved. Just as placing air conditioning on the spec of your car will add to the quality of your journey’s adding a Jib to your production will add to the quality of the final production. They will both add to the cost. Whether they make it in to the final product probably comes down to available budget and how important they are to you.
Amazing 1 take steadycam video
Want to know what can be achieved with a camera mounted on a steadycam? Check this out. All filmed in 1 continuous take which makes it quite amazing.
Making your own video? Video camera tips…
You can if you so desire, make a video with a webcam or a flip cam but good luck and I hope your brand can take it. This article is squarely aimed at those who want to get a more professional outcome from a consumer level budget. These are not cameras we would use on a professional level but that is not to say they wont turn a good result for you.
There are just too many consumer cameras out there for me to be specific about a brand or model you should buy. However, I can help guide you on what to look for to get the best out of a consumer video camera. There are some key elements you might want to consider when building your short list.
Most current consumer video cameras already come as High Definition (HD) as standard and provide excellent picture results but the quality of your business video will not be determined by the camera and HD alone. If you want to make a video that people will endure you will need to think about sound and light also.
The built-in mics on a consumer video camera are fine for your home movies but if you are delivering a message worth listening too then you need to consider an add-on mic because you want to get a mic as close to the subject as you can.
Microphone
At the consumer level, microphones connect to the video camera via a 3.5 audio jack so when you look in to buying a new video camera you want to make sure the specification includes a socket for plugging in a 3.5 jack. Even then, you are limited to one microphone unless you purchase an adaptor like a Beachtek but I will cover that another day.
Mics in themselves is a big subject and you can get a huge range of types and quality. What you buy depends on the video you want to make and the budget you have available. If this is a subject of interest then leave a comment at the end and if more information is needed I will write something up.
Manual Focus
The next aspect I would encourage you to consider would be manual focus. If you are filming on an autofocus camera (especially in 
fairly low light) then you could find the camera struggling to fix its focus on the main subject. This can be extremely distracting to your viewer which is likely to result in them not watching the whole video which kind of defeats the objective.
Both the mic jack and manual focus will add to the cost of the camera but I feel if you are making the video for business purposes which in turn is designed to return you business, then you need to be making this investment to get the right results.
Using an iPad as director / location video monitor
I am always eager to try out new video kit (toys) if I think it would have a practical benefit to what I do or for one of my clients productions. actually I am just happy to play with new video kit without a good reason.
So, when the good boys down at Mad Dogs Television asked if I would like to try out an iPad as my directors monitor I was only too pleased.
Mad Dogs Television had the brain wave to try hooking up their iPad via a wireless transmitter to the video camera feed so that the iPad could act as a very portable & lightweight monitor and were keen to see how it would pan out on a real job.
Delivering the wireless video signal was a very small device which received an HD-SDI feed direct from the camera. Ordinarily the device would take its power from the camera but the Canon XF305 was not able to provide a direct power source we drew power off a separate battery source.
Once the wireless device was powered up and connected to the camera it runs through a short diagnostic test and when all lights are green we were ready to connect with the iPad. The iPad was provided with the wireless connection already configured so can’t tell you too much about that but suffice to say it found the signal very quickly.
The iPad was also already configured with a software app that allowed us to receive and display the video signal. Again, it opened up 1st time and displayed an extremely good picture.
Unfortunately we were only shooting some static interviews in a meeting room so I don’t think we were realistically going to give it a thorough test but it was worth a look none the less.
For this particular job, I was going to be both preparing the interviewees and performing the interview so I would not be in a position to look over the shoulder of Phil the camera operator to see what kind of image we were capturing. To add to the problems, Phil was also having to sort out the lighting and needed to leave the camera while he reset lights for each interview.
Ordinarily, this would mean Phil having to trip backwards and forwards to look through the camera or he would have had to keep moving the monitor around to see it. With the iPad as the monitor things were really easy. Phil could either take the monitor with him and view as he went or I could literally hold up the iPad to face him and flip round if I wanted to take a look too. Very very easy and convenient.
Once everything was prepared, I could sit with the iPad on my lap while I was sat facing the interviewees and I could see the shot very clearly. If the shot was re framed during the interview I could check I was happy as we went along.
Mad Dogs Television provided the iPad with a rugged rubber backing for protection and also an Otter box harness making it easy to handle the iPad through the day even when walking around with it. The harness included a strong handle on the back or you could use the larger strap to hang around your neck or over your shoulder.
The other aspect I was keen to check out was the range it work comfortably work within. Sat beside the camera it work brilliantly but how good would it be if I was sat in a different room down the corridor? To test it out I took a walk along the office corridor to the green room where various interviewees were gathered so I could introduce myself. The room is approximately 25 meters away and it was only when I went in to the room that I started to get a bit of breakup in the signal but even then it would have been OK to work from.
All in all, it was a joy to work with. I found it very easy and flexible to work with and it did create a bit of interest from those all around. The only thing I would have liked on the day which I couldn’t was to hear the audio as well. I am told it can deliver audio but testing it had presented some lag on the video delivery so that is still being looked in to.
Unfortunately, the screen on the iPad is not quite as rugged as the rest of the set up. In transit, the screen must have moved around on top of one of the bnc connectors also inside the case and it left a very definite scratch on the screen. I would strongly recommend that if you were to use a similar set up you keep the screen in a separate case or make sure that it is recessed in to its own space to keep it from moving around or anything getting in under the screen.
Cheers
Sous Productions
Behind the scenes of Sous Productions video production – Values Based Education
A few images of the crew hard at work on a video production shoot. The video is all about Values – Based Education.
We filmed for 1 day covering the whole of the school day from arriving through assembly and classroom work. The video includes interviews with the students, teachers and external people such as parents.
The young pupils were fantastic if not slightly distracted by us using a Jib to shoot a number of the clips including the assembly. A very inspiring school and video subject.
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| Values-Based Education Video Shoot |
The video is also being published as a DVD for showing at conferences and schools around the world. You can see the video here… Values Based Education
Sous Productions
What the hell is a track and dolly?
As a part of the Sous Productions series of informational videos that look at some of the elements of a professional video production, we are now proud to present the making of “What the hell is a track and dolly“?
As with “What the hell is a jib“? this latest video was also shot in the grounds of Mad Dogs Television offices in the New Forest, UK.
In comparison to the setting up the Jib, the track and dolly was an altogether much simpler product for Andy to assemble for us. The track came in a bag as a number of easy to assemble (plug and play) plastic poles or tubes, some curved and some straight.
The Dolly comes as like a giant briefcase which actually forms the base of the dolly and all the wheels and stanchion etc are all held in side the case.
The model we were working with was relatively lightweight and easy to put together, even if you were forced to work on your own. Unlike the Jib, the track and dolly does not require a specialist operator although frankly I think to get the best out of it you should be a pretty competent camera person in the 1st place and you need to allow yourself some time to get used to it before using it in anger.
From what Andy tells me, there are no major considerations to think about in advance. I think it is important to understand how the track and dolly can add value to your production and pick your moments carefully. The great thing about the dolly is that if the ground is uneven you can run it along the track to get a really smooth motion but if you were using it on a smooth surface then you can mount the dolly on to the neumatic tyres and again it will run along really smoothly.
It worked a treat for us on very uneven ground although in hindsight I wish we had thought to demonstrate examples of it being used in a number of different situations. Maybe something we can add in to the video as time goes by.
The track and dolly is a very useful and easy to use piece of productions equipment that helps add an additional level of gloss to your final video. The gliding motion enables you to add interest and can provide important reveals and movement around foreground objects.
As a relatively inexpensive product, it really can add significant value to your video production. Well worth considering.
The video was great fun to make and I have to say I was very impressed and Andy did a great job demonstrating as usual.
If you want to read our earlier blog about “What the hell is a Jib“? then take this link or if you want to watch the preview video take this link to the Sous Productions YouTube page.
Come back and join us when we add “What the hell is a voiceover“? which we will be working on over the next week or two.
Sneak Preview – “What the hell is a Jib”?
YouTube – Sneak Preview – What the hell is a Jib Balancing.
Sous Productions spent a day down at our video equipment hire company, Mad Dogs Television in the New Forest last week filming “What the hell is a Jib”? and What the Hell is a Track and Dolly in what proved to be a fun and interesting days work. I am not sure we can really even call it work.
One of the things I found I was being asked a lot was exactly that question. What the hell is a Jib? So my colleagues and I decided we would set about answering that very question for you and the plan is to do a few more over a period of time. Time and funds allowing!
Our day started by arriving at Maddogs for around mid morning to meet Andy & James from Mad Dogs Television who were going to host us for the day. Mad Dogs provide most of my equipment hire needs and I know that Andy is an excell
ent Jib operator having used him on one of my recent projects.
The plan was to film the Jib and then a Track & Dolly being built while I ask Andy for some key about the value that each piece of equipment might bring to a clients production and also provide shots taken on the equipment to demonstrate what can be achieved.
James set up two timelapse cameras to record the full build (I hope to see the results later this week) while I had Ben Harding operating the PD170 to capture the build and conversations between Andy & I regarding the Jib. Of course, once the Jib was built we also had the shots coming from the Sony DSR camera mounted on to it.
To take full advantage of the occassion, I also wanted to take some pics on my iPhone and tweet as we went. Unfortunately this wasnt so easy as the reception in the new forest is not so good and I was rarely able to get enough signal but we did manage to get one or two pictures out.
The weather was threatening to let us down with a light but constant drizzle but by the time Andy had the Jib built and was ready to mount the camera, the sun came out to play.
With the all important balancing of the Jib completed we were ready to go. Andy provided examples of the camera drifting over foreground and in to a reveal with me doing a piece to both the static and Jib cameras. It amazed be how the 18 ft reach of the Jimmy Jib could look so graceful in motion and when I saw the resulting shots it looked even smoother again.
Andy went on to provide various other shots to create the effect of movement in the foreground to make a shot look more interesting that it would from a tripod mounted camera.
The day went extremely well. I am very pleased with the results although I now have a video somewhere in the region of 25 mins long and I only really want about 5 mins! I havent quite decided on how the edit will be styled but the basics are in place and below is a link to a short section to give you a flavor of what is contained.
Thank you to Ben Harding for his camera work and thank you to Mad Dogs Television for providing the equipment, location and skills to help get the film done.
Watch out for the post on the filming of the Track & Dolly. We also did a “What the hell is a Voice Over”? later in the day with Matt Hopper and I will be adding that video in to the series too.
If you have an recommendations on what items of equipment to include in our “What the hell is a “? series then let me know.
What the hell is a Track and Dolly?
Well thats a question I have been asked many times by prospects and clients alike and so I want to answer it. I could of course write the answer down here right now but it would be a load of boring text and yeah, wow some pictures. No. I am not going to be rushed.
Next week, weather allowing, I will be filming the answer to “What the hell is a track & Dolly” for you down at Maddogs.tv and they are kindly going to put the whole thing together to show you what it is, how it works and explain / show why you would use it in your video.
OK, fair enough, you can google it or YouTube it but ours will be really up to date, very English (that’s got to be worth something hasn’t it) and “interesting”!
Oh, and we are thinking we might cover off What the hell is a Jib too while were there. Value or what?
I will be updating progress on Twitter @sousproductions and when I have done the edit I will be posting up here on the blog and on our Youtube site http://www.youtube.com/sousproductions
Got any specific questions you want me to ask the clever guys at Maddogs.tv? Let me know by leaving a comment
Sous Productions
Amazon.co.uk: Customer Reviews: Konig Heavy Duty Professional Video Camera Tripod with Pro Fluid Head
I thought this might be interesting to anyone needing a lower cost semi pro tripod solution. I know this would not provide the quality I get from equipment I hire for professional work but the reviews were fantastic so it was worth a look.
Konig Heavy Duty Tripod
What your looking at here is a lot of the professional functionality in a low cost package. When I hire a camera, a professional tripod comes as part of the package but for times when my budget wont allow for camera hire this Konig tripod would work well with my own camera.
PayPal Builds Community and Slashes Costs with Internet Video | OnlineVideo.net
Dont let “PayPal” in the heading put you off. They have some valid tips in here about making short informational video content.
Im certainly interested in the iPhone application to help edit video. I might have a look in to that.
Duncan Souster – Sous Productions
PayPal Builds Community and Slashes Costs with Internet Video | OnlineVideo.net.
sousproductions.wordpress.com 