I had access to about 200 images (no video) and pretty much had free reign to do what I wanted – just keep the energy UP! For this project I used Apple Final Cut Pro 6 and Motion 3. Most of the project was completed on a MacBook Pro.

The video was projected on a 50′x25′ super lightweight material that was to be removed in about one second at the end of the video to reveal Kristen Chenowith on stage.

The project was projected by playing a standard NTSC DVD – Widescreen. However, I created the project at 1280×720(HD) in case they decided to use a Blu-Ray player.

Final Cut Pro is a good tool but it’s not my favorite. It does require (in my configuration, anyway) a lot more rendering than Sony Vegas Pro or Adobe Premiere CS4 to playback in the timeline but since I was “round-tripping” with Motion it was the way to go in this case.

Motion is a very cool program and, in some ways, it’s easier to create something quickly than in After Effects. That being said, I still found myself working in ways similar to After Effects. Also, if you go the Final Cut Suite route, make sure you have enough RAM for the job. The stock MBP comes with 2 GB of RAM which was a problem with outputting the final render. Upgrade to 4 GB if you’re working in this configuration.

Here’s the video:

If you’ve done any post-production work (editing, video encoding, etc) you know how time-consuming some common tasks can be. Production Assistant let’s you automate a lot of processes that might otherwise take you out of your project “flow”, tie up the system or keep you in the editing seat well into the evening.

Production Assistant can be launched from within Sony Vegas or operate as a stand-alone tool and is much more than a batch processing tool. Batch processing, if you’re not familiar, is basically automating repetitive tasks (think resizing a folder of images) by setting up the process once and then clicking “Go”. Production Assistant takes it much further, though. You can add markers or station ID’s to the timeline at set intervals, effect specific clips in the timeline, remove unwanted black space between clips, export specific clips, automate the creation of show opens, create audio “ducks”, add backgrounds behind 4×3 footage in 16×9 programs, create thumnails from video or export image sequences and output multiple file formats, all automatically. The processes are customizable to fit your needs. It’s really a very cool add-on (to an already great piece of software) that could save you a lot of time which you can instead invest in your editorial.

Go to Sony Vegas Production Assistant and click Learn More and see video of it in action. The demos are very good, presented by Douglas Spotted Eagle of VASST software and tutorials, an expert of the Sony Creative Software lineup.

I saw on a post on Twitter that @unsuicide needed an editor to help with a PSA. I said, “I can help,” and we were off and running. After a few preliminary emails I received the first round of clips but there was problem. I couldn’t read any of them. The original files, which said files were created from, were .3gp phone files. I couldn’t read the client .mp4 conversions so I took the original .3gp files and was able to convert them to .mov using MPEG StreamClip.

Once I had the converted files I had to decide which editor to work in.  I guess I really didn’t have a choice since on my home system I only have Sony Vegas Pro and was trying out the latest version, 9.0a. Vegas is a terrific program and I’ve used it now for many years, since version 3. However, for the past two years I’ve primarily used Adobe CS3 and CS4 quite extensively on both PC and Mac and really appreciated the integration between programs, especially in CS4. If I had the choice to use CS4 vs. Vegas Pro 9 I would likely go Adobe for this project. But… I didn’t. And this project was a good opportunity to dive into some new Vegas features like the new title tool, ProType Titler, a leap ahead from the offerings in the past. I also needed music and knew I probably didn’t have the right vibe for this video in my limited music library.  I already had Sony Cinescore and found that Vegas 9 had some integration with the program. Adobe Soundbooth offers similar integration and benefits of quickly creating a music bed, customized to length and arrangement.

Next I had to figure out what format and aspect work work in. Knowing the main deliverable was for web and wanting a wide-screen look I went for 1280×720, knowing I would output at 640×360 (or half size). The footage wasn’t really a determining factor in the format as I knew from it’s original size and quality that it would only appear on part of the screen at any time.

There was no script, just the clips, so I had to, yes, put my editor hat on! I threw all of the clips in the timeline and started trimming and splitting clips (segmenting portions of longer clips – creating more soundbites), then moving them around to create a sequence that had some flow. This included considering pauses or ’spacing’ in the timeline. A little breathing can be good. After a few versions I was getting close to the right feel, message, tone. At that point it made sense to start working with Sony Cinescore to find and create some music that would match the feel of the story and visuals. I whittled 20 possibles to a final two.

The video was shaping up to be about one minute though I didn’t have a specific time mandate from the client. My goal was to make it exactly one minute and was on track with that until the client came up with some good text to append at the end which pushed the video past the minute marker. No biggie as it wasn’t meant for broadcast. I know that I could go back and rework the video to get it to one minute if that ever came up.

One of the obvious challenges with this footage was that the audio was noisy, distorting or worse. In one of my prior posts I talk about the importance of audio in any video. Wouldn’t you know it, shortly after that, I get this project with very poor quality audio. One problem was the original resolution and another, in most of the files, was distance away from the subject speaking. I did spend some time trying to improve the audio but ended up with a better solution: using animated text.

The use of text was actually a reaction to the poor quality, not planned from the beginning. And I think it worked out for the best. Of course, I’d prefer to have better audio along with the text. But the use of text actually saved the project. The text reinforces the message while also acting as subtitles. The ProType Titler in Vegas, which I hadn’t used before, was pretty easy to get up to speed with and I look forward to using it more extensively in the future.

The other obvious issue was the low resolution of the video. While some phone can now shoot some very nice quality video (iPhone) most still do not. I decided to keep the clips sized to just a portion of the display, allowing room for the text as well as movement and variation of placement for the video clips.

For the type of project (PSA, gratis) and my limited time, I tried to keep it simple while making it somewhat visually interesting. If I had a budget/time to work with, I probably would have preferred to use Adobe After Effects with its camera and lighting features as well as the integration with Premiere. Vegas 9 held up well, though, and can be taken much further than what I had time for. But, then again, maybe I would have ‘overdone it’, for what it is. It’s hard to say. One of the things I like about the spot is the slightly eerie quality of the low-res clips along with the music score.

So, that, in a nutshell, is some of the thinking and the doing that went in to producing the @unsuicide PSA for Suicide Prevention Day and Mental Health Camp ‘09 (#mhc09).

-Scott (@scottbabcock)

This is a PSA spot I worked on for @unsuicide. The clips were recorded via phone, save for one person, so the capture quality was a bit low. I added text to emphasize as well as help the poor audio. I’ll have a posting about this project in the very near future. I enjoyed working on it and I hope you like it. -Scott

From the blip.tv description: Considering suicide? Consider your peers. Video from MentalHealthCamp.org edited by ScottBabcock.com for @unsuicide – peer support new media suicide prevention.

Some of you may be thinking that it sounds good but how do you actually get started and do it? What is the first step? And then what? I’m currently working on an ebook to provide more detailed answers to these questions and more and I thought I would provide some information and ideas in this post to get you started.

I could talk all day about specific video camcorders, video editing software packages, etc., (and I will get more specific in other posts) but I think the first thing to do is to talk about a strategy before making any investments. Otherwise, you’re potentially just throwing money away. So you want to Do video, podcasts and/or presentations? Asking the What, Why, How, Where and Who questions will get you started on the right path.

For example:
What do we want to Do? We want to create demo videos of our product(s).

Why Do that? To “show” the product (in action, in color, in context), enhance our company reputation, share knowledge, create buzz, thwart misconceptions

How will you Do that? Write an outline, create a script and corresponding shot-list, determine equipment/software resources to complete job (does project require a video shoot or just animated graphics, for example?), shoot and edit the video, deploy online and/or master on DVD.

Where will you Do that? Do you have a conference room, lunch room or accessible large office? You can easily accomplish many product or other videos by using existing office spaces. It may just be a matter of scheduling the conference room or asking the VP for a favor to use her large office at lunch or perhaps after hours. If you can’t coordinate or have the internal space, look to a photography studio. They often have open blocks of time they would like to fill, have appropriate lighting and backdrops. Negotiate a rate you feel comfortable with. Make sure you know what is included.

When will you Do that? The “when” here refers to shooting. You shouldn’t really shoot anything until you have a plan on paper first: a script (an outline at minimum) and a shot list. This may seem overboard to some that are experienced but to those who have little to no experience in video production, being prepared is an important step. If you are prepared, then the “when” will be determined by availability of required resources including: a place to shoot (conference room, office, off-site), people involved in the shoot, products to be demonstrated (software, machine or physical item) and any relevant props.

Who will Do that? “Who” might be you or your assistant and/or others. Who will write the script? Who will shoot the video? Who will be in the video (the talent)? Who will create any graphics (or powerpoint) for the video? Who will edit the video? And who will be responsible for distributing the video (internal, internet, CD, DVD, etc)? This could actually all be done by one person, perhaps you. However, initially I would recommend involving others, delegating components of the project, since you probably already have your “regular” job. Eventually you’ll come up with processes that will enable you to get more done on your own.

With the right plan in place you should be able to create professional quality video and audio productions without disrupting the flow of your business and co-workers

In future posts I will zero in on each of the areas above and try to shed light on specifics that will hopefully help you get you where you want to be with your finished product. If you have questions, comments or specific needs you would like me to address, please feel free to contact me or leave comments here.

-Scott

Scott in 2009

A video’s soundtrack, or the audio, is often overlooked or is a second thought in the production process and this can be a huge mistake. With all of the focus on “high definition”, cheap camcorders, laptops with integrated webcams and, of course, all of the video sharing sites, the focus is really on the visual side of the equation. Audio is just “implied”.

Perhaps with all of the inexpensive methods of creating video available today we are becoming accepting (or is it immune?) to substandard audio. People are encouraged to just shoot something and put it on YouTube. Afterall, “all it takes” is a camcorder or a webcam or even a mobile phone. And, yes, millions of clips say this is so. Webcams might be the easiest method of all to record a video clip quickly and post to a blog or sharing site where quality isn’t completely sacrficed as it is on most mobile phones. And that immediacy really is fantastic. Who can’t deny the power of instant gratification.

Yet, we’ve all see a video that we could barely understand and not necessarily because of the visual aspect. Often is it because of poor audio quality. I’ll bet that you’ve seen videos that were “hard to watch” but were actually “hard to listen to”, thus leaving an overall negative impression about the video. In a personal video context this may not matter so much. But in a video that promotes your products, services or You, this can matter a great deal.

You might think that the plane or helicopter flying overhead aren’t that loud, nor is the dishwasher or the tv in the other room, or the kids or the dogs. How about that air conditioner (central or window) or the neighbor mowing the lawn? Perhaps your office is on a busy street where buses and trucks rumble by or you’re in an open office space with a lot of people talking on the phone or in the isles? The primary problem with shooting with webcams or camcorders is that the microphone is too far from the subject or the microphone isn’t directional. What if you have a perfectly quiet environment to shoot in? Well, the room you’re in has a sound, depending on how large it is and how much “stuff” is in there to absorb any sound bouncing around.

Recent advances in webcams and better onboard camcorder microphones have made capturing better sound much easier. But for a more professional and “closer” sound you can try a few different options, and it won’t cost you much. Headsets like the Plantronics Foldable USB Stereo Headset and the Logitec ClearChat Comfort USB Headset will get the mic right up to your mouth if you don’t mind wearing headphones on camera. Plus, what you’re hearing stays in your ears and out of your neighbor’s, if that’s a consideration. USB mics, like the Logitec USB Desktop Microphone and the Blue Microphones Snowball USB Mic Bundle are easy to use with your webcam (just select as the audio input) or standalone for podcasts. An excellent wireless camcorder microphone solution is the Sony ECMHW1 Bluetooth Wireless Microphone which works with, you guessed it, selected Sony camcorders. One of the best is the Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD 2.1 MP 30GB High-Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom. For more professional-level microphones for webcasting and podcasting check out the M-Audio MobilePre USB Mobile Preamp and Audio Interface which lets you connect pro microphones and musical instruments. Of course, you’ll need a pro-leve mic for that interface. The Audio Technica AT2020 Side Address Cardiod Condensor Studio Mic might be the ticket.

Hopefully these items will get you thinking about taking your audio to the next level like you have with your videos. Please be sure to comment with your thoughts, tips and handy product suggestions.

Scott in 2009

Here are some top reasons for using online video. Let me know if you have some additional reasons.

Reach – The current popularity of online video is obvious to most out there, with YouTube passing 100 million users at the beginning of 2009. Cisco’s report: Approaching the Zettabyte Era says, “Internet video alone will account for nearly 50 percent of all consumer Internet traffic in 2012,” and that, “YouTube is just the beginning. Online video will Experience three waves of growth.” We’re just in the initial stage, the third (video communications) not coming until sometime after 2015. But the reach is there now and will only grow.

Free Advertising

Trackable Metrics – Whether deploying an informational video or advertisement, you want to know, at least, how many views its had. However, now video players are more sophisticated and offer metrics on demographics, most played portion of video, repeat views, shared (and where) and more. This can really help fine-tune a message or ad campaign.

Affordable – Creating online video is now not only relatively easy but the cost of entry is very low. HD camcorders are available for only a few hundred dollars. Webcam quality is now good enough to use on blogs. Software is more affordable than ever. Check this video software review for more information on inexpensive options.

Social Media friendly – Social Media (besides video <wink>) is the hottest thing going on the web today. Thousands of Twitter accounts are added each day. Facebook is still hot. And you can use video with both. With Facebook you can either embed a video in a post or link to video on, for example, YouTube. There are a new Twitter-related video providers popping up each day. A few to check are Twiddeo, Twitvid and Twitube.

Interactive – Interactive video is hot and a great player to check out is Veeple. You can see it in action on my homepage. Drive viewers to deep web links by providing hotspot links in the video. The view simply hovers the mouse over items or people as they appear, the video pauses while a description is reviews and then the viewer can either continue with the video or open a new webpage to learn more (and possibly make a purchase). And, this is all trackable. More players are on the way. It will be fun to watch the features explode.

Expectations – With broadband saturation reaching over 50% site visitors expect to view video on sites they visit. If the site doesn’t have a video related to what they sell or service they provide, another provider might (bye-bye viewer) or the view will go check YouTube. It’s time to jump in and create product demos and service explanations or testimonials on video and the embed them in your site. You should also create a YouTube (at minimum) account to post videos to.

Advertising Revenue – Some new video players offer the option of displaying advertisements in the player. Check out the JW Media Player as one idea. They might appear at the top of the player or embedded at the bottom quarter or third of the video and then fade out. This gives the video owner the opportunity to make some money while their video is getting views. This works best if the advertisements are related in some way to the content of the video. Research the players to see how they determine ad placement and if the payout is worth it.

Multiple Uses – news and announcements, product demos, partnerships, opinion/commentary, spoofs, case studies, presentations, video library, etc.

Targeted Communities – Social media, online communities and forums, YouTube… there are a lot of ways to get your video seen by the right people. There are too many specific techniques to mention in this post but if you do some searching I guarentee you’ll find a method that suits your timing, budget and style.

Scott in 2009

In my career I’ve worked with, and for, many types of business, providing video production and post-production services as well as audio editing and music composition. While reasons for not implementing “multimedia” in-house (equipment too expensive, programs too hard to learn, the need to hire additional resources) may have been valid several years ago it’s just not the case anymore.

At one company I used to shoot with $65,000 betacam camcorders. Betacam is still used in broadcast but is now considered an “old” tape format. Those camcorders were first-rate with excellent lenses and 3-chip sensors. However, that price tag certainly wasn’t fathomable, let alone justifiable, to businesses who were deciding whether or not to upgrade software on a few computers.

Software and dedicated computer systems built solely for video editing were another barrier to entry. I remember some video editing systems costing in the neighborhood of $50,000 (not even the most expensive!) and they were far from perfect. Of course, we were making a leap from the days of linear or tape-based editing to non-linear or computer-based editing. Ultimately, the savings in time was supposed to make up for the excessive price. That is, if you knew how to use it! This is not to say that linear systems were cheap. Far from it. Video decks and switchers could easily run in the 10’s of thousands. The point is that the hight costs were a real obstacle to small-to-medium sized business to bring video production in-house.

Another problem to contend with was learning the equipment and systems or hiring someone who already knew them. As an experienced professional I can tell you that most people don’t learn to shoot or edit in a weekend. And don’t forget about troubleshooting, an art in and of itself.

Businesses needing a video to demonstrate a product or announce a service were faced with finding outside resources, either through a production company or a freelancer/contractor. It made send (and for some it still does) for businesses with limited space, capital and time. However, video production companies generally aren’t cheap. They are, after all, businesses with all of the typical overhead of building, personnel, benefits plus insuring all of those video and audio toys! Freelancers vary in cost per hour or day and can be cheaper overall because they don’t have the same overhead that a company does. This also assumes they have their own equipment to perform the work. So, while a company couldn’t afford the potentially huge outlay of dollars to bring production in-house, they could afford to do a little here and there by going to outside resources.

Times have changed and businesses, no matter what industry, need to change with them. Costs for equipment and software have, in large part, fallen dramatically while the reliability and ease-of-use and greatly improved. YouTube, social media and cloud computing have taken over the web (and the world) and businesses, regardless of size, need to capitalize and exploit these advances to their advantage.

Blogging and tweeting are ever important but don’t forget about video, audio and presentations. Cisco says that by 2013 video will be 90 percent of all internet traffic, 60 percent mobile. The barrier to entry is nearly nill. On the low-end all that is required is a webcam and a free account on YouTube or, for example, TweetTube. A step up is to add some basic titles or perform simple edits in free Windows Movie Maker of iMovie on the Mac. The variety of capable video editing software for under $100 is amazing and still quite simple to use. (I’ll have a future post about this in the near future). On a more professional level, the Adobe CS4 Suite on PC or Mac and the Final Cut Studio on the Mac are unbelievable. While they aren’t cheap at $1600-$2000 the power within these applications is remarkable. Just 10 years ago it was $25,000-$50,000 for an “editing system”, that is, for the computer, special video cards and only the video editing software. Now you can buy a system with multiple times the power, an entire software suite, all off-the-shelf, for multiples less and be editing like a pro. Video camcorders are no different. Try a FlipCamHD for a few hundred dollars are a more professional Panasonic HVX-200a HD camcorder with professional audio inputs for about $5,500.

Many companies are either looking at preserving capital, strapped for cash or even facing layoffs. Those with means, however, may want to consider moving into digital media production in a bigger way. Whether a new way to offer services, explain product benefits or leverage for a competitive advantage, digital media is here to stay and it’s time to jump in.

Scott in 2009

As a former Multimedia Director for a publishing company I thought I’d make my first post here related to that experience. I initiated and spent two years growing a new department within a company with several magazines in the B2B space.

Anyone in B2B publishing, or any magazine or journal publishers for that matter, already knows how tough it’s been over the last year or so as the economy slides into the abyss. Depending on the industries served, some publishing companies have had a tougher time than others.

One of the problems is letting go of out-dated thinking and processes. While some places may have a ‘top-down’ problem, others have leadership that actually do think in terms of the 21st century and new media opportunities. But they are most likely the exception. Part of the problem is one of a slow-to-change work culture. There are many (great) veteran editors and sales people in publishing companies near and far that have held on tightly to the same way of doing things; editors used to only have to work on a print version of a magazine and sales made fairly easy commissions on recurring print advertising. Now editors frequently have several outlets to satisfy (print, web, podcast interviews, webcasts and, yes, videos) while sales people have to sell sponsorships for these new content vehicles. Sales people also need to understand these new technologies to convincingly sell them.

What these veterans have going for them are their established relationships and, of course, knowledge. While it could be safely argued that experience and relationships cultivated over many years are invaluable, business today needs to be nimble and adaptive to change.

One could also argue that, “hey, it’s the economy, stupid”. Well, maybe it’s the New Economy. Yes, the economy has had an impact on spending across the board. However, there are still companies that have budgets to spend. They just want to spend it wisely. They want to know what they can do with limited resources to obtain the highest return – how they get the most eyeballs on their new products and services and actually measure it. Companies with advertising budgets, while still spending on print, are increasingly moving away from the print vehicle to digital forms of ads. One reason is that they have many more ways of analyzing metrics for each ad compared with virtually none in the print space. It’s also generally cheaper to advertise digitally than it is in print. And, you can’t put a video of your product or a podcast in a printed magazine.

As I mentioned, I believe that there are those that “get it” and are doing their best to work with these new technologies, seeing them as opportunities and not just extra work or a hindrance to their jobs. However, it’s not just about ‘coming around’ some day. It’s about being able to anticipate what the next ‘thing’ is and jump on it and productize it. That’s what the customer wants: a way to separate them from their competition. And we can’t forget about those that actually consume the content that ‘hopefully’ is sponsored. They expect it to be delived in the newest ways and will often go elsewhere to find it in that form, regardless of those that deliver it. Social media is just one example of this.

I believe the publishing companies that operate more from this approach, being nimble, able to anticipate new ways of doing business and offering clients more knowledgeable and cost-effective options, will be standing when the economy finally does rebound. But if companies don’t change the culture within, they may be amongst those left in the dust.