Video QuickTips

Camcorders and cameras have gotten smaller. Videographers are always looking at a way to get steadier handheld video. If you use a small camcorder or DSLR you have probably searched for what is commonly called a shoulder rig. Undoubtedly you have come up with a slew of possibilities and one sticks out because of its price and its convertibility. Some call it the Spider Steady. We take a look at it in this episode of Video QuickTips.

Just a short video to say thanks for another great year. We’ll see you in 2013, may all your videos be great!

I have long urged videomakers to stay legal and not use copywritten music, but rather use royalty-free music in their videos. Some you pay for a license, others are free, provided you follow the author’s rules for use. i.e. credited a certain way etc.

One of the free sites I have suggested is Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech.com. I read his blog and found this Post(click here to visit his site) where he details issues he has uncovered with companies laying claim to Public Domain compositions, not recordings which would or could still be under copyright, but compositions, some hundreds of years old.
He explains it in more detail, so check it out.

So if you use Public Domain music, that is copyright free, and get flagged by Youtube for copyright infringement, dispute it. It seems some companies are laying claim to these pieces, getting ad profits from Youtube on music they do not own. Nice work if you can get it. So don’t let them get away with it. If you are snagged, let Kevin MacLeod know, he is building a database to try to battle this infestation. And remember, Stay Legal!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year! This is the final episode of Video QuickTips for 2012, and no it has nothing to do with the Mayan Calendar.

If you’re shooting product videos and easy way to add some movement and interest to an otherwise stagnant shot is a turntable. I’m not talking about the kind that plays records, or 45s’ (I know I’m showing my age) but a turntable that has some strength to turn products that have some weight.

So enough already… here’s episode 51.

Comments, questions and suggestions always welcome. Either here or at Facebook.

Using a teleprompter can help your on-camera talent. But they can be expensive. In this episode of Video QuickTips we take a look at an inexpensive teleprompter solution. Video QuickTips the show that brings you tips and techniques to help you produce better video.

In a later episode we will go into a DIY approach to a more traditional through-the lens teleprompter, complete with free software. We need to be frugal right? I may also go into some teleprompter techniques that will help on-camera talent (you?) mask the fact that you are reading a script. But for now, you have a handy, inexpensive iPhone app, and a way to mount your “prompter.” Android users, just check the marketplace for a similar app, and look for a similar mount, this one will work for those phones that are similar in size to an iPhone 3GS.

BTW, what do you think of the new player? Is this one better, or the old one? Let me know. Thanks for watching!