.tv Shooting & Editing your own Videos??

[mckennaronnie]

Hi,

As part of a new project i want to reward long term advertisers with a short Video ad (much like a TV commercial)

My idea was id employ a Video operator maybe 1 day per week to shoot the video, edit it & add any graphics, texts, subtitles...etc
BUT now i have found out the cost of getting somebody to make up video for me is HIGH then im thinking of alternatives.

What i was thinking now is that I or one of my staff could shoot the video & then i would teach myself a little about editing & try do the editing & adding graphics n stuff by myself.
I Have NO video experience so im very unsure if i would be wasting my time even attempting to do this.

Has anyone tried shooting & editing their own videos?
How likely is it that i can make up a half decent Video ad for my company??

Of course much of this is down to if i turn out to be any good shooting & editing video but anyone who has tried a similar thing then id love to hear your experience & views.

I still hope to get a experienced camera team to shoot my videos but i need to work out a back up incase they are not in place in time for my 1st long term ad.

Yhanks

Mckennaronnie

 

[equity78]

Ronnie send a detailed pm to Argos this is his area of expertise and he by far has the most experience with what you are looking for video and editing wise.

 

[mckennaronnie]

Cheers EQ i will do that in the morning (once the JD & Coke is out the system! )

 

[*AllThings.tv*]

YouTube and other video centric sites also have some tutorials, but you need to be creative with your searches.

 

[mckennaronnie]

I am almost sure i could shoot & edit something that looks OK but im worried that if it doesnt look as good as a TV ad then it defeats the whole purpose.

I want the clients to feel that advertising on my site is just like booking an ad spot on TV but with the advantage of knowing everyone who looks at the ad is browing for services in that sector (thats idea anyway)

It may be a false economy shooting it myself if i end of spending hour upon hour editing when it would only take a Pro an hour of so.
I will need to learn how to edit video anyway i guess as a back up if/when we have problems with out 1st option ( i need more hours in the day!!)

 

[BinderGang]

I'm a video editor. I go to film school in NYC.

Shooting and editing is simple work. Whether you do it well, is a completely different thing.

Everyone now thinks they can shoot and edit nowadays. Shooting and editing does not consist of putting a camera on something and then putting random shots together in iMovie.

If your looking to make a good looking video, you should at least know the basics of cinematography. Editing, as well, takes skill and is not as easy as it seems. In the editing process, your telling the story. The editor has the power to change the story completely, just through the editing process.

If your thinking of doing this for advertisers, you need to make it look good. I think any advertiser would rather you just not do this if you don't do it well.

Now about adding graphics, text, etc...if you are at the point you are now, I really do think you should get someone to do this for you. Nothing bothers me more than seeing someone put some scrolling text through iMovie. Using Final Cut or Avid to do graphics is possible, but it takes some working around. After Effects is the premier motion graphics tool. If you know Flash, After Effects will come alot easier. If you don't know Flash and don't even know a thing about editing...work on learning how to edit first.

 

[DomainBuyerBroker]

I don't have any advice for you but would like to offer some encouragement. Your ideas sound great. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[alex_d]

McKennaRonnie,

I am almost in the same situation as you. I am looking to develop a website featuring videos of various travel related businesses.

I have no experience at all with videos, editting, etc, and at the moment, am just fiddling about with Flash and some other software I was recommended. I have been able to borrow a camcorder which I am fine to operate and use, but at the moment, I am struggling to get the video files off the camera and onto my pc. I bought a firewire port and cable, and all should be working, but I am still having some problems.

I guess its all about learning - one way or another, I should iron out these problems, but it is fun actually figuring out what does what, and how to fix things up.

Good luck with your project, and keep us updated. I would be very interested to see how things work for you - it might even offer me a glimmer of hope or inspiration.


Alex

 

[mckennaronnie]

Thanks for all responses, i will continue asking around for Professional or semi Pro Camera operators while teaching myself a little about the industry as a back up.

Of course i really want to go down the route or getting a Pro in to do the work so companies that advertise with me get the best possible service and then buy in to my idea of Cranes.tv being some kind of cross between an Internet Trade directory, industry news publication and niche TV Channel (it all sounds good in my head but it will be hard work getting construction staff, owners to see it the same way i think)

Thanks also for all the messages of encouragement from you guys, if it wasnt for the .tv forum then i would never be trying such a project.
:loveyou: :cy: :hehe: :hehe: :hehe:

Mckennaronnie

 

[BDM1]

I bought SONY Vegas to try out on my editing/filming stuff. Im never going to do it myself, I just wanted to see how hard it was. I was getting so many differing prices for "professionals" to do the work, I wanted to see what is involved. It isnt that hard mate!
My advice for a non professional like myself, is make sure you have a tripod and story board your idea. The editing will come with practice.
You can also buy a 3ccd camera for peanuts these days, it isnt much money to set yourself up as a working production house.

 

[mckennaronnie]

Looks like there is a few of us in the same boat regarding shooting video for ads or content in near future, gonna ba testing time for all of us where we need to adapt to move on but im sure there will be a number of great developed sites come out via members of this forum.

Im gonna start today by shooting a little video & try work out how to edit a little.

Though my main plan is still to get a expert to do the job so i have contacted a number of Colleges & Universities within Glasgow (my great City!) Where i have Emailed the Heads of Media courses to say i will need Camera operators, possibly somebody to present a few Videos also & maybe even a journalist if things go well with 1st few months of my newest company trading.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Slightly O/T so apologies, but if any of you guys need music for your videos, please free to get in touch. That's what I do for a living.

 

[space101]

here's my suggestion I dont know if you have any colleges around with Film and/or Videography classes or even better offer it as a major. See what it takes to post a flyer advertising your looking for video cam operators and if they have editing experience even better. Say your open to compensation on the flyer and when someone calls inquiring about the job ask them what their fees would be, for what you need done. Then at least you can compare between the college student and a pro. Sure the college kid might not neccessarily have the experience, but for what you may want done it might be sufficient for the first couple of go arounds.
And the school they go to should have the neccessary tools and equipment for them to have access to and do a good job.

 

[mckennaronnie]

here's my suggestion I dont know if you have any colleges around with Film and/or Videography classes......

I am goin to go down that route Space101 mentioned by asking around the media colleges while taking a little time each day to learn how to edit videos myself as it could be very useful & time saving in the future.

 

[WineGuy]

I had mentioned before that I am taking a certificate program in iMedia development. I have finished 3 outta the four classes and our last one was on podcasting/vodcasting. The instructor wasn't really up to speed so the students ( 6 of us) basically invented our own curriculum and put together an eight minute video promoting the school's Weekend College. Here is what our final project looked like (links):

http://www.stampede.tv/cvtc.htm

We utilized Sony Vegas - Love it!
Also used Adobe Premiere , learning it.
Audacity for audio voice overs. Free, fun and easy to use.
A quality headphones and mic set from Adrea/ model NC-95.
Various low budget cameras. $200-500 dollars.
Digital camera for stills.

We reviewed our own work and came to the conclusion on a few things:

Lighting is so very, very important and we would pay a lot more attention to that next time.

Multiple cameras angles would really have added nice effects and a great backup for interviews.

Use quality mics, I am not a pro regarding this aspect but sound quality makes or breaks a video.

It really is a lot of fun when you get into it, kind of addictive.

You can definitley do your own videos and put out a quality product on the cheap. While ours have not been converted to flash that is probably the best medium to deliver your end product in.

As others have said check your local college, university or trade school as the students usually need to come up with a project for class or for their portfolios.

Cheers!

WG

 

[*AllThings.tv*]

There is a lot of great advice in this thread. Nothing replaces education, practice, and experience.

Do not skimp on equipment.
Lighting and Audio can kill your video.
Practice new things and experiment with different effects.
Know when its time to hire a professional.
Partner with the right people.

I started using Adobe Premiere and I love it. I know I am not taking advantage of all the features, but I try a few new ones every time I produce a video. Recently, I have been working more on creating and importing graphics, which has been a lot of fun.

Nevertheless, video editing, especially when you begin to tinker with the bells and whistles, can be overwhelming and very time consuming so evaluate how much time you want to invest in each project and stick to your budgets.