-So you want to make a video?-
A Guide to Video and Audio Production
By
Roger Brush and Findlay Muir
Video and Audio Production Unit,
Instructional Media Services, Centre for Learning and Teaching
The ubiquity of video in today’s
society is increasingly being reflected in the growing use the medium in the
milieu of academe. Once, largely confined to the realm of distance education and instructional
videos, advancements in digital and communications technologies make it feasible to produce
video for a greater number of educational and related purposes and to transmit or deliver
it in an increasing number of formats.
The former include: informational videos for educational or promotional purposes, recordings of
lectures, laboratory demonstrations, case studies, simulations and dramatizations, student
projects of a documentary or artistic nature and so on. Larger an more complex undertakings often involve
recording major research projects and scientific expeditions or creating learning materials for university courses or university-based
community outreach programs. Distribution may be through a number of formats:
videotape, DVD, web-based video and audio files (podcasts and streaming), television
broadcast, asynchronous webcasting, and synchronous IP or satellite transmitted
video conferencing.
Whatever the size and complexity of your video project you will need to take into account a range of technical and
creative factors that will affect the quality of the production and its distribution. The
intent of this article is to inform you of the issues involved in the
process and to assist you in navigating these electronic waters, while
grounding this information within the context of the services available to you
through the
Video and Audio Production Unit of the
Centre for Learning and Teaching's Instructional Media Services
department.
Whether you choose to use our services for all or part of your production or you choose to “go it
alone” we hope that the information presented here will make your undertaking
less confusing and your project more rewarding.
Pre-Production:
Video production can be a complex process requiring forethought, clarity of purpose and early planning.
How one undertakes the planning process will likely be an indication of the quality of the final product. Obviously
the more complex and involved the project, the greater the chance of falling behind schedule and going over budget -
pitfalls that can be avoided through careful planning.
Note: A key component of successful video production is a realistic appreciation of the amount of work that will be involved
in the realization of your project and the time it will take to complete it. In our experience, those new to video production
generally underestimate the time involved by around 300% - a not inconsiderable amount!
Intent and Scope of the Project
Begin the planning process by describing the purpose of the project and its intended audience.
- Who will watch this video? Students? Colleagues? Members of professional groups? The public?
- For what purpose? To inform, teach, inspire, convince, demonstrate, illustrate, provide opportunities for practice?
- What is the main message?
- How will your audience access the video? What equipment do they need (e.g. dvd player, computer, internet access,
specialized computer software).
Once you have considered these questions and identified and
organized the content, you need to have a specific
idea of how you plan to present the information. Your production could be as
simple as a series of clips, each consisting of a static shot of a “talking
head” in a single location, with little or no camera movement, extraneous
lighting or special effects and hence few requirements for editing in
post-production.
If this scenario is adequate for your needs you may feel
comfortable undertaking the production by yourself. If so, you are welcome to
consult us for simple technical advice and even to borrow
simple camera packages from our
Audio-Visual
Department: Demand is high so please book in advance!
Keep in mind that this equipment will likely not be of the quality of that in our production
unit (especially with respect to the audio components) but you may not feel
that this extra level of quality is necessary or justifiable given your needs
and constraints. Shooting the video yourself will be easy on your budget but will
mean taking the time to familiarize yourself with the technology
and perhaps shooting several trial versions of your sessions. If you do decide
to have us shoot the project for you, this simple level of production will cost
you $40.00 per hour including setup and breakdown time as well as tape and
battery charges.
As the needs and complexity of your project increase, so to do the technical and logistic demands. At the
other end of the spectrum, a large-scale video production
may involve multiple shooting locations, numerous actors (talent),
multiple cameras (perhaps on tracking devices), specialized lighting, numerous
microphones and audio mixers, reference monitors and lots of paraphernalia, as
well as a crew of several people. As the levels of logistics and technical sophistication increase, so do costs.
Thus, to restrain spending and ensure high-quality production values, it is essential that we work with you from the earliest stages
of the planning process. We will gather an in-depth list of your requirements and provide
an estimate of time and cost, with recommendations of things you can do to make it easy on the budget.
Technical requirements and intended output
What level of video quality do you require for your production? To answer this we will need to know what you
envision as your intended output. If the end goal is a small video file for the
web, your technical requirements may be simpler and less costly than if you
will be creating DVDs. If your goal is a broadcast quality product (e.g. for release to
a news organization or television station) you will need to use higher quality equipment that is
capable of conforming to National Broadcast Standards. The Video and Audio
Production Unit is capable of capturing source material in DV, DVCAM and
BetaSP formats to accommodate whatever level of quality you require.
Scripts and Storyboards
Depending on the complexity of your project it may be advisable for you to have a script as opposed to a mere
“shot list”. In such a case it can be desirable to have a designated person be
responsible for making sure that the content is covered completely so that the
cameraperson can concentrate on production values. In addition the script
should contain as much detailed shot and blocking information as possible,
although unavoidably there will certainly be things which will have to be
modified when production is underway.
Location(s)
If at all possible you should scout your shooting location(s) in advance, both in order
to facilitate visualization and blocking of the shot list and to assess how
much control you will have over the environment. To eliminate as many variables as possible visit the location at the same time
of day and the same day of the week as when you plan to do your filming.
Pay attention to the lighting and what ability you have to modify it so you will know whether a lighting kit is necessary.
This is especially important if you will be mixing lighting of different color
temperatures such as fluorescent and daylight. Close your eyes and listen to
the ambient sounds (“room tone”); is there anything intrusive? Can it be turned
off or removed?
Having access to a fully equipped studio can be a great asset with its capabilities for very exacting
control over lighting and backgrounds as well as access to specialized equipment.
Talent
In the production vernacular, the people who appear on the camera are known as the "talent".
For large and complicated projects involving pages of script memorization you should consider using
professional actors. Although there are costs involved (ACTRA scale) there are
numerous advantages which can save you time and money in the long run.
Professionals are “camera friendly”, understand production directions, are able to
memorize large passages of complicated content quickly and can adjust the
rate of their delivery with amazing versatility. In addition they are aware of
clothing and makeup needs and have the patience, professionalism and ENERGY for
numerous takes during long days of shooting. It is also important,
whether you are using professional actors or not, to make sure that all those
who will be on camera sign forms giving you permission to use their images in your production and releasing you from any further
obligations, including financial.
Logistics summary
As you can see, depending on the scale of your project, the logistics involved in video production can be
enormous and planning and realistic time expectations are your greatest assets,
especially in the context of budget restrictions. If your finished project is to meet your expectiations, be sure to
devise a description of roles and division of duties for everyone involved and to provide suitable oversight in all phases of the project.
Production:
Shooting
As discussed above, video quality requirements will determine your choice of camera. Within a particular camera
format there is a wide range of quality among different camera models. Both the size
and number of “chips” (CCDs or “charge-coupled devices) have an impact on image
quality and better cameras have higher quality optics and electronics, as well
as a greater assortment of professional features such as balanced audio inputs.
“miniDV” is the current de facto consumer standard and is readily available in
a wide range of models for as little as a few hundred dollars. This is the
format available in the
loan pool. Professional cameras in other formats can easily
run into the tens of thousands of dollars as they approach broadcast quality.
Use of a good quality tripod is a necessity and (unlike the current consumer preference) heavier is better! Many
consumer cameras have surprisingly good automated features for exposure and
focus which are suitable for average lighting situations but it is worthwhile
learning the fundamentals in any case and experimenting with manual camera
operation. Feeding the video signal to a properly calibrated external monitor
can give you a more accurate representation of your image as well.
Audio is often the most overlooked aspect of amateur video productions largely due to the cost of professional
quality equipment and because of the focus on the visual aspect of the project.
However much of the “informational component” of your production is likely to be delivered by
the human voice and clean, clear and consistent audio should be your goal.
Unfortunately most consumer video cameras are sorely lacking in flexibility for
external audio. Ideally your camera should have external balanced audio inputs
for quality wired or wireless microphone systems. Failing this you should
concentrate on limiting extraneous noise and getting the “talent” as close to
your microphone as possible. Also be aware that digital audio is very
unforgiving of overdriven input (too high audio levels) so make sure that automatic limiting on your
camera is activated. Depending on the complexity of your shoot our Video and Audio Production Unit would
rely on a range of microphone sources including (multiple) wireless units or
“boom” mounted microphones as well as audio mixers to accommodate different
sources.
Lighting is another issue which is often ignored by the non-specialist. Your first concern should be even
illumination, which can often be achieved through control of your environment, e.g., avoiding high-contrast and harsh lighting,
although familiarity with the basic concepts of exposure control can help offset these issues to some extent. For
anything more involved than taping classroom lectures or picking up “b-roll” (secondary or background footage used for introductions, transition
or "filler"), we would likely employ additional lighting, both for optimum exposure control,
color balance and mood enhancement.
With any level of production quality control is important. You should strive to achieve an acceptable
consistency in exposure, color temperature, audio levels and continuity while also
acquiring enough footage to give you options when it comes to editing the
project. Although digital technology can offer sophisticated opportunities to
“fix it in mix” you should also keep in mind the maxim “garbage in, garbage
out”!
During filming make sure that your are not editing with the camera; start rolling before the action begins and
leave the camera running for a few seconds after the scene is finished. Also,
remember that videotape is relatively inexpensive, so don’t scrimp on shooting.
Even if a take looks good it usually worthwhile having another go at it,
especially for the first few scenes when the talent may not have had time to
relax. For variety shoot the same scene at different focal lengths (e.g. Medium
wide and Medium close) to lend variety and give options during the editing
process. For more complicated projects the scene shots should be worked out
before hand so that there is no likely hood of forgetting a shot. Additionally,
shooting some “b-roll” (secondary footage) gives you can cutaway options during narration.
Post-Production:
Previewing, paper edits and logging
As you did with your pre-shooting planning, you should expect to spent a certain
amount of time preparing to edit your footage.
Time spent previewing footage and doing a good
"paper edit" will result in a many-fold saving during the editing process.
First, you should review your footage making a
note of which scenes and which takes of those scenes you intend to use in your edit.
This logging of material should if possible be done with SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) timecode;
if you do not have access to a camera or a deck that shows timecode, use the hours, minutes and seconds counter on the playback device.
Although there are many small intuitive video editing programs available (many free)
such as iMovie, you should keep in mind the fact that the storage requirements
for digitized video are large. Five minutes of DV quality video will consume
approximately a gigabyte of drive space. You can invest in external firewire
drives for video storage (make sure they spin at a minimum of 7200 rpm) although without a dedicated RAID
storage system you will not have any redundancy so don’t reuse your tapes until
your project is completed. Conservation of drive space is just another reason
for judicious previewing and logging of potential clips.
If you plan on incorporating graphics or other media into your video make sure that you
have access to an image manipulation program such as Photoshop or GIMP since your images may have to be
resized to accommodate the transition from the square pixels of a computer
screen to the rectangular pixels of a television or video monitor.
When your are ready to begin editing you will need to "capture" into the computer the scenes you have decided
to use in your product. For this you will need the appropriate cable(s). If you used a digital video camera it should have a
firewire (Sony calls it iLink) connector. With an appropriate firewire card
in your computer (all Macs have one) you can capture your video directly through your
editing program. If you don’t have the option for firewire capture you will
need to use a either a specialized video card or a hardware encoder. The Video and Audio Production Unit has
various hardware encoders capable of digitizing composite, S-video and
component video (increasing levels of video quality) sources.
During the capture process make sure that you give your clips easily recognizable but
informative titles, labeling different takes and scenes as
necessary. Also make sure that you capture more of the clip than you intend to
use to allow for seamless transitions during the editing process.
Editing
With a fully stocked digital editing studio the Video and Audio Production Unit of Instructional Media Services
can provide editing and post-production services to clients for a fee beginning at $40.00 per hour. If
you prefer to do your own editing we will be happy to provide you with software
recommendations and advice.
Digital editing software allows you to perform "non-linear" and non-destructive editing of your captured video.
Hence, when you manipulate your video, you are only moving “pointers” or “references” within a software program so that if you decide to change an edit
point you do not have to reload your clips.
It is not within the scope of this article to instruct you in the mechanics of your particular editing program but
we can offer some general guidelines to keep in mind.
Video is a convention-based medium; for example, a slow crossfade is a common device or convention to connote the passage of time.
Good editing is an art form that only experience can provide. The more you edit the more you
become aware of subtleties that most people would not be able to pinpoint but
that affect how you direct your viewer’s perceptions. As time allows, try experimenting
with different edit points in your timeline and with the type and length of
transitions between clips rather than concerning yourself with distracting
special effects. Show your various sequences to others and get feedback on what
“works” and ask yourself why it “works”. As with all of the other steps in the
process, patience and an adequate amount of time are essential for a good
result.
Finalizing
Once you have completed the essential sequential and effects component of the editing
process you should take the time to adjust two variables that provide
the final “polish” to your project; color and audio. Interestingly, although they
may seem to be minor issues, getting them right can
often be the most painstaking part of the editing process. Fortunately, modern
editing programs can automate much of the process through color matching
algorithms and subframe audio editing capability. Ideally, you should work with
a properly calibrated reference monitor and decent audio components but if they
are not available make sure that you at least adjust your television settings
(for more information on this see the list of useful web sites at the end of
the article). If you intend to have your video broadcast there are restrictions
on things such as contrast and brightness factors as well as audio levels.
Basically, you should aim for uniformity of color and audio with no distracting pops or clicks in the latter.
Format and Delivery:
Format and Compression Issues
Once editing is complete you are ready to export your project. If your intended medium for distribution is to be
analog (e.g. Videotape) you will need a digital to analog converter to record
through. If however your intended medium is digital you may need specialized
software depending on the format you choose. In any case it is almost certain
that your exported video file will need to be compressed since 5 minutes of
uncompressed DV quality video will result in a file size of roughly one gigabyte.
Standard definition DVD video is encoded with MPEG-2 compression. You can
simply export your video stream through a digital to analog converter to a DVD
recorder or, if you have available software, you can author your own DVD which
gives you the opportunity to add interactive features, divide your material
into logical segments, add other media and even enforce regional viewing
restrictions to conform to various world color standards (the North American color standard is NTSC).
Due to the increasing popularity of podcasts and streaming video
(www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=8456&page=1),
it is becoming common to use a video file, e.g. Quicktime or Windows Media,
as one’s ultimate medium.
Depending on the underlying file format that your video editing program uses
you may need to use transcoding software – you will definitely need to use
compression software, to produce a video file suitable for placing on a server
or burning to a CD.
Resources of the Video and Audio Production Unit:
The Video and Audio Production Unit of Instructional Media Services
is a fully equipped production department. Whether you are
looking for something as simple as having a lecture or other event taped, or as complex as
a documentary suitable for broadcast or distribution, we have the equipment and
expertise necessary for your project.
We can shoot on a range of media including miniDV, DVCAM and
Betacam. We use professional audio and video equipment for exemplary quality
and have our own studio which allows us complete control of the environment.
Editing is done with Final Cut Pro and Avid software with redundancy supplied
by an XServe RAID system with 2 Gigabit Fibre Channel architecture. We also
have the resources for DVD authoring and mass tape and DVD duplication.
Some of our internal clients have included Communications and Marketing, Faculty of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, MedIT,
School of Business and the Departments of Physics, Psychology and Earth Sciences. External clients have included the
Government of Canada, McGill University and various advertising agencies. In addition our work has been broadcast on CBC, ATV, SciCentral,
NBC Miami and CNN.
Useful web sites
Appendix:Internal Fee structure of the Video and Audio Production Unit
The following hourly rates apply only to regular working hours (9am – 4:30pm) for a single videographer.
Larger projects may require a crew of several people! Outside these hours, the fees
are time-and-a-half during Monday to Friday and double-time on weekends and holidays as schedules allow.
|
Service
|
Each or per hour (regular hours: 9am –
4:30pm)
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Possible extra charges
|
|
Videographer (Betacam)
|
Call
|
Call
|
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Videographer (DV or DVCAM)
|
$40.00 per hour + tape stock
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Battery & Lighting charges
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|
Webcasts
|
$50.00 per hour
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Battery & Lighting charges
|
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DVD Authoring
|
$40.00 per hour + media stock
|
|
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Audio recording
|
$40.00 per hour + tape stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Video or Audio Editing
|
$40.00 per hour
|
Tape or media stock
|
|
|
|
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Tape to DVD conversion
|
$15.00 + media stock
|
|
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Tape duplication (NTSC)
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$10.00 + tape stock
|
|
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Tape duplication (colour conversion)
|
$15.00 + tape stock
|
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File transcoding or compression
|
$10 each + media stock
|
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