Today's hands-on multimedia lab covers Vlogging / video tips for aspiring online filmmakers, videographers and wananbe vloggers. Flickr from my happykatie Flickr. Blogher panelists:
- Cheryl Colan
- Gena Haskett - vlogging since 2005
- Robyn Tippins
Storyboarding (with Gena)
Getting your ideas and concept on paper. For basic planning, try Build a story flip book - 'what if an egg played a violin on the nose of Abe Lincoiln on Mt. Rushmore?' / noun, action, location
Variety of planning sheets and ways to start imagineering video shoot concepts. Point and shoot vids need much less planning, but as skill and ideas grauduate you need to be able to properly plot each aspect of your video.
Stick figures work in storyboarding - no need to go Alfred Hitchcock detailed-crazy. Resource: www.atomiclearning.com -- downloadable storyboarding program
Cross fade, cut and dissolve - 3 top transitions vloggers should use -- others are unnecessary, cheesy and take up too much time/space
Use simple technologies - index cards, notebooks, etc.
Don't have to tell a story linearly - can switch sequences around (don't have to have non, action/verb, location order)
Scout out future locations for video shoots - do online research to know about landmarks, possible issues (traffic, homeless people, etc.)
Record ambient sounds for possible audio transitions // film both action and non-action shots to use as possible transitions -- master shot / general view of activity and inactivity
Lighting - with Cheryl
No reason to spend lots of money at specialty shops - Cheryl's sample lighting items were no more expensive than $9 each
First, figure out how to adjust white balance and other camera settings
3 lights - key / fill / back light -- play with according to situation
Weird lighting? - try physically moving first (when using natural and unnatural lighting), then try some of these:
- Insulating foam with metallic finish from Home Depot - 80 cents
- Flashing for roof (not flammable) - must be taped at edges
- Windshield metallic screen (comes in silver and gold - different looks)
- Bounce light off of wall or ceiling
- Tinfoil (although it doesn't hold shape very well - is super cheap)
Look through lensfinder - be careful of what's in the background. Your eyes see different things than your camera - move or hide what you want to be invisible
Blue-ish light bulbs (found mostly in photography shops) simulate daylight to camera - try not to mix color tempuratures... but if you must, be sure to white balance the camera
Bring white paper or t-shirt and have subject hold it to do white balance / or white balance on very light blue sheet of paper so people look glow-y and golden. Being creative when white balancing on different colors gives you really cool effects.
For videos to be shown on television - no reds or fuschia / busy patterns are also bad (no pinstripes, diagonal stripes). Get subject to wear colors that look good on them.
Use giant paper lanterns to put over lights to soften wrinkles on subject's face. Be careful not to use hot light so you don't catch on fire.
