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Are
You Ready to Make Your Summertime Movies?
Winter
is over, spring is here and summer is on the
way. This means making family movies and
documenting your vacations, trips to resorts
and theme parks, visits to relatives and
foreign lands. But are you really ready?
More importantly, is your video making gear
truly ready?
Unlike
shooting videos around the house, where all
your extra toys and peripherals are sitting
nearby in a drawer or in a closet, making
movies while on the move requires some
preparation and thought. You don’t want to
miss those great shots of your kids
splashing around in the Tahiti lagoon, you
don’t want to miss that shot of your
grandma as she learns to
surf for the first time. You don’t want to
miss the video and the audio of your trip
through Europe or Africa.
Here comes the rhino!
So
what do you need? Let’s make a plan….
Camcorder
Is
your camcorder ready for summer? Do you know
how to use your camcorder in hot and sunny
climates, as well as wet, drippy, sandy,
rocky and other places where delicate
electronics are not happy?
Many
camcorders have a DEW warning function –
when moisture starts condensing on the inner
workings of the camcorder, the camcorder
automatically turns itself off to prevent
damage. This often occurs when you take a
camcorder out of a nice cold air-conditioned
hotel room or rental car, into hot and moist
tropical air. To prevent this from
occurring, let your camcorder gradually
adjust to the new temperature before turning
it on. You can also store your camcorder
away from the air conditioner vents in your
car.
If
the camcorder does stop and you get the DEW
warning, just turn off the camcorder
and wait for a few minutes for the camcorder
to adjust to local temperature. If you are
impatient, you can use a quick blast of
compressed air in a can to dry off the
camcorder innards. Or, if you are really
desperate, and are careful, open up the
camcorder, remove the tape and then blow
some air into it. Make sure no spit gets
blown in!
Camcorders
and tape do not like extremely hot or cold
temperatures. Do not leave your camcorders
and tapes sitting in the back of your rental
car’s trunk. In hot desert and tropical
climates, the temperature soar in those
enclosed spaces, melting your tapes and
possibly permanently damaging your
camcorder's rubber and
electronic components.
Shooting
in Bright Spots –
It
is not easy to get good-looking images in
bright sunlight areas – especially if you
are using automatic exposure on your
camcorder. Here are a couple of tricks to
try. First, shoot your subjects and family in the
shade. Of course, it can be difficult to get
big buildings and landmarks to physically
move out of the sun.
In
that case, you can use your manual controls
like the Sun/Snow/Sand AutoExposure (AE)
Mode. Almost every camcorder has a sun/snow
mode setting. Sometimes it is clearly
labeled – sometimes it is recognized by a
sun icon.
Another option is to use your
manual controls to limit the
amount of sun entering your lens. There are
two camera adjustments you can do. The best
way to adjust the shutter control and reduce
it from the usual 1/100th of a
second to the maximum 1/5000 or 1/10000th
of a second. Another option to close down
the exposure – normally camcorders shoot
at about f5.6 or so. Try closing the iris to
f16 or so.
An
even better solution is to use what are
known as neutral density filters. Available
in several density levels, they are the best way to
cut down on the overall amount of light
entering your camcorder. Essentially just
darkened pieces of optical glass, they are
inexpensive and are available at most camera
stores. Make sure you get a filter that will
screw onto your camcorders lens. Neutral
Density Filter sets start at about $15 and
go up from there. You don’t need to buy
expensive filters – just make sure they
fit your camcorder.
Speaking
of filters, you have to get an inexpensive clear
glass filter
or UV filter. These clear
glass filters essentially just protect your
camcorder’s expensive lens from flying
sand, dirt, dust, water, etc.
These can be lifesavers. You should
be able to get one of these for ten bucks or
less.
This is an essential for traveling with any
kind of camera gear.
Practice
First, Then Go
If
you have never used your camcorder before,
practice a bit with it before you head out
on a vacation or trip. A – it might be
defective – it is better to find out
BEFORE you hop on the plane. More
importantly, every camcorder is different.
They each have their own peculiarities and
operating techniques. Take some time –
maybe even read the manual – gosh! –
Practice shooting around the house –
indoors and out. Go out in the back yard and
practice using the snow/sun AE and your
manual overrides. Learn where to put your
fingers without looking to find the most
important controls. Try operating your
camcorder in the dark or with your eyes
closed. Practice taking out the tape and
replacing, with your eyes closed. Sooner or
later, you will want to shoot a scene in a
dim cathedral or in a cave.
Basics
of Shooting Video
Other
Camcorder Tips
You
want to keep your camcorder clean and dry.
If you are shooting in dusty or sandy
environments, you might want to invest in a
clear plastic bag and operate your camcorder
with inside it.
I remember one time on a video trip
to shoot sea turtles nesting in the beach;
the clear evening quickly transformed itself
into a fierce jungle shower as a storm swept
in. I happened to have a bunch of clear
trash bags in my camera bag and was able to
share them with my videotaping cohorts. I
was the best friend for the rest of that
trip.
Another
option is to get some masking tape and close
off the door that opens for changing the
tape, especially if your camcorder’s tape
door opens on the bottom. People have an
annoying bad habit of putting down the
camcorder on a sandy beach or muddy
riverbank. Yes, the tape may mess up the
paint, but better that than a dead
camcorder.
For truly jungle environments, it
makes sense to purchase a diving bag to
shoot from. There are some inexpensive bags
that are only good for down to ten or twenty
feet. These should be more than sufficient
to keep out driving room.
Camcorder
Guide - how to get the right camcorder
for you and your family- updated!!!
Batteries
We
all know about batteries. Without power you
can’t use your camcorder. Amazingly
enough, many people go on the vacation with
only a single battery. They take out the
camcorder, shoot for a while, and just as
the best scene occurs – the most
incredible thing happens, they find that
they are out of juice. Don’t let this
happen to you. Buy an extra battery or two.
Keep them powered up and fresh.
Even
the best camcorder batteries lose juice just
sitting around. A camcorder battery can
easily lose 5% to 15% of its charge per day
just sitting in the closet. Oops, - don’t
leave your camcorder battery charger at
home! If you are planning on visiting
international destinations, make sure you
have the correct power adapters and plugs.
If
you have a camcorder system that requires
you to charge the batteries while they are
in the camcorder, seriously consider
shelling out some extra money to get a
separate, standalone battery charger. Having
a separate battery charger will enable you
to charge up your back-up batteries while
you are out videotaping. Even better,
especially when traveling to international
locations with iffy power and connectors,
chargers are more accepting of power
variances than are camcorders. You don’t
want to plug your camcorder into a mystery
power source and then watch it go poof in a
puff of smoke. Better to loose and replace a
battery charger than your camcorder.
By
the way, even though they may look like
bricks, camcorder batteries can be quite
fragile. Don’t drop or toss them around in
your luggage or camcorder bag. Don’t let
your kids use them as building blocks or
flying toys. In addition, batteries work
best when stored and utilized in a mild
temperature. Just like you and me, they
don’t like extreme hot or cold. Store them
on a dark shelf, in a drawer, not in your
icebox or in your rental car’s glove
compartment or trunk.
Tape
Do
you take enough tape with you when you
travel? It is a sin to run out of tape while
on vacation, especially when tape is so
inexpensive and digital videocassettes are
now so small.
Some kinds of tape can be very hard
to find when traveling, especially DV or
MICROMV tape cassettes. And even if you can
find them, the price can be ridiculous. You
can buy a box of ten tapes online for a lot
less than you will be able to buy it at your
local video or department store.
Also,
like camcorders and batteries, videotape
does not like temperature extremes or
moisture. Rough handling can also hurt tapes
as well. Theoretically, airport X-Ray
machines will not damage or effect blank or
recorded videotapes. However, with the
increased emphasis on domestic and
international security, some airports and
travel terminals may be experimenting with
new and yet unknown technologies that may in
fact affect the magnetic images stored on
videotapes. When in doubt, ask.
As
soon as you pull out a filled up videotape
from your camcorder, remember to do two
things. First slide the erase tab over it so
that you won't "accidentally"
erase over it. Also, label the tape with the
date and the subject of your movie. It's
easy to get confused and lose tapes if they
are not properly marked. Later, when you are
home trying to edit them, this step will be
a lifesaver. By the way, the paper insert
son most video tapes cassettes are
reversible and are blank on the back. You
can use them to write extensive notes.
Tripods
You
know the best videographers use tripods to
make their shots look steady and smooth.
Your local department store, electronics
emporium or camera shop probably has a
selection of cheap and easy to carry
tripods. You don’t need something rock
solid with an expensive fluid head – just
a tripod that will hold your camcorder
relatively steady. I have used tiny tripods
made for small 35 mm cameras. They are good
enough. These smaller tripods, albeit a bit
too flimsy for a full size VHS, Hi8mm or
CompactVHS camcorder, may work fine for a
smaller DV camcorder. Consider using a
monopod.
Yes
you can use your camcorder’s built-in
image stabilization – especially if it is
using superior optical stabilization – but
using a tripod is the best way to make your
travel and vacation videos truly look
professional.
How
to Shoot Like a Pro – Wide Angle Shots and
Establishing Shots
Professional
video producers don't do a lot of zoom ins
and zoom outs. Most use cuts between wide
shots, medium shot and close-ups to create
their videos. Try to do the same. When you
first get to great spot or destination, shot
a couple of still establishing shots from as
far away as possible. Try to get the whole
building or city in the shot, showing its
relationship to its surrounding area. Next
get a medium shot - filling the frame with
the subject - be it a mountain, monument or
museum. The get a few close-ups - signs are
always great - especially those signs that
explain and provide some details or history
about the location. Weeks, months or years
later, that info can be invaluable as you
try to create a unified movie of the trip.
Remember,
video and TV is a medium dedicated to
close-ups and faces. Get shots of your
family playing, having fun, and interacting
with the destination. You may think those
shots are sort of boring when shooting them,
but, years from now, those shots will be
cherished.
If
you do have to zoom, remember that zooming
out is usually more interesting than zooming
in. When you are zooming out, you are
surprising the eye with more and more
information to process. When zooming out,
try to pan the camera left or right as you
zoom, rather than zooming straight out.
Instead
of zooming in for close-ups, try this. First
get your wide or medium shot and then hit
pause. Without the tape recording, then zoom
in, create your shot and get stabilized. Now
hit record. This edit within the camera will
be a lot more dynamic and exciting when
watched back later.
See
My
Zoom Is Bigger Than Yours
Audio
How
are you planning to capture the sounds of
summer? Most onboard camcorder mikes do a
fair job of capturing audio. Some camcorders
include a shotgun mike that enables you to
focus the sound gathering ability a bit
better. However, to really gather good
sound, you need an external mike system.
Unfortunately, carrying a mike is not the
most comfortable thing to do. However, if
your camcorder does boast an external mike
in, seriously considering paying somewhere
between $40 and $100 to get a good shot gun
type of mike that will attach to the top of
your camcorder. If you are doing a lot of
traveling, especially in tour buses and
various locations, you might want to invest
in a wireless mike kit that includes a
wireless lavaliere mike. For tours, in a
bus, in a building or even outside, nothing
captures the words of your tour guide better
than having a wireless mike pinned to their
lapel. You can swivel the camcorder around,
capturing the various sites without losing
one word of your tour guides explanation.
Audio
for Video
Camera
Bags and Cases
You
need a way to safely carry your camcorder,
tapes and accessories. You could use an
expensive camcorder bag or hard case that
has the words Sony, Canon or Sharp printed
on it. However, those logos also boldly
shout, “steal me please. It is much better
to get a plain or generic bag or case –
without any logos. Another option is to
create one yourself from an old computer bag
or small piece of luggage. Add some padding
and you are all set.
The more innocuous the bag or case,
the better. Personally I believe in the ugly
bag theory. Have your kids decorate the bag
with stickers, felt markers, paint, etc. No
self-respecting thief will go near it! Plus,
a loud, ugly bag is much harder to
accidentally leave behind. One of the best
do it yourself camcorder bags is a diaper
bag. Appropriately beat up and padded, it
will work great. Nobody in his or her right
mind steals a diaper bag. They know what
might be inside.
Finally,
you might not wait until you get home to
view and edit your videos. If you have two
camcorders, you could do a rough assembly
edit between them. If you are traveling with
a laptop computer, you could edit your
videos right in your room. You could use one
of an automatic
video-editing program like muvee to
create a quick video that you could share
almost immediately. See our editing on the
move article.
If
your laptop computer includes a built-in CD
or DVD burner, you could transfer your
footage to a disk and then re-use your
videotape. You could carry the burned CDs or
DVDs back home or even mail them back to
yourself.
So
there you are – you’ve practiced with
your camcorder and know how to use your
manual controls and AE settings. Your
camcorder is safely protected from the
elements by using a bag, UV filter and or
lots of masking tape.
You’ve got lots of extra tape and
batteries so you’ll never run short during
an important shot. You even got a tripod so
your shots will look professional and you
got an ugly camera bag that no one will mess
with. You are set.
Oops.
Where are the airplane tickets? Whose got
the passports?
That might make a good video as your
family scurries around frantically
searching….
Buying
a new camcorder? What features do you really
need?
Read This - 10 New
Years Resolutions for the Video Maker - How
to make your family and event videos look
and sound better
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