Demonstrate Your Credibility

Demonstrate Your Credibility

Record 30 Seconds Of Audio With No One Speaking With Each Talking Head Set Up

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28 silence for 30 seconds TW rev 02This will give you something to insert where and when you cut out words.

Once you are set up to shoot your video record for 30 seconds with no one speaking. You can also record this “room noise” after you are done shooting, with everyone still in position. This is going to give you a sample of the ambient sound in the space you are filming. When you (or your editor) goes to cut the footage together, having this quiet bit of audio will make it much easier and faster to assemble pieces out of order and to make the parts where there is no dialog seem less out of place or dramatic.

Silence verses Quiet

There is big difference between silence and a quiet room. Silence is the absence of any sound and it is noticeable when experienced right after or in between two sections of sound. You want to have quiet “room sound” to insert between the parts of the audio where you have someone speaking so that it all fits together smoothly.

Warning

It can be a little weird and people might be inclined to laugh when you suggest it and they may have trouble being quiet as you are capturing it. Let the people you are working with know in advance that you plan to record some very quiet audio and do the best you can to do this in every situation where you are going to use the sound from an interview.

Reminder

You may not always need this “room noise” you are recording, however, when you do, it is a really helpful bit of media to have available. The thing is you probably won’t know that you need it until you do. If you did not get it when you had the chance, it will be too late. It is very important that everything is as close to the same as when you were recording people talking.

One last thing…

This audio file of “room sound” may be used as a sample to clean up noisy audio and it works best when it exactly matches the ambience of the dialog.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.

Sound Advice for Making Your Videos Sound Better

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Sound Advice For Making your Videos Sound BetterThese are a few simple tips that will help you get into the habit of making your videos sound a little better. If you are working alone or with a crew of 1 to 100 making these three habits a part of your sound for video recording process will give you a head start on reducing the time it takes to edit and master the your videos’ audio.

28 silence for 30 seconds TW rev 02Get 30 seconds with no one speaking recorded

This gives you something to insert where and when you cut out words.  You can do this before or after you shoot the rest of your video, just make sure you do it in the same place with the same people and before you change the set up.

01 Quiet spot TW rev 02Record sound in a quiet place

If it is very quiet you may not need an external microphone.  No place except a recording studio or a sound stage is completely quiet so do the best you can with where you are.

15 Sound First rev 02Audio First, Cutaways after

Deciding what to shoot is usually easier once you know what the viewer will be listening to (hint: transcribe the talking head audio or go off of the script they used.)

Why this is important

I emphasize the value of having great audio on your videos because it makes it easier when repurposing the content as audio or in other types of video (like Scribble or slideshows) and even as text (by transcribing it.)

Following suggestions like these three will not only increase the quality of your videos, they will also make the editing (which is most time-consuming process of content creation) get done faster. When you have a good, clean audio track to work with everything else will be smoother and easier to deal with. There is no such thing as making bad audio good; you can make it better, however, it will never be good, unless you record it well.

It’s easy to do and it’s easy not to do

In video production, as in almost all other activities, achieving success is mostly a matter of doing simple little things over and over again until they become habits that you do without thinking. At first this can require a lot of reminding yourself and engaging in activities that are uncomfortable and do not feel natural. Persistence is what makes most of these become a part of your normal daily routine. The trick is to choose beneficial disciplines that will make a significant impact over time.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.

Some Advantages Of Having A Stable Camera and How To Get There

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02 Stable Camera TW rev 02Having a stable camera implies a solid message

Many video cameras (especially smart phones) are so compact and lightweight that they can be tossed around quickly and casually. That can result in very shaky motion pictures. Unintentional and rapid camera movement can contribute to a viewer feeling that the subject or the message being delivered on camera is casual and may not be too important or valid.

If you are interested in conveying a more serious and credible tone with your videos try using more stable shots.

Hold it close

There are many ways to stabilize a video camera. The first is to hold it close. Hold it close to your body; hold it close to the person you are filming with it. If it has a zoom lens, zoom out as wide a possible for the least amount of jitter. Zooming in magnifies everything including the movement of the camera.

Lean on something solid

Another simple way to stabilize a camera is to rest or lean it upon a static object, like a table, a chair, a ladder or a bookshelf. Use whatever is available; if it is stable that stability will transfer to the camera. Even a length of two by four will help. This method is only as good as the object you are using to support the camera.

Get a tripod

You can purchase any number of devices to support your camera. I prefer to use a tripod because it will allow you to set up a shot and let go of the camera which will eliminate all movement. Tripods have the added benefit of being quick and easy to set up and tear down. Many of them are lightweight, compact and rock solid when set up.

Pan and tilt

More sophisticated camera support devices allow you to not only lock down a very stable shot, they also make it possible to smoothly move the camera while recording to follow the action. A common feature of video tripods is a pan tilt head. This device mounts in between the camera and the tripod and allows you to move left to right (pan) and/or up and down (tilt). These common moves are best executed after rolling on a static (not moving) shot for a few seconds and then holding solid for another few seconds after your move.

Pick it up and move it

One other advantage of tripods (and many other lighter weight camera support devices) is that they add some weight to the camera so when you pick them up and move them the heaviness is tangible and it makes for smoother, more stable looking camera motion.

Summary

If you have to go handheld, hold it close, if you can lean on something, do it and a tripod is a really good option to have. Overly shaky shots might lead people to believe that your ideas are “iffy.”

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.