Comments on: Getting Started in Video - Camera Choices

By: Joe Gallagher

Joe Gallagher — Sun, 25 May 2008 01:26:20 +0000

Not much to add here, outside of my thanks to Bre (why did you leave capitol hill??? Oh, NYC, but still…)

I’ve been amazed what I can do with my flip cam (1st gen, 30 min). My early Nikon Coolpix also takes audioless vid which can be fun. I only wish the flipcam had a tripod mount.

By: Clintus

Clintus — Sat, 17 May 2008 15:57:21 +0000

ditto to what steve said. Great series you have going here.

By: Getting Started in Video: Pushing the Red Button at I Make Things

Getting Started in Video: Pushing the Red Button at I Make Things — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:16:48 +0000

[...] You’ve got a video camera…what next? [...]

By: johnbaloney

johnbaloney — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:38:23 +0000

I got really excited by the getting-started in video post and got a small SD video camera the Panasonic SDR-S150. It was an impulse buy spurred on buy a bad day at work…

My first big problem I encountered was getting MPEG2 video (produced by the camera) into Final Cut or any of the standard Mac video applications. (I thought there was a quicktime mpeg2 plugin but alas I never recall getting it to work)

However, a quick Google and I found a pretty good conversion tool that is free, yes free… called MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac OS X by Squared 5 http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html

I just converted a bunch of my first test clips to quicktime and it seems perfectly adequate. It claims to work with iMovie as well and I see no reason the file shouldn’t.

By: tube

tube — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:55:16 +0000

[...] Online VideosTo start making YouTube videos etc. you need to make sure you have the right camera.http://www.brepettis.com/blog/2008/05/05/getting-started-in-video-camera-choices/TeacherTube - Teach the World Teacher Videos Lesson Plan …Our goal at TeacherTube.com is to [...]

By: bethany

bethany — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:47:15 +0000

hey…I am about to upgrade my editing software to finalcut express from imovie… because I have managed to consistently overwork it. what editing software do you use? and what format do you save your movies in for upload?

for shootin’ tips.. I am mostly curious about recommended camera distance, angles and lighting.

Thanks so much.

By: Ethan Steckmann

Ethan Steckmann — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:53:31 +0000

I love you site and I want to start a site similer to your where I make a project ever week. I was wondering if I could do a remix for some of your videos just to get started? Also I was wondering if you had any tips for a fairly new vBlogger. I have watched almost all your videos as well as Kipkays and a few other I have found that most good videos run about 4 minutes and follow this form

1. Intro.
2. What your going to make.
3. Supplies.
4. Fast speed video of the process and short tips clips.
5. Why to make what you just made.
6. Credits and copyright.

* Does that look right?
* How fast do you make your fast speed video?
* Do you know of a good free PC video editing software?
* What video editing software do you use?
* Do you just shoot one long clip and cut it into the pieces you need or do you take a lot of small clips?
* Do you have any tips for me?
* I downloaded you Midis and loved them and cant wait to use them in my new videos, but I will use them all very quick so I was wondering how you made them and how I would go about making them. That sounds like a great video idea.
* How do I afford web hosting I have done some research and your host looks like the best out there and I will be sure to use you as my contact if I sign up, but Im just a teen I have NO money to pay for it how did you start?

Thanks for your help,

–
Ethan Steckmann

By: Rick McCharles

Rick McCharles — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:35:27 +0000

iMovie 7 does accept AVCHD.

I use it with my Panasonic SD5.

Other than that, great post.

By: bre pettis

bre pettis — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:11:46 +0000

Nothing can stop you from trying to do chroma keying with whatever you’ve got!

Give it a shot!

For me, I can always tell green screen stuff, so it really doesn’t matter if it’s done well or not.

By: Matt Searles

Matt Searles — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:49:12 +0000

Ok, well here’s what I wanna know: when looking for a camera.. I wanna be doing chroma keying… I asked about this on a snarky video forum and it the feed back was like.. you need to spend $2K on lights, and you need to go pretty high up the prosumer camera latter.. and probably a lot on the actual green screen.. but I assume one could cut corners?

Oh, and great video by the way!

By: steve garfield

steve garfield — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:26:17 +0000

Hi Bre,

Wonderful video. I love how you showed the output of the Flip in the video AND how you placed the wide angle lens on the camera that was shooting!

Yay.

–Steve