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Home Video Making Basics
Television, Film & Video Careers


These articles and visual aides are specially written for home movie makers or beginners. Advice on equipment, basic concepts, working with actors, audio lighting and tips to help give your next web video a more polished look.

click links to read the articles
Basic Video: Lighting
Basic lighting concepts and simple techniques that can even be used with ordinary house lamps. Tips tricks that can help shine the light on your next video.
Basic Video: Audio
Professional videographers use lavaliere (clip-on) microphones for on-camera talent, but most camcorders only have built-in mics. Here are some tips on getting the best audio you can from your video camera.
Basic Video: Editing
Video editing is actually a simple thing to do, and most software operates similarly when doing simple tasks. Here are some basic guidelines to help get you going. Be sure to visit our video tutorials page on editing.
Basic Video: Comedy Acting
If you're making a low or no-budget video, your actors are probably non-professional volunteer actors. They may even be your friends. Here are some simple strategies when working with inexperienced actors that may help you to get the most out of their performance.
How to Think of Ideas for Your Web Video
Need an idea for your video? It isn't that hard to come up with one once you get to brainstorming and visualizing what's around you. Try it. Look around, anyhting can be turned into a story. You might even try getting some friends together and bounce ideas off one another.
What Digital Video Camera Should You Buy?
Thinking about buying a digital video camera? What features will you need? What do you plan on using it for? For fun or profit? If you're on a tight budget, this may help you determine which camera best suits your needs.
Which Video Editing Software Should You Buy?
Depending on what you want to do and how much you want to spend determines which editing software you may or may not need. It's more about what you need and what you feel comfortable with. This helps you decide what's best for you.
What's the Best Free Video Editing Software?
Looking for free video editing software? Maybe you want to edit online like everyone's been talking about. And of course you want all them special effects and features. Just remember free is free, and you get what you paid for. This article examines will inform you on what to expect from free editing software either downloadable or online.
Free Media Resources for Artists
Whether you like to video tape, edit, record audio, graphics or other creative things, there are a lot of free resources available you can use for your projects if you look around. Sometimes all you have to do is include a credit for them. This article includes general information you should know and some links I found that may be useful. Best of all, they're free!
HOW TO MAKE PORTABLE PVC LIGHT REFLECTORS FOR VIDEO OR FILM
Two light portable light reflectors you can easily make out of PVC pipes for a few bucks. Bring them along for extra light on those outdoor shoots. Self-standing so they'll work if you have help, or you are doing it alone.

Tutorial Videos - A page with several videos on the basics of editing.
Tutorials: Basic Editing Techniques

Video Production Tips
Here are a few visual aides related to the articles above. A few tips on scripts, lighting, audio and editing.

click the images to enlarge, click again to reduce


SCRIPT TIPS
To help actors remember their lines, break up the dialogue into different shots. Later on in editing it will help cover mistakes in your master shot









How It Looks in a Storyboard
If the shots are composed right, the scene will edit together seamlessly.





LIGHTING TIPS
Set the camera up & place your 'stand-in' where you want. The first thing you can do is remove the ceiling cover. This helps to brighten up the room. Next remove the shade from a table lamp & move it where you need to light up dark areas. Remember to avoid backlight coming from a window or other light from behind and be sure you have permission to move things around.



AUDIO TIPS:
Since you can't plug a microphone into most consumer camcorders, you are stuck with the built-in mics. Here are some things to remember while capturing audio on a camcorder.













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