Now that we have covered how to do groundwork research, and have shown you some examples of what kind of videos can be successful, it is time to review what kind of equipment you will need to have before you can create a video.
Remember, you absolutely do not have to create your own videos. W hile creating videos is not very hard to learn at all, I realize you may not be technically savvy, or simply don’t have the time to create and edit videos. There are numerous alternatives which we’ll discuss in the ‘outsourcing’ feature of the chapter on planning. However, it will still be useful for you to understand what goes into making an online video.
There are lots of different types of digital video equipment you can use to get raw video footage, and many types of software you can use to edit videos. Due to the large scope of all the cameras and software available, we are going to limit our discussion to the basics.
Fortunately, the basics suffice, and you can make great videos with a digital camera (that has video capture) and free software.1. Camcorder
2. Digital Camera With A Video Recording Function.
3. Webcam
4. Screen Capture Software
5. Cellular Phones With Video Capture Feature.
Mini DV camcorders have become a standard for home and semiprofessional video production. They are compact and affordable. They also offer ease of editing, high picture resolution and durability. The video is recorded on a small cassette, most of which can hold over 4 hours worth of video.
© MMVII www.UndergroundTrafficBook.com Page 24You may also look for ‘tapeless’ digital video camcorders, but they are generally more expensive (which may change with increases in data storage technology) Once you shoot the video, you will need to transfer it from your camera (usually with a ‘FireWire) to your computer and edit it with editing software before you upload it to YouTube.
Digital cameras with a video capture option can be used to create great YouTube videos. You can check the box of any digital camera to see if they have a video capture function, or look up the instruction manuals on the company website. Generally, the newer your digital camera, the more likely it is to come equipped with a digital video option.
However many digital cameras which capture video do not capture audio, so you may have to do a voice over or a ‘music over’ later…W hich is not so hard as we’ll see in the chapter on video editing software.
Even if you do not have a video capture feature, you can still make a very inspiring video presentation using only still pictures with subtitles and voice over or background music.
The main webcam company has an agreement with YouTube is Logitech Quickcam, which may be found at http://www.logitech.com
MUST SEE VIDEOºº
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Gn2TyEyHw
Logitech Video Effects in action!
Check out the video if you want to see some of the really neat and funny things you can do with a simple webcam and video effects software:
Logitech offers some very cool special effects possibilities with their Logitech Video Effects Software. It’s a little wacky, but the special effects this software can produce are definitely cool, and may definitely be useful in creating funny and unique webcam videos.
Basically, you can’t go wrong with a Logitech Quickcam. If you have another webcam, fine…you can probably use it. But keep in mind that Logitech has designed their latest generation webcams specifically with YouTube in mind. Using this type of webcam, you can record directly to YouTube without the need for any intermediary software.
© MMVII www.UndergroundTrafficBook.com Page 25You can create instructional videos of you using software, demonstrations of software, or any other video which involves using a computer. Screen capture software can be a great way to demonstrate software, marketing techniques, and any other digital product. Even membership websites can benefit from a guide tour using screen capture software.
The best screen capture software on the market today is Camtasia Studio available from http://www.techsmith.com and you can download a free trial version for 30 days.There are numerous other screen capture software programs available that range in price such as hypercam from http://hypercam.com/, but Camtasia comes with the best editing capabilities, and allows you to convert your videos to many different formats (and even watermark your videos with the URL of your website).
Cell phones don’t offer great quality of video, but have the advantage of being the most portable. Additionally, cell phones cameras are not very noticeable. Cell phone cams have been recently used to record some of the most controversial footage.
If you already have a cell phone that has a video camera, you might want to learn how to use it in case you happen to see something great as you go throughout your everyday life.
It is possible to send video from your cellphone to your YouTube account through email on your phone as outlined at http://www.youtube.com/my_profile_mobile. You simply need to create a ‘Mobile Upload Options’ profile in your YouTube account so that you can upload videos from your cell phone to YouTube by sending an MMS message to the email address you are assigned.
Camcorders, Digital Cameras, W ebcams, Screen Capture Software, and Cell Phones are all ways you can capture video. You may find that you already have a device capable of capturing video, or you may need to shop for a device. Once you have captured the video, you will probably want to edit it a little to meet your marketing needs. Keep in mind, that you don’t need to be a video editing expert, and you don’t need to spend hours cutting and pasting clips.
© MMVII www.UndergroundTrafficBook.com Page 26In fact, the whole process of adding advertising URLs to your videos is relatively easy and can be done with free software as we will see in the next chapter on video editing software.
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