Audio for Video: Wireless Microphones

Wireless microphones not only help the videographer get great sound, but they also help you get great video. Not having to mess with that mess of  tangled black spaghetti known as audio cables is more than just convenient, it also allows you to put the cameras in positions you couldn’t if you were restricted by cables.   Using a wireless keeps people from tripping over cables too!
Here is a brief description of how a wireless mic works.   First, they usually have half a dozen pieces, but essentially, there are two basic parts.

• Transmitter
• Receiver

The actual microphone is plugged into the transmitter.  The person speaking usually wears the transmitter by clipping it to their belt or shoving it into their pocket.   Pay close attention when you are watching some TV shows and you can see a little black box about the size of a deck of cards on people’s back tucked into their belt.  This is the wireless transmitter.  They put it on their back to hide it as much as possible.
Then, the receiver is plugged into the camera, or where ever your sound is being recorded.
The transmitter takes the microphone signal and transmits it to the receiver via a radio signal.   The receiver picks up the signal much like a radio picks up a radio station signal.
Instead of having your audio travel from the microphone to the recording device through a cable, it travels through the air.     So it is this cable that is eliminated.  This is the only cable that is eliminated, but it is your most limiting cable so dealing with the other cables is no big deal. Other cables are used to plug the mic into the transmitter and the receiver into the recording device, so a wireless microphone system is not COMPLETELY wireless, which can confuse people.

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You can buy wirless microphone in sets, like the one pictured above.  This way, you can easily use multiple mics together.  Each mic needs to have its own radio signal.  Problems arise when these radio signals conflict or get crossed.  Sets eliminate that problem.  You can also eliminate the problem by setting your mics to different frequencies, but that takes both a microphone that allows you that kind of control and the know-how to do it.   It’s usually not too complicated though.
A good wireless microphone will cost quite a bit more than a comparable wired mic. Anything cheaper than $300 is probably not very good.  A crummy wireless is a total pain in the butt because the signal will cut out and have tons of interference and static.
If there is no advantage to using a wireless, go with a wired. The advantages of using a wireless usually boil down to being able to let the camera move more freely and be further away from the people speaking.  So if you’re recording something while everyone is seated, using a wireless microphone is not going to help you much.
You can buy wireless microphone systems that do not actually include a microphone, it is just the transmitter and receiver.  These work with multiple microphones.   You can get a hand held mic, a lavalier and a shot gun microphone all to work with the same transmitter and receiver system.

If you are shooting video where the camera needs to move about freely, having a wireless microphone is very helpful.
B&H photo has a great selection of wireless mics.  I just went to their site and 94 pages worth of results came up for the keywords wireless microphone.

Source : http://videoproductiontips.com/audio-for-video-wireless-microphones

Video Production 101 - Getting the Most Out of Every Shot

Whether you are content to make filmmaking a part time hobby or you aim to make it your career someday, it is important to make the most of your craft. That means taking the time to set up each scene carefully, staging your subjects properly and paying attention to lighting, set design and other elements.

In order to reduce your costs and increase your overall satisfaction it is important to make the most of every shot. No one likes to shoot the same scene over and over again, so it is important to learn the techniques you will need to make reshoots a relative rarity.

Getting Close to Your Subject

One mistake many beginning filmmakers make it putting their subjects at a distance. In most cases you will have more success if you place yourself, and your camera, closer to your subject rather than farther away. Many people think they can remain at a distance and simply zoom in on the action, but the human eye can tell the difference between a zoomed scene and a scene that was filmed close to the subject. By remaining close to your subject throughout the shoot you will get crisper, clearer pictures, and that quality will show when you edit your work.

Telephoto lenses are great for zooming in on the action, but they have their limitations as well. With a telephoto lens you are more likely to get a jerky result, whereas a regular wide angle picture will be much smoother. It is also hard to focus properly using the telephoto lens, since the magnification factor can leave everything looking slightly off.

Experiment with Different Angles

Many of the most successful and most studied directors did things that are not considered technically correct. And yet in those skillful hands those non-standard angles and creative worked quite well. While you may not be able to achieve the same results as your film legend heroes, you can help yourself learn by experimenting with different angles and different types of shots. At worst you will learn what not to do – at best you will learn some great techniques you can use to make your films come alive.

Filming scenes with a series of quick shots and cutaways instead of a single long shot is an excellent way to keep the interest of the audience. Be careful not to overdo this technique, however. Too many quick cuts and subject changes can leave the audience frustrated.

Get on the Right Level

For the most part it is a good idea to film at the same height as your subject. While there are some valid artistic reasons for shooting from above or below, it is best to limit those shots. Filming at the same height as your subject will give the finished product a much more natural and polished look.

It is important to adjust the height of your camera as needed to stay on the right level with the subjects you are filming. Always keep an eye on your filming to make sure it looks natural. You can fix some minor technical errors in editing, but major errors and problems with perspective will probably require a re-shoot.

What Editing Can – and Cannot – Do For You

Many new filmmakers assume that they can just fix their mistakes during the editing process, but this is rarely the case. Editing allows you to put your shots together in the order you want, but the editing process rarely if ever affords you the opportunity to fix errors you made while filming.

You can, however, use video editing to remove elements that do not belong in a particular scene. You can edit out the time you spent waiting for your subject to be ready, for instance. What you cannot do is edit out a problem with sun glare or a dark subject caused by the wrong type of foreground lighting. It is better to address these problems during the filming process, rather than waiting for the editing process to begin.

Source : http://www.clipcanvas.com/blog/video-production-101-getting-the-most-out-of-every-shot/

Video Production Tips : Outdoor Lighting Tips for Video Production

Video Editing Programs For Mac

Apple has put out several different video editing systems that can be used on your Mac computer. Which program is right for you will depend on what your own personal video editing needs are. Here are the there basic video editing programs for Mac and a little bit about them:

iMovie

iMovie is available to purchase with Mac’s iLife package. iMovie is an easy to use drag and drop editing program designed for the average home user who wants to do a little more with their home movies. Mac users can easily upload their video onto their computer using a firewire or USB II drive, and cut out parts of their home movies they don’t like as well as rearrange clips. There are a variety of different built in transitions in the program like wipes and fades, as well as some video effects like black and white and sepia. The program will then easily record your video back to your camcorder, or integrates with Mac’s iDVD, so you can easily burn a DVD of your project along with chapters and titles.

Final Cut Pro Express

Final Cut Pro express is a consumer version of Mac’s popular professional video editing system Final cut Pro. The program features many of the professional video editing tools you would find in traditional Final Cut Pro, with a few items left out. This similar version of the program is designed for home users who many want to do a little more with their video than they can in iMovie, but aren’t really to pay $1000 for the full version of Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro HD

Final Cut Pro HD is one of the best video editing programs on the market today. The professional video editing program allows video editors to lay down up to 99 layers of video on their screen, either through small split screens or even layers video directly on top of each other. The program comes with pro audio editing tools as well as every video effect you should possibly imagine, and the ability to tweak the setting for those effects to your own personal preferences. This HD release allows you to edit video in High Definition. Final Cut Pro is used by video professionals all over the world for their projects and is often used to edit feature films.

Source: http://www.clipcanvas.com/blog/video-editing-programs-for-mac/