Help needed on how to produce videos

[harrydog]

Hi everyone
I have been asked by my boss to look at producing Customer Testimonials on DVDs. these will be sent to prospects in the UK.
The Brief is:-
1) Get 5 current happy customers to agree to be videoed at their own location.
2) Create good quality videos with text captions overlayed
3) Prodcue the DVds in a shrink wrapped box with graphics

My questions are:-
1) Can anyone reccomend a good quality reasonably priced Camcorder
2) What output formats would be best i.e. MP4 or AVi etc
3) I have camtasia , would this be sufficent for editing the video
4) I have looked at Kunaki for fullfillment - is this the best option or is there a compnay in the Uk that anyone would reccomend (Kunaki looks very cheap even with shipping to the UK)
5) The final versions will alos be posted on the website so what is the best format for that?
6) What are the pitfalls of doing a project like this??

I have to put together a project and action plan for this and deleiver the goods ASAP so any help or hints and tips would be much appreciated.

many thanks in advance

Mark Jackson

[Sean Donahoe]

Hi Mark,

To answer your questions:

1. Sanyo Xacti is cheap and very powerful ($169 from Amazon, look at the Videos in my Operation Cash Tornado WSO). If you want to scale it up then there are some great JVC deals at the moment.

2. MP4 is almost universal and offers the best quality for compression and quality. I would recommend recording in HD as well.

3. Camtasia studio is my main editor and it does a fantastic job without overloading all the bells and whistles. Other than that you can use Windows Movie Maker (or IMovie on the Mac)

4. I have worked with a few fulfillment companies and so far Kunaki has been the most reliable and pretty cost effective.

5. MP4 is ideal, if you are posting to YouTube then it will reduce nicely to 640x360 which is the standard format for it's player. If you submit in HD then it will also offer a HD version for higher quality playback

6. None that I can tell, depends on your market. In terms of Social Proof, speaking with customers in their own setting is a great way to do this. The only issue I forsee is lighting and sound quality. The Xacti does a good job but the JVC will allow you to get an external mic (clip on mics work best)

Also, lighting can be a pain, see if you can get some cheap photogrpahers lights and diffusers (so the light is not so harsh) and that should do the job.

Good luck with your project

Sean

[tgilberg]

Regarding Harsh Lighting, I wish someone would have shown me this video 2 years ago
This is what I use, I have uploaded over 600 videos to Youtube over the last 3 years
Enjoy

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.

[Steve Robertson]

Hi Mark,

If your final destination is DVD, you can pretty much forget about the video formats used on the web and at YouTube. DVDs use Standard Definition video (rather than HD) although, if your camcorder is HD capable, you can shoot in HD and "down res" the video to SD for editing.

You want to capture the video from your camcorder to your hard drive in the camcorder's native, uncompressed format. Stay away from camcorders that store their video on a small DVD (and some camcorders with built in hard drives) because they compress the video into MP2 for storage, which is very difficult to edit and is much lower quality.

Once you have your uncompressed video edited, you want to export it in an uncompressed format. On Windows, that's usually AVI. Then you switch to DVD authoring software, which allows you to create a menu for your DVD and encodes your video in the proper format and arrangement for burning to a DVD blank.

I can't recommend DVD authoring software for Windows, although I'm sure there are several out there. I use a Mac, which comes with iDVD.

Steve R.
R.A.M. Video

[Sean Donahoe]

Hi tgilberg,

Thats a great setup, I wish I new this a year ago too!

Thanks a ton!

Sean

[spearce000]

1. Unless you're going to do a lot of this, I wouldn't shell out a lot of money on a camcorder. Have a look on eBay for a good second hand one. Format wise, I'd go with mini-DV as professional edit suites also use it, so you won't have any trouble if you want to farm out the editing. Hard-drive or direct to DVD camcorders should be avoided IMHO. Be sure to get one that has an external microphone socket, and invest in a tie mic otherwise background noise will be a problem. If you are going to do these on a regular basis, an HD camcorder will keep you future proof.

2. AVI or MP4 would be best, although if your editing software can burn directly to DVD, you can burn a master DVD and send that for duplication.

3. I've never used Camtasia for live action editing, but I think it would be a bit limited. I use Serif MoviePlus, and have been very happy with it. It enables you to burn directly to DVD from the timeline, and will handle HD. Serif are based in the UK.

4. I've used Vervante in the past. They're based in California, but they are very reasonable and quick -- even to the UK.

5. For posting on YouTube or Google video, go with MP4, if you're planning on streaming it from your own site, FLV would be the way to go. Camtasia will enable you to create this format, no problem.

6. I can't think of any.

As far as dealing with harsh lighting is concerned, try recording the interview outdoors, in a conservatory, or somewhere with a lot of natural light (not easy given all the rain we've been having lately). Interviews on the news are generally done outside for this reason. You might also want to invest in a tripod to keep the shot steady.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.

Shaun

[John M Kane]

Sony Creative Software - DVD Architect Studio 4.5 - Introduction
Check into Sony's DVD Architect for authoring the video onto discs only $40
I like Sony Vegas for editing too.
Pro and consumer versions $599!yikes vs $99

[harrydog]

Hi guys
WOW what can I say but a million thanks, the support you have given is awesome. Give yourselves a great big pat on the back. I will now go back and digest all the info and will give you an update on how I get on - should be a blast.
cheers
Mark Jackson

[ry-enterprises]

Hi Steve

I'm interested, I starting my website promotion business and I need a JV partner to produce videos for my future clients. I only want to deal by phone. If you have no problems with that please call. PM me or Email me for my phone#
admin@ry-enterprises.ws

[Loren Woirhaye]

Steve Robertson's got it. Shoot to MiniDV or similar uncompressed
format, render to .AVI and edit in .AVI - from this format you'll
get the best results going to a real DVD prospects can play on their
TV sets.