Filming tips

Runs With Fire

Black Belt
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
548
Reaction score
90
Location
Ensley Center, MI
I'm going to building up my youtube account again after a few years. I have a Sony PJ760V for filming. I also have a fuzzy shotgun mic for windy conditions. My question is mainly about lighting and edditing softwhere. I plan on downloading LIGHTWORKS for edditing and using reflecter lamps when indoors. Is anyone familliar with LIGHTWORKS? What do I need to consider most when it comes to lighting? Clips will include scenerio discussion, techniques, trainning drills, firearms, or anything else that sounds fun and interesting at the time.

Part 2
Any tips, or even preferences, on what works or what you like/would like in a martial arts youtube channel?
 
i am working towards my own channel as well. i am starting from scratch. i do have a hobbyist back round in sound production but that may be working against me lol.
i was thinking about using sony vegas but i know that it is way over kill. it seems a lot of people like adobe but it is a monthly subscription software and i am not fond of that kind of platform. i prefer to buy something and use it forever. i dont need the latest and greatest. it would seem the high cost of vegas would be a better value than adobe if i use it for a few years.
i have a similar if not the same camera, i cant remember the number of the top of my head. some youtube videos suggest natural window light, if you can sit close enough for just portrait filming. that didnt work well for me it came out to grainy. so i have to purchase lights as well. i am lucky enough that i can have a designated studio for filming. i do have to build/ finish the room though.
 
i am working towards my own channel as well. i am starting from scratch. i do have a hobbyist back round in sound production but that may be working against me lol.
i was thinking about using sony vegas but i know that it is way over kill. it seems a lot of people like adobe but it is a monthly subscription software and i am not fond of that kind of platform. i prefer to buy something and use it forever. i dont need the latest and greatest. it would seem the high cost of vegas would be a better value than adobe if i use it for a few years.
i have a similar if not the same camera, i cant remember the number of the top of my head. some youtube videos suggest natural window light, if you can sit close enough for just portrait filming. that didnt work well for me it came out to grainy. so i have to purchase lights as well. i am lucky enough that i can have a designated studio for filming. i do have to build/ finish the room though.
I did have a filming room once, now it's a nursrey. For lighting, I used used soft white 100 watt bulbs with the little adapter to plug them into a standard electric outlet. Put them on three walls to cancle out shadows and I used a cheap reflector lamp or two with 200 watt if needed. I never got much sunlight through windows. Btw, what is your channel name?
 
like i said i am just starting. no published content yet but it will be kerberos Combatives.
the plan for content is to have my basic curriculum on a pay sight with highlights and trailers on YouTube. Youtube will also be the platform for other content. i want to get into some in depth stuff; science and history, lessons to be learned from it. anything pertaining to violence and self defense. but so far i am finding the content difficult to do. i was trying to film it live but there is a lot of technical and important stuff to remember and my mind freezes up. so i have to rethink it and maybe start with something more digestible.
 
I'm not entirely sure what you are intending to do. Is this just a place to show your, or your schools students practicing, or the obligatory jump kick, etc? Are you looking to sell photos? You will need model releases if you do.

Just for photography in general, which is what you need to know to get interesting photos to get people to come and look, or sell, any good photo book will give you good insights. I only have one but I understand John Goodman has several excellent books. You may find useful things at your local library (still have those?). You can also do yourself good by looking at a lot of other's photos as well. Look at lighting (very important), backgrounds, focus, how to depict action, etc.
 
I'm not entirely sure what you are intending to do. Is this just a place to show your, or your schools students practicing, or the obligatory jump kick, etc? Are you looking to sell photos? You will need model releases if you do.

Just for photography in general, which is what you need to know to get interesting photos to get people to come and look, or sell, any good photo book will give you good insights. I only have one but I understand John Goodman has several excellent books. You may find useful things at your local library (still have those?). You can also do yourself good by looking at a lot of other's photos as well. Look at lighting (very important), backgrounds, focus, how to depict action, etc.
I'm thinking more videography. I'm not really really looking to get into much photography. I know this is a photography forum, but it's pretty close and there is alot of overlap.
 
I'm thinking more videography. I'm not really really looking to get into much photography. I know this is a photography forum, but it's pretty close and there is alot of overlap.

I can't help you on Lightworks as I have never used it. I usually use GIMP, but I don't think it does video. What I said before would still apply as to lighting. It can make or break a video or photo. As to what to see, tutorials would be a good start for interest of your viewers, and to hone your skills.
 
We do videography for a hobby. We use Cyberlink Powerdirector for editing. Its the only one I have ever used...so I dont have much to compare with but I like it.
 
I did have a filming room once, now it's a nursrey.
Welcome to parenthood :) I had a loft that housed my stereo, total gym, TV and Xbox. I loved that room. My wife and I had an agreement - she does whatever she wants with the rest of the house, and I put what I want in that room. It was a perfect arrangement.

Then we had kids. That place was too small, so we moved. No more JR room.

As to the rest of your thread, sorry, I have no experience with videography. All I can contribute is CFL bulbs suck for photography. Use incandescent. The jury’s still out with LED from my personal experience. I haven’t used it enough yet to have an opinion either way. With photography, and I’m assuming videography, lighting is everything. Bad lighting will ruin everything.
 
Welcome to parenthood :) I had a loft that housed my stereo, total gym, TV and Xbox. I loved that room. My wife and I had an agreement - she does whatever she wants with the rest of the house, and I put what I want in that room. It was a perfect arrangement.

Then we had kids. That place was too small, so we moved. No more JR room.

As to the rest of your thread, sorry, I have no experience with videography. All I can contribute is CFL bulbs suck for photography. Use incandescent. The jury’s still out with LED from my personal experience. I haven’t used it enough yet to have an opinion either way. With photography, and I’m assuming videography, lighting is everything. Bad lighting will ruin everything.

Flashbulbs JR 137, flashbulbs! :) Actually, they do have a look all their own. At least with film.
 
Flashbulbs JR 137, flashbulbs! :) Actually, they do have a look all their own. At least with film.
I have Canon’s mid-level flash. I only bounce it; never direct. Works great when I have the right ceiling height, such as in my house. My camera’s quite old in DSLR terms - a Canon 40D. It’s fantastic outside at the right time of day. Problem is my most important pictures are always indoors where the lighting is awful and the conditions aren’t conducive to using any flash other than a strategically placed strobe. That’s not going to happen.

My only issue with my camera is it’s low light performance. Anything above ISO 640, and I get noise. I hate noise in my pics. And when I try to correct in post-editing, my pics get blurred. I’m more sensitive to the noise than I should be, but I just can’t get past it no matter how much I tell myself it’s OK.

I’m going to buy a 6D one of these days, but I’ve got too many other priorities for that much money at the moment.
 
My only issue with my camera is it’s low light performance. Anything above ISO 640, and I get noise.

You shouldn't get too much noise from that camera, do you use the live view or the real viewfinder?

Live view on the LCD puts heat into the sensor and increases noise levels a fair bit...

Also, do you shoot raw or JPEG? The more processing you can take away from the camera (by using raw) the easier it is to deal with noise.

Oh, and the noise reduction built in isn't great - I'd turn that off if you haven't already...
 
I use the viewfinder, have noise reduction turned off, and shoot raw. The highest I’ll push the ISO is 640 because it bothers me above it. Most non-photography people don’t notice it, but I do.

Two examples so I know it’s not just me...

I was shooting my kids outside in a park. Lots of bright flowers in the background at one point. I thought the red flowers had pollen on them. Nope, it was noise. I was wearing a red t-shirt, and my wife took a couple pics of me with the girls. My shirt looked like it was covered with lint. Nope, just noise. I didn’t see that stuff until post edit. I realized the ISO was at 800 after that location, and went to 100 at another place in the park. No more noise.

Somehow I had the camera at ISO 640 at the beach. Noticed it later on when I was messing with aperature for some shots. I was post editing and thought there was sand on my wife and daughters’ legs. Nope, just noise. 10 am sunny day at the beach. Not in the pics at ISO 100.

Maybe it needs to be serviced? I haven’t heard others complain about it.
 
Back
Top