iStock claims to have around 3 million images for sale. This include videos, stills, vector images, and flash animations. The quality is generally excellent.

Costs can range from about one dollar for a still image to about forty bucks for an HD video clip.

Look at one of my Examples:

That can get expensive, but often the ease can make the cost worth it.

However, one HUGE drawback to using stock images is that you are only buying limited licensing rights.

This means you CAN NOT take some iStock video, edit it together and then sell your video. You can not even give it away for others to use, not legally anyway.

The only allowed use is for the finished video to be a free promotional video or a free educational videos. You can not sell or charge for the finished video in any way.

LEGALLY, YOU CAN NOT MAKE A PRODUCT TO SELL OUT OF STOCK VIDEO.

To do so would be a violation of their TOS and they could sue your pants off. Buying the extended licensing does NOT give you the right to turn around and charge money for your finished video. Even if you spent days editing the clips into your own creation, you can not sell it.

So if you want to make a video product, DO NOT turn to stock, royalty free video image services. None of them will allow it. This is not just an iStock photo regulation, it applies to all stock footage services that I am familiar with.

The licensing agreement for iStock photo is extremely long. I bet most people do not read through it completely before they buy. Plus, it can be a bit confusing because it says that if you alter the image significantly and turn it into your own creation, then you CAN turn around and sell it.

Here is another great photo:

Well, I spoke directly with an iStock representative the other day on the phone to see precisely what was allowed and what was not.

She said you have to alter it beyond all recognition. You can not just edit it into a video, doing the standard things like adding music or titles. That is NOT enough.

Honestly, if you have the capacity to alter a video clip beyond all recognition, then you probably have the capacity to come up with your own clip to begin with. So I did not find that too helpful.

For the person who wants to make a video product, beware of relying on stock video purchases. You do not have the legal right to use stock video purchases in a video product which you sell.

Technorati Tags: internet videos, stock footage services, video image services, video product

Traditionally, motivational visualization is something you do inside your own head. I often picture peaceful scenes to help me calm down and eliminate stress.

With Internet video, motivational visualization can come out of your head and onto your computer.

I just made myself an inspirational video that I’d like to share with you.

Please feel free to use this video as your own. Paste it on your site and look at it every day. Absorb its message of peace, joy and personal responsibility. For best results, a personal motivational video needs to be watched so often that it becomes a part of your consciousness. Then, even if you are no where near your computer, you can call up the image and feelings you get from watching the movie.

If you like this video, I will make more! Drop me a line at videoproductiontips@gmail.com and tell me what you think.

Thanks for being a subscriber.

Lorraine Grula
Internet Video Gal

Technorati Tags: Internet Motivational Videos, visualization

Do you want to learn about editing video on a computer? Then this video is for you! Discover the mystery behind the basics that drive most newbie video editors crazy! Taught by long-time professional video producer and editor Lorraine Grula, this 15 minute session will help you figure out any video editing program. Windows Movie Maker is used as an example.

Part 2
HOW TO HIRE VIDEO PROFESSIONALS FOR OUTSOURCING

If you’re looking to outsource video, you first need to think about all three phases of video production and which tasks you want to outsource specifically.  Please see part 1 of this report.

From experience, I recommend outsourcing only the production and post-production phases.  Pre-production is easy, although it might be a good idea to consult with someone who has done it before so you can learn more about potential pitfalls.  (Contact us at www.VideoProductiontips.com if you’d like to chat.)  Any of the local professional discussed below could also help you out.

Pre-production involves all the planning and anyone who has ever done project management has all the experience necessary to plan out a video project.

If you’re adventuresome, do the post production yourself and hire someone just to shoot it for you.  Editing is easier and more forgiving of mistakes than shooting.

Editing is also a sit down activity whereas shooting can be back-breaking manual labor.

However, lots of people will help you with all three phases so you don’t need a crew of twelve even if you want others to take care of every little detail.

WHO DO I HIRE?
Try these folks first:
* Local TV station production personnel
* Local wedding photographers
* Local TV production teachers/students

Many TV stations allow their employees to freelance using station equipment.  Call the news department first and ask for the chief photographer.  Inquire about the station’s freelance policy then ask if he knows anyone who would be interested.

If the news department doesn’t have anybody, try the commercial production department and ask for the production manager.

Hiring a TV station employee who can use high quality, expensive equipment for practically nothing will cut your rate from about $2,000 a day to about $500.

Ask the production manager about the station’s rates, too.  Usually, commercial production departments in TV stations charge a fraction of what professional production companies do.  In part, that‘s because a production company will more likely have highly experienced people and the TV station is getting by with youngsters who work for cheap.   But, they’ll probably still know what they’re doing.

A PBS station usually charges lower rates than a commercial one.  Small UHF channels also can be hired cheaply.

TRY LOCAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND SCHOOLS
Wedding photographers are another great bet for outsourcing video.  They, too, will probably not be as good as hiring a full crew from a top production house, but their rates won’t kill you either.  Many wedding photographers also shoot local school events or kiddie beauty pageants so look in those places too.

Some school districts have TV production departments.  I have taught on both the high school and elementary school level.  Many of my students freelanced and some of them actually did a good job!

College students are a safer bet than high school students.

In addition to tapping into students and teachers, if your local school district is anything like mine, it will include a system wide government channel.  These channels are given free to municipalities by cable companies.  They run exciting stuff like city council meetings.  See if you have one of these stations in your area and inquire there too.   Here, some of the people who staff the government TV station are highly accomplished professionals who have retired from long careers in regular TV.

CHECK ‘EM OUT
No matter whom you hire, ask for a personal demo tape.  Just like painters have a portfolio, video folks have demo tapes.  (AKA demo reels or just reels.)

Ask what specific tasks the individual did in putting the demo together.  I have known people who would put stuff on their reel when all they really did was lug equipment around and watch.  You probably don’t want to hire them.

Lastly, contact a video production house.  They will no doubt be your most expensive option, so be forewarned.  Then again, they’ll take care of every little thing for you and do a terrific job.   You can expect to pay a minimum of $1,000 per finished minute of a professionally produced video by a full fledged production house.

I hope you enjoyed reading this two part report.  My goal is to help you get your video projects done.  Sometimes, outsourcing is the best way.

He was wanting to buy a relatively inexpensive camcorder, a consumer model like what you would find at Best Buy or Circuit City.
He wondered whether he should get one that came with a separate battery charger or one where the camera WAS the battery charger.

I told him… no doubt about it, get one with a separate charger, (all other things being equal.)

Here's why.

• First, if you can only charge a battery up with the camera, you obviously cannot shoot while your battery is charging.
• Two, if the charger function should poop out, your entire camera will probably be worthless. You might be able to find a compatible charger, but I guarantee that will be a royal pain in the whazoo.

I have an inexpensive Cannon Mini-DV camcorder. I love it. I have two batteries with it so I can charge one battery up and not have to stop shooting. There's nothing worse than running out of battery power when there is video to be shot!
To me, an extra battery is worth the $40-$80 or so bucks it will cost. Combining the two functions in one unit really limits you.
As with all gadgets, if you get a video camera with all kinds of multiple purposes, sometimes you end up regretting it. My can opener opens cans. It doesn't unclog the sink.
When I worked as a TV Production Teacher, the school bought cameras that also functioned as chargers. For the reasons listed above, I didn't like it, but why would they listen to me?
The bean counters saved a few bucks, but other than that, I can not think of a single advantage to having your camera be the charger.

Here's to your video dreams coming true!

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

At the same time, lugging a tripod around is a pain in the butt, especially if you're by yourself or hiking a sizable distance.

Another drawback of using a tripod is that it restricts your selection of camera angles. Tripods take up a lot of room and you probably can't fit it into the corner that would give you the awesome angle.

Sometimes you just don't have time to hassle with a tripod.

HANDHOLD THE CAMERA INSTEAD
Handholding is convenient and fast. Done well, in the right circumstances your average viewer perceives handheld as steady video and can’t tell that a tripod wasn’t used. Done poorly, most viewers can tell and will be irritated.

So how do you handhold well?

ZOOM OUT
The single biggest tip it to get in the habit of shooting everything with your zoom lens on the widest possible setting. In other words, zoomed all the way out.
Zoomed out will also be called a wide-angle setting.

Shooting everything on the widest-angle possible minimizes how much shakiness shows in your picture. It doesn’t eliminate the shakiness. It simply diminishes how much shakiness shows.

If you take two cameras shaking the exact same amount and one is on a wide-angle and the other is zoomed-in, the one that’s zoomed in will look terribly shaky and the one zoomed all the way out won’t. You can consider this somewhat of an optical illusion.
After all, the cameras are moving the exact same amount it’s just the amount of shakiness that shows up in the final picture is hugely different.

This means you walk up to whatever you want a close-up of and take a wide-angle shot of it.

Huh? Does that sound contradictory?

Think of it this way, to get a steady shot of something when you’re handholding the camera, you must be physically close to it, have your lens zoomed all the way out, and be as close as you can possibly be and still get the shot in focus.

This will get you a wide-angle shot of the object, but since you’re so close with the camera it’s still a close-up of the object.

Don’t stand twenty feet from something, zoom in on a minor detail and expect the shot to look steady. It won’t.

This is the reason why you see TV news photographers up in people’s faces. People assume we're just a rude bunch, but actually the motivation is to get steady video.

PROPER POSTURE
Proper posture helps you handhold well too. Generally, stand up straight with your weight balanced on both feet.

• Relax
• Breath

People tend to tense up and that might help them be steady for about three seconds, but eventually the need for oxygen becomes paramount and the steadiness of your shot will go down the toilet real fast when you gasp for breath.

SUBSTITUTE TRIPODS

Other tricks to help you get steady video without a tripod is finding substitute tripods wherever you are. There’s always something.

• Set the camera on a table or counter top.
• Lean up against tree, the wall or something else steady.
• The floor works well for low-angle views. If necessary, stuff something under the front or the back of your camera so you can tilt it to the proper angle.

Another thing to keep in mind about handholding for steady video is that the more lively the action, the less likely it is that unwanted camera shakiness will show.

In other words, if you’re handholding an extreme close-up of water rushing over Niagara Falls, shakiness won’t show like a handheld shot of a still photo. The viewer will get all wrapped up in the movement of the water but there is no movement of the still picture so any camera movement sticks out like a stinky onion.

Chroma-key technique is a way to put you on the planet Mars if that’s what your video script calls for.

Chroma-key is cheap and easy.
It can transport you from Mars to the American Revolution in the punch of a button.

Chroma means color.

In video, key means to put one image on top of another.
Chroma key means you remove any one color from your image and replace it with something else. Anything else you want. A still shot of the planet Mars downloaded from NASA. Or a video with gruesome battle scenes on the Potomac.

WHAT COLORS ARE USED?
Bright lime green and bright turquoise blue are the most commonly used colors for chroma-key, hence the name green screen. If you stand a person in front of a green screen, all of the green can be removed and replaced with whatever image you want.
Any color will work with chroma key. Blue and green are chosen often because they are furthest away on the color spectrum from face tones.

YOUR WEATHERCASTER USES GREEN SCREEN
One of the main uses for chroma-key in television that you’re no doubt familiar with is the weather report. Next time you watch a TV weather report, you'll know that the different maps, satellite and radar images appear behind the weathercaster because of chroma-key technique.

The image of the weathercaster is captured with one camera and in that shot, you can see the green screen. If you were to stand in the studio, you would easily see the weathercaster standing in front of the green screen, perhaps the walls and floor are painted green and he’s walking right on top of the green.

The weather radar, satellite or other maps are all separate video inputs that the director will insert to replace the solid green behind the weathercaster. The weathercaster is watching where he is by looking at a monitor that's placed slightly off camera and shows the blending of the two images. The viewer never sees this monitor.

A good weather caster will shift his head toward the green screen but his eyes toward the monitor. This way, it looks he’s looking intently at his map but he’s really checking to see if he needs to take baby steps or big daddy steps.

Lots of weathercasters doze and think they’re talking about snow in Milwaukee when the viewer is seeing them on top of a radar image of Miami. The weathercaster never knows the difference but the viewers think he flunked geography.

You'd be amazed at how often chroma key is used. When taking a tour of the ABC studios in New York with my high school students after we won our Emmy, we watched a news update go live. The anchor person was actually in a TINY green screen room, smashed up against the wall. But on the air, they looked like they were in a HUGE, elaborate studio. It was seamless. There was NO indication in the final shot that it was a chroma key. (You can tell by looking at the edges of the person against the background.) I was blown away by how realistic it looked and I'm not easily impressed.

HOW DO YOU DO GREEN SCREEN?
In a studio, most green screen is done live through a video switcher. But green screen can also be done with advanced computer editing programs. Most advanced programs have the capacity to use any color, not just green. You can use brown if that's what works for you.

Lime green and bright blue are the preferred colors because they're on the opposite side of the light spectrum from skin tones. You don't want someone's face being replaced with the weather map! But if you want to chroma key a green alien onto Mars, a brown screen instead of a green screen may be the way to go.

Whatever color you decide, videotape your subject in front of a flat wall that's solid with that color. Light your video so there are no shadows. Any variation of the color behind your subject will be difficult to work with. Any shadow creates a slightly darker color which might confuse your edit system.

Once you get a solid even colored background, your switcher or edit computer completely remove that color and you supply a substitute. The precise mechanism by which to accomplish this will vary from system to system.