The Datavideo SE-500 Video Swithcer Kit comes with the dual LCD monitors with quad function and mounting rack. Kit retails for around $1,900.

First, if you want to learn more about the pros and cons of studio video production, click this link.  In short, studio production is a much faster way of cranking out major quantities of video content.   A studio has multiple cameras and microphones and is edited live, on the fly.  Compared to basic field production, with one camera and lots of time-consuming post production editing, studio production is fast, easy and cheap.
Using a switcher is sometimes called spontaneous editing and the time savings over post production editing is HUGE.  Let’s say you’re doing a 30 minute show.  If you’re doing it studio technique, you get to the record stage and 30 minutes after starting, you have a completely finished show.  On the other hand, editing a 30 minute show out of raw footage in any video editing program would take hours, even days or weeks.  In the professional world, we always allow AT LEAST one hour of post-production time for every finished minute of video.   30 minute show = 30 hours of editing MINIMUM.

Churches, small eCommerce sites, and schools would all be good candidates for a machine like the SE-500 kit.

WHAT IS A VIDEO SWITCHER AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

A video switcher is the heart of any TV studio.  Every single video source in your studio is plugged into the video switcher.  The person operating the switcher (usually the director) controls which video source is seen at any one time by punching and controlling the various buttons, knobs and levers.  The director can use the switcher to add some basic special effects and either cut between shots, or select a dissolve or any number of wipes.  Some switchers have green screen capability and some do not.   The more expensive ones includes lots of special effects but the inexpensive one are limited.
In a large TV studio operations, you would need a switcher with 20, 40, even 80 inputs.  You have all the cameras, multiple graphics generators, special effects generators, multiple video tape decks, multiple weather maps, satellites, etc. all plugged into the video switcher.   This picture is an example of a switcher with a possible total of 31 inputs, the For-A HVS-3800HS.  It retails for $66,999.95 at B&H Photo Supply.  Here’s a picture of it.

Compare that massive beast to the subject of today’s post, the humble Datavideo SE-500, which has four inputs.  Any four video sources can be plugged into it.  Let’s say you have two cameras, a graphics generator and a video playback deck for inserting videos.  Or, you could have three cameras and a graphics generator.  For simple video productions, this is enough.   A small switcher like this is also limited in terms of special effects but it doesn’t cost 67 grand either!  This picture below is the switcher all by itself with out the monitors and mounting rack.

FEATURES

In addition to the four video inputs, the SE-500 has three audio inputs, two for microphones and the third for a CD player or tape deck.  Each input has a slider control.  Theoretically this means you can get by without buying a separate audio board.  However, most people do, especially if you are doing talk shows with five or six people who all need a mic.  It is also a bit easier logistically speaking to have the audio and video under separate controls with two people and not just one.

BIGGEST DRAWBACK

One drawback of this unit is that it only handles SD (standard def) video and not HD (High Definition).  However, SD with good lighting looks better than HD with crummy lighting and few people seem to understand that!  SD is still good for a lot of things, especially internet use where you do not want gigantic files.   If you want HD, you can move up to the Datavideo HS-2000.  It not only handles HD, it comes with head sets ad handles more donuts.  Downside to all of that of course is money.  The HS-2000 cost about 4 times as much.
One cool feature is that the SE-500 also has a quad split monitor output.  This means the user can preview each input on one single monitor that is split into quarters.  This is really convenient, less expensive and takes up less space than  having a separate monitor for each and every video source.  If you get it with the duel monitor rack that comes as part of the kit, you can have one of those screens show 4 inputs.  Look carefully at the picture and you can see that the one on the left is showing 4 inputs.

MORE FEATURES AND A USER EXPERIENCE

The SE-500 can’t do green screen, but it can do picture-in-picture.  Picture in Picture transitions can even be  programmed to position in various parts of the frame.
Here is a quote from a satisfied user of the Datavideo SE-500 Live Production Switcher:

Using this in a church setting. Works great. We currently run two inputs, 1) Camera, 2) Media Shout.(Church and worship niche specific software)

Purchased kit with the  dual 7″ LCD display panel.  The unit has several different abilities for PIP (Picture in Picture), which is nice if you want to place the media shout slides down in one corner as the videos are running through.
There is an audio control as well, where you can run the audio from say your sound board to the unit as it then heads out of the unit to its final destination (in our case, several Lobby TV’s and an encoding server).
The slider handle feels good in the hand (some have mentioned it did not feel as if it had “weight” to it). There is enough resistance that it allows for smooth transition.

All in all, we are quite happy with it. Would like to have gone with HD (this unit supports SD only), but that bumps you up several thousand more.
Only down side, the documentation could have been a bit better on hooking everything up for a first time user.

Conclusion

All in all, the Datavideo SE-500 is an excellent choice for folks on a budget.  Schools, churches, small internet operations would probably all be pleased with the results from using this video switcher.  Granted it does not have all the bells and whistes, if you’ve got more money, go with something more advanced.  The picture below is the But if you’re on a budget, this is a good choice.

Datavideo is a quality supplier of video equipment and I have used tons of stuff from them over the years.  Never had an issue with any of it.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips!

Lorraine Grula

If an HD model camcorder is on your list, take a good look at the Sony’s HDR-AX2000. It’s a very impressive prosumer-level AVCHD camcorder.   The Sony HDR-AX2000 is cutting-edge, top of the line.

The camera captures either High Def and Standard Def video in AVCHD and MPEG-2 formats.  This is one of the new tapeless cameras.  It records onto either a Memory Stick PRO duo or SD/SDHC cards.  SDHC stands for Secure Digital High-Capacity.    SDHC cards are flash memory cards with a minimum capacity of 4GB gigabytes.

The Sony HDR-AX2000 shoots full 1920 x 1080 HD video, which can be recorded at 60i, 30p and 24p for a variety of looks.

This camera is ideal for recording on to Blu-ray media since the AVCHD2 codec is highly compatible with the Blu-ray format.

If you are going to edit this footage, be forewarned that many video editing programs still can not adequately handle AVCHD2 or Blu-ray.

Like all the cameras in this category, the HDR-AX2000 is a three chip camera for better color and clarity.  It has three 1/3″ CMOS Exmor sensors, which are a less expensive alternative to CCD chips.   CCD (Charged Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).  Each type has its pros and cons.  CCD gets a slightly higher quality picture but CMOS is still good and so much less expensive.

The pros for the CMOS are that they are much less expensive to manufacture and use WAY less battery power.  The cons include more noise, less clarity and less light sensitivity.

The lens on this camera has quite a long telephoto, with a 20x optical zoom and a built in digital extender to increase that to a 30x zoom.  (29.5mm – 590mm).  The lens is not very wide however, so a handy accessory would be a wide angle lens adapter.  This will let you shoot in the smallest of rooms.

From a practical standpoint, most videographers use a wide angle more often than a telephoto.

The lens has an OIS, Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization w/Active Mode, which Sony swears will drastically reduce camera shake.  (Pssst. You still need to use a tripod whenever possible. 

Audio recording is professional quality with dual XLR ports.  This means you can plug in two XLR microphones at the same time.  That’s very handy in pro shooting situations.  For instance you could have a shotgun microphone on for general ambient sound plus a wireless microphone on the main person speaking.

These XLR inputs are phantom powered, which means the microphones run off the camera’s power and do not need their own battery.  This is very handy and basically lets you largely forget about your microphone power needs.

CONTROLS ON THE LENS

Cameras in the prosumer (low-grade professional) camera category like this one have much more complex lenses to allow for greater operator control. Automatic controls are nice for the casual user, but pros get more precise control through manual adjustments.

The Sony HDR-AX 2000 has three control rings around the lens–for iris, focus and zoom.  With experience, a videographer will know intuitively which ring contains the image adjustment he needs.

For additional shooting options and image analysis, the HDR-AX2000 gives you four built-in neutral density filters, SMPTE color bars, a zebra display, and a live histogram.  The zebra and histogram can be real handy tools.

Zebra Display
While you are shooting, you can add a striped pattern to bright areas of the video image, and display it in the LCD and viewfinder. You can use this as a rough guide for adjusting brightness, helping to prevent hot spots.

Histogram Display
When the histogram feature is turned on, a graph of the image’s brightness distribution appears. This gives you an objective determination of whether the video image as a whole is bright or dim. You can adjust the camera’s brightness and AE shift while checking this display.

Sony rates this camera in a low-light reading of 1.5 lux with auto gain kicked in.  That will be a fairly grainy picture, but 1.5 lux is exceedingly low.

The HDR-AX 2000 gives you the ability to manually adjust gain, shutter speed, and white balance if you wish or they can all be set to automatic.

This video camera takes still images too.  Still images are recorded directly onto one of the two dual media slots which you can select between.  (Memory Stick PRO Duo media or SD/SDHC media slots.)

The digital output for this camera is an HDMI Connection.  With an HDMI cable you can transfer your data to a compatible HDTVs.  It has a USB2 to transfer to your computer.  There is no firewire.

If you are seeking a camera that gives you lots of control and options as a photographer, the Sony HDR-AX 2000 won’t disappoint.

Click here to see the Sony HDR-AX2000 AVCHD Camcorder at the B&H Photo website.

Analysis of an Original Comedy Video.
This 2:46 video is an original production created by my class of second-year students back when I taught video at a small-town high school in Fairview, TN.   Go Yellow Jackets!

The subject of the video is one foremost on that age-group’s mind.  LOVE!

The assignment was simply to create something for Valentine’s Day.    From that, their minds whirred until they came up with this video of the intense, but short-lived romance between Betty Bonehead and Reginald Hinkersplit.

To help you come up with ideas for your own videos, I’m going to explain the process they went through, plus comment on both the positive and negative outcomes of their efforts. Learning to look critically at the work of others is a great way for you to grow as a video maker.

PRE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR CREATING THIS VIDEO

First, I had them brainstorm story lines.  ”Stories” are often best borrowed from real life, since life really is just one big complicated story!

So we sat around chatting about the topic of dating, sharing stories from personal knowledge.  We also brought up fantasies, both positive and negative.  What was their biggest fear about going on a date?

After sharing real and imagined stories, it was obvious which ones were the most funny, interesting and unusual.  The fantasy and fear stories were certainly wilder.  Video has to be wilder than life too or it gets boring so we wanted to come up with something reasonably plausible, but still fun enough for other people to care and watch.

Embarrassment was definitely one of the recurring themes.  Since there are ten zillion ways to get embarrassed on a date, we knew that would resonate with the audience.   Being the fuddy-duddy teacher, I had to remind them that most viewers DO NOT want to see something like puking, so I told them to come up with a toned-down alternative to that embarrassing event!

The idea for getting jalapeno pepper juice in the eye was put forth as something that would still be embarrassing but not nearly as gross.  OK.  Now we had the event, but an event by itself does not make a fullfledged story.

In addition to being embarrassing, I suggested we make it the basis of a total misunderstanding, and hence the conflict of the story.  Stories are built upon incidents which lead to the characters reacting, which then leads you to you next incidents. Conflict is essential for any story and often comes about when people disagree and see things from their own perspective.

So we discussed different reactions to the guy getting the stinging juice in his eye.  Their immediate reaction was to think the girl could be sympathetic and say, “Oh honey, I am so sorry you’re hurt let me take care of you.”  I pointed out that reaction would not really lead to any conflict though.   That reaction would lead to their romance blossoming, which was not the direction they wanted the story to go.  So they thought harder and decided the girl needed to take his behavior personally and become offended.

What kind of girl would do that?   Smart young adults that they were, they recognized that any gal who would take it personally when her date suffered eye burn was hopelessly narcissistic and probably even stupid.  Betty Bonehead was born! (Played by Sarah, who was very sweet.)

Betty’s character determined what Sarah wore and what kind of background we made for her interview shot.  It determined the word choice and train of thought used in writing her dialogue.   Once you have character down, writing the script becomes easy because you can just imagine what such a person would say.

Story conflict is enabled more easily if you have characters who contrast each other.  As a contrast to Betty, the kids decided the male on the date would be a really nice guy.  The innocent victim of circumstance.  The starry-eyed lover who was NEVER going to figure out why the Queen of Hearts is so fickle!    Reginald Hickersplit seemed like an appropriate name. (Played by Mark.)

Then, to round out the story, they decided to create a villain who takes advantage at the victim’s expense!  Conveniently, they decided to make that the waiter at the restaurant where are two love birds were cooing. (Played by Cody.)

With the basic story and all three characters formed, the next step was to write a script that filled in all the details.  The details  include the show format and precisely what video will be shot and where.

SHOW FORMAT:

There are an infinite number of ways to tell a story on video.  I talk a lot about storytelling elements for video.  Producing a video is basically a process of gathering all the storytelling elements you want to use.  What video, what audio?

Format, or the basic structure of the finished video, helps you make those decisions.    For the sake of visual variety, we decided on a format of cutting back and forth between live action of the date and interviews with the characters’ perspective after the date was over.  That was clearly going to be a more efficient way to tell the story than just live action of the date.

This meant we need to shoot interviews with the two main characters and also shoot the actual date.  We shot the interviews in the studio where we had full and easy control of the lighting, sound, and so forth.   We shot the restaurant scene at the local pizza parlor that was owned by a friend of a friend.

The soundbites for the interviews were written out precisely because they were used at the main driver of the “real” story.  The chit-chat on the date was ad-lib and written out as instructions to flirt and act overly lovey-dovey to the point of silliness. The dialogue of lesser importance was ad-libbed for the sake of ease and expediency.  Ad-libbing can be so much faster and sometimes lead to great creativity.  Hammering out a word-for-word script by committee leads to time-consuming arguments. I mean discussions.

Problem is, ad-libbing leads to wandering stories that never make the point.   So we combined the two methods.

THE PRODUCTION PHASE

After all this brainstorming and planning, they did the actual videotaping.  Both of the interviews were professionally lit with four-point lighting, which is a variation of triangle lighting with one more added for background enhancement.  The lighting on the interviews is exquisite.  Only real flaw is they did not come up with anything good for Regie’s background so we used the inappropriate flower.  Oh well, no video is perfect.

The pizza parlor was hard to light and it shows.  There was no real way to get away from the windows behind them because of the layout of the room.  It took tons of front light to combat the back light from the windows.  It was one of those environments that just sucks the light up no matter how much you seem to pour at it.  The shadows are terrible because we had to pour so much direct light on the scene to combat the windows.

Getting decent audio when all three characters were on screen was hard because we only had the capacity for two mics!  Plus, they were wired lavalier mics. It was impossible to  hide the cords on the wide shot.  So we used a boom mic for those shots and had the kids SHOUT REAL LOUD!    It worked ok, but the line “Dump the zero and go with the hero!” said by the waiter when he’s running off with the chick is not heard well.  That was a pivotal line!  Cody had to make sure to face the boom microphone when he said the line. Look closely.  His movement is a bit awkward there because he can not run away with the girl and face the mic at the same time!

POST-PRODUCTION TRICKS

The students edited this video using Final Cut Pro.  Post-production enhancements included making the date video black and white but keeping the soundbite video in color. This contrast is a fairly common technique dating back to the Wizard of Oz. (They actually did it because the bean counters were screaming.) The video is turned black and white using the desaturation filter, saturation referring to chroma (color) saturation.

The date video was also enhanced with a soft focus look that theoretically makes the video look more like film. This is done with a composite effect. The exact same shot is duplicated and put on video lines 1 and 2.  Both are made B&W. The bottom line is given a Gaussian blur filter that takes it slightly out of focus.  The top line has the contrast blown out.   When you composite the two video lines gives the final effect.

WHAT THEY DID RIGHT

First off, they got the dang thing done.   We used to have a saying at the TV station where I worked, “It’s better than good, it’s DONE!”

Oh, so true!

In order to get it done in the time allotted, the students had to be eliminate some of their ideas.   At first they wanted to do several other stories like the one above with different characters and story lines.  Well, creating that much video proved to be too much.  Just like most of us have eyes bigger than our tummies at Thanksgiving, many novice video producers have unrealistic expectations about the length of time needed to make a professional quality video.

For their level of expertise, I think this video has many positive points. The writing, lighting, staging, directing and editing all have significant merit. Some of the acting is good and some is not. Sarah was just too sweet of a girl to act that narcissistic. She kept giggling when she was supposed to be getting huffy. Mark’s writhing performance was a tad over dramatic perhaps, but awfully funny.  This is the same boy who once purposely lit his hair on fire with one of our tungsten lamps.  Oh, the joys of teenagers.

WHAT THEY DID WRONG

Personally, I think most everything is top notch except for one killer.

THE PACING.  It is way too SLOW.

Movies and videos always move much faster than real life. They have to, otherwise they get boring. This video moves more like real life. The pacing of the dialogue, the pauses and hesitations happen every day and no one notices.  Do the same thing on video and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Reality is just too slow for video!

What’s your opinion? As you watch, what do you think works?  What doesn’t work?  What would you have done differently?  Contemplating the work of others is a good way to grow as a video maker because you can learn from their experiences.

Let me share one more common saying with video making is:   “You’re never DONE with a video, you just stop working on it!”

Another truism!  This video has been in the can for several years, and I sure do not have time to fix its flaws. It’s always helpful to critique and learn from past videos, but from a practical standpoint, it’s a wrap!

Thanks for reading VPT.

Lorraine Grula
Internet Video Gal

That technique turned out to be so popular, YouTube added something they are calling Search On, which is an incredibly easy-to-use video creation feature that pulls together  screen shots and edits them together with a selection of music.  Here’s an example that took me just a few minutes to make.

This Search On video about Niche Celeb, the online video program I am currently promoting created by the McFadden Brothers and their dad, actor Thom McFadden.  With the use of the dramatic music, I think it makes a fairly watchable and effective video ad for the program.

Simple screen cast videos like this can be extremely effective.  Now, with YouTubes new Search On Video Creator function, any short search video is super easy to create.  You don’t need any software, just a YouTube account.  Here are the simple steps you take to creater a video like this yourself.

To use the Search On YouTube video creator, click here.

Once you get to that page, click where it says “create your own” and you’ll be taken to a page where you can enter in whatever keywords you want.  Then you can indicate whether you want your screen capture image to be of a general web search, an image search, maps, blogs, or whatever.  This helps give your video some visual variety.

You’ll get a preview of your screen shot so you can see if it says what you need it to say.  If not, just change your keywords or the type of search.

When you’ve entered in all the search terms you want, click next and some music selections will pop up.  You can listen and then make a selection.

Click next and your video will be rendered.  If you like it, YouTube has made it easy to share on Twitter or Facebook and a handful of other places.   You can also grab the embed code or link code.

The whole process takes about two minutes and costs you nothing.  Considering that, the result is pretty incredible if you ask me!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

In all the many years I produced television and videos, I have always been a behind-the-scenes gal.    I was the videographer, tape editor and/or field producer and scriptwriter.

I left that on-camera stuff to the ones who actually enjoy wearing make-up and hair spray.

Now, one of the “drawbacks” to being a behind-the-scenes person is we usually lose out on all the glory.  The audience never really stops to think that anyone other than the people they see had anything to do with the video.

That’s OK by me.  Actually preferred it that way.  I am in no way, shape, or form, a glory seeker.  Besides, I definitely like being anonymous out in public.  On-camera people always have to be ready with the face goo and hair paste.  (My terms for make-up and hair spray!)

Let ‘em have the glory.  What drove me nuts was they made so dang much more money than I did!

I had to face facts.  Appearing on camera is generally more lucrative, whether you are working in broadcasting or using online video.

The #1 reason people give about why they procrastinate and never make the online videos they want to, is because they hate the thought of being on camera!

Trust me, I know the feeling.

I managed to get over it. There’s money on the table folks!

Today I can sit down in front of the camera and not be any more nervous than I ever was behind the camera. It helps to know that I am in total control and can reject anything I want. I’m also confident that the lighting, background and yes my HAIR look as good as possible under the circumstances. I hate hairspray but sometimes you just gotta sacrifice. I read through the script several times out loud and practice before bothering to turn on the camera.

If you’d like to hear more on this topic, drop me an email!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

Sincerely,

Lorraine Grula

It’s an online video competition they’re calling the Google Demo Slam.

I’m seeing signs of it all over the web so obviously it’s become quite popular.

Anyone over 18 can enter a video they have created themselves by uploading it to You Tube.

The subject of the video entry has to be one of  Google’s new  services.  There’s about a dozen to choose from.  Google’s demo slam website has brief talking head videos explaining those services.  The basic talking head format is good to quickly give the viewer (that’s YOU!) the information you need to understand the services well enough to construct a clever story around them.

Next step is for you to become creative with a camera.  Tell the most entertaining story you can about the Google service you choose to highlight.  Storytelling is the key here, you have to be clever.  Entries have to be much more than a simple talking head!

Please note that does not necessarily translate into technically sophisticated.  You do not have to have the most expensive and fanciest tools to win!  Appealing creativity is much more important for something like this.

Storytelling on video includes using themes, characters, visual sequences, humor, gimmicks,  visual analogies and a number of other elements.  The video production techniques can still be simple, but you need to get creative here.

If you watch the ones already submitted that will probably help you get some good ideas.

Google has set up a website where folks can easily judge and vote on their favorite.     The competition is laid out as a battle between two videos at a time.  Each week another two new videos battle it out.

This is a good strategy for building momentum based on dramatic anticipation and repeatable viewer involvement.  You can vote each week.

No monetary prizes are given, instead selected video producers get the recognition that comes with having your video in the competition, which no doubt is considerable.

Now let’s take a second to analyze what they’ve done to make this successful from the get-go.

• They get tons of people involved through the competition aspect.
• They get tons of  FREE creative input explaining their new services.  Plain people talking to plain people.
• Since tons of people are watching these memorable demonstrations, their confusing array of new Google products goes from zero consumer recognition to high consumer recognition.

BINGO!  That’s the whole point.

How much did Google spend to have all these videos produced?

Not a dang thing!  Now of course they set up the Demo Slam website and coordinated the whole campaign but the videos themselves are created free of charge by willing video producers world-wide.

There are not any monetary prizes, it is all done for the love of attention.  Winners get featured in the Hall of Demo Slam champions.  No big prize check forthcoming!

That doesn’t stop people from entering and putting huge amounts of effort into their entry.

RECIPE FOR VIRAL

Video producers show off their stuff by entering.  They encourage their friends and families to vote for their video.  Friends and family encourage everyone they know to pass the video on to everyone they know… who then pass it on to everyone they know….

The core basics of a viral video campaign are woven into the entire concept driving the Google Demo Slam.

Corey Christiansen is the social media director with M80, a company Google outsourced the campaign’s social media marketing to.    He had this to say about the motivation behind event.

“As far as Google’s objectives with Demo Slam- Google makes thousands of free technologies, but a lot of people don’t even know about them. We thought organizing the world’s most creative tech demo battle would be a great way to help educate people about what’s available and the many uses for each technology.”

Whether you want to make a video for the competition or just go watch the goofy things other folks have come up with, here’s the link again to visit the Google Demo Slam website.  There you will find all the rules for entering and you can vote for your favorites.

Thanks for being a Video Production Tips reader!

Lorraine Grula

If you’d like assistance designing your own video marketing campaign, contact me for personal consultation.