Putting the YOU in

Victor Villegas, ECTU

Jeff Hino, EESC

Master Gardener Video Production

(Do It Yourself)

...it’s all about

DIY

It’s all about storytelling.

What do you think?

Examples of Gardening

Videos on YouTube

The Camera..er... phone?

• Do you already have a sufficient camera?

• Practice with your camera app...get to know it well.

• Other apps might be available...and have more features

Camera Models• Smartphones, i.e., iPhone (4, 4S, 5, 6 etc.)

• Kodak ZI8 and Flip (HD) - available for checkout at ECTU

• Canon PowerShot series

• Panasonic Lumix

• DSLRs

Camera Accessories

• Additional lens: zoom, wide, macro

• Tripods

Getting Good Video• Beware of camera movement and zooms

– Avoid zooming altogether…

• Video is always more interesting when the action takes place

in the frame rather than when the frame is moving around the

action.

• Break the “eye-level” habit. Get Creative!!

• Keep your story firmly in mind as you shoot

• Be creative!

Composition• Before recording, make sure your shot is framed

nicely.

• 'Rule of Thirds’

Lighting• Make the best of natural lighting

• Shoot in a well-lit area

• Avoid bright light (sun) behind a subject

• Gardeners often wear baseball caps which shades their face.

Avoid this...and sunglasses (Mr. Evil.)

• Plan for appropriate lighting in your production planning. How

will pm or am light affect your video piece? Overcast days are

the best!

Camera Movement in Video

• Do you NEED to?

• Pan very slowly—& have a reason for it!

• Avoid zooming; video quality is poor

• Take a shot, leave it on subject for 10-20 seconds. To move

to another location, stop the recording, move the camera,

and then take the other shot.

Getting Good “B-Roll”

What is it and why?

Needed for editing

Helps to tell the story

Identify shots related to story or action

Shoot sequences

Be creative in shots

The U.S. Army Video MethodGetting Good Video

• Establish

• Establish

• Medium shot

• Establish

• Medium shot

• Closeup

• Establish

• Medium shot

• Closeup

• Re-establish

The U.S. Army Video Method

• Establish

• Medium shot

• Closeup

• Re-establish

Audio Problems

• Poor quality microphone

• Subject not close enough

• Too much background noise

Audio Solutions

• Capture audio separate from video

• Shoot audio in protected location

• Use an external microphone

Interviews• Use voice over? Or do you need to hear the story

from the interviewee?

• Draft good interview questions

• Make them comfortable

• Get name with spelling, and location/title on audio

• Composition of a talking head - off-axis;

backgrounds

• Common issues --too long of an answer! No context

Interviews (cont.)• Interviewers don’t need to be in the shot, stand next to the

camera.

• Remember to leave plenty of space in the shot to allow

interviewee to move naturally and nod...so they won't slip out

of the shot.

• Ask speaker to pause between ideas

• Start shooting a few seconds before talking and leave a few

seconds of dead air after.

It’s Your Turn!

Time to Make Your YouTube

• Editing demo from Jeff & Victor

• Upload your video to YouTube

• Brown Bag View & Critique

Editing

Using iMovie...a demonstration.

Uploading To

All posts to Lane MG YouTube channel must

be approved prior to going public.

• Submit to LMG YouTube as “Private”

• Once approved, it will be changed to

“Public”

Uploading to YouTube

...another demonstration.

It’s Your Turn!

Time to Make Your YouTube

• Break into groups of 3-4

• Decide on a simple gardening topic

• Plan for your video shoot– Goal ---what one thing should viewers recall?

– Shot list ---think visual storytelling

– Simple on-camera dialog and/or interview

It’s Your Turn!

Time to Make Your YouTube

• Determine site, tools, props needed

• Assign roles: – camera person

– on-camera talent

– director

• Shoot in sequence to minimize editing

If You Remember Nothing Else...

• Avoid unnecessary camera movement

• Get good sound

• Get close to the action

• Vary angles and distances

• Always think “STORY”

• Give proper credit

Homework• Get to know your app

• Film someone talking

– Test out your camera's microphone:

– film someone talking at different distances

• Film moving footage

• Film something still by panning

• Watch how they shoot & edit tv shows

• Make a video and upload it to your YouTube account!