| Hey, there is a new category called "Videos" to post about videos.
Speaking of videos, I am slowly gearing up to produce a series of dharma videos if all goes well, as I notice myself watching a reasonable number of mostly YouTube but also Vimeo videos and thought that I should create more than the two Vimeo videos I created some years ago.
I spend my whole MCTB author's check for this half year on a very good short shotgun microphone (Sennheizer MHK 8060 for those serious mic geeks in the crowd, which will go into a just-purchased Apogee One iPad/Mac version) for creating said dharma videos so that they will have good audio (I was a sound man for 6 years so bad audio grates upon my nerves), but the author's check wasn't enough for the full setup, which will involve getting some LED lights and possibly a camera, though we'll see if my iPad 9.7" Pro is good enough with proper lighting, so currently trying to figure out how much is the right amount to spend. Otherwise, pondering a GX7ii vs a Canon XA30, for those who know what those are, but would prefer to not spend the extra cash right now if I don't have to, as well as appreciating the portability of my iPad in comparison to those.
There is this side of me that thinks, "I should get over this perfectionism and just go for simple and easy, shooting everything on my old iPhone 6S holding it in my hand lit by my houshold lights without editing using my cheap Rhode iPhone lavalier and post directly from my phone like a low-budget vlogger and so as to maximize the volume of material I can get out there."
The other side of me thinks, "You aren't a kid, and quality production helps support the message, gains respect and avoids the distractions that poor production produces, so take your time, get an adequate rig together, and then create carefully crafted videos that you will be happy with and that will be a match for the level of importance of the topic being covered."
What may happen in reality is a mix of both options, perhaps labeled as such. Thoughts?
For those who like the technical details, will likely buy a lighting kit from B&H Photo called a Dracast LED500 S-Series Three Light Kit (for Key, Fill and Hair lights, not that I have much hair anymore, so more of a fuzz light really...). Ideas?
If I shoot on the iPad Pro, will likely do my editing in LumaFusion, which is a remarkable app for the price, or, if I end up getting a camera I can shoot tethered to my iMac, will use Final Cut Pro X and Logic for the sound effects, if any.
Thoughts on making them funny and down to earth vs making them more pro-educational and serious? It will be hard for me to do anything completely dry without some work, given my personality, but ideas on what might be most helpful and useful are welcome.
I have been watching loads of YouTube videos on production, lighting, editing, and the like, but the more I watch the more I realize that it is really, really complicated to do very well, though it can be done pretty well without that much hassle so long as one pays attention to detail.
Thoughts? Helpful hints? Topics you would like to see videos on? This is an exciting new adventure in a relatively new medium for me, so advice by those who know well will be much appreciated, as I am a relative novice in this regard.
Video #1 will be on candle flame meditation if all goes well, though I am realizing that shooting a candle flame in video can be a bit complicated depending on how good one wants it to look. |