Get Seen E-Book

Steve Garfield

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: New Rules Social Media Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 359

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

The era of online video has arrived--now make it work for your business In the last year, the world of online video exploded. Hollywood got into the game, professional actors and writers joined in, and independent producers looked to find their niche. Now, companies are wide awake to the opportunities for product and brand promotion as well as customer engagement. So how do you want to fit into the new online video universe? The must-have guide, Get Seen by Steve Garfield, the "Paul Revere of video blogging," offers a quick and complete toolkit to get you up to speed on the latest that online video and related media have to offer. * Examines success stories of how companies have used online video * Presents a series of plans and tools that businesses can follow as they expand onto the social web * Provides clear step by step directions on how to record, edit, and export videos, where to post them, how to build a community around their content, and what to do to increase views by making it go viral If you're ready to take full advantage of online video's many benefits, Get Seen is the one resource you need.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

What Is Videoblogging?

Why Put Video on the Web?

Who Are the Right People to Start Video Blogging?

Hearing from Successful People

Who Should Be Using This Book and Why?

The Early Days of Video

Strategy

Learning from Others

Hey, I Feel Like I Already Know You

Creating

Chapter 1 - Choosing a Camera

Choosing the Best Camera for Your Needs

Pocket Video Cameras

Pocket Camera Summary

Other Options: Pocket Video Cameras

Higher End Video Cameras

Other Options: Cell Phone Cameras

Other Options: 35mm and Micro Four Thirds Cameras

Chapter 2 - Lighting and Sound

Lighting

Sound

Chapter 3 - Making Videos Without a Video Camera

Make a Screencast

Make a Video Slideshow with iPhoto

Make a Photo Slideshow with Animoto

Make Robots Do Your Bidding and Talk for You

Remix, Reuse, Recycle

Chapter 4 - Recording and Shooting

Be Like the Web Video Stars and Use a Webcam

Quick Capture

Talking Heads: Recording a Skype Video Chat

Great Video, Simple Techniques

Rule of Thirds

Keep the End Result in Mind

The Interview

Tripods and Monopods

Shooting Tips

Chapter 5 - Editing

Why Not Edit?

Shoot for the Edit

In Camera Edits

Types of Edits

Quick and Easy Cut and Paste Editing with QuickTime Pro

Editing a Flip Video with FlipShare

Editing Software for Mac Users—iMovie

iMovie YouTube Direct Upload—No Waiting

Exporting for Upload Elsewhere

Sending a Video to CNN’s iReport

Exporting HD with iMovie 09

Advanced Video Editing for Mac Users Final Cut Pro

Online Resource for Free Final Cut Training

Roxio Creator

Editing without Editing: Animoto for Video

Music

Sharing

Chapter 6 - Uploading

Sharing Your Video Online

Uploading Video to YouTube

Uploading Video to Facebook

Uploading Flip Video to YouTube

Uploading Video to Flickr

Uploading Video to Blip.tv

Viddler

Vimeo

Kaltura

Eye-Fi Explore Video Card

Expanding Your Viewership

Watching Videos with iTunes

Finding Videos in the iTunes Store

Secrets to Getting Featured on the iTunes Store

Licensing: Creative Commons

Want to Get More Views? Put Your Video on More Than One Site

Internet-Based Video Networks

Going Viral

Building Community One of the many reasons people choose to put video on the ...

Interacting with Your Audience

Charging for Content

Choices

Chapter 7 - Broadcasting Live

A Stream of Information

Live from a Cell Phone—Qik: Stories

Camera Operation

Qik: How To

Stream Live from Your Mobile Phone with Ustream

Stream Live from a Webcam with Ustream

You on TV—Cable News Goes Live at CNN.com/LIVE

A TV Station in Your Computer—Livestream

Livestream How To: Webcaster SETTING UP LIVESTREAM

Livestream How To: Livestream Studio

Livestream How To: ProCaster

Livestream and Ustream with Telestream Wirecast

Multiple People in a Video Chat

Chapter 8 - Video Blogging—Why You Might Want a Blog

What Is a Blog?

Oprah’s on Facebook!

Everyone Is on Facebook

A Transport Mechanism

Starting Your Blog

More Ways to Post YouTube Videos on Your Blog

Enhancing Your Blog

Thoughts On: Creating a Blog with Wordpress.com

Thoughts On: Creating a Blog with Wordpress.org

Thoughts On: Creating a Blog with TypePad

Thoughts On: Creating a Web Site with iWeb

Make It Easy for Your Audience to Sit Back and Watch Videos

Interviews

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index

Copyright © 2010 by Steve Garfield. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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eISBN : 978-0-470-60642-1

This book is for Carol, my co-host in life and ofThe Carol and Steve Show.

Foreword

For marketers like me, the frustration of relying exclusively on expensive advertising and of trying to convince the media to pay attention is long gone. Yes, mainstream media are still important, but today the better way to get seen is to create something compelling and publish it on the Web for free.

All people and organizations—political candidates, nonprofits, rock bands, independent consultants, educational institutions, companies large and small—possess, via the Web, the power to elevate themselves to a position of importance. In the new marketplace of ideas, organizations deliver the right information to buyers, just at the time when they are most receptive to the information.

The tools at our disposal as marketers include all kinds of web-based media that can deliver our own thoughtful and informative content. These media include web sites, blogs, e-books, white papers, images, photos, audio content, games, and even virtual reality. Organizations gain credibility and loyalty with buyers through content, and smart marketers now think and act like publishers in order to create and deliver content targeted directly at their audience.

One of the most powerful and effective forms of online content is video. But you must already know that, because you’ve picked up this book!

For the past year, I’ve been obsessed with creating videos. I use a Flip video camera, a small and inexpensive digital video recorder that I take with me everywhere. I never know where or when a great video interview opportunity might present itself. I was certainly glad I had my Flip camera when I interviewed Amanda Palmer, lead singer for the punk band The Dresden Dolls. And when I met Fritz Henderson, CEO of General Motors. There are also many occasions when I realize an idea will be best expressed on video, as in my short clip “Do you sell camels?,” which I filmed outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“This is Steve Garfield from .”

Each time I hear Steve’s signature opening, a smile crosses my face, because I know the video he is introducing will be both interesting and entertaining. Steve is a pioneer. He started combining his blog with video clips way back in early 2004 (before YouTube). At the time his hybrid was a bit strange. But it was something new and revolutionary, and he was among the first to do it.

Some four years later, Steve’s citizen journalism during the U.S. presidential election was seen by thousands of people. Then CNN found him. They put his content on television and on the popular CNN.com web site, and then it was seen by millions. You see, self-publishing your video on the Web is to Get Seen. As Steve shows in this book, quality web video can earn you a huge audience. Video can tell a story, and it has great potential for applications in citizen journalism, marketing, or simply sharing moments of your life with the circle of people who are important to you.

Steve showed me just how damn easy it is to get going. I freely admit that I’m a technical dummy. I wouldn’t know a line of HTML if it bit me on the butt. But Steve shares how even a technophobe like me can shoot a great video and post it online for the world to see. I now do videos nearly every week. Some have been seen thousands of times. Steve created a monster (a good one) in me, and he’ll do the same for you!

But this book is packed with much more than just basics for beginners. Steve digs into details that will benefit even veteran video experts who want to hone their online video efforts. I’m thinking in particular of his treatment of camera choice, lighting, sound, and distribution platforms, but this list just scratches the surface.

I love that Steve has written the book like a really big blog post. It’s accessible and practical and it reads like something you’d study for fun rather than for work. Steve delivers it all in a blogger style that says: “I gotta keep your interest or I know that you’ll click away to somewhere else.”

The new publishing model on the Web is not about hype or spin or messages. It is about delivering valuable content when and where it is needed and, in the process, branding you or your organization as a leader. Perhaps more than any other medium, video can help you do all this (and much more).

So grab your camera, start recording, and remember to have fun!

David Meerman Scott Businessweek bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PRwww.WebInkNow.comtwitter.com/dmscot

Introduction

. . . this land we’ve all been harvesting for the past decade (not forgetting the early days of dial-up and streaming videos) is full of intensely passionate people. Whether it’s the actor/director/writer who can’t get a job in traditional Hollywood, the entrepreneur who is using video to promote their work, the artist experimenting with the form itself, the activist using video to bring a cause to light, or the new mom sending video of her newborn to family and friends—we all have the ability to tell our story.

—Zadi Diaz, new media producer and co-founder of Smashface Productions, 1st Annual Streamy Awards: Once in a Lifetime1

Hi everyone, this is Steve Garfield from SteveGarfield.com.2 I’m here in my book. Thanks for reading.

Video is everywhere. It permeates many aspects of our lives every day. The ability to record video is as easy as pushing a button on any number of devices. Because of this ease and availability, video can be a powerful tool for you and your business.

I am one of the first bloggers to figure out how to put video on a blog. I had been producing videos and blogging for years, but never had put video on my blog and had never seen anyone else do it either.

On January 1, 2004, I created Steve Garfield’s Video Blog.3

I visited Apple.com and learned how to utilize the language of the Web, HTML, to enable me to embed a video and link to it from within a blog post. I became part of a community of video bloggers, and have been sharing my knowledge online and in classes and workshops ever since.

This book will demystify that process of recording and sharing video. It’s a lot easier now than it was back in 2004. There are so many ways to do it. I’ll share some of the tools you can use to capture video, and once you’ve got the video, show you where you should put it.

This book also encompasses the knowledge of other online video pioneers who are figuring out how to be successful telling stories and establishing a following. I’ve interviewed these successful people who are using video in many different ways. Read their stories, then follow my step-by-step guides that show you how you can follow their lead.

Since starting my video blog on January 1, 2004, I’ve watched online video grow into something I could never have imagined. It’s time for a new handbook to review how people have become successful, and share with you the tools you’ll need to use today.

What Is Videoblogging?

The technical definition of video blogging is video on a blog. Blogging allows anyone with access to a computer the ability to have their thoughts seen and shared. Video blogging just adds a video component.

People want to share their stories.

You can share your stories on the Web by using text, audio, photos, and video. Compelling videos can enhance engagement and prompt people to participate. This participation can range from leaving a comment on someone else’s video to becoming part of a campaign to elect the president of the United States by shooting and sharing a video with a Flip camera.

Secret: Your video does not have to be professionally produced to be successful and tell a story.

Video blogging opened up the ability to share videos with others, just like blogging allowed people to easily share stories.

Cable TV has a finite audience and once your video is shown, it’s gone. How do viewers give you feedback? Write to the station? Doesn’t happen.

With new media a new two-way engagement is possible.

When you take a look at the video landscape there are many genres that make up video on the Web.

GET SEEN: The Secret to Online Video is to create good content.

Good content gets viewed, commented on, and passed around. In this book I show you many different ways to create great content.

Even if you don’t want to be seen on camera, you can create impressive web video.

Why Put Video on the Web?

Video allows you to tell a much richer story than you ever could with just words or pictures alone. Video enables you to engage the viewer emotionally. It’s the same reason why TV became popular—video stimulates more of your senses.

One of the most important powers of video is the ability to make a connection with a viewer. As a longtime video blogger, I’ve seen viewers feel like they actually get to know you on a much more personal level than text or photos offer. You’ll see in my story how I became friends with Late Night star Jimmy Fallon.

Video enables you to tell a story and connect with people on a more personal level. Those people could end up being important to you and to your business. Let’s say that you post a video online and someone with 500,000 followers on Twitter reposts it; maybe someone on your local news station sees the video and broadcasts it; maybe Oprah or Ellen find it amusing and broadcast it to millions more. You can’t guarantee that will happen, but if you don’t put video out there, you can guarantee that it won’t.

Before putting video on the Web, you might want to set some goals to gauge your success. These could be as simple as counting the number of views, comments, or time spent viewing a video.

Video is just one part of a marketing plan. It fits certain messages and people better than others.

It doesn’t cost much to get started. You can start with an inexpensive video solution and spend more money as you progress if you like.

In my case, as time has gone on, my equipment has actually become less expensive and of greater quality.

Who Are the Right People to Start Video Blogging?

The right people to start video blogging are those with a passion to tell a story. One of the most passionate people out there right now telling stories with video is Gary Vaynerchuk. If you look up Gary Vaynerchuk on Google, the first entry to come up is Gary’s site with the description, “Gary Vaynerchuk’s place to talk about his passions, hustle, wine, and business.”45

Okay, so Gary wrote that description, but isn’t that what you want? To have the first result on Google be written by you?

Video blogging can help make that happen. Video blogging means putting video in a blog. When you do that you gain all the power of blogging.

GET SEEN: Add text to your video blog entries so that they are indexed by Google and show up in Google searches.

Let’s look at some examples of people who should be putting video online:

• A company that wants to tell a story.

• A journalist who wants to show the world an unfiltered video on something.

• An artist who wants to show her fans the creative process.

Hearing from Successful People

This book includes interviews with many people who are successful in online video. Read about their stories and the tools they use. Many times when you hear someone speaking at a conference, they generally talk about their video production. Then, invariably what happens is that someone comes up to the mic during the Q&A sessions and asks what kind of camera they use and what type of mic. I asked and they answered, so you see technical sections of some of the interviews in the book where you can hear exactly what these video producers use to make their videos. You can even think of it as a shopping list.

If you are inspired by one of the interviews, I include step-by-step guides to show you how to produce your own video that mirror the successful producers. So, if you’re interested in producing a live show, I show you how. Want to find out the fastest way to get started, I cover that, too.

Who Should Be Using This Book and Why?

If you or your company is considering putting video on the Web, you have many confusing options. It’s like trying to choose a color and type of stain for your deck. There are myriad color samples and transparencies to choose from.

I appreciate what the paint company wants to do by giving us all these choices, but it would be much easier if they offered a gallon of Mahogany Semi-Transparent stain on the shelf with the label that read, “This is our most popular and people like it!”

That’s what I’m going to review in the book. I show you a variety of video blogging styles, and then provide step-by-step instructions on how to use the best platforms.

You have many options for how to share your story. These options include recording video, broadcasting live video, recording screen casts, and displaying photo slides shows, to name a few.

GET SEEN: Your videos don’t have to have people in them. You can have successful videos that tell a story with words and pictures.

There’s also a mountain of video equipment choices that changes every day. I spend a lot of time on Twitter and e-mail helping people decide which camera they should buy. You have options that include using an existing point and shoot digital camera, cell phone, Flip camera, miniDV tape camera, hard drive camera, memory card camera, standard definition, HD, and the list goes on and on.

GET SEEN: Take a look to see if your digital still camera has a video option. If it does, you can start shooting web video with it right away.

There’s a wide variety of cameras, microphones, and other equipment available, however, depending on your plans, you can find the right equipment for you. I help you decide among the many camera choices out there by running through some popular models and telling you the pros and cons of different models. I also take a look at some microphone and lighting solutions.

The Early Days of Video

My experience in video production began with many years of volunteering at public access TV stations in the suburbs of Boston. During that time I was also very active in college radio. I pursued these interests “on the side” because my parents always wanted me to pursue a career in accounting.

My professional career has included jobs in programming, sales, marketing, and web development. While in those jobs, I continued to be involved in media. At one point I was producer of a morning radio show in Boston at the same time as being national marketing manager for a major computer distributor. I worked at the radio station from 3:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M., then went in to work at the computer distributor from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. I loved working at the radio station and took pride in my audio edits.

I finally combined my knowledge of computers and video editing in a job at a local HD video production company where I was an online editor, working with video producers to prepare HD footage for air on cable TV. No accounting experience was needed.

Around that same time I was also regularly producing online videos for my blog. Time magazine ran a story about video blogging that featured me, called “See Me, Blog Me.”6 The author, Jeffrey Ressner wrote, “someday anyone could conceivably mount original programming, bypassing the usual broadcast networks and cable outlets.” That day is here. I showed the article around the office. I then taught some of the producers I worked with how to set up a video blog. Ryan Hodson and Amy Carpenter were two of the people I trained. They went on to produce popular video blogs and continue to work in online video.

One of the most exciting aspects of the early days of online video was the difference between the reach of online video compared to video shown on cable TV. Online video had an unlimited audience with the added benefit of on-demand viewing and the ability to connect with the producer, be it via e-mail or comments on the video blog.

Strategy

This book contains many examples of successful implementations of a video strategy. Much like blogging, there are certain steps you can take to become successful.

Five steps to be successful:

1. Publish on a regular basis. This lets people know that they can expect new videos at a certain interval.

2. Set your videos free. Publish to more than one location. This lets your videos organically find their audience. You might get a loyal following on some smaller niche video sites, but those viewers could turn out to be your most ardent supporters who end up spreading the word about you. Also make sure your videos are easy to share by providing sharing features like embed codes, “tweet this” buttons, and “e-mail this” links.

3. Be real. Make videos about something that you are passionate about. Gary Vaynerchuk has become extremely popular by producing a daily show about wine. He’s an expert on that. He produces his show with one camera, one light, in one take. Web video can be produced at little cost. You can hire production crews or learn production to make your videos look like TV or Hollywood productions, and that’s fine, but you can also try to do something different. Give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work with you or your company. You can be real. Viewers will appreciate it.

4. Have a conversation. The immediacy of web video allows you to connect with your viewers. They’ll be able to comment back in many different ways including text, audio, photo, and video. Encourage that communication. Incorporate viewer content in your videos. The wisdom of the audience is great and you’ll be richer for sharing with them. Tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Seesmic allow you to engage in rich communication.

5. Listen. Even more important than focusing on your message, listen to the market. Listen to your customers. Listen to your audience to see what they are saying. See what they want and provide that. See what they want to share and help them get seen.

Learning from Others

This book is set up to teach what the best are doing in video blogging. I have interviewed the best video producers and included those interviews here. Many of the interviews were recorded on video and are available on the book web site.7

You can read about their stories and the tools they use. While many people were putting video on the Web prior to embedding it in blogs, this book covers how to effectively use video in the video blogging space. I asked how they did it, and they answered, so you learn about the technical aspects of exactly what these video producers use to make their videos. You can think of them as potential shopping lists.

One thing to keep in mind: Posting video to the Web is more than just putting video on a web page. Your video can be a conversation starter. Take part. Have fun.

Let me know how you are doing.

Visit SteveGarfield.com8 and join the online conversation about topics covered in this book. Ask questions and share your own videos and experiences.

I have links to online sites, examples, and equipment you can use to get started in online video.

See you online.

Enjoy!

Steve Garfield SteveGarfield.comtwitter.com/stevegarfield

Hey, I Feel Like I Already Know You

One of the most compelling reasons to use video to communicate ideas is the sense of familiarity it creates.

That’s me and Jimmy Fallon! (See Figure FM.1.)

Interview: Jimmy Fallon—Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Figure FM.1Steve and Jimmy at CES Las Vegas

WHAT DOES JIMMY FALLON KNOW ABOUT BLOGGING?

Jimmy Fallon started a video blog as he prepared to start hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was a 2009 Emmy® Award winner for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media and Fallon was recognized with a Webby award in 2009 as Person of the Year9 for actively engaging with his audience online.

With the help of co-producer Gavin Purcell, Fallon began using social media tools like Twitter, 10 Twitpic, and video blogging, and has been using them to communicate with his fans in much the same way as Barack Obama11 and Ashton Kutcher.12

From the start, Fallon’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon video blog was authentic and personal—a perfect example of how to start a conversation on the Web. Fallon produced one video a day from the beginning of the video blog up until his premiere show.

Since the video blog was interactive, I posted a text comment about how he was using the word video blog incorrectly. Fallon was saying that he was going to make a new video blog every day. What he was actually doing was making a new post, which included a video to his video blog every day. Fallon called me out in his first video that answered some of the text comments he received.13 He thanked me for writing in and said that he would now use the word video blog correctly.

The next week, Fallon asked for videos. I sent in a video and asked: “It’s great to see you video blogging, I love the behind-the-scenes stuff and I’m excited about the possibility of you including content from the people formally known as the audience . What are you going to do with that, how are you going to include us?”

In his first video, answering video comments, Fallon responded to my video, referring to me as “Steve Garfield, our old pal.”14

He said: “Thanks, that’s a good question, Steve Garfield. We want to include the audience as much as we can. . . . This will carry over to our show . . . I think it’s awesome. Whatever’s coming out, however we can incorporate technology with the audience, and our show, you will be on the show. Good question.”

It was exciting.

Fallon also embraced Twitter, and actually used it, even using twitpic to send in photos from his iPhone. Really groundbreaking stuff from someone whose career was in traditional media and was about to have a nightly TV talk show.

Social media is more than just a way to get followers, though, it’s a way to establish or expand interaction.

When Fallon and I finally met at CES in Las Vegas,15 he felt like he knew me, and I felt like I knew him (see Figure FM.1). That’s what can happen when you become active in social media, particularly with video on the Web.

When we met and I interviewed him on video, I captured the moment of recognition—the moment he said that he felt like he already knew me. That’s one of the most powerful features of online video—it connects people in the most personal of ways.

Steve Garfield: You’ve embraced the Internet and not too many people who have TV shows actually talk to their viewers. What do you feel about that?

Jimmy Fallon: It’s been really fun. I have to be honest, it’s like really fun. I’ve always like done little things here and there, you know, I jumped on people’s Facebooks here and there or did these quick little things, but I never really jumped right in until we hired Gavin Purcell who was this mastermind, came from a television show you might know called “Attack of the Show” and he was like, “Dude, I got to set you up with Facebook and Twitter.” He mentioned like four other different things. We’re doing Digg—just seeing what the Internet is capable of. Right now technology is so good. I think right now it’s almost peaking. I think it’s still good right now and then you come to the show like this and you realize, “We’ve got a long way to go,” but I mean right now, it’s so much fun. You get to hear comments from people who tell you that, “You say the word um too many times,” and you go, “Oh, yeah, I guess I do.”

Steve Garfield: How do you think that your show is going to change things?

Jimmy Fallon: What’s cool about it now is that we’re coming in at like the ground floor so no one else is doing this right now. We’re trying all different things. We’re doing Twitter, we’re doing Facebook, we’re doing Digg, we’re just going around and we have latenightwithjimmyfallon.com where we’re just answering questions to your comments and we’re doing not only video comments but also your typed out comments, but we want to see how we can play and what we could do with it. I think there are a lot of things we can do. Please, check out www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com16and just check out our videos, check out the archives, comment, tell me what you think, good or bad. I want to hear anything you want to say and I’m open to ideas you have and I’m just so excited to get back to you.

Watch a video of the full interview.17

The story gets even better. I went to New York City for a business trip and let Jimmy know I was coming. He reserved me a VIP seat for the taping of his show. At the end of the show he invited me backstage. While we were chatting he asked if I wanted to shoot a video.

I used my Nokia N95-3 with Qik software to live stream an interview with Jimmy from his dressing room and the set.18

It all started with my comment on his video blog.

GET SEEN: When you watch a video on the Web, leave a comment. You never know where it might lead.

Creating

1

Choosing a Camera

Today, many still digital cameras have excellent video capabilities.

What camera should you use to shoot video? An easy way to start out is to answer this question: What camera do you have?

GET SEEN: Many people don’t know or have never tried out the video feature of their cell phones or digital still cameras. That’s a good place to start.

Many times I get into conversations with people who are interested in putting video on the Web, but are intimidated by all the camera choices (see Figure 1.1).

At a recent conference in Boston I started to review the differences between these choices with an attendee. We’ll call her Ellen, because that was her name.

Some cameras are easy to use and get started with, while others are expandable and provide more features. As we went down the list of cameras I asked Ellen if she had a camera. She did, and pulled an older model Kodak camera out of her bag. We looked at it and yes, it had a video setting. Ellen was thrilled and is going to use that camera to get started and learn about shooting video. Her existing camera might just be all she needs. Your camera might be all you need, too.

After you shoot some video with your camera, copy the video from your camera to your computer according to the manufacturers’ directions, and then you can post it to sites like YouTube and Facebook.

Figure 1.1iPhone 3GS, point-and-shoot, and pocket video cameras

Choosing the Best Camera for Your Needs

When I first started shooting video, it was with a Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph. It took movies at 320 × 240 and had a three-minute time limit. I used the camera for more than a year and never hit the limit because all my videos were short. I’d shoot little clips and then edit them together and post them online.

Now you have many more choices in both quality and shooting length.

SEVEN THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A CAMERA

1. Camera Size: How does the camera feel in your hands? Will you be comfortable shooting with it? Do you like a small or large camera? Do you want to carry a camera with you all the time, in your pocket? How large is the view screen? A larger screen makes it easier to shoot and review your footage.

2. Video Format: Do you want to shoot HD video? Consumer grade HD, AVCHD, or standard HD? Are you satisfied with standard resolution? Where is your final destination for the video? Online, Computer? DVD? TV? Do you want to be able to copy the files off the camera to edit them directly?

3. Sound: Is the on-camera microphone good enough for your needs? Do you want the ability to plug in an external microphone? Do you want a headphone jack to monitor sound as you shoot?

4. Tripod Mount: Do you want an option to be able to attach a tripod to keep the camera steady?

5. Expandability: Do you want to be able to replace the batteries and storage on the camera? Some cameras can only be recharged via USB while others support replaceable batteries. Where is the video stored? Internal memory, SD card, memory stick, hard disk, DVD, or tape?

6. Streaming: If you are interested in streaming live video, does the camera have video-out ports that allow you to stream? You need Firewire if you want to stream to a computer.

7. Price: What’s your price point? An inexpensive camera is a great way to get started. You can always decide to spend more for additional features later.

There are many choices out there in the market for video cameras. I review some of them here and touch on many different elements to consider.

I’ve also set up a community for the book at www.stevegarfield.com/getseen. . There you can join the discussions and share your experiences with cameras. As I say when speaking, the intelligence is in the room, and in this case, it’s with the readers. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. The camera market is always changing and we’ll be able to keep up with it in the Get Seen online community.

To help you narrow down your choices, you can also visit and check out David Pogue’s Pogue-O-Matic.19 It’s a fun web application.

Pocket Video Cameras

Let’s take a look at some selected pocket video cameras. The dollar signs following each camera indicate its relative cost.

THE FLIP—JUST PRESS A RED BUTTON TO RECORD—$

The Flip video camera revolutionized the way people shoot video. To record a video with the Flip video camera, you just press a red button. Very easy. That’s the key feature of the Flip, making it easy to record video. The Flip also comes with software, FlipShare, which also makes it easy to post a video to YouTube and MySpace. Facebook uploading was added in version 5.0.

The Flip Ultra and UltraHD models have replaceable batteries, the Mino and MinoHD do not. They are rechargeable.

It’s amazing how small the Flip MinoHD camera is. In day-to-day use, I’ve never run out of battery power.

Charging

Although the documentation says that charging takes about three hours, it took mine six hours for its first charge. At least that’s when the flashing light stopped blinking indicating a full charge. All Flips can be charged via USB or Power Adapter.

Versions of the Flip: Flip Ultra, Flip UltraHD, Flip Mino, Flip MinoHD 60 min, Flip MinoHD 120 min

Each Flip version starts to focus at a certain distance. It won’t be a problem when you are shooting video of someone else. It does become important when you want to shoot a video of yourself. Here are the different versions of the camera and starting focus distance.

Flip MinoHD 60 min—4’ 11.05” (1.5m)

Flip MinoHD 120 min—2’ 7.49” (.8m)

Flip Mino—3’ 3.37” (1m)

Flip UltraHD—4’ 11.05” (1.5m)

Flip Ultra—2’ 7.49” (0.8m)

In practice, with the Flip MinoHD, I’ve found that you can get closer than the 1.5m minimum distance, although you will notice that things in the background are more in focus than your interview subject if they are standing about three feet away from you.

With the Flip MinoHD it takes just three steps to put an HD-quality video on the Web.

Step 1: Record

Step 2: Save

Step 3: Send

The Flip is so small that you would think nothing of dropping it in your pocket, or purse, when running out for the day. One word of caution, some of the Flips have small video displays. The revised Flip minoHD, 120 min has a larger 2-inch display which makes it easier to see when you are filming and reviewing footage. If you have poor eyesight, make sure to consider a pocket video camera with a larger display.

Video Formats .AVI and .MP4

The Flip Mino saves videos in .AVI format while the Flip MinoHD saves files in .MP4. This becomes important depending on the editing software you will be using to edit your movies. If you use the included FlipShare software, you don’t need to be concerned about it.

The Flip could have become the fourth item in our morning mantra: keys, wallet, phone, flip—but then the iPhone added video and changed everything.

IPHONE 3GS—THE NEW MORNING MANTRA: KEYS, WALLET, IPHONE—$-$$

The iPhone 3GS will allow you to record and share moments online, right away. It’s convenient to have a video camera feature on your cell phone. You always have the ability to record a video, along with the added benefit of an onboard cell network or Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to share your video online.

The quality of the video, although not HD, is very good.

The iPhone 3GS does not have image stabilization in-built, so you have to do that yourself. I find that leaning the camera up against something like a pole or a wall works well.

Recording Video with an iPhone 3GS

Step 1: Open the Camera Application and switch to Movie mode.

Step 2: Press the red button to start recording your movie.

Step 3: Press the red button to stop recording.

Note: You can rotate the iPhone 3GS sideways and shoot a widescreen video.

When you go into the Camera app on the iPhone 3GS you can select Photo or Movie. Capture video at 30 frames per second, then you can optionally trim the video, and send it via E-mail, MMS, Send to Mobile Me, or Send to YouTube.

GET SEEN: Video on the iPhone 3GS is the new home movie.

GET SEEN: Let’s make this easy. If you want to share video online, get an iPhone 3GS, record a video and click, “Send to YouTube.”

GET SEEN: The quality of the iPhone 3GS audio and video, combined with direct upload to YouTube, changes everything.

GET SEEN: iPhone microphones improve audio quality. Brando Workshop makes a flexible mini capsule microphone that can be pointed at the person who is speaking. This works really well.

GET SEEN: The iPod nano shoots video but the lens is inconveniently placed at the bottom.

KODAK ZI8—REMOVABLE BATTERY, SD STORAGE, AND AUDIO—IN—$

The Kodak Zi8 has a number of features that make it stand out from other pocket cameras. It has built-in image stabilization, takes full HD 1080p video, and can record up to 10 hours of video when you add a 32GB memory card.

The Zi8 also has face detection that places emphasis on people so that when you are shooting someone, the camera adjusts the exposure and white balance to make sure that you get the best image of the subject.

The most impressive addition to the pocket camera market is an external stereo microphone jack. This feature allows you to attach an external microphone for better sound capture. There are many microphone options available and the one that Kodak has tested successfully is the Sony ECM-DS70P Electret Condenser Stereo Microphone.20 I’ve tested the Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone.21 It’s a very inexpensive high-quality mono microphone.

The Zi8 also comes with a Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable battery and supports removable storage on SD cards. You can charge up the phone via its USB jack. It also shoots still images at 5.3 MP.

In hands-on testing with the Kodak Zi8, I found that it was a fun and easy camera to use. I shot a number of outdoor test videos including cars at 720p 60 fps,22 cars at 1080p,23 and sunflowers24 to get a feel for the different recording modes. All the footage looks very good.

The 60 frames per second mode (fps) lets you capture fast moving action.

Here’s a list of formats that the Zi8 shoots in:

1080p (1920 × 1080, 30 fps)

720p/60 fps (1280 × 720, 60 fps)

720p (1280 × 720, 30 fps)

WVGA (848 × 480, 30 fps)

One thing to be aware of is the distance at which the camera is in focus, a little over 3 feet. So don’t get too close to your subject or they’ll be out of focus.

Macro mode focuses at 15 cm or about 6 inches.

Undocumented Manual Focus