How to get to grips with Live Video is very important

Every body tells you that video is very important, that you need to get to grips with it, and most importantly to master it.

Search the web and you will find lots and lots of instruction and technical training on equipment and techniques.

Welcome

Town centre / market square

Hi and Welcome, my name is Brian Jowers. We were first acquainted last week, it is nice to see you here again.

This week we are looking at the initial use of live video, and what we would need to get started.

The weather here in the UK can even change from hour to hour so you need to be prepared.

Here is a picture of the local town centre taken during the hot spell last week to help illustrate technique.

Average sort of picture composition, shows the town square is basically a junction of several roads. A sunny day, sky is clear and the sun is behind the photographer illuminating the scene.

There are no visible obstacles.

Equipment

You do not need the expensive video recorders if you want to do video for social media platforms, if you have a relatively new, last couple of years, smartphone you have the basic requirements.

But, be warned, smartphones do have their limitations:

• Light level can make video look quite dark and hide detail
• Audio pick up can be poor, designed to be used as a telephone, not pick up wanted sound several feet away
• Hence can also be a lot of apparent background noise
• General point, you may not be aware of background in recording

Lighting

Natural light is best, but too much bright sunlight will wash out colour in the picture. Turning around to change the view can also play havoc with the video

Sound

Watch out for background noise, which can depend on your location. I am experiencing problems with the sound level, I am not normally a loud speaker and having to speak/shout to get the appropriate sound level is difficult. I know the sound will tail off, therefore I will need to invest in microphone/earpiece set or a wireless headphones with microphone to get stable sound level.

Controls

Know where they are, bright sunlight will obscure the screen! Try making a few standalone test videos, best not to make too many or you will never produce a Live Video though. It is the only way to prevent the foot shot at the end of the video, when you are trying to stop it. Live Video is just that, no editing

Editing

Minster

As we are doing Live Video there is no need for any editing, unless you are planing on repurposing, then use a free video editor.

Location

Always check out the location before doing a video. Take the above photograph as an example, there is a kerb to my left with quite a step, ready to make you look even more foolish. Just behind me there is a large road sign on a post, ready to catch the unwary with a turn.

My Advice to those wavering:

Get out there and do it, only practice will allow you to improve.

Have a look at https://www.facebook.com/BriansDJ/ the second video is a bit better than the first, leave a comment here as I improve.

How are You getting on with Live Video?

What is your experience? Have you had any disasters, successes that you are prepared to share?

I would love to hear how you are getting on. Please let me know in the comments section below.

Talk to you next week!

Brian