Ed Homer
Ed Homer has worked in the broadcast television industry since 1980. Graduating from the BCIT television program in 1984, he has worn many different hats in the industry: freelance director, cameraman and editor for the Knowledge Network from 82 to 84, ENG/EFP editor at CKVU Vancouver from 84 to 86 and EFP editor at CBC Vancouver working on network programs such as “Witness” and “On the Road Again”.
Since 1995 Homer has produced and directed documentaries for the broadcast and non-broadcast markets. His work appeared on CBC Newsworld, The Discovery Channel, The Documentary Channel, Outdoor Life Network, Vision TV, Knowledge Network, Access Alberta , Saskatchewan Television and PBS. His titles have been distributed all over the world to broadcasters, libraries, post-secondary institutions and high schools, been shown at national and international film festivals and have won several awards.
Currently he is distributing his work though his company Eco Films as well as developing comoxvalleyartsandlife.com, a video portal to the people and places in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.
Ed’s Advice
ON GETTING STARTED IN FILMMAKING AND VIDEO PRODUCTION
Most people can point a camcorder at a birthday crowd and play it back from the camera on the tv. Those who want to move on from there with video will need to improve image quality and learn to edit.
With recent advances in technology, lower cost camcorders and computers have taken quantum leaps and decent quality video production is possible without having to break the bank.
As a professional filmmaker I can help budding filmmakers on a budget and I will try to guide you through the maze of formats and options without too much ‘techno speak’. In this series of articles we’ll look at….
- Budget
Figure out how much you can spend. Camcorders in the $500 to $1000 range will probably do the job. You will need a computer with at least dual core processor and lots of room on the hard drive as well as external drives. Video files are big, really big. - The Camcorder
You don’t need to go out and spend a lot on the camcorder. You do need to figure out what type of recording format you want to work with. HDV to tape, AVCHD to Standard Definition cards…we’ll look at this in the next article. - Standard Definition or HD
Pros and cons. Recording formats and minimal computer
requirements. - The Computer
This is the big one in the budget. Mac or PC??? If your computer can’t handle the demands of video, it will be an exercise in frustration for you. - Editing Software
There are many low cost programs today. How far do you want to go??
SD (Standard Definition) CAMCORDERS
Lets start with camcorders in the $500 to $1000 price range. The first big decision is format: Standard Definition or HD????
The standard definition format recording onto mini DV tape or internal hard drive has been around for a long time and is proven. Most of the new camcorders record onto SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards, which is a nice tapeless option but there is a downside. More about that later…
With standard definition you are working with smaller file sizes in the editing process, so you don’t need as much computer. This isn’t a bad way to go if you are on a budget and not sure how far you want to go. You might edit your first project and decide you loath the process. Trust me, I’ve seen it. Editing is a labor of love.
With standard definition you can easily get away with used gear. I just retired my Mac G4 bought in 2002 that still works just fine with SD files. Look around. You can probably find a system with old editing software on it.
Your next decision is recording format: SDHC cards, internal hard drive or mini DV tape? SDHC cards are not too expensive, but you will need a newer computer and editing software that can read them. You are going to spend some money. Again, don’t take the salesman’s word on this, do some homework.
The other question is archiving your footage. Do you want to trust an external hard drive with the footage of your family memories? I think we all know now that hard drives will fail. It is just a matter if time. You can back footage up on DVD, but they fail as well.
For myself I decided on an HDV camera that can record onto a flash drive or mini DV Tape. In the price range we are talking about here you won’t have the option of both. So if archiving is important to you, mini DV tape is a cheap and reliable option. You load your footage into the computer, take the tape out and put it on the shelf.
HI DEF CAMERAS
Hi Def is the wave of the future. All the HD camcorders will look great plugged directly into a monitor at the store but what you have to consider is the next stage in your workflow, editing. A newer computer with dual processor and lots of Hard Drive space will be a must.
In the $1000 range camcorders are all pretty basic. One of the biggest differences between consumer gear and pro gear is the lens. The consumer camera will have a fixed lens with limitations. You’re not going to shoot wildlife docs with one of these. I call them people cameras; they look best when you are close to your subject.
Features to look for in a camcorder are control options. Auto focus and auto audio levels sound like a good idea, but as your skills improve you will want to be able to switch to manual.
The new Hi Def cameras come in a variety of flavors just like Standard Def Camcorders do. HDV cameras record onto tape or built in hard drive. AVCHD records onto SD cards or built in hard drives. AVCHD is relatively new. There is a lot of buzz right now because it records onto SDHC cards, which are relatively inexpensive. But do some homework; some people are having compatibility problems.
The key word is compatibility; your camera format has to dovetail with your editing software. Make sure that it does. Don’t take the word of someone who is trying to sell you something. For instance, I use Final Cut Pro editing software. You can go to that web site and find a section that lists compatible cameras and formats.
I went with HDV recording onto inexpensive mini DV Tape. The camera can also record onto an external HD for tape less workflow while archiving the raw footage onto tape at same time but you won’t get that for $1000. As I mentioned in my last article, reliable and inexpensive archiving is important to me, it is something to consider before you buy.
If you are going Hi Def chances are you will need a new computer if your current system is older. Check out forums on the web. Creative Cow is great because all the formats and editing software are profiled and discussed there. It’s also a great resource when you run into trouble, and you will. Don’t forget You Tube. You will find test videos as well as info.
It takes a little doing but your answers are all there.
THE COMPUTER
Okay, you’ve decided on Hi Def. Chances are you need to upgrade your computer.
The HD files are big, really big. My old system shooting standard def and importing DV video needed about 1 gig for 5 minutes of compressed video; my new system needs about a minute per gig (that’s compressed).
I have a 250 gig hard drive for programs and a Terabyte for media storage. It’s a quad core Mac with 6 gigs of RAM (I’d like more RAM).
PC or Mac? The age-old question. . . I have both; a PC for all my business and personal files and a Mac for editing video. Obviously many people use PC’s for video and there are many inexpensive editing programs out there. PC’s have come a long way in recent years in terms of speed and hard drive size. Again, you need to do some research. Search the forums on the web. Read what the users are saying. It can be overwhelming but it is part of the learning process.
If you are going Hi Def you will be spending more regardless. The main thing is to make sure that the computer can handle the editing program and the Hi Def files. Also that the camera format is compatible with the editing software. DON’T take the salesman’s word!!!!
Again, research. . . Go to the software manufacturer web sites and you will find minimum requirements needed to run programs and compatibility with cameras.
*A little advice;
Don’t go with minimum requirements, get a terabyte of Hard Drive and as much RAM as you can afford. If your system is constantly crashing you won’t enjoy the process.
If you are starting to question the sanity of the spending all this $ consider used. Buying last years model will save you money. Just make sure it can do the job and that the computer is compatible with the software. For instance, newer Macs use Intel processors and will not run the older programs. Newer PC’s have the 64 bit processor and the same applies.
You thought this was going to be easy. . . research, research and more research.
Next time. . .shooting for editing . . .the basics