Recent Lessons

• Do More With Your DSLR II: Building a Rig

  by Daniel Hayek 1 week ago
  After learning the basics of shooting with available light from the Bui brothers, I was totally ready to start rolling. Then, out of the blue, Andrea asked me to build a rig. Not wanting to seem like a total goof, I tried making my own, with disastrous results. Luckily, the Bui brothers appeared once again and saved the day. Let’s see how it all went down:
  
  

  

  Do More With Your DSLR II: Building a Rig

  from Vimeo Video School Plus

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  HD

  
  First off, what is a rig? We found one definition — "a specialized piece of gear or equipment used for a particular purpose" — that is both incredibly vague and not very helpful. But when it comes to shooting video, a rig is any sort of gear that you add to your camera to help you get a shot. In the realm of DSLRs, a rig is often an apparatus that supports the camera and gives you greater control. Here's a breakdown of what we covered in the video above: Continue Reading…

  Category:

  DSLR

  , Gear

  , Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Do More With Your DSLR I: Working with Available Light

  by Daniel Hayek 1 week ago
  Recently, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. My fellow Vimeo Staff members and I were getting ready to shoot a new Vimeo original video, when it fell upon me to handle the camera and make sure it was set up for the lighting conditions we were shooting in. Oh no, what would I do? I was going to try the old press-some-buttons-and-hope-for-the-best technique, but luckily Lan and Vu, the Bui brothers, appeared and passed on some of their extensive DSLR knowledge. Here's how it all went down:
  
  

  

  Do More With Your DSLR I: Working with Available Light

  from Vimeo Video School Plus

  00:00

  395

  HD

  Continue Reading…

  Category:

  DSLR

  , Lighting

  , Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

  Tweet
• How to Shoot a Wedding Video

  by Riley Hooper 2 weeks ago
  A wedding may seem like a videographer's dream. You've got happy people dressed to the nines. You've got a gorgeous — or at least decked-out — setting in which to shoot. And you've got the kind of real emotion that makes for a genuinely riveting video. All you need to do is turn on your camera and you're golden, right? Not exactly. While the beautiful aesthetics and joyful atmosphere can get you pretty far, there are some specific steps you should follow to prepare for the big day.
  
  1. Get your gear in order
  
  In terms of gear, the most important decision may be choosing the right lens. This assumes you're shooting on a DSLR camera — most event videographers are these days. This helpful video by our friends at Stillmotion walks you through which Canon EOS lenses the company uses for shooting events:
  
  

  

  stillmotion's guide to lenses for weddings and events // a cinema caravan tutorial

  from stillmotion

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  HD

  
  
  Two lens-related things to keep in mind are focal length and aperture. Choose a focal length that is appropriate for the situation you're in. A wider prime like 50mm, 35mm, or 24mm is most versatile, good for capturing close details and wider shots.
  
  If you know you're going to be a long way from your subject, choose a zoom lens, or a long prime like a 135mm. Another reason to choose a longer focal length is to increase the shallow depth of field with your shots. An artfully blurred background can help you focus on the important details and give the video a cinematic look. As usual, remember to think about crop factor when making decisions about focal length.
  
  The other important lens element to consider is aperture. Every lens has an aperture range, and the number you want to pay attention to is the smaller one. The lower the number, the wider the aperture, and the nicer the lens. For attaining shallow depth of field and shooting in low light, you want a lens that stops down to 1.8 or lower, ideally. As it gets darker, your lens choices become more limited. Later in the evening, it will be nearly impossible to get a good shot unless you have a lens with a 1.8 aperture or lower. Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Behind The Scenes

  , Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

  Tweet
• Keeping Cords in Order

  by Riley Hooper 3 weeks ago
  In high school, I had a Media Communications teacher named Mr. Blado. Mr. Blado was incredibly strict about cords. His constant lecturing about cord management and displays of professional cord-twisting techniques were lost on high school kids who just wanted to make funny videos, but now that I'm older and wiser (and still pretty into making funny videos), I understand where Mr. Blado was coming from.
  
  As a way of balancing out the cord karma of the universe, I will now pass on Mr. Blado's enthusiasm for well-kept wires. Let's start with the following video by John DeMaio of Production Apprentice, in which he demonstrates how to employ the famous "over/under" wrapping technique:
  
  

  

  How to wrap a cable

  from John DeMaio

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  331

  
  
  As John mentioned, this is not just his trick. The over/under technique is an industry standard, used to protect a cord and make it convenient for the gaffer to unwind and use the cord on set. It may look complicated, but it's actually quite simple. Let us break it down step by step:
  

  
  
  • Gently loop the cord using a twisting motion every other loop
  
  
  • Position every loop you make beneath the previous loop
  
  
  • When you're done, secure the bundle with a cable tie or Velcro strap

  Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Behind The Scenes

  , Gear

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

  Tweet

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