Video Production Bootcamp: Videography, Cinematography+

Welcome to the course! We created this course for video beginners. This means you are someone who has never made a video before, or someone who has already started making videos but is looking for more help. 

Maybe you’re a YouTuber, a vlogger, a blogger. Maybe you own a business or work at a company and need to make your own videos. Maybe you have a camera, and just want to use it. Or maybe you’re an aspiring filmmaker.

We are video professionals with work seen everywhere from the big screen to viral hits on YouTube. We’ve come together to teach you the essentials of making a great video.

Here are the key elements to making a great video:

Camera

You need anything to capture video. We’ve used everything from smartphones to $50k+ cameras. Of course some cameras have more capabilities than others (resolutions/slow motion/etc), but for everyone starting out a smartphone or cheap DSLR is fine. It’s all about knowing what your camera is capable and how to make it look its best.

Subject

A great video needs a subject. You need something or someone captivating with a story. Even if you’re making commercial projects, the more interesting your story (or how you present it) is, the better response your video will have. A story that has heart, that someone can relate too will be better than one without.

Light

You need light to expose your video,  ‘to make it bright enough’.  Light comes both naturally and artificially. Natural light comes from the sun, while artificial light is man-made. Not only is light essential to expose your video, but it also helps tell your story by creating a mood.

Audio

Audio is another essential piece of video. While a video doesn’t need audio to technically make it a video, audio can make or break your video. Knowing how to record great audio in any environment is essential. Luckily, there are different microphones that help you in different situations.

Edit

Some say that editing is where the story is build. You use editing to not only put together the best camera takes, but also to create emotion, add comedy, and increase engagement with things like music, graphics, and color grading.

Distribution

Great videos should be seen, and we live in an amazing world where we can freely share our videos around the world to anyone with a computer. You need to know how to make it easy for people to find your videos, and expand your reach with tools like social media.

Much of what makes a video successful happens before the production. These next three tips will help you come up with the right video for your purpose.

What’s your end goal?

To create the right video, you need to know what your end goal is. Are you trying to entertain with a music video or comedy sketch? Are you trying to teach with a tutorial or educational documentary? Are you trying to sell with a commercial or promotional video? What's the best way to visually show this genre of video? You can achieve your goal with any type of video, but generally there is one type that will accomplish your goal best.

Who is your target audience?

While it would be great if every person in the world was interested in watching your video, that’s probably not the case. You need to find out who your target audience is. These are people searching for stories like yours who are more likely to like and share your video and help it reach even more people. Before making your next video, really think about who you want to reach with it. Keep them in mind as you write a script, come up with shots, and design a style through editing.

Where do you want to share?

Different platforms call for different types of videos. Youtube is great for creators putting out consistent work looking for an audience already searching for video content. Vimeo is for higher quality creative video makers aspiring to be paid for their video work, not just use video as a tool for their business. Twitter and Instagram are great for shorter videos. Facebook is another place you can upload directly to. It’s also a place you can share links to your videos from YouTube or Vimeo.

We recommend YouTube as the ultimate place to grow a video brand and audience. But if you’re a business that already has an audience on multiple platforms, it’s a good idea to make specific content for each platform. At the same time, it’s easier to grow if you focus on one platform.

Great videos start with a great story.

And videos are one of the best mediums of telling stories - we live in a visual world. You might already have the perfect story in your mind. Other times, you might need to come up with a story. Or maybe you’re starting a YouTube channel, but don’t know what to make your videos about.

This lesson will cover different ways to come up with great video ideas.

Pre-production is important, even for videos that seem like they don’t need it. We spent weeks preparing for this video course - writing outlines, scripts, planning shoot days and locations, writing out shot lists.

For us, pre-production includes: concept, timeline, equipment list, personnel list, budget.

Depending on if you’re making this video for yourself or for another company, you might need to write up a treatment and pitch it to your client. This includes a description of the work, schedule, and how much it will cost. This can also act a sort of “Bible” for you to come back to when you feel you may have lost sight of your original vision.

This lesson in the video production bootcamp will teach you how to plan your video.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll walk through our downloadable production checklist for a real video project we're working on.

Please download the Word or PDF checklist to follow along.

This section of the course is put together for those of you interested in equipment. We always get questions about equipment we recommend, so in the following lessons we will cover the equipment we recommend at the time of filming. 

Technology changes rapidly and that’s why we try to make this course ‘camera agnostic’... meaning we believe you can shoot great videos with any camera, and they way we teach the course should work for you… no matter what camera you’re using.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll give you our recommendations for choosing a camera on any budget. Don't forget to download our PDF guide that gets updated with our latest recommendations.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll give you our recommendations for choosing a microphone and audio recording equipment on any budget. Don't forget to download our PDF guide that gets updated with our latest recommendations.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll give you our recommendations for choosing a lighting kit on any budget. Don't forget to download our PDF guide that gets updated with our latest recommendations.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll give you our recommendations for choosing a video editing application on any budget. Don't forget to download our PDF guide that gets updated with our latest recommendations.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, we'll give you our recommendations for choosing a drone for videography.

In this section of the video production bootcamp, you'll learn basic cinematography. How do you expose your video? How do you compose better shots? How do you choose a background? Basically, you'll learn how to use your camera to tell your story.

Settings and Exposure

The main thing you need to do with your camera is be able to set the settings so it is properly exposed. Exposure is how bright or dark your video is. You want it to be not too bright or not too dark.

You control exposure on your camera with three tools - Shutter Speed, ISO, and Aperture. You can also add or decrease light to make it brighter or darker.

Now that you know how to expose, you have to compose. Composition is basically understanding how to set your frame to tell your story. What is in your frame? What is not in your frame? Where are things in your frame? Everything in your frame matters.

This lesson will teach you about frame sizes, shot types, and how to position a subject.

Let's test your knowledge about using the manual settings on your camera.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, you'll learn key tips to filming videos of yourself.

Your video background should help tell your story. It shouldn’t be an afterthought.

You background depends on the type of video. Real backgrounds create an environment for your story. They shouldn’t be distracting, messy, or have things that shouldn’t be seen. Paper or cloth backgrounds are an option educational and promotional videos. They are great for consistency, even when setting up in different locations. Green screen is another option that allows you to replace the green screen with any background you want. A proper green screen that looks natural isn’t easy, and isn’t recommended for beginner video creators

What shots do you need? This lesson of the video production bootcamp will teach you how to make sure you have the right shots to tell your story. You'll learn the difference between A-Roll and B-Roll, and how to tell your story with both.

See the behind-the-scenes of one of our setups - Phil's office. You'll see the background and lighting choices we've made. you'll hear the pros and cons of shooting in a home office. And you'll learn some tips for shooting in your own home.

In this lesson you'll learn how to set exposure for your DSLR camera. 

Start by setting your frame rate and quality. ○ If shooting for slow motion, use a higher frame rate like 60, 120, or 240 fps. Note that not all cameras have these settings. Set your shutter speed to 2x your frame rate (or around there). Set your aperture depending on how much depth of field you want. Remember, a higher f-stop make more in focus (a deeper depth of field) while a lower f-stop has a more shallow depth of field.

Set your ISO accordingly to make your video brighter or darker (depending on the situation). Try not to go above ISO 1600 unless you are using a camera that has high ISO capability without digital noise and grain like the Sony A7S ii mirrorless camera. If you need to add more light, use additional video lights or move to a location with more light. If neither of these are an option, decrease your f-stop or increase your ISO. 

In this lesson of the Video Production Bootcamp, we show you how to properly use a smartphone for recording video. You'll learn about lighting, composition, slow motion recording, and filming yourself.

Focusing is one of the most difficult things to get good at. It just takes a lot of practice. Not only do you need to be able to get focus on steady shots, but you can make your shots more creative with rack focusing. This is when you change focus in the middle of a shot. 

In general, we like to use manual focus while filming. If using autofocus, the camera might make micro-adjustments in the middle of a shot, leaving you with footage that is distracting to the audience. 

Shaky footage is one way to look amateur. While handheld shots can be a stylistic approach for realistic documentaries, narratives, and vlog-style videos, it isn’t good for all types of videos. In general, we recommend using camera stabilization when available.

Tripods are great for interviews, pans, and tilts. Monopods are great for run-n-gun videography like shooting weddings and events. Steady-cam systems from companies like Movi and Ronin are great for more cinematic looking shots.

If you don’t have any of these stabilizers, use whatever is in your environment - a fence, stack of books, wall. Try to have three points of contact w ith the camera. This could be your two hands and a camera strap, three legs of a tripod, or a monopod and your two hands. 

The ability to change lenses on your camera is a main reason that people love using DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Zoom lenses like the 24-70mm lens are great for all kinds of shoots, and allow you to get multiple types of shots from one location. Prime lenses that don’t zoom typically have better quality glass and can open up to a wider aperture (meaning you can shoot in lower light situations). Primes force you to get creative with your compositions, and you’ll have to move around more than when you have a zoom lens.

Most cameras come with a kit lens that is a standard zoom between ~24-105mm. This is a great lens to start with. As you build your kit, consider getting more of a t elephoto zoom like a 70-200mm or more. You may also need a wider lens like a 10-18mm.

Most of the camera manufacturers make all these types of lenses. They come at different price points. The same zoom could cost twice as much if it has ###i/i### etter glass and a wider aperture. But investing in lenses is a good thing because while camera models get upgraded every few years, lenses can be used for decades. 

Instead of using your internal computer webcam, get an external webcam like the Logitech C920. Even though my iMac’s webcam shoots HD video, the technology and quality of an external webcam is better. 

In this lesson, you'll learn how to light and compose better shots with your webcam. We'll also cover setting up a great background.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, you'll learn how to create great screencast videos.

Here are our tips for shooting better drone shots with any drone.

Here are several types of drone shot try to get.

In this lesson of the video production bootcamp, you'll learn how to choose the microphone for your shoot. Remember your mic options - lavalier, shotgun, on-board shotgun, internal microphone, USB or studio mic. Each has a different purpose for a different situation.

This lesson of the video production bootcamp covers how to record better sound in any environment. You'll learn things like how to reduce echo and reduce background noise. 

Lavalier (aka lapel or lav) microphones are awesome for interview and talking head videos. The wireless options get rid of cords that get in the way. But placement of lav mics can be tricky. That's what we'll be covering in this lesson.

Shotgun microphones are great because they are very directional, meaning they focus in one direction and don’t pick up a lot of background noise. It’s ideal for situations where the speaker is sitting or standing in one spot. This lesson will cover the basics of using a shotgun microphone.

To get better sound when recording with your computer, you need to use an external microphone like a USB or studio microphone. USB microphones are really easy to use because you just plug them in. Studio microphones that don’t have a USB line have to go through an audio interface that converts it to digital audio.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to record great audio with these USB and studio microphones.

Let's test your knowledge on the different types of microphones.

Proper video lighting makes videos look amazing, even when shot with a smartphone. It can also help tell your story by creating a mood for your video. This is what we'll be covering in this lesson.

Using natural light is the cheapest way to light your videos. But it's not as easy as standing outside on a sunny day. Learn our best practices for using natural light in your videos in this lesson.

This lesson in the video production bootcamp will teach you about three-point lighting, the basic lighting setup for any video - interviews, narrative films, etc. You'll learn about the key light, fill light, and back light. You'll see us demonstrate the use of each light and set them up. By the end of this lesson, you'll be confident when going out to shoot your first project.

Welcome to the post-production section of the video production course. This section is all about how to use editing to make better videos - no matter what application you're using.

This lesson of the video production bootcamp will cover the steps to editing your videos: organization, import, sync, pulling selects, editing, adding b-roll and graphics, adjusting audio and video, adding music and effects, and exporting.

As an editor, I like to see myself as the person who actually gets to put together the story. This lesson will teach you how to tell your story through the edit.

Here are some basic ways to make your video better with better sound. You'll learn how to improve vocals and add background music.

Music can add a lot to your videos, making them feel more professional and engaging. But finding free music is one of the hardest and most time-consuming tasks of an editor. Here are my favorite places to find music.

Adding titles and graphics to your video can make it more engaging and help emphasize a point. It can also make your video more mobile-friendly. This lesson will teach you how to design better text graphics.

Most of your videos will have a goal in mind - to get people to visit your website, buy your product, join your email list, support a cause or even just learn something new. Using calls to action can increase engagement and conversion. We'll show you how in this video.

In this lesson, I'll walk through how we created our title cards in Adobe Premiere Pro for this course using modern colors and clean text!

We live in the world of HD, and resolutions are only going to increase. Learn what settings we use when exporting our videos.

This lesson of the video production bootcamp will help you decide where you want to post your videos. There are a number of options including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Knowing how and why you use a platform can help expand your video's reach.

YouTube can be one of the biggest and best ways to grow brand - which in turn leads to followers, clients, customers. Learn the best practices for growing a YouTube channel in this lesson.

In this lesson, we'll look at a real-world project of Phil's to understand what goes into making a short documentary.

In this case study, Will breaks down a project he did for Ghirardelli Chocolate - covering the logistics of running a high value production.

In this case study, Will shows you a wedding video he created breaking down the wedding videography process.

In this case study, Sam takes you behind the scenes of Major Lazer. As the band's videographer, he was in charge of capturing their concerts as well as day-to-day lives. In this lesson, he goes through 2 different videos that he created for them.

Here is the replay of our Live Q&A from January 2017.

Questions & topics answered on this call:

• Batch producing videos
• Distributing movies to paying audience
• Creating better educational videos
• Using a Logitech C920 webcam vs. Canon T5i
• Using 3rd party video apps on iPhone & bitrates
• Recording better audio on set (Anthony Carbajal doc)
• Lighting videos with glasses - how to remove reflections
• Tips for green screen lighting without much room
• Removing background noise
• Shooting at different focal lengths
• Import issues with Premiere Pro
• Editing audio in Adobe Audition
• Using teleprompters for video
• Recording great audio straight into computer
• Budget DSLR cameras
• Budget computers for editors
• How to have focus as a creator
• and much more!

Here is the replay of our Live Q&A from February 2017.

Questions & topics answered on this call:

• Lens issues
• Choosing the right camera
• Issues with panning
• Where to put the key light
• How to get started with motion graphic
• Starting a drone videography business
• Shooting a video with clones
• much more!

Thank you so much for enrolling in our course. From the bottom of our heart, we hope you enjoyed the course, and that it has helped you become a better video creator.

Welcome to a brand new section on editing with Adobe Premiere Pro.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn how to navigate your Premiere Pro workspace and customize it to your liking.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn how to import video, photo, and graphic files into a Premiere Pro project.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn a variety of ways to add clips to your timeline.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn a variety of ways to add clips to your timeline.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn how to edit your video and audio clips that are on the timeline.

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll learn how to sync audio and video recorded on separate devices (or multiple video clips shot at the same time).

In this lesson of the Adobe Premiere Pro course, you'll the process I use to edit an amazing video sequence.

Editing a a narrative film or commercial is a completely different type of project than a documentary/non-narrative video. In this lesson, I'll show you a commercial that I edited and walk you through how to edit a scene together with multiple cameras.

In this lesson, follow Phil as he edits down a longer interview to tell a great story.

Welcome to a new section on cinematography. Learn some more in-depth cinematography skills from our Creative Cinematography course.

This cinematography tutorial, we cover video resolution. As cameras get more and more powerful, the resolution of video gets better and better. But better resolution comes with more data and isn't always necessary. After watching this video, you'll know what resolution to choose and why.

In this cinematography tutorial, we talk about frame rate in the film and digital age. Understanding frame rate will help you get the cinematic quality you want or shoot for slow motion.

The lens is a very important part of your camera. Using a camera that allows interchangeable lenses like DSLR, cinema, and mirrorless cameras, gives you high quality cinematography with whatever camera you are using. Do you want a prime or a zoom? How does a lens speed affect depth of field? this is all covered in this video.

Since most of us don't shoot on film anymore, we need something to record the digital data that our camera reads. We use memory cards to do this. Memory card type - like SD and CF - and speed is important. We'll cover these topics in this video.

Throughout this course, we use the term latitude frequently. We'll explain what this means in this video.

In this bonus lecture, Will goes over a typical cinema digital camera (the Sony FS7) with our friend Caleb who will be using it on a documentary/commercial shoot in Italy. Will goes over the main functions of the camera including all of the manual buttons Caleb will need to know. Now, we know this is a specific camera that most of you will not be using. But we thought it would be interesting for you to see an in depth camera overview. Most of the functions and buttons on this camera will appear on your camera in some shape or form. So try to understand the concepts behind the buttons, rather than just focusing on where the buttons are and if your camera is exactly the same or not. Hope you enjoy!

In this cinematography tutorial, we give you a lighting demonstration that shows you how by just changing the lighting setup of your scene, you can dramatically change the mood of your video. We show you basic three-point lighting for an interview scenario, warm lighting for a commercial or romantic comedy scene, and a darker lighting set up for a scary tension-filled scene.

In this cinematography tutorial, we cover a quick trick to make interviews and any shot of a person look better.