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Video Producer’s

GUIDE

Exclusively Prepared by Mike Koenigs, +

“The Computer, Software, Hardware, Cameras, Lighting, Microphones and Accessories You Need to Make Great Videos.”

Everything You Need

PLUS: a look at Mike’s Personal studio equipment

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©2009 MikeKoenigs.com, Inc. and Traffic Geyser, LLC All Rights Reserved 1

What to buy and where to get it when it comes to equipment is a real challenge. With all the new stuff coming out every 4-6 months, it seems as though whatever you buy is obsolete as soon as you buy it.

DON’T FOCUS ON THAT! It’ll only drive you crazy - and it’s not the camera that makes you money, it’s your content. What you need to remember are the following key things that matter: • Picture (camera) • Audio (microphone) • Lighting • Content

You can get a decent camera for about $500. It doesn’t have to be high-definition.

Here are the things you’re going to need:1.) Camera - I recommend a “flash” or SDHC camera, $500 and up 2.) Microphone - wired or wireless, $40 to $6003.) Lights - I recommend “softbox” lights, $500-$1,0004.) Computer - I prefer Macs, $1,200 and up5.) Software - for editing and recording the screen, $99 and up6.) Accessories - extra lenses, cables, teleprompter, etc.

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Introduction:


Do NOT buy a camcorder without a microphone jack unless you only have $100 to spend. Built-in microphones sound terrible.

And I’m going to just go ahead and tell you something up front.

I happen to think Microsoft Vista is an abomination. It’s a rotten operating system. It’s slow, buggy and in my experience, will bring what is supposed to be a fast PC down to a crawl.

So if you’re stuck with a PC, get something that runs XP unless you don’t value your time. That’s my opinion and you’re free to disagree with me if you want to.

Otherwise, I highly recommend you hunker down, get an Apple MacBook so you can produce some great videos and products quickly, with less effort that look great.

On the next page, I’m going to tell you exactly what I’d buy if I were you so you can make a product, put it online and make some money without wasting time. -

V.S.

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to CoNSIdeR:


Mike’s Recommended Personal Video Studio Good Enough to Make Products Fast and Easy for About $3,500 • Apple MacBook Pro, 15-inch, $1,999

• Apple iWork (includes Keynote), $79

• ScreenFlow Screen Recording & Editing Software, $99

• Canon FS21 Camcorder, $449

• SDHC 32 gig memory card (to record video), $99

• Softbox Light Kit, about $500

• Wired Lavaliere Condensor Microphone, about $30

• Camera Tripod, about $50

• Presentation Prompter Teleprompter Software (Nextforce Software), $40

• Targus Wireless Presenter RF Remote Control (Amazon), $25

• Samson C01U Condenser USB Mic + Stand (Zzounds.com), $150 or

the RODE podcasting USB Mic $250

• 1-1.5 Terabyte external hard drive (Costco or NewEgg.com), $150

This is exactly what you need to start making great money creating audio and video products quickly and easily. You can go ahead and spend more on cameras, lighting, backgrounds, microphones and fancy computers, but this is what I recommend you get if you’re just starting out.

If you want to use a PC, you’re going to need Camtasia ($299), PowerPoint (whatever Microsoft is getting these days) and “Prompt!” teleprompter software (free+). You’ll also need Sony Vegas software for video editing ($99-$499 for the professional version).

It’s my opinion that you’re going to spend more time getting substandard results with a PC, but heck, you might save yourself $1,000-$1,500 NOW but you’ll waste days or weeks of time dealing with Windows and Camtasia. I’m not a fan of Camtasia because the editor is painful to use. Specific places to buy the products are in the following pages. Use Google to find the rest of them.

One last thing. DO NOT buy cameras from those “New York Chop Shops” that promise to sell

you cameras for 30%-50% less than you get quoted at B&H Photo Video. They are selling gray or black-market equipment without warranties. They’ll lie to you, sell you overpriced accessories and kits that are junk and the manufacturer won’t honor the warranty if you need service work done. And they’ll often sell only the “body” of the camera for the price they quote - not including the charger and other stuff that’s actually included!

Why do I know? Because for many years I tried to “save money.” :(


Video Producer’s Buyer’s Guide“ScreenCasting” Software

A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen with audio narration. For people afraid of being on camera (get over it :), it’s a fast, cheap and convenient way to make videos.The easiest way to make a screencast is to record your computer screen or PowerPoint with Camtasia (Windows), ScreenFlow (Mac) or CamStudio (Windows, Free).Then you can upload your video to various video sharing sites and put the final product on a blog.

Presentation Tools: • PowerPoint (Windows) • Keynote (Mac)

Screen Recording Tools:• Camtasia.com (Windows) • ScreenFlow (Mac) - http://www.TeleStream.net/screen-flow/overview.htm • CamStudio.org (Windows, Free) • Jing.com (Windows and Mac, Free)

Microphones for ScreenCasting:The best microphones are USB Condensor microphones - see the product review link below. If you’re on a budget, you can get a USB headset microphone for about $20-$50. The Logitech ClearChat Pro USB Headset is about $36 from Amazon.

Desktop Podcasting Microphone Reviewhttp://www.siteproweb.com/rode-podcast

Let’s just cut to the chase.You can use Keynote on the Mac along with ScreenFlow and produce absolutely beautiful products in 30 minutes with ZERO experience, export the video and put it on the web.

You can upload that video content into Mixiv.com, set up a membership site and be selling that content in as little as 30 minutes. And if you want to make a DVD, you can use the built-in iDVD software to make a DVD master in less than an hour.

You really don’t need anything else besides a camera, microphone, some lights and some creative idea you want to turn into a product.Product and video creation is easy. Really.


You cannot shoot QUALITY video with an internal microphone

EVERYONE wants to know what they should buy when it comes to cameras, lights, microphones and the lot for product creation and video work. This is a nice system you can put together for about $3,500 that gives you EVERYTHING you need for a professional production. It’s easy to set up, easy to use and very compact.

The Canon products are nice cameras for the money. Most have an input for an external microphone and you can get a nice wide angle lens too. Make sure you get the wide angle lens from Canon, NOT a 3rd party because the optics are usually inferior.

I’m not a big fan of Sony camcorders because MOST of them don’t have external microphone inputs which make them worthless in my opinion. You CANNOT SHOOT QUALITY VIDEO WITH AN INTERNAL MICROPHONE. So don’t waste your time or money on any camera without one unless it’s a little Flip for carrying around with you.

Cameras, Lighting, Microphones & Accessories

“ “!


What You Should Get:

Canon FS22 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder ($499) or $449 for the Canon FS21 (it has less internal memory but same features)

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/597366-REG/Canon_3419B001_FS22_Dual_Flash_Memory.html

Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder ($599)

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/59442-REG/Canon_3536B001_VIXIA_HF200_Flash_Memory.html

OR

Canon VIXIA HV40 HDV Camcorder ($799) - tape-based

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/539289-REG/Canon_2680B001_VIXIA_HV40_HDV_Camcorder.html

OR

JVC GY-HM100U ($3,495) - SDHC Memory Camcorder

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/597842-REG/JVC_GY_HM100U_GY_HM100U_ProHD_Camcorder.html

Each of these cameras will allow you to capture professional-quality footage.!

Canon VIXIA HF S20 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder ($948.99) - 32GB Internal Flash Memoryhttp://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/671657-REG/Canon_4316B001_VIXIA_HF_S20_Dual.html

Mike’s Personal Favorite:


Hard disk camcorder: Holds LOTS of footage. Pain in the butt to copy data off (takes a long time through a USB cable). I don’t recommend them because hard drives fail eventually. The last thing you need is to lose weeks of content. That’s why I took my recommendation of them OFF this page. Big waste of time in my opinion.

Compact flash camcorder: Hold less footage than the hard disk camcorder but the quality is the same. You can swap a cheap SD card out of the camera, dump video from it, pop a new one in and keep shooting faster than a tape. Much faster to copy data off a SD card than hard disk.

The Canon FS22 is “standard definition” and the Canon VIXIA HF200 is “high definition”.

The drawback to the standard definition is it isn’t high definition BUT it edits fast and easy compared to the AVCHD format that the high definition records in.

So the bottom line is this: unless you KNOW you need high-definition or are planning on doing “green screen” or “chromakey” effects, I’d stick with the standard def model.

Tape-based HV40 HDV camcorder: I hate tape. I really do. But HDV is standard and AVCHD is what the hard disk and the high-definition compact flash cameras use. It’s harder and slower to edit the AVCHD than HDV. Tape stinks – but you can connect this camera DIRECTLY to your computer and use it as a webcam and get great quality video. You could technically record to a laptop AND tape simultaneously so you wouldn’t have to digitize it after you’re done.

The #1 problem is if you go over 1 hour, you have to stop your presentation and wait for someone to swap tapes, then restart – about a 30 second PITA (pain in the ass).

If you get the Flash camcorder, you’ll need to get a couple SDHC flash memory cards – they’re cheap and removable. I’d lean in that direction because you can swap out a flash card, pop in a new one and record HOURS of content without having to hook up the camera to your computer via USB and WAIT. Plus you can dump video from a card while shooting on a new card. Over the long haul, hard disk camcorders are bound to fail.

Pros and Cons of each:


Mike’s Bottom Line:

• The HV40 is better from a full compatibility standpoint but a pain in the butt because of tape.

• Hard disks store more but will fail.

• Compact flash is about the easiest and most reliable to deal with.

!

So this brings me to my personal favorite camera (at least right now). The JVC GY-HM100U. It’s what I’m using in our studio for recording professional productions.

Here’s why I like it so much: • It’s full high-definition for perfect quality• It has two SDHC card slots - up to 4 hours of recording if you have two 32 gig cards and when one fills up, it automatically switches to the second slot without you having to do anything. • It records to native QuickTime or MPEG4 format so you can pop out a card and start editing without converting or transferring. • It has two “XLR” connectors to hook up professional microphones. • It’s easy to use. • It’s small - I travel all over the world with it. • It’s good enough to shoot TV with. If you can afford it, you just can’t beat this camera unless you can spend $7,000 or so. And in that case, you’ll move up to a Sony EX1 or Sony EX3 or a JVC GY-HM700.

All are available at B & H Photo. The ONLY place to buy cameras from in my opinion.

Mike’s Bottom Line:

Spend as much as you can on a camera - you probably don’t need high-definition if you’re just starting out so you can get by with a $500 camera budget and make great-looking content.

!


Recommended Accessories

Canon Wide Angle Lens ($179)If you’re shooting in close quarters or plan on doing “full body chromakey”, you’ll want one of these for sure.

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/577577-REG/Canon_3187B001_WD_H37C_II_37mm_Wide.html

Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Lavalier Microphone ($549)Probably one of the best wireless microphones you get get for the money. Hassle-free and you shouldn’t experience interference.

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/324242-REG/Sennheiser_009581_Evolution_G2_100_Series.html

Manfrotto mini tripod ($59) http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/427322-REG/Manfrotto_by_Bogen_Imaging_785SHB_785B_Modo_Mini_Tripod.html

Beachtek Dual XLR Microphone Adapter ($179)You’ll need this if you have a basic camcorder and want to connect more than one microphone or plan to connect professional “XLR” microphones.

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/335809-REG/Beachtek_DXA_2S_DXA_2S_Dual_XLR.html

Rode Shotgun Microphone ($269, but they’ll give you a better price)

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/367747-REG/Rode_NTG_2_NTG_2_Shotgun_Microphone.html

Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Series - UHF Lavalier System

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/324242-REG/Sennheiser_009581_Evolution_G2_100_Series.html


The combination of the two microphones will do two things for you:

#1: You’ll wear the wireless lavaliere microphone

#2: The shotgun OR a handheld microphone can be used to capture audience questions

#3: The XLR microphone adapter will allow you to connect professional microphones to any camcorder that supports a microphone input.

If you got a second camera and tripod, you could have one of your assistants capture you close up, follow you around and an editor could put together a REALLY nice product for you that will appear very professional.

Whatever the case, make sure someone is standing by the camera with a pair of headphones and monitoring your audio!

When you order from B&H, you can often get a better deal if you just ask for it – as long as you’re buying a package. It never hurts to ask and you might save yourself $100 or more!

!

A cheap mic that will work for beginners on a budget: Ok, if you’re REALLY on a budget and need a cheap, tolerable little microphone that will sound fine for most home shooting setups, get this little thing:

Make sure you watch the “Camera Buyer’s Guide” video. http://www.SiteProWeb.com/video-camera-guide

Bescor TCM-88 - Electret-Condenser Omni-Directional Lavalier Microphone

http://www.BhPhotoVideo.com/c/product/64426-REG/Bescor_TCM88_TCM_88_Electret_Condenser_Omni_Directional.html


DayFlo-EZ LITE 2000 5-Head “softbox” light kit ($875)

http://PCLightingSystems.com/chromakey/studio/2000/

These are really easy to set up and use, come with cases and a training DVD that’s pretty good. It’s almost impossible to mess up setting up a softbox system and the quality you’ll receive is fantastic and very professional.

This kit includes a green fabric background and stand so you can do chromakey too. Not for now – but nice to have. You can also hang “muslin” backgrounds so you can shoot against something neutral.

With this setup, you’ll be able to capture your entire presentation and have very nice audio – and be well-lit.

Here’s a nice little setup - a “three point” lighting system for less than $500.

http://www.Skaeser.com/servlet/the-817/STUDIO-LIGHTING-4800-WATT/Detail

I’ve done business with this company before - and with good luck. This kit doesn’t include the green screen, stands or lighting training DVD but it practically ensures you’ll have great lighting. Seriously, it’s almost hard to mess it up.

Lighting Options:


Bonus Item: Teleprompter!

Although it’s not critical or absolutely necessary, I’m a big fan of teleprompters.With one, you can look at your camera directly and either read your script OR look directly at your presentation AND the camera. The biggest thing you want is a prompter that has “automatic reversing” or “reversing display” so you can just connect your computer to the device and it will “flip” the display and appear without any software.Here’s the company I use: http://PrompterPeople.com/

Here’s a small one (pictured above) - for $1,149 and it automatically reverses your screen:http://PrompterPeople.com/flex_11-11ENG.php Problem: it’s small. If your eyes aren’t young, you’ll need a bigger model.

Larger 15” and 17” (I’d get the 17”) are going to be $1,300-$1,500.If you get ANY other model, you MUST buy a VGA Reverser Box which costs $395.http://PrompterPeople.com/accessories.php

Teleprompter Software Options:

MAC: Presentation Prompter

PC: uPrompt


!I’m opinionated. And here’s why:

As of this moment that I’m writing this for you, I’m 43 years old. I started working on computers just about full-time when I was 16 years old.

I never went to college

I conservatively estimate I’ve spent over $800,000 on computer equipment and software. Probably a lot more.

From age 18-37, I spent an average of 15 hours a day, 6 days a week behind a keyboard.

Nowadays, it’s about 7 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Conservatively, that’s 80,000 hours behind a screen.

I reckon 20% of that time has been sitting around, waiting for computers to reboot, render video or upload my stuff to a server somewhere. That’s wasted time.

I hate wasting time. That’s why I have a minimum of 3-4 computers on my desk to this day. With the exception of a tablet PC, every one of them is a Mac. I get more done, faster. My stuff looks good. And it makes lots of money.

If you value your time, get a Mac and learn how to use it. You’ll hate it at first and curse my name.

And in a little while a little lightbulb will turn on in your head. Because you’ll like it. You’ll get more done. Your stuff will look good. You’ll make more money. And you’ll spend more time with the people and things that matter most in your life.

:)

In Conclusion:!

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