Video StudentGuy

We shot a little video, experimenting with the various controls of the camera and framing techniques. During critiques Greg referred to framing conventions as the Grammar of Cinema. Every shot serves a purpose in advancing the story. The composition of the shot communicates on an unconscious and emotional level, as well as visually. During each critique he would use the rule of thirds to identify the impact of the scene visually.

He referred to a book on cinematic grammar, Shot by Shot. If I get my hands this book I'll write a brief review.

The rule of thirds is a way of composing your scene and arranging the relationship between subjects and subject and the background. It is used in all areas of design. Here's a link to a site that has a good explanation from a photographer's point of view, but applies to cinema as well.

Saturday was the first all day class and it was all about recording audio. We used a number of different microphones and looked at ways to control sound that you don't want to record.

Chapter Titles

00:07 This week
00:27  PreRoll Checklist
00:57  Time Code is tricky
01:59  Critique
02:40  Rule of thirds
04:49  Grammar of cinema
05:22  DVX100 complaint
06:46  Recording audio
07:44 Testing different mics in an interview
10:08  Hierarchy of microphones
11:14  Controlling sound
12:24  Learning highlights
13:56  Close

I'm posting a really brief show note so I can get this out the door. I should have posted this Monday. If I have the time I'll revise it this weekend.

Week 1: Getting familiar with the hardware

The next three weeks the class will be covering how to setup and use essential camera and sound equipment. This week we set up tripods, calibrated the monitor, adjusted the frame rate and set the white balance on the DVX100.

Next week we finish the Preroll checklist and shoot some video.

Here is a link to a pdf of the manual for the DVX100.

I had to hunt to find this. Despite the fact that it's a common occurrence, I always find it amazing when manufacturers bury their most useful and sought after information. Sure, choke me with 4 color slicks that convey almost no useful information, but hide what I really need. Sometimes it seems web sites are nothing more than the web equivalent of a phone system where you spend half an hour on hold just so you can be rewarded with a dropped line.

Making meaning

This is an honest effort on my part to talk about the process of creating work that says what you mean, or to put it another way, keeping your work within the boundaries you've set according to your personal values and goals.

The book that sparked this introspective podcast is Darkroom to Digital, by Eddie Ephraums. The supplied link takes you to the Amazon page. Eddie's home page is still under construction.

I spend a few moments talking about Socrates and his statement "the unexamined life is not worth living" because it encapsulates the need of the creative individual, if not every individual, to consider the meaning and purpose of their life. You can read a concise summary of his trial here.

On page 26 Eddie’s book I look at 5 questions he asks himself as an artist, to clarify his goals. I highly recommend it, regardless of what medium you work in. His writing style is straight forward and concise. It’s the kind of writing that brings new understanding each time you read them.

Taking chances

I feel like I'm still getting my bearings creating this podcast. I also feel that perhaps it was premature to wander away from concrete and technical matters, such as production issues and class schedules. And yet, I've also made a commitment to myself to experiment and take risks. That includes embracing the sure possibility of failure.

A couple of quotes I often think of regarding failure are "if you're going to fail, fail boldly" and the other is "It isn't the falling down and failing that is the problem, it is the falling down and not getting up". I could do a podcast on interviews with people on failure, how they cope with it, what it means to them, failures that have shaped their lives. Not a bad idea.

Introspection and soul searching are going to occur from time to time throughout this podcast as I try to figure the meaning of what people are telling me and whether it's something I can, or should integrate into my own life.

Chapter Times

Discovering Meaning in your work  :12
Darkroom to Digital - about the book  :52
The unexamined life  2:19
5 guides for creativity  3:57
5 guides quote  4:36
What I'm saying, what are people hearing  4:55
Developing your vision  8:04
Sharing your vision  8:26
Avoiding sidetracks  9:47
Closing remarks 11:11
Next week  12:55

Production Notes

I was having some problems with the audio going into the red in Garageband. I didn't see any distortion in Soundtrack, but it was hitting 0db continuously. I used the Levelator from Gigavox media to see if it made a difference. The audio sounded fuller and I can see it made changes, but it was still running too hot. I looked at the modified audio in Soundtrack and the levels looked fine. Maybe there's a setting in Garageband that's off.

I'm going to trust Soundtrack, and by extension Levelator and put the podcast out as it is. Let me know if you think the levels are still too high. If anyone has any experience with Levelator let me know how it's treating you. I don't want to rely on a black box, I want to know how to control audio in a program like Soundtrack Pro or Pro Tools. Right now, I'm going to be satisfied knowing I'm not blowing out anyone's eardrums.

Send comments or emails.

The first half of the show I'm recapping the reasons why I'm taking the classes at the CDIA, the 2nd part I go over what I want to accomplish professionally.

Chapter Times

Review of personal goals  :20
The joy of learning  2:14
Exploring ideas  2:41
Challenging my limitations  4:48
Networking  5:44
Being open to alternate visions  6:51
Using video for learning  7:48
Video as entertainment  10:21
Working on a team  12:03
What's ahead  12:29

There's a number of ways you can hear this episode. You can listen to it through a Flash player on the host site or subscribe to it using the RSS feed. I will be registering it on the directories, including iTunes, over the next couple days.

This very lengthy episode has me reviewing most, but not all the classes I'll be taking at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts. I discuss my expectations as well as what my personal interests. In a nutshell I'm looking forward to everything.

My gung ho attitude is due to my expectation that I will never get another opportunity to attend classes in such a lengthy, structured manner. I believe in lifelong learning, but that constitutes fitting the learning in between large chunks of life. For the next 18 months that equation will be reversed, where, wherever I can help it, the classes take precedence.

I've done my homework, checked out the school, the instructors, the program, the content of the classes, interviewed students, clocked the commute, calculated how many hours of sleep a week I can live on. Now it's up to me.

I don't believe in passive learning. I intend to dig into this experience with my nails. I know what I want to know, in a vague sort of way. I also know I need to be paying attention so that when something unexpected  comes at me I can get a piece of it as well. If I'm not satisfied when I'm finished, it will be my own fault.

Chapter times

Introduction :10
1 Fundamentals :59
2 Camera & Lighting 1:19
4 Project 1 6:15
5 Editing 1 6:51
6 Editing Lab 7:48
7 Documentary Camera 8:21
8 Interview 10:26
9 Editing II 12:16
10 Directing Documentary 12:57
13 Directing Drama 13:39
14 Preproduction 13:56
15 Cinematography 14:18
16 Locations 14:36
18 Final Production 15:09
25 Workshops 16:23
26 Final Cut Pro 17:34
27 Practicum 18:01
Close 20:16


You can leave comments on the blog or send me email. Show notes are also in lyrics section of the .mp3

In this episode I go into some depth about the things I want this show to be about: production video software and hardware, production workflows, video editing and distribution, reviews of the classes, the school, the workshops and visiting artists.

Yeah, I've got dreams as big as the sky, but there's a lot of time to cover all this stuff, maybe. Boiled down to it's tar-like essence I would like to extend my classroom experience into this podcast. I want to let you know what I'm learning, how it's helping me create a better podcast and ultimately become a better video producer.


Chapter times

Podcast goals 1:21
Audio 1:40
Avid 2:20
Managing my time 3:38
Applications of Video 4:24
Topics of discussion 5:58
Interviews 7:53
Production Skills 9:20
Workflow and problem solving 11:34
Podcast schedule 12:10
Combining different media 13:02
Distribution 13:34
Community 14:53
Advertising 16:33
Close 17:54
Enhancing this podcast 18:27

In this first podcast I talk about what led me to think about production video and how I discovered the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University.
There's a little bit about me, my video class experience at Clark University and how I have been using video. Finally, I describe who I think might be interested in listening, or at the very least, who I think I may be talking to.

Chapter times

About the show  :07
About me  :30
About the Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA)  1:02
Previous classes in video editing  1:51
The impact of Final Cut Pro on professional video  2:42
CDIA culture and programs  3:37
Who should listen to this podcast  5:49
Close 9:03


The first 5 episodes of this podcast, that I post over the next two weeks, will cover different aspects of being a video student, such as the school, the classes in the program and personal goals.

Once my classes begin January 23, 2007, I'll deliver this podcast on a weekly basis. Initially you'll hear me talking about what's being covered in class and my impressions of the school. As time passes and I get my act together, I'd like to include interviews with other students, instructors and visiting artists at the school. I also hope to include comments and interviews with people in similar programs at other schools.

Please submit your comments here or send me an email.