Videoblogging Journal

Videoblogging is a fun and useful thing to make and experiment with. If you would like to start your own videoblog, this site is very useful. This site, hosted in PBwiki, tells about the most important things in a videoblog, such as the equipments that you need and ways to update your videoblog. There are also some useful tips on managing your own videoblog. According to the site, these things are vital for a videoblog:

• Pick a topic and have a plan. You don’t have to plot out everything you’ll do or write out a script, but having a bunch of points to bring up or goals to accomplish will help focus your shoot.
• Bring fully charged batteries, tripod, maybe lights, enough tapes….it’s completely common sense but people, including pros, always forget. Remove the lens cover…another one people forget.
• Make sure you get good sound..sound often gets glossed over and it shouldn’t. There are plenty of options other than the microphone on the camcorder, from shotgun mics (I’ll bring in my R0DE) to wireless (I can probably bring that too) to a $25 mic from Radio Shack that gets the job done (again, I have one kicking around.)
• Locations……pick them ahead of time and don’t go to that many. You ideally want your video podcast to be pretty short, so just like in indy filmmaking, minimalism is a virtue. No-one expects you to recreate Lawrence of Arabia.
• When shooting, don’t shoot a pile of footage you don’t need….that will just mean more stuff to plow through in the editing room. Shoot it with an eye as to what you’ll need in the final edit. Make sure if you’re white balancing outside not to take the camera inside without white balancing again, and vice versa.
• If you have the option, go for manual controls over automatic. If you have more control, the image will look better.
• Make sure you’re shooting in a format you can edit later. HDV and DV can be edited..new AVCHD cameras can do it, but it’s sometimes dicey and needs a powerful computer, even though AVCHD cameras are aimed at consumers who may not have a good enough setup.
• On the internet, close ups are good, not so much motion is good, long shots lose meaning, and lots of movement still deteriorates into artifacts.

An older site, posted in December 2006, focused on the best types of cameras for use in the videoblog. Since what makes a videoblog stands out is its videos, it is a useful site to see. However, because the website is already over one year old, some of the facts may be outdated.

Nevertheless, if you are planning to start your own videoblog, both websites are very useful.