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1.
How effective is a production?
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In order for a production to be effective
a large number of questions have to answered.
Who is your audience? How do they learn?
What do they already know about the subject?
What is it you are really trying to tell
them? Do they want to know this? You need
to inform your audience but not underestimate
their knowledge on the subject.
Creative
Media Productions has put together a
Program Planner that will help you answer
these questions. Contact us for a copy.
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2.
Who could use a production?
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Almost anyone wishing to communicate
to another group or organization
can use
video production. The most important
question to ask is: is this the
best method of
communication to use for this person
or organization? Video production
is a very
powerful tool, but it is not always the
only way to communicate
to every audience.
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3.
What does it cost to produce a video?
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There are a large number of variables
that come into play for each project.
These variables include the number of
shooting days, talent, music needs, amount
of editing needed, graphic and/or animation
requirements and project specific packaging
requests. Although budget is a very real
concern, it should never be your first
consideration. Productions have been done
for a small budget, but they don’t
necessarily communicate to their intended
audience. When considering a production,
it is far more important that you actually
connect to you audience. If it costs more
than you have budgeted, sometimes it may
be best to wait until you have sufficient
funds before proceeding.
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4.
What are the benefits of a production?
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The most important benefit is that in
a very clear and succinct way, you get
your message out. The whole idea is to
let people know about you, what you’re
doing or what you have that they need.
A production can bring an emotion to a
boardroom that would not otherwise be
there. If your audience relates to your
production then they will gain the knowledge
you are presenting to them. Without having
to say so, your clients will get a feeling
that your company is offering a fair deal
or is a company they wish to do business
with. Because companies are busy, they
have a limited time to hear presentations.
A production can give them a brief history
and show a milling process for example,
all in a minute. This allows more time
to present in person and move towards
a close, all within a one hour meeting.
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5.
If
I use a computer to edit my project, can I get it
to VHS or DVD?
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At Creative Media Productions we edit
on computer and output to whatever format
is required. We record the necessary materials
on Betacam SP, the broadcast standard
video cameras. We then digitize the raw
footage and edit in the computer. This
is called non-linear editing. The advantages
of digital editing are many: no generation
loss, instant removal or addition of material,
and is much quicker than linear editing,
to name a few. When the project is finished,
it can be outputted to DVD (recommended)
or VHS, or any other format that you require.
(See the following discussion: What are
the advantages of using DVD’s)
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6.
Can I take information from a variety of sources (VHS,
BetacamSP, Hi8, 8mm, Slides, Stills, CD, DVD, PowerPoint,
Film), edit it, and then bring it all together onto
one medium?
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Yes.
This is one of the many benefits of editing
a project on a non-linear editing system.
Raw material takes many different forms.
Once gathered, it can be digitized and
entered into the computer.
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7.
Why should I put my video production onto DVD?
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DVD is quickly becoming the digital video
distribution format of choice. Its broadcast
quality, large storage, and multimedia
interactive capabilities have made DVD
the accepted next generation video medium.
The disc has enough storage space for
seven hours of CD-quality audio or several
hours of high-resolution video production.
The concept of delivering videos on DVD
has undeniable appeal. No more grainy
images for your sales staff, trade shows
or training programs. Broadcast quality
video burned to DVD gets you broadcast
quality presentations. Easy to use and
considerably smaller than VHS tapes, it
is becoming the format of choice.
Playback for a DVD is accomplished by
using a DVD Video Player, a Laptop Computer
with a DVD drive or a DVD-ROM player in
a computer. Most businesses have the capability
to play a DVD right at the office, making
it a preferred format for playback. A
salesperson’s laptop can become
their portable office and DVD player.
A DVD disc is cheaper to manufacture,
occupies less shelf space, and never needs
rewinding.
Your corporate video production could
be divided into index chapters allowing
the viewer to jump to selected parts of
the video that holds value for that particular
viewer. Various product categories could
be assessed quickly without the need to
view the complete catalog. Navigation
through the catalog is easily accomplished
by specifying chapter points on the DVD
disc that launch the footage for each
product. Imagine giving a presentation
with the ability to access information
on the disc instantly, no fast forwarding
or rewinding of a tape to find the information.
Training could then be tailored to the
needs of the audience. The DVD disc could
also have a link to your web site to give
additional information or updated pricing.
To present effectively, one needs on the
fly, instant context-sensitive access
to any point on the footage. Unlike a
VHS tape, a DVD device can be mounted
on a network for distribution from a single
point. DVD makes significantly lower packaging
and postage costs.
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8.
What are some of the advantages of using DVD as your
final presentation vehicle?
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Technology is changing rapidly. The next
generation for presenting video production
is here. Companies should now be considering
putting video production onto DVD. DVD
is a very powerful economical format to
deliver your message. Here are a few of
the reasons:
Updateable - As company
information changes, the authoring process
makes it easy to add or delete materials.
Interactive
- This allows your clients or audience
to directly select a specific area of
interest without having to rewind or fast
foreword. Not only is time saved but also
the information can be easily updated.
Great for sales, newsletters, tradeshows
and training.
Multi-lingual
- It is possible to create any number
of language tracks that will help you
expand your reach into a global audience.
Amalgamate
- A greater number of productions or information
can be copied to DVD eliminating the need
for bulky VHS tapes.
Durable
- DVD’s last longer than VHS tape
and do not degrade or breakdown. Experts
do not know how long the shelf life is
but speculate 25 or more years.
Portable
- DVD’s are easy to carry, store
and play. In today’s business world,
most offices have a DVD player built into
their computer. For sales staff on the
road, all that’s required is a laptop
computer with a DVD player to present
their information. And of course the laptop
has many other uses for the salesperson.
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9.
Glossary
of Production Terms*
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Analog
- (1) Adjective referring to the use of
information in a continuous, rather than
discrete (digital) form. For example,
an analog telephone transmits and receives
voice transmissions as a continuous voltage
type of wave. (2) The world as we experience
it is primarily an analog world. Any kind
of information (e.g. sound speech, pictures)
is transmitted in continuous waveforms
that the human senses are able to receive
and to understand.
Betacam
- A portable, professional camera/recorder
analog videotape recording system using
1/2-inch tape cassettes. Betacam was developed
by Sony and is marketed by them and several
other manufacturers. Some digital versions
exist such as the Digital Betacam and
Betacam SX.
Betacam SP - A superior
performance version of Betacam. SP uses
metal particle tape and a wider bandwidth
recording system.
Captioning Service
- A business that encodes closed (or open)
captions into a TV program.
CD - (Compact Disc) -
This is a mass marketed 13 centimeter,
laser-encoded optical memory storage medium,
on standards owned and laid down by Philips
and Sony. It contains up to 650 Mb of
data. Since the original music coding
standards, other standards have been developed
for data storage such as the CD-ROM, CD-I
(a Philips interactive CD standard) DVD
etc.
Colour Correction - A
process in which the colouring in a television
image is altered or corrected by electronic
means.
Component Video - Most
home video signals consist of combined
(composite) video signals, composed of
luminance (brightness) information, chrominance
(colour) information and sync information.
To get maximum video quality, professional
equipment (Betacam and MII) and some consumer
equipment (S-VHS and Hi-8) keep the video
components separate. Component video comes
in several varieties: RGB (red, green,
blue), YUV (luminance, sync, and red/blue)
and Y/C (luminance and chrominance), used
by S-Video (S-VHS and Hi-8) systems. In
other words, (1) separate color video
signals that have yet to be combined.
(2) video signals carrying separate colors
on separate transmission wires.
Composite Video –
(1) Utilizing only one transmission wire
for transporting three-color video signals.
NTSC video is an example. (2) Video (picture)
signal with the sync (timing) signal combined.
(3) Utilizing only one transmission wire
for transporting colors that are combined
(encoded) with the brightness components
of the picture.
Compression -1. The process
of electronically processing a video picture
to make it use less storage or to allow
more video to be sent down a transmission
channel. 2. The process of removing picture
data to decrease the size of a video image.
MPEG-2 incorporates compression.
Digital
- (1) Any kind of analog information (speech,
pictures, text, etc.) that can be scanned
and transformed into binary digits. (2)
A way of storing, converting, and transmitting
data in binary numbers (1s and 0s.) Analog
data must be digitized (turned into digital
data) before computers can do anything
with it. Basically it refers to information
in a discrete, rather than continuous
(analog) form. Digital signals are virtually
immune to noise, distortion, crosstalk,
and other quality problems. In addition,
digitally based equipment often offers
advantages in cost, features, performance
and reliability when compared to analog
equipment. This process virtually eliminates
generation loss as every digital-to-digital
copy is theoretically an exact duplicate
of the original allowing multi-generational
dubs to be made without degradation.
Digital Audio Tape - (DAT)
- DAT is currently the standard professional
digital format for 2-track digital recording.
DAT was sold to at the consumer level
but wasn't a commercial success. As digital
recorders have no tolerance for clipping,
using a DAT recorder takes a slightly
different knack. The results can be worth
it; however, as the DAT format offers
the same resolution and dynamic range
as CDs. Digital recorders can record for
up to 3 hours on a tape.
Digital video effects
- manipulation of a TV image or any portion
of it in a manner that affects its shape,
size, orientation, or position on the
screen.
Digitize - (Digitise,
Digitization) - To turn information from
an analog format into a digital format.
Modems and a fax machines do this (as
a fax machine also has a modem.)
Dub - A duplicate copy
made from one recording medium to another.
DVD - (Digital
Versatile Disk) - (Previously
called Digital Video Disk) - It's a comparatively
new type of CD-ROM that holds a minimum
of 4.7GB (gigabytes), more than enough
for a full-length movie. The DVD specification
supports disks with capacities from 4.7
GB to 17 GB and access rates of 600 Kbps
to 1.3 Mbps. These are backward compatible
with CD-ROMs. This means that DVD players
can play old CD-ROMs, CD-I disks, and
video CDs, as well as new DVD-ROMs. Newer
DVD players can also read CD-R disks.
DVD uses MPEG-2 to compress video data.
DVD-R - A rewritable
DVD.
DVD-RAM - A rewritable
DVD.
Enhancing
- Improving a video image by boosting
the high frequency content lost during
recording. There are several types of
enhancement. The most common accentuates
edges between light and dark images.
FireWire
- (a.k.a. Firewire) - The term used to
describe the connection between Digital
Video (DV) cameras/players and DV capture
cards. You need Firewire if you want to
work with DV and remain lossless. Firewire
or IEEE 1394 is the standard for transmitting
compressed video data used by DV format
digital videocassette recorders.
Generation Loss
- When an analog master videotape is duplicated,
the second-generation copy is usually
inferior in some way to the master. This
degradation appears as loss of detail,
improper colours, sync loss, etc. Limited
frequency response of audio/video magnetic
tape and imperfections in electronic circuitry
are the main causes of generation loss.
Higher performance formats (such as 1-inch)
exhibit much less generation loss than
more basic formats. Digital formats make
generation loss negligible because each
copy is essentially an exact duplicate
of the original.
IEEE
1394 - Serial Interconnection
Bus (iLink) - (a.k.a. FireWire Bus) -
IEEE 1394 is a high performance serial
connection. A high-speed serial digital
interface standard enabling data communication
between the digital STB and DVD Players
or D-VHS recorders. Transmission speed
is scalable from approximately 100 Mbps
to 400 Mbps.
JPEG
- (Joint Picture Experts Group) - A standard
for the compression of still graphics
(particularly pictures.) With video compression,
the standard is most often MPEG. Like
the MPEG standard, it includes options
for trading off between storage space
and image quality.
Key Light
– The term used to describe a subject's
main source of illumination. When shooting
outdoors, the key light is the sun.
Lavaliere Microphone
– Small microphone worn around the
neck or clipped to clothing. It can be
hard wired or radio transmitted.
Linear Editing –
Editing using media like tape, in which
material must be accessed in order (e.g.,
to access scene 5 from the beginning of
the tape, one must proceed from scene
1 through scene 4). (See Nonlinear Editing)
MPEG (Motion/JPEG)
– MPEG is a digital compression
standard for moving video images that
allows the images to occupy less memory
or disk space. Like the JPEG standard,
it includes options for trading off between
storage space and image quality.
MPEG-1 - Standard for
coding of moving pictures and associated
audio for digital storage media up to
about 1.5 Mbps. Its quality is comparable
to VHS video (which is what most North
Americans have in their homes.) This standard
is designed to work at 1.2 Mbps, which
is the data rate of CD-ROMs, thus the
video could be played from CDs. The quality
however is not sufficient for TV broadcast.
MPEG-2 - Standard for
coding of moving pictures and associated
audio, typically using the 4 to 9 Mbps
bandwidth range (but can produce data
between 1.2 and 15 Mbps.) It provides
broadcast-quality video and includes separate
specifications for audio and video. This
is sufficient for all the major TV standards,
including NTSC and HDTV.
Multimedia - When different
types of media are combined in a presentation
such as video clips, text and audio bites.
Applications include presentation, editing,
interactive learning, games and conferencing.
Noise
- A general term used in electronics to
indicate any unwanted electrical signal,
unrelated to the original signal. Video
noise is generally manifested as snow,
graininess, ghost images or picture static
induced by external sources such as the
power-line grid, electric motors, fluorescent
lamps, etc. In audio, noise is generally
manifested as hiss and static.
Nonlinear Editing - Nonlinear
refers to not having to edit the program
in the order of start to finish to keep
the continuity of the program intact.
Thus if you change one part of the program,
it won't effect the impact of the flow
into the next segment of that show or
program. Its main advantages are: 1. Allows
you to reorganize clips or make changes
to sections without having to redo the
entire production. 2. Very fast random
access to any point on the hard disk (typically
20-40 ms)
NTSC - (National Television
System Committee) - The NTSC is responsible
for setting television and video standards
in the United States (though it's the
standard used in Japan, Canada and Mexico.)
(In Europe and the rest of the world,
the dominant television standards are
PAL and SECAM.) The NTSC standard for
television defines a video signal with
a refresh rate of 60 half-frames (interlaced)
per second. Each frame contains 525 lines
(486 are visible, the rest are part of
the VBI) and can contain 16 million different
colors. The NTSC standard is incompatible
with most computer video standards, which
generally use RGB video signals. However,
you can insert special video adapters
into your computer that convert NTSC signals
into computer video signals and vice versa.
When someone refers to a television signal
as a "NTSC signal" they're generally
talking about an analog signal used throughout
North and Central America (and/or Japan.)
Offline
- When a computer is not connected to
another computer and/or network. Also
refers to video editing.
Online – When a
computer successfully connects through
a network of some kind, to another computer
or computers. . Also refers to video editing.
PAL
- (Phase Alternating Line)
- A video signal standard. It's the analog
TV format used in most of Western Europe.
It's used in other major areas such as
China, India, Australia, Western Europe
and South America. Its analog TV's counterpart
used in North America is NTSC. It uses
625 lines (575 are visible) and has a
50 Hz Frame Refresh Rate. PALplus is the
highest quality process for analog transmission.
PIP (Picture In Picture)
- A digital special effect in which one
video image is inserted within another
allowing several images to share a single
screen.
Post Production - All
production work done after the raw video
footage and audio elements have been captured.
Editing, titling, special effects insertion,
image enhancement, audio mixing and other
production work is done during post-production.
Rendering
- When a graphics program creates the
image you've specified.
Resolution - Measure
of a picture's detail; horizontal lines
of resolution in TV are counted across
the screen (in a test pattern) and vertical
lines of resolution, from top to bottom
SECAM (Sequential
Couleur A'memorie) - The video
standard used in some European and surrounding
countries. In countries using the SECAM
standard, most video production is done
using PAL and converted to SECAM prior
to transmission. (See NTSC and PAL)
Signal-To-Noise Ratio (S/N) -
The ratio in decibels (dB), of an audio
or video signal, between the signal's
maximum peak-to-peak signal voltage and
the measured voltage of what remains when
the signal is removed, (i.e., the ratio
of the signal to that of the noise). In
video, the higher the ratio, the less
snow is visible. In audio, the higher
the ratio, the cleaner the sound.
Snow - A general term
used to describe interference in a video
image. It manifests as random coloured
or black and white dots.
Special Effects - Artistic
effects added to a video production in
order to enhance the production by creating
drama, enhancing the mood or furthering
the story. Special effects may vary from
the limited addition of patterns or the
mixing of several video images together,
to sophisticated digital effects such
as picture compression, page flipping
and three-dimensional effects.
Sweetening - Improving
the quality of an audio or video signal
electronically by perhaps adding sound
effects, captions, laugh tracks, etc.
Timeline
- In nonlinear editing, the area in which
audio and video clips are applied, typically
giving duration in frames and seconds.
Time Code - A time code
window along side of the video window
can displays the total running time of
the program, and the time it’s played
so far. A digital code number recorded
onto videotape for editing purposes. When
decoded, the time code identifies every
frame of a videotape using digits reading
hours: minutes: seconds: and frames. Each
individual video frame is assigned a unique
address, a must for accurate editing.
Tele-Prompter - A device
for displaying large, readable text on
a partially transparent screen for video
production. The tele-prompter uses a monitor
mounted under the camera lens, facing
up, and a mirrored glass, which reflects
the monitor's image toward the talent.
Since the camera shoots through the mirrored
glass and the mirrored glass is transparent
to the camera, the talent can look directly
into the camera lens as they read the
script from the glass.
Tracking - The angle
and speed at which the tape passes the
video heads. Due to small differences
in head-to-tape alignment between VCRs,
it is sometimes necessary to adjust the
tracking control on a VCR when playing
a tape recorded on another deck.
WAV - The format for
storing sound in files developed jointly
by Microsoft and IBM. Support for WAV
files was built into Windows 95 (and its
upgrades.) WAV sound files end with a
".wav" extension and can be
played by nearly all Windows applications
that support sound.
White Balance - An electronic
process used in camcorders and video cameras
to calibrate the picture for accurate
colour display in different lighting conditions.
(i.e., sunlight vs. indoor incandescent)
White balancing should be performed prior
to any recording, typically by pointing
the camera at a white object for reference.
*(Referenced from Videonics
Video Glossary and The Online ITV Dictionary)
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