Edit: I guess writing the length of an introduction for a book doesn't aide in making this "fun" or even readable as a forum post does it! :)
This could be fun and enlightening at the same time. Post your "coming of age" stories and let's see how we have grown and how we can continue to grow.
When I first dipped my fingers in the world of videography I had a used JVC camera I bought off ebay for around 100USD (I'm showing my age here). I had no understanding of gain, contrast, white balance or why zooming should be avoided. I also had no clue why all the transitions contained in my Pinnacle software should not be used (and I had no clue at the time why I shouldn't use Pinnacle to edit). My first gig was a wedding. I was a step up from the uncle who gets asked to film at the last moment because he brought a camera.
That wedding is where I learned my first lesson. I need a tripod. I also started thinking I need something that is stable to edit with as all these Pinnacle work arounds should not be the standard. I also knew there was a better way to edit multiple camera footage (I bought another and borrowed one) on the timeline but I didn't know if anything was out there for it.
My second wedding I came with tripods. Tripods from Wal-Mart costing about 20USD a piece. This wedding I realized how horrible Pinnacle really was and completely remade the edit in Vegas 4.0 to get it to the client. I started to realize why I shouldn't use all the transitions in the video and implemented this. I still had no concept of why I would need a better tripod, but I did take notice of my pans being choppy as I would have to loosen the lever to allow it to pan or tilt and the initial movement was jerky. I thought I had found the holy grail of video editing software in Vegas 4.0 but I became all the more aware that I needed something better for multicam editing.
Several, several months later I was reading on this very forum some discussions about tripods. I read about the cost for them. At the time my thinking was that the consensus couldn't be right: thousands of dollars for just a decent tripod? I could get a better camera and keep on using my wal-mart tripods and be just fine. Then months after that I saw a video comparison between a good tripod and a tripod like what I had. I decided to find one that had a fluid head. I found a sanford and davis (I think that is right) and when I placed my camera on it and moved the arm, I was sold. So smooth. So worth the cost. All these months (years) I had missed out on this instant quality improvement. What else was I missing out on?
Several months after that I finally bought a "real" camera that allowed for easy white balance and manual controls. Spot helped me with getting a Sony HVR-A1u. When this came in the mail and I pulled it out, plugged it up and started "playing" I had obtained another level in the world of videography. So, this is what I have been missing out on. Zebras are my friend. The histogram became my shoulder to lean on in times of need. The exposure control at the flick of a toggle was phenomenal. What is more, I plunged into the world of HD. With the help of John Meyer I learned how to work with it on the timeline. I learned how to marry it with SD. I learned about field order. I learned about workflows... In addition the camera came with a good shotgun mic. I never knew how important audio was until I heard what I could get with the shotgun compared to what I had with my on camera mics. Then I added wireless lapels and it was like a whole new world!
Once I got a nice tripod and a great camera I was "excited" enough to want to improve my workflow and "passionate" enough to want to learn my tools (cameras, tripods, and gear). I then added Ultimate S to my bag of tools and the world of multicam editing unfolded before my eyes. No longer would I need to spend hours toggling between three or four video tracks. No longer would I need to stop my workflow to make a manual edit of the multicam piece. This was what I knew I needed from my Pinnacle days but couldn't quite put into words/visualize what it was that was needed.
This coming of age has helped me to be more creative with my work and taught me to listen to the pros who have walked the path before me. I have grown a lot in my understanding and a lot of thanks goes out to those in this forum who have helped me with my "growing up".
Now I'm not saying that I have come of age just yet. Lighting is something I am still working on understanding and utilizing. Up until about a year ago I never thought I would need lighting, after all, a real "pro" should be able to use whatever light is naturally there right?! Wrong. I am learning that lesson and utilizing light now makes me wish I had used it years ago as good productions could have been great productions with the simple, but effective use of lighting.
I have just realized the benefit of Sound Forge and the Noise Reduction plugin over the past year. It makes me wonder how much I am missing by not getting iZotope's noise reduction plugin. If some of the pros on the forum are saying it blows NR out of the water, I should probably take the plunge, but sometimes it takes me a while to move up from my "wal-mart tripod" to my "sanford & davis" or bogen monfrotto.
I have still yet to delve into the world of steadicam, after effects, boris and remote control camera operations and I probably don't know as much about fully manual controls as I should. Maybe they are beneficial, but I have yet to "come of age" with them yet.
Anyways, I just thought I would share my "coming of age" story in videography as it has been sprinkled with those "aha" moments that completely changed my mindset and improved my quality of product. Perhaps others will add to this and in turn help others to hone in on what they are missing out on. I, of course left some things out due to length, but I did want to share the major milestones for me.
j razz
This could be fun and enlightening at the same time. Post your "coming of age" stories and let's see how we have grown and how we can continue to grow.
When I first dipped my fingers in the world of videography I had a used JVC camera I bought off ebay for around 100USD (I'm showing my age here). I had no understanding of gain, contrast, white balance or why zooming should be avoided. I also had no clue why all the transitions contained in my Pinnacle software should not be used (and I had no clue at the time why I shouldn't use Pinnacle to edit). My first gig was a wedding. I was a step up from the uncle who gets asked to film at the last moment because he brought a camera.
That wedding is where I learned my first lesson. I need a tripod. I also started thinking I need something that is stable to edit with as all these Pinnacle work arounds should not be the standard. I also knew there was a better way to edit multiple camera footage (I bought another and borrowed one) on the timeline but I didn't know if anything was out there for it.
My second wedding I came with tripods. Tripods from Wal-Mart costing about 20USD a piece. This wedding I realized how horrible Pinnacle really was and completely remade the edit in Vegas 4.0 to get it to the client. I started to realize why I shouldn't use all the transitions in the video and implemented this. I still had no concept of why I would need a better tripod, but I did take notice of my pans being choppy as I would have to loosen the lever to allow it to pan or tilt and the initial movement was jerky. I thought I had found the holy grail of video editing software in Vegas 4.0 but I became all the more aware that I needed something better for multicam editing.
Several, several months later I was reading on this very forum some discussions about tripods. I read about the cost for them. At the time my thinking was that the consensus couldn't be right: thousands of dollars for just a decent tripod? I could get a better camera and keep on using my wal-mart tripods and be just fine. Then months after that I saw a video comparison between a good tripod and a tripod like what I had. I decided to find one that had a fluid head. I found a sanford and davis (I think that is right) and when I placed my camera on it and moved the arm, I was sold. So smooth. So worth the cost. All these months (years) I had missed out on this instant quality improvement. What else was I missing out on?
Several months after that I finally bought a "real" camera that allowed for easy white balance and manual controls. Spot helped me with getting a Sony HVR-A1u. When this came in the mail and I pulled it out, plugged it up and started "playing" I had obtained another level in the world of videography. So, this is what I have been missing out on. Zebras are my friend. The histogram became my shoulder to lean on in times of need. The exposure control at the flick of a toggle was phenomenal. What is more, I plunged into the world of HD. With the help of John Meyer I learned how to work with it on the timeline. I learned how to marry it with SD. I learned about field order. I learned about workflows... In addition the camera came with a good shotgun mic. I never knew how important audio was until I heard what I could get with the shotgun compared to what I had with my on camera mics. Then I added wireless lapels and it was like a whole new world!
Once I got a nice tripod and a great camera I was "excited" enough to want to improve my workflow and "passionate" enough to want to learn my tools (cameras, tripods, and gear). I then added Ultimate S to my bag of tools and the world of multicam editing unfolded before my eyes. No longer would I need to spend hours toggling between three or four video tracks. No longer would I need to stop my workflow to make a manual edit of the multicam piece. This was what I knew I needed from my Pinnacle days but couldn't quite put into words/visualize what it was that was needed.
This coming of age has helped me to be more creative with my work and taught me to listen to the pros who have walked the path before me. I have grown a lot in my understanding and a lot of thanks goes out to those in this forum who have helped me with my "growing up".
Now I'm not saying that I have come of age just yet. Lighting is something I am still working on understanding and utilizing. Up until about a year ago I never thought I would need lighting, after all, a real "pro" should be able to use whatever light is naturally there right?! Wrong. I am learning that lesson and utilizing light now makes me wish I had used it years ago as good productions could have been great productions with the simple, but effective use of lighting.
I have just realized the benefit of Sound Forge and the Noise Reduction plugin over the past year. It makes me wonder how much I am missing by not getting iZotope's noise reduction plugin. If some of the pros on the forum are saying it blows NR out of the water, I should probably take the plunge, but sometimes it takes me a while to move up from my "wal-mart tripod" to my "sanford & davis" or bogen monfrotto.
I have still yet to delve into the world of steadicam, after effects, boris and remote control camera operations and I probably don't know as much about fully manual controls as I should. Maybe they are beneficial, but I have yet to "come of age" with them yet.
Anyways, I just thought I would share my "coming of age" story in videography as it has been sprinkled with those "aha" moments that completely changed my mindset and improved my quality of product. Perhaps others will add to this and in turn help others to hone in on what they are missing out on. I, of course left some things out due to length, but I did want to share the major milestones for me.
j razz