| So you have bought a camcorder and have shot | | | | is like. Perhaps instead of a pen-pal on the other |
| some footage, but truthfully you don't much like | | | | side of the world, you need to imagine that |
| the results. Maybe I can help. My advice is based | | | | grandchildren 50 years from now will be watching |
| on ten years of looking over people's shoulders at | | | | and enjoying your footage -- they need to see |
| my business, the Video Kitchen in Louisville | | | | more than this year's Christmas tree or a collage |
| Kentucky, where people transfer old home | | | | of unidentified faces all wedged together at the |
| movies, duplicate video tapes they've shot, and | | | | end of a table.If traveling and touring about, |
| edit their raw footage. My staff and I see a lot of | | | | consider being rebellious -- don't shoot a video |
| mistakes being made. Other times we see | | | | that the travel industry would want to buy, don't |
| exciting footage shot by an amateur who claims | | | | try to outdo the shots on the picture postcards, |
| to have no education in the art of videography. | | | | don't come back with hours of footage of old |
| What makes the difference? Lots of things. I'll | | | | churches and great overlooks. Instead, shoot the |
| cover a few of the biggest issues here.Let's start | | | | little things that are different: the tacky, the |
| with a test: What's the easiest thing to teach a | | | | elegant, the ugly, the glamorous. Get kids at play, |
| kid to do? Is it to feed itself, to go to the | | | | beggars on the sidewalk, strange trucks, painted |
| bathroom in the toilet, to walk, to talk? . . . No, | | | | front doors, signs that tell you that you are "going |
| none of those answers are the one I am looking | | | | to hell . . ."In other words, take great care in |
| for. Here's a clue: What do most kids do for more | | | | capturing what the trade calls "establishing shots" |
| than 20-hours each week? Sleeping doesn't count. | | | | of a time and place. Get a picture of the |
| OK, here's the answer I'm looking for: The easiest | | | | neighborhood, the house, the rooms you know |
| thing to teach a kid to do is watch TV. As the kid | | | | and live in. Capture shots of things that wear out |
| grows up, how much time to we spend teaching | | | | and become obsolete: cars, telephones, stoves, |
| him or her to create TV? How much time was | | | | TVs, clothes, shopping areas, airplanes, you name |
| spent teaching you how to create TV? Not | | | | it.Break away from your friends and family and |
| much.Many years ago, when I first started taking | | | | get shots that put them in a time and place. I |
| home movies, the firms, such as Kodak, that sold | | | | remember one morning looking at a home movie |
| film came with instructions how to make good | | | | shot in the hills of Kentucky at a family funeral, |
| movies. Then, when you got your film back from | | | | probably 60 years ago. There were white frame |
| the processing lab, you might find the dreaded | | | | houses, the family all dressed in black, old square |
| "It's not my fault" note telling you how you | | | | cars, a white frame church and spectacular shots |
| screwed up with advice how to do better next | | | | of a cemetery on the side of a hill on a green and |
| time. Not so with today's video equipment -- | | | | golden fall day. I didn't know are care about the |
| you're on your own. Maybe a family member will | | | | family faces but the cameraman had so captured |
| suggest your video is lacking, but most likely | | | | a time and place that I couldn't take my eyes off |
| everyone will watch in stunned silence and politely | | | | of it. It was a glimpse into an era that no longer |
| thank you for the experience as they excuse | | | | exists, and it was caught very simply by a novice |
| themselves to get some fresh air or go get a | | | | family member with movie camera in |
| drink.The learning curve for shooting video is | | | | hand.However, you and most of your audience will |
| similar to learning how to cook -- rarely does a | | | | care about the family faces in your video, and this |
| beginner produce a gourmet meal, but we all | | | | is where you really have to go to work. Some of |
| know what tastes dreadful and what is truly | | | | the best shots occur when you behave like a fly |
| gourmet. This makes learning how to "cook up" | | | | on the wall -- the actors in your video no longer |
| great videos intellectually exciting. What looks | | | | care or know that you are there. It's actually a lot |
| trivial -- just push the red button -- really isn't. | | | | of work. You need to shoot, or look like you are |
| There is much more to it than that, just as | | | | shooting so much that everyone starts to ignore |
| getting a great meal out without burning half of it | | | | you. You aren't asking them to smile or say |
| and serving the other half cold and undercooked | | | | cheese. You aren't interviewing them. You are |
| can be a huge challenge for the beginner (and | | | | simply making a fool of yourself standing on a |
| even some of us who have been doing it for | | | | chair in the corner, crawling on the floor chasing |
| years).Fortunately for the rebellious souls among | | | | the cat, pushing in on the stove while someone |
| us, the rules for shooting great videos are not | | | | tries to stir a pot, eavesdropping in on every |
| cast in stone -- you can do rude things and your | | | | conversation. You tell everyone to not worry, |
| audience may love it, just as a great chef may | | | | that you'll probably throw 90% of what you |
| burn and over-pepper a fish and sell it as | | | | shoot away, and you well might.With the |
| "blackened" to an appreciative audience. But you | | | | fly-on-the-wall technique you are hoping to |
| really should know the rules of the game before | | | | capture real people in action. Twenty or thirty |
| you start breaking them -- you need to know | | | | years from now you'll want to know what |
| how to use your tools and what happens when | | | | grandma sounded like as a young mother, your |
| you push things to the limit.Put a video camera in | | | | kids will laugh that their uncle still walks just like he |
| the hands of a teenage boy and one of the first | | | | did when he was a kid, they'll be amazed at how |
| things he will do is shoot a bunch of footage in | | | | playful all the old goats were back then. These |
| near darkness. Put the same camera in the hands | | | | reactions don't come if every shot is posed. A |
| of his teenage sister and one of the first things | | | | few interviews and testimonials may be good, but |
| she will do is turn the camera sideways and | | | | if they're bad, what do you do with them -- |
| upside down. Such fun -- just let me out of the | | | | throw them on the floor and hurt someone's |
| room when we have to view this junk -- it's | | | | feelings?The fly-on-the-wall technique assumes |
| roughly equivalent to a child baking his or her first | | | | you will follow up and edit out the junk and the |
| cake with it's soggy middle and chocolate all over | | | | boring but you don't just want to leave the |
| the kitchen.Most of us struggled through 12 or | | | | camera running endlessly. You want to get shots |
| more years of school where we were required to | | | | from different angles. You want to grab snippets |
| create essays for evaluation by our teachers. | | | | and move. You need to hit the red button and |
| Back the papers would come with red marks all | | | | stop the camera before you hunt for the next |
| over them correcting grammar, spelling and | | | | shot. Sentences have periods. Don't be guilty of |
| suggesting that we didn't really get our point | | | | taking run-on videos.If your subjects get busy |
| across. A lot of years and a lot of essays later | | | | and decide to do something interesting, grab the |
| we might feel comfortable putting words on | | | | camera. Maybe the guys will tear into a car or |
| paper.This isn't the case for creating video. Some | | | | motorcycle, maybe everyone will play a rousing |
| schools offer a course or two but rarely have the | | | | game of Monopoly, perhaps the women will go |
| poor teachers been taught anything about the | | | | shopping, how about a pickup football or basketball |
| subject, so how are they supposed to pass much | | | | game, and certainly get shots in the kitchen. Get |
| knowledge on to their students? At best the | | | | dad in his tool room, get mom picking flowers, |
| system turns out budding newscasters, great for | | | | film washing a favorite pet, capture a stroll |
| TV stations who can pick the prettiest face from | | | | through the park.Let's look at taking such videos |
| a huge oversupply of kids who want to chase | | | | from another angle. Suppose you find yourself |
| policemen, but not really useful for all the other | | | | with camera in hand at a deadly event you'd |
| commercial and artistic opportunities that are | | | | rather missed filled with boorish in-laws you really |
| showing up as video moves to hundreds of cable | | | | don't like. Just for the fun of it you decided to |
| channels, shows up on PC's and soon will be | | | | record the event in the most hateful manner |
| everywhere on the Internet. For examples, visit | | | | possible. Here are a few ideas. Start by shoving |
| our web page at booklet is not for those who | | | | the camera in peoples' faces while they are |
| want to shoot video commercially. Most people | | | | chewing on food and make them say something. |
| (by a huge factor) simply want to create good | | | | Then move everyone to a cramped area and |
| videos for fun and family just as many of us who | | | | make them repeatedly say cheese. If possible, |
| aspire to be great chefs have absolutely no | | | | put a bright light in their eyes or put them outside |
| intention of ever darkening to door of the kitchen | | | | in the sunniest place you can find. Make the |
| in a commercial restaurant. Unlike great or bad | | | | parents feel guilty for their kids that won't stand |
| meals, however, a video will likely be around for | | | | still and film their anger and frustration.After that, |
| many years and in some cases will be viewed by | | | | hope everyone slouches down in a couch with a |
| generations of unborn grandchildren who may | | | | beer or too much dinner to watch a football |
| judge you unfairly if your video-making skills are | | | | game on TV. Stand over them like a regal king |
| inferior.So now I've scared you a little, I don't | | | | and shoot down on them making them look as |
| want you to run from your video camera. Instead | | | | slovenly as possible. If you block their view of the |
| I hope you feel challenged to jump in and start to | | | | TV, maybe one of them will stick his tongue out, |
| master the subject. Like any subject, your skills | | | | curse you or give you the finger, all of which you |
| improve with practice, practice, practice. You are | | | | can happily record for future generations. One of |
| in control. You can (and should) throw away your | | | | my favorite shots occurs when you burst into a |
| junk footage. Plan on letting the world see maybe | | | | bathroom while someone is sitting on the pot. |
| as little as one-sixth of what you shoot and you'll | | | | Wake someone up who is taking a nap. With luck |
| have much more fun.If you were making a | | | | you can so invade someone's territory while they |
| Hollywood movie, you would need a script, | | | | are having a serious discussion that they will stick |
| professional actors, and a support team of | | | | the palm of their hand out to block your lens just |
| dozens or hundreds of people to manage | | | | like a good communist policeman might have as |
| everything from lighting and staging to snacks and | | | | he was beating up on a kid.Find the fat people and |
| insurance for the crew. If you were shooting a | | | | film them to show off their large stomachs. Find |
| documentary, you'd need a story line, a point of | | | | the old and shriveled people and go in tight on |
| view, an argument that you'd want to show and | | | | their bad skin. If one of the kids is a bully, film him |
| prove. Much the same can be said for videos that | | | | persecuting his younger siblings. Capture whining |
| sell, train or record for posterity a defined event | | | | and temper tantrums if possible. Pray for a big |
| or staged production. But here you are, you have | | | | family argument that you can film |
| a camera, want to shoot video, but don't have | | | | surreptitiously.That's just a few suggestions how |
| any of this working for you. What are you to do, | | | | to make people look awful -- it's very easy to do, |
| leave it in the closet? No, but you do need to go | | | | and most subjects will rise to the occasion |
| about your task with some "do's and don'ts" in | | | | without much prompting. In fact, if you are not |
| mind.When your job is to watch days and days of | | | | careful, you will accidentally capture lots of such |
| old home movies and family videos, you | | | | footage without really trying. We see it all the |
| understand the comment of one of my staff | | | | time at our shop.If you have any other questions, |
| after a really busy period: "I think if I see one | | | | please visit our web page at: us at: |
| more Christmas tree, shots of kids at the beach, | | | | 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway |
| or a family eating a large Thanksgiving meal, I'll | | | | Louisville KY 40299 |
| throw up!" In the middle of this rush, a large order | | | | Call us at: |
| came in of 1940's footage shot in and around a | | | | (502) 266-0905That's all for now. This is a work |
| family summer home that was a total show | | | | in progress and I've put the rough version up on |
| stopper for my staff. My guys all said, "Wow, | | | | the web hoping for some feedback. If there's |
| look at this!" and we did. For me, it was a time | | | | interest, maybe that will spur me on to finish it |
| warp -- return to a childhood era I knew, but for | | | | up.Video Kitchen was founded in 1992 as a place |
| my young staff born 30 years after the footage | | | | to "cook up a great video!" Over the years over |
| was shot, it was completely fascinating too. What | | | | 25,000 customers have come through our doors |
| had this long forgotten uncle done right that so | | | | to do everything from duplicating a tape for their |
| caught our eye, so interested us? Simple things, | | | | family to production of sophisticated |
| really, things that you and I can do with no great | | | | broadcast-quality videos for businesses, |
| effort or planning.Here you stand, camera in hand, | | | | organizations and charities. We have grown from |
| with no story in mind. You don't know how the | | | | one to two closely integrated operations in |
| day is going to unfold, nor do you expect | | | | Louisville Kentucky. The original operation is at |
| anything unusual to occur. You don't even know | | | | 2323 Bardstown Road, Louisville KY, 40205, a mile |
| who your audience might be if you roll the | | | | and a half north of I-264 in the middle of the |
| camera, but you want to capture the moment, | | | | bustling Bardstown Road corridor. If you look at a |
| you want to play with your new toy. Where do | | | | map of the Louisville metropolitan area, we are |
| you start? Here are some things to think about | | | | very near the center of the map. In April 2004 |
| that may help.Be selfish: assume that you will be | | | | Video Kitchen opened a second location to better |
| the ultimate audience -- that you are trapped in a | | | | serve you at 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, |
| nursing home with hard floors and hard walls | | | | Louisville KY, 40299. This is in Louisville's east end, |
| surrounded by strangers, lonely, and no longer | | | | two traffic lights south of I-64 in the |
| interested in a world that is spinning away without | | | | Blankenbaker Place Center.Not only do you gain |
| you. What would you want to relive and | | | | access to professional equipment, you'll find a |
| enjoy?Create an imaginary pen-pal on the other | | | | professional staff ready to help you create a |
| side of the world: imagine you are exchanging | | | | superb video. If you need copies, one or |
| "this is my world" videos with that person -- | | | | thousands, we are the place to do that for you, |
| someone you want to impress but whom you | | | | six days a week. |
| feel has no idea what everyday life in your world | | | | |