Posts tagged Beginner / Hobbyist
Weekly Videos with No Budget ft. Thomas Frank (DVG 006)
Weekly Videos with No Budget ft. Thomas Frank (DVG 006)

If you have no money for camera gear, lights, or software that can often hold you back from making videos.

Luckily, our guest on today's episode of the podcast, Thomas Frank of College Info Geek, shares how that isn't holding him back from making weekly videos on YouTube.

With less than a few hundred dollars worth of equipment, he makes short-form talking head videos for college students. 

In this episode Thomas shares how he makes his videos look great without investing a ton of money on a bunch of gear, tips for planning out your videos before you sit in front of the camera to make them, and how incorporating b-roll into his videos speeds up the process.

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YouTube, My Podcast, Filming, Gear / EquipmentCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Film Grain, Noise & What ISO Setting to Use (DVG 005)
Film Grain, Noise & What ISO Setting to Use (DVG 005)

Increasing the ISO setting on your camera makes your camera's sensor more sensitive to light. 

But why wouldn't you just want more light sensitivity? More light is almost always good right?

Unfortunately not.

In this episode I'll discuss ISO, which is the last of the three camera settings that impact the exposure triangle, and how it works. I'll also discuss the differences between film grain and camera noise, as well as how to add or remove each.

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My Podcast, FilmingCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
What Frame Rate & Shutter Speed to Shoot Videos At (DVG 004)
What Frame Rate & Shutter Speed to Shoot Videos At (DVG 004)

If you shoot a video in an automatic mode, like Aperture priority, you can get some fairly unnatural looking video. 

It won't look smooth. Movement will look jittery and jumpy. And when your videos don't look like real life, the viewer will be distracted from the message you're trying to deliver. 

That's why you'll want to shoot in manual mode to pick the proper shutter speed and frame rate to get the best looking video possible.

In this episode I discuss what to set those at and how they effect what your video looks like. 

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My Podcast, FilmingCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Written vs. Audio vs. Video: Which is Best? (DVG 002)
Written vs. Audio vs. Video: Which is Best? (DVG 002)

One question I get all the time is: why should I make videos?

More specifically, they want to know when they should make a video instead of use another format like written or audio. Often times they are already blogging, podcasting, and making plenty of other kinds of content for the web.

Each of these three mediums have their strengths and weaknesses, but I have very specific views on why video is the best for certain things (including teaching and building brand loyalty) and not for others. 

In this episode of the podcast I make my case for video and why it should be a big part of your content strategy. 

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My Podcast, Entrepreneur / BusinessCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Blame Good Taste (Why Artists Don't Make Enough)
Blame Good Taste (Why Artists Don't Make Enough)

You see it everywhere. You look at it and cringe. Your friends just don't understand.

  • "Can you believe they used Papyrus for the font on that logo?"
  • "Who could drink that cheap beer? It's gross."
  • "You put sugar in your coffee?"
  • "Really? Who wears socks with sandals?"

Taste. Some people have it and some people don't.

In this post I'll discuss what you should do about what you make when it doesn't live up to your tastes, what my taste has hindered me from accomplishing, and what to do if you don't have good taste and want to develop it.

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FilmingCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
5 Best Places Online to Learn DIY Video Production
5 Best Places Online to Learn DIY Video Production

When I got my first DSLR camera I loved learning as much as I possibly could making videos. I searched everywhere for the best places to learn the basics.

Now, while I'm working hard to build this into the single place you can learn everything you need to know about DIY video (including the upcoming audio podcast I'm working on, which launches August 4th), there is always more to learn. 

Here are the top five places online that have helped me learn how to make better videos.

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Caleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Which Camera Lens Should I Buy?
Which Camera Lens Should I Buy?

One of the most common gear questions I get from people is: "What camera should I buy?" Honestly, this is the wrong question to ask.

What usually matters more than the camera is the lens that you attach to it.

A great lens can increase the quality of the image, create a nice blurred "bokeh" background effect, and completely change the mood of a given video or picture if used differently.

In this post I'm going to help you answer:

  • Should I get a zoom or fixed lens?
  • Which focal length should I get?
  • How low of an aperture do I need?
  • How much I should spend?
  • What specific DLSR lens should I buy?
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Filming, Gear / EquipmentCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Review & Podcasting Setup
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Review & Podcasting Setup

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is a 2 input, 2 output XLR mixer that plugs into via USB to a computer. I upgraded to using it about 4 months ago and I'm glad I did.

If you're using an XLR microphone or instrument to record onto a computer, this is a perfect entry level pro amp to start with. In this post I share my favorite features of it and detail how to set it up for podcasting.

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My YouTube Videos, AudioCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Do the Edges First
Do the Edges First

When I was a kid my mom used to love doing puzzles.

If it was raining during the weekend or we had a snow day from school, she’d set up a foldable card table in the living and dump out a thousand piece puzzle to pass the day.

Now I don’t know about you, but my strategy was always to start with the edge pieces first. It was easier to find the edges, match pieces up, and see progress being made in the beginning (which was key to not getting bored and finding something else to do).

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Caleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
A First Look at the DIY Video Guide
A First Look at the DIY Video Guide

I'm super excited for tomorrow and it isn't because I need to start packing for my move next weekend. I've been working like mad the past couple weeks to put the final touches on the DIY Video Guide for the launch tomorrow.

And I wanted to take a quick break from all the prep to share with you what you can expect when the guide drops tomorrow. 

Below is a complete list of what the book entails, what video tutorials, video case studies, and video interviews are a part of it too.

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Caleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Shoot Better Videos of Yourself (#NMX Talk)
Shoot Better Videos of Yourself (#NMX Talk)

About a month ago I had the pleasure of speaking and leading a 75-minute workshop at New Media Expo in Las Vegas all about DIY video.

In it I had on hand a bunch of the actual gear I use to shoot videos and cover proper lighting, recording great audio, where to frame yourself in camera, how to deliver a written script without a teleprompter, how to get a "blurred background", and more.

Watch the full video here.

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Filming, My YouTube VideosCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
How to Record HD Skype Calls & Interviews
How to Record HD Skype Calls & Interviews

(Above is one of the 15 video tutorials & case studies from my upcoming book: DIY Video Guide. If you can't see it, watch it on YouTube.)

Doing interviews over Skype seems like all the rage these days. It can be an incredibly easy to use tool when all you need is audio, but getting good video out of Skype can be a pain in the rear.

In this video I walkthrough how to record high quality Skype calls and interviews.

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Filming, My YouTube VideosCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist
Gear Doesn't Matter
Gear Doesn't Matter

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book: DIY Video Guide. Coming February 11th, 2014.

My wife and I have spent over $20,000 on photography and videography gear over the past two years.

We have a closet full of cameras, lenses, memory cards, film, microphones, lights, tripods, monopods, flashes, bags, audio recorders, and more.

And I want to tell you why you don't need any of it to make your videos

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Gear / EquipmentCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist