Better Together 2015 Video Making Guide

Video

Making

Guide

Better Together 2015

Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel

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Welcome, to this short video guide, which has been prepared

with novice movie makers in mind.

Inside you will find a brief overview of the various elements of basic

movie-making that you will need to get started.

We are not looking for the next Spielberg so don’t be worried if you

are new to film making. The video can be filmed on a camcorder or

a smartphone (whatever is available).

The important thing we want to know is, what your organisation does

and why it matters to your community.

This guide will give tips and advise about equipment, video shooting

skills, editing and uploading your final video.

The creativity and inspiration are entirely up to you!

Let’s get started…

Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel 2

Contents:


Pg. 5-9

Pg. 10-15

Pg. 16-21

Pg. 22-33

Pg. 34-43

Pg. 44-47

Pg. 48-50

Pg. 51-59

Preparing and Planning the video

Equipment

Filming Tips and skills required

Editing on Windows Movie Maker

Editing on iMovie

Editing on YouTube

Entering the Competition

Further Resources

And remember, your video must be two minutes or less in length.


We don’t mind how you put your video together or what equipment you use.

But we do want your video to answer these four key questions.

Better Together Video Competition Themes


PREPARATION

5

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance Once you have decided on your theme, it is best to format the video with;

Try to plan out exactly what sort of video footage you will need to capture in order to make your storytelling work. Be as creative as you can and try to get

a lot of variety in the shots you use.

Get inspiration from last years winners by visiting our website www.bettertogether.ie

Remember the video needs to be two minutes or less.


Introduction Content Summary

http://www.bettertogether.ie/

Often in film making

storyboards are used. These

are sketches of the shots you

intend to get and a written

description of the shot.

This helps to explain, to

everyone, what you are

planning and help you to stay

on track. There is a template

provided on the right.

Whatever method you adopt,

just make sure you do your

planning before the cameras

start rolling!

Storyboarding Your Idea


Types of Camera Shots

These are some of the basic camera shot

• Extreme Close-up- usually used in

emotional scenes.

• Close up – basic interview shot

• Mid shot- shot used to introduce a

character or interviewee.

• Mid long shot- again used to

introduce a character or

interviewee

• Long shot- often to capture an

action eg. A football game

• Extreme Long shot- often used at

the start of video to introduce a

location.

Tip: Try to hold your shot for at least 5

seconds.


Tricks of the Trade

The rule of thirds

This is a trick used to make your shot look more interesting. Instead of framing someone in the centre of

the screen, frame them a third of the way either to the left or the right of

the screen.

Cutaways

These come in handy when editing, if you need to cover a cut, and also gives your video a professional feel. Cutaways are

shots which cut away from the main action and give a sense of the location.

For example, if you were interviewing a fisherman, your cutaways would be of the

boats or nets .


EQUIPMENT


Almost everyone today has got some sort of device capable of capturing

video. Now is the time to put those Smartphones, digital SLR cameras

and good ‘old fashioned’ camcorders to good use.

Throw in a cheap tripod (to steady your device) and you’re pretty much

ready to start rolling.

Remember: success in the Better Together Video Competition is not

about how slick your video looks. It’s about how well you communicate

the message of why we are Better Together.

Equipment


Top tips for movie making on a Smartphone


Smartphones are a great way of filming and often widely available.

Here are a few tips when filming on a smart phone.

• Orientation- Be sure you film in landscape mode. If you film in portrait your video

will not fit the screen when editing.

• Lighting- Smartphones will struggle in dimly lit places. Use natural light and avoid

backlighting.

• Audio- Avoid tunnels and echo-y rooms. If you are filming outside beware of the

wind, it can cause interference in the mic. It is good practice to wear headphones

when filming, that way, if there are any issues you can pick it up straight away.

• Steady shots- To avoid hand shake try to keep the camera as still as possible. Keep

your elbows as close to your body as you can and rest them on your waist. Take a

wide stance and be comfortable before you hit record. Tripods are also available for

smartphone which would help immensely with this.

• Zoom- Zoom can be very difficult to get right on a smartphone. It is often better just

to film a wide shoot and then cut to a close up, thus avoiding zooming.

• If you are running short of storage on your smartphone you can use cloud based

storage, such as Dropbox, to save your footage too. You can then download the

footage straight to your PC or Mac.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Filming with a Digital Camera or a Camcorder

• Plan shots before you go out filming.

• Carry spare batteries, headphones and memory card.

• If you have a tripod, try to use pans, (moving from left to right) and tilts,

( moving up and down). Too much movement can make the audience dizzy

so use sparingly.

• If you don’t have a tripod try to keep the camera a steady as possible. Stand

with your feet shoulder width apart, breath slowly and smoothly, with one

hand hold the camera and place your second hand underneath the base.

Keep your arms close to your body, as you will get tired if you are holding

your arms out straight.

• Have your subject facing the light to avoid harsh shadows.

• Use a variety of angles and positions- be creative!

• Most importantly have fun!


No video recording device? No problem…

If you don’t have access to a video recording device or a smartphone, you

might want to consider putting together a photo montage. You can use

music or narration with your video montage to help tell your story.

Remember a picture is worth a thousand words so think visually!

You can then save your montage as a video file for entry into the 2015

Better Together Video Competition.

So easy to do…

All you need to put your photo montage together is:

• A selection of new or existing photos that will tell

a positive story about your organisation

• A PC or Mac on which you can edit the photos

together. (See video editing section below).

Every photo can tell a story. What will your story be…?


Know Your Equipment

Before you go out to shoot your video, there are a few thing you need to have prepare.

It is important to familiarise yourself with your equipment. This will help everything

run smoothly when your are on location and can be a time saver. So, why not take the

initiative and familiarise yourself fully with how your kit works first.

You’ll need to know:

• How to record / end recording,

• How to use your tripod,

• How to zoom,

• How the sound / microphone works. Bring your headphones.

• How to recharge / change the batteries. Make sure you have a full battery

before you go out to shoot.

• Think about the light and sound in the location before you go out to film.

• How to save the footage either to your camera or phone.

Once you’ve mastered these functions, you can then start focusing in on the

bigger picture.


SKILLS REQUIRED


Ace that Interview! Interviews are pretty straight forward and can be really interesting , but you must do

your homework first.

I. Have a list of questions you want to ask (why not share these questions with

your interviewee so that they can prepare too – this isn’t Primetime after all?!)

Make sure your questions are open and do not have just yes/no answers.

II. Be ready to improvise and adapt, should the answers you receive spark new

questions. Listen to the answers and build on them.

III. Consider mimicking the pro’s by getting some ‘noddie shots’ (i.e. cut away shots

of you nodding in response to answers), along with some additional footage of

the interviewee interacting with other members of staff or similar. It all adds

extra flavour and will help you when editing as you can cover up any cuts you

will make.

IV. Another options, is to do a Vox Pop. Vox pops are a tool used to provide a

snapshot of public opinion. You simply ask the public what there thought are

on a specific issue or organisation. And edit their answers together to give an

overview of public opinion.


Throw Some Light (and Sound) On Proceedings

You need to make sure that your subject matter (be that a person or a place) is

sufficiently lit, so it will be fully visible on-screen.

You will have to take the time of day and the location into consideration.

Using Natural light is best so hold interview outside or by a window insuring that the

light is on the interviewee’s face and not behind them.

The same goes for sound. Think about the location will there be loud fridges or

computers humming in the background. Will there be noise from the street.

You need to make sure that your camera can actually pick up the sound(s) that you

want to record. Wearing headphones when filming will help you control the sound.

You may need to consider purchasing a microphone which is compatible with your

video device. Don’t forget you can use copyright free music or a voice over to tell

your story as well as location sound.

Remember:- Watch out for the wind it can ruin your recording. The zoom on some

devices can also be quite noisy so be careful. 18

Seven deadly sins of film making

I. Missed Opportunities: we’ve all been there before, we reach for our

phone or camcorder to capture some magical moment unfolding

before our eyes, only to then realise that you didn’t press record.

II. Overzealous Zooming: zooming in and out on your subject can add

a flashy veneer to your video. However, excessive zooming can be a

distraction for the viewer, plus it can also lead to grainy or shaky

images.

III. Backlight Boogiemen: Don’t make the common mistake of

shooting your subject with a bright light source behind them. If you

do, then chances are good that your subject will appear as a dark

silhouette throughout your video.

IV. Camera Shots: Use a variety of shots to make your video interesting

but avoid going from a wide shot to a wide shot. Transitioning from

a wide shot to close up with make the video look more

professional.


V. Audio Nightmares: Consider the level of background noise first. For

example, if your star interviewee in danger of being drowned out by a

passing troupe of trombonists, you may want to consider moving

elsewhere. Another very common audio pitfall to be aware of is windy

weather (which can sound like an approaching locomotive). If you wear

head phones when recording you will hear exactly what your device

hears, that way you can pick up any problems straight away.

VI. Shaky Shots: shaky shots will make your video look amateur and can

make an audience feel dizzy. You can avoid this by using tripod. You

can usually find them for sell online or in stores at a very reasonable cost

and are even available for iPhones and Androids.

If you can’t get your hands on a tripod use the techniques outlined

above to keep you camera a still as possible.

VII. Text: If you are adding text to your video, it needs to last long

enough for everyone to read it. The general rule is to read it twice your

self. That is the length it needs to be.


Reminder –

Do Not Exceed the Video Time Limit We did already mention that your video must be two minutes or less in

length, right?

This means that any videos longer than two minutes in length will, alas, be left

on the Better Together cutting room floor.

21

EDITING


When you have all your footage shot, it is time to edit it all together.

It is kind of like putting a jigsaw together.

There are quite a few different editing software packages out there

but we are going to stick to the three that or most widely available;

Windows Movie Maker, iMovie and YouTube.

When it comes to editing your video, this guide will provide you

with the basics. Below you will find instructions on how to import

your video, make basic edits, add titles and credits, and how to

publish your movie. If you want to get more techy with the editing

there are some great video tutorials in the on page 52.

For Windows Movie Maker users: pages #24-36

For iMovie users: Pages #37-43

For YouTube users: Pages #44-47


Windows Movie Maker Live Tutorial


Step 1 – Creating and Saving Your Project

i. Click the main file menu button

and then click Save Project As… ii. Type in a suitable name for your

project and then click Save.

IMPORTANT: to avoid any frustrating losses of data, please save your project

OFTEN. To do this, simply click the Save icon in the top left hand corner of the

window. Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel

25

Step 2 – Adding Your Videos and Photos

i. Click the Home tab and

then click Add Videos and

Photos.

ii. Browse to your external storage device,

select the file(s) you want to import and click

Open.

Alternatively, you can just

drag and drop your video

files / photos into Movie

Maker from a file browser

window of your external

storage device.


Sidebar: Behold, the Mighty Windows Movie Maker Live Timeline…

Once you have imported your video(s) into Windows Movie Maker Live, they

will automatically be displayed in your timeline (see below). Next you will

learn how to use the timeline to turn your raw video into a neatly edited

masterpiece.

Onwards…


Step 3 - Splitting Video Clips & Deleting Unwanted Footage

i. Drag the black bar on your timeline to where you want to split your clips.

ii. Go the Edit tab and click Split. (To delete any unwanted clips, right click over the clip you want to delete and click Cut.)


Step 4 – Spicing Things Up with a Little Music

i. On the Home tab, click the Add Music

button. (You will have an option to enter

your music from the beginning of the

video or from a specific point.)

ii. Click on the Music Tools tab at the top of the window to view a range of

music editing tools, including Fade In / Fade Out, volume controls and start

/ end points.

IMPORTANT: using non-licensed music with your video may lead to it’s removal

from Youtube. See Additional Resources section below for ‘Podsafe’ music options. Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel 29

Step 5 – Smooth Transitions i. Select the Animations tab. Hover your mouse over any transition to see a

preview.

ii. Once you have chosen a suitable transition, click on the beginning of the

video clip (or photo) that you want to add the transition to. Then click the

transition you want to apply.


Step 6 – Creating Captions

i. Click on the video clip you want to put a

caption on. Next, select the Home tab and

then click Caption.

ii. A text box will appear on the

lower part of your video clip

(or photo). Click inside the text

box and enter your caption.

If you need to change your

caption, double click on the

caption in your timeline and

then change the text in the

video preview pane. Right-click

on the caption in your timeline

and click Remove if you want

to delete it.


Step 7 – Adding Titles or Credits for a Perfect Finish

i. Click on the Home tab and then click

either Title or Credits..

(Titles at the start of the video, credits at

the end). ii. A black slide will appear.

Click inside the text box and

enter your title / credit.

Note: titles automatically

display as a slow zoom and

credits as downward

scrolling text. You can use

the motion options in the

top right corner of the

Format tab to adjust these

settings.


Step 8 - Saving Your Movie

i. Click on the main file menu button and then click Save movie.

ii. Select Standard-Definition (unless

you filmed in HD, in which case you

should select the appropriate option),

enter your video title and click Save.

Once your video has finished saving,

click Play to make sure your video

hits the mark.


iMovie Tutorial

Step 1 – Creating and Saving Your Project

i. Upon opening iMovie click File and

New Project.

ii. Give your project a name and chose

where to store it. Easiest thing to do is to

create a new folder specifically for the

video competition.

IMPORTANT: to avoid any frustrating losses of data,

please save your project OFTEN.


i. Click the File tab and

then click Import.

ii. Browse to your camera

or the folder where you have

stored your video files.

Step 2 – Adding Your Videos/Photos


iMovie timeline

Once you have imported your video(s) into iMovie they will be displayed in

your timeline (See below). Here you can edit and manipulate them.

37 Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel

Step 3 - Splitting Video Clips & Deleting Unwanted Footage

i. Move the little triangle on the timeline (known as the “Playhead”) to where

you want to divide the clip.

ii. Go the Clip tab and click Split Clip. (To delete any unwanted clips, click

the clip you want to delete and hit the Delete key.


Step 4 – Spicing Things Up with a Little Music

i. Click the Music & Sound Effects button

on the iMovie toolbar

ii. You can add music from any source on your computer, including iTunes.

Simply drag the selected track into your project, just below the video timeline

IMPORTANT: using non-licensed music with your video may lead to it’s removal from

Youtube. See Additional Resources section below for ‘Podsafe’ music options. Better Together Video Guide - © The Wheel 39

Step 5 – Throwing in Some Smooth Transitions

i. Click the Transitions button in the iMovie toolbar.

ii. Select a transition and drag it to before or after the video clip

you want to add the transition to.


Step 6 – Creating Captions

i. Click on the video clip you want to put a caption on. Click the Title

button in the toolbar.

iii. A text box will appear on the

lower part of your video clip (or

photo). Click inside the text

box and enter your caption.


ii. Pick title style and drag it

onto the clip.

Step 7 – Credits for a Perfect Finish

i. Click on the Titles button again

but this time choose the Credits

option.

ii. Edit the credits to fit your movie

and then drag to the end of the

video.


Step 8 - Saving Your Movie

Click on File and choose Finalise Project. Finalise

Project will render your project in all sizes available.

This may take some time, so you may want to do it

overnight or while you are away from the computer.

Once you have done it, you can share to iTunes,

Facebook, YouTube, etc.

Make sure to watch your full video through before

submitting it and make sure you are happy with it.


When you are happy with your movie its time to save your movie

so you can put it on YouTube, Vimeo etc. for entry to the

competition.

Edit in

• You can also edit your video in

YouTube. Simply log into YouTube

go to Upload and Video Editor.

• There you can upload your clips or

photographs and make your video.

• Pull your clips down onto the

timeline.

• You can cut the clip by using the

scissors icon or but sliding the blue

bars closer together.

• Cut it to however long you require

and pull down next clip onto the

timeline.


• You can add text over the clip

by pressing the Text tab.

• When editing on YouTube

there is a whole library of

copyright free music for you to

chose from. Just click on

• Drag the music onto the

timeline underneath the video

clips.

• Again drag the two blue bars

make the music the length you

want.


• There are a range of filters

available. Just click on the clip

in the timeline and then select

the filter you want.

• Don’t forget to add credit to

the end of the video. Just hit

on the


• The great thing about editing

in YouTube is that once you

are finished you can upload it

straight away. You just hit the

create video button on the top

right hand side of the screen.

• Congratulations! You have

edited and uploaded your entry.

There is just one final step….


www.bettertogether.ie


Entering the Better Together

Video Competition

48

Uploading Your Video

i. The first thing you must do is to

enter the 2015 Better Together Video

Competition is to upload* your video

to Youtube or Vimeo.

*You cannot upload directly to the

Better Together website, as in

previous years.


ii. Once you have uploaded your

video to Youtube or Vimeo, copy

your video url and then head on over

to the Better Together website and,

well, just let us have it!

www.bettertogether.ie

http://www.bettertogether.ie/


Key Dates

Video Competition Opens

Public Launch / Voting Opens

Video Submissions Close

Voting Closes (judging to follow)

Better Together Awards

14th September

24th September

6th November

20th November

9th December

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES


Online Video Hosting

Youtube (the big one – needs no introduction):

www.youtube.com

Vimeo (online video hosting and social network website for

creatively minded people and groups): http://vimeo.com

Video Basics https://vimeo.com/videoschool/101

Video Editing Tutorials Windows Movie Maker Live Tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZZij3NNyVg

iMovie online tutorial guides

http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/imovie/


http://www.youtube.com/

http://vimeo.com/

https://vimeo.com/videoschool/101


http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/imovie/

Video Slideshow Software & Tutorials

Creating a photo montage using Windows Movie Maker Live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap3pE_fjmA4

A quick and easy tool for creating video slideshows online (free

version is time limited): http://www.animoto.com

More Video Editing Tutorials

Windows Movie Maker Live Tutorial:


How to edit your video in iMovies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_sZ4AeT8a4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap3pE_fjmA4

http://www.animoto.com/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_sZ4AeT8a4

Podsafe Music (music you can use without paying royalties)

http://freemusicarchive.org

http://www.soundclick.com

Video File Converter

Convert most video files between popular formats:

http://download.cnet.com/Any-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-

10661456.html

Better Together and The Wheel are not responsible for the

content of external websites.


http://freemusicarchive.org/

http://www.soundclick.com/

http://download.cnet.com/Any-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-10661456.html










Online Video Glossary Common online video formats

AVI - (Audio Video Interleave)- A multimedia file format developed

by Microsoft to allow synchronous audio-with-video playback.

FLV - flash video file format; used to deliver video over the Internet.

MOV - a video publishing file format developed by Apple for use with

their QuickTime video players.

WMV - (Windows Media Video)- An audio and video file encoded

for use with Windows Media Player.


A – Z of Video Terms Autoplay - the function of a video player that starts play automatically.

Bandwidth - the amount of information that can be sent through an

internet connection.

Buffering Video - a buffer is a temporary holding pen in a computer's

memory for data for inputs (e.g., to software) or outputs (e.g., to a

printer) until the process can deal with it.

Captions - text that appears over a video that labels a scene, identifies

a location or person, or narrates dialogue onscreen.

Codec - (COmpressor/ DECompressor) - the technology used to

compress an audio and/ or video file for storage or transmission and

then decompress for playback.

Conversion - the operation of changing data from one format to

another so the output will be displayed in an appropriate manner for

the device.


Digital Camera - A camera that does not take analog video; digital

video cameras can capture truer color and more details than analog

cameras. Digital cameras frequently use digital video tapes, internal

hard drives or memory cards.

Embed - in online video this refers to taking video from a online

video provider and transplanting it elsewhere on the web (websites,

social networking sites, etc.) through the use of HTML code.

High Definition (HD) - technically, any video that is of higher

resolution than standard definition.

MiniDV Tape - a small format digital video cassette.

Online Video - any form of digital video that is available for use over

the internet.


Playlist - a sequence defining the order in which a collection of video

or audio files will be played.

Streaming Media – this refers to internet video and/or audio clips that

can play directly over the internet, without first having to be

downloaded.

Tripod - a three-legged stand for a camera to prevent unwanted

movement.

User-Generated Video (UGV) - video that is shot by a member of the

audience; non-professionally produced video.

Viral Videos - video content which has become popular through

online sharing via email, forums, blogs and other web sites.

Vlog (Video Blog) - a video enabled blog; users can post video entries

which are presented in reverse chronological order.


Webcast - a non-interactive, live broadcast over the web or an online

distribution of audio and/or video to multiple viewers or listeners at

the same time.

Zoom (optical, digital) - optical zoom relies on the camera's lens to

bring the subject closer in the recorded video. Digital zoom does not

use the lens, but rather enlarges a portion of the image digitally.

Better Together 2015 Video Making Guide

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