Organizing Your Video

This is primarily for the newcomers to the production world.

Keep your workflow organized.  You will be glad you did.

I know the temptation.  You capture video to your PC or Mac and then you drop it on your desktop, or some random folder.  Then before you know it, there are dozens of video files cluttering up the place!  If you have to do a 'search' to find a file, you probably need to reorganize your computer files.

Remember, you can't be TOO organized.  Keeping things nice and neat will really make life easier and increase your productivity in the long run.

1.  LABEL
Label each file in your editor.  Whether you use Final Cut, Premiere, Vegas, or something else to edit video, you will be thankful you labeled all your files.  When I started out, I just captured all the video to Premiere and started cutting video.  I had dozens of video files named "Untitled1", "Untitled2", and so on.  There was no way to find a specific video without double clicking on each file and previewing it until I found the one I was looking for.  When you shoot events, such as weddings, music videos, or other events that might make up over 100 video clips, you are really making life harder than it has to be.  It will seem long and tedious (because it is) but going through each video at the beginning and renaming them to something you can recognize will save you time and headache later on.

Label your tapes (or memory cards).  A lot of people will tell you to label your tapes or memory cards before you start a shoot.  Something like, "Wedding Ceremony - Cam 1", or "First Dance/Cake Cutting."  This is a good idea, however can be unrealistic at times when shooting a fast paced, live event. 

The premise is correct, however.  If you can label them before the event, and manage to keep only that footage to the label indicated, more power to you.  For me, it doesn't always work that way.  

When you do run-and-gun shooting like I do, sometimes you don't have time to switch to your next tape when you want, or you want to keep capturing something unexpected, and suddenly the tape you labeled "First Dance" also has a beauty shot of the sunset, a sound byte from a guest, and an unexpected toast from the bride's father.  

Side note - use whatever is most convenient for you as a label.  Write on a tape label, a sticky note, a piece of tape, whatever.   It doesn't have to look pretty, as long as you can read it.  Also, store all your media in the same place.  I put all mini dv tapes in my shirt pocket until I can get to my camera case, and then I store them all in the side pocket.  All in the same case.  I never put a few in one case and a few in the other.  Keep them together.

Ideally, still try to label your media before the shoot with what you know you will capture, but leave room for additional notes. 

So on your "first dance" tape you could quickly write below it, "sunset/toast/guest sound."  This way your tapes are still labeled and organized, and stay accurate with what is on them.

2.  PLAN
Whether you write a script, a storyboard, or just a rough outline of the day, having a plan of what is happening and in what order, is very important.  If you are doing a commercial shoot, having a storyboard will help keep things moving smoothly and, if people are helping you shoot, will keep your crew informed and working, rather than standing around wondering what's next. 

Whenever I shoot a wedding, I always ask the bride for an outline of the day.  This way, I am much more unlikely to miss something important and will know when I can stop to change batteries, SD Cards, etc.  Also, when shooting a wedding, it is a good idea to talk to the wedding planner and ask them to keep you in the look when something is about to happen (cake cutting, the couple's departure, etc). 

3.  SORT
Another helpful tip is to sort your video within your editor, in either folders or by name.  Some editing software sorts your video by name.  This isn't always how you want it.  Of course, if you don't want to put the video into the folders most software provides, just change the name to sort your video together. 


4.  BACK-UP
This isn't so much an organizing tip, but can't be overstated, especially for paid work, such as a wedding.  This is crucial.  Someone is paying you a lot of money to shoot their one time event.  They can't get that day back, so if you lose their footage, you could be in major trouble. 

Forget the fact that you have just let down your clients and they don't get to see their wedding video, but you could also open yourself up to a lawsuit.  Don't get me wrong, shit happens, and sometimes video disappears, whether it be from dropped frames in camera, a crashed hard drive, or you forgot to push record in time.  But do everything you can to minimize any lost footage.

I save all my footage on an external hard drive and I also back up to an online storage site.  Check around the internet, there are a bunch of them and worth the cost, if nothing else, for the peace of mind.  Just remember to actually upload to them.  If you have trouble remembering, find a site that performs automatic backups on your computer.

5. SAVE-SAVE-SAVE
This is similar to #4, but can't be over-stated.  As you edit your video, save often.  Few things are as deflating as losing hours worth of editing.  I think almost all of us have lost most of our work writing a paper in high school or college at some point.  After that happens, you probably saved every couple of sentences, just to be safe.  The same idea applies here.  Save your work!  If you can't remember, change your settings so it automatically saves every few minutes.  If your software doesn't have that option, then set an alarm to go off every few minutes (or just keep hitting snooze) to remind you to save.  After a while it will become second nature and you won't need the alarm.


These are just a handful of tips that, if followed, will greatly help make your life easier and more organized when shooting and editing video.

New Year, New Ideas

I just booked my first wedding of the new year after taking some time away  from them.  Starting a new full time job, the holidays, and other priorities meant I needed to slow down my videography work for a short time.  But now I am gearing back up to full force and I have already got a few new ideas in store for this new season of weddings.

First, I am going to experiment with using the GoPro Hero 2 as a third camera at the wedding events.  It could be a very cool third option that can get into all sorts of spaces and angles my other camcorders cannot.  I'm thinking things like, putting it up in a tree, shooting a high, wide angle of the ceremony; or attaching it just above the officiant's head for a close, tight shot of the bride and groom as they exchange vows.  POV shots might be another option, I will need to explore more in 2013.

I have also started offering a live stream of the wedding ceremonies for those who want the option.  If you have friends or family members who can't make it to your wedding because of cost, other obligations, illness, military duties, etc. then this would be the perfect addition to your wedding package!  I just set up my iphone on a tripod near the front of the ceremony, and anybody who has the link can get online and watch from afar.

I went to a wedding one time and the brother of the bride could not be there because he was doing a tour of duty in the Middle East.  Another family member had a laptop in his lap and was using Skype to stream the wedding so he could see it.  It gave me the idea I am starting this year, and hopefully many future brides will want to take part of.

2 Years Down...

2 down, and hopefuly many more to go.  Creekhouse Productions is entering its 3rd year and hopefully many more exciting video shoots.  While wedding videos are the staple of my business, I also added a concert from a local band, several internet videos, a stand-up comedian, and another school play last year. 

CHP is still a part time job for me, as I have worked in broadcast television for the past 8 and a half years.  However, just 6 weeks ago I started a new chapter of my time, leaving television behind and moving to a new business called GPAllied.  I still get to do what I love, and that is shoot and edit videos.  I am very excited about the new job and really enjoy it thus far.

This new job won't change my commitment to Creekhouse Productions, though.  I still have my evenings and weekends free, so I will still be doing as much (or hopefully more) videography as I have previously.

I can't wait to see what else 2013 has in store!

Debut

I have had my own personal blog for some time now, but I thought it was time to involve Creekhouse with the blogging world.  For those of you new to my company, Creekhouse Productions, LLC is a video production business, which operates out of North Charleston, SC.  We shoot & edit all kinds of projects, from weddings, to sporting events, to business videos (training, lectures, etc) and other special events. 

I am currently working on editing two weddings.  A Greek wedding & a 'historic' wedding.  I say historic because this couple, from Colorado, traveled to Charleston to take advantage of its historical awesomeness.  They got married in the courtyard of the Confederate College and partied the night away in the Old Exchange Building.  They even got to offer dungeon tours to their guests!  Very original. 

I had never been to a Greek wedding before, and it too was very interesting.  It was held in a gorgeous Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Charleston and the ceremony was not like anything I had ever seen.  Very cool customs!  From wearing crowns, to circling a table several times - the priest even chanted the entire service. Very different for those of us not a part of the Greek culture, but very cool.