Computer duffer needs help!

[thereallyniceman]

Could anyone please help with suggestions on how to video a performance suitable to post up on the group. I don't have a video camera, or a webcam or an audio recorder (Yes, I said I was a computer duffer!).

What is the best equipment to buy and how do I go about producing clips with nice title pages and good sound, like many do on the group?  Is there a recommendation for software to do all this, and to allow me edit out a bum section when needed?   :-)

This all may seem a bit obvious to many here...but not to me!   Do I need a computer with a really big hard drive, as my computer is a bit lacking when it comes to brains, like me!

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ian in sunny Blackpool

[Adam]

Hi Ian,

I'll reply to the software question first: If you're using Windows, there's a program called Windows Movie Maker. It's what I used on my (one) video and I can tell from other videos that it's what many people here are using. It's often included at the time of purchase, but if your computer doesn't have it, it is available, for free,
here.

You don't need a huge hard drive, but the site I linked to does recommend 2 gigabytes of free space for the software alone. The video files themselves aren't huge, less than 10 megabytes, which is quite small these days.

You can edit and add titles, etc, with Windows Movie Maker.

If you're using a Mac, I'm afraid I'm at loss but others here might be able to help.

As for hardware: I just use an old Cannon digital camera that has video capabilities. It records the sound as well. The camera is about 6 years old now, so you don't need something new. Might be able to find a used digital camera (or video camera) for cheap in your area ... New ones, too, aren't terribly expensive. I'd say this is satisfactory hardware if you're just looking to create videos to upload to the web ... but if you're looking for something more professional, others will have to chime in on that. One caveat: with digital cameras the *length* of the video is sometimes limited to a minute or two of video time ... Check into that when doing your shopping.

The cameras then connect to a USB port on your computer and you can transfer the file to your computer to edit it, etc.

I hope this helps. I'm sure others will have great ideas too ...

EDIT: Microsoft also has this "how-to" page which might be useful:
Getting Started with Windows Movie Maker

All the best,
Adam

[Adam]

Ah, didn't know uploading videos here directly was discouraged ... I'll remove the one I did upload directly and embed a YouTube clip instead.

YouTube is also better in this regard because it doesn't start playing the video as soon as you go to the page on this site ... At least I prefer that.

Thanks,
Adam

[Jody Stecher]

Adam, uploading videos directly is discouraged? By whom? And if so why is it made easy by Ning? I doubt I'll ever post a classic banjo video to youtube. Ian, you can get a Flip recorder that does video and sound for about $50. One with better sound costs about $200. All the models fit in a shirt pocket and weigh next to nothing. Using it is dead easy. Even I can do it. What I can't do yet is stop it from beheading me in the videos but am figuring that out too.

J. Adam Latham said:

Ah, didn't know uploading videos here directly was discouraged ... I'll remove the one I did upload directly and embed a YouTube clip instead.

YouTube is also better in this regard because it doesn't start playing the video as soon as you go to the page on this site ... At least I prefer that.

Thanks,
Adam

[Adam]

Hi Jody,

Rob (who is a site administrator) mentioned it in his post above ...

"It is possible to bypass YouTube and ulpoad your video here, BUT, there is a storage limit here, and uploading videos directly here is discouraged. By contrast, embeding a video hardly takes any space at all."

I agree that it seems odd that Ning would make it so easy to upload a video and also limit your group's users ... But then again, with Ning, I'm not so surprised ... It's a great system, but it's also kinda quirky!

Best,
Adam

[Carl Anderton]

No Classic banjo YouTube vids from Jody Stecher? That seems a pity considering all the great guitar and mandolin videos you have on YouTube.

Jody Stecher said:

Adam, uploading videos directly is discouraged? By whom? And if so why is it made easy by Ning? I doubt I'll ever post a classic banjo video to youtube. Ian, you can get a Flip recorder that does video and sound for about $50. One with better sound costs about $200. All the models fit in a shirt pocket and weigh next to nothing. Using it is dead easy. Even I can do it. What I can't do yet is stop it from beheading me in the videos but am figuring that out too.

J. Adam Latham said:

Ah, didn't know uploading videos here directly was discouraged ... I'll remove the one I did upload directly and embed a YouTube clip instead.

YouTube is also better in this regard because it doesn't start playing the video as soon as you go to the page on this site ... At least I prefer that.

Thanks,
Adam

[Adam]

I too don't want to miss out on Jody's CB videos so I did a quick look at YouTube and you can make a video *private* - there's a tick box in the Privacy section when you're about to upload ... You'll still get the "embed" code that's needed to make it viewable within this site.

I don't think any of the videos of Jody on YouTube have been uploaded by Jody himself ... He's commented before that others have put those up ... Just FYI.

Anyway, I hope this helps.
Adam

[Jody Stecher]

Adam's right. I've never uploaded anything to youtube. I'll look into the private possibility. But I don't understand why there would be a storage problem on Ning. The test video files I've made with a Flip software and camera seem to be about 80MB per minute. That seems a very small amount of data considering that this classic banjo site is by its very nature self-limiting. I don't see thousands of videos being posted here any time soon.

J. Adam Latham said:

I too don't want to miss out on Jody's CB videos so I did a quick look at YouTube and you can make a video *private* - there's a tick box in the Privacy section when you're about to upload ... You'll still get the "embed" code that's needed to make it viewable within this site.
I don't think any of the videos of Jody on YouTube have been uploaded by Jody himself ... He's commented before that others have put those up ... Just FYI.
Anyway, I hope this helps.
Adam

[Adam]

Update on the YouTube privacy option: If you do tick that box, the video is not viewable on this site once it's embedded. I tried it with my Grimshaw video and it didn't work. :( You have to provide a list of people (up to 25) who can are allowed to view it, and they each have to be logged onto their YouTube accts in order to view the video.

Too bad.