preparing video for the web

1. film or find

The first step toward integrating video into your site is to film or find the footage you'll use.

Film. If you're creating original content, you can shoot it with any analog or digital video camera (or even a movie camera, if you have a preference and the budget for film).

As you film, you should always keep the final online product in mind and emphasize those filming techniques that lead to better compression. For tips and tutorials, try the film site New Venue (http://www.newvenue.com).

Find. Rather than filming it yourself, you can use "found" footage from films or videotapes, if you can obtain the rights. You can also use photographs or other still images, which can be scanned into the computer and integrated slideshow-style into the video.

Equipment needed:

• Video camera or camcorder

• Analog or digital video tapes

• Microphone (optional)

• Tripod (optional)

2. digitize

If your film is shot using analog (normal) video, you'll need to convert it into a digital format. The process varies depending on your source material, but your computer will need a video capture card.

Digital video can usually be transferred directly from video camera to computer, using a specialized cable called "FireWire."

Equipment needed:

• Firewire or other high-speed cable (if shooting digital video)

• Computer with a Firewire port

• Video capture card (if shooting analog video)

3. edit

If you're really old-school, you might still edit video on the traditional (and expensive) Avid workstation. Otherwise, you'll look to the new generation of video-editing tools, all of which were designed for editing digital video on a desktop computer.

When editing digital video, you have to make a few choices that don't come up in TV or film. Namely:

• Frame rate. Frame rate measures the number of still images (or frames) that appear each second in a video, creating the illusion of continuous motion. Rates are standardized in film (24 frames per second) and TV (25 or 30 fps), but they are still an open question in the digital world, where a slower frame rate means a smaller file size and a faster download. Typical rates are 10, 12, or 15 fps.

• Picture size. For obvious reasons based on their respective screens TV and film both have standardized picture proportions. TV is, well, TV-shaped, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, while films are wider (1.85:1 or 2.35:1). No standard has emerged for online video, but the most common window sizes (320 x 240, 240 x 180 and 160 x 120 pixels) all preserve TV's 4:3 aspect ratio.

  As you edit, you should emphasize those editing techniques that lead to better compression.

Equipment needed:

• Video-editing software, such as Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier, or Media100 CineStream.

4. pick a format

There are several different formats for online video, and your choice will depend on your project and your budget.

The basic choice you'll have to make is between streaming and non-streaming (static) video. There are several choices for streaming video (Windows, Real, and QuickTime) but QuickTime is the only choice for non-streaming.

See choosing a format for online video, p. 215.

The best tool for the job:

• Live video: Streaming formats.

  If you're "webcasting" an event as it happens, you'll have to use a streaming format.

• Long videos: Streaming formats.

  Videos longer than three minutes should be streamed. Otherwise, they take too long to download.

• Short video: QuickTime.

  Videos under one minute should probably be static.

• Video on the cheap: QuickTime.

  Streaming video has many advantages, but cost is not one of them. It's expensive not only to buy the streaming servers, but to operate them. (You need a lot of bandwidth to serve streaming video!) So QuickTime is the way to go for low-budget projects.

5. compress

Your compression technique (called a codec) will be dictated by the file format you choose. And all the standard codecs come bundled with video-editing software. So you can simply export from your editing suite to the final format. However, most video professionals invest in a specific compression suite, like Media Cleaner or Sorenson Video.

Final decisions. When encoding your video, you'll have to give final answers on the following questions:

• What video format? QuickTime, Real, Windows?

• What delivery medium? Web? DVD?

• What delivery method? Normal or streaming?

• What frame rate? 10, 12, 15 frames per second?

• What window size? For example, 240 x 180 pixels.

• What connection speed? 56K modem? DSL? T1?

Equipment needed:

• Video compression suite like MediaCleaner (terran.com), or just video-editing software.

6. deliver

Once your video is recorded, digitized, edited, and encoded, all that remains is to deliver it.

Two choices about delivery:

1. Static or streaming files?

2. Embedded window or pop-up?

Static, stand-alone files are delivered in their entirety and must be downloaded completely before they're played. They may be emailed as attachments or embedded in web pages.

Streaming video is delivered and played in "real-time" on a user's computer and will begin to play moments after the download is initiated. Playback is spotty, and it requires a dedicated streaming server, but the format can handle long videos that would be unrealistic as static files.

Embedded window or pop-up?

When you add the video to your web site, you determine how the movie should appear on your web site: It can either be embedded within the page or served in a separate pop-up window.