1. film or findThe 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:
2. digitizeIf 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:
3. editIf 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:
Equipment needed:
4. pick a formatThere 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:
5. compressYour 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:
Equipment needed:
6. deliverOnce your video is recorded, digitized, edited, and encoded, all that remains is to deliver it. Two choices about delivery:
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. |