anything media

As the online video world explodes and the cost of quality video hardware continues to become more and more reasonable, it seems I’m seeing more people entering the videographer pool… well, at least that’s what THEY say about themselves.

There’s an old song the Smothers brothers did on their show (I know, dating myself here) called The Cowboy’s Lament. The lyrics the Smothers Brothers sang are:

As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.

As I walked out on Laredo one day,

I spied a young cowboy all dressed in white linen,

Dressed in white linen as cold as the clay.

“I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.”

“I see by your outfit you are a cowboy too.”

“We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys.

If you get an outfit, you can be a cowboy too.”

The humor of course is that merely wearing a cowboy outfit does not make you a cowboy (seen City Slickers?) any more than having a killer video camera makes someone a videographer (worth entrusting your project to).

Producing a quality video product is more than a great camera is the point here. There are many more elements to telling a digital story well than just setting up a great camera and capturing the images and sound.

So here’s the conundrum. Most clients who enlist the services of a “videographer in uniform only” are often so enamored with anything created that they feel ownership, or creative ownership, of that they cannot truly view it with a critical eye. As videographers of course we view every moving image creation with a more critical eye than the consumer, but it’s not this one that I’m speaking of here… it’s the beautiful baby syndrome I’m speaking of here. I’ve seen some really ugly babies before that parents just can’t admit are, well, not the most beautiful kid in the nursery.

So the point of my rant is not so much about who you should hire to do your video project as much as a plea to all those who have cameras, promote themselves as videographers, but have not taken the time to truly learn the craft so your clients will get the best product for their money.

Teaching videography at local schools has helped me realize how many truly great resources are out there in printed form and online for those of you willing to step it up a notch. Here’s a couple of great online resources that can provide some of the most basic, or advanced tips to help anyone shoot and edit better video:

Metacafe’s Production School

The Robert Rodriguez Ten Minute Film School

Izzy Video’s Facebook page

YouTube (just search on film making)

So, if you are going to get out there and make use of your camera to help other folks make great digital stories… PLEASE, learn some of the really simple basic techniques that will provide the value your clients should have.