Video for the web

A

Ama

I'm developing some teaching software - and a part of each lesson is a 90 sec video. This will be used primarily online - clients will use a password to log in to the website - but will also be sold separately on CD's.

I put out a call for filmmakers to shoot and edit the videos, and I have been flooded with responses from students to production companies. Everybody talks about the equipment that they have available to them - and most of it makes no sense to me.

I'm actually more inclined to go with the students - on the whole they seem to have more creativity, and thats important to me. However, I don't want to end up with an unprofessional looking product - I need something I can market viably.

The girl I'm really interested in has a digital camcorder I think, and a tripod. Should that be good enough to give me a great looking video? Does she need much more than a PC to edit? Whats an editing bay? Someone emailed me to say he had TWO editing bays. Why does that matter?

Also, can someone brief me on formats? People are asking what format I want the masters in - what do you advise? These will be used like I said, on the web, and also on CD's.

Is there a book or a resource that I should read?

Thanks!
 
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There are two things you need to do before you go forward.

1. You need a detailed budget.
2. You need to look at demo reels for the directors and DPs instead of looking at equipment lists. Equipment can be rented, no big deal.

You should also consider hiring a producer to work along side you, so you can learn and produce at the same time.
 
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indietalk said:
2. You need to look at demo reels for the directors and DPs instead of looking at equipment lists.
Click to expand...

I'll just weigh in and agree with that statement. I'd be leary of someone who leads with their equipment; ask for dvd or vhs tapes so you can see what they have done, base your judgement on what they are able to create.

The format you need is dictated by the venue you'll use to display, for web or training cd's the format will obviously be digital so you don't need film though that can be converted. Digital should be cheaper.

If you are looking for something simple, a 90 second clip of an instructor, it should be fairly cheap and straightforward.
 
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Oh good, thats what I've been doing - looking at demos. But so many people emailed me with details of the cameras they use and things like that, I got confused, and was wondering how important that was. The videos are not just straightforward filming an instructor, they are more like short films - 90 secs each, a starting point for conversation. I was therefore looking for a group to execute the project - someone who would source talent, shoot, edit - and I could just hand over the money to. But it seems like there are a lot of one man teams out there.

I have a couple of more questions - who is a DP? And what kind of details do I need to think about in my budget? I offered $2000 for the whole project ie 100-200 90 sec videos. I don't have a lot of money to spend on this because I have so many other costs. I thought I was paying very badly, but a LOT of people are up and willing for the job. Any comments?
 
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OH! That sounds so obvious, once you know. :) Thank you.

More questions - what does this person mean when they say - "We have the capacity to meet your format standards - whether you need to post the videos on the web, or you need numerous DVD copies." What format does one put on DVDs? How is this different from CDs? And from the web?
 
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