Toronto Videographer- How To Become A Videographer (Part 1)

If you decide that you want to use corporate video to help promote your business then this is a wise decision. The very first question you must answer is whether to use a professional video production company to produce your video or whether to do it yourself. I have written extensively in the past about the pros and cons of using a professional video production company so this article will focus on if you decide to do it yourself.

Toronto Videographer– Camera’s and Microphones

So if you have decided that you want to become a Toronto videographer for your own business then there is a lot you are going to have to learn. Firstly let’s look at the financial side of things in terms of equipment. The following list presents the minimal equipment you will need in order to make a quality video:

Camera- Luckily for you with today’s advancements in digital technology great quality cameras are available at very reasonable prices.There are two main routes you can go down:

1. DSLR Camera– A camera such as the Canon 7D or 5D offers users the ability to take incredible quality pictures AND record full HD broadcast quality video. The main drawbacks of using a DSLR is that the audio recording is poor and you need to supplement it with a good top mic, such as a Rode, or even better use a separate audio recording device such as a Zoom Recorder. If using something like a Zoom Recorder please remember to use a clapper board or do a sync clap so you can sync up the audio when it comes to editing.
2. A Digital HD Video Camera- Specifically made cameras that are used in broadcast production have minimum technical requirements that broadcasters insist upon. For your production, this isn’t really necessary unless you are planning on airing a TV commercial, in which case you should definitely be hiring a professional video production company in Toronto. There are a whole plethora of camera options out there and it really comes down to what you have the budget for. Basically, you get what you pay for. The more expensive the camera the better quality video you will get. My personal recommendation for a reasonably priced but a quality camera is the Canon C100. The advantage of using a camera such as the C100 is the built-in audio control and monitoring. It offers two channels to record on, which I will expand upon below.

Microphones- When it comes to creating great video audio is just as important as the visual. In fact, many people argue it’s more important because you can edit around bad pictures, but it’s very difficult to work around bad audio. When you have a great video camera such as the C100 you have two XLR ports to which you can attach audio recording equipment. Typically I would always recommend using a lapel microphone on your main ‘talker’ on camera and a top microphone that gets mounted on the camera and will capture most reasonable audio in the immediate area. The lapel microphone is primarily used to pick up the audio of the main talker.

If you are using a cheaper camera or a DSLR camera I would advise using a top microphone (as mentioned above, such as a Rode microphone) but also use an external audio recorder, such as a Zoom recorder. YOU MUST SYNC this device with the camera by using a clapper board or load clap. The point of this is when it comes to the edit you can match both audio sources exactly and blend them together through two channels.

Next time I will be writing about other equipment considerations and some of the basics with regard to the technical side of things when it comes to cameras. This will represent the second of a series of articles designed to give you a complete overview if you are looking to become a videographer. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more please contact us at VCM and we would be happy to advise you as best we can. Otherwise browse our company website for more great articles, resources, and information www.vcminteractive.com