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ATME Digital Journal Resources - Technical Checklist

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Technical Checklist for Creation of Video Articles

1. Equipment: Make sure you have all the equipment necessary to videotape all the components of your digital article
   a. Videocamera
   b. Tripod
   c. Audio equipment (if necessary)
   d. Extra batteries
   e. Videotapes or digital storage devices
   f. Computer for video editing
   g. Video editing software such as Final Cut Pro or Premiere
   h. External Hard Drive
   
2. Location: The area where you would like to shoot
   a. Studio
   b. Rehearsal hall
   c. Theatre
   d. Exterior location
   
3. Lighting:
   All the subjects need adequate lighting to be clearly seen on video. Lighting and Audio are your most important considerations.
   a. Key light or Front light. This can be sunlight overhead or through a window. This can also be overhead lighting instruments in the ceiling or theatrical instruments from electrical piping above the stage. Whatever the source, this light provides the main illumination for your subjects to be clearly seen by the camera.
   b. Fill light. This is light that cuts down the strong shadows that can often accompanies key light. One can think of this as secondary light.
   c. Backlight. This is used to create definition to the outlines of the subjects.
   
4. Video:
   Choosing a camera that will adequately record your article.
   a. MiniDV tape cameras
   b. Mini DVD cameras
   c. Flash drive cameras
   
5. Audio:
   Plan to record the sounds from more than one microphone.
   a. Microphone on board camera
   b. Handheld microphone
   c. Lavelier microphone (small clip-on microphone)
   d. Shotgun microphone mounted on a boom pole
   
6. Editing:
   Requires a computer (PC or Mac) with video editing software such as:
   a. Final Cut Pro (Mac)
   b. Adobe Premiere (PC)
   c. Windows Movie Maker (PC)
   d. iMovie (Mac)
   
   With all of these programs, you will need to import your video footage by connecting your miniDV video camera to your computer with a firewire cable. This will be repeated later when you want to output your finished edit.
   
   It is also a good idea to store your footage onto an external hard drive for editing and archiving. Your computer hard drive and processor will run smoother if you do this.
   
   Since your video is going to be put on the web as well as formatted for DVD, consider editing and outputting a chapter at a time. This will reduce the file size for each sometimes making it possible to email your final product! If your file size is 10 megabytes or less, you can safely email the video without jamming up the airwaves.
7. Exporting: Every editing software program has a way to get your work back onto miniDV tape. Just look for the File button and select export to tape, export, output, share, send, etc. Every program also has a help guide. These are almost always going to have the answers you need.
   
   Usually, exporting to tape is like the importing you did at the beginning. You attach your miniDV video camera to your computer with a Firewire cable, set the camera to Video Tape Record mode, and follow the instructions of your particular software.

To keep this process simple, please contact the technical editor, Nick Erickson, to discuss your technical resources and how best to proceed without stress. Nick Erickson can be reached at: nickwe@lsu.edu or (225) 279-0545.