Camera:
You can produce a reasonable video for use on the internet with a relatively cheap home video camera but most of these cameras generally limit you to only one audio input on the camera and the quality leaves something to be desired so if you would like DVD quality video or more than one person speaking at any one time we would usually recommend hiring a DV CAM camera such as the Sony DSR400 (TV Standard definition) this camera is a classic solid and reliable work-horse and has two audio inputs which are recorded separately onto the DV CAM tape. Or a Sony Z1 which allows you to shoot HDV video.
Lighting:
Ensure that your contributors are well lit. We recommend hiring a set of 'red-heads' (lights) and make sure that your subject is lit from both sides and the front if possible. Make sure that the lighting is not only above as the downward shadows on the face enhance wrinkles, noses etc. For interviews sunlight is not recommended as it is guaranteed to go behind a cloud half way through your shot ruining your continuity for editing. You can use coloured gels pegged over the lights to enhance the background of your scene or set the mood.
Sound:
Make sure you know in advance how many people will be speaking at any one time on your video. If more than 2 people will be speaking you should look into hiring a sound operator with a sound mixer to make sure that all audio is captured audibly and at a good quality. The best quality sound will come from directional microphones either in a fixed position or held on a boom pole. Radio mics give the best flexibility for lots of moving around but offer a slightly lower quality of audio and sometimes get audio interference (which can usually be removed in the edit). If you are using radio microphones make sure that you have got mics for every main contributor that may be talking at any one time. If you have a Q&A session that needs to be captured on video you will need to have a roaming microphone which you will need to ensure that it is with each contributor before they start speaking or else the audio will not be captured.
Camera Shots:
When shooting your content make sure you get loads of extra footage that you can use for editing. You will very unlikely shoot your entire video in one take so you will need to cut between shots. When shooting a head and shoulders piece to camera you could get close ups of the eyes, cuff links and hand motions or take side shots or wide shots. Make a point of recording these after or before the interview. When you are editing you can use these shots to cover your edits and keep a natural looking flow. If you are recording an interview you can make sure that you get lots of shots of the interviewer nodding (noddies) these are always useful when it comes to editing together an interview in the edit suite.
Digitizing & Editing:
Once you have done your filming and your shots are "in the can" you need to get them into your editing computer so that you can edit your footage and output to a digital video file to output on the internet or DVD.
If you have shot onto tape then you need to digitize the footage. You can capture from your camera if it has a connection to your PC or Mac. You can use any number of free video editing software packages. If you are looking for an entry level package for editing and digitizing then we would recommend using a Mac as you get IMovie free with Mac OS X and it just works brilliantly straight out of the box.
If you have shot on a higher quality camera onto HD or SD tape then you may need to hire a DV CAM deck or similar to capture your footage. In this case we would recommend using a Mac Pro with Final Cut Pro. It is intuitive, easy to learn and is a broadcast TV industry standard editing set up.
Once you have all your footage loaded up into your chosen editing system then you hopefully now have plenty of footage with good quality audio to get creative with in your edit suite.
Once you have created your masterpiece you can export a video file which can be easily burnt onto a DVD ready for use or distribution and ready to upload to your video management system.
Hopefully there are a few hints and tips in here that can help you out a bit and avoid a homemade corporate video disaster!
