This episode of Izzy Video is part 2 in my series on shooting video with a Digital SLR.

Digital SLR cameras are excellent for shooting video indoors and at night because you can increase the ISO until you have a nice exposure. One of the challenges though is that when you’re shooting video, you usually don’t want a shutter speed other than 1/60th of a second.

This can become a problem in the sunny outdoors because when you want to blur out the backgrounds (shallow depth of field), then you need the aperture open all the way. This lets in too much light which leads to overexposure, and you’ll see in this video, how you can solve that problem.

The variable ND filter you’ll see in this video is this one.

The full version of this tutorial is available to Izzy Video Members only, but you can download the Quicktime version of the trailer here.

This video tutorial is an introduction to shooting video with a Digital SLR. The model I own is the Canon 5D Mark II, so it’s the one I demonstrate in the video. Personally, I think these cameras are revolutionary, and I find the footage that I get from them to be amazing. In fact, in many ways I prefer the overall look of my video from the DSLR over other more expensive options (such as my Sony PMW-EX1).

I find there are plenty of reasons to use these cameras for shooting video, and there are several reasons why you shouldn’t. In the video, I’ll give you those reasons, show you some sample footage, and even show you very quickly how to shoot video with the Canon 5D Mark II. This is the first tutorial in a series, and I hope you enjoy it!

You can watch the trailer here.

The full version of this video is available only to Izzy Video Members. If you’re not a member yet, you can follow this link to learn more.

* Links to gear are affiliate links and help support Izzy Video when you make a purchase.

Whenever possible, I like to shoot with one camera. It’s a lot more of a simple process. It’s easier to light for one camera. You only need one operator, and so on. However, there are times when you absolutely need to use multiple cameras when you’re shooting video, and this episode of Izzy Video will help those of you who are new to multi-camera shoots.

This episode is once again for members only, but I’ve provided a trailer above that includes a helpful tip.

Sometimes when you’re shooting video, you’ll end up with bad audio. Many times this results from a persistent background noise of some sort. It could be a hum, wind noise, an air conditioner, traffic, an airplane flying overhead — you get the idea. You can’t always fix these problems in post production, but sometimes you can. In this episode of Izzy Video, I’ll show you how to use a tool called “Noise Reduction” inside of Soundtrack Pro (an application included in Final Cut Studio) to reduce or eliminate unwanted background noise from your video.

This video is available to members only. If you want to learn how you can get access to this video as well as more than 100 more videos, follow this link to learn about a membership.

You can download the Quicktime version of this trailer here.

Wireless lavalier microphones are a fundamental tool when you shoot video, but for someone new to this kind of gear, they can be challenging to use. This members-only installment of Izzy Video will help you get set up correctly.

Also, in the video I make several announcements regarding events where I’ll be speaking live…

This Saturday on Sept. 19th, I’ll be speaking at the Chandler, AZ Apple Store from 4-6pm. It’s free, and there should be room for 30 people or so. For the first hour, I’ll talk about operating a video camera, lighting for video indoors, lighting for video outdoors, and audio for video. For the second hour, I’ll do “questions and answers.” If you have video questions, you might want to come join us. (And sorry, but the event won’t be captured on video, so I won’t be able to release something later if you miss it.) Here is the location info.

Did I mention the event is free?

Also, on Oct. 16th, I’ll be speaking about audio for video at Blogworld Expo (not a free event). If you’re going to be at Blogworld Expo, come check out my session.

And then on Nov. 14th and 15th, we’ll be doing Podcamp AZ again, and I’ll speak there as well. I’m planning to do a lighting workshop of some kind. This event will be free as always, and we’ll have a lot of fun there.

Why am I doing these live events? Partially because people asked me to speak, but also because as much as I love training on video through these tutorials, there’s something fun and dynamic about the live environment. I’m really looking forward to these events, and I hope to see you there!

Oh, and here’s the Quicktime version of the trailer for the above video tutorial.

If you want access to the full version of this video along with more than 100 other video tutorials, you should become an Izzy Video Member.

I receive a lot of emails. Thank you all very much for the kind words you continue to send me, and I wish I had time to respond to all of them. Last night I received one of my favorite emails so far. Here it is:

Hi Izzy,

My name is Timothy McKean. I am a longtime member and subscriber. I
teach video production classes at the High school and Graduate levels
and often use your materials as part of my curriculum. For my
graduate classes this coming term I am going to have my students buy a
membership to izzyvideo.com in lieu of purchasing a textbook.

I was wondering if you offer an educational rate, or would consider
creating a special offer for my students. Your $69 rate is not bad,
but a $39 or $49 coupon code (like your current promotion) is more
comparable to a textbook that I might require.

Thanks again for all the work that you put in to helping me, and my
students, produce better video.

Timothy McKean
Oak Hills High School, Video Production
Azusa Pacific University, MA in Edtech and Learning

I responded to Timothy, and we worked out a nice discount for his graduate students. (By the way, if any of you would like to try something similar with a group of students, I’d be happy to do something like that with you as well. Just send me an email at izzy (at) izzyvideo (dot) com.)

Many of you know that I’ve been producing the Izzy Video Tutorial series for several years, and the memberships are currently my main source of income. When I receive emails like this, I can’t tell you how great it feels. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement, and for helping me spread the word about Izzy Video.

Sometimes you can get beautiful effects with simple techniques. This installment of Izzy Video shows you how to make a video clip freeze and then flash into a photo, using the Ken Burns effect. It’s a common effect you see in video, and you’ll see it’s quite simple to create.

This is a tutorial for the members, but you can watch the Quicktime version of the trailer here.

By the way, although I use Final Cut Pro in this video, you could likely create the same effect in nearly any editing software that allows you to do keyframing. Enjoy!

In this members-only episode, I give several tips that I really wish I would’ve known when I was just getting started in video. Sometimes lavalier microphones are the best choice for a shoot, but they can also be frustrating to use.

In this week’s Izzy Video tutorial, I’ll show you things like:

• How to hide a microphone under clothing
• How to reduce cable noise by adding strain relief
• The proper way to attach a lavalier microphone
• How to best position it

If you use lavalier microphones at all, or if you’re considering using them, this episode should really help. Enjoy!

Download the high quality version of the trailer here.

I like to convert my living room into a studio for shooting video. Is it a little inconvenient having to move everything around? Yes, I suppose it is. But it works for me for several reasons:

1. I don’t have to drive anywhere. Even if it takes 45 minutes to set up the studio, that’s not much longer than it would take for me to drive to a studio somewhere else. And my living room is certainly a lot more accessible to me.
2. My living room is quiet. The floor is covered with carpet. This helps deaden potential sound problems.
3. I can shoot almost any time I want. If we’re planning on shooting on a Tuesday, but then we push it to Wednesday because we’re not ready yet, I don’t have to worry about rescheduling a rented studio.
4. I can hit the refrigerator between takes.

If I had an extra room that I could set up and leave as a studio all the time, I probably would, but this periodic studio setup just isn’t that difficult, so I don’t mind doing it.

In this week’s video, I’ll show you the whole transformation as I convert my living room into a studio, and then I’ll stop periodically to explain certain items, pieces of gear, and my motivations behind some of the decisions I’ve made.

This is similar to a video I did in the past, but I’ve made changes since then, so I thought an update would be appropriate.

Do you have a studio in your home? I’d love to hear what you do. Please feel free to tell me about it in the comments for this post.

This video is available to members only. To learn how you can gain access to this video as well as all the past videos, please visit the membership information page.