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Izzy Video tutorials make it easy to learn video.

Check out my new Final Cut Pro X tutorial! The rest of this site contains more than 150 video tutorials on topics such as video lighting, audio for video, using a video camera, editing in Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, and more.

How to Turn a Hard Light into a Soft Light: An Important Video Lighting Technique

Video shooters benefit from knowing how to turn a hard light into a soft light, because most people look best under a soft light source. If you’re lighting a person, you’ll notice they look quite different depending on whether they’re under a hard light or a soft light. Here are the five most common ways that I turn a hard light into a soft light. (more…)

August 27, 2010
Filed under: Video Lighting — Tags: — Izzy @ 11:12 am

Letter to Video Shooters Around the World

Video shooters, did you know you can change the world, make a big impact, help people achieve their dreams?

I’m dead serious about this. If you can shoot video, you can change the world for the better. Here’s how…

When you have a video camera and a microphone, it’s like having access to the printing press back in the day. You have the ability to produce something valuable. All you need are ideas and time.

My challenge to you is to forget about day rates, hourly rates, and project rates. Not completely — but occasionally forget about them, and think in a new way. Be willing to work for free up front. You already have the gear. You’re already making a living from your other paid gigs and projects. Why not try something new?

Team up with someone who dreams of making something video-related, and don’t charge them anything. Offer your video skills in exchange for a percentage of the profits. That way, if they don’t make anything, they don’t owe you anything. But if you help them make something awesome, then you’ll both potentially benefit.

People tell me their ideas all the time. For example, there’s a lady that wants to make an instructional video series on how to belly dance. Great idea. There are people in the world who would buy it. She doesn’t have the money up front to pay my day rate, so why not offer to split potential profits with her?

Another person has amazing welding skills and wants to show the world how it’s done. Another great idea. People would buy it.

Everywhere you go, there are people with great ideas for video products, but they don’t have the money to pay you to shoot it.

My challenge to you: Be willing to help them make their dreams come true. Shoot the video for them for a percentage of the profits.

If you’re a video shooter who already makes a living, it’s a viable (additional) model. It’s reasonable that one of the projects you shoot could do well.

Where do you go from here?

  1. Listen to people’s ideas. Choose which ones you have time for, and then help them produce their video products.
  2. Get additional skills. Want to do an even split with them? You can justify it if you offer more. These days, it makes sense for a video shooter to learn how to produce great video on the web. Among other things, this means learn how to encode for the web. Learn how to host it and post it. Learn how to distribute it via the web, through RSS and other means.

If your video gear is just lying there, it’s like the printing press has stopped printing. That doesn’t make sense, does it?

If you have the gear and the skills, you can help people’s dreams come true. Why not give it a try?

All the best,

Izzy

August 13, 2010
Filed under: Articles — Izzy @ 11:28 am

Izzy Video 169 – How to Create Effects Using Color Correction Tools

Izzy Video 169

Last week I asked what topic you wanted to see next, and because the answers were so varied, I decided to start tackling each of them.

This tutorial shows you how to create effects in your videos using basic color correction tools. In fact, I intentionally demonstrate this using the Final Cut Express color correction tool, which is super basic. Naturally, if you have more advanced tools, you can do a lot more.

This video is available to members only.

You can click here to watch the trailer.

If you like this tutorial and want access to more than 150 other video tutorials like it, you should learn about an Izzy Video Membership.

Do you want to master Final Cut Express? It's a click away. Check out my Advanced Final Cut Express course now!
August 12, 2010
Filed under: Members-Only — Tags: , , , — Izzy @ 2:28 pm

What do you want to see next?

Hi again!

Once again, I’m trying to decide which video tutorial to make next. I have a few different ideas, so I thought I’d ask you. Which would you like to see next?

  • Lighting – Different methods to soften a light
  • Organization – Organizing and cataloging project files across multiple drives
  • Style – How to stylize video with effects and filters
  • Text – Tips for adding text to video

The first one would be live video, and the last three options would likely be screencasts with voice-overs.

I think any of these subjects would be helpful, but which would you prefer to see next? Please let me know in the comments…

All the best,

Izzy

P.S.> This video will be a members-only tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can learn about a membership here. (Look for the coupon code I posted there!)

P.P.S.> I’ve been getting a lot of video-related questions via email — more than I have time to answer. The best place to ask questions is in the members-only forums. Other members and I like to pop in there to help get your questions answered. Here’s a link to the forums:

https://members.izzyvideo.com/iv-forums/

August 6, 2010
Filed under: Articles — Izzy @ 1:42 pm