“What camera should I buy?”

This is impossible to answer. There are so many cameras out there, and the technology is changing so rapidly it’s almost hopeless to stay current. I’m partial to Canon cameras, but it’s purely an emotional bias. I’ve had good luck with them.

“What camera do you use?”

I shoot with a Canon GL2. As of now, I’m up to episode 56, and all of the Izzy Video episodes are shot on this camera. I really like it, and when used properly, you can get great footage from it (much of the quality depends on the lighting). I know I should upgrade to an HD camera at some point, but I’ve been so happy with the GL2, that I haven’t felt motivated to make the change yet.

“Can you show the tutorials on Final Cut Express too?”

Because Izzy Video aims to be extremely simple, I intentionally don’t follow many paths I could take. Among those ignored paths are Final Cut Express examples, or Sony Vegas, or all other editing applications. The good news is that many editors have strong similarities. If Final Cut Pro can do something, there’s a good chance that your editor can do it too.

“What software do you use for recording the screen of your computer?”

I use software called iShowU. It’s for the Mac platform only, and I really like it. It’s inexpensive and works.

“What is your editing system setup?”

I have two computers that I use for editing. When I need to be mobile I use my Macbook Pro, Intel Core Duo 2.16 Ghz with 2 gigs of RAM.

My bigger system (for when I don’t need to be mobile) is a Mac Pro, with two 2.66 Ghz Dual-Core Intel Xeon chips and 5 gigs of RAM. I *love* this machine. It’s a power horse.

Also, I should mention that I have two 23 inch cinema displays attached to my Mac Pro so I can use dual screen setups in Final Cut Pro. It’s hard to describe what a difference this makes. Let’s just say it’s a very good thing, and if you haven’t ever used a dual screen setup, I highly recommend you try it.

“Where did you get the music for your intros and outros?”

The music for my early tutorials, I created in Garageband. After a while, I just started using the stock music that comes with Soundtrack Pro. They have royalty free songs (lots of them), and I simply browse through them and choose a new one every once in a while. In fact, the music for the intro I’ve been using recently comes from Soundtrack Pro’s included royalty free collection.

Of course a major downside of using stock music is that several other productions use the same music. I suppose it could work against branding.

I’ve got other priorities for the show right now, but eventually I’ll probably hire someone to create an 8-10 second music intro/outro for me.