I've seen a couple of questions/comments about how my videos were shot (one person commented they thought I used a steadycam), so I thought it might be interesting for Zune Thoughts readers to see where and how
all of the Zune videos were shot. Ok, here's a peek behind the Thoughts Media kimono...
Basically, it's a photography light table. It's soft white plastic that absorbs and diffuses light, and provides a white back-drop for the objects I'm filming or shooting. Two fluorescent light bulbs provide extra light, with an overhead natural light provides the bulk of the light. I sometimes turn off the main light if I want to lower the overall light level. The camera is a Canon GL2, a three-chip minDV camera that's a few years old but still provides awesome video quality and has crisp optics. The tri-pod is a Manfrotto, with a Manfrotto 501 head - that's the secret to the smooth gliding motions. The audio was picked up by the Canon GL2 microphone, though I may investigate some sort of improved audio input.
The videos were edited and uploaded inside Premiere Elements 4.0, though the program crashed on me several times and I generally don't think much of it in terms of robustness or stability. I may switch to Vegas Video since that software has always rocked.
There you have it, some of my trade secrets. But no one can ever duplicate my sparkling personality! ;-)
Where The Zune Videos Were Shot
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