Tag Archives: Corporate video production company

video production interview set up

What to Pack in Your DSLR Camera Bag

video production companiesWhat to Pack in Your Camera Bag

Take a look inside the bag of any Boston Video Production companies and you will find similar things. Each year with technology advancing, some equipment becomes more out of date and requires an upgrade for your camera bag. There are many essential pieces of equipment needed for a video shoot, and each year there is always a newer version coming out. Every professional videographer will have their own selection of favorite equipment that can be found in their bags. There are a lot of things that you want to remember to pack in your bag for your next shoot. Depending on the person, you may have different brands or style equipment but they all have similar equipment. 

  1. DSLR Camera

Whether you are a Sony or Canon person, you want to make sure you have a reliable camera for your shoot. DSLR cameras have made lots of waves and are great for shooting video. Now that the camera quality is at 4K level, it is easy to get great quality shots on your DSLR. Whatever camera you choose, we would suggest full frame like the Sony a7r mark 2. It is the perfect camera for all your shoots. 

2. Camera Lenses

It is always a good idea to bring a few different lenses with you when shooting on your DSLR, just to be sure you can get every angle. The go-to lens that most Video Production Companies in Boston would suggest is the 35mm 2.8 prime lens. The prime lenses have a great sharpness and focal length. It also is good when you don’t have to worry about zoom, because you can do that in post. A few other lenses you may consider are the 16-35 f4 for a wider shot or the 55 1.8 if you are looking for more zoom. Another thing that will help with your shoots is a ND filter, which will help soften an harsh lights when you are shooting.

3. Tripod

Working with a DSLR or any camera, one of the biggest worries is shaky hands. It is very important that you pack your tripod to keep shots still. It is nothing to worry about if you have shaky hands, every professional videographer will use tripods. When choosing your tripod, you want to make sure you think about weight and height. You want to have a tripod that is not hard to carry and easily to transport. K&F Concept has great tripods that fold down to fit into smaller bags and are light weight easy to carry. 

4. Professional Lighting

Boston video production servicesIt is always a good idea to add light to your shoot in order to better illuminate the subject or products of your video. When you are working on your own instead of with a professional video production crew, it is better to think small. A simple light that can be attached directly to your DSLR is a great piece of equipment to bring with you for a shoot. A 176 LED light is a powerful source that can be perfect for all your different shoots. With an easy way to add in diffusion, it is a very user friendly light set up. 

Professional Videographers Bag

Every professional videographer’s bag will look different from one another because each person has there own special touch. Doing shoots on your own or for beginners it is a great idea to look into different pieces of equipment that we have listed above. The video production services are changing each year but there are main pieces of equipment that some people will hold onto for a long time. Find those things that work best for you and start making magic. All video production companies Boston started from something small and have only grown bigger so keep on recording!

Skillman Video Group LLC specializes in video production Boston. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

Terms for Every Boston Videographer

“Angle’s” isn’t just a geometry term, and is quite often used in Boston video production terms. Who would have thought we use geometry in video production. Well the truth is we use the term “angle” more than the actual mathematics. Options and angles work incoherently. As a Boston video company it is important to have more than one option of a particular scene, and even so having close-ups, medium shots, and wide angle shots of that scene (just to name a few). What is this point of all of this? Well, it’s simple all of these options are for our editing team in post-production.

As a Boston videographer for Skillman Video Group it isn’t just enough to have the top of the line equipment. Experience and a keen eye on detail makes the difference in an average marketing video and the best Boston marketing video. Although there is a lot of trial and error when first starting out as a professional videographer, knowing the types of shots and equipment needed to get the perfect shot.

Here is an overview of Boston Video Production Terms for Boston videographers just starting out:

  • Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)- Shot taken from far away where the subject isn’t visible.
  • Very Wide Shot (VWS)- The environment around the subject is still prominent and the subject is barely visible.
  • Wide Shot (WS)- The subject takes up the entire camera frame.
  • Medium Shot (MS)- Shows part of subject in more detail.
  • Medium Close-Up (MCU)- Closer than a medium shot but further away than a close-up on the subject.
  • Close-Up (CU)- A feature of the subject taking up the full frame.
  • Extreme Close-Up (ECU)- Shows extreme detail of the subject.
  • Cut-In (CI)- Shows other areas of the subject in extreme detail.
  • Cutaway (CA)- A shot of something that is not the subject.
  • Over-The-Shoulder Shot (OSS)- Focusing on the subject over the shoulder of another person.
  • Point-Of-View Shot (POV)- The view of the subject.

Besides types of Boston video company camera shots, here are some other terms a professional videographer should keep in mind while on set for a corporate video production company.

  • Color-Temperature- The red, blue, and yellow colors given off in the room. The different color temperatures from scene to scene must be consistent.
  • B-roll– Alternate footage to go with interviewees topic of discussion.
  • Depth of Field (DOF)- The distance between the nearest and furthest subjects that the camera must adjust to focus on.
  • Boom Microphone- A microphone attached to the end of the pole. This microphone is used to pick up more audio from the actors without getting into the camera’s frame. Used in conjunction with a lavaliere.
  • Lavaliere- A small microphone hidden under the actors or interviewees clothing.
  • Aspect Ratio-The size in which the film has been shot. 16:9 is most common.
  • Pan-Following the subject either vertically or horizontally
  • White Balance-The color balance on the camera. Before filming either make sure the white balance is on auto or it is adjusted using a blank white piece of paper

Being a Boston video company like SVG means having a production team that has experience and a great deal of knowledge surrounding everything from pre-production, producing, professional videography, and post-production editing. Although this is just a snippet of some of the most common corporate video production words, it will help any Boston videographer get started in the big city.

video production

Drafting an Interview

Interview When producing a video it is always important to have professional videographers, crew members and high tech video equipment. As a corporate video production company it is our job at Skillman Video Group to bring a client’s idea to life while also incorporating our own expertise regarding video marketing. However when conducting interviews for testimonial, educational, training, or documentary style videos, the questions that will open up dialogue between the interviewer and interviewee must provide a clear message and an meaningful storyline.

A message and a story is nothing without content; which is why questions for an interview should be thought out. Here are the top 5 most important attributes to think about when developing questions and conducting an interview.

  • Organization
  • Research the client’s business
  • Know your client’s audience
  • Ask yourself whether these questions will deliver the clients message and compelling story.
  • Communication

ALWAYS be ORGANIZED

Organize the questions from start to finish. Always ask the interviewee’s name, their job description, and the date. Never go into an interview with  random questions on a piece of paper. Treat the questions as if you are writing a formal essay. Each question should lead into the next and flow together. An interviewer should not jump around asking different questions and instead, related topics should be asked together and then there should be transition questions leading into the next topic. Not only does this provide a natural flow for the interview, it makes the editing process easier in post-production.

Research

Would you go into a job interview without knowing anything about the business or position you are applying for? The answer should be no. The same should be said about a video production interview. As the interviewee, you should know everything there is to know about the business. Research Questions should relate directly to the client’s business and their message. By researching the client’s business, you have a better understanding of their answers during the interview and can even build questions off of their answers. Yet, when conducting interviews there are usually more than one interviewee. When interviewing more than one person it is important to do your research on their individual job descriptions. This can either be done through the company’s website or through direct communication with the client. By getting to know your interviewees jobs beforehand it allows for a more comfortable interview setting, and the dialogue flows more easily because you aren’t force to constantly stop to review notes. Also, not every job description is the same so someone who may work in the warehouse can’t answer questions about working in the front office. Again, know the business and know your interviewees job descriptions.

Nonetheless research also provides a better understanding of the clients audience.

Audience

When developing questions the audience must always be kept in mind. As the interviewer you need to develop questions with the mindset of the audience. Ask yourself what you would want to know about the business. Seeing that you have conducted a large amount of research about the business, you must ask specific questions that delivers information to the audience. In other words, the audience might not know everything that you know about the business and you must pick out specific information that will grab their attention. Also, the audience wants to feel a connection to the business whether it is emotional or comical. Interviews are mostly styled to generate an emotional impact. However, the questions shouldn’t be conducted in a journalistic style and be pounding the client with difficult questions. Instead, the questions should provoke emotion and be relatable.

Impact

After developing a list of questions that flow together and relate directly to the audience, the interviewer must ask themselves if these questions are impactful. Or in other words, “Will these questions address the clients message and contribute to the video as a whole?” If the questions are not impactful and do not relate to the clients message this is probably a result of lack of research on the business and audience. Also, have the client review the questions and ask them if there are specific things they would like to be touched on or if there are topics they would like to be taken out.

Communicate

Communication Know your questions before you go into an interview, and don’t just write them up the night of. Think about the questions and know them so that way when the cameras start rolling you aren’t constantly glancing down at your paper and delaying the interview. This is not saying you should have every word of your question memorized but know the question topics and know what you are going to be asking. Also, listen to the interviewee’s answers. Not all interviews have to be robotic and just go down the list of questions. If you are a well equipped interviewer who did research on the business you should be able to tell if the interviewee only spoke about a topic briefly and needs to go into more depth. An interview should feel like an open dialogue or a conversation to some degree. It doesn’t always have to be mechanical. Listen to the answers and build questions off of them, for it results in a natural dialogue.

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.