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118 P a r t I I Producing Your YouTube Videos

What Makes a Professional Video Professional

To the untrained eye, there might be little difference between a well-done semi-pro
video and a professionally produced video. But professionals can tell the difference;
it’s a matter of trained professionals using quality equipment to produce superior
results.

Shooting can be either on location (typically in your offices) or in a video produc-
tion studio. Both have their advantages.

Shooting in the Studio

Shooting in the studio has the advantage of more equipment and props being at
hand. This is especially important in lighting and sound, which can be much better
controlled in a studio environment.

When you first visit the studio, its size is likely to impress you. Most production
studios are built around large sound stages, big spaces in which all manner of props
and backdrops are used. For example, you might see some sort of curved seamless
background wall, or perhaps a large curtain or roll of seamless background paper,
in front of which the subject stands. This background is typically a neutral color;
technicians shine colored lights on the background if a colored background is nec-
essary.

You’ll see one or more rows of spotlights on the ceiling, as well as various auxiliary
lights mounted on stands. You’ll also see various baffles, diffusers, and reflectors—
all to better direct the right lighting to the right spots in the frame.

You’ll shoot the video in front of the chosen background, lit by the appropriate stu-
dio lights. One or more DV or Betacam cameras, mounted on tripods or tracks (for
moving shoots), are typically used to shoot the scene. If more than one camera is
used, they’re synchronized via time codes to make for easier editing between shots.

Sound can be recorded in a number of different ways. Some studios prefer to mic
each subject individually, typically with wireless lavalier microphones hidden some-
where on the subject’s person. Other studios prefer the old-school approach, using a
boom microphone held over the heads of the subjects, just out of camera range. In
both cases, a separate soundman is typically responsible for getting the best possible
sound.

If the subject is reading from a script, and he probably is, you’ll find a teleprompter
mounted on top of each camera. The script for the video is entered into the
teleprompter system via keyboard, and the teleprompter operator controls the
scrolling speed of the script.