I am new to video work, but have a pretty unique set of needs, input please

[tykempster]

Hello, my name is Tyler and I am just getting into video and editing. Small background, I am going to be a Junior at the University of Missouri, marketing major, and am currently working an internship for a custom rifle company in Kansas City. I am making product videos demoing their rifles and trying to get interesting footage to put into videos that are informative and sell the product, while also being interesting to watch.

I am interested in doing this sort of video as a possible career after school by being contracted out by various companies, with increased professionalism as I get more knowledgeable of the field.

Here is a link to my my most current work:


Suggestions are certainly welcome, but remember I am trying to do about one of these a week, completely on my own besides one person pressing play for the downrange camera.

Equipment I use currently:
Canon Vixia HF R32 camera w/ a tripod
Azden shotgun mic
Iphone and Motorola Razr on small tripods for closeup on me and target, iphone is also used for stills

I edit on my Dell Studio 14 laptop with an i7 processor and 4gb of RAM, with Sony Vegas 11. I am not pleased with its performance, it runs VERY hot and will overheat without a cooling pad, something underneath for airflow, and a fan blowing on it at all times during editing.

Now on to the real question of this thread:

None of this equipment listed above is mine, it was bought for me for my internship. I am interested in doing this after schooling as I mentioned above.

Assuming I start with nothing, and you can see the type of video work I will be doing, what is a complete list of items I would need to do this on a more professional scale? I want my camera to look better, to be able to shoot 60pfor slow motion work, and have more zoom if possible. Wireless cameras would be very helpful to sit down range and start recording when I am ready. Lighting outside is an issue, how can I help fix that? Also, is there a better mic I can use? Or a two mic setup possibly, for recording solely my voice, then the environment on a shotgun mic? What tripods are the best, how can I get smooth video with movement instead of everything being static?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm really new to this field and want to be able to improve my performance.

Thanks,
Tyler

[Nelson37]

Looks pretty good to me.

One thing I would change is the main shot of the empty field, the two shots of the firing position and the target should take up the whole screen. The empty field is just dead space.

There NEEDS to be some info about safety and backstops, some idiot could get the idea he can shoot like this in his back yard. If you and/or the company ordering the video helps form this opinion, and something bad happens, that could lead to some really serious legal issues.

There was also one comment "the action works great and smooth, As Long As You Keep It Clean". As a sales item, this IMO is too negative. Something more like "as with any precision equipment, proper care and maintenance is necessary". You do not want to give the impression that you are saying "any speck of dirt in here and it will work like crap".

There were several spots where time could have been shortened, especially while the torso targets were resetting. Entire video at 7 minutes IMO is way too long.

As for lighting, it is outdoor action, not studio acting. It should look real and natural, and IMO it does.

IMO a laptop is the wrong PC for this type of work. Desktop has more power, more space for additional drives, and better cooling. Do the minimum required in the field and then edit later on the desktop.

Voiceovers were good, there was only one scene where the mike was apparently at some distance away. I would consider adding subtitles for possible translation, I would assume there is an international market for these products. Consider also keeping a separate audio file for translation.

[tykempster]

Thanks for the input, I'll address a few of your concerns:

Safety info...I see where you're coming from, these are essentially the highest end precision rifles available, I would like to think anyone dropping 6k+ on a ready to shoot rifle knows where they can shoot safely.

The big dead space, I would love to cut down on that some, I'm just unsure how I can edit out a portion of video in Vegas, say cut out just the closeup of a target so I could blow it up more. I would certainly love to be able to do this, but don't know how.

The videos are somewhat long, but what people really like to see in the shooting world is that your shots are all "as presented", not staged, you didn't miss and shoot a second time, etc. I try to edit for length as well as keeping in what people want to see. The length is also right around where my boss wants it, there is a lot of technical details he wants covered, so the closeup time cannot be shortened any more.

The one thing mentioning the action is smooth if kept clean, most of our actions (the part focused on when that specific sentence was said) are machined for us, or in shop. The particular action on this rifle we buy from another company that is also a big competitor, so the boss wanted something to not make it look completely superior to our in house action. It is pricier and tolerances are tighter, making it smoother, but if it is dirty at all it doesn't function well.

I do need a better laptop, and that leads to the main question behind the first post:

What equipment would I need to make this type of video, with improvements to make it look better, assuming I start with nothing? (after my internship I won't have this equipment at my disposal any more)

[tykempster]

Anyone? To further shorten my question, I am needing a complete filming setup for outside work that would benefit from smooth slow motion capabilities, and manual camera focusing would also be a plus. (focusing just short of a target allows viewing of the actual bullet trace in flight)

Thanks,
Tyler

[Nelson37]

I'm not all that familiar with currently available cameras for such work. You already know that tripods are essential. Matching cameras will make resolutions the same so that re-sizing is far easier. Smooth slow-motion can be done in software, and depends on the framerate of the camera. Perhaps make a second post about outdoor, natural-light cameras.

A short blurb about safety precautions is, IMO, absolutely mandatory. It is not safe to assume anything.

On the actions, maybe a short blurb about your custom-made actions which are more tolerant of field conditions, available at the customer's option.

Understand about the length, if the market demands continuous footage, so be it.

As for the PC, IMO laptops are for when they absolutely have to be portable. I often use the example of a folding bicycle, in your case a take-apart rifle with a shorter barrel might be a better example. If you absolutely have to have portability, there are sacrifices to be made. A desktop PC will eliminate cooling problems, last longer, be less expensive, and also dramatically more upgradeable, plus faster as well. Example, adding a firewire port is about $30 and a 10 minute job. Larger monitor is easier to work on, precise color calibration is also available.

If you must have a laptop, get a slower processor. Speed equals heat. Dell is generally an excellent dollar value.

[jimpny22]

Here in the UK we don't see guns , except in films, so it's an unfamiliar setting. Audio is good, but I guess there isn't much from the nighbours. Here you only have to switch on and a motorbike (or hedge-trimmer) starts up. There is almost nowhere where there aren't planes overhead.
Despite others' comments I'd suggest a 2-ft reflector would be a good investment. Certainly if the participant was a woman where deep shadows are less acceptable. One of those spring-strip "Lastolite" will work wonders - you have excellent sunlight, but it casts sharp shadows. It will need fixing down with a tripod, almost any cheapee should do, but the heavier the better . .. a bag of sand securred to the centre will help if it gets windy....It will "lift" the light-level in the shadows, that's all you need. Look at commercial films and you see the do the same.

As to kit I'd suggest you just look and learn - if you can tag along with local videographers as "second crew" (even for free) you can learn from them and they won't see you as competition.... if you tell them what you're planning. You may also pick-up some nous on handling clients, pricing and so on.
Kit needs to be reliable and quick . . . that's what separates domestic stuff from Pro. In a few years when you've finished yr course, cameras will have moved on - so wait until the last is best IMHO. Of course it's nice to have some of yr own stiff. Slowmo - frankly it's best avoided. very difficult to achieve what the public is used to seeing on the silver screen. Their cameras cost 100's thousands - it's hardly practical to attempt it without a 1-day hire which will include an expert to run it.