Instant Cheap 'n Easy DIY Camera Rig

Do you find that the video that you shoot with your mini-DV cam comes out a bit shakey? That every minor twitch of your hand is transmitted unfailingly to your footage?  Well unfortunately that's just the way it is with small cameras. 

Their small size means that it is difficult to hold them with both hands and the one you are holding it with is invariably close to the lens - a recipe that virtually guarantees shakiness.
What you need is a camera rig - a frame-like device that allows you to hold your camera with both hands - and away from the lens.  

Camera rigs however, (like everything photographic), are not cheap. Well fear not my little ones, because this video shows an easy, and instant way to re-purpose a bit of kit that you may already have, and use it as a camera-rig, quickly and easily, giving your home video clips all the classy looking stability that you know they deserve.

Camera Trick An Easy Wind-noise Reduction Hack

Ever had your video recording ruined by wind-noise that completely obliterated what was said?. It's a common problem  with most video cameras especialy those without a mic jack - which means that you are totally reliant on the camera's built-in mic.

There are, of course ways around this problem. But it's not always practical or even desireable to cart a separate recording unit and dead cat mic with you when all you want to do is make a quick one-man video up the side of a windy mountain

Although it's a common problem, it's one that can be solved easier than you may think. This video shows how to hack your video camera in seconds to vastly reduce wind-noise.  And it's not expensive or time consuming either - this hack costs just pennies and takes just seconds to do.

So if you are having trouble with wind-noise, check out the following video. For what the hack costs in terms of time effort & money (i.e. negligible  - It's well worth trying. 

Zero cost camera stabiliser that you can carry in your pocket.

Have you ever been in the situation where you have been out in the wilds with your video camera, hoping to make a nice little video, but the shots are a little shakey and you wishedthat you had brought something with you  to stabilise your video camera, but the prospect of lugging a tripod along for miles meant that you left it behind? (that was a big sentence wasn't it?)

Then this could be the answer. An easily constructed and virtually zero-cost camera stabiliser that is so compact that you can carry it about in your pocket. 

It might not compare with a full blown tripod, but it can certainly vastly reduce the inevitable shakiness that is part and parcel of hand-held shots. 

And anyway, It's so cheap, easy and effective, that it's certainly worth making and trying out for yourself. I'm guessing  that once you have tried it, you'll probably never leave home without it. Check it out in the video below.

Easy Gun-muzzle flash effects with Windows Movie Maker (WMM).

One of the most desired special effects among  video makers is the gun or muzzle flash effect. This effect turns a mediocre clip of a gun accompanied by a bang sound effect into something that looks real and deadly and believable.

Usually, to produce such effects you would have to utilise top-end video editors or specialist programs like Adobe's Aftereffects, which are not only complicated, but also very expensive to buy.

So what if you want to produce gun-flash effects for your own video, but all you have to edit on is a very basic video editor like Windows movie maker - Is it even possible with such kit?

Well, you will be happy to know that yes, it is possible, and it's not even all that complicated once you know how. The video below shows how simple the technique is. It may be simple, but the finished result is surprisingly effective.

You will need the use of a photo editing program, but this is no problem because the photo editor I use in the tutorial is absolutely free. It's called Paint.net. It's a useful bit of kit to have anyway, and it won't cost you a bean. You can download a copy from:
http://download.cnet.com/Paint-NET/3000-2192_4-10338146.html?
Just be sure to untick any boxes offering free browser toolbars etc. (Uless you specificall want 'em that is)

OK, 'nuff said - Here's the video.

Easy, Zero cost, No budget Steady-Cam

Ever found yourself in a situation where you needed some sort of camera stabilisation? Wouldn't it be nice to have your very own steady-cam on hand for those occasions when your standard hand-held efforts just won't cut the mustard?

As we all know, Steady-cams are not cheap bits of Kit. Even those steady-cams such a the Merlin Steadicam which is specially produced for hobbyist movie makers, is an expensive item and most amateur movie makers find it hard to justify the outlay for the amount of times they see themselves using it.

Well, If you would like to be able to utilise some of the qualities of a steady-cam type stabiliser without incurring the costs, you are in luck.

In this video I show you how to utilise a bit of kit that you probably already have to produce a quick and simple camera stabiliser - and what's more, it doesn't cost a bean.

Ok, a Merlin steadicam it is not, but it costs nothing, takes seconds to implement, and with a little bit of practice can produce some very acceptable results. Bearing in mind what it costs, it's certainly worth a try so why not give it a go? Just check out this episode's video (below), and all will be revealed.

How to get Custom Youtube Thumbnails (No partnership required)
No doubt you have noticed when scanning through the thumbnail images on Youtube that illustrate the various videos, that whilst most of them appear to be random frames taken from anywhere in the video, one or two are obviously custom images often complete with channel logo and video title.

They certainly grab the eye. Relevant custom images that perfectly illustrate what the video is about surrounded by a sea of ... well... less than relevant random pictures.

You may think that the videos promoted by such images have a better chance of attracting viewers than the random pics have - And you would be right. No doubt, if you are a regular uploader of videos to Youtube, you would probably like to be able to do this yourself, and may be thinking "How do they do that"?

Well, the people who put up custom images with their videos are all "Youtube Partners"-  that is they are in business with Youtube and take a share the advertising revenues that accrue from their videos. Because they are business partners, they have a number of perks that are not conferred on the common herd - one of which is the ability to upload custom thumbnails.

So if you would like to be able to upload custom thumbnails with your videos, you will have to first try to become a Youtube partner - a long and often unsuccessful undertaking - Or, you could cheat. If you are planning on the latter, then just check out the video below :)



Enjoy...

Ghostly Orbs and Spooky stuff
 
Hello again. Following my last video,which showed an extremely simple way to fake UFO footage, I have been getting emails asking me if  I could show how to do some more Easy-Peasy special effects.

Your wish is my command, and so this time I thought I would show you an Extremely simple way to reproduce those videos which puport to show "ghostly orbs" floating around darkened empty rooms.

I have based the effect on a stage effect known as "Pepper's ghost".  This is an effect which produces the illusion of a semi-transparent ghost for live stage productions and although the effect can be breath-taking, the principal is very simple.

I think you would be hard pressed to find a simpler "in camera" special effect. If you can't pull this one off you may as well give up. It requires no special equipment, or fancy SFX editors like After effects. In fact, if you have a video camera, and a stable platform to rest it on, then you can do this effect. -Try it!
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