Video Production Tools : Cameras

Although podcasting was originally conceived as an audio-only medium, this is no longer the case. Video blogging, or vlogging, is currently all the rage and is bound to get more popular. With the ever-expanding deployment of broadband connectivity and the plunging costs of digital video cameras, video broadcasting is within reach of just about anyone.

Sort of. As powerful as modern digital video cameras are, the affordable "prosumer" versions can't create a broadcast quality video, at least not without a little help. When the digital video format first appeared in the 1990s, it was laughed out of newsrooms across the country because the quality was thought to be too crude for broadcast. Within a few years, the convenience and immediacy of the format has made believers out of even the most demanding television producers. These days, a good portion of reality television programming is shot using the digital video format.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the quality of digital video equipment has improved since the first few cameras appeared. You can now find cameras that offer fine-grained control of the image, as well as cameras that accept different lenses. Even more exciting, with the advent of HDV (High Definition Digital Video), you can shoot true widescreen video on a budget that doesn't require venture capital. To begin, however, you're probably going to be looking at an inexpensive camera and some support equipment. This post surveys what's available at the moment and discusses what features you should look for when you go shopping.

Choosing the Appropriate Equipment
Video production has some basic requirements. Obviously, you're going to need a camera and something to mount it on (we explain later why handheld video is a no-no). Because video is all about light, your video quality depends on the amount of control you exercise over your light. This means you should have some lights at your disposal, along with bounce cards and flags to stop light going where you don't want it to go. You also need plenty of spare cables and some other auxiliary video equipment. Good video production starts with your camera.

Cameras
A good camera is the single most important piece of equipment in your video signal chain. The camera records the incoming light, digitizing it and storing it as a digital video signal. The camera is therefore of paramount importance, much like a microphone is to audio. If your camera does a poor job of converting the incoming light into digital video information, you start off with lowquality video. Correcting digital video imperfections is very difficult. There are various methods of video processing available, but video is nowhere near as forgiving as audio. It's better to start off with high-quality video than to plan on fixing it later.

Video formats
The number of video formats available at the moment can be confusing to the neophyte. This is due partially to rapidly evolving digital video technology, and also due to manufacturers looking for an edge over their competition. Table 8.1 lists the most common video formats used in budgetconscious applications.



If you're just starting out, you probably want to start off with whatever camera is lying around or whatever you can borrow. If you're the slightest bit serious about a video podcast, you should consider investing in a decent-quality DV (digital video) camera. They're ubiquitous and have a number of features that are perfectly suited to digital video production. (These are discussed in the next section.) DV cameras are available at numerous price points, with higher-priced models offering higher image quality and better build quality.

What to look for in a camera
Digital cameras come with a bewildering array of features these days. Some of these are just marketing hype and of little use to anyone, never mind an aspiring video podcaster. Essentially, two main things determine the quality of your video:

Lens quality: Higher-priced cameras have better lenses, and better lenses provide better image quality.

Image capture mechanism: DV cameras use charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to convert the incoming light into a digital signal. The size and number of CCDs the camera uses determine image quality.

Cheaper DV cameras use a single CCD to capture the video, whereas more expensive versions use three separate CCDs and divide the incoming light into red, blue, and green components for a higher-quality image. You should look for a camera with three CCDs if you can afford it; the higher-quality video image is worth the investment.

When it comes to the lens, each manufacturer sings the praises of their lens for "superior color and image quality." Lens quality can be very subjective — it's usually a good idea to hit a few camera ratings sites to see what people have to say about the latest and greatest models. You can find a number of these sites: The granddaddy is http://camcorderinfo.com.

Other features you should be concerned about are listed here. The advantages of some of the features discussed here may not be very apparent when you first start out, but become important as you become more familiar with your camera and want to get the most out of its capabilities:

Manual adjustments: Many DV cameras hide functionality deep in an on-screen menu that may or may not be accessible after you're recording. Having buttons and switches easily accessible is a big plus.

XLR inputs for audio: You never want to use the microphone on the camera, because they're low quality and designed to pick up everything in the room. Instead, use a professional mic or two; these generally require an XLR input. Otherwise, you'll have to invest in an external add-on box to make the XLR cable compatible with the awful ⅛ mic inputs that some cameras have.

IEEE 1394 (FireWire) output: A FireWire output allows you to transfer the video from the camera directly to your computer without requiring a video capture card. If a camera doesn't have one of these, don't even think about buying it.

There are so many cameras to choose from and so many mew models coming out every year that it's virtually impossible to recommend any particular models, for fear that they will be outdated by the time you read this! However, a number of cameras at the slightly more expensive end of the DV range are perennials. Even though Sony, Canon, and Panasonic keep bringing out new models, the cameras pictured in Figure 1 seem to stick around. They're all well proven by years of streaming video production.


Figure 1: DV camera workhorses: Sony PD-150, Canon XL-2, Panasonic HVX200

Using Telephone Tools

Using Telephone Tools
Many podcasts include call-in guests. To get the audio from the phone into your computer, you need a telephone hybrid. Hybrids are specially designed to accomplish this with the least amount of noise possible. This is a little harder than it seems, because telephone lines are often very noisy. Telephone hybrids cost anywhere from $10 to $1,000. The $10 versions available at your local electronics store sound horrible and should be avoided.

Hybrids fall into two basic categories: analog and digital. The analog versions use basic circuitry to extract the audio from the phone line. The digital versions use sophisticated signal processing to clean up the audio signal and separate the caller from the interviewer. If you plan on doing lots of interviews over the phone, you should seriously consider buying a high-quality digital phone hybrid, as expensive as they may be. If phone calls are not a regular feature of your podcast, you can spend a little less, but you should still buy a good-quality hybrid, like the ones shown in Figure 1. If you make your phone calls on a mobile phone, you can buy hybrids that can be inserted between the cell phone and the earpiece.


Figure 1: Telephone hybrids: The JK Audio Inline Patch, Telos One digital hybrid

Skype
A number of technologies have been developed in the last few years that allow telephone calls to be made over the Internet instead of via a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) line. One of the most popular is Skype. Skype is a P2P telephony system, which means there isn't a huge centralized server that's managing all the resources. It's all decentralized and distributed, and even better, it's free. Many people are taking advantage of this new service to make long-distance calls to friends in foreign countries.

Of course, this is all fine and good, but how can you record your Skype conversation? You can't use the fancy telephone hybrids discussed in the preceding section, because you're not using a phone! Instead, you use specialized software designed to record audio directly from your software audio mixer. A number of applications are designed to do this, with more appearing all the time. Here are a few examples:

Hot Recorder (Windows): This application works with a number of different Internet telephony applications and even includes voicemail for Google Talk and Skype. It records into a proprietary .ELP format but converts this file to .WAV, .OGG, or .MP3.

Pamela Professional (Windows): This application includes a number of features including voicemail and support for "pamcasting" (podcasting).

Audio Hijack (Mac): This application records virtually any sound off your computer. It includes built-in timers for scheduled recording.

Gizmo
Gizmo is another Internet telephony program. It works pretty much the same as Skype, but it has a couple of cool added features. First, it is SIP enabled, which means that you can talk to people on other VoIP networks, not just Gizmo users. It also is integrated with Google Talk, which is another up and coming Internet telephony application. Best of all, Gizmo includes recording functionality. Just push the record button, and presto — instant podcast.

Additional tools (podcast)

If you think your shopping list is getting a little too long, take a deep breath. You're going to need these odds and ends to produce your podcast.

Cables
Believe it or not, it's actually important to buy good-quality cables. Good cables are more noise resistant and last longer. In particular, if you're going to be doing lots of location work, you'll find that the constant plugging and unplugging of cables, as well as packing and unpacking them, can take a toll. Make sure to pay a little bit extra to buy good cables.

You should be using shielded, balanced cables wherever possible. Shielded cables include a wrapping of foil or wire mesh built in to the cable to reject outside magnetic interference. Balanced cables use an ingenious phase-cancellation method to make them even more noise resistant. Balanced cables are easy to recognize because they use three conductors in the cable: a positive, a negative, and a ground. The plugs on the end are either XLR or TRS, as shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Balanced plugs: Male XLR, female XLR, TRS

If your cable runs are very short, you don't have to use balanced cables. It's just a good idea, and believe me, you'll be glad you did.

Pop screens
Certain letters, known as plosives, involve a large burst of air when they are pronounced, in particular the letters "p" and "b." This burst of air can result in a loud pop in your recording, which is very hard to remove, even with sophisticated signal processing. The simplest way to avoid pops is to use a pop screen. Pop screens come in two basic versions: a foam covering for your microphone or a disc that you place in front of your microphone that has sheer material stretched across it. Either one works, so figure out which works best with your mic and buy it.

Mic stands, clips, suspension mounts
Mic stands are important if you don't want to spend the entire podcast holding a microphone. You'll definitely need a mic stand if you're using a condenser mic, because they're far too sensitive to be handheld. Mic stands come in floor standing models, tabletop models, and spring-loaded desk-mount models. The spring-loaded models are particularly useful because they let you swing the mic out of the way after you're done recording.

Of course, you'll need a clip to hold your microphone to the mic stand. Most mics come with mic clips that are made specifically to hold them. For condenser mics, you should consider buying a suspension mount. Suspension mounts support the mic in a web of elastic bands or springs so they are floating independently of the mic stand, which makes them even more noise resistant.

Podcast: Audio Production Tools

Audio gear looks really cool and has lots of flashing lights and plenty of meters; the current trend of making audio gear look slightly retro adds to the effect. Audio gear is also relatively cheap. Although you can easily spend thousands of dollars on audio gear, you can get great audio quality out of budget home recording equipment, which has vastly improved in the last ten years. And most importantly, quality audio gear immediately improves the quality of your podcast.

Most podcasts are produced from the podcaster's home or office, so lets talks about the tools required for a basic podcasting studio. Some folks grab interviews on the go, so a section of this post is dedicated to portable recording. Many podcasts include remote guests who call in on either a traditional phone line or an online phone service such as Skype, so telephone tools are covered in detail.

In any recording situation, the environment is important to the final quality, so this covers things you can do to improve your recording environment. Finally, some suggested combinations of equipment are listed, so that you can make a shopping list for your audio gear.

Using Basic Production Tools
Many multimedia computers ship with microphones, speakers, and soundcards, but in general the quality of these bundled tools is not very high. That doesn't mean that you can't produce a podcast with whatever tools you have on hand. But if you want to produce to a high standard, you should invest accordingly. Your podcast quality is limited by the quality of your audio signal chain, and that starts with your microphone.

Microphones
The quality of your podcast, to a large extent, is dependent on the quality of your microphone. If you use a cheap plastic mic, your podcast sounds cheap and, well, plastic. Spend a hundred bucks, and you can compete with the best of them. But before you pull out your credit card, learn a little bit about how microphones work and which type of microphone is best for you.

Pickup patterns
Microphones have different pickup patterns, or directional response. Omnidirectional mics pick up sound from all directions equally. Directional mics pick up sound predominantly from a particular direction, and reject sound from other directions. Most mics are directional, with a particular pickup pattern. These are the most common pickup patterns:

Cardioid: Cardioid mics pick up predominantly what is in front of them, less of what is to the sides, and very little of what is behind them. The name derives from the heartshaped pickup pattern.

Supercardioid (or hypercardioid): These microphones exhibit an exaggerated cardioid pattern, with more rejection of sound from the sides and rear. Hypercardioid mics are commonly referred to as shotgun mics.

Figure 8 (bi-directional): Figure 8 mics pick up sound from the front and rear, but not from the sides.


Common microphone pickup patterns. Cardioid mics (left) are mostly sensitive to the front, with some sensitivity on the sides and very little to the rear. Supercardioid mics (center) are less sensitive to the sides than standard cardioid mics, but also have some sensitivity to the rear. Figure-8 microphones (right) are sensitive along a given axis and much less sensitive off-axis.

As you can see in figure above, mics have different pickup patterns, and more importantly, have a front and a back! It's pretty obvious which end you speak into with handheld mics, but it may not be so obvious with some higher-quality mics. For example, some mics have a switch to determine the pickup pattern. If you switch from a figure-8 to a cardioid, which side is the correct side to speak into? In most cases, the manufacturers put their logo on the "front" of the mic. If you're not sure, you can always try speaking into both sides of the mic. When it's set to cardioid, one side sounds much louder and brighter than the other side.

In most cases, a directional mic with some type of cardioid pickup pattern is the best choice. These mics can easily be pointed at the talent, and by design won't pick up much else. The one exception is with clip-on (or lavalier) mics. If you decide that clip-on mics are going to work best for your needs, you should buy omni versions. Even though they're omnidirectional, they really don't pick up anything other than who they're attached to. The advantage of the omnidirectinal pickup pattern is apparent when the person turns his head from side to side. With directional mics, this leads to a dramatic drop off in signal level. With an omnidirectional mic, the drop off is far less apparent.

Dynamic versus condenser mics
Most microphones fall into two basic categories, dynamic microphones and condenser microphones. Dynamic microphones have a diaphragm that is attached to a coil of wire, known as the voice coil. The voice coil is suspended between magnets. When the diaphragm vibrates in response to incoming sound, the magnets create a very small oscillating current in the voice coil by a process known as electromagnetic induction. This current is an electrical representation of the sound wave.

The diaphragms in condenser microphones consist of two plates coated with a conductive material such as gold. A voltage, known as phantom power, is placed across the plates to form a capacitor. (Historically, capacitors were called condensers, hence the name condenser mic.) When incoming sound causes the plates to vibrate, the distance between them varies, which varies the capacitance. This variation in capacitance is converted into an oscillating current, which is an electrical representation of the sound wave.

Condenser mics are much more sensitive than dynamic mics. This translates to higher frequency response and lower noise. However, the sensitivity comes at a price: Condenser mics are very sensitive to handling noise, and therefore cannot be held in your hand. They're always placed in microphone stands and sometimes in special suspension mounts. If you're in a controlled situation, you may want to take advantage of the higher quality that condenser mics offer. Some reasonably priced condenser mics are shown in Figure 2.


Figure 2: Condenser mics: Neumann TLM49, AKG C3000B, Audio Technica AT4033
Dynamic mics may not have quite the frequency response and dynamic range that condenser mics have, but that doesn't mean there aren't some fabulous dynamic mics. In fact, two dynamic mics are broadcast industry standards, the ElectroVoice RE20 and the Shure SM7B, shown in Figure 3. These mics are prized for their tone, and both are incredibly resistant to the proximity effect. Either of these would be ideal for your podcasting studio.


Figure 3: Studio dynamic mics: ElectroVoice RE20, Shure SM7B

If you're going to be working on location or outdoors, or you just don't want to be tied down to a chair in front of an expensive mic, you can buy a nice handheld mic. Handheld mics are dynamic mics by definition, because they must be resistant to handling noise. They're usually sturdy enough to survive being dropped, which, as any reporter can tell you, is important. You should always have a handheld mic or two, because they're very reasonably priced and can serve as backups in case of equipment troubles. Some great handheld mics are shown in Figure 4.


Figure 4:Handheld mics: Electrovoice 635A, the venerable Shure SM58