Tips On Shooting Better Video

[Joe the Photog]

Just a few things I have found in my travels as a professional, and may I say, award winning, news shooter in South Carolina.

1.) A good tripod is your friend. Nothing does more to make train videos almost unwatchable as a hand held shot of an oncoming and then passing train. Your tripod doesn't have to be good. It just needs to hold a cmera steady. If you don't have a tripod, find something to sit your camera on. You might want to try the ground. I've run from my camera to trackside with nothing more than the camera in my hand and rested it on the ground. To look up at the train, use your wallet to rest the front of the camera on. If nothing else, your first two fingers should do the trick.

Again, tripods don't have to be expensive. They don't have to have bells and whistles. They just need to hold a camera.

As always, there is an exception or two to this rule. For starters, you're not going to fit a tripod in the can of an engine. When I shot my story on the New Hope & Ivyland repainting the 2-8-0 #40 into L&C colors, I was lucky enough to ride in the cab of the old girl. Naturally, I shot off my shoulder. I over shot knowing much of it would be shaky. But then again, who wouldn't expect some camera shake when you're on a train?

When I shot a story on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, my tripod literally broke as I was getting on the train. It was still usable, but it was a pain to hold steady. Right then, I knew the story went from being possibly award winning to barely airable. But you go with the flow and hope you sometimes get lucky.

2.) Camera pans are way over rated. Almost every other video of YouTube starts the same. The photog will at least have a decent shot set up. The power will approach and then almost as an afterthought, the shooter will pan with the front of the lead engine (he's so close to the tracks that as he pans, all we see is a part of the cab of the lead unit) all the way around to get a going away shot of the rest of the train. Resist this urge! Don't pan! Many times the reason they can pan is because they're not using a tripod. Some tripods won't give you an even pan. If you don't try to pan too often, you don't need to worry about this.

Now sometimes a pan makes interesting viewing. This is almost always when the photographer is away from the tracks and has a good side view of the train. Again, not when you're five feet away from the tracks.

3.) Audio is as important as video. Too often, I see, but don't hear, the train on videos loaded to the web. Trains make noise; we should hear it. Be careful though. The horn may over power your eqipment and distort everything. When I shoot, I struggle to remember to "iris down" on the sound as the train approaches with whistle blaring, and then pump it back up from the sqeal of the wheel on steel and other natural sounds of the train. Some systems might have an auto audio focus that in a perfect world will bring the whistle sound down and then raise the levels back up afterwards.

4.) When is too much way more than enough? I'd say we probably don't need 30 or 40 seconds of a the faint outline of headlights as a train approaches. Go on and roll on it. Give yourself some to edit. But actually edit the approach out. Every situatin will vary as to what is enough lead time of an approaching train. Fast moving trains may get more than slow moving trains, but this is the discretion of the editor. And by the way, editting train videos is a must even if just to shave some off the front and the back. Think of editting as what post processing is to still images.

5.) If you camera has it, use the manual exposure. Auto exposure will screw you up in a heart beat. Imagine shooting a trio of NS GEVOS heading straight to your camera. The black dip job will trick the camera into thinking it needs to let in more light. When I shoot video of passing cars (think highway, not railroad) white always plays havoc on my auto settings, which, admittedly, I may use from time to time. A former co-worker told me he uses auto iris at football games. The sky plays hell with the camera. Either it's dark at night on a pass or a punt, or it's a grey day and you go from shooting the field of action to a sky of white.

But the truth is you should know what you're doing. If you're following the wobbly pass of a 17 year old quartback through the night air, you need to know you should allow more light in. If you're shooting a kick off the next afternoon at the local college, you should know to let less light in. As with still photography, you're the guy behind the camera. It should be up to you what the camera sees. A person with a brain is always smarter than five pounds of plastic and moving parts. (Or, in my case, sometimes smarter.)

That's all I can think of now. Anyone has anything more?


Joe H.

[ottergoose]

Don't abuse the zoom either... the only thing worse than over-panning is over-panning with excessive zooming. I saw a video where an interesting piece of rolling stock approaching, and just as it was about to be close enough to see properly, the author zoomed past it towards the end of the train - talk about aggravating!

While I literally have no experience shooting video trackside, I would imagine that you could get decent video just by getting your camera pointed in the right direction, and letting it stay put as the train rolls by. Therefore, I would think it's entirely possible to shoot good video and good stills at the same time.

I'm looking forward to seeing some nice video, although I'm annoyed that it's going to make me want a camcorder.

[Joe the Photog]

Don't abuse the zoom either...

That's actually great advice. I will have to add that to my list some day. You're right. Setting up a nice scene and just letting the camera roll can be great video, esp. for one just starting out. Later, you may want to add to what you do, but I still prefer to just let the camera roll most times.


Joe

[ssw9662]

I agree with all that Joe said.

I've just started messing around with shooting video (I don't have a camcorder, I just use my camera which, surprisingly, can shoot decent videos). I always use a tripod, and right now pretty much all I do is hit the record button and watch the train go by. I actually find this much more enjoyable then sticking my face into the viewfinder, and it lets me enjoy the sounds much more.

I usually shoot the whole train, then I cut off the boring parts. If there's a few very interesting freight cars on the train I like to show them, and if it's an intermodal or unit train then I may try some more creative angles of the cars passing.

[567C]

There are some good pointers on this thread, including the use of a tripod. I shot videos professionally for more that 15 years without a tripod, savoring the "alive" feeling of hand-held. Witness the video on NYPD Blue. But if you are hung over or have a shake and bake problem, anchor down with a tripod. Preferably with a fluid head. B&H Photography have several that don't break the bank. Most important is LIGHTING. If you are shooting into the sun, forget the shot, get a cup of coffee and a scone and go home. Lighting is the BIGGEST flaw I see in video and stills. Mid day sun, forget it, turn on the radio and wait for freights in the afternoon, with the sun over your shoulder. Sound? Well, I shot for three hours at Tehatchipie with a Sony Hi-8 camcorder, on automatic sound, and it is steller. "Auto sound" on modern camcorders is just fine! Start screwing around with manual sound, and either the video or the sound will suffer. Only a computer chip can "multitask!" I spent years running with a sound man, El Purington, and he was the wizard! Regards, Robert.

[ken45]

Joe, have you been watching my youtube videos??? :-P Truthfully, those are some excellent tips from a pro, and just using them would improve my videos by a lot. Unfortunately, video is an afterthought with me, as it is typically spur of the moment (no tripod) or when the light is bad for still photography. However, as I shoot up angles around my area, it would be a great idea to go back and shoot video from them, so that's what I'm going to do!

[Joe the Photog]

Hey, Robert;

Please send me your sound man at your earliest convenience. We don't get those in the 83rd market for TV news. On my morning live shots, I am the live truck egineer, the audo man, the camera guy and the lighting man all for less pay that one should get for doing one of those chores.

I'm sure some guys can get decent video of a passing train hand holding a camera. I'm not one of those guys.

I still trust myself on audio before I would my camera. The latest little POS camera my station gave me cannot be trusted with auto anything. Auto exposure on this camera means you will get dark video. I'm sure it will give you bad audio, too, but I've never tried.

With the new RV open for business, I need to get back to my former station and get some of my train videos ready. A few guys in or around New Hope, PA may like to see some of it.


Joe

[Joe the Photog]

More tips, though it should be rembered this is just my opinion. Don't overdue the CGs, or the character generators. That's when you superimpose text -- some people call them supers -- over the screen, maybe a location or a train ID. I don't know what the RV standards are or if they even allow CGs. But on some web sites, they are overdone. They take up the whole screen. Meanwhile, you can barely make out the train approaching in the background. The worst ones of all in my book are the supers done over a black screen where you don't see anything but a title page. The first thing I learned when I went to Teleproduction Technology to learn the shoot and edit for TV news is that beginners do this, no one else.

Also, you should create a template for your supers. Use what TV calls a lower third. That's when, as the name says, the super takes up the lower third of the screen. Don't get fancy with the text and keep the super up long enough for us to read it, maybe five to second seconds, and then bring it down.

If I start doing this more, I'm considering adding some narration. If you do this, make sure you hear the train throughout. If I'm seeing a train, I want to be hearing it to. I *think* most basic editting software should have two channels of audio, one fornatural sound and one for naration or music.

Oh, music. The RV upload guide stresses they will reject any copyrighted music. So that means no one can use Neil Young's "Southern Pacific" as background music unless Neil Young himself posts to this site. That's actually only in Young owns the copyright. However, there is royalty free music out there that you can buy or find if you want to use music that bad. Of course, if you can play music yourself or know someone who can, that problem goes out the window. Again, if you add music, keep the nat. sound of the train under it.

Take this advice for what it's worth. You didn't pay anything for it, but I do have five years expirience as an award winning photojournalist, now with South Carolina's leading NBC affiliate. In closing, the main piece of advice -- Have fun with it.


Joe

[nanshant]

I think everyone should read Joe's tips before posting any video. Some of the videos already in the database lack editing and smooth transitions. The movement of the camera by the photographer is so jolty (I don't think this is a word) they might as well not have used a tripod. I'm sure the screeners will crack down on this as the site grows.

Nick Anshant

[Kelly Lynch]

That's actually great advice. I will have to add that to my list some day. You're right. Setting up a nice scene and just letting the camera roll can be great video, esp. for one just starting out. Later, you may want to add to what you do, but I still prefer to just let the camera roll most times.


Joe

Amen. The only thing worse than that is when the videographer decides that the train is entering his frame too quickly and overcompensates by ZOOOOOOOOOOOOMing alllll the way back so suddenly the formerly nice, telephoto shot of the subject screams all the way wide and you have to wait ten seconds for the subject to approach and pass by; of course, by then it's all over!

[Wizzo]

A tip for those like myself, who have a simple handheld videocam without an external microphone.

Ever suffered from wind noise on your videos ? Can't attach an external mike with a fluffy cover (apparently known as a 'Dougal' here in the UK - anyone who was born over here in the 60's and knows the kids TV show 'Magic Roundabout' will know why) to your camera ?

My videocam has the stereo mikes on the front, under the lense. I simply took a piece of quite dense, but soft, packing sponge and taped it over them to create a baffle.

The difference is amazing. It doesn't totally eliminate wind noise, but its a HUGE improvement and doesn't seem to affect subject noise at all.

[milepost 48.1]

Amen. The only thing worse than that is when the videographer decides that the train is entering his frame too quickly and overcompensates by ZOOOOOOOOOOOOMing alllll the way back so suddenly the formerly nice, telephoto shot of the subject screams all the way wide and you have to wait ten seconds for the subject to approach and pass by; of course, by then it's all over!

It took me a long time to let that habit go. It was hard, my instinct was to always be zoomed all the way out by the time the head end passed the camera. Now, I'll just do it slowly (if at all)...I kind of like the effect of the power and the first few cars going by as I'm still zooming out.

[Joe the Photog]

Ever suffered from wind noise on your videos ?

My videocam has the stereo mikes on the front, under the lense. I simply took a piece of quite dense, but soft, packing sponge and taped it over them to create a baffle.


That's a great tip, actually. It's amazing what a little thinking will get you. You should see some of the set-ups news shooters will dream up. I've seen cameras and mics that were basically held togther by, you guessed it, duct tape.


Joe

[MC6853]

OK, so we know, what would be a sure-fire thing to get a video rejected? Does poor lighting apply here as well? Because a chunk of my videos are taken at night...

LOVE the idea of Rail-Videos, and I look forward to great things...

>>MC

[Wizzo]

That's a great tip, actually. It's amazing what a little thinking will get you. You should see some of the set-ups news shooters will dream up. I've seen cameras and mics that were basically held togther by, you guessed it, duct tape.


Joe

Thanks - when I first used my video cam outdoors, every recording sounded like there was a hurricane blowing, then I realised I couldn't attach an external mic with a proper cover - oh b*gg*r !!

Nerver underestimate duct tape - Remember, its like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it binds the universe together :lol:

[milepost 48.1]

OK, so we know, what would be a sure-fire thing to get a video rejected?

So far, the only rejections I've had are for not using a tripod.

[Joe the Photog]

With all due respect, a quick perusal of RV yesterday tells me people aren't using tripods or when they do, they still try to pan with the train. Also, if you're getting a lot of wind noise, follow the tips of someone else above me. Tape some foam to the external mic or concoct your own system.

It seems that Railpictures is becoming the standard among many for railroad still photography. RV still has a way to go for railroad video photography.

(I wish I could share more of my stuff. At this time, it takes a long time to get it from the TV station editting system to a DVD. The folks here decided when we went with Green Valley that all of the editting computers would be cut of from the internet lest anyone think of uploading video. This way, it makes it harder for us.)


Joe

[Rod Williams]

An encyclopedia of advice Joe........where are your videos ?
I'm just a simple locomotive engineer who only got interested in video about a year ago and am still on a steep learning curve but I absolutely disagree on zooming and panning. It makes for more interest. The danger with zooming is that on most bottom end to middle of the range cameras the controls tend to be overly sensitive and will race through the entire optical range before you can stop them and by then you have messed up the shot. If that's the case with your camera then best to leave it be; stick to the fixed scene. I have to make certain that I am gripping my camera just right to achieve a controlled zoom rate but I often blow it anyway;then I edit. Carrying a tripod when I travel overseas is a pain in the rump so I use a mono which now and then results in a slightly off horizontal horizon when I pan but then so does anything other than a very good dedicated movie tripod.
I think that to make a decent movie it needs to have a little more interest than lining up a shot, pressing record, and then including the sound of your SLR chattering away in the background..........as you will note in a couple of my videos on this site. I am only guilty of that on once ever opportunities and wouldn't consider it for a shot I could repeat in an hours time or next day.
The cameras come with these features for a reason, it's easy to put them in the too hard basket but more satisfying both personally and for the viewer to come to grips with them to produce better footage.
I expect there will be a few that disagree so I will agree to disagree and have no intention of getting involved in a drawn out debate on the matter.

[Joe the Photog]

An encyclopedia of advice Joe........where are your videos ?

That's the funny thing. I shoot video for a living (TV news down here in Columbia) but I don't own my own video camera and I haven't got any train videos on RV. Go figure. One reason is that it is hard to transfer video from the media we shoot on (P2 cards; think really expensive memory cards) through the system here at work onto a DVD. There's a glitch in the system that I can't figure out. Plus, in the infinite wisdom of the folks here at the station, the editting hubs are not hooked up to the entire web, just CNN Pathfire, Precis, Oasis and MSNBC, which lets trade video with other stations, but not, for example, get to You Tube or RV.

The software that I would need to upload video by plugging my work camera into my lap top or desk top at home won't actually load onto those computers and would probably take a lot ofspace anyway. I also have a lot of good video from my old station (think L&C, I mean, New Hope & Ivyland #40, L&C dinner trains and other Class 1 power). At some point if I am able to convince my old boss to let me have that video and share it on line, then I run into the same problem I already have down here.

Eventually, though.


Joe

[Joe the Photog]

Rod;

As always, there are exceptions to all of these rules. The most important thing is to have fun at this. If you were to see my TV stuff, you will see that I do not ALWAYS use a tripod. Sometimes it works better than others.


Joe

[Alco251]

Someone referred me to this discussion, and I thought I would chime in with a couple more comments.

I'm new on this discussion, but like Joe, have been shooting TV news for a long time (30+ years) and have done a good bit of commercial railroad video work for railfan-oriented programs as well as railroads themselves. I haven't posted any video on this site and don't expect to--but I could give you a laundry list of where you could find my work, if, like an earlier poster, you want a "show me the money" moment to back up words with deeds.

So let me add a few more rules to Joe's excellent list.

-Keep panning and zooming to a bare minimum. Nothing screams "amateur camerawork" like excessive panning and zooming, and an earlier poster is entirely correct pointing out that most consumer cameras have horrible zoom controls, which adds to the problem. Notice I don't say "no panning and zooming." Do it sparingly and only for a reason. When in doubt, stay wide. I was taught by one of the "masters" of network news and we were taught never to zoom or pan because we didn't have zoom lenses. It's a great way to learn the basics of composition and continuity.

-Television is a closeup medium. Still photos can be blown up to large size for effect. TV cannot be. So use your camera to shoot extreme closeups of all those little details of the railroad world that 99 percent of the camera-toting railfans miss. For example, when was the last time you put your camera on a tripod and simply shot closeups of the rails moving up and down as a train passes...or the action of tie plates, or a rail joint, or the view looking down on a coupler as you are between cars on a tourist railroad? These are precisely the kinds of details that make excellent scenes to break up the monotony of endless, mindless train runbys.

-A GOOD STILL PHOTO ANGLE DOES NOT NECESSARILY MAKE A GOOD PLACE TO SHOOT VIDEO. I'll use all caps for emphasis. Your standard 3/4 wedge of a train coming at you is perhaps the most boring, overdone video angle there is. Trains move and make noise. Ever tried locking the camera on a well-composed shot looking down a street as a train passes a grade crossing, going right across your frame? A so-so still shot perhaps, but an interesting angle for video. Shoot thru, under, over and behind interesting foregrounds. Seek out those kinds of angles and stay away from the guys with still cameras. You'll achieve about three things immediately, not the least of which is a better angle for your medium.

-If you try to shoot stills and video at the same time, you'll do a marginal job with both. Been there, done that.

-Know how to make backlight work for you. As you get advanced and understand more about your camera and over-riding all the automatic stuff, backlight can actually be your friend.

-Despite what the typical railfan believes, people make great elements in railfan videos. Don't be afraid to shoot railroaders doing their thing, or railfans doing theirs. The latter is almost always good comedy.

[Joe the Photog]

Excellent advice, Alco, especially about shooting both video and stills at the same time. When I shot my news story on the L&C-painted 2-8-0 in Pennsylvania, I had to make the difficult decision to leave the still camera in the car after a few shots. I relized that the video was suffering and that, of course, is what was paying for my trip.

I need to shoot more scene video when shooting trains on video. My problem is that I tend to compose a great still shot..... but I'm shooting video!

Also, good points about close-ups. A friend and fellow TV photog said, "we show people what they can't see." What they may have trouble seeing anyway. Close-ups are great and a great way if you editting footage together to get from a wide angle ofthe train approaching to another shot.


Joe

[Arizona Chuck]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all the great tips on this thread.. Im somewhat new to the rail videoagraphy , and yes , alot of my begining videos I notice lots of panning and zooming, and as time went on I did alot less of both and I seem to like those videos much better , I actually just uploaded my first video today, but noticed I did not edit the size correctly, as I shot the video with a wide angle lens, so the video on RV is distorted a bit. How do you guys like the fading effect to the train traveling the opposite direction for a few seconds then a fade back to the original shot ?

Thanks again for al the great tips.. Cant wait to get back up North to get more shots.

Arizona Chuck

[WileeCoyote]

One small tip for those who happen to use cameras equipped with some sort of image stabilization. If you have the camera mounted on a tripod, then kill the IS, because in this situation the IS will destabilize the video just a mite, but sometimes enough to ruin what may otherwise be a perfectly good video.

WileeCoyote

[Joe the Photog]

Shameleely posting this only to stick the topic to the top again.

[567C]

Good thread to keep alive, the basics never wear out. In reading my remarks about using "AUTO" sound at T-Pass, reflecting back on it, the day was absolutely still - i.e., NO wind. So I got a free pass using AUTO sound. I've since looked at other footage I've shot, and I am embarrassed to call myself a professional. My only excuse is the typical response pro's use - "We can always 'fix it' in POST." Meaning, fix the problem, be it video OR audio, back at the studio. I have some "AUTO" sound stuff that is worse than you'll ever see on YouTube. Wind tunnel quality. However, as the so-called "pro-sumer" market has blurred with "pro" gear, there are plenty of inexpensive microphone covers - furry fittings that look like a bunnies leg - avail from the like of B&H. (I have no affiliation with B&H - but with the camera market full of gippo outfits, they are the only one beside Adorama and J&R that I've had consistently fast, clean, excellent transactions with for several years.) This fluffy wind screens fit over the mic (except "built in" mics) an clean up your sound. Finally, speaking of sound, nothing sounds more "rank-amateur" than to use some ripped off music track. I think it is lazy and shows no imagination. Google "royalty free music" and you will find many many cd's available of ROYALTY FREE music, that can spice up your video, if you feel it needs it. I for one, find it distracting. A locomotive should sound like a locomotive, not like Mitch Miller and the Sing Along Gang!

[railfan_Montreal]

a good trick to recropping a videofile with Virtuadub

this is an anime tutorial showing how to recropping a videofile,and it's good for peopple who never did that before,it's on french,but by showing the images,it's so much easy to following
http://www.tutoriels-animes.com/recadrer-video.html

need only to download virtuadub and XviD to be able to do it,and it's all free

two videos that I recropped to make it better
that one,I cut out a pick-up truck,that was parked on the left,we do not see it anymore
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=6335

and that one,I forgot my tripod that day and I put the camera on a ballast small montain,and I recropped the video to take of a part on a flint,that was visible at the bottom of the video..no more after the change.
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=6241

[Joe the Photog]

Good thread to keep alive, the basics never wear out. In reading my remarks about using "AUTO" sound at T-Pass, reflecting back on it, the day was absolutely still - i.e., NO wind. So I got a free pass using AUTO sound. I've since looked at other footage I've shot, and I am embarrassed to call myself a professional. My only excuse is the typical response pro's use - "We can always 'fix it' in POST." Meaning, fix the problem, be it video OR audio, back at the studio. I have some "AUTO" sound stuff that is worse than you'll ever see on YouTube. Wind tunnel quality. However, as the so-called "pro-sumer" market has blurred with "pro" gear, there are plenty of inexpensive microphone covers - furry fittings that look like a bunnies leg - avail from the like of B&H. (I have no affiliation with B&H - but with the camera market full of gippo outfits, they are the only one beside Adorama and J&R that I've had consistently fast, clean, excellent transactions with for several years.) This fluffy wind screens fit over the mic (except "built in" mics) an clean up your sound. Finally, speaking of sound, nothing sounds more "rank-amateur" than to use some ripped off music track. I think it is lazy and shows no imagination. Google "royalty free music" and you will find many many cd's available of ROYALTY FREE music, that can spice up your video, if you feel it needs it. I for one, find it distracting. A locomotive should sound like a locomotive, not like Mitch Miller and the Sing Along Gang!
I agree with this post whole heartedly and had to smile at the "fix it in post" stroll down memory lane. About the royalty free music, been there and done that in my first job in TV. But I wonder how you'd convince the screeners that the music is royalty free.

[Joey Bowman]

If I am not mistaken the term Royalty Free does not mean that its free.

At least in the situation with stock photography, royalty free meant that you paid an upfront fee and were generally allowed to use it multiple times with out paying "royalties" each time, such as a photo for an ad. Where as in some situations you might have to pay per use for that photo.

I would think that the same rules applies to music, and in reality you are not looking for royalty free music (unless you want to pay for it) but actually looking for free to use music, maybe that would be called free ware? Dont know what you would call it, but googling has found a few websites that offer music that is free to use (though donations are greatly appreciated)

[N. Herring]

-Despite what the typical railfan believes, people make great elements in railfan videos. Don't be afraid to shoot railroaders doing their thing, or railfans doing theirs. The latter is almost always good comedy.

Exactly, that was the point of mine with this video, from all the railroaders I know, Kids are a great element.

http://rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=6628

The grandfather tried to get them out of my way, but I told him to let them stay as it made the video.

[Joe the Photog]

If I am not mistaken the term Royalty Free does not mean that its free.
I suppose in thinking back on it, my TV station may have actually paid for it. I honestly don't know. I bet there is free music if you did the right search on the web. You might get what you pay for though.

:twisted:

[Rod Williams]

Take a look at this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjBR_0YghBc&feature=sub
and then tell me again that panning and zooming is not a good idea. Panning and zooming is only a bad idea when poorly executed.

[Joey Bowman]

Take a look at this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjBR_0YghBc&feature=sub
and then tell me again that panning and zooming is not a good idea. Panning and zooming is only a bad idea when poorly executed.

Only panned once, and the only reason I personally like it is because of the red glow in the smoke as the firebox was opened right after the pan occured.

Zooming is fine with me, though I agree with Joe about panning, not a huge fan of it personally.