Compressing video is never simple. There are so many ways of doing it, dozens of software applications, several video codecs, countless combinations of settings. So what works best?

I’ve been thinking about the optimal video compression settings this weekend and then coincidentally found all these great tutorials in my RSS feed reader this morning:

First, I’d like to throw in some thoughts on quick pacing in your edit for the web from Kfir Pravda.

Then, online video distribution company TubeMogul gives us their recomendation for optimal compression settings based on their research.

And finally, some additional thoughts on compression from News Videographer blog - though they do add an additional step of converting to Flash which is unnecessary for all video sites, including ours, since we do that for you online.

For the record, the compression settings I typically use for uploading my work are:

• File format: .mov
• Video codec: h.264
• Keyframe: every 24 frames
• Bit-rate: 5000 kb/s - 7500 kb/s (this number will have greatest impact on file size, go much smaller - 500-1500 - for lower quality, but quicker upload times)
• Resolution: 16:9 - 720×405 (or 480×270 - sometimes smaller is better)
• De-Interlace Source Video: ALWAYS
• Audio codec: AAC or MP3
• Sample Rate: 48.8kHz
• Bit Rate: 160-192 kbps

What are your favorite settings? Feel free to discuss below and share what works best for you.

Tags: how to, video, compression, tips, editing

Our buddy Brett, video maker extraordinaire, winner of several assignments here at XLNTads, a devout Mainer posted a fantastic list of tips for people who want to make videos for contests.

1) Thou shalt be brief. This is one for Advertisers to bear in mind as well as Creators, and to me, it’s the most important. With the internet cultivating such short attention spans in its users, you gotta make your point, then wrap it up, especially when you’re making an ad. 60 seconds is plenty. 30 is better.

2) Thou shalt play by the rules. This one’s simple. Read the creative brief, contest rules, instructions, etc., and follow ‘em to the letter. If they ask for an .mpg, don’t send an .avi. If they say “no more than 3 minutes,” don’t submit a video that’s 3:45. Don’t give contest administrators any reason to disqualify your entry before it even gets viewed.

3) Honor thy target demo. Is the advertiser trying to reach women 35-54? Men 40+? Pet owners? Gamers? Make your video a mirror of that target viewer, so when they watch, they see themselves.

4) Remember thy deadline, and keep it holy. Don’t be late with your submission, and don’t ask for an extension. It’s not fair to the people who were on time.

5) Thou shalt not be a poor sport. Be humble when you win, and gracious when you don’t. Congratulate the winner(s) sincerely and affably, or don’t say anything. You may not agree with the judges’ decisions, but they were made for a reason. Besides, if you hit the target every time, it’s either too close or too big, right? Get ‘em next time.

6) Thou shalt get involved in the community. As creators, we all strive to be original and unique, but we do have at least one thing in common: each other. Interact. Read and subscribe to related blogs. Comment and ask questions of other creators. Learn as much as you can, and offer help to those who ask it of you. We’re at the forefront of this burgeoning advertising medium, and in a few years’ time, we’re going to be the seasoned experts, so we’re gonna have to know what the hell we’re talkin’ about.

And finally,

7) Thou shalt not enter a contest in which I am also competing. Because face it: I don’t need the competition, and neither do you.

Obviously, I’m kidding about the last one. I actually welcome the competition, and quite enjoy it. There are a TON of outstanding video creators online, and when I see a good video, it always makes me want to step up my game a little more.

The couple I would add to this list are:

8.) Thou shalt use the highest possible video production standards. I know not everyone can shoot in HD or has a pro audio guy hangin’ around, but boy some of those techy things makes video go from fun to Pro in 0.83 seconds. But you don’t have to be rich. Just holding the camera well, framing up your shots and using lights wisely will vastly improve your video.

9.) Thou shalt be creative. No one wants to watch the same ol’ tired ideas. We get so excited when we see that someone really put some time and energy into planning out their video. Really making it something witty and smart and tight. You’ll stand out. Especially when Liza and I have to go through and review 200+ videos in an assignment.

Tags: video, contests, xlntads, brett slater, how to

One of my favorite blogs on the web is NewTeeVee.com. I read it every day (and so should you!). They always have great coverage of the online video world as it evolves and changes.

Today, they’re launching their new Station that will be highlighting awesome new videos that people are talking about. You’ll never be out of the loop on all those crazy viral vids anymore. Plus you can throw your two cents into the mix.

One of the things I’m most excited about is that they decided to include a Commercials tab in the channel where they will be showing off some of the latest, greatest viral ads. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some of your work there, soon!

Tags: newteevee, commercials, video, viral

I just came across this pretty awesome website that I think could be really valuable to all you videomakers out there. It’s called Soundsnap.com. From their about us section:

Soundsnap is the best platform to find and share free sound effects and loops- legally. It is a collection of original sounds made or recorded by its users, and not songs or sound FX found on commercial libraries or sample CD’s.

According to the popular social media blog, Mashable:

Soundsnap is an online resource that promises to share “pro-quality” sounds, samples and loops with the world of audio experimentalists and songsmiths without any cost to the end user. Yes, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicense-transferable and high-fidelity recordings are what the site is advertising, and having given it a good once-over, I’ve concluded that for those of you out there who like to dabble and like to assemble lots of little things into larger, interesting things, the site is a real pleasure to use.

Pretty awesome, yeah? I know I’ll be using their service - both to share my own samples and to download some to use in my videos.

Tags: video, resources, soundsnap, music, sound effects, fx

[photo: impale]

On of my favorite photography blogs, Photojojo just printed this amazing list of legal rights you have when using a camera. If it goes for stills, it also goes for video! Know yr rights, friends. Use these rules to your advantage.

THE TEN LEGAL COMMANDMENTS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space.

II. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it’s fair game.

III. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs.

IV. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security.

V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay.

VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion:

• accident & fire scenes, criminal activities
• bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports)
• industrial facilities, Superfund sites
• public utilities, residential & commercial buildings
• children, celebrities, law enforcement officers
• UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris

VII. Although “security” is often given as the reason somebody doesn’t want you to take photos, it’s rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company’s trade secrets.

VIII. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.)

IX. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you.

X. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don’t have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order.

So go forth! Use this knowledge to make awesome videos, armed with your rights as an artist.

UPDATE: Zack Scott makes a great point to consider in the comments. You can shoot public places, but you can’t always use those people’s images without their permission. Thanks, Zack!

Tags: creativity, creative inspiration, xlntads, video, how to, photojojo

I’ve rounded up a bunch of new tips and tricks for our creators and I’m going to slap them all together in one post here.

First off, Tilzy has a great list of things for making good web video series. For all of you thinking about entering into The Amazing Pitch II, this is a must-read. Here’s the first tip (click through to read them all!):

1. Brands, not shows.

A show is just one opportunity for viewsers to experience your characters, to taste the flavor of your brand. Create a meal (show), but be sure to serve up pleanty of appitizers and snacks (shorter videos) and some dinner conversation (interactive elements). Your brands should be immersive experiences. I want to engage with them actively and passively, when I’m on the go, and when I want to veg out on my couch. Figure out ways to offer various experiences to match my various moods. Various disparate content within a catch-all brand just doesn’t cut it.

Next up is something that I often struggle with in my own video editing - white balance and color correction. The always spot-on and entertaining video tip show The Shirtless Apprentice guest-features master editor and video blogger extraordinaire Bill Cammack in this episode. He brings us a super easy, but valuable tip on the art of color in Final Cut Pro.

And lastly, Paul Harrill’s Self-Reliant Filmmaker blog has a great list of must-have free software for Mac. If you’re not a Mac user, fear not, he’s linked to a great list for Windows-based editors. There are tons of great stuff on his blog, I highly recommend subscribing!

That’s it for now! Happy video making.

Tags: tips, video, how to, tools, shirtless apprentice, bill cammack, tilzy, self-reliant filmmaker

Everyone wants their vids to go viral these days, and the good people at Tubemogul are giving away a great white paper called “Web Video Marketing - Best Practices” to help all you producers get on the viral bandwagon. Tubemogul has some awesome tools, too, so don’t forget to check out what they’re offering video producers. They say:

“Secret Formula” - .5C + 15.M + .20T + .15P = Success

Alright, we admit that an exact formula may be a bit over simplistic, but when it comes to deciding how to allocate time and resources on a video intended on marketing something virally, the weighting of these four components should follow closely to something like this: That’s it. Write down the formula above on a cocktail napkin and you have the code cracker for getting people to watch and forward your video. The formula above says that creating a video is a weighted function of four components:

50% C = Content and Production - this is storyline, style lightning, production, etc.
15% M = Metadata - the text title, keywords, descriptions, and categories that help people find your video
20% T = Thumbnail - the packaging which draws people in when displayed on the page
15% P = promotion - just good old fashioned marketing

Speaking of viral, have you seen this!? What genius! Reminds me of Zack Scott’s “ChocoBana” commercial he made for us!

Tags: tubemogul, video, marketing, viral, trends, tools, resources, energy drink

Even the most seasoned of video creators need some refreshing on production tips. If you’re making video for web, you’ll definitely want to check out Make Internet TV, the site created by the Participatory Culture Foundation that helps educate people on how to make and distribute your own content on the web. Lots of great tips and how-to’s in there, and be sure to find out more about Miro while you’re there!

Also, another great resource, one of my personal favorites for tips on making great video is the IndyMogul Blog. They write excellent stuff consitently (like this simple quick-and-dirty 30-Second Film School: 3-Point Lighting). Head over and subscribe, and check out all the cool stuff they’re doing, like this week’s Backyard FX video: teaching people how to make a BFG9000 lazer gun for $20! How cool is that? I’m sure you could use one of those for a funny XLNTad!

Read/Write Web just posted a helpful list of some of the new tools that are popping up online to help creators make better content. We hope you’re making ads for us at XLNTads.com, but even if you aren’t yet, this is a great resource for amateur and prosumer videomakers alike. They list everything from free scripting software to using Google Maps to scout locations. Awesome.

Thanks to our friends at Cutcaster.com for pointing on their blog to this great powerpoint presentation on copyright from the Picture Archive Council of America
.

Topics that are covered range from what copyright protects and the length of the protection, as well as highlight such topics as fair use, what is an infringement and what is not, and explains how the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be used to remove infringing works from the Internet. A Must Read.

Tags: creators, copyright, issues, resources, video, content, cgm

In a world of consumer-generated media, some ‘consumers’ are savvier than others. I like to call them ‘prosumers’, but certainly, many people are blurring the lines between professional and amateur media makers.

For those of us in the ‘Let’s blur those lines, baby!’ category, Chris Brogan has an amazing post on his blog this week that he calls ‘Media Makers Next Step‘. In it, he details some important considerations in developing your business as a video creator.

If you’re interested in making ads and commercials with your camera, join us at XLNTads.com. We’re building a community and media maker’s toolbox for budding marketing geniuses.