Acting isn’t a skill that someone is born with, it’s an art form which is developed over a long period of time in which the actor must practice, fail, learn, and eventually grow into a dynamic talent. Because actors are the faces of video and film productions they have immense value to directors, creators, producers, and most importantly the viewers who consume the content.

Mercedes Rose has been an actor in feature films and TV shows, is the voice of Princess Rosalina for Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart for Nintendo Wii (very cool!), and has also worked with lots of big brands. Mercedes shares her knowledge and passion for acting through her “The Lazy Actor” vlogs. We have posted a few of our favorites below, so enjoy! Also, be sure to subscribe to Mercedes’s YouTube channel to stay updated on all her future content.

Tip: Tape yourself auditioning.

Bartering with others.

Be positive and confident.

Social media etiquette.

What is it that you’re naturally good at?

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Jeremy Campbell Lists, resources, video blog acting, actor, actress, art, craft, educator, feature film, how to, learn, mario bros, Mercedes Rose, passionate, performer, princess, resources, skill, talent, teacher, tips, TV, video blog, vlog, VO, voice actor, voice actress, voice over

Quick mention: First off, extremely happy to announce that our hacked servers from late last week have been 100% restored, and everything is back to normal once again. So you can again feel safe visiting and using our platform, and reading our blog. Now onto the topic of the day which is giving you five video editing tips you can use for your future production projects.

Since the mid-1990’s, video production has undergone vast changes due to technological improvements in video equipment and software, distribution options, funding avenues, and barriers to entry have been virtually eliminated.

Once you film and record an entertaining video, you or someone on your team needs to edit it down to its core to tell viewers an engaging story.

Here are five video editing tips:

1. Always use a tripod if possible. Tripods have been created for one reason, steady shots. Earthquake-like effects are sometimes desired, but you don’t want your audience to sit through an entire shaky video. In fact, they won’t anyways. Let the tripod do it’s job. When it comes to video editing, steady shots will help you make clean edits.

2. Use instrumental background music. That way the lyrics or vocals from the artist don’t clash with someone speaking on-camera. You can safely use vocals for parts of your video where there is no dialogue. Also, try to edit to the beat of the music, meaning change your shots on each beat.

3. Normalize your audio when editing. This means that all of your sound levels should peak in the middle of your audio meter bar. This bar is an area of your video editing software that quickly moves up and down when a video is playing. You don’t want audio that is too low to hear, or too loud which hurts viewer’s ears.

4. Don’t use too many video effects. This is a rookie mistake, and I’m sure you don’t want to look like a rookie even if you are one. Find one or two good transitions which fit the video’s format and stick with them, but don’t use them for every little scene. Also, use only one or two good filters, which are effects that make the entire screen change or look different. At times a nice effect is to start your video black and white and let it gradually dissolve to color. Experiment with video effects as they can make your video more entertaining, and deliver additional production value to your viewers.

5. Be patient. It takes lots of time to become a good editor. Use your editing software help section, read related blog articles, and tap into community knowledge on video editing forums. Forums are fantastic places to invest your time, and there are likely many thousands of people using the exact software you are. They know the pros and cons of your software, and any issues you are having they have likely experienced similar ones also. Some useful forums are CreativeCow.net, Videomaker.com, and Videoguys.com.

And most importantly remember to have fun, because if you aren’t having fun editing videos then perhaps partnering with a quality editor may make more sense to your projects.

If you have any other video editing advice, be sure to post it in the comments below.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, resources edit, editing, editing skills, editing software, film editing, how to, information, learn, list, software, talent, tips, video editing, video editor, video production

Sometimes our high ambitions go beyond our actual talent level needed for a video production project. This is sure to happen if you think big when it comes to creating new video entertainment. Nobody can do everything themselves, so why not find video collaboration partners who share your passion and vision for the project, and fill in the talent gaps that are lacking.

The challenge is how do you find and connect with talented individuals who can add value to your video projects? There are many places online where you can accomplish this goal, so I’ve outlined some of the top destinations below.

Meetup is a useful site because it allows you to join local video and film production groups, have conversations with those group members online, and then take those relationships offline to connect on a deeper level. If there isn’t a local video production group in your town or city you may want to consider organizing one to bring your local community together.

LinkedIn is the web’s largest social network focused primarily on establishing and maintaining professional contacts and relationships. It’s easy to add new contacts on LinkedIn, but it means virtually nothing unless you actually reach out and spark a discussion with these people.

Craigslist can work wonders if you clearly outline your project’s details, goals and objectives, and what kind of individual(s) you need to collaborate with. Many users on Craigslist are looking for paid gigs so if you just want to partner up and not pay upfront for their time be sure to mention that important bit of information. People are always looking for new worthwhile opportunities so if your video project fits that description you may want to submit a posting on Craigslist.

Facebook is the world’s largest social network but many users just use the site for sharing pictures, “liking” stuff, and messaging. There are many excellent fan pages though, so look who’s active on them and don’t be shy to shoot them a quick message to see if a joint collaboration makes sense.

Twitter is where we get a lot of new members for our community, and we have established some wonderful friendships over the past few months despite frustrating battles with the infamous “fail whale”. Follow actors, directors, producers, editors, or whoever you may need on your team, and whoever follows you back send a custom direct message to see what kind of interest is out there.

Google has to be mentioned because this is where you can track down blogs, forums, and communities that focus on video production. Leave comments on blog articles, reply to others in forums, and be human to show you are capable of being an effective video production partner. Listen closely to the needs and questions that people have because you have to properly address those before anything will happen.

YouTube is where the most video creators and filmmakers hang out due to the fact that it has the world’s largest viewing audience.  It may be a good idea to establish connections on YouTube, but don’t forget that creators go there to upload new content so don’t distract these individuals with long messages. Move the discussion to email, or wherever you are both comfortable communicating.

Last but not least, Spidvid is the social network where individuals go to connect, collaborate, and create video entertainment together. So when you send a message to someone on Spidvid you can be sure it will be well received because of the hyper focus around creating new video content.

There are many other sites out there for the purpose of connecting with potential video collaboration partners. Just remember that how you engage, why you want to engage, and most importantly who you engage with are the key elements to every successful partnership.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, resources actors, collaboration, collaboration partnership, craigslist, directors, editors, Facebook, filmmakers, LinkedIn, new media, partnership, producers, production team, social media, spidvid, talent, twitter, video collaboration, video creators, video partnership, video production, videographers, YouTube

New technologies in video production equipment combined with the emergence of online video viewing, has made it possible for anyone with some talent and passion, to become a respected video creator in a short period of time. Video production equipment is relatively inexpensive, and can be mastered quite quickly with easy to use controls and features. Even the upcoming release of the iPhone 4 is going to have 720p HD video baked in.

While there is a lot more to the fine art of video creation than just having the right equipment, the accessibility of video production tools has encouraged many amateurs to simply jump in and give it their best shot. Understanding the basics of video production equipment is perhaps the first step to becoming the next Steven Spielberg.

As you prepare to make a new video or short film, it’s a good idea to determine what equipment you will need for an ideal shoot. Below is some of the primary equipment you will need, and some basic considerations you should keep in mind.

• Video cameras – From ENG cameras that are slightly larger than your average camcorder, to Studio cameras, there are infinite choices when it comes to cameras. There are way too many cameras to list here, but $500-$2,000 should get you a high enough grade camera that can provide quality image resolution for video scenes.
• Stabilization – This equipment includes tripods, shoulder mounts, camera dollies, and other related hardware which keeps the camera steady. Stabilization equipment ensures that video production is smooth for viewers to watch. A tripod is one of the best investments that can be made for shooting video effectively, and tripods are usually quite inexpensive to purchase.
• Quality lighting – Some professionals argue that lighting is perhaps the next important thing to video production after the camera selection. If you can’t clearly see the actors in a video, or if there were weird shadows being cast on the set, you can almost hear the viewers vigorously clicking to find another video to watch. Light pricing ranges dramatically in cost, and can be as expensive or even more expensive than the camera itself. Focusing the light, and reflecting light successfully is a whole other post that I may one day write.
• Audio – While many video cameras contain a microphone to capture sound, creating a professional quality video requires separate audio equipment. If the video’s sound is good but the video is of low quality viewers are more tolerant of that, versus good video and poor sound. Just like cameras, there is a multitude of audio equipment options available. Be sure that the video’s audio is clear, clean, and crisp to keep your viewer’s ears happy.
• Editing software – Unlike film, which must be edited manually, video can be edited from the comfort of your home computer. Using professional video editing software you can add transitions, trim scenes, and cut the whole project together seamlessly to tell a story. Final Cut Premiere or Final Cut Pro are two good affordable options. Many new computers now come standard with video editing software, but most of those are only good for home videos. Investing properly in quality editing software is money well spent.

These are the five most important pieces of equipment and software to consider before getting into video production. Having the right mix of these five will get you well on your way towards creating quality video entertainment that viewers will enjoy watching, and sharing with their friends.

Equipment is only the first step though, so if you need the next piece of the puzzle which is talent to add to your team, don’t be shy to create a Spidvid profile and then tap the expertise of our production community.

Jeremy Campbell resources camera, editing, editing software, equipment, how to, lighting, talent, team, tripod, video, video creation, video entertainment, video equipment, video production

In case you have been living under a rock the last month or so, the above video is of 6th grader Greyson Chance singing Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi which has amassed over 20 million views in just over a month since its initial YouTube upload.

Greyson has went from being an ordinary 12 year kid, to appearing on the Ellen Degeneres show, to inspiring her to create her own record label eleveneleven and signing him as its first artist.

Before online video came along this kind of thing never happened, as it took years to build a brand and attract mass attention. In today’s world this is happening on a fairly regular basis, and I believe talent will come more and more from online video breakout stars.

What company needs an entire talent recruiting department now that anyone can discover a star in the making from their home computer? The talent landscape is certainly changing faster than ever before, so if you want to get noticed, forget about the egotistic dinosaurs who say “sign with me and I’ll make you a star kid” and get yourself out there for the world to see.

Perhaps you have individual talent, but still need to surround yourself with others who can help create your video and effectively tell your story. If you feel you are an up and comer in the entertainment industry, then grab a free Spidvid profile and let us and our community help you reach your goals.

Jeremy Campbell News Chance, Ellen Degeneres, Greyson, Greyson Chance, Lady Gaga, music, online video, Paparazzi, performer, piano, singer, song, talent, The Ellen Show, web video, YouTube