OK Video guys...questions

[wapiti792]

I have a sony video recorder that my wife has agreed to let me use scouting and hunting this fall. It records to mini-cds and is quite compact and zooms to something 100x digital. I would like to film my hunts for me only. Not wanting to end up on the Outdoor Chanel or anything. Just would like to share some traditional hunts with my friends here and otherwise.

1.I picked up a cheap bow arm that works really nice. When using this and being right handed, how to you position the arm/camera to record but still be able to draw your bow without smacking it?

2. What kind of editing software do you use for making a short video?

3. Are there others pieces of hardware that I need for putting the video on my computer?

Thanks! Hope I put it in the right forum! Mike

[waiting4fall]

Check your pm.

[wapiti792]

THANKS PAL!

[Chris Shelton]

I dont know what Dave sent ya but you've got one coming from me too.  Dave knows what hes talkin about . . . just thought you would enjoy yet anothers experiences!

[Weekend Warrior]

Please send pm  me some info how to do this.
Thanks

[BOFF]

Originally posted by Weekend Warrior:
Please send pm  me some info how to do this.
Thanks

X2

I'd be happy to receive any information from the veterans and their opinions. I'm trying to learn as well.

Thanks in advance.


God Bless,
David B.

[paleFace]

for me the biggest trick is figuring out which way the deer or other game is going to go. If you can guess which way the animal is going to travel then you can adjust the camera prior to the shot. Since it sounds like you will be alone (no camera man) i like to zoom out enough so that even if the animal doesn't use the exact spot you think it will you can still have the shot on film. You always have the option to zoom and crop when editing.

I don't know exactly which camera arm you have but I like to have my camera either down low around my knees or over my right shoulder (i'm right handed).

If your camera has a remote so that you can turn the camera on and record without having to reach up with your hand that's a plus. Most cameras make a little noise when the start recording so you should be able to hear the heads engage when it's starts recording. I have yet to have a deer spook from this noise. I doubt they can even hear it.  

One thing that I have noticed when looking at video clips is the audio portion.  This is a much overlooked aspect to video and is vitally important in my opinion. The whispering has got to stop! seriously when you first get set up turn the camera on and give a brief description of the hunt. Date, time, location and so on, but don't whisper. After a shot describe in detail what just happened. Time of the shot, how the game reacted and so on. It might not seem important at the time, but could really be valuable to you later. It also will add interest to your video.  

Do a pan of the area you are hunting and get some locked down shots of things that interest you. Also remember that audio thing I mentioned, use it. If there are birds singing or other noises, record them.  You would not believe how helpful it is to have a lot of audio for your video.

when you make a shot and climb down or walk over to where the animal was standing make sure you film there. Hold your arrow up if you found it and tell about the shot and show the arrow.  Film the actual blood trail and forget about the fake walk up on your kill scene.  So cheesy IMHO.... If you want to wait to do the blood trail until you have a friend with you that fine, have them walk behind you or just off to the side.  

Remember the tree arm, well do yourself a favor and get a little small tripod so you can set up your camera when you locate your game and then film yourself telling about the hunt. So what if you repeat some of the previous stuff you talked about, you should be really excited and this is what makes it real.  

In essence what you are trying to do is tell the story with the camera. Not as easy as it sounds, but very do able and with practice you can make some really awesome videos.

Also remember that just because you don't see anything doesn't mean you can run some footage. I can honestly say that I find something interesting every time I go out into the field hunting. Film it!  It takes a little more effort and might take away from a little of your hunting time, but the end result is that at the end of the season you will have documented your hunting season and will have some really awesome footage and a documentary of your time in the woods.  

1 last note: do yourself a favor and keep a record of your dates filming and log your tapes. Having a box full of tapes and trying to put them together into a video after the season will be a nightmare if you don't. This goes back to the pre hunt footage I mentioned about telling about the hunt and giving the date and time.  Use that index card that comes with each tape and write down the info on that card as you film. You will be glad you did.  

O' what the heck a few more tips. I carry my camera in my pack inside a ziploc bag or plastic trash bag. I have one of the tree umbrella's I use when hunting from a tree stand in the rain. (rain can make for some really cool footage). I carry extra tapes and batteries in the field with me. Also depending on the type of camera look into a video light for filming in the dark.

On editing software, there are several really great programs. A few in no specific order....
 
Final Cut Pro
Sony Vegas
Pinnacle Studio
Adobe Premiere


iMovie and some others are great for putting together clips but don't have some of the features of the above.

[Chris Shelton]

Paleface nailed it, I only want to add a few minor things I do differently.

I use my waist as a guide for tree arm position.  Waist while I am standing that is, so it would be almost exactly the same as Robs shoulder height position.

I like to film on the way in when I hunt a stand in the afternoon, as you never know what will pop out, so i have my tripod, I take the camera off and leave the tripod at the bottom of the tree, so if I get lucky I have a tool to take place of my hands when I need it.

Editing is my real passion, I love attempting to tell a story, and you can successfully do that with Windows movie maker, however Final Cut, Vegas, Pinnacle, Avid and Adobe will make the story telling process much easier and possibly flashier than movie maker and imovie.  

Film making is a process, one part cannot be left out, that is for sure.

[toppredator]

Thanks to paleface & Chris Shelton for your helpfull advice.  Started self-filming my hunts last year with some less than stellar results.  You fellas tips will make a difference I'm sure.

[raghorns]

Thanks for all the good advice.

[wapiti792]

Just went back and re-read this!!! Thanks so much for the help  

[habujohn]

Great information for us newbies.  I just purchased a GL2 that I plan to tape my bear hunt with and then hopefully some deer footage in October.  Do you think it is wort it to get a LANC remote or just use the remote that comes with the camera?  Also what do you think about the mic on the camera compared to a shotgun mic?
habu john

[excelpoint]

One thing, forget about digital zoom. The minute you switch from optical to digital zoom your image quality will drop dramatically. Stick within the optical zoom range and you are good to go.

Also avoid zooming in and out all the time, makes me sea sick LOL

[joekeith]

Originally posted by excelpoint:
One thing, forget about digital zoom. The minute you switch from optical to digital zoom your image quality will drop dramatically. Stick within the optical zoom range and you are good to go.

Also avoid zooming in and out all the time, makes me sea sick LOL

I think that's a major fact to be aware of.  Digital zoom = crap, just forget it.
I agree with the zooming too.  Keep it at a minimum.

[Ottawa Archer]

Another thing to watch out for is when you are panning with the camera. beware of going back and forth a lot or panning very quickly as it will blur the screen and make the viewer wonder if he/she is missing something. Also invest in a good quality fluid head to mount your camera on as this will help reduce the amount of jerky movements which get annoying.