So our rookie team has an entry-level camera (Canon Powershot SX520 HS) for recording Chairman’s Footage, but the quality of the video recording is not what we would call professional.
What camera would other teams recommend for a rookie team who is looking to go to the next level in footage?
Also, in certain videos (Like Team 610’s 2015 Release Video), we can see that the camera is orbiting a robot/person, with constant speed. Does anyone know how or what these teams use to move the camera fluidly?
Cameras don’t come cheap but you can compensate for the quality with artistic style if you are creative.
Either way I’d look to rent a camera or see if someone on your team has a good camera.
The YouTube link you gave doesn’t work, I assume you meant this:
I think if you work on filmography and technique and good editing you can make up for an inexpensive camera. Get some good editing software. Don’t even bother with Windows Movie Maker
That said, cameras are always getting better and better.
A cool rotation shot could be achieved a couple of ways. A tripod on a dolly (maybe use your robot cart?), a stabilizer, software stabilization. One cheap and dirty way to do it would be to stick your camera on a tripod, start recording, and get your robot to turn in place.
And see a movie shot with it here: https://youtu.be/Ey2WWBkgOs4
That movie was edited with Adobe Premiere Elements.
One of the main considerations in selecting that camera was having a mic jack so we could attach an external microphone for better sound. The first movie we made using a microphone is here: https://youtu.be/fbIo3_rsXVc
You can see the lapel mic on the speakers. The acoustics in the room we had available to us were horrible, but in the end, we were relatively pleased with what we were able to produce given our lack of experience in videography.
A newer model of that camera is available and is more affordable (about $200 at Best Buy): Canon Vixia HF R600. It has the audio jack, but no accessory shoe. What that means is that while there is a place to plug in a microphone, there is nothing on the camera to attach the microphone to. That’s not an issue when using a lapel mic with a long wire, but if you want to use a different type of mic, you will need to invest in a bracket something like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Movo-HVA20-Heavy-Duty-Accessory-Microphones/dp/B00HTWF7MS/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1455115248&sr=1-2&keywords=microphone+shoe
And whatever you do, try to do as much of your shooting as possible either on a tripod or a shoulder rig to help stabilize the camera.
One camera I highly recommend for 1080p 60fps footage is the Sony a5100, which is very light and also relatively cheap (~$450). It also takes 24mp stills, which is a plus. To get beautiful sweeping shots the best way imo is to use a brushless gimbal, and it is fairly easy to build one for about $200 or buy one for about $500.
I would see if your school has a quality camera that they would be willing to loan to you. Our Chairman’s team borrowed the Drama department’s video camera for filming, and it has been much better than using less-than-great cameras that team members own.
Here’s a little video production secret: getting better sound is WAY more important than getting better video quality.
An external mic input is definitely an “extremely nice to have”. One way to get around that, if you don’t have one, is to record your audio separately on a dedicated audio recording device (check out the Zoom Handy series for example), and sync it in your editor. This also gives you a fun excuse to bring out the movie style clapper (the reason they clap those is to give a visual cue and audio noise to sync up together).
Sound obeys the inverse square law. That means if you double the distance from your subject you only get 1/4 of the sound energy. If you’re filming a person you are probably standing 4-10 feet away with the camera. If you’re trying to capture the sound of them talking you are much, much better off to use an external mic positioned as close to their head as possible. You can wire them up with a lapel mic or use an external mic discreetly placed closer to them.
If you can afford a nice new camera for video production work, have at it. But if you’re looking to improve your production quality, already have a reasonable camera, and are on a budget, I strongly recommend investing your resources into improving the sound quality of your videos.
That, and work on your editing skills. Your productions will improve overnight.
