Lunch & Learn Series: Videomaking with Smartphones by Duncan McHugh

Video capture

Equipment

• Smartphones (4k!)
  • Feature films are being filmed on iPhones
  • Soderbergh's testimonial
  • A brief history of movies shot with phones
• LFS Learning Centre
• UBC resources

Getting the best shot

• The 'rule of thirds'
• Stabilizing the camera
  • Tripods
  • Binder clips
• Using sunlight
• Thinking of your background
• Smartphone apps
  • iPhone: Filmic Pro & Pinnacle Studio
  • Android: Cinema fv-5 & Kinemaster
• Smartphone specific tips
  • Make sure to have enough memory and that phone is charged
  • If necessary, delete older photos, videos, apps
  • Go into Airplane Mode (or else you might record interferences on the audio)
  • Shoot horizontally not vertical (think of cinema and your eyes)
• Audio: background noise & avoiding wind
  • Look into external mics

What to capture

• Multiple angles
• Room for edits
• B-roll

Alternate Video Formats

• Screencasts with Camtasia in Canvas
  • Recorded lectures
• Whiteboard videos & Videoscribe
  • Whiteboard thesis

Video editing & sharing

Editing

• Camtasia allows for basic editing
  • Free download for UBC community
• iMovie & MovieMaker
• Adobe Premiere Pro is available for more sophisticated projects (also free for UBC users)
• On campus facilities (Learning Centre Media Lab is also available)

Creating a story

• Logging your footage
• Storyboarding
• What makes a story?
• Scripting
• MediaMakers resources

Permissions

Who and what can you photograph?

• People in a public place
• Buildings
• Public art

What can you publish?

• People who have given consent
• Minors whose parents or guardians have given consent
• ‘Newsworthy’ photos

Get permission

• Oral consent is okay
• Written consent is better
• The law does not address ethical concerns that may arise
• Respecting people’s wishes

Copyright concerns

Copyright basics

• UBC Copyright office
• Your copyrighted works
• Other people’s copyrights
• Fair dealing / fair use

Creative Commons

• The licenses
• Allow commercial uses?
• Allow modifications? Yes, Yes but, No
• Attribution is always required
• Licenses are irrevocable
• Does not account for privacy issues

Creative Commons resources

• Learning Centre wiki page
• Photos: Flickr / Compfight
• Music: Free Music Archive
• Video, etc.: The Internet Archive / Wikimedia Commons