Video 101 - Informative Articles from Videomaker Magazine

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Finding the Light
You don't need dozens of lights to shoot beautiful night scenes. "Natural" lights, scrims, a few reflectors and imagination are all you'll need in your dark world.

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Weighing In on the Tapeless World
A move to a tapeless-based production is not an easy one but in the end proves to be rather beneficial.

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The 180 Degree Rule
In video production, every time you break the rules, you take the viewer outside of the viewing experience to puzzle over what just happened instead of simply enjoying the story.

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6 Steps to Great Video Production
Just about every video producer, rank and file, from first time beginner to award-winning professional likes to grab the camera and run, shooting whatever inspiration has seized the moment.

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RAID Buyer's Guide
More than just a bunch of hard drives...much more

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The MPEG-4 Super Hero
It wasn't too long ago when MPEG-4 compression was strictly considered a deliverable format, but many camcorders now capture moving images in this format. So what gives? Has MPEG-4 become the super hero of formats?

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The Hypnotic Effect of Depth of Field
Is Depth of Field a mystery to you? Are you hypnotized by the beauty of the softness but just seem to drift in and out of it from time to time not knowing how or why you got there? If so, you are very confused and I am here to help.

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Shutter Speed Tips
Your camcorder may have many manual settings - focus, white balance, aperture - that can make better images, but why would you want to set your shutter speed?

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Lighting Film Noir Style
From the gritty Batman movies to the mysterious scenes of The Maltese Falcon, lighting Film Noir style isn't just about controlling the light, it's about using the dark.

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Tips the Pros Won't Teach You
Ever get the feeling you were left out of the loop? Ever feel that if you just had some bit of information your production would go much smoother, and come out much better? Do you get the sense that there are tips out there that no one is telling you?

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Tips for a Good Chromakey
Editing for green screen begins before you sit down at the keyboard. A good key begins with proper lighting and shooting techniques.

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Audio Dubbing
Audio editing has become faster since the analog days. Before digital technology, the only way to replace audio recorded with the video was to simply record over it.

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Stereo Recording Techniques
Regardless of the type of videos you create, someday, you'll need a solid stereo recording. It's been with us for at least 85 years, but many still don't understand it.