With your trusty digital video camera by your side you can capture all those special moments, such your child’s first steps, your birthday or wedding, or your vacation with family and friends etc.

With so many manufacturers and models available in the digital video market, you may find it confusing trying to choose the perfect one for you. Your choice will, however, depend on the features that you want and how much you are willing to spend.

The most important thing to consider is the format in which your videos will be stored, as the video format determines the video quality. Digital 8 otherwise called D8, Mini-DV, DVD and HDD are the main types of video format that digital cameras offer. Both D8 and Mini-DV are tape-based formats, with the Mini-DV currently offering the highest quality video format to consumers. The DVD format allows direct video recording onto a digital disk, while the HDD type uses internal hard drives where the video is recorded. As the tape format is slowly being phased out by major manufacturers, it is a good idea to invest in disk or hard drive based digital video cameras.

Digital video cameras also come with charged coupled device or CCD imaging sensor. Digital video cameras come with 1-CCD or 3-CCD features. Cameras with 1-CCD suffer from poor video quality, whereas 3-CCD cameras produce much better quality videos. Most professional camcorders use the 3-CCD technology, thus making them more expensive than the other models.

The optical zoom feature of the camcorder lens generally ranges from 10X to 20X. The choice of zoom depends on how close you want to get to the action. Some digital video cameras also allow still photography at various resolutions, and some camcorders offer both video and still photography features. Some digital video camcorders have in-built flash for low-light photography, while some video cameras come with a ‘Night Shot’ feature. Other popular options include external flashlights, external microphones and external storage devices that can be attached onto the camcorder.

Camcorders with longer battery strength is also recommended. Digital video cameras have battery life ranging from 4 to 8 hours of continuous shooting. However, using the zoom or any external devices reduce the battery strength.

All cameras nowadays come bundled with a digital video editing software. But if you are not satisfied with the one provided, you can always buy a better and more expensive editing software from Adobe or any other reputable brand.

Video camera prices today vary from $500 to $4000, with Sony, JVC and Canon being the more popular brands.

If you are thinking of purchasing a new Digital Video Camera, visit Susan’s site at http://www.digital-video-club.info. Susan also enjoys writing on a wide range of topics at http://www.business-and-finance-hub.info.

It can be very rewarding to produce a short film, and at the same time it can also be very challenging. This is because as a producer, or in getting your short produced, there is a lot of thought, patience and skills that is required for your short to be successful. Below is a short guide for producing a short film.

To produce a short, you must first have an idea or story working with. This can be your personal story or you can get a writer or a director that already has a story or an idea that they would like to be produced. You will both then need to come up with further ideas for making the story into an actual film, like the plot and scenes and background. Once this has been decided on you will then need to consider things such as the location for filming, the size of the film crew that’s needed, accessing actors and equipments.

Considering that you will be producing a short film, it is more than likely that you will be able to do the production with just you and the director as the film crew. However, this will be dependent on how challenging your short is. In most cases shorts are done under a small budget so it would be best to choose your actors from among your family members and friends, or college students. You could even seek to find an investor to help you fund some of the cost to create a film of higher quality.

To get the production done, you will need to work very closely with your director to ensure that the steps you take are within your budget and along the line of your initial vision. As the producer you also have to ensure that you use a skillful editor with the proper facilities to edit your short, as editing can help to determine whether your short becomes a success or not. Once completed, get your film on DVDs and begin distributing to get the real reward.

Video cameras have become very popular among consumers as they make it possible to immortalize the exact moments that were once important in your life and be able to see them again and again, whenever you feel like it.

Video cameras available on the market may be analog video cameras and digital video cameras. The analog video cameras used to be very trendy in the past decades but in time, the digital video camera has been invented and became people’s favorites.

The analog video cameras use formats such as Betamax, VHS, Video 8 mm, Hi8 and the professional Beta SP. The inconvenience with the analog video cameras is the fact that they lose their original resolution during the frame selection process, which also takes up a lot of time. So, low resolution is the analog video camera’s main drawback. However, an analog video camera will render a smoother look than its digital counterpart, so a number of people still prefer to use the analog video camera.

Both the digital and the analog video camera use the light-sensitive chip known as the CCD when determining the light in the scene that is filmed. The analog camera records analog info as the voltage changes. The digital camera stocks up the info digitally.

The digital video camera makes it possible for you to transfer the footages taken on your PC without degrading the quality and maintaining the same number of pixels.

Due to the technology with which the digital video camera is endowed you can easily edit, copy and paste the frames you love without losing the initial resolution of the pictures. The editing can be done using different software. A very well known software that edits footage is the MGI Video Wave, but there are several other software programs that you can use.

The digital video footage also allows you to add comments and titles by a few simple clicks of the mouse.

A quality video camera should have a high resolution so the more pixels per inch the better the recording. The majority cameras available on the market have a single CCD with about 680,000 pixels, featuring color filters for red, green and blue. However, a high tech video camera usually has a CCD for each of the above-mentioned color, providing the best possible image.

The format for the digital video cameras is usually the DV format or the Digital 8. Nevertheless, there is no notable difference between these two formats.

Another thing to consider when choosing a video camera is the type of lens. The lenses are essential for the quality of the image. The best ones are said to be the Carl Zeiss lenses.

If the camera has an integrated video light, it’s much better than those with infrared emitters when it comes to night movies. The infrared emitters distort the images taken in the dark and you will get greenish footage. Check out these features before deciding on a video camera.

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Some television networks make use of short films by playing them during certain short timed blocks. You could therefore send a copy of the short film on DVD along with a cover letter to some networks’ short film acquisition executive.
You could also check your local video/DVD dealer to see if they would be interested in selling or renting out you kind of film. Having them view a sample of your films would definitely be a plus. If your film has documentary works or is based on a particular theme, you could look into advertising it to museums and universities, which tend to buy films of this nature from time to time.

Another popular way for you to market your short film is through the internet as many sites are available which will give you the opportunity to broadcast your film. Some are even designed, so as to allow you to generate some amount cast. Most of these however, only act as a means of giving you some amount of exposure. It’s all about marketing, not so much about creating. After your short film is in the can, focus all your energies on selling the product; the creative part is done.

There is always a feeling of great accomplishment after the production of a short film. The problem however arises in getting the completed film to be seen or distributed. Below are a few tips you can use to distribute your short films.
Send a copy of your short film to a film festival – You can get information on different festivals taking place both locally and internationally by browsing the internet, checking with a film journal or a film school near you. In most cases you will find that these festivals are very much interested in short films. As a matter of fact, there are instances where awards are available for the best short film at the festival. In addition, if you attend these festivals you will have the chance to meet major distributors and have dialogue about your short.

If you are interested in entering a festival or have entered your film in a festival, it is recommended that you first check the regulations to see at what point you can upload your short. Some festivals seeking premieres want to be the first medium by which the film is displayed. Others however will have no problem with you displaying the film initially online, so long as that particular film festival is the first of its kind to show the premiere of the film.

Short Film Online Rights are extremely important. In order to sell or license the rights of the short film to an online provider, or allow the film to be streamed, you first need to have all rights to the film. Should you choose to sell your rights, check to see if you will be giving the provider exclusive rights to the film. Basically this means that only the provider will be permitted to display your short. Always negotiate for non-exclusive rights so that you can still retain some rights to your film.

While displaying your films online gives you the opportunity to publicity and have a larger and wider audience view your short film, there are some important things that you need to know about showing your shorts online. These things include: the kind of short that is most suited for the online arena; when it is best to put your film online; and your online rights.

The best kind of short film for the online arena has to do with the length, brightness, subtitles and movement; these are all factors that determine which films are best suited for being displayed online. Films that are shorter in length that is below 10 – 15 minutes tend to be the more popular online films. Films which are dark, or involve many dark scenes are more difficult to watch online. Also, if you have subtitles or text in your film, do ensure that the font is appropriate and in bold, as fonts that are small are not easily viewed online. Finally, there are some technologies which are used in streaming that are not capable of properly displaying fast or sudden movements in a short.

Make contact with film distributors, there’s a lot of small distributors who are operating independently tend to be more interested in shorts than the larger distributors. They will be able to guide you to get your short on a DVD or even in the theater as a collection of films. Nevertheless, do not rule out large distributors unless they have made it clear they clearly state that they are not interested in short films.

Distribute in a foreign country – There are many foreign countries that are enthused about selling films from America in their country, even if it’s a short. As a result, you can check with foreign markets by hiring a translator or getting someone you know to help you. You may need to add subtitles and caption in some cases, but considering that many foreign viewers know English this may not be required at all times.

Post fragments of the short on YouTube, MySpace or even your own blog – This will help to give you more publicity and even fans, increasing your probability of being seen and loved by a distributor or movie company.

Short films have been around for some time and are becoming increasingly popular today. Many short film makers are not just desirous of making a short film, but also have a greater desire, which to use these film to generate some amount of income. In cases like these, it is crucial that the film be marketed in such a way that persons will be drawn to them or at least know about them to watch them.

There are many ways to get your short film out there and generating revenue. One of the most efficient methods, especially where exposure and cost is concerned, is to enter your film in a competition or at a festival. These take place from time to time and so you will have to keep up-to-date to know when one will be taking place close by you.
If you have a film that is below 10mins, is funny and has good content you could have your film marketed by a short film distributor or sales agent. In order to get this done you would need to write a letter to a distribution company entailing any press material or reviews you may have, along with the reasons why you think this film will be a seller.

None of this is the fun part of film marketing, but it’s the most crucial part of film making.

What else do you need to make a kick ass short film? Pre-production has many intricate parts and none of them should be taken lightly. Here are a few more points:

1. Storyboard – This is basically a comic version of your film, with each frame giving a depiction of what you are expecting from each shot. This is very helpful and can reduce some amount of stress, but it is not absolutely necessary for a short film production.

2. Equipment and Props – You will also need to take into consideration the equipment that will be required. What will you use for the recording, will anything else be needed? Do you need to buy props, what kind is needed and the cost?

3. Location – You will first need to scout out the location before filming, and if necessary devise a means to get the filming done perfectly without much hassle. Do bear in mind that for some places you may need a permit.

4. Cast – Persons will be very important to your production. If you are low on funds it might be best to use family member and friends.

5. Stamina – It will be a hustle from start to finish and pulling favors from many people can be very stressful. Welcome to indie film making!

Get all these things together and your plans in place with a time line to work with, and you should be OK for filming your short film will little hassle.