Producing for the Internet
Posted by: Sean Smith in Post Production, Compressor, Final Cut Pro 6In this ever-changing universe that is the internet, video has become a key feature to many web 2.0 sites. Many sites have popped up in the last couple years in the YouTube vein, producing and hosting mash-up style videos as well as Saturday Night Live-esk skits and shorts. Many producers are looking to the web their primary or sole distribution plan for their original content. Even with TV channels such as CurrentTV it is far easier to distribute yourself. However, the trick is gathering followers and having regular viewers.
While I’m wouldn’t be the best source for information about finding followers, I maybe able to provide some insight into producing video for the web. “What’s the difference between producing video for the web?” Well, honestly, not a whole lot – however, there are a couple of key points I want to share.
Pre-Production & Production for Web Shows
These phases of your project will probably see the least amount of change. If you have the ability to shoot progressive, do it. Avoiding interlaced footage is a great idea. Not everyone can, depending on your equipment; you maybe forced to shoot 60i (30 FPS). This isn’t a disaster, you can always deinterlance in post.
Before I really got into producing shows for the web, I would tell people not to waste the time, or drive space shooting HD. However, have space to spare, and you’re not producing 10-20 minute shows, why not shoot HD. You will gain some advantages in post when you go to color correct or composite. Even if you are going to 4:3 as your output (if you can) shoot HD. Otherwise, approaching production and shooting for your web project as any other type of project will serve you well. Use a good camera and try as best you cannot to compromise quality. Your compressor might kill your quality to the web, but you may have other needs for your final project later. And with that, lets move to post.
Post for the Web
One major point I want to make about post-production and only web distributed content is the lack of quality when it comes to movement, motion graphics and color. Many codecs will strip rich color from your projects, turn your motion graphics to mud, and interlace movement to the point of mutation in your talent. However, there are some things you can do to help elevate the stress the codec puts on your project.
First and most simply of all, always, ALWAYS color correct your projects. Maybe a better way of saying this is color enhance your footage. If your white balance is perfect and your happy with your skin tones from your original footage, throw a 3-way color correct filter from FCP on one clip, crush your blacks slightly (and I mean slightly) boost your mids, and boost your saturation about a quarter of the way up. Apply this filter to all your clips, render and watch. You will probably need to tweak some of the clips to make sure you are not blowing out any white areas or over saturating others, but you will have a standard filter applied to the project that is easy to manipulate between clips. You may also consider saving this filter to your favorites for future use.
Motion graphics for web shows can be interesting. I’ve had a lot of experience producing graphics for the web and have found that when approached with a compression in mind, you can create stunning graphics despite the mashing up they get during the export.
When you are going to the web with your projects that maybe mastered and distributed on DVD compressing your project for the web in the highest, best possible quality is the race everyone is trying to win. When you compress at a high bit rate, you get a big file, when you attempt for a small file size you compromise quality. Once you find a compressor and setup that works, producing high quality and not a substantial file size, save it, use it and love it.
I am a fan of the 3ivx codec and the H.264. I use the H.264 for files and projects where I need great quality and I know the viewers will have QuickTime 7. I do always provide a like to Apple’s website where they can get QT7 if they need it. When I want to make sure everyone and their brother can watch the file, I compress using 3ivx. It will run on QT6 or QT7.
This is not a perfect science yet. Just as TV production has developed industry standards, the web has codecs and players as its standard. In terms of what goes in and the comes out of the codecs and players, is completely up to you. For those of you who are considering web video, do all of us a favor and produce it well with a quality product in mind. There is enough crappy “home-movie” video on YouTube already.
Quality Web Shows and Vlogs to check out:
Wallstrip.com
Brotherhood 2.0
Onion New Network
