Click on image above for Video on making a Video

I answer a lot of email about how I shoot my videos to where I host my site. I have simply listed the typical questions I get below with the answers. Feel free to email me any other questions you may have. Click here for a short video I made on this subject!

What model video camera do you use?

A Cannon Elura 100. I bought the camera for use on the airplane with uploads to the internet only. My requirements were as follows.

• I needed an input for audio because I wanted to tie the camera into the intercom. I was surprised this requirement eliminated more than half the video camera's on the market. None of the Sony models tested by Consumer Reports had this feature.

• I wanted as much zoom as possible. Few cameras have more than 10x zoom. The Elura 100 is 20x.

• The camera must have a stabilizer built in. Great feature for an airplane and it works very well. 

• I didn't want to pay for anything more than DV tape memory. Why not digital? Because pictures have to be degraded when placed on the internet otherwise they are really really big! Why record high quality video only to degrade?

I shopped on eBay for a camera making bids on several until I scored a good deal. Be careful however, there is a lot of fraud in eBay electronics.

How do you tie the intercom into the camera?

I tried a straight cable coming off a back seat intercom jack but the electrical hum was really high (Columbia Video). I find my Sporty's cell phone adapter works best however, the switch for battery power must be off for it to work.   

What editing software do you use?

Pinnacle, Studio 9 Plus v9.4.3 A free version came with my camera equipment and I upgraded for $50 when I did the Columbia video. From what I read on the internet it’s the preferred low end software. From what I have read Pinnacle seems to be the way to go. There is a v10 but it’s not an upgrade and its features didn’t meet my needs.

 Why do you choose to save in Real format?

It’s 1/3 the size of the Windows format. I do see windows format that’s small but I don’t know how they do it.

Do you encode in Real using your Production software, or do you use Real to encode outside the production software?  If outside, what format do you save out of the production software, and how big are those files?

With Pinnacle, after I edit the movie and click on Make Movie I have the option of several formats.

Why is your propeller not as visible as other videos I see?

Beats me? I assume it was something with frames per second but, I've never changed anything. Three bladed prop?

Do you host your own, or pay for space? 

I’ve used Verio for hosting since my first web site in 1997 (called HiWay then).  I’ve had as many as 7 sites with them back when people paid good money for web design.

Rule 1,  NEVER host your own space!

Rule 2, never use the $5.00 a month hosting services. I pay $20 a month which is high but there has only been one outage since 1997, natural disaster. I’ve never been hacked, I’ve never had a DNS issue, I never had a DOS attack (Denial of Service) affect my sites, I never passed down viruses. They give you a 4-9’s guarantee (99.99%) if I remember correctly, plus nightly backups, several tools  and 24 hour support.

Can you get hosting a lot cheaper than that? Yes, but I wouldn’t.

How much space do you have? 

• Disk Space: 10 GB
• Bandwidth: 400 GB
• Email Accts: 200

http://verio.com/web-hosting/ Depending on the site I have the Unix 1000 and 2000 plans.

Get a REAL Domain name and buy it though the hosting company so they make changes when a server is relocated. Other wise you have to work with network solutions for the DNS change.

 When you buy a URL pay in three year periods with auto renewals. Other wise someone will buy it if you miss a payment

 $15 or $20 bucks a month is NOTHING for hosted service. I pay yearly and get a 2 month discount.

 Don’t use a windows server. They have issues and attacks are always directed towards them.

 Don’t put your email address where spiders can find it.