It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for: your chance to tell Howcast what you want to learn how to do!
Your second-favorite video site, YouTube, is launching a new tool called Moderator this week, and we’re helping them test it out. Moderator gives you, our fans, the chance to tell us what you think, and we want to hear what you have to say! All it takes are 2 easy steps to put in your 2 cents…
Submit your ideas and questions, either in a video or in writing, at YouTube.com/Howcast. The more creative and quirky, the better!
Vote for your favorite ideas by June 4. The winning how-to topic will be made into a video by the Howcast team.
Check out our video with some of our how-to requests to get your creative juices flowing.
Remember, you’ve got until June 4 to submit your ideas and vote for the best on YouTube.com/Howcast.
Our how-to fate is in your hands!
-Katy Z., communications manager and moderator extraordinaire
So you’re looking for an upgrade to your camera equipment and you do a little research. You’re suddenly bombarded by a swarm of formats, cameras, companies, reviews, and suggestions. HDV, flash, hard drive, consumer, pro-sumer; it’s overwhelming. Sound familiar?
I’m Nardeep, and I am the post-production specialist and an independent filmmaker at Howcast who just went through this crisis when shopping for my camera. I needed something that gave me the flexibility to shoot freelance gigs in low light, while still giving me high-quality images for my personal projects. I wanted and loved that 35mm depth of field, but all of the cameras that offered all these features were out of my price range! Because of this, I was intrigued by the dSLR. A dSLR? You’re crazy, Deep! They only take pictures! Well, not anymore.
Over the past year, the independent film community (not to mention TV-show makers: see the House season finale) has experienced a revolution. Companies such as Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic began releasing digital Single Lens Reflex still cameras with the ability to shoot video. And not just any video, but high-quality HD video comparable to professional-grade HD film equipment such as the RED camera, all at a fraction of the cost. Not only that, these cameras offer an affordable interchangeable lens system, and a large sensor chip gives you that creamy 35mm depth of field that up until now was only available on top-of-the-line equipment.
There were a few specific cameras that interested me: The Panasonic GH1, the Canon 5D Mark 2, and the Canon 7D. Each camera had its own perks involving ergonomics, shooting codecs, and image quality, but none seemed like the right fit for me. As I took my time perusing the internet, dreaming of what could be, Canon released the t2i (or 550D outside the U.S.) and I made my decision. Essentially the newest model in their Digital Rebel line of entry-level dSLRs, the t2i has the ability to shoot video indistinguishable from the 7D at half the price of the 7D (only $800) with the kit lens! It’s light, sturdy, is compatible with any EOS-mount lens, and shoots 1080p at 24 fps. And boy, does it look good. It shoots to SD cards — no more tapes! — and I got that filmic look with the frame rate and that buttery 35mm depth of field! This is an absolute “bang for your buck” purchase for the person wanting to enter the dSLR arena.
Here is some of the first footage I have shot with my new Canon T2i. Some minor color grading was used and most of the shots are hand held.
The main thing about these cameras is there is no longer any excuse not to shoot. Owning my t2i has gotten me off my butt and back to shooting not only video, but also photos! I’ll return to write a post outlining exactly what my workflow is with this camera and how I’ve learned to best work around its shortcomings. And be sure to check out the EFP Facebook page for ongoing conversations about filmmaking tips and tricks!
If you’re familiar with our website I’m sure you’ve seen them. They’re those super-bright, informative, and delightfully cheesy spots we’ve dubbed Quick Tips! Life’s little speed bumps got you down? Buck up, faithful viewer. Our colorful cast of Quick Tippers are there to eradicate those minor annoyances and daily dilemmas in 15 seconds or less!
My coworker, Megan Toth, and I had the honor — nay, distinct privilege — of starring in a few of these spots, and we got to thinking, “What exactly makes a great Quick Tip?” After months of research and data analysis (ok, so it was more like a 5-minute meeting) we discovered the secret ingredient: facial expressions.
Now, before you go a-grinnin’ and a-scowlin’ all over the place, take heed — pulling off the perfect exaggerated expression is a delicate art. One must look within to bring forth the precise angle of a raised eyebrow that says, “Say, whaa?!” One has to ceaselessly train the face to exude a measured dose of glaze that conveys a visual sigh of utter boredom. And once that seemingly insurmountable problem is at last solved, one must exhibit a concise number of pearly whites in a smile that screams, “LOOK, MA! I DID IT!”
Megan has so graciously pulled a sampling of the genius faces our Quick Tippers are capable of — LOLs and WTFs are welcomed.
Ever since we launched two years ago, the Howcast team has never stopped striving to create a better video-viewing experience. Thanks to data we collect ever day, we’ve been able to analyze user trends that have led us to make changes to make it easier to find and interact with Howcast’s high-quality content. Here is some of what we’ve been working on.
Better results for searchers: Whether it’s learning how to make sushi or how to kiss, people rely on Google and other search engines to find great how-to content. To make sure that search-engine users are able to find what they’re looking for easily once their search leads them to a Howcast video, we’ve introduced a call-to-action header at the top of the video page that will appear whenever visitors arrive from search engine queries. Visitors can click to expand this message to see other search results and related content without having to leave the How-To video page they originally clicked on.
Improving related videos: We noticed that people often click on the Related Videos feature, so we moved those suggestions higher on the page to make them easier to find.
Becoming more action-oriented: We saw that actions such as “liking,” “sharing,” and “adding to a playlist” were either unclear or buried on our video pages, so, we’ve moved all the actions under the video player to make them easily accessible.
Highlighting the creators: We moved creator information directly under the title to make it easier for viewers to find and subscribe to the user profile pages of writers and filmmakers they like.
Programming with playlists: We’ve always featured playlists on our homepage, but had not been showing these on the “How-To” video page — where most of our visitors land. Now, playlists featuring videos are shown in the right column of the How-To video page, so viewers can experience related or similarly themed videos handpicked by our programming team. (We think they’ve got pretty good taste.)
We hope you enjoy our improved search results and cleaner video-page design! As we begin to see the effect these changes have on site data analytics and your feedback, we’ll be making adjustments to provide the best possible user experience.
-Sanjay Raman, Cofounder and Chief Product Officer
At Howcast, we’ve always been focused on making our videos and guides available to users wherever and whenever they need them. We’ve already built successful and popular apps for the iPhone and Android, and our Android app recently surpassed 150,000 downloads. To reach more users on a broader set of mobile devices, we’re excited to announce the launch of our Howcast for BlackBerry application.
While this is only an initial version, it contains many of the features of our iPhone and Android apps, including:
The ability to check out what’s new and featured: View featured and most recent videos, browse for videos by category, and search across the entire library of Howcast videos
Support for fast and slower connections: for those with WiFi connections, the app supports a high-quality video stream, while giving those with slower cell connections a lower-quality stream for faster downloads
Read it too: View the text guide for each Howcast video straight from the app, so when you’re at the store you can check the recipe to make sure you’ve got all the ingredients on the list
Share and save your favorites: it’s easy to share a video or a guide with friends or save it a list of favorites
And like our other mobile apps, Howcast for BlackBerry is free!
Right now, Howcast for BlackBerry is only available on BlackBerry Bold (9000, 9630, and 9700), Tour (9650), and Storm 2 (9550, 9530, 9520, and 9500) devices running a minimum of BlackBerry OS 5.0.0. We decided to start with these devices; we’ll roll out support for other BlackBerrys and OS versions shortly.
There are two easy ways to install Howcast for BlackBerry:
My name is Sophia and I am one of the post-production Interns at Howcast this spring. I help out with making sure all the great videos on Howcast look the way they do. This is the third internship of my college career and by far my favorite.
I’m excited to report that our intern video “How to Stage a Flash Rave” has been posted on the site! We danced to our little hearts’ content in our ridiculous neon outfits in both Grand Central Terminal and Washington Square Park, with onlookers taking pictures and cheering us on. Whatever embarrassment we may have felt was certainly well worth it! I had a blast working with all the other interns and co-editing the video with our other great post-production intern Rob. It came out just as awesome as we all thought it would. (How can you go wrong with a topic as fun as flash raving?)
There were definitely moments when we interns bonded — walking through the crowded streets of New York City in our sweatbands with our disco ball, we had to bond! Our mission was to capture the true spontaneity that is flash raving and, even more simply put, to just dance. Check out Amanda’s cameo in the video at 1:03. Now a full-time production assistant, Amanda was a fall ‘09 Howcast EFP intern. Here’s that group’s video, “How to Deal With a Noisy Neighbor.”
We had hiccups along the way and even more moments that were too funny not to be included somehow. So I put together a blooper reel with some of the greatest behind-the-scenes moments of our shoot, which I dedicate to all of the interns, whom I will certainly miss.
Today is the five-year anniversary of YouTube’s first video upload. YouTube’s rapid ascent as a top online destination has been nothing short of spectacular. By bringing online video to everyone, YouTube has not only helped revolutionize how we consume and share information, but also — and maybe most significantly — how we create content.
The social-media phenomenon has made us all content creators: we can post or upload news, random musings, recommendations, and pictures in a variety of media. Yet no medium has evolved more than video, and that’s in large part because of YouTube.
Here are the top three ways we think YouTube has changed video and social media:
1. Lowering the Barriers to Entry for Creators
With the introduction of high-quality $150 handheld HD cameras that provide easy upload and sharing, the cost barrier to entry for content creators has been all but demolished.
2. Breaking Distribution Down
One of YouTube’s greatest achievements has been reinventing the video distribution model, which has enabled individuals to connect with each other and share their content without strict, costly, or limiting requirements.
3. Monetizing Creators’ Content
Democratizing distribution has also meant major strides toward a thriving business model that’s not only made YouTube a huge success, but also brought income to content creators. YouTube’s platform is becoming a robust content monetization engine providing creators revenue shares and enabling direct sales into the platform. And this is no small feat.
Where to, YouTube?
YouTube has become the second-largest search engine in the world (behind Google), which shows you that we’re not just looking to be entertained, we’re also using it as an informational resource. Individual gurus like Gary Vaynerchuk are some of the most popular informational resources, along with instructional video resources like us (youtube.com/howcast), making YouTube a valuable education tool.
After five years of video uploads, YouTube has changed how we communicate. Now, everyone is a potential content creator. Kindergarten’s just starting, YouTube, and you’re already at the head of the class.
-Rick Bashkoff, head of strategic partnerships (including YouTube)
At the Emerging Filmmakers Program, we get a lot of questions from filmmakers about cameras we recommend and how they can shoot HD on a budget. So we decided to shoot some tests on a Sony Webbie HD camera to see what the footage from an affordable HD camera (a mere $150, to be specific) would look like. One of our objectives was to show that you don’t need an expensive camera to make your footage look good. An eye for framing, ample lighting, a tripod, and solid editing go a long way to making great web video no matter what camera you’re using. My assignment became the video you see here, a brief behind-the-scenes look at the everyday goings-on at your favorite how-to website, using an inexpensive user-friendly piece of equipment. Everything was taped at the Howcast NYC office during a shoot for “How To Match Workout To Your Personality.”
I have to admit, I was pretty surprised at the results I got from this little camera. While shooting the footage, I did run into some trouble in lower light situations, but when shooting bright, well-lit compositions, images were crisp and smooth. You can see the exciting results below. Here are the specs: The camera was the Sony Mobile HD Snap Camera MHS-CM1/CM3 with an internal Memory Stick PRO Duo. All of the footage was shot in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 in 720p Progressive Scan. I edited on Final Cut Pro, exported at 720p, DV-NTSC, and with a slight blur filter to avoid any interlacing issues.
As a film student at NYU, I get the opportunity to use some pretty amazing cameras–once I even shot with an Arri 35mm camera! But, it’s exciting to know that you can actually get such nice footage from a camera that’s only about 4-by-2 inches and 150 bucks. EFP filmmakers have also experimented with the Flip HD and Kodak Zi8 with great results, including How To Play Twister, filmed by Howcast interns in San Francisco last summer.
I recommend trying out any of these budget-friendly options. You can actually recoup your camera investment by making 3 (or even less if you’re a Level 2 or 3 filmmaker) Howcast videos in the EFP! Pretty cool.
Happy shooting!
- Steven Madura, Howcast Emerging Filmmakers Program intern
*This is part 2 of Howcast’s spring interns’ post. This time they’re focusing on their how-to video shoot. Check out part 1 here.
Neil and Fiona back on the blog, sharing our experiences interning at Howcast.
Neil: One project that’s been a great learning experience for both us and our fellow interns is our video, “How To Throw a Flash Rave,” which we NYC interns have spent weeks slaving over. After we agreed on our topic, we took charge of the tasks in our respective departments: audio intern Mike recorded the video’s narration; production interns Fiona, Jacob, and Steve M. devised the plot and oversaw filming; and post-production interns Sophia and Rob edited the video. As the communications intern, I headed the video’s promotion.
The contribution of each intern’s knowledge and experience resulted in a creative, eclectic group effort. For me, the highlight of the experience was performing in the video, hosting our own flash rave in Washington Square Park (on a very sunny, busy day), all while dressed like the ’80s vomited on us! We learned so much from each other — including dance skills we could never have guessed — and put to use everything we learned from the crazy Howcast employees to make, undoubtedly, the best video Howcast.com has ever seen!
Fiona: I’m going back to Ireland with the knowledge of how to plan for a shoot from beginning to end. Doing this internship is probably the best thing I could have done to help me decide on a career path. I started my internship confused about whether I wanted to pursue a career in production, and as a result of the experiences at Howcast, I now know what I want to do and what I need to do to get there.
Our video is currently being edited, so we leave with you a photo album of our second day of shooting around New York City. Enjoy!
We’re Neil and Fiona, and we’ve been interning at Howcast’s New York office for the past three months. Neil, the office’s fist-pumping redhead, is a communications intern and Fiona, the international link, hailing from the rainy shores of Ireland, is on the production team. We have learned so much in the past three months — it’s sometimes been overwhelming, but never dull.
Neil: Most of the projects I’ve worked on have supported Howcast’s public relations and social-media campaigns, but it would be a gross understatement to say these are the only fields in which I’ve gained experience. I’ve also read scripts, recorded voice-overs, and helped film videos, all of which have contributed to my understanding of how a media company functions. At Howcast — whether your focus is editorial, audio, production, post-production, or communications — the internship is a cross-disciplinary experience in a truly professional environment.
Fiona: I have spent most of my time working on the practical side of production: from scouring the city in search of some very strange props for video shoots to setting up numerous green screens. The confidence I’ve gained and the amount I’ve learned about the work that goes into the making of a Howcast video have both been astounding. Every day I learn something new about production, which I know will be of invaluable use in the future.
Neil: I’ve taken a lot from this internship, yet the friendships I’ve made and the fun times I’ve had at Howcast have been one of the most gratifying things about it. If you’re interested in being a part of the Howcast team, apply for a Howcast internship here. I’d definitely recommend it!
Tomorrow we’ll be back with details of our video shoot, “How To Throw a Flash Rave.” Whet your appetite with pictures from the first day of our shoot on our Facebook page.
