Looking for suggestions on how to set up your own video production unit? Here is a guide to selecting & buying the best Digital Video Equipments – that includes Digital camcorders, Video editing Hardware & Software.   Whether you intend to do this as a serious hobby or you want to be a professional down the line, understanding the video creation process is recommended. You also need to know what you want to shoot. Is it going to be simple home videos. . . or some high quality work?   Answering these questions makes it easier for you to take the decisions around what video equipments would be needed. So here is a list of equipments you would need!   A Digital Camcorder You cannot shoot without this equipment. The price range varies a lot, so decide if you intend to shoot home videos or want to do professional work. Look at technical factors like Firewire support, lens quality, optical zoom, still image capability, etc.   A Decent Computer The Computer is where you will capture your video and do things like editing, adding effects, adding soundtrack, etc. and then share it for use on different media. So your computer needs to have a good configuration, factors that need to be considered include CPU, RAM, Hard disk, upgradability, Monitor size, etc.   Video Capture Device To capture analog video (from VHS tapes), you will need an analog-to-digital conversion device to transfer the video to your computer. If it is digital video that you intend to capture, your computer will need a Firewire card to be able to transfer the video to your computer.   Video Editing Software You can polish your video further using a video editing software program. You can add Menus, Titles, Transitions, Effects, Soundtrack, Narration, etc. Depending on the product you choose, you may be able to do customization of these effects as well.   DVD Authoring Software The process of burning a VCD / DVD is made easier using an authoring package. They also let you make other changes like adding menus and chapters for easy navigation. But if you intend to go in for a good video editing software program, you don’t need a DVD authoring package.  

Some of the same considerations involved in selecting a photographer for your wedding photos also apply to choosing the right videographer. Wedding video, however, is a newer art than wedding photography, and the two forms of preserving your memories cannot really be lumped together when shopping for these professional services. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a home video camera, and the quality of pictures they produce is quite good; better, in fact, than professional equipment could turn out just a few years ago. This has led many people to neglect the importance of using a professional videographer to record once-in-a-lifetime events. Yes, your friend Bob’s nifty new handy-dandy super camcorder can turn out some pretty good-looking stuff, but if you depend on friend Bob to provide your wedding video, you are setting yourself up to be sadly disappointed. First of all, Bob’s new camera, while quite snazzy, still will not be up to the level of equipment the serious professional videographer will bring to your wedding. When shopping for video, ask the videographer to explain to you what a 3-chip camera is, and why it makes better video than a home camcorder. Also ask him about the various tape formats used by the pros. . . SVHS, HI8, Betacam, and get him to explain the advantages of these over standard home formats. Oh, and wouldn’t it be nice to have great sound quality on your video, so you can actually hear your wedding vows, and your music? Chances are pretty good that friend Bob won’t own the sophisticated wireless microphones the professional uses to record even a whisper. Ever sat and watched Bob’s 6-hour production of Little Bobby’s Birthday Party? This brings us to one of the areas where the pros really excel, editing. No, editing is NOT “cutting out” or throwing away any of your wedding video. Editing is an almost magical process whereby the professional videographer refines and assembles the pictures he carefully gathered at your wedding into a polished, pleasing record of your wedding day. Every videographer has his own style, and there are as many types of wedding video available as there are videographers. Look at lots of sample videos, find the videographer with a style that pleases you, and with a personality you can be comfortable with for six or eight hours on your wedding day. After your wedding is over, all you will have to help you remember a very important day will be your wedding photos and your wedding video. Select these professionals with care and you’ll never be sorry!