AboutAlessandro Machi Expertise Have experience in both video and film, plus videotape editing, archiving, and remastering. Experienced in live event cinematography plus interviews. Have provided Video Post Production Services for independent film & video productions that have been distributed both nationwide and worldwide. Not too familiar with all the various Hd formats although I did operate an HD B-roll camera for an HD independent feature.
Regional Emmy Winner, also an Emmy Internship Scholarship Winner when I first finished college back in the mid 80's, plus several dozen super-8 filmmaking awards and for video productions as well.
I currently offer YouTube uploading tutoring that includes a critique and technical review as well. If you live in Los Angeles and would like to learn more about this educational service send an email to info at slingshotpro.com
Recently finished cinematography work on the film Dali, Dali, Dali which is now in post production.
Experience 25 years of Film & Video Production & Editing Experience including low budget & quality control. I enjoy filming in Super-8.
Organizations Founded Action! Film and Video Production Club while in College.
Publications www.Opednews.com
Education/Credentials Four Year College Program, was one or two classes short of graduation.
Awards and Honors Regional Emmy Winner, 8 Time Vision Award Winner, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Internship Winner, Film Festival Winner for several different Super-8 Films,
Past/Present Clients Sony Pictures, Prudential Jon Douglas, In Defense of Animals, Humane Society of the United States, Ivy Gullickson
Question Thank you for volunteering your time and expertise.
My wife and I want to create a series of "cooking shows" for distribution to our family and friends on DVD that demonstrate how to make many of our “signature” dishes. Okay, the truth is, I am taking unwarranted credit here - these are my wife's signature dishes and friends & family are always asking how to create them. We thought we could use our home video camera (a good Sony digital model) to record some cooking shows similar to those shown on Food TV. However, we know nothing about production, scripting, timing, editing, story boards (production boards?), etc. and thought there might be some resources that could point us in the right direction or provide some ideas/inspiration.
Can you offer any guidance or advice in this area? We are pretty skilled with computers and have no fear of technology or difficult tasks.
Answer Hi Don, I had a previous client that had mentioned they were making family cooking videos. I thought you might enjoy seeing what they had accomplished in their own kitchen but unfortunately I have not been able to locate them or their videos on the web. I have shot a few cooking videos of my mother preparing her favorite meals, but my workflow involved the larger style of video cameras that are actually rested on the shoulder (although I used a tripod).
Word of caution, if you plan on shooting in your own home, be very careful not to take for granted typical things that can come up and cause a distraction you weren't planning on such as unexpected visitors or children or pets that cannot be ignored.
Many times the secret sauce for making your own cooking videos fun to watch is good audio. Whomever is on camera will need to prepare the food while they keep the audience entertained. It may not seem like a big deal, but as the on camera talent is glancing back and forth at the various assembled ingredients and then back to the camera the clarity of the audio could vary a disturbing amount. On the other hand, you may find the varying audio to be acceptable as each situation is different.
You might want to use a wireless microphone or mount a microphone overhead that records the on camera talent as they move around. Generally, a more professional type of camcorder uses XLR audio inputs which will give you more and better audio choices. Some consumer camcorders, when used with a lavalier, will automatically shut off the in-camera microphone. This can be a bad thing since the on camera microphone sometimes picks up nice ambient sounds that the lavalier microphone may miss. I haven't even discussed lighting yet, but if you want to do a good job you can see what seems simple can be complicated.
I can suggest two workflow ideas that may make learning about making a home style of cooking video fun. The first is to do a "fake" but fun and simple cooking video as a test. Use the simplest food imagineable to go through the steps for making a cooking video. "How to peel and serve an orange" takes you through many of the steps you would go through when making an actual cooking video. Review the video and learn what worked and what didn't work. I'd avoid any actual cooking or boiling for your test video as the first goal is to focus on what works for camera and for audio and the distraction of having food actually being cooked could be overwhelming, and even dangerous when one is still learning and experimenting.
Whether you find that you are happy with the result of your test video or decide it needs a bit of fine tuning, consider having a video consultant on the set for your first cooking video project.
Anytime fire or high temperatures are going to be involved in making a video I strongly recommend having at least one or two experienced video production crew on the "set". Prior to hiring anyone, tell them your goals so they respect that you chose to hire an expert for the first video but that the end goal is to learn to be able to do it yourself.
Video can be such a collaborative medium that you may find you want to edit your own videos but have assistance when videotaping, or vice a versa. You may discover that the person you are working with is excellent at "polishing" your video during the editing stage and you may still want to partially use them in future even if you choose to shoot the video yourself in the future.
You may also discover that the equipment the video professionals use to do your first video makes you want to work with them again rather than attempt to recreate their magic with your own video equipment. Having the additional help for the first video will also allow the both of you to either be "on camera" at the same time or for one of you to learn directing.
If you feel that the above is way more work than you intended for a simple video idea, no one can stop you from just grabbing a camcorder and trying to do it yourself. Just remember to be safe at all times, especially around high temperatures, and to always have a couple of extra eyes and ears on the set to ensure that careless mistakes are prevented and don't turn dangerous.
