Hey you! Do you need a CCU?

The proper way to use a Pro studio camera is with a big thick (expensive) multicore cable connected to a camera control unit (CCU). So for VLOBLIVE events you should do this too right? In your dreams maybe!…

MX50 preview output – It’s meant to be like that!

Once you understand why the preview output on the Panasonic MX50 works that way, it makes sense. Unfortunately it doesn’t make it any more useful for live video!! …

Test Card tips

There’s really no excuse for not having some good
test images to set up with. Assuming of course you know how to use them
…

Handheld camera work – just say no!

Hey, look at us! We have cameramen wandering around
the stage, just like at Glastonbury!!
Sorry.
Not impressed. …

The curse of the wide shot

Wide shots are for TV. They have no place in true
IMAG …

formatting song words for use with IMAG

If you know in advance that you are planning to
overlay words on IMAG live video, then you can help yourself out by formatting
the words in a sensible way. …

When to change shot?

The eternal question – when do you go to another shot when mixing live video? …

Matching colour balance on multiple cameras

Here’s a tip for checking colour balance matching on
multiple cameras…

Song words – overlay or not?

The big question about song words is whether you
overlay them on your live video (if you have any) or still images or whether you
keep it all plain and simple. Here is my personal viewpoint…

faulty gear – avoid the recurring nightmare

Finding a faulty cable or connector or input etc. is
very annoying. Forgetting about it and having to find it over and over again is
even more annoying. Some tips for preventing this…

logical fault finding – ten tips for when things go wrong

When everything works there are no worries, but when
things go wrong where do you start? When you are under pressure and the screens
are black, and everyone is looking at you, it’s tough to think straight and the
danger is you just grab stuff and start unplugging, and make things work. Here
are some possible tips.

buying advice for video mixers

or how not to get ripped off on ebay

How do I get rid of the horrible screen that flashes up when I switch inputs to my projector?

my projector puts up a big
blue(black/yellow/whatever) screen every time my switcher switches – can I stop
this happening as it looks very amateurish?

VLOBLIVE and VJing

If you are a VJ, you are welcome to look around. A
lot of the info here is very relevant. Some of the aesthetics are a bit
different.

My video is too bright – what’s wrong?

Everything is connected OK, but the video is far too
bright – lighter bits of the image are totally white

My video has gone all dim – what’s wrong?

Everything is plugged in OK, and I am getting a
picture but it seems much less bright than normal

Doubling up projectors – but how to control them?

I thought I was being clever doubling up our Hitachi
CPX995s for extra brightness, till I tried to use the remote…

low level reverse camera angle

Don’t assume that the cameras always have to get the
artists from the front…

The history of VLOBLIVE

Am I the only person trying to do live video on no
money? I doubt it. So when I couldn’t find a website that really got into detail
about live video at this level, I decided to do something about it.
…

Video and lighting – an uneasy truce

Good lighting can make good video. Bad lighting can
ruin good video. Good lighting doesn’t rescue bad video…

Need giant graphics AND detailed video…divide and conquer

If you are envious of the groovy picture in picture
modes used by big corporate boys to have a huge graphic backdrop with an
inserted live video then think laterally and achieve a similar effect…sort
of!

Widescreen video wall on the cheap

Do you eye up those HUGE widescreen walls of video
that are so in vogue at the moment for megabucks corporate gigs? Well, here’s
two ways to emulate that style, in a more modest way…

Projector screen size – bigger is better, right?

Given the option you always want the BIGGEST screen
you can find for projecting onto…. or do you?…

Multipin camera connectors – fiddle at your peril

It may seem tempting to roll your own multi-way
camera cable to plug onto that big fat multiway connector on your studio camera
or camcorder, but beware…

Overlayed text or song words

Overlaying words to a song etc. over the top of live
video is a very common requirement.
You can
use a feature of the downstream key on a Panasonic MX50 video mixer to make
overlayed words more legible.