Camcorder Formats

Remember when watching a video was as easy as popping a 1/2-inch tape into the VCR – and it actually played? Yes, back in “the day”, video choices were limited and life was so much simpler. Today, watching a video involves an array of complex choices that require you to know about various formats and the media players on which you plan to view them. If you’re looking to purchase a camcorder, you first need to consider the media format choices. The three most common video formats are:

Mini-DV Tapes: like a cassette tape, inserted into a camera. Standard record time is about 63 minutes (although 80 minute tapes can be found).

Mini-DVD: a 3-inch disc is inserted into the camera and the video is captured on a disc. Standard recording length is 30 minutes.

Hard-Drive Cameras: video is recorded onto a built-in hard-drive. The recording length varies depending on the size of the hard-drive.

With choice comes the need to weigh the pro's and con's of each in order to make an informed decisions. Each of these camera formats have numerous qualities and detractors, but the following are the factors that you should be primarily concerned with:

Mini-DV Tapes: tapes are relatively inexpensive compared to other media. If the tape breaks, it can generally be repaired (McKenna video will only splice two separated ends together and will not "crack the case" any longer). There are limited options for viewing, however. Buying a dedicated player is not cost effective for most people so they must be converted to DVD or the camera must be connected to a television set to view.

Mini-DVD: to view on a "normal" DVD player, the disc must be "finalized" in the camera-a step that most people forget to do. Once completed, it can generally be viewed on most DVD players and computers with DVD drives. The downside is that the storage capacity is very small and if the disc gets damaged it generally cannot be recovered without extreme expense.

Hard-Drive Cameras: the obvious benefit is the lack of tapes or discs to purchase. But with that comes the need to transfer any video off the camera in order to make room for new video. Computers need to be compatible with the camera in order for the video to be viewed and/or edited. And finally, as with any mechanical device, it can fail. When it does, any video that hasn't already been transferred off will in most cases be lost.

When it comes time to decide, you will need to weigh the factors based on your needs and what is most important to you at that time. There is no right or wrong. However, in my opinion, there is no substitute for good, old-fashioned tape.

Blessings to you,

Chris

Kelle & Jim Got Married!

Congratulations to Kelle and Jim, who were married on September 13, 2008. Their wedding was at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Renton, WA, and their reception was help at the Spirit of Washington Event Center.

We met Kelle and Jim a year ago when we were filming the wedding of friends of theirs. We immediately fell in love with their energy and enthusiam for life and each other and we were very honored to be asked to help document the memory of their day.

Congratulations, Kelle & Jim, and enjoy the preview.

Chris.

McKenna Video/MVS Wedding Productions - "Best of Western Washington" Nominated

Good morning,

Yesterday, we received notification that we had been nomimated as Evening Magazine's "Best of Western Washington Wedding Videographer." It is an honor to be nominated.

Unfortunately, voting ends tomorrow, October 13, so there is certainly not much time left. So we are asking all our friends and supporters to visit the following website and cast their vote for McKenna Video/MVS Wedding Productions.

http://best.king5.com/contests/best-of-western-washington/2336/weddings/videographer

Thank you for your support.

Chris & Lynette

Why Should I Have A Professionally Produced Video? Questions to Ask Before Hiring Just Anyone.

Why should I have a professionally produced video? We’re already getting pictures, they say, “Why do we need a video?” A good video will tell a story of your special day from a perspective that you could not have seen yourself. Pictures are great, and everyone should have them, but a video is a way to remember your wedding with life, sound, music, and fun. Those are things you can't get from just a photograph.

If you have made the decision to have a professional video of your wedding or other event produced, or you are considering it, these are a few things you should be looking for in your videographer and questions to ask.

1. Experience/credentials - How long have they been a wedding videographer? Do they have a degree? Are they a member of any credited bridal association such as WEVA?
2. References - It is important to ask for a couple of client references. They can show you some great videos, but it is also important to look into their professional conduct at the ceremony and reception. You don’t want someone misbehaving when they are visible to everyone at your ceremony and mingling with guests at the reception.
3. Examples - You need to make sure they show you examples of their work-complete examples and not just a highly edited demo reels.
4. Style - What is the videographer’s style? Documentary, cinematic or contemporary MTV-style? Everyone does their job differently and you don’t want someone who will simply follow your photographer around and do what they do. The point of having a video is to remember and see things differently that your photographs did not show.
5. Equipment - What type of cameras do they use? There is a huge variety of video equipment out there from the basic home edition models, to broadcast quality professional equipment. You don’t want to pay someone $1000 or more if they are using a camera they bought at Wal-Mart for $300. You are not getting the professional quality you deserve.
6. Videographer - Who will actually be at your wedding? Some companies have many videographers and you aren’t always talking to the one that will be at your event. If that is the case, make sure to speak to the one who will be to ensure they have the same credentials and ideas that you are looking for.
7. Editing - Will your package include an edited version or an unedited version of your wedding or event? Some companies will charge you the same amount of money for a one copy unedited version of the event as another would for three edited versions. Which would you rather have? How do they edit-using professional level editing software or consumer-level software that came bundled with their computer.
8. Prices - Most packages that you will come across include at least one camera at the ceremony and reception, a few copies of your edited production, and some extras (depending on the videographer) for a range of between $1500 and $3000 for a wedding.

I hope that helps you weigh some of the different considerations to reflect on before signing the agreement. God’s blessings on you as you plan your event, and as always, please don’t hesitate to call should you have questions or need extra guidance.

Blessings,

Chris

Kelsey & Lane: August 22, 2008 Wedding

Our congratulations to Kelsey and Lane, who were married at the Cove in Des Moines, WA on August 22, 2008. This was by far the best outdoor wedding we have had the privilege of filming this year. Not only because of the venue, the great weather, the loving friends and family, but also because Christ is the centerpiece of Kelsey and Lane's relationship and will no doubt be part of their marriage. For us, that was so refreshing to see!

The video here is a short highlights video of their ceremony. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we had putting it together.

God's riches and blessings to you, Kelsey and Lane.

Chris & Lynette

Customer Testimonial - July Wedding

Yesterday, we received a very nice testimonial from Shawn and Annette of Tacoma. Shawn and Annette were married on July 20, and we had the privelege of producing their wedding video (a montage of still images is available to view in this blog). We appreciate their nice comments so much that we thought that we would share with you.

"Hi Chris and Lynette,

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the video production of our wedding on July 20, 2008. Your work exceeded our expectations, we are so grateful!!

Both of you have been such a pleasure to work with. You both provided such sincere care and great professionalism before, during, and after the wedding. I am so happy that my sister recommended your video services.

The blog that you posted and the final video of the wedding was truly amazing. Our families really enjoyed the video and cannot say enough "thanks" of the outstanding work you both created.

Shawn and I are truly impressed and again, everything that you did for our special day was truly appreciated!!

Thank you!

Shawn and Annette Perez
Tacoma, WA"

A love of the final video is something that we strive for in every production, whether that is a wedding, a birthday, school play and even a memorial video. We thank every one of our customers for their trust in us and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Chris & Lynette

Shawn & Annette: July 20, 2008 Wedding

Our congratulations go out to Shawn and Annette, who were married on July 20, 2008 at the Pioneer Park Pavilion in Puyallup.

This was another awesome wedding that we had the privilege of filming this year. It was obvious to us how much Shawn and Annette love each other, their families, and how much they are loved.

We were certainly blessed to be part of their day and look forward to delivering their completed wedding video next week. Enjoy the sneak peak!

Chris & Lynette

Quick take: what to look for in a video camera

My intention was to post a full length and comprehensive article regarding what the average consumer should look for in a new video camera and what our recommendations for features and such are, but time is getting away from me and it may be a while before I can post the article I intend. So here a quick and dirty list without getting too technical.

Media format: mini-dv tape, mini-dvd, flash-drive, or hard-drive. While each has its benefits, the average consumer will be better suited with a mini-dv tape camera. Mini-dvd, while very appealing, cannot be viewed in other player unless the disc is "finalized" among other downsides. Hard-drive based cameras are complete overkill for the average consumer and not cost-effective. Flash drive cameras are also overkill and media is very expensive. Unless you plan to edit your video yourself, it makes absolutely no sense to me to spend money on those types of cameras.

Standard Definition vs. High-Def. Standard definition is just fine for home movies. Home video high-def is still in its infancy and is hard to work with in terms of editing. Most consumers do not know and care about the difference beween AVCHD (a popular Sony format) and other formats of high-def and unless you want to spend thousands of dollars getting yourself educated and in new equipment and software to edit, its better to just stick with standard definition. 720P, 720I, 1080I? Too much for most people.

Aspect Ratio. Most televisions today are still 4:3, tv's of tomorrow are 16:9. Purchase a camera that can switch between the two and you'll be happy.

Optical vs. Digital Zoom. Don't let a salesman talk you into a camera with 200x zoom. More than likely that is digital zoom-a feature that creates horrific images. Simply put, optical zoom moves the lenses to clearly magnify an image, digital zoom electronically magnifies it. Purchase a camera that has the highest optical zoom and turn off any digital zoom feature the camera may possess.

Brand. I cannot recommend any brand over another. I will tell you, however, that our professional cameras are one brand, while our family camera is another. We love them both. You need to find a camera that best suites your needs, regardless of brand, and carries a warranty worthy of the price that you are paying.

I hope that this helps you in your decision.

Chris.