An 80GB video is not helpful.
November 30, 2010 7:46 AM Subscribe
How do I compile general rules for the videographers my org hires so that they give us videos that are usable and easy to embed in various spots.
Background: I manage multiple websites for a non-profit org and we are slowly incorporating more video into our sites. We currently have one person (me) who does anything web-related, so we're understaffed.
In the past when I've worked with videographers, they asked me what I wanted the videos for, I said web posting and they gave me a file that worked. The delivery was either uploading the videos to YouTube so that we could quickly and easily embed on our site, Facebook, etc. OR they uploaded mp4 files to an FTP server, all 3-4 mins each and we then uploaded to YouTube to embed as mentioned above.
I am now working with a videographer (hired by someone else to do contract work) who wants to hand me 80GB files. I have no video processing software available to me (nor do I want it). I've pushed back and am now getting 400(ish)MB files that are over 15 mins which has forced me to only use Vimeo (I would have liked keeping all of our videos in one place).
I now would like to write-up some guidelines about what videographers should give us so that hiring managers will make sure we can get what we need BEFORE hiring someone. Has anyone done something like this?
Are there generally accepted rules about web videos that I can point to? Also am I being unreasonable by not wanting to accept a 400MB video? This videographer has been hired to do a whole lot of work next year and I'm worried about many gigabytes of video coming my way again. As far as I know, she's mostly done filming for tv... so does not have web experience and the hiring manager totally doesn't get the difference, hence the problems.
We are moving our sites to Drupal at the beginning of 2011which may open possibilities of handling video in other ways (other than YouTube), but I still want very clear cut rules about what we will and will not accept. Thanks for any guidance.
Background: I manage multiple websites for a non-profit org and we are slowly incorporating more video into our sites. We currently have one person (me) who does anything web-related, so we're understaffed.
In the past when I've worked with videographers, they asked me what I wanted the videos for, I said web posting and they gave me a file that worked. The delivery was either uploading the videos to YouTube so that we could quickly and easily embed on our site, Facebook, etc. OR they uploaded mp4 files to an FTP server, all 3-4 mins each and we then uploaded to YouTube to embed as mentioned above.
I am now working with a videographer (hired by someone else to do contract work) who wants to hand me 80GB files. I have no video processing software available to me (nor do I want it). I've pushed back and am now getting 400(ish)MB files that are over 15 mins which has forced me to only use Vimeo (I would have liked keeping all of our videos in one place).
I now would like to write-up some guidelines about what videographers should give us so that hiring managers will make sure we can get what we need BEFORE hiring someone. Has anyone done something like this?
Are there generally accepted rules about web videos that I can point to? Also am I being unreasonable by not wanting to accept a 400MB video? This videographer has been hired to do a whole lot of work next year and I'm worried about many gigabytes of video coming my way again. As far as I know, she's mostly done filming for tv... so does not have web experience and the hiring manager totally doesn't get the difference, hence the problems.
We are moving our sites to Drupal at the beginning of 2011which may open possibilities of handling video in other ways (other than YouTube), but I still want very clear cut rules about what we will and will not accept. Thanks for any guidance.
Response by poster: Thanks so much Khazk, this is exactly the kind of info I was looking for, but had trouble figuring out by just googling.
posted by jdl at 7:44 AM on December 1, 2010
posted by jdl at 7:44 AM on December 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
--- I am now working with a videographer ... who wants to hand me 80GB files... I've pushed back and am now getting 400(ish)MB files that are over 15 mins which has forced me to only use Vimeo (I would have liked keeping all of our videos in one place).
80GB files are the result of lossless transcoding or the use of high-quality animation/uncompressed codecs that inflate the video size. This should tell you that the editor/contractor is unfamiliar with export settings and/or the software side of video. Perhaps they made a mistake, but it's a pretty easy catch when they have to bring an external hard drive in to deliver the file ("and this is supposed to go on the web how?") You should mention that Youtube is your preferred outlet so that your new contractor can focus on proper uploading restrictions, in this case, time restraints.
---The delivery was either uploading the videos to YouTube so that we could quickly and easily embed on our site, Facebook, etc. OR they uploaded mp4 files to an FTP server, all 3-4 mins each and we then uploaded to YouTube to embed as mentioned above.
Ensure your video person knows about content limits on video sharing sites (i.e. YouTube clearly states "up to 2GB or up to 15min, whichever comes first") and make sure they know accepted/preferred video containers and formats. It seems like your past contractors were familiar with this concept, and they split longer videos into segments, ensuring smooth delivery and quick access, as well as using the popular MP4 compression that is preferred by most video sites.
Your candidates should *know* software like Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro or Avid, as well as Adobe Media Encoder, Quicktime 7 Pro, and Apple Compressor. Most of these are industry-standard software that are involved in delivery of the final versions of your video.
They should be familiar with video encoding formats and compression practices, video transcoding and export settings, HD to SD down-conversion, and common web video bitrates/pixel aspect ratios/widescreen-vs-4:3. An experienced user should understand the tables and numbers in the bitrates link easily.
Obviously you get to set the parameters (maximum time for a piece, maximum number of pieces per assignment, etc.) and your contractor must find ways to edit-down, split, compress, or encode video files to meet your needs without destroying quality.
You may want to request shot-in-HD, delivered-as-SD video files which will dramatically reduce the size of your final files. Remember, it's the content that counts, and many people will forgive a small 480 widescreen Youtube video if the information is worthwhile.
posted by Khazk at 2:24 PM on November 30, 2010