This post is about my video production related activities. I will discuss why I even got into video, what I video, what equipment I use and my process.
Introduction
It turns out that there is a lot that goes into producing videos including deciding what to video, what is required in terms of equipment and what process to follow.
Why did I start?
I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. In particular, I used to watch a lot of pheasant hunting videos which ranged from very good to very poor. What interested me was being able to capture the experience of my pheasant hunts and the enjoyment the dogs experience. I started by capturing video of the hunts. Then I had to learn how to edit the videos. The results have been rewarding as friends and family are now able to share some of my experiences.
What do I video?
My videos fall into one of two categories:
- Videos based on something I am doing, such as pheasant hunting, fishing or projects.
- Educational videos for my web business clients. These usually consist of “how-to” videos related to web site features.
What does it take?
It takes time and equipment. From a time perspective, you have to capture the video and then edit it, which takes a lot of time. Equipment wise I use a GoPro Hero 9 as my primary camera. On occasion I have used my iPhone, although more for still pictures than video. With the GoPro there is a lot of ancillary equipment such as memory cards, batteries, chargers and different ways to mount the camera.
What is the process?
Like anything else worth doing, video production is a process. Starting with what to video and how to capture the raw video. Next, capture the video, which means doing the activity. The captured video then needs to be edited to tell a story. The completed video has to be uploaded to a host so that others may watch it.
Challenges
As with most hobbies, there are challenges and learning opportunities. I think one of the reasons I got into video production was that it was something new to learn. During the 2023 hunting season I created a post called “Pheasant Hunting with a GoPro” that documents many of the challenges that I have encountered. In 2024 I added another post focused on my continuing challenges with the GoPro.
What does it take
Camera
My camera of choice is a GoPro Hero 9 Black. When I was considering buying a camera I did some research specifically around cameras and pheasant hunting. A YouTube video by Standing Stone Kennels was probably the most useful. That was back in 2022 and they have newer cameras available. My current camera still does what I need and I have no reason to upgrade.
I have also used my iPhone and iPad to capture some video and still photos. They work fine when I am holding device in my hand but I doubt that I would use either in the field.
When I am doing educational videos I use the native Windows screen capture software.
Camera Accessories
Batteries and Chargers
From a GoPro perspective, batteries are important. When video is being captured, the batteries will drain quickly. When hunting, with a reasonable amount of video capture I might get 2 hours to a battery. Like any battery, air temperature will also affect battery life. I have five batteries and will typically carry at least three while hunting.
Chargers are readily available. The GoPro branded chargers that I bought are worthless. I have two off brand chargers that work really well. Charging can take an hour or more.
Memory Cards and Readers
The GoPro camera uses Micro-SD cards. I primarily use 64 Gb cards. While hunting, I will typically capture between 12 Gb and 35 Gb of video. The only time I have ever come close to filling a card is when I forget to stop recording. I do have multiple cards. I carry a spare in my hunting vest. For multi-day trips I put a new card in the camera every day.
Cases and Wind Suppression
There are a ton of different cases available for the camera ranging from foam to waterproof plastic. While I have cases, I seldom use them. I probably would use a waterproof case if I was fishing in the rain.
Dealing with wind is another issue. Wind noise is a real problem while hunting. I have started using a “Windslayer” which is a foam “case” that works well.
Mounting
The GoPro is sold as an action camera, intended to be used while actively involved in an activity. As such, it is not practical to typically be holding the camera. That implies that the camera must be somehow attached or “mounted” either on my body or on an associated vehicle. There is a whole industry around camera mounting, complete with a wide variety accessories.
Hand Held
In some very limited scenarios, you do want to have the camera in your hand. About the only time that I recall doing this was while waiting for the float plane on a fishing trip. For that, I used a floating handle that attached to the camera.
Hat Mounts
This was my first challenge related to hunting with a camera. I wanted the camera mounted so that what I was looking at was what I was recording. This implies a hat mount. So I did some research on the Internet.
Probably the most common response was to use a mount that clamps onto the bill of a baseball style hat. I found that it was too heavy, put too much weight forward on the hat and really was not solidly attached to the hat.
My next attempt involved sewing a bracket to an old hat. The camera then snapped onto the bracket. This work better because the camera was mounted right above my forehead, rather than out in front. The downside was that the bracket was too wide and made the hat uncomfortable. I used this mounting for my first few hunts.
I later discovered a helmet mounting clip on Amazon. I have several of these that I have mounted on different hats and the setup works well.
Neck Mounts
When I was planning fishing trips I realized that I often wear lightweight sun hats while out on the water. These hats do not have the structural integrity to use a hat mount. So, I did more research and found that some people use a chest or neck mount that puts the camera on your chest.
So, I purchased a neck mount and used it on a trip the summer of 2024. It worked okay, although when I was fighting a big fish, the rod and reel interfered with the view a bit. The other negative was that I had to turn my body to what I wanted to record. In my post about the “Cat Island Fishing Trip” watch the Lake Trout video. That was shot using a neck mount.
I do have a chest mount, which uses straps to hold the camera in place. I have never used it as it just seems like it would be uncomfortable in the summer heat.
Boat Mounts
In addition to neck or chest mounts, fishing YouTubers use a lot of fixed mounts on their boats. They usually have multiple cameras mounted around the boat to capture different angles plus they use a camera on a chest or neck mount. I do not have, nor do I want multiple cameras. I also do not want to produce YouTube fishing videos.
Despite that I still wanted some boat mounts. The challenge was to come up a mount that was sold but also safe so I would not lose my camera. I did end up making and buying a couple mounts, but never used them while fishing. If I ever do use them I will update this section.
Stationary Mounts
For my shed roofing video I used a regular camera tripod. It was easy to move around, easy to setup and stable. Nothing fancy.
Computer and Software
System
I use a Windows 10 system with a fast CPU and 16 Gb of memory. About the only negative is the lack of disk space. I have enough space for current projects but have to archive off captured videos to external disk.
For archive storage I use an USB external disk, 2Tb in size. That disk is already about 75% full. I will soon either have to get another disk or permanently delete clips. In reality, I can probably delete lots of clips of the dog tracking birds that we never found.
Software
On the computer I use different software for different purposes:
To edit the video I use the free version of DaVinci Resolve. It is a full featured editing tool that is widely used. There are a massive number of YouTube videos with related training on its use. While there is a learning curve it is not that steep. I highly recommend it.
To produce my educational videos, which are computer related, I use the native video capture on Windows 10.
The GoPro camera comes with the QUIK app for your phone. I do use this app to check what the camera is seeing and to reset the clock. I have used it to review captured videos but find it is easier to copy the videos to a computer or iPad.
Audio Equipment
When I started out I did not consider that there was an audio component to video production. Over time, the audio side has become more significant.
I use headphones to listen to audio on my computer and they work well while reviewing clips and editing. When I started doing voiceovers on my hunting videos, I used the microphone on the headset. While it worked, the sound was kind of harsh. Since then I purchased a dedicated microphone that has better sound.
They also make Lavalier microphones that would be great in the field except they require a special camera accessory that I am too cheap to buy.
Hosting
Once captured video clips are edited together with titles and audio they need to be hosted somewhere so that people can watch them. Videos are huge, in terms of disk space. My hunting videos that last between 5 to 10 minutes can range up to 50 Gb in size.
For me, the easiest and most cost effective solution was to create a YouTube channel and host them on YouTube. It is free to use. I upload the videos to my channel and designate them as “Unlisted” which means that they are publicly available if you have the URL. I provide access to the videos through blog posts on this site.
Video Production Process
As I have evolved my video production skills I have developed a process. First I have to decide what I want to do a video on. Second, how can I capture the video clips from a logistics perspective. Third, I have to capture the video. Fourth, it is time to edit together the captured clips to tell a story. Fifth, upload the edited video and make it available for viewing.
Subject Matter
It all starts with deciding what I want to do a video on. When I started, it was to capture my pheasant hunts. Over time, I started to see other opportunities such as some of my projects or other outdoor activities such as fishing.
In the beginning, it was all about capturing the experience but as time goes on I have started to think more about how to tell a story. That means thinking about what is needed to tell the story, which may include video that sets the stage for action sequences. Do I want to use time lapse, can I incorporate still pictures or music. So now there is more thought given to what the final video will look like rather than just action clips.
Logistics
Once I have a plan, then I can think about the logistics such as how I will mount the camera, how many batteries do I need and how much space do I need for captured video. This is not difficult or that time consuming but is still part of the process.
Video Capture
Once I have a plan in place and the logistics are all setup then it is just a matter of capturing the video. For me, capturing the video is secondary to the activity that I am doing. As a result, I sometimes miss capturing video because I am focused on the activity. That is okay since without the activity I would not be creating a video.
When I first started recording video I was careful about when I turned the camera on to the point I was missing stuff. So now I turn it on whenever something starts to happen, like when a dog gets birdy. Lately, I have even turned it on when something might happen. The beauty of digital video is that you can just delete it if you do not need it.
Editing
Sorting through captured video
When I get home from a hunting trip I put away my gear and then start sorting through the captured video. There are often clips for things like testing the camera that just get deleted. Longer clips I will review to see what happened, if anything. If nothing happened, I just delete the clip. If something did happen I change the file name to include a brief comment about what happened.
Story Line
Once I know what video I was able to capture then I think about the story. What was unusual or significant? How long do I want the video to be? Is there an opportunity or need for any special effects like slow motion or fast forward. Where will I do voice overs, if at all?
Actual Edit
With an outline, also called a timeline, in place I can start the edit. Usually I add titles and then add video clips. The video clips are usually cut down to fit and any special effects applied. Then I add video transitions to make the finished video easier to watch.
At this point, I watch the video to make sure it is correct and a reasonable length. Then I add any voice overs that I want. That is usually an iterative process. Once that is done then it is time for the final review.
Once the final review is done I look for any still images that I might want to use for the video thumbnail on YouTube. I may grab one or more images that are then exported to image files. Then I crop and/or resize the image files as needed. These image file then get used on the web site and on YouTube.
Rendering
Once editing is finished then it is time to produce the production video in a format that can be uploaded. This is called rendering. The software, goes through the edited timeline and writes all of the completed video and audio content into the output file format. Rendering is processor intensive and can take quite a while.
Hosting
The final step in the process is to upload the finished video to YouTube. The process is simple but slow. A 50Gb video will take most of a day to upload. Once the video is uploaded, I can get it’s URL that I can put into a blog post or send to someone via email.
My Videos
Hunting
This whole journey started with capturing pheasant hunting trips. People who have never hunted pheasants over dogs will have no idea what is involved and why we like to do it. In fact, 95% of the hunting videos are of my dog with occasional cameo appearances by pheasants.
I normally do a weekly recap during the pheasant hunting season. Each recap includes a video with highlights during that week. Weekly Recap Posts with videos
On occasion, I might do a stand alone video if something significant happened.
2024 – Blooper post
2023 – Team effort
Fishing
In 2024 my intention was to do a lot of fishing and produce weekly recap videos. But, that did not happen. I did however take a week long fly in fishing trip and created multiple videos.
Projects
In 2023 I built a shed and did produce a couple of videos. This was my first experience with time lapse. A good example is the shed roofing video.
Related Blog Posts
I have published other blog posts that are video related. These posts include more information about my video journey, including some challenges that I have overcome and some that still remain.
Pheasant Hunting with a GoPro – This post discusses my experiences hunting with a GoPro including what I like, not like and what I have learned.
GoPro Challenges – Part 2 – In this post I talk about dealing with wind noise and my continuing struggle with voice commands and video sorting.
Summary
This post covers my journey into video production from beginning to current time. I will update this post as I continue to learn new things.
