It wasn’t that long ago that you had to carry around a video camera if you wanted to shoot video. Even after the Flip video camera hit the market, it still meant carrying an extra device. Cell phone video has only recently made it to the point where it could realistically replace a video camera for normal, everyday shooting.

My cell phone, the iPhone 4, shoots excellent 720p HD video. The clip below contains video I shot and edited with my iPhone. The subject is my rascally terrier, Murphy. I edited the video on the phone with iMovie for iPhone. It was simple to edit the various clips I shot of Murphy into one four minute video.

Video camera functions on cell phones give you a way to capture various parts of your business on video. From customer testimonials to how-to videos, you can connect with your customers in exciting new ways. As YouTube has proven, you don’t need to be an Oscar®-winning cinematographer to shoot video. Just shoot it, upload it and share it with the world.

We just started using a Canon XH-A1 Hi-Def camera for run-n-gun shoots, and, as usual, the on board mic is pretty susceptible to wind noise. There are lots of windscreens on the market, and many of the foam ones double as excellent clown’s noses at children’s’ birthday parties.

But this time around, I wanted to try out one of the cute little furry, fuzzy variety of windscreens, because I have heard that they are equally effective at reducing noise, but are more durable and, most importantly, cause less HF cut.

We purchased one called The Wind Cutter and, looks aside (like a small black guinea pig was impaled above the lens of the camera) it functions incredibly well. On a particularly gusty spring day in Nashville, I took the camera out and did some test recordings. The results were exactly what I have expected in windscreens costing three times as much.

The fabric weave is really quite open, which concerned me at first, but the length and density of the “fur” is perfect for effectively stopping brief 15+ mile-an-hour gusts without so much as a rumble reaching the mic. At first, while watching the meters, I could see levels rising when the wind blew. I was prepared to be disappointed. But when I listened back to the tape in the studio under optimal conditions, I realized that the rise in levels was actually due to the microphone picking up the sound of the wind in the trees across the street!

In short, I am pleased. A simple, well made product at a reasonable price is something of a holy grail in video production work.

We have begun shooting HD video for clients for a couple of very good reasons.

First, HD helps to extend the life of the footage and the resulting final production as we move into an increasingly high-definition viewing experience on televisions and computers.

Second, even if the end game is still DVD (which is standard definition video, or SD), HD video footage gives us more options and possibilities during editing.

In all, these are two very good reasons to request HD production services from Harkins Creative.