As a reader and an editor, I’m constantly amazed by writers’ propensity to depend upon superlatives to describe people, places, and experiences.

Photo: designwallah

If everything is “the best” or “the most,” what’s left as least or worst… or in between?

I’ve decided to collect all the superlatives I come across in the month of May. The purpose? To see if the use of “best of”/”most of” is really as common as I think it is, and then, to reflect critically on what it means to classify everything in categories of extremes.

I won’t be going out of my way to look for superlatives–I’ll just be collecting them as I come across them.

If you find any, feel free to send them my way. I’ll post my findings here at the end of the month.

Text by Julie Schwietert Collazo & Francisco Collazo
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In Part 1 of this series about boosting your blog with video, we took a look at the gear you’ll need to begin creating video to include on your blog.

Once you’ve got your gear, it’s time to start working with it. In this article, we’re going to talk about filming. The lessons we share here were learned through trial and error… lots and lots of error. We’re still learning every time we hit the “start” button!

1. Embrace the learning curve.

If you’re brand new to video, as we were, understand that the first few weeks or even months with your camera are best devoted to on-the-street experimentation. Even if you’ve read dozens of reviews about the gear you’ve bought, even if you’ve scoured the instruction manual cover to cover, the way in which you manage your camera and push it to its limits will be unique.

Don’t make the mistake that we did and film “important” footage during this learning and acclimation phase–important being footage you’re not likely to be able to capture again. Film birds, cars, people on the street. Just don’t film that interview it’s taken you months to arrange.

Otherwise, you’ll have loads of footage you can use to write an article like this one.

2. Do a sound check. Every single time.

Sounds simple enough, but the temptation to skip sound check is strong– let’s just get to filming!–especially when what you’re filming is a scene unfolding spontaneously before you.

But if you do that silly “testing, testing, 1, 2, 3″ (Yes, every time!), you’ll save yourself the disappointment of sitting down to review your footage, only to find out that what you’ve filmed is a silent movie.

3. Get stills and filler.

No one shoots a film–no matter the length–in a single fluid shot.

A finished video is the result of the movie equivalent of a cut and paste job. In addition to capturing your primary subject, be sure to film some still and filler footage you’ll be able to use for introductions, transitions, and credits.

4. Think about the big picture. Unless you’re sending footage to “Candid Camera,” think about the implications of the people you’re filming. In certain sensitive situations, such as my recent visit to the naval base and detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, you’ll want to get verbal confirmation that your subjects are willing to be filmed. In some cases, you may even want to request that your subjects sign a consent form, which indicates their willingness to be filmed and releases you from responsibility once the film goes live.

5. Develop a storyboard. If you’re setting out to film with a specific subject in mind, develop a rough storyboard that lays out the trajectory of the narrative you want to tell. This exercise is useful for helping you anticipate the kinds of shots you’ll want to get while filming.

There are many other variables to take into consideration when you’re filming– light, angle, and sound being just three of them–but you’ll develop your own sense of the importance of each and your style of managing them the more you handle your camera. The tips above will just get you started!

Curve photo: Extra Medium (Flickr creative commons)

Microphone photo: jschneid (Flickr creative commons)

Scissors photo: reebob (Flickr creative commons)

Earlier this week, a CollazoProjects reader wrote:

I’d like to put more video on my blog but I’m a complete beginner. What software should I use for editing videos, adding music & text etc? Also appreciate any other resources you could point me towards to get started.

Heather’s question is a good one, and it requires such a detailed answer, we decided to write an article–or four– in response!

This is the first article in a series of four articles that offer you a crash course in boosting your blog with video. In this article, we talk about the gear you need to get started.

The second installment will share filming tips; the third will explain the intricacies of editing; and the final article will teach you how to upload, publish, and promote your videos.

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Boosting Your Blog With Video: GEARING UP!

If you want to add video to your blog, you’ll need a video camera.

Wait- I know what you’re thinking: “Forget that I asked! I can’t afford a video camera!”

Don’t stop reading, though.

While there are top of the line professional video cameras that could drain your bank account in one fell swoop, there are also a couple of lower end cameras that will fit into almost any budget. My personal favorite is the Flip Camera, a lightweight, pocket-sized video camera with the capacity to film and store up to 60 minutes of footage at a time. At just $153.00, this video camera is cheaper than most digital cameras and will let you produce some fantastic footage for your blog.

The Flip has some serious limitations, but if you’re aware of them from the beginning, you’ll be able to leverage the camera’s strengths to capture quality video. The Flip works best when you’re in a situation where you can shoot close up. There’s a zoom function, but it doesn’t permit slow and steady user control; furthermore, the microphone is small and won’t capture sound that’s far from the camera itself.

Watch our videos “The Happiest Woman in Guantanamo” and “Alpura Milk Dancers” to get an idea about the kinds of subjects and settings where filming with the Flip works best.

The Flip is super easy to use with respect to downloading and editing. The camera has a USB device that plugs directly into your computer and allows direct downloading. The software comes with the camera and installs quickly. Once you’ve got your video footage on your computer, you can use Windows Movie Maker to edit your clips and produce a finished piece.

If you’re serious about developing quality video and have the budget for a bigger camera, we recommend the Canon HG10. This is a high definition video camera that’s a notch above the home video camera and a few notches below a professional video camera.

This camera has far more flexibility and capability than the Flip, but if you’re going to invest in a camera of this type, be prepared to buy a couple of non-negotiable accessories.

A tripod is a must– we’ve got hours of shaky footage that’s unusable because we shot without a tripod. You can purchase a very decent Canon tripod that comes with its own bag for about $40.

Another accessory you’ll need is an external microphone. While video cameras all come with built in microphones, you’ll be hard pressed to capture audible sound without an external microphone (also called a shotgun mike). We use an AZDEN camcorder microphone. Two notes about this microphone: 1. You’ll need batteries (and will ALWAYS want to do a sound check before you start filming to make sure your battery hasn’t died) and 2. You should always check to make sure your microphone is on before filming.

Our next accessory purchase will be a lavalier microphone, which ranges between $20.00 and $700.00. A lavalier microphone clips onto your subject’s shirt and permits you to capture the very best sound, close to the source.

The Canon HG10 comes with a software CD that provides you with the Corel Ulead editing system. It’s not the most intuitive editing system I’ve ever used, but the quality of video is certainly superior to that of the Flip. Check out our “House of Memories” video to see if you can discern the difference between the Flip footage and the Canon footage. (And you’ll see why we advise you to buy a tripod!)

Finally, once you’ve got all your gear, you’ll need a bag to put it in. There are fancy hard shell cases with interior padding that will keep your gear protected, but these tend to be expensive and are heavy to carry. We use a Baggallini padded valise.

If you buy any of your gear at a store, the salesperson will try to encourage you to buy lots of other gear, but these are the basics. You’ll be just fine if you start with these items and start testing them out. Over time, once you’ve decided what kinds of videos you want to make and why, you’ll develop a better understanding of the accessories you’ll want to buy to enhance your video production.

Movie man photo: Simon Pais-Thomas (Flickr creative commons)

Gear photo: lucianvenutian (Flickr creative commons)

Flip camera photo: rmphotog (Flickr creative commons)

This week, I’ve been at the US naval base and Joint Task Force Operations command in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

There are dozens of stories to share, and I’ll be writing more about my experiences at Guantanamo both here on CollazoProjects and on the Matador Network in the coming weeks. In fact, you can check out two pieces I’ve already written– Sweet Digs, Harry Potter and the Real Chamber of Secrets, and 5 Things You Should Know About Guantanamo — to start getting a sense of what’s been happening here.

In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to the happiest woman at Guantanamo.

Sam, the assistant manager of the kitchen responsible for preparing all detainee meals–not to mention galley meals for troopers–is a Korean American contractor who has been working on Guantanamo for five years.

As most terms of service at Guantanamo–military or contractor– are one year or less, Sam definitely has some seniority around here. And though she gets off the base every six months or so for vacation, the island fever that one might expect to set in after so much time here doesn’t seem to affect her in the least.

She’s quite possibly one of the most positive people I’ve met, and the troopers I met confirmed that they’ve never seen her with anything other than a smile. So… meet the happiest woman at Guantanamo, who has no plans to leave any time soon.

Installment 2 in our occasional series, Mexico City by Metro.

This week, we surfaced at the Bellas Artes Metro stop. Bellas Artes, as its name promises, leaves you gape-jawed at the unexpected beauty of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts).

It also leaves you gape-jawed and with an itchy photog finger in the park alongside the museum…

One of the exits for the Bellas Artes Metro. The building in the background is NOT the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Standing in the entryway of the Palacio de Bellas Artes to wait out a rain shower, I looked up and noticed this banner on the side of the Torre Latino (the skyscraper that looks quite a bit like the Empire State Building). It says “We demand security,” and it was placed on the building for last weekend’s peace march. With the Mexican flag and the statue finishing the composition, how could I not capture this photo?

And speaking of security… this Bellas Artes guard looks like he might be slacking on the job a little too much. Caught him in this photo before he asked Francisco to turn off the video camera.

Independence Day is coming up and the flags are out in force. This one, mounted on the motorcycle, was attractive enough as a photographic subject, but with the interesting couple in the background, I quickly overcame my usual reticence to take photos of people. Snap!

Leopardo, the young boy in this photo, is an expert pine needle basket weaver. We struck up a conversation and he told me that he learned the art from his father. His whole family weaves baskets. They’re from Michoacan. And in case you’re wondering, I ended up with a basket in addition to this photo.

Aura cleansing is a popular activity in touristy areas here, and the Bellas Artes stop is no exception.