![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Video Streaming Information |
|
![]() |
Shooting High Definition Video Footage in Italy
Italy is without question the place to shoot high definition video. Nearly everything in this sun-drenched part of the world cries out for a photo or video capture. My feelings about the country have never wavered from this opinion. Having said that, I must also admit that Italy - particularly in metropolitan areas - is a problematic country for videographers. Rome, among other Italian cities, has some of the toughest regulations and laws limiting commercial photography. My husband, Wayne, and I formed our company - VITA Digital Productions - 5 years ago to shoot European video footage - both for our own specialty-market treadmill virtual walks ( www.treadmillwalks.com ) and to sell as stock footage to TV networks around the world ( www.hdeuropeanstockfootage.com ). We made the decision last year to switch over to HD (High Definition) footage after getting our first request for HD footage. Our biggest concerns, in planning our recent three-week shoot in May 2005, were 1. the safe transport of our video equipment (all in carry-on bags, for obvious reasons!), 2. the ability to shoot in and around tourist-laden locations, and 3. finding ways to get video footage in spite of the stringent regulations enforced in Rome. Wayne and I have done this several times over the past five years - researching a picture-worthy destination in Europe, making our own travel plans, and packing up like two serendipitous vagabonds to go forth and shoot (you'd just have to know me to appreciate how foreign this is - no pun intended - to my accustomed, orderly way of life). When I look back to the first part of 2001 (pre 9-11) and our two trips to Italy in spring and summer of that year, I realize now how easy it was to get through customs with unusual looking video equipment. When the two of us travel on a video shoot, we have slowly learned to take the bare minimum of clothing so that we can accommodate the camera, tripods, SteadiCam apparatus, batteries, filters, wide-angle lens, fluid heads, and tape in addition to spare parts for repairs. This trip, anticipating problems with airport security, we took pictures of Wayne wearing the SteadiCam vest and showing the camera mounted on the articulated arm. We then tucked the pictures inside the luggage for quick and easy retrieval. When the security agents x-rayed our bags, they never failed to have us open our luggage and inspect the equipment contained. It expedited the process when we were able to produce pictures showing how every piece of equipment fit together. Wayne also mailed a small and inexpensive packet of tools (a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and an Allen wrench) to each of our two hotels so that we would not have those little forbidden items confiscated in the airports. And for some reason, an Allen wrench is an absolute no-no with security agents! I suppose that all of the items could have been purchased in Italy, but time is money on a shoot and we didn't want to waste time searching for a source in a strange city. Safely arriving with all of our equipment in Italy, we were ready to begin shooting. We had an itinerary and a shooting agenda for each day, but we knew we would have to build in some flexibility to allow for both the weather and the unexpected. We have been extremely lucky in this regard, even on our two previous shooting trips to England. So how does a videographer shoot around the tourists? If too many people are between the camera and subject or site being shot, the whole effort can be an utter waste of time. And also, unfortunately, the Italian polizia and carabinieri are quick to tell a videographer or still photographer to fold up that tripod and move on!! They do NOT have any patience with a foreign professional photographer, so common sense and a little stealth are requirements. For tourist-filled sites, we have found that shooting in the very early morning works well for us. For one thing, Italy is a late-night country, so there are few people (and that includes police) out on the streets at first light. Typically, we would get to a site by 7 AM each morning, shoot for a few hours and then return to the hotel for breakfast: then back out into the streets for more shooting. The first part of our trip focused on the Amalfi Coast where we filmed, in addition to some incredibly beautiful stock footage, a virtual walk through the Valle di Mulino (the Valley of the Mills) above Amalfi, another through Pompeii, a third on the Isle of Capri, from Anacapri to Torre Damecuta, and yet another from Ravello to Atrani into the Piazza Umberto. The last two weeks of this trip took us back to Rome, where our focus was HD stock footage and Renaissance art - Bernini sculptures and Raphael paintings claimed the lion's share of our time and attention. We spent much of our time filming the Pantheon (Raphael's Tomb and the occulus); the Church of Santa Maria de Popolo and its Chigi Chapel; Santa Maria della Vittoria with Bernini's "Ecstasy of St. Teresa"; the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona; St. Peter's Basilica and Square; and those delightful Breezy Maniacs of Bernini's along the bridge to the Castel Sant'Angelo. We devoted a day filming a virtual walk in the medieval town of Viterbo (just 1.5 hours by train from Rome). An historical note about Viterbo - had John Paul II or Benedict XVI been elected Pope in the 13th century, it would have happened here rather than in Rome. Now a well-preserved provincial village, but in its heyday, Viterbo was Rome's greatest rival! Rome was more crowded with tourists during this trip than we've ever encountered. Much of that could be attributed to pilgrimsflocking to the Vatican in the month following the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Pope Benedict XVI. We've also heard that more Americans are traveling to Europe this summer than ever before. Whatever the reason, there were visitors everywhere. At the end of the trip, we were exhausted but satisfied with the 20 plus hours of High Definition footage we shot along the Amalfi Coast and in Rome. There was an unfortunate incident with a French gendarme in the Charles deGaulle airport, but that will remain a story told within the family! Is a foreign shoot worth the time, expense, and aggravation? I'll give you a resounding yes on that one - but with a caveat: pack an extra dose of patience and a big heart, and both will be rewarded many times over! My husband, Wayne, and I own a video production company that focuses on European travel. In addition to our Virtual Walks Series, we also shoot stock footage of Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, London, and English villages. We have sold our footage to numerous television networks and production houses around the world.
MORE RESOURCES: 7 top new TV shows to stream this week on Netflix, Prime Video and more (Feb. 17-23) Yahoo Entertainment Where to watch ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’ Season 12, Episode 21 streaming free, or on demand OregonLive One of the Best Action Movies of Last Year (With 90% on Rotten Tomatoes) Is Leaving Streaming Soon MovieWeb Eutelsat Group Joins Greening of Streaming Sports Video Group Amazon Nets Streaming, Theatrical Rights for ‘The Chosen’ in Deal With Creator Dallas Jenkins Hollywood Reporter YouTube now dominates TV, streaming and even podcasts. Here’s a look at how it got there. MarketWatch Nielsen: TV Viewership Increased 5% in January, Despite Record Streaming Video Month Media Play News FloCollege is the video streaming home of Campbell Athletics Campbell University 'STREAMING KILLED THE VIDEO STORE': Pocatello’s last movie rental store closes - Idaho State Journal 'STREAMING KILLED THE VIDEO STORE': Pocatello’s last movie rental store closes Idaho State Journal IBA and RVA Host Live Video Streaming Webinar RADIO ONLINE Where to Stream ‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Online Hollywood Reporter Data: Linear TV consumption continues to decline globally Advanced Television Gemini live gets smarter: screen sharing, video streaming, and improved language understanding PhoneArena Prime Video Snags Exclusive Streaming Rights to 'The Chosen' and Bear Grylls' 'Chosen in the Wild' TheWrap Kantar: Live Sports Drive Q4 U.S. Streaming Subscriber Growth, While FAST Market Cools Media Play News YouTube TV, Paramount reach deal to keep channels on streaming platform after contract dispute CBS News Sean Bean’s Underrated Video Game Adaptation Getting New Streaming Home Ahead Of Franchise Reboot Screen Rant Blackburn Rovers game available to stream in all international regions on Swans TV Live Swansea City Hollyland Unveils Cosmo C2 The American Society of Cinematographers MainConcept, Veset collaborate Advanced Television Roku Streambar review: An all-in-one device that combines a space-saving soundbar with a 4K streaming player Business Insider FTC Staff Report Finds Large Social Media and Video Streaming Companies Have Engaged in Vast Surveillance of Users with Lax Privacy Controls and Inadequate Safeguards for Kids and Teens Federal Trade Commission News Best YouTube Alternatives in 2025 Programming Insider FTC Denounces Social Media And Video Streaming Platforms For ‘Privacy-Invasive’ Data Practices AdExchanger What time is 'SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration' on? How to watch the ‘Saturday Night Live’ special tonight Yahoo Entertainment South Carolina vs. Florida men's basketball: How to watch, predictions, odds, injuries, live updates On3.com How to Watch 'Yellowjackets' Season 3 Online Without Cable for Free Hollywood Reporter Research: Enterprises Demand Broadcast-Quality Video and Live Streaming Sports Video Group Best Streaming Service Stocks of 2025 The Motley Fool Cloud Video Streaming Market Size, Share | 2024 To 2031 Business Research Insights |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
Look Into My Eyes - New Webcam Technology If a new webcam technology from Microsoft get the go-ahead, then instant messaging could get a whole lot more interesting.Currently under development at the Microsoft research labs in Cambridge, England, the new webcam, i2i consists of two lenses, which carefully follows an individual's movement. Video Email - The New Way to Communicate The Internet is now a thriving means of communication and for everyone around the globe to receive the most up to date information at the click of a mouse button. Sending an email is now accepted as the quickest and easiest way to converse with your friends and family or business acquaintances and everyday millions of emails are sent worldwide. Five Ways to Profit from Using Video Online The newest media wave to hit the online shore is video. Individual emails abound with links to "the funniest video ever," or blurry clips of new babies or birthday parties. Put Audio & Video on Your Web Site As a company that sells streaming media services for a living, we get questions everyday about what needs to be done to make an audio or video presentation that will stream well over the Internet. Most of these inquiries come from small businesses with limited budgets for marketing and advertising. What You Need To Know if Your Company Wants To Produce A Video Studies show that people remember merely 20% of what they hear, and only 30% of what they see, and an incredible 70% what they hear and see. * With this in mind, it's no wonder why video is such a powerful communications tool. Independent Video in the Information Age One of the primary obstacles for video content distribution over the Internet is the cost of specialized software required to encode video. Video encoding consists of converting video content into compressed digital data that can be easily distributed electronically. When Does a Corporate Video Add Value? A professionally made corporate video production can greatly enhance your company profile and can be used in a variety of applications. Listed below are a number of the most common uses for corporate video. Creating Value With Streaming Video Content Having a corporate or promotional video for your company is often viewed as something of an expensive luxury - useful, but rarely considered to be an essential marketing tool. Whilst many businesses can understand the benefits of having a corporate video, all too often they are put off by the perceived cost and subsequently find it hard to justify commercially. Google Video Viewer tweaked for Non-Google content 'DVD Jon', a Norwegian programmer, has tweaked Google video to make it play clips that are not on Google's servers.Google Video ( http://video. Working with Royalty Free Music When creating Multi-Media Content, Flash or Video Clips for a client's web site or CD Rom Project, the last thing you want is to get him in trouble with the law. If there's a need for music in a project, using royalty free music is essential. Interview with a Video Virgin Shani Alexander is the founder of Relocations Made Easy (www.relocations-made-easy. How Video can be used Effectively Online A powerful way to convey your communication messages to your audience is to be able to have your promotional video available on your website.Yet, we have probably all experienced visiting a website and clicking on a video only to have to been irritated that the content is not viewable or that the sound is inaudible. Seven Tips on Making a Successful Video Production Producing a video for your company can be an exciting and potentially stressful experience. There's more to it than simply assigning a video production company to the task and crossing your fingers. Create a Favicon for Your Customers Bookmarks in Four Easy Steps. A favicon is a custom icon that sits next to your web site title in a persons favourite's menu when they have bookmarked your site, it is an easy way to create an 'eye drawing image' to ensure that people always see you link in their favourite's and should hopefully encourgae them to check out that 'great site that they haven't visited yet today!'This is a quick guide that will provide instructions on how to create one for your site, it really is very easy and will help to create a extra tool to maintain your site in the customers mind.All it takes is four easy steps. Network Marketing and Video Email I received another e-mail today from someone telling me that Video e-Mail is the wave of the future. According to the e-mail, (which contained no video!), the world will soon be embracing and more importantly paying for this service. Looking for an Innovative Way to Explode Your Sales? Video Software - Benefits, & What to Look for Insider's Scoop On How To Skyrocket Your Sales Plus Decrease Your Advertising Costs.If there is one constant between anyone who does business, or ever sells anything, it's the big question; "How do I stand out above the crowd when I'm trying to reach my customers?" It is a question that has been asked ever since the human race started advertising and selling. Video Converters 101 Your PC may contain hundreds of video files, all encoded differently - AVI, MPEG, RM, WMV, DVD, VCD, MOV, etc. If you are looking for video conveter tools, here are some suggestions. Beginners Guide to PC Video Editing If you're new to PC video editing then knowing where to start can be a bit daunting, so hopefully this guide will point you in the right direction.To start with you will need a few items of equipmentCamcorders/Video DecksDepending on your requirements or aims there are number of different solutions to discuss, so i will split these up into separate sections. Is Video Streaming the Future for Corporate Video? Things have changed quite a bit from when I started in the film & video business in 1988. Back then, many corporate programmes were still shot and edited on film. DVD Authoring: An Introduction DVD Authoring is the process of collecting various content assets such as video, audio, photographs, subtitles, and menus, connecting them together and burning them to a master dvd disc.The assets themselves are generated in a variety of applications such as video editing, post-production, image editing and subtitling. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 |