Pool in St. Maarten overlooking the ocean

I have the privilege of speaking to many lawyers across the country each week. I always ask them this question.

“What EXACTLY Would You Like Your Income To Be?”

99% of them can’t give me a coherent answer. Instead, they give me excuses. The most common is the economy. They give me excuses about why they are not achieving their lofty goals.

When I steer them back to the question about what exactly they want their income to be, they simply have no idea. The majority of attorneys have not given this any thought. It is not sufficient, from a marketing standpoint, to simply say “I want to make a lot of money.” Instead, you have to have a specific exact number in mind that you write down on paper.

Some lawyers feel that this is simply an exercise in fantasy. Others exclaim “This is stupid.” However, I disagree.

Instead, visualizing exactly where you want to be at the end of this year is crucial in order for you to make strides in your businesses that will get you there. If you have a vague and nonspecific goal of “Making a large sum of money,” then your ability to get to that ideal goal will get lost and, most likely, never reached.

To be honest, it makes no difference what you believe or desire your income to be. Whether it’s $10,000 more than you are currently earning or $1 million more. The fact is that you must identify exactly how much you want your income to be. You must then measure where you have come from in order to properly measure your success.

If you don’t know what you would like your income to be, how will you ever know whether you have achieved that level of success that you desire? Without setting a realistic goal you are shortchanging yourself, your law firm and your family from ever realizing that possibility.

Once you have written down exactly what you want your income to be, you must identify exactly how you intend to get there. If you do not formulate a written plan, you again risk the real possibility of never reaching your ideals.

So go grab a pen and paper right now and put down exactly what you would like your income to be.

Framing Your Video Shot, Negev Desert, Israel

I am creating an introductory program to help you, guide you and teach you everything I do to create educational video to market your law firm. My new intro program is a step-by-step guide showing you exactly what I do. Hey, if I can do it as a solo NY Medical Malpractice attorney, so can you.

I walk you through exactly what I do from how I develop ideas for my videos to actually setting up my equipment and what equipment I use. I teach you different ideas about how to  create compelling content. Remember, it’s not the equipment that matters. It’s your content.

This program will be have different video modules including the pre-production phase, which is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of any video. That’s where I develop all of my ideas.  After that, you will learn all about the production phase, which is the actual video shoot. In this module I take you through the details of what I do, how many videos I shoot in one sitting and why.

The next video module jumps right into post production which is also known as the editing phase. I walk you through exactly what I do and how I edit my videos. You’ll follow me as I edit a video and show you the myriad of steps needed to complete one video. Once you’ve edited your video, you then enter the publishing phase which includes optimizing, creating keywords tags and uploading to various video sharing sites.

WHY

I created this brand-new introductory program because lawyers wanted to learn how to do this themselves. There are some very eager do-it-yourself attorneys who did not want to invest in a trusted video marketing program to have someone do it all for them. This program is for the do-it-yourself attorney who wants to learn how to do all this on their own.

This video training course literally shows you what I do so that you can model your efforts on what I do to create new video.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

If you are an attorney who takes action and implements what you learn, and you want to learn how to do this yourself, then this video training program is perfect for you. If however you tend not to implement and simply absorb and learn, then my best recommendation is that this program is not for you.

This video training is designed for the attorney who is willing to go out and implement what you will learn from my training. The only other way to learn this information is if you were to follow me around and sit by my side from start to finish. Since that is not going to happen, this is the perfect opportunity for me to show you exactly what I do.

When you choose to invest in my brand-new introductory program, you have an obligation. You owe it to yourself, your family and your law firm to take action. If you are going to invest the time, resources and energy to learn how to create video on your own, like I do, then your obligation is to immediately begin to implement and model what you have learned in your own practice.

If you fail to take action, then you are doing yourself a disservice. This program is only for people who are willing to take action and put those ideas into motion. So counselor, are you a little closer to the attorney who is eager and willing to take action or are you a little closer to the attorney who looks for a solution, finds the answer and then takes no action?

WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE?

Look here in the the Lawyers Video Studio for pre-release announcements.

I have over 600 videos on YouTube. Good videos with educational content.

Last night, I couldn’t access the website at all. Nothing. Nada. It’s as if it wasn’t even online.

Scary thought.

I tried my iPhone, same result. Tried another computer. Same result. Tried Google. That website was working without a problem. Tried accessing YouTube videos from Facebook. That worked.

When I tried clicking through from Facebook directly to YouTube…nothing worked.

DANGER

Imagine what would happen if your great educational videos were all on YouTube. You then took the embed codes from YouTube and scattered them all over your website. Viewers loved your videos on your website.

Imagine that you only put your videos on YouTube and that’s where they were all hosted.

Then imagine that YouTube suddenly went down. No explanation, no rhyme or reason. You just couldn’t access the website. You had no info about why there was no access or service. Your website has blank rectangles where your wonderful videos once resided.

What do you do?

To be quite honest…you’d be screwed.

That’s exactly why you need to host your videos privately when you post them to your website.

I love YouTube. It’s a great website. However, it’s a free video sharing site.

I cannot explain why I cannot access YouTube tonight. I have no idea how long this will continue. Regardless, I have no real worries since the videos on my website are hosted privately. Make sure your videos are too.

Fostex AR-4i iPhone 4 Audio adapter

2012 Review of Fostex AR-4i for iPhone 4S

I use professional video equipment to shoot educational video for attorneys. I recently bought an iPhone 4S and intended to use it for quick video interviews and on-the-run educational video.

Overall review: Recommended

The AR-4i is an iPhone audio microphone adapter. It’s a piece of audio equipment that converts the built-in microphone on the iPhone into a true audio capture device to allow improved audio for your video.

If you shoot video using your built in microphone, you will get acceptable audio. Not great audio, just acceptable. The problem using your built in microphone is that you will also pick up all ambient sound. That’s why you never want to use your built-in mic when shooting video.

The Fostex iPhone audio adapter solves that problem by converting your iPhone into a true video camera. Instead of relying on the built-in mic, the adapter, which is powered by two AAA batteries (included) allows you to use two mini omni-directional microphones that provide stereo sound.

The closer you are to the camera the better quality and strength of your audio. The inherent problem with standing too close to the camera is that you begin to get a fish-eye effect with the micro lens on the iPhone. That’s the problem with using micro-optics.

Using these two microphone buds provides improved audio over the built-in microphone. Yet there’s an even better audio solution to get crystal clear audio using this really cool device.

The adapter has three microphone inputs. It only allows you to use two out of the three during video shooting. The adapter allows you to ergonomically hold the phone in a comfortable way and stabilizes the shoot by adding weight to the camera and adapter.
The adapter can be used in horizontal mode or vertical mode.

The best way to use this audio adapter is with a wireless microphone. Plug in the receiver into the microphone output and you will get ideal, crystal-clear audio.

Attach the adapter to a tripod and you’ve got a stable video platform where you can attach two wireless microphones for sit-down interviews.

One drawback to using this audio adapter is that every time I use it, I have to remove my iPhone case. Since I use a holster for my iPhone, it’s like removing a vise grip and very challenging.

Dismantling the device takes seconds.
Two other drawbacks:

You cannot play the video back and listen to the audio while the iPhone is in the adapter cradle. No big deal. Just slide the phone out of the cradle and press play to watch your masterpiece.

Prior to buying this audio device there were reviews online about audio playback issues using the iPhone 4S. In fact, the manufacturer specifically intended this device to be used for the iPhone 4. There is nothing on the manufacturer’s website about it being compatible with the iPhone 4S.

According to a few reviews, the playback issue on the 4S involved significant audio problems that made the video unusable. However, I watched a YouTube video review about this adapter and the reviewer used a 4S without a problem.

During my preliminary tests with my 4S I did not encounter any audio problems. It wasn’t until my 7th video test that I did hear a problem with the audio. I deleted it and started over. I heard the problem again on the 10th video test, but have not heard it since.

The manufacturer has a note on their website stating simply “We are aware of the audio problem associated with using our device with the 4S and are working on solving this problem.”

If you are looking for a different and unique way to create clean and crystal clear audio for your iPhone you will appreciate this audio device.

Cost: $119 at B&H Photo

YouTube Screen Shot

This is the coolest comment I have ever received from one of my videos.

You can see the screen shot to the right here.

The video: TESTICULAR TORSION

Views: 11,897

Comments: 86

In this video I discuss a case I handled involving a young boy. The doctors failed to timely diagnose a twisting of his testicle, also known as testicular torsion.

As a result, the doctors missed the window of opportunity to correct the twist. The blood supply had been cut off for too long causing the testicle to die.

In this video comment, this man actually said “…I had only six hours to live, but I made it through by surgery. Now I know what this was thanks to you…”

That is absolutely awesome. Who knew that an educational video, designed to help teach my ideal client and consumers could actually help someone with that particular condition. That is really, really cool.

I have also received comments in some of my videos where the viewer will start by saying “Thank you doctor for providing…”

I don’t play a doctor on TV or pretend to be one. Every one of my videos starts out by telling the viewer that I’m a NY Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Trial attorney.

When a viewer leaves a comment on your YouTube video, make sure you thank them. It’s a common courtesy that generates good will.

This comment left a smile on my face all day.

Sony NEX VG20

I’ve used this camera for four weeks now. I was using my Canon Vixia HF S10 when I realized that I needed shallow depth of field to shoot my videos. My options were limited. The best way to achieve shallow depth of field is with a dSLR, and I already use a Canon 60D for that purpose.

However, I often shoot video for really smart professionals and entrepreneurs and this camera was the perfect fit, or so I thought.

The first thing I noticed about this camera is it is lens-heavy. It has 18 mm-200 mm silver zoom on the front end of it. It has a handle at the top which is awkward to hold. It is not formfitting. If you hold the camera at waist height, the lens will tip forward and appear unbalanced. It is clearly awkward to hold from the top handle.

I have owned a Sony VX 2100 which was a SD Mini DV tape-drive camera and had excellent ergonomics. Holding that camera from the top handle was beautiful. It had a rocker switch for the telephoto lens as well as an on off record button that you operated with your thumb from the top handle.

This camera has no such luxury. In fact, it does not have any rocker switch for the zoom. Ironically, the remote control includes a telephoto and wide angle button switch that is absolutely useless since there is no automatic or remote control zoom function.

AESTHETICS

Aesthetically, the camera looks awesome. Sitting on top by the handle is a funky looking multidirectional microphone that allows you to achieve 5.1 channel sound. I cannot understand why anyone would use the built-in microphone except to pick up ambient sound. I always use a wireless mic and the built-in mic, though cool-looking, fails to achieve the sound quality I need.

The carry-handle has a convenient cold shoe and a microphone input also attached to the top handle. The camera has an adjustable up/down electronic eyepiece viewfinder that I never use.

Holding the camera through the strap attached to the side of the camera, the power button appears comfortably natural by my right thumb. It has clear and simple controls for on-off and record. It also allows you to switch easily from movie mode to photo mode with the press of one tiny button.

When your palm is resting against the right side of the camera as you slip your hand through the camera strap, there are two buttons near your pinky that are somewhat awkward to reach and unusually positioned. One is a record button, and the other is an extended focus button.

The extended focus button allows you to achieve an immediate zoom for the purposes of achieving proper manual focus. You will find this to be a useful function, but it’s in an awkward position.

The record button by my pinky is also awkward to reach. The only time I find it useful is when shooting on a tripod from waist height at a sporting event. While attempting to zoom in and out manually to watch the action, I found the record button on the right side of the camera easy to use. However, if you’re holding the camera in your right hand in a shooters position, the record button using your pinky is a stretch to reach and not comfortable to depress with your pinky.

VIDEO QUALITY SETTINGS

The camera takes SDHC memory cards and shoots to AVC HD. Wanting to shoot at the highest quality setting, I purchased a class 10 SDHC memory card, popped it into the camera and began adjusting my camera settings. The camera creates video at 60p, 60i and 24p. It also shoots in high-definition and standard definition. You have the option of shooting at different speeds of 24 MPS, 17 MPS and two lower settings.

For some inexplicable reason, the camera does not allow you to shoot at the highest quality 24 MPS setting while using a class 10 SDHC memory card. That defeats the purpose of using the class 10 SDHC card and achieving the highest quality, hi-definition video. Instead, you have to drop down to the  next lower setting of 17 MPS in order to allow it to write to AVC HD using a class 10 card.

The 3” viewfinder is touch screen and quite simple and fun to use. Anyone who has an iPhone will appreciate this viewfinder. The manual controls allow you to set iris, exposure, gain, white balance, auto exposure and more. With so many manual features, you would expect a single button to reset everything to automatic, yet there is no such button. Instead, you must drill down into the manual functions while in live shoot mode and figure out intuitively which one will allow you to revert to auto mode. It’s a challenge.

The controls on the actual camera are again simple and easy-to-use. You have your iris button, aperture button and a button to switch from play mode to live mode.

The really cool thing that I like most about this camera is its ability to obtain a shallow depth of field where the subject is in focus and the background is out of focus. I do shoot typically static head shots with someone sitting or standing in one position.

STAY IN FOCUS PLEASE…

The camera does not have a facial focus feature while in movie mode. It does have it for photo mode. When your subject moves and you are in manual focus mode, you have to refocus manually. It does have an electronic focus feature that is totally silent. That is a really cool function, but it has one major drawback. It is slow. It is also inaccurate.

When shooting video of myself, on my own, despite being the primary subject in the viewfinder, the camera will often track my background as being in focus and I will wind up out of focus. That is such a waste of my time and my shot. Frustrating too.

When shooting video on my own, this becomes a true challenge. The only workaround I have found is to start out 2 feet in front of the camera and allow it to focus immediately on me. After a few seconds when it focuses, I then start walking backwards and stop every few feet so the camera can refocus each time. This is an extremely frustrating feature that I’m still trying to work around. If someone is operating the camera then it is easy to refocus by pushing the focus button until the subject is in focus.

However, since I often shoot my own videos, this is extremely frustrating task that should be a no-brainer for a camera that cost in excess of $2,100. Every camera I have used before this has had an excellent autofocus system. Not this one.

Once in focus though, the image looks great. That brings me to the telephoto lens. As I mentioned at the beginning, there is no rocker switch to advance telephoto or wide-angle. It is totally manual.

ZOOM IN. CLOSER.

While shooting video of my daughter’s volleyball game, it was extremely difficult to achieve smooth zooms by manually twisting the zoom lens. It is not an easy turn. In fact, it is a slow-turning zoom that comes with significant effort, especially when shooting fast-moving play and you want to get all the action.

If you have time to set up a manual shot and you have a close-up static subject with a nice shallow depth of field, then this will be the camera for you. However, when you want the video camera to do double duty at your kids sport event and also use it to shoot static subjects, you’re going to have a real challenge achieving competency for both uses with this camera.

EDITING YOUR VIDEO FOOTAGE

My next challenge with this camera involves taking the footage off of my memory card and uploading it to my Mac computer. I use Final Cut Express for my editing and FCE does not recognize this particular AVC HD format. It gave me many error messages when trying to log and transfer video files.

In fact, I was so frustrated with a lack of intuitive ability to log and transfer the raw footage into my Final Cut Express software, that I was tempted to return the camera to B&H Photo. My Canon Vixia HF S10 video camera never gave me any problem and the raw footage was always immediately recognized, transcoded and error-free.

I wasted hours trying to figure out a workaround to get the raw footage into my editing software without error messages. The bottom line was that the AVC HD files have to be re-wrapped into a different format in order to allow Final Cut Express to recognize them as Quicktime .mov files. There are free workarounds that I tried with varying levels of success. I then learned of a piece of software called ClipWrap that cost $50. It rewraps .mts files (native AVC HD video files) to .mov files and does so really fast.

I only wish Sony had let me know before I bought this camera that the video footage would not be natively applied or accepted into Final Cut Express.

All in all, the camera is small, it is lens-heavy, shoots beautiful outdoors footage, has difficulty shooting in low light and appears grainy, as most video cameras do. The zoom lens is awesome as long as you’re not using it to achieve smooth zooms or wide-angle shots that are moving quickly. If you’re willing to use a wraparound to convert your video files into a format that Final Cut will accept and want a camera that looks different from all the rest, then this camera may be right for you.

Before finally deciding to buy this camera, I strongly considered the Pro Canon HF 105, the new professional camera in Canon’s line-up. However, I did not need all of those features and it did not have an interchangeable lens system to achieve shallow depth of field.

Another camera I strongly considered was the JVC 105, which natively plays directly to Final Cut Pro. However, that also did not have an interchangeable lens system and found that it was too advanced for my needs.

As of right now, for my static video shoots, this camera should be ideal for the time being.

Observations:

This is the upgraded model from the NEX VG10. Some of their ergonomic choices are not easily understood including the placement of the pinky buttons; the fact that there is no rocker switch and the incompatibility to make these video files recognized by Apple software.

Also unusual is that they have eliminated the 30 fps function and instead only allow you to shoot at 60i, 60p and 24p. Although I’m sure there is some engineering principle to explain why the camera will not record at 24 MPS using a class 10 memory card, the promo materials should clearly state this. It doesn’t.

The camera itself without the lens retails for $1,599. With the lens, before tax, it comes to $2,100.

Depending upon how this camera does over the next few months, I may consider switching to the top of the line Canon Vixia Prosumer camera which has gotten stunning reviews but alas has no interchangeable lens system.

I do love using my Canon 60D to shoot video. However, it does have file limitations that cause the camera to shut off after 12 minutes of continuous usage. In addition, with extended usage the camera overheats, gives you a heat warning, then shuts down. You literally have to let it cool off for about 10 minutes in order to use the camera again.

CONCLUSION

If you want a really cool looking camera for static video shots with great interchangeable lens system and shallow depth of field, then this camera’s right to you. Otherwise, you may be better off moving to a level above including the Canon professional line, the JVC professional line compatible with Final Cut, or moving one level below to the top-of-the-line Canon prosumer level.

Till next time, see you on video!

About Gerry

Gerry is a practicing NY Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Trial Lawyer. He is also the Founder of the Lawyers Video Studio, a video marketing company he created to help lawyers, professionals and entrepreneurs create video to market themselves online using video that teaches and educates. He is the Chairman of the Lawyers Video Marketing Alliance and has lectured across the country about video marketing. He has written hundreds of articles on video marketing and is considered one of America’s leading authorities on video marketing for attorneys in the country.

http://lawyersvideostudio.com

Lawyers Video Studio, LLC
25 Great Neck Rd., Ste. 4
Great Neck, NY 11021
1-800-320-4314

Consuming Information From My Webmaster Guru Tom Foster at Foster Web Marketing

Think about it. We as attorneys crave information. Information about our legal niche, about new caselaw, about scuttlebutt in our industry and about things we are genuinely interested in. Do your ideal clients do the same?

Many of them crave information only when they have a problem or find a topic of interest.

Think about it.

• You go online to check your email.
• You go onto Facebook to see what your friends have posted and whether there are any personal messages for you.
• You go onto Twitter and LinkedIn for the same reasons.
• You go onto your YouTube channel to see if there are any comments.

This type of online activity is just to check for updates. You have not yet gone searching for any information yet. You don’t have a problem yet.

Maybe you check the news websites. You want to be informed. Maybe you check the weather. You still don’t have a problem.

Maybe you want to be entertained. You watch a movie online or watch the latest viral cat or dog video on YouTube. You still don’t have a problem.

Someone who has a problem wants information. They crave information. They want to become informed. They want to learn how to solve their problem. They want to know what to do. They want to see and hear about other people who have had the same problem and the solutions they used. That’s known as social proof.

Someone who has a problem is willing to consume information in written form and video form. They want to know more information. That’s your ideal consumer. The one who craves information.

If you can begin providing that consumer information that will help them become more informed, you now will have someone who will consume the content you provide. The more relevant content you provide, the greater (personal) bond you will form with your consumer. If you provide just enough information without giving away the store, your consumer will crave even more.

Who do you think your consumer is going to call for more information? You, who has gladly and cheerfully provided relevant information in the form of articles, blog posts, videos, books and more or your competitors who offer static websites with very little information and interaction?

Understanding why consumers crave information is the key to unlocking what they need  to learn. Want to learn more?

Come join me in a FREE online seminar that helps you understand why video is so powerful and how it can help you market your law firm online today.

Click here to register for FREE.

Communication is Key; Stand Out From the Crowd

You’re an attorney. You’re a solo. You’re a partner in a small law firm of 1-5 lawyers. You’re a marketing executive in a mid-sized law firm. Maybe you are a partner in a big law firm and attending a seminar and learned about how video can make you come to life and be different than your colleagues.

I know why you want to create video. Know how I know?

I’m just like you. I’m a practicing attorney and know exactly what you’re going through. How do I know?

I’ve been in your shoes.

You’ve tried other types of marketing. You’ve tried the yellow pages, radio, TV, classifieds, billboards, newspaper ads, networking and more. You’ve gone to seminars. Your case intake is down. Calls to your office are down. Your revenue is down compared to last year.

Your accountant tells you the bare-naked truth. You need more clients and cases. Your spouse tells you the same thing. You’re a good lawyer and well-respected in your field. Yet you’re seeing a worrisome trend. You’re not as busy as you used to be.

You notice you have more free time and don’t understand why. Your profit margin has decreased. Your net income is fluctuating precariously. You go home at night wondering where your next case is going to come from. You’re working hard but the results are not encouraging.

YOU’VE READ ARTICLES ABOUT VIDEO MARKETING

You read an article in your local bar association journal about the benefits of video. You read another article in TRIAL magazine or maybe the ABA Practice Management Magazine about the benefits of video marketing. Maybe you read a book about how really smart lawyers are using video to market their law firms online.

You read some articles at Law.com, Lawyerist, Technolawyer.com and LawyersVideoStudio.com about the benefits of video marketing for attorneys. You’ve gone to legal marketing seminars and heard some thin guy with glasses and thinning hair explain how he used video successfully to market his solo law firm in New York.

You heard him tell you how he has created over 600 videos to market his firm and how he gets calls and emails every day from people who watch his videos.

You learned this same guy had a free webinar that educated you about video marketing and you actually took the time to sit in and learn.

You found out this guy has gotten some great results from clients he took in after they watched his videos. Hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars. You listened to video testimonials from other lawyers who took this guy’s advice about video marketing. You even went so far as to call a few of those lawyers to find out what they knew that you didn’t.

You liked what you heard. You want to do the same.

You have content your viewers want and need. You believe that video is a great way to communicate. You recognize that video is a portal through which you can tell your ideal clients and consumers about how you can help solve their problems. That’s why you want to create video.

Want to know who that thin guy with glasses and thinning hair is?

The one who wrote hundreds and hundreds of articles about video marketing for lawyers. The one who wrote the book “How Really Smart Lawyers Are Using Video to Get More Cases.” The one who’s writing a second book “Secrets of Video Marketing for Lawyers in the Age of YouTube.” The same one who lectures to lawyers across the country to help other lawyers use video to market their law firms. The same one who still is a practicing New York Medical Malpractice trial lawyer. The same one who founded the Lawyers Video Studio to help lawyers create entire video libraries to market law firms.

This is the same guy who has four kids and a great wife who works much harder than he does. Who is this guy?

You know who I am. You’ve been reading my blog posts and articles for years. You’ve been watching my videos just as long. You’ve heard me at seminars. You’ve seen the testimonials from other really smart lawyers and from well-known legal marketing experts. You’ve seen the social proof and you’ve done your homework and due diligence.

You want video for your law firm. There’s an easy way to get it.

Do it yourself or hire a video marketing company to do it for you. I can’t tell you which one to choose. I can however give you a suggestion.

• Are you the type of person who fixes a broken sink or do you call a plumber?
• Are you the type of person who fixes a hole in your roof or do you call a roofing specialist?
• When your car breaks down do you put your car on blocks and fix it in your driveway or do you take it to your local mechanic to fix?
• If you need appendix surgery do you go to the library and learn how to do the surgery yourself or do you go to the best surgeon you can find?

Well counselor, I’ve reached the end of today’s article. I have a question for you though. Are you a little closer to the type of person who likes to do-it-yourself or are you a little closer to the type of person who prefers to have an expert do it all for you?

I know which I’m closer to. Which one are you closer to?

If you are closer to the attorney who wants it all done-for-you, then you need to reach out to my production manager kathleen@lawyersvideostudio.com and let her know you’d like to chat.

If you are closer to the lawyer who wants to do-it-yourself, then I have a treat for you. I’m creating an online video training program for the do-it-yourselfer that’s in the works right now. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for it right here.

My computer had only 41 GB of hard drive storage left. I was trying to find out where I was losing so much hard drive space. The answer for me was obvious. Editing video takes up an enormous amount of resources on my hard drive. That is why I have multiple external hard drives.

However, when I upload videos from my memory card to the computer, they typically will go on to the computer hard drive. Once I began editing, that always gets saved to my external hard drive.

If you are editing your own videos, chances are good that your editing software will create backup files every time you make a change to your video. Those backup files will be large and will gobble up enormous amounts of hard drive space. When you process and render each video, you are doing so at the highest quality which generates an enormous file. Some of my rough videos are in excess of 1 GB. This is absolutely enormous and clearly not useful for the purposes of uploading online.

That is why you must use software that compress large video files without losing quality.

This morning I identified almost 60 video files that were sitting as backup files on my computer hard drive. Almost every one of them was 1 to 6 GB in size. That was the culprit.

I immediately checked to make sure I had final versions on my external hard drive. Then I highlighted all those extra video files and dragged it to the trash bin. That took all of 7 seconds. When I went to empty the trash bin, I gained in excess of 100 GB of hard drive space.

I felt like a tremendous burden had just been removed from my backpack.

Check your backup files to see which ones you no longer need. Caveat: make sure you have finalized your file first before you remove your backup files, otherwise your editing software may be searching for that file while you are editing and processing. If you discard it midway, you may have a problem.

If you choose to edit your own videos, you’ll need multiple external hard drives. Make sure the hard drive you purchase is reliable and has in excess of 1TB storage.

Testing the Video Camera on the Left

Anytime you get a new piece of video equipment, the “newest,” “greatest,” “best,” “most advanced” equipment ever…you’ve got to play with it and test it.

The problem with testing is that you are never quite sure what quality you’re going to get until you fully test it.

I recently bought a new video camera to replace the one I was using. This had all the features I was looking for. A great lens, shallow depth of field, precision controls. I loved the way it looked and felt.

The problem was in the details. The settings were different than what I was used to. The frame rate was different. I was using a class 10 SDHC memory card, and the camera would not allow me to to shoot at the highest quality setting in the AVC HD codec. The purpose of getting this camera was to be able to shoot at the highest quality setting.

Once I tried to put the footage onto my computer, I noticed Error messages coming up while using Final Cut Express, my editing software. Weird errors. Never-before-seen error messages. This was not good.

I changed the settings, then everything worked fine. I changed them again and everything worked beautifully when playing back in the camera. The problem was getting my editing software to recognize the new settings. Still no good. Had to go to online forums to see if others had experienced a similar problem. I had to learn if there was a workaround to fix this.

What’s the lesson here?

Often, getting the newest, best or most updated piece of electronic equipment may not always be the best solution for your problems. Stick with what works and what you have before running out and getting the next best thing.

Behind the scenes in the Lawyers Video Studio…click the play button below.