The Dos and Don’ts of Filming an Extreme Skiing Movie

Extreme skiing is a sport in which getting awesome video may be as difficult as the skiing itself. In the 2007 extreme skiing movie Steep, videographers took risks almost as great as the skiers themselves. But for all its intensity, adventure, and adrenalin rush, there are a few dos and don’ts you’ll want to be follow in videoing an extreme skiing movie.

Don’ts

• Be cautious. Don’t risk your life. Extreme sports stock footage is always thrilling to watch, but all the fun is over when someone is injured or life is lost.
  
• Don’t compromise quality. Don't forget, the ‘extreme’ applies to the skiing, not the filming. Always practice the basics of good filming—steady shots, proper perspective, etc. In the excitement of the moment is easy to get distracted, sacrificing the results of your filming.
  
• Don’t emphasize the wrong things. The point of filming extreme skiing is the extreme skier, not the breathtaking mountain vistas and breathtaking skies. Those will be a part of your film, but you need to focus on the skier.

Dos

Extreme sports video clips are packed full of incredible videography techniques. Fortunately, there are many dos than don'ts when filming extreme skiing. Follow some of these tips to ensure a stunning extreme skiing movie.

• Film the skier against a far-away backdrop. To capture the height and danger of an extreme skier is to film him or her against something that is far away, creating a sense of distance. If you capture the skier against the sky, make sure that there is some element of scenery present to allow the viewer to grasp the perspective. Horizon shots are great, too.
  
• Use some far-away shots. Filming the skier from a long distance is helpful in order to provide a look at the surroundings. Extreme skiing is synonymous with steep slopes, so make sure your extreme skiing movie has a lot of steep slope shots.
• Use motion. Tracking or following an athlete’s motion in sports video clips is difficult, but when done correctly, can make a powerful impact. In extreme skiing, this can only be done with a proper camera cable configuration, ski lift, or slow skiing camera person.
• Get some close ups. Capture the intensity in your extreme skiing movie by getting some close ups. Facial concentration adds an element of excitement and personality to an extreme skiing movie.
  
• If you can orchestrate it, use moving aerial shots. If the extreme skiing location involves transport via helicopter, take advantage of it by shooting some aerials into your movie. The best aerials are those in which extreme skiers are perched on a ridge, or those in which you are able to follow the skier down the slope.
• Worm’s-eye shots. An extreme skiing movie wouldn’t be complete without the low shots using an angle in which the skier is much higher than the camera.
  

Thought Equity Motion, owner of the largest online stock footage library on Earth, is the leader in motion content solutions. From news and sports to entertainment videos, Thought Equity Motion is the only place to look for video.

Read more...

US Ski Team - The One to Watch

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are just days away. What does this mean to you? To me, it means in just under a month, some of the world’s finest athletes will be gathering to compete in over 20 different sporting events. You can try, but it is going to be almost impossible to take in all the excitement and action. I am going to give you a couple of tips here on how you might give yourself a sporting chance, so that you might wow your office colleagues and friends with your knowledge of all things Olympian.

Tip number one is fairly simple. Don't waste too much time digesting the Figure Skating Results. Hardly anyone can sit through an entire competition without retreating to some other machismo-saving activity; and if you are truly pressed to demonstrate your Olympic knowledge in this event, you can simply default to the Russian.

Tip number two for catching all the nail-biting action at Vancouver 2010 is to follow the right people. The right people, in this case, are Lindsey Vonn and Scott McCartney. They are 2 members of a US Ski team that is poised for its best Olympic showing in years. Both Vonn and McCartney are considered to be top contenders in each of their respective events.

Lindsey Vonn is a serious all-event threat. She will definitely be looking for her first Olympic medals as she competes in each of the 5 Alpine Events (Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G, and Super Combined). Lindsey made her Olympic debut as a 17-year old in the Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately, she suffered a horrific crash in the 2006 Olympics and was unable to finish any higher than 7th. If she can continue her winning ways from 2009, she will have much to celebrate after her packed race schedule in Vancouver. I predict you will quickly grow accustomed to the sight of Lindsey Vonn smiling and waving from atop the medals podium. She is already one of the most decorated skiers in US history with credits including two overall World Cup titles (2008 and 2009), two world championship titles (Downhill and Super G), and 25 World Cup victories. She is also still basking in the glow of being awarded the Skieur d’Or award as the skier of the year, the first American to be recognized as such since 1983. While she may be a relative unknown stateside, Lindsey Vonn is a virtual rock star in much of Europe. She will undoubtedly be at the epicenter of all the skiing action in Vancouver 2010.

Although she is a skiing juggernaut, Lindsey Vonn will need some support from her teammates if the United States team is to truly have the showing that is expected of them in Vancouver. Consider Scott McCartney to be the number one supporting star. McCartney began his skiing career as a four-event skier, but has since narrowed his focus to the speed disciplines—Downhill and Super G. This specialty has at times left him worse for wear. He has spent a significant amount of time off the mountain recuperating from torn knee ligaments, a torn labrum in his hip, broken thumbs to major concussions. McCartney made his Olympic debut in Utah, and is looking to up the ante in Vancouver as one of the favorites for gold in both the Men’s Downhill and Men’s Super G.

So you are already ahead of the game on your Olympic knowledge and we've still got several days. When they finally light the Olympic torch, everybody will be a Lindsey Vonn expert, so impress your colleagues not before it’s too late.

LindseyIsEpic.com is the place to find your favorite Lindsey Vonn video and photos, check out her amazing race results, and leave her a message.

Read more...

The Benefits of Using a Large Online Video Advertising Platform

Whether you are an advertiser or a publisher - there are many benefits to using a large online video advertising platform. For one, a large network will mean that you have more options ensuring that the ads and publishers are matched really well. Both advertisers and publishers will definitely benefit from highly targeted online video advertising. For publishers, it is a source of revenue that needs to help enhance the brand as well as the image of their website. For the advertiser, a highly targeted ad campaign is going to yield a much greater success.

Another benefit of using a large online video advertising platform online is experience. The larger the network the more experience they are going to have. You want to work with an online video advertising network that knows all the ins and outs. This will give you confidence that they also know how to solve problems before they start. In the end, they will know how to make your experience more pleasurable and more profitable as well. Keep in mind that the largest online video advertising platform got to be the largest for a reason - they are the best at what they do.

Still another benefit of using a large online advertising network is that they will never be "out of stock" when it comes to getting the kind of content or website ad slot placement you need. A larger and more successful online video advertising platform is likely to be more dedicated to their customers, which is why they tend to come back time and again for more. This is no different than choosing the types of people you do business with on a daily basis in your everyday life. You keep coming back to the places that give you good service.

There you have just a few examples of the benefits of using a large online video advertising platform. You want to have as many options as possible to ensure that your online video advertising and online video publishing is as targeted as possible for you. You want to deal with an experienced company that will know how to handle any emergency that may arise.

SpotXchange, a performance-based video advertising network, combines the power of video with advanced targeting technologies and an efficient exchange-based marketplace. They give advertisers the ability to achieve their campaign goals – more sales, visitors, brand awareness, and so much more.

Read more...