Broadband Advisor

Shoot to Kill

Whatever hardware you use to shoot your video masterpiece, keep in mind that you've got just 10 minutes to tell your story. That's the maximum allowable running time for a YouTube video; anything longer and you'll have to break it into multiple parts.

Before you start shooting, bear in mind YouTube's content restrictions. Your stars need to keep their clothes on, of course — nudity is strictly verboten. Same goes for graphic violence, hate speech, "predatory behavior" (such as stalker videos), and anything that might be construed as spam (no using videos to promote your company's many fine products). If a single user flags your video as inappropriate, it quickly gets reviewed by YouTube staffers and may get pulled if the powers-that-be agree. The service can even kick you out altogether for violating its terms of use, even if you did so inadvertently.

When you're ready to roll your camera, try to avoid the most common amateur videography mistakes. Here are some tips that'll help make your video look its very best:

• Whenever possible, use a tripod. Shaky-cam video gets annoying fast, as anyone who sat through the motion-sickness-inducing Cloverfield can attest. If you're shooting on the fly (or on the run), do your best to hold the camera rock-steady. Edit out overly jerky camera swings later.

• Whenever possible, use a microphone. Don't underestimate the importance of good audio; it's just as critical as the video. If you're stuck with your camera's built-in microphone, so be it. But many camcorders support external microphones, which will produce vastly superior audio.

• Avoid dark rooms. Unless you have high-grade video equipment, poor lighting will make your video look grainy. Always shoot in the brightest possible environment.

• Use zoom sparingly. Zoom shots, especially with digital zoom, tend to look amateurish: As you increase the magnification, the camera merely enlarges the center portion of the image, resulting in fuzzier-looking video. If you need to get closer, move your feet.

• Skip the special effects — for now. Most camcorders, and even some digital cameras, offer special-effects filters like sepia and "old movie." Better you should start with pristine color video, then add effects later using your editing software.

• Remember to shoot b-roll. B-roll is supplemental footage that you splice into your primary footage to help move the story forward or provide context for the action. For instance, if you're filming a soccer game, you might take shots of parents cheering on the sidelines, a staged ball flying into the goal, just the players' feet, and so on. When the time comes to edit, you can insert these shots to make your video more interesting.

Create a Mashup

Some of YouTube's best videos aren't exactly original creations. Many are mashups, meaning they're a mixture of original and existing material. A classic example is "Vote Different", which combines a Hillary Clinton speech with Apple's iconic "1984" TV commercial. The clip itself plays like the original, but with Clinton's visage superimposed on various screens and her voice overlaid on the soundtrack.

In contrast to the slick "Vote Different," the entertaining "Ballmer Monkeyboy iPod Mashup" takes footage of Microsoft president Steve Ballmer wigging out on stage and superimposes it on a familiar iPod-commercial background.

Before you get started with your own mashup, keep in mind that YouTube strictly enforces copyright laws. So you can use copyrighted songs and video clips only if it qualifies as "fair use." Unfortunately, making that determination can be complicated. Check out YouTube's guidelines on copyrighted content, then use good judgment. Obviously a 10-minute clip from The Office would be copyright infringement, but a clip of Michael saying, "That's what she said," may be fair game.

Finding material for your mashup requires a little creative borrowing for clips. With a program like Replay AV, for instance, you can capture just about any streaming audio or video. Head to sites like AOL Video and Veoh.com to find all manner of news clips, TV shows, and even movies. If you have a Media Center PC with a TV tuner, you can record shows and then extract clips using editing software.

You can even borrow from other YouTube videos, provided they're designated "public." You'll need to download the videos and convert them to a format supported by your editing program. Free Web sites like Vixy.net and Zamzar.com can do both in one step: Paste in the URL of the YouTube video, select a format, then provide your e-mail address. You'll get a message containing a link to download the converted video.

Several sites offer free sound effects and music to complete your production; try Partners in Rhyme and Soundsnap.com .