Hot Tips with Chris Lavigne — WistiaFest 2017

Chris Lavigne, Video Producer at Wistia, started out using his parents' 8mm camcorder for clay animation tutorials. Over the course of his video journey, he’s gathered great wisdom. Here he shares his rapid fire tips for video (and life):

1. If you could only use one lens for the rest of your life, it’s the 24–70mm f/2.8
2. The best way to get the VHS effect is to use a VCR
3. Two tea bags make a glass of fresh iced tea
4. Your video studio is not officially a studio unless you have these things: Century stand, spring clamps, screen wipes, gaff tape, laptop stand, apple box, and paper clips
5. QuickTime Player is more powerful than you think for screencasts, webcam recording, trimming, and iPhone screencasts
6. Don’t cheap out on windshield washer fluid
7. People with glasses need different lighting
8. Mark good takes with your hand
9. Being in two places at the same time is no longer impossible
10. Use a carrot to cut the acidity of pasta sauce
11. Moving blankets make better sounding audio
12. Do not share SD cards
13. Keep your name on SD cards to prevent confusion
14. How to sync audio
15. Make a timelapse look like a timelapse
16. How to motion track text
17. How to use Keylight
18. You gotta have your webcam look better than everyone else’s
19. Back it up and then back it up again
20. If you’re plowing deep snow, you need to make your initial pass with the plow off the ground
21. The song has to end with the video
22. Use a center column tripod for interview and talking head shots
23. Use noise canceling headphones to monitor your audio
24. Commit to a tripod brand so you can all use the same plate
25. Use the GIF Brewery application to convert a video into a GIF

Watch Lavigne’s full presentation to hear all of his hot tips!