All the methods and techniques used to capture moving pictures and images on electronic media, solid storage platforms, videotapes or streaming are referred to as videography. Whether it is amateur or professional videography, the concept applies to and includes the processes necessary to electronic production and post production. Videography is the equivalent of cinematography; the difference between the two lies in that images are recorded on electronic media in videography, whereas film stock is used for this in cinematography. The term is a combination of the Latin word ‘video’, which means ‘I see’ or ‘I apprehend’ and the Greek suffix ‘graphy’, which means ‘to write’. With the growth of digital cameras at the beginning of the 21st century, the distinction between cinematography and professional videography was no longer that apparent.
Both the amateur and professional videography market have grown to include distribution together with production. Market segmentation was the result, based on the applicationand corporate video, event video or broadcast video are just a few segment examples. Plus the advent of the Internet has contributed to this expansion of videography beyond the processes of shooting videos with a regular camera. Thus, when talking about professional videography, we can distinguish between web streaming, digital animation, slide shows, gaming, remote sensing, video blogging, vector and bitmap based assets production, spatial imaging and so on. With the progresses in the fields of computers and the Internet on the one hand and that of videography technology on the other, videographers presently rely on all sorts of computer programs to work on pictures and videos. Software-driven solutions are what they need to use in the process.
Professional videography requires more than the simple camera operation, since visual design and production are equally part of the job. Professional videography in particular, also deals with compiling artists’ video releases or music videos, like in filmography and discography.
There are long hours of hard work involved in documenting for a special event videography that will be shot and edited. After the preparatory stages, the cutting of some scenes and the application of the music background that create the smoothing flowing video story take some more hours of work. Professional videographyis actually the art of capturing certain moments in time. The process requires vision and inspiration along with hard work and commitment. Besides the inspiration part, let us not minimize the importance of the gear quality that is responsible for the video features directly. Professional videography may thus start like any other profession with film school graduation or like a hobby by filming family and friends’ events.
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