Q: How can I become a Cryptovideographer?

A: Send footage to Cryptovideography.com. It's that simple. If you own or have access to a camcorder, and you are willing to spend a few minutes using it to show us your research area, turn it on yourself and tell us about your encounter, or if you have something to say about the Cryptozoology subject, we'd like to have you on our staff as a staff videographer! You don't have to be a video pro or expert, just willing to participate and contribute footage. You may already have footage from a bigfoot outing or you may shoot some soon. You see, it would be impossible for us to travel the world and shoot interviews and video of all the areas where Bigfoot has been seen, so we appreciate your contributions. You will get full credit for any photos, audio or video you send.

Q: What's in it for me?

A: First, there is the credit you receive. Your name in the production credits of a nationally distributed documentary on Bigfoot. Plus you get a FREE DVD of any production your footage appears in, and you get a FREE DVD of our current release. There are other perks too, but you will have to contribute to get them. (When available) If you contribute regularly then you will receive a free copy of every program we produce.

Q What do I need to know to be a Cryptovideographer?

A: Not much, just how to operate your camcorder. There are tips available on this web site to help you take better video, conduct interviews and where to get camera accessories, but all you really need to know is how to push that record button, point it at a subject and get some useful footage. It's not rocket science, you don't have to edit or worry over technical details. As long as the footage looks good, and the audio is clear, you did a good job.
We are not trying to be Hollywood, just get good research information across to our viewers. You see, all of the documentary videos Cryptovideography produces are called "Special Interest Video". They are not intended for a broad audience like Network TV specials, ours are intended for people who want the content, not the fluff.
Where a network will spend thousands on whiz-bang effects and tons of "filler footage", we concentrate on the content. Networks have to produce generalized programs for a large audience, because they want to sell soap, cars and electronics in them. They don't care about the content, only that it looks polished and will sell advertising. Beyond that, their programs are useless.
People who are interested in Bigfoot want to hear and see you tell about what you saw or experienced. We want to see the area you research in and go along with you while you research. So taking your camcorder along with you, and treating it like another person along for the trip will give us a good idea of what you are up to. No fluff, just good and interesting outings. And if you are not a researcher, just a witness, then we want to see and hear you tell about your encounter! Tell us what you saw, show us where it was at and we will stay riveted to the TV. No commercials necessary.

Q: What kind of equipment will make my video better?

A: A good tripod or monopod (even a cheap one) is a good thing to have. It's not absolutely necessary but if you have one, use it. Steady shots are a must. If you can hold the camera steady and avoid zooming all over your subject area, then you may not need one. If you have a microphone that will attach to your camcorder then you may want to use it too. But if you stand close enough to your subject, the camcorders' onboard mike will suffice. If you are real serious about being a cryptovideographer then you should definantly see our video on how to take great video. There are plenty of tips and tricks there, plus basic instruction on how to get great shots and footage. *

Q: Does it matter what kind of camcorder I own?

A No. VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, 8mm, Hi8MM and digital camcorders are fine. If your camcorder is digital then it should shoot high quality video. We can take video from any of the aforementioned formats. Cheap digital cameras that also shoot video should not be used because the tiny AVI and Mpeg files they make are too low quality for us to use. A good rule of thumb is this, if you paid more than $200 for it, we probably can use the footage. But any tape format will suffice.

Q: How do I get the footage to you?

A Email us for an address where you can send tapes. If you shot digital video we can provide you with a FTP site to upload your footage, or you can burn it to CD or DVD and send it to us. Whatever you are comfortable with is best. You can dub it to tape or if you know how to upload large files then you can send it to us over the internet. It's up to you to determine what is the best way you can send it. It cost less than a dollar to mail a DVD or CD in a paper sleeve. Just put on the envelope "DO NOT BEND" ,"FRAGILE". It costs about 2 dollars to ship a VHS tape. Just ask the postmaster for "Book Rate". Fill out a release form and send it to us. It's that easy.

Q What about copyrights?

A If you pushed the "record" button then you own it. Copyright law states that anything you video is automatically copyrighted to you the moment you shoot it. By sending it to us you are granting us permission to use it on our programming. But you still own it, and will always own it. We do not "copyright" your footage, only the programming we make. You are free to do whatever you want with your footage, audio or photographs. We will use it only in our programming where needed, sometimes in multiple programs.
You should not video another persons copyrighted footage, or use trademarks, copyrighted photos or audio in your footage as that is an infringement on their rights. And you should always have permission to shoot a person or interview. The subject should know beforehand that your footage will be used in a documentary. There are release forms available here for you to use if you interview someone.

Q: How long should my video be?

A: As long as you need to say what you want to say. We will edit your footage. This is where Cryptovideography shines, TV shows are limited to an hour and alot of that is commercial time. They rarely give enough time to someone to tell their story or show their evidence. If you have sufficient material to do an hour or even 90 minutes, we can produce a program on you if necessary. Lets talk.

Q: How can I make a lot of money doing this?

A: When you find the answer to that question, please tell us! We sell our DVD's to a small special interest audience. Because it is not sold to a broad audience we do not make alot of money doing this. The money we make pays for the web domain, blank dvd's, tape and equipment upkeep. Most of the money is spent just keeping Cryptovideography going. We compensate our videographers with free programming and a few perks as we can get them. I don't know of any way you can get rich doing this. Mostly we get satisfaction from making something people will treasure and the knowledge that we are helping the community get good quality discs and information. Our videographers are proud that their footage is getting into a professionally produced program and they get big-time boasting rights!

Q: What if I get footage of Bigfoot?

A: We would certainly want to have permission to use it, but you are under no obligation to send it to us. As mentioned before, your footage is yours. We only ask permission to use it. If you know of a way to make money off your bigfoot footage then we support you and suggest you try. Who knows, you may tape the next Patterson film! If the footage is good enough we would love to make a documentary on you and how you got it.

Q: I'm video & computer savvy can I FTP files to you?

A: Yes. We prefer submissions in AVI, Mov or Mpeg 1 or 2 format. These. of course will be large files. Email staff@cryptovideography.com for the ftp site and passwords. If you will be submitting files on a regular basis you should create a folder there for your stuff. We will work with you any way we can to help. Files should be 29.9 or 30 FPS and 640x480 or better. 4:3 ratio. If your video is 16:9 we will probably have to crop it.

Q: I know a researcher with material and I want to make a documentary on him, will you help me?

A: Yes. If you want to shoot him/her giving a talk and presenting his/her material we can edit it and make you a Master DVD that you can copy and sell. We do this so researchers can make a little money to further their research. Most researchers are doing their study out of their own pockets. We will need to see the footage and will decide if we can do something with it. Email us with your idea at staff@cryptovideography.com first and we will advise you. There may be a small fee depending on the complexity of your footage. Also, if we are working on a project, we may need to finish that project before we can start on yours.

Q: I have produced a program on the subject and I'm trying to market it, will you put a link to it on your site?

A: Of course. We don't consider anyone "competition", we are all here trying to do the same thing, get the truth out. We will be glad to link to your site. We do ask for a copy of the program so we can see it. If you wish, we will watch the program and write a review of it for your marketing material. You can then use excerpts from the review, or the entire review to help market your program.

*Cryptovideography is currently working on a video of helpful tips on shooting better video, look for it soon here at cryptovideography.com

Cryptovideography is currently working on a Media Kit for our videographers. This will contain a Press Pass and other materials that will assist you in covering stories in your area where sightings happen, should you want to. More on this later.
We are also discussing a "streaming video" talk show or perhaps "Podcast" program. This will depend on how much interest we receive from cryptovideographers in the field.

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