Whether you are recording the growth of your children, family fun during the holidays, or the sites you see on your long-awaited vacation, you want to capture home movies that are fun for people to watch.
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Here are a few tips to keep in mind when shooting. Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your way to making more professional, fun-to-watch home movies.
Video Tip #1: Be Considerate
Simple keeping your audience in mind when shooting is one of the best ways to improve your home movies. Even if your family members will be the only likely ones to view your video, help them think the best of you and your work. Imagine how you would feel watching your film. Sympathize with their needs as a viewer. Shoot for others as you would have them shoot for you.
Video Tip #2: Break it into Scenes
When watching a video, people like to be told a story. They do not necessarily want to see everything you saw. Therefore, your movies will be most enjoyable if you think of them as movies, with scenes that tell a story. Then all viewers, including yourself, will find watching your home videos an enchanting treat and not a chore.
Video Tip #3: Take Advantage of the Magic Light
If your project allows it, shoot in the more interesting morning, afternoon, or golden sunset light. Since the mid-day sun usually produces an uninteresting flat light and unflattering shadows, only shoot during it when an event or schedule situation demands it. If you have a choice, engage in another activity between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and leave the shooting for the mornings and evenings.
Video Tip #4: Expose Carefully
Most often, shoot with the sun at your back or to the side. Avoid panning or zoom your way into direct contact with the sun. Only shoot into the light when you intentionally want the effect it creates. Get to know your exposure controls for shooting in various outdoor situations and your white balance options for when you are forced to shoot under florescent or tungsten lighting.
Video Tip #5: Use a Tripod
Next time you watch a movie at the theatre, notice how carefully the camera operator works to keep things steady. They almost always use sophisticated equipment designed to stabilize the camera. Simple video tripods are less expensive and offer a great way for you to make your video work much easier on the eyes.
Video Tip #6: Hold it Steady
When you cannot use a tripod, make yourself into a "human tripod." Spread your legs apart and lean up against a wall or rest your elbows on a ledge. Hold the camcorder as instructed in the manual and do whatever you can to keep it steady.
Video Tip #7: Speak Softly
In order to capture sound at a distance, most microphones are very sensitive. Therefore, keep your own talking to a minimum and, when you must commentate on a scene, speak in a confident voice at a low volume.
Video Tip #8: Pan Minimally While Recording
Avoid recording while you move from filming one scene to another, especially when you are not using a tripod with a panning head. A series of fixed scenes - with animated action occuring within them - are much easier for a viewer to watch than a moving scene. When you feel the need to pan your way across a view, use a tripod and move the camcorder smoothly and evenly.
Video Tip #9: Zoom Minimally While Recording
You can make your home video appear much more professional by pausing the recording while you zoom in great distances. While you may be impressed with the zoom feature on your camcorder, your viewers will tire of it very quickly if it is overused.
Professional videographers and cinematographers appreciate the value of the zoom. Watch how they subtly - almost imperceptibly - make use of this feature in TV and film productions. They zoom in slowly, only a short distance, and only when they want to accentuate a dramatic moment. Long zooming is best done while the record button is turned off.
Video Tip #10: Edit as You Go
Usually artistic endeavors work best when the creative process is separated from the editing process. Most video shooters, however, do not have the video editing tools at hand that would allow them to cut parts out of the video after recording it. Therefore, the editing must be done on the fly, as you shoot. Keep a watchful eye for memorable moments. If you are aware of situations, habits, and behavior that you would like to record, you will be much more likely to anticipate the moment. Then, as soon as the exchange or event is over, stop recording. If your camcorder does allow editing, take full advantage of this feature, erasing dull footage and rerecording over it whenever possible.
Now that you are armed with these tips, pick up your camcorder and try them out. Record short practice scenes to see if you notice the difference. Experiment with various techniques, evaluating the effect they create on the viewer. As you learn which work best for you, keep using them until they become second nature. It only takes a bit of thought and a few practice runs to shoot exceptional, enjoyable home videos.
For more info:
- digitalfilmmaker.net
- DV.com
- Digital Video Professsionals Association
- Canon's Digital Video Camcorders
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