Guidelines on How to Shoot
Quality Videos
Buying top-of-the-line camcorder does not necessarily mean that you automatically get great videos! I am sure even you would have experience this if you have bought yourself a camcorder.
Sooner or later you would figure out on your own how to deal with these issues regarding lighting, zooming, etc. But I think it is better to learn some basic video shooting skills before you begin using your camcorder.
Let us take a look at some basic tips on how to shoot good video.
1. Use Zooming-In Sparingly
This is one of the feature you would be tempted to use a lot the moment you have a camcorder. It is fun to use but the fact is that it does not quite come out well in your final video.
Lots of zooming is actually very distractive while watching the video. So better watch out. Even if you want to do it, you need to do it slowly; it looks much better than a quicker one.
2. Keep it Steady
To ensure smoothness in your videos, you need to be steady while shooting your videos. Too much shaking or vibration of your hands does not reflect well on the videos.
If you want to do it like the pros, go in for a tripod. Even otherwise, try to keep your hands steady - no shaking or jerks.
3. Check The Sound
If you are serious about videos, check this out! You will need to have a microphone attached to your camcorder. Having a Mic attached to your camcorder results in better audio quality during video shoots.
4. Charge your Batteries
Don't forget to carry your battery charger... and you also need to carry extra batteries. This is the most common mistake that lot of us do when going for outdoor shoots. You don't want the battery to die down just when your creative juices are flowing full on.
5. Capture the Location/Landmark
Let the audience know where you are by capturing important landmarks, monuments. The pros do this all the time! They will zoom in on the landmark in one shot and then cut to the next scene, indicating that the next scene is near or related to the landmark.
6. Bring in Variations
Shoot from different angles; approach your subject from all angles. Don't limit your shots to just one angle.
Involve the people you are shooting! Make them smile or talk. It is also important that you capture some candid moments of the people you are shooting.
All these variations will make your final video much more lively and interesting to watch.
7. Keep the Shots Simple & Short
If you intend to show your videos to others, it is important to understand that people in general tend to get bored looking at the same shot for long. Hence use different shots for variety, as well make them as short clips. The audience will find it much more interesting.
8. Proper Lighting is Important!
This is an easy concept to remember and at the same time the most important, since poor lighting really spoils a video shoot.
You should always shoot with the light source on the subject and not on the camcorder. The light source should be coming from behind you. If your camera has a backlight feature, use it to compensate for excessive bright light!
9. Learn from The Movies
Observe and Learn! You will be surprised to know how much you can learn about shooting video from the movies. So the next time you are watching a movie, try to look at the way the scene has been shot and how the shots move from one to the next.
10. Reflect Back In The Video
Another trick is to use the start of the video as the current situation and reflect back into the details.
For example, if you see "the making of any successful movie", the video will start with the director & producer talking about their success and then the video will go back to show the actual shooting, the challenges faced, etc.
Conclusion
Since most of us watch so many movies anyways, most of the suggestions mentioned here would already be known to you. It's just that you may not have looked at those consciously. Now that you want to shoot video yourself, it is better to keep these in mind and over a period of time they would come to you naturally.
If you want to enhance your shooting skills further, I would recommend you take a look at one of these books.
Video Shooter: Storytelling with DV, HD, and HDV Cameras (DV Expert Series) by Barry Braverman (Author)
Digital Video Production Cookbook: 100 Professional Techniques for Independent and Amateur Filmmakers by Chris Kenworthy (Author)
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