photo credit: faungg
They say capture your moments through photos and videos. Taking videos at every family event has been part of our way of life ever since the camcorder was invented. What apprehends us though is taking the best videos that we can take. With the present technology for these camcorders, it’s easy to shoot like a pro. But shooting a video like a pro isn’t only because of your camera, it’s with the skill.
Taking brilliant videos can easily be achieved even with those who do not formally train for the skill. All you have to do is know a few basic things about your camera, shooting the video and that’s it. You can add in other effects post-production to enhance your videos and making them look like a pro made them.
Here are some tips on shooting a video like a pro.
- Master your camera. You have to know your camera: specifications, handling, attachments, how to operate, etc. Be sure to read the instruction manual. Practice around and shoot some short practice videos with different light, background, movements, etc. to get the hang of it.
You should know your way around your camera. The shutter speed has to be adjusted, autofocus feature turned off and make other necessary changes to make your videos look good. Get to know your camera as if you’re getting to know a newfound friend whom you want to become your best friend. Read the manual as many times as you can until you have mastered it. Never underestimate the use of your user’s manual. This is where you start from in shooting your pro video.
- Always prepare your stuff during a shoot, ahead of time. Gather all your equipment before your shoot. You have to grab: a fully charged spare battery; blank discs, tapes or memory cards; tripod; lenses and cleaning cloth; extension cord; battery charger; lighting equipment and microphones. You don’t want to miss a video opportunity because your missed one equipment.
Also include on your list some duct tape to put to your wires so people will not trip over them. Here’s a logical thought, why spend all your money on video gear when you’re not going to use them anyway? Put them to good use: pack them and bring them with you to your shoot. That’s a whole lot of baggage, but that would also mean a good quality video.
- Your tripod is your best friend especially when you want to get those steady shots. This allows you to shoot better angles without wobbling or shaking. They’re a lot inexpensive so you should get yourself one. You can easily do zooms and tricks with the tripod without having to shoot them again and again.
Nothing else looks worse than a shaky video. I mean, who would want to watch that anyway? With the tripod you’re sure to get a very steady shot and perfect rendering of pans and zooms. The camcorder’s image-stabilization feature won’t even match the stability your tripods will give you. You’ll only end up with low video resolution and crappy video.
If you have no tripod you can lean against the wall to minimize the shaky shots. If there is no wall to lean on, sit on the ground, bend your knees and prop your elbows on your knees. Now that’s a makeshift tripod for you.
- Lighting is very essential in getting a very good quality video. If you’re dubious of your first takes at lighting or have not mastered it yet, you can shoot outside. Natural light is very good for practice shots and are easy to work with. Master the different angles shadows and blending of light.
On a sunny day, try shooting in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is a bit lower. Shooting in the middle of the day will put the sun directly overhead which can cast an unflattering shadow on the subject. If you’re shooting indoors, bring light into your set by turning on lamps and opening windows and blinds to let the light in. If your camera has built-in light, use it to bring out your subject’s face during close-up shots.
- A video is worth nothing without good sound. Get decent microphones at your local electronics store. Bad lighting and unstable shots can be neglected in your video but never bad audio. This might take quite a while to master but it will give your video a very polished effect.
Most camcorders have built-in mics which you can use in a place with not much background noise because it can pick-up the noise around instead of the subject’s voice. Get your subjects as close to the mic as possible. You can also use other types like handheld microphones, lavaliere microphones (for interviews), or boom mics. Your cameras have microphone jacks where you can attach these microphones to.
- Compose your video before you shoot. Get an idea how you want to work with the video. Use the rule of thirds: divide the screen into nine equal parts. You can do this by dividing them through two equally spaced horizontal lines and two vertical lines (equally spaced). You can use the four points formed by the intersections to align the subjects within your frame.
- Avoid using the digital zoom as possible. This will give you a grainy image the more you zoom in. The first few zooms are called optical zooms but as you zoom further you shift to digital zoom. It’s best to move in on the object rather than using the digital zoom.
- Shoot lots of B-rolls or supplemental videos to add to your video sequence. You never know when they can come in handy. There is absolutely no limit as to how much you can take. They usually come in handy to get rid of the zooms. Usually used when editing your video. You can mix this with your original video post-production.
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