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Beware the Hose Pipe!
Avoid the "hose pipe" method of filming. This "technique" refers to pointing the camera and filming continuously, swaying around and not settling on anything and is one of the traps that many video editors fall into when they first start filming. It looks very unprofessional and makes editing a nightmare. You should always try and shoot scenes separately, in a logical manner.
Short and Sweet
It's much better to make a short, well edited film than an action packed movie that is full to busting point with repetitive scenes. It’s difficult to be objective with your own video footage, but you should be as ruthless as possible when it comes to editing. This is especially true if the subject of the video is something you have a strong attachment to (a memorable children’s party for example). If you plan to show the video to other people you must engage their attention. A general rule of thumb is to use five minutes from every hour you’ve shot. This not sound much, but the five minutes you’re left with will be well worth watching!
Lower Thirds Rule
The lower thirds rule is derived from classic art. It involves dividing the screen into horizontal and vertical thirds. Think along the lines of a noughts and crosses (Tic Tac Toe) grid on the view finder or monitor.
Try to place a subject so it hits the intersections, or is at least one third away of the way to the right, left, top or bottom. While there’s nothing technically wrong with placing a subject in the centre of a frame, if you do this all the time, all of your footage will have look more or less the same. Using the lower thirds rule allows you to inject more visual interest and variety to your shots.
Scenes
Try to stay on a scene for around 8 seconds. This allows you to edit a scene down if necessary. Remember, you can't add it back if it's not there to begin with! Most editing software has an automatic scene detection system that breaks your footage into separate files when a new scene starts. This makes it a lot easier to reassemble the footage for editing and gives you full control over the editing process. Even if your software doesn't support this process, if the camera footage is broken into discreet scenes, it'll be a lot easier to import for video editing.
Zoom! Burghhh!
Don't over use zoom. If you need a lot of close up shots, zoom the camera in first, then start shooting. Otherwise you'll end up giving your audience motion sickness. If you can, move closer to your subject and avoid zoom entirely. It’ll improve picture quality.
Toe the Line
Imagine a line between two subjects. You can insure continuity by staying on one side of this line. This is often referred to as the 180 degree rule. If you obey this rule between shots, you can insure that the subjects face the correct way at all times. If you cross the line and film from a different angle the subjects will be reversed and this will look very odd. Most people are highly video literate as a result of a lifetime spent watching movies and television. So it pays to learn some of the basic techniques.
We Thank the Tripods.
Get a Tripod. You won't regret it. Sometimes reportage style camera shake and wobble isn't ideal, especially for more formal occasions. Investing in a tripod will immediately make your footage smoother and more professional for a minimal outlay.
Sound
You cannot take sound for granted. Sound is every bit as important as the visual and can easily make the difference between an average home video and a great one. When filming, listen to the ambient sounds around you. Your brain may filter out background noises, but the camcorder mic is much less forgiving. Watch out for windy days, as the sound of the wind whistling across the mic will mess up any dialogue. On such occasions, try to film in sheltered areas.
The mic is not a feature that camera manufacturers seem to put a lot of thought into. Therefore, if you’re serious about your filming, an external mic should be near the top of your shopping list.
It’s also a very good idea to record some ambient sounds. This comes in very useful when editing if you need to cover gaps in the sound or to replace any unwanted audio.
Label the Tapes
This may sound patronising to experienced video editors, but put the stickers on the Mini DV tape before you put it in the camera. Write a description on the label when you take it out. It sounds obvious, but it'll save you hours when searching for specific scenes if you have a lot of tapes. Always set the write protect tabs on tapes you want to keep.
First Find the Action
Try to take the time to frame your subject before you start filming. Let the subject fill the scene in order to eliminate distractions. Not only will you save tape, you'll have a better video to show for it in the end.
Let there be Light
Make sure there's enough light before shooting. Outdoors in daylight is normally fine, but don't shoot into direct sunlight. If shooting indoors, make sure that the lights are turned on if there's not enough illumination from the windows. Some Digital Video camera's have lights built into them. These will drain the batteries in minutes. So it's best to use them only when the camera is plugged into mains power.
Reportage Filming
Unless you’ve hired actors and are working to a tight script, it’s best not to adopt the role of a director. This means you should avoid asking people to smile, telling them where to stand or what to do. This results in far more natural looking footage, since otherwise you’ll become an annoyance and end up with stilted footage of uncomfortable looking people.
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