How to Shoot Great Video

Lesson 1

Basic Techniques

1. Keep the background simple in order to focus attention on the subject.

2. Use a tripod. A steady image is essential for better compression and for a more professional look.

3. When interviewing…• cue interviewee to answer questions in full sentences• interviewer should sit close to the camera

Basic Techniques

4. Make sure that your lighting is adequate. More light will help you keep the subject in focus and make colors look better too.

5. Avoid large differences in brightness between background and subject to prevent washing out detail in the subject. If the background is brighter than the subject and the camera angle can't be changed, a backlight setting may help.

Basic Lighting Tips

Basic Techniques

6. Double check the sound level. It is often better to avoid using an internal microphone because camera vibrations generate a lot of noise. If you need to use in internal microphone, test it first and compare the quality to the sound from an external microphone to be sure you are satisfied. However, external microphones can sometimes pick of radio interference. Get the microphone as close as possible to the subject. Shoot in a quiet environment, and monitor the sound during filming if possible.

Basic Sound Tips

Basic Techniques

7. The smaller the image size of the final product, the closer you should zoom in on the subject to create a close-up shot for your video frame.

8. Keep it short and keep up the pace. Beginners tend to make shots too long. Long videos with little content take up space and time and slow down the rhythm without adding much to the overall quality of the presentation.

9. Remember to check the focus.

Basic Techniques

10. If you use auto-focus, test it to make sure it works well. On some cameras, auto-focus can cause sudden unintentional changes in focus when something moves in your frame.

11. Avoid changing the zoom, panning, or tracking while shooting for desktop video.

12. On some cameras it may be necessary to set white balance, check for indoor/outdoor settings, turn off any date stamp. When all else fails, read the manual.

Basic Techniques

12. Be sure that your subject is centered and well lit. A good shooting environment will yield a better result.

13. Video creates large files, so avoid occupying screen area with unnecessary background. Stable backgrounds compress better than moving backgrounds, so try to avoid any camera motion. Moving the camera or changing the frame in any way (zooming in or out) makes file compression more difficult because it generates a greater difference between video frames.

How do we start?

Resource

Mobile Classroom Project. Videography. University of Arkansas. Retrieved 2 April 2012 from http://aeed.uark.edu/5812.htm.

PowerPoint created by Mona Lincoln, Kleb Intermediate, 2012