I know 1 easy thing you can do to make your next home movie far more entertaining.

Ready?

Get up.

No.  Not right now.  I mean when you’re shooting.

Don’t sit in one spot while your kid opens every birthday gift.  Get up and change your perspective with the camera.

In fact, every time you press the stop button- get up and…

• Change the distance between the camera and the subject
• Change the angle your viewing the subject from (move left or right at least 5 feet)

There.  That wasn’t so hard.

The part is now you’ll have a video that’s already watchable- no editing necessary.

(Unless you rolled camera on every blessed second that your three year old spent unwrapping her gifts.  You may still want to edit that down.)

A quick way to prevent anybody from ever watching your video is to have crappy audio underneath it.

• Do you want crappy audio, kids?

Of course you don’t.  I’ll tell you right now how to dramatically improve your audio- without having to spend a dime!

Pay attention.

We’ll Begin With Audio Acquisition Tips- Record Better Audio To Begin With.

1. Put a homemade windscreen on your camera’s microphone.  This will prevent those annoying wind “pops” from ever being recorded.
   • cut a patch from an old cotton sock that’s the size of your camera’s microphone.
   • Do likewise with an old pair of pantyhose.
   • Layer the sock and then the pantyhose on top of your microphone and adhere to camera with gaffers tape. (You can use duct tape as well-but it may leaf adhesive on your camera body.)
2. Pay attention to the sound levels of your camera while recording.
   • If your camera has audio meters- turn them on.  Adjust the mic level input accordingly.
   • Many cameras don’t have this feature.  That’s ok.  Get a pair of headphones, and plug them into the camera.
     • Put the headphones on and start shooting the way you normally do- except this time you’ll hear what is getting recorded adequately- and what’s not.
       • Adjust your shooting style accordingly.
         • If you self narrate a lot- then you’ll know if you have to speak softer or louder.
         • If your shooting subject can’t be heard, ask them to speak up.
3. Avoid noisy shooting locations
   • Seems obvious, but sometimes you don’t realize just how noisy a place is because your brain will try to filter noise out automagically for you.
   • If you have to shoot your BFF at the food court next to the wishing fountain- make sure they either shout to camera- or they have a hand-held microphone.

Well Done.  Next, We Have Tricks For Better Audio in Edits.

4. Do An Audio Pass- for cryin’ out loud.

• • Once your done editing the picture- Your still not done-done.
    • Go back and use the audio gain tools to level out all the audio.
      • Adjust everything so each audio clip is the same perceived audio level when playing it back.  (Turn off the music tracks until all the spoken words are level.  Then, go back and adjust the music so it sounds good with the spoken word.)

5.  Double The Audio Track

• • If you’re using editing software, like Final Cut Express or Sony Vegas, then it will allow you to double up the audio segments.
    • Very useful for when you have cranked up the audio gain already to the maximum, but it’s not enough.

Do these 5 things for your next video, and people may actually watch it.

Now, get out there, and make an awesome home movie!

(This is for my wife.)

Here’s how to compose better shots immediately!

Next time you want to shoot something, pay attention to what’s in the background of your viewfinder.

Here’s a composition ruined by stuff in the background, and how to fix it.

It's a crab. Wait... It's a guy with a huge gut!

This shot could be about a horseshoe crab.  Or it may be about the dude in the background sporting a very well developed beer-belly.  If you can’t easily tell, then the composition is just not working too well.

How to Correct Bad Compositions. (Simplified)

If there’s something that looks weird in your background, then  change your shooting perspective.

• Move the camera a few feet over, and check again.
• Ask the subject to move over a few steps.
• Give the father next to you a lollipop to switch seats at the school dance recital  that nobody’s going to watch anyway…  So I’m not sure why you even bothered to bring your video camera.  Hey, look.  Every other parent has brought their cameras too.  WHO is going to have to watch this video?  The Mom’s parents.  That’s who.  Will they WANT to watch?  I doubt it.  They’ll watch it all right- just to be polite.  Then, they’ll look at me with those… those eyes…

(Woa.  I digress.)

This shot is definitely about the horseshoe crab

The above problem was fixed by taking a few steps to my right.

Now, I can happily shoot away without having to subject my audience to unwanted guttage.

If my wife is still reading…  Go out there, and frame up some awesome looking shots!

See why a tripod is the best weapon against bad home movies.

(Makes you want to see Scar Face again, doesn’t it?)

What’s one way to INSTANTLY improve the way your videos look?

Make sure there’s enough light on your subjects.

Many camera manufacturers claim that their camcorders perform well in low light.

Don’t let your camera’s tech specs fool you into ignoring your environments lighting.

If you’re shooting inside, and it’s dark, then you should try to light your scene.

I bought an inexpensive work light at the Home Depot to handle this task.

continue reading…

Ensure your audience a great viewing experience!

We all know that watching a video shot using poor camera work is hard to watch.

You know it.  I know it.  Your father-in-law… needs to read this.

As you recall, telling a story is the most important thing to do when making a video.

The next most critical thing is to use good, solid, time-tested camera techniques.

If the mere mention of watching your videos make people scatter like cock roaches in light, you may suffer from what I call HMD.

6 Easy ways to practice good camera technique

1. Hold your camera steady while shooting - Keep your elbows close to your body.
2. Don’t pan and tilt all the darn time!! - There’s nothing wrong with slowly panning across your scene… once.  After you get your wide sweeping (slow) pan, then concentrate on tighter, and again, steady shots.
3. Hold your Shot – Hold your shots for at least 5 seconds.  I usually shoot between 8 and 15 second long clips.
4. Frame your Shots – Try to make the things your shooting look nice in the image frame.
5. Get Close Ups – Your viewers want to see the details of the who and what your showing them.
6. Get Sound – If it’s a video of your kids, your audience WANTS to hear them SAY cute things.  If it’s a video of your friends, then you want to HEAR them say something clever or funny.

• • To get any decent audio of your subjects’ speech, your camera will have to be within 4 feet of the person speaking.  (Unless you have a shotgun mic or a lavaliere mic.)

Stay tuned, class, for more detailed discussions of all of the above!

Never let your recording media get the best of you.

Wrangle your home movie acquisition media before it gets out of control.

Do you want your movies to look better the very next time you pick up your camera?

Of course you do.

Using the appropriate amount of Head Room for your subject will do the trick.

Head Room describes the amount of space there is in your video/photo composition between the top of your picture and the top of your subject’s head.

First, some bad Head Room compositions:

This Head Room is too Big.

This is not a terrible composition, but it could be better if the kid in the shot was higher in the frame’s composition.

This Head Room is just right!

This picture is more nicely composed.  Why?

• You, the viewer, feel like you’re sharing the same perspective as the subject.  This LOOKS like what you would SEE if you were there, with the child.

Another example of poor Head Room:

This Head Room was Too Small.

Again, this is not an awful picture.  It could, however,  be a better shot if the girl filled the frame more naturally.

This Head Room is just right. And it's still there!

This framing looks better.

So, let’s review…

Don’t be a schlep!   Use good composition practices”

• Keep your subject’s head in the frame of your shot.
• Allow some space above your subject’s head.  Roughly between 1/5 to 1/8 the height of the frame.

If we’re clear on all that, then you may go out, and shoot some awesome video!

The Close Up

Close Ups are important to see details of a scene

If movies were a language, then the different types of shots would be the vocabulary.

Today, we’ll learn about the Close Up.  Start thinking about what the above picture is “Saying” to the audience. continue reading…

The Long Shot

Long Shots Show your Location

If movies were a language, then the different types of shots would be the vocabulary.

To really be good at telling your stories visually, you’ll need to learn the language of movies.

OK, students.  Let’s begin with some basic vocabulary.

continue reading…