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!

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

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.

Halogen Workshop 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.

This sort of Halogen Light can be found in home centers and department stores.  They’re pretty cheap, and they throw A LOT of light.

Indirect Light is Right.

To use a light like this:

• Bounce it off of a wall or ceiling.
• 2 of these lights bouncing off the ceiling in opposite corners of the room are even better!

Check out the difference lighting can make.

This video shot with room's overhead light.

OK, class.  Notice the graininess when using only the light from an overhead fixture…  I’ll wait.

Now, LET THERE BE LIGHT!

This is the same scene with one Work Light Bouncing off of the ceiling.

You can see that there’s much less of a grainy effect.

The subject is brighter, and the colors are allowed to really come out.

Very good, class.  Now go out there and shoot!

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!

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

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!

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.

What is the Close Up?

In film, television, still photography a close up tightly frames a person or an object (or subject).

Close Ups display a great deal of detail in your subject, but they exclude information about the broader scene.

So… eager movie-maker…

You should use Close Ups to feed your audience the specific information that you want them to know about your scene.

There should be Wide Shots to give your audience a broader idea of what your scene is about.

Some classic uses of the Close Up:

• Display a character’s emotions by showing their facial expressions.
• Introduction to main characters.  We often see a close up of someone when the story first mentions them.
• To show intricate activity of someone’s hands.  (Think about a TV chef talking about butterflying shrimp.)

The EXCLUSION of showing a character’s Close Up will produce an emotional distance to that character.  That’s why villains are often shown in a Medium Shot. (and they’re likely petting a cat.)

Television is often referred to as the “Close Up Medium” because the Close Up is used more often on TV shows than in movies.  This is especially true of Soap Operas- where the audience is asked to make strong emotional connections to the characters of the show.

Finally, my student, what’s the above close up say?

Perhaps the boy in the picture  wants to investigate what he sees at the bottom of the pool.

Very good.  You’re a wise and powerful Creative Home Movie student.

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.

The Long Shot.

• An image made with the camera positioned to observe the most action or scenery possible.

The purpose of the long shot is to convey information about a location.  It shows your audience where the heck your action is supposed to be taking place.  In the above example, you would expect an audience to understand that the following scene will take place just beyond this sand dune- at the beach most likely.

Ok, class.  What else would you use a Long Shot for?   Sally… you haven’t answered in awhile.

A long shot can be used to denote a change in location.  It can also be used to bring into view what a particular character is seeing at a particular time in a story.

Very Good, Sally.

A long shot is meant to give a viewer a general sense of what’s happening.  So to keep your long Shots effective, remember to omit great amounts of detail.

This means…

• Your Long Shots shouldn’t show a detailed item in frame that you WANT your audience to key in on.  Because they WON’T see it.

A classic use of the Long Shot is to end your story.

It’s very common to see a movie end in a very wide Long Shot.

This helps key the audience into recognizing that’s it’s now time to let the characters to themselves.

End of Lesson.  Now go out, and shoot a Long Shot for your next video!

Stay tuned for more Camera Shot School from Creative Home Movie.com

He was suspended 20 ft. above the ground, and he was scared stiff- he was frozen to the point that he would not be able to get himself to safety.

From Ryan’s perspective- he was a goner for sure.  For the 150 spectators, however, he was just the 12th little kid in a row to succumb to THE WALL of DEATH.

Of course, this whole mess was because his big sister had braces.

What the?  Scott, what does this have to do with making awesome home movies?

I’m glad you asked…

What I should have told you up front was that my daughter and her family were invited to a huge outdoor party.

In fact, every kid who had braces fitted by Dr. Kadar in South Jersey last year, were all invited.

They had some pretty fun activities for everyone- including a bouncy house and pedal cars.

Of course, the ONE thing that my son wanted to do was to conquer the rock wall.  I named it the WALL of DEATH, and I guess that got into his head.

Now for the Home Movie  How-To:

How did this home movie come together?

1. Once I arrived at the location, I made a point to get big wide shots of the different rec areas.
2. I handed the camera off to my father in-law when it was my turn to play.  (And I instructed him NOT to zoom in and out all the darn time.)
3. I got some shots as close to the action as I could.
4. I was careful to just let the kids play, and not try to DIRECT them.

The last tip here is important.  Don’t try to make your family “act” for the camera when they’re out trying to have fun.

Just let them play, capture some good footage, and enjoy yourself while you’re at it.

Everyone has fun! Especially when they come back and watch the video you put together.

• don’t zoom in and out all the darn time while your camera is recording.

People get nauseated watching that!

the next time you watch TV, take note of how often you see a shot zoom in, then immediately zoom out again. *

I’ll wait…

OK.  What did you learn?

David should have made a bet on the turn to see if his Jack-high was any good.

I disagree, faithful reader.  Mike called his pre-flop raise- so It’s unlikely David’s Jack was any good.

Oh, wait.  Never mind that.

This is what you learned by watching your television:

• Professional TV productions rarely zoom in and out.
• They pick a shot, and they HOLD the shot.

*If you went and watched VH1 or MTV, you’re special.  The above rule does not apply to you.