Shooting Video: Tips

Before Shooting:

Write the story before-hand or at least have it in your head.

Write up a list of shots you need. List the elements you want to get video of.

Think about how it is going to look visually, and how your shots are going to come together sequentially.

Here are some shooting tips to help you avoid some of the common mistakes people make when starting to shoot video.

Objects sticking out of the back of someone's head

Interview subjects who are completely dark due to bright light in the background

No action shots

Depending on your camera, be sure to plug a set of headphones into the camera and check the audio to make sure you're getting an audio feed.

Keep in mind that when the camera is rolling it picks up all the ambient sound, not just what you're focusing on. You won't be able to separate the unwanted audio out in the editing process.

Don't talk while the camera is rolling, either to yourself or with other members of your team.

This is especially important when you're shooting B-roll like natural sound, such as the noise of a busy street or a nature scene, where the sound is critical to the shot.

Hold your shots for at least 15 seconds, before you pan, zoom or go onto another shot. That way you'll be sure you have enough video of a scene to work with later when you do your editing. (Remember that you can always take a 15-second clip and make it a 2-second clip during editing, but you can't take a 2-second clip and make it into a 15-second clip.)

Framing and Composing Your Shots

Start with a static, wide angle shot, and hold it for 15 seconds.

Then make your move to zoom in or pan, and hold the next static shot for an additional 15 seconds.

This will give you three useable shots - the wide-angle, the close-up and the zoom in between - to choose from in the edit room.

This is especially important for video you're using on a Web site because video with a lot of movement - such as what's created with panning and zooming - doesn't display well on the Web. Video clips need to be compressed to play on the Web, and that means if there's lots of movement in your clip - such as pans and zooms - it will appear choppy and slow.

Similarly, to get a close-up it's better to keep your camera set to a more wide-angle view and move the camera closer to the subject of your shot, than to have the camera farther away and zoom in for the close-up. A telephoto shot using the zoom feature will accentuate movement by the subject and make the shot appear shaky.

When shooting interviews pay attention to your surroundings and be aware of composition in your shots.

For example, avoid a shot of a person with a plant or pole in back of them. It will look like the plant or pole is growing out of the back of the person's head.

Leave the proper amount of leadroom and headroom in front of and above the person you're shooting.

For example, don't have a shot where there's excessive empty space above a person's head. That's just dead space. There should be just a little room above a person's head in a shot.

If you are going to have a lower third title bar for their name, leave space below the face to accommodate this.

And if you're shooting a person standing, don't chop them off at the knees.Cut at the chest.The basic rule is, do not cut people off at places that bend; example, the neck, waist, knees or ankles.

And if the person is looking to the side, add space in the direction in which the person is looking, in front of their nose.

Depth of Field

Be aware of ways to increase the sense of depth within your shot, since video images are inherently flat.

If you're shooting someone, try to include other objects in the background or foreground that give the viewer a sense of depth. That way the interview subject won't appear to be just a two-dimensional object on the screen.

Also remember that a wide angle shot will provide a much better depth of field than a telephoto shot where you've zoomed in on your subject.

Change Angles and Perspectives

For example, if you're shooting a scene like people walking on a sidewalk, hold the camera low and show their feet moving, rather than straight-on shots of their faces.

Or if you're shooting someone working at a computer terminal, take one shot from over their shoulder, then another that is a close-up of their hands and fingers using the keyboard and mouse, then a shot from over the person's other shoulder, then a low angle shot looking up at them and then a facial shot.

Or hold your camera above your head to get a different perspective on a scene.

Do a close up shot, because that often provides a more intimate view of a person. This is especially important with video on the Web, because the video viewers use small windows and wide-angle shots won't display much detail.

Don't just rely on zooms to get these different perspectives - move the camera closer or farther away.

If you take shots from these different perspectives, when you edit your video you'll be able to put together a sequence of 4- or 5-second shots of your subject, rather than one 20-second shot from a single perspective.

Tripods for Steady Shots

Use a tripod to get a steady shot, particularly if you're shooting something that is not moving or a formal interview.

If you don't have a tripod or you're doing a shot where you'll have to move quickly, then find something to steady your camera - i.e. lean against a tree, put the camera on top of a trashcan, etc.

If you must shoot without a tripod or other support, shoot a wider angle shot: the wider the focal length, the steadier the shot.

Interviews

Ask the person you're interviewing to look at you, not at the camera.

Try to avoid a straight-on shot - shoot the person from a slight angle to the left or right.

Don't use the zoom feature to get a close-up shot of the person - that accentuates movement. Instead, move the camera a little closer to the subject.

Don't have your interviewee sit in a chair with wheels or that squeaks.

And watch out for nervous activity that creates noise - like someone jangling change or keys in their pocket. Stop your shoot, point it out to them, and then start shooting again.

Don't do a pre-interview off camera where you tell them the questions you'll be asking beforehand. It makes them sound stilted and canned in their responses when the real interview begins. Just give them a general idea of what you'll be discussing.

When you start the interview, have the camera roll for a few seconds before you ask your first question.

And during the interview, relax and listen. Don't nod or make gestures.

Microphones

If you're using a handheld microphone, you usually should hold it about 5-6 inches below the interview subject's mouth.

Don't hold the mic right in front of the person's mouth, but slightly off to the side and tilted toward the mouth. This will help avoid picking up "popping" noises from a person's lips as he/she speaks.

Tell the interview subject to try to ignore the mic and concentrate on the camera.

If it's noisy, then use a lavalier clip-on microphone to reduce the ambient sound.

But watch for necklaces or chains on a person's neck, or buttons on a shirt, that could rub against the lav mic and create noise.

With a lav mic, you'll need to "dress the mic" - properly attach it to the person you're interviewing

Ask the person to run the cord to the lav mic up the inside of their shirt (so the wire won't show in your video).

Then clip the mic to the outside of their shirt, about 5-6 inches below their mouth. Try to center the mic as much as possible. If you have it too far to one side, it won't pick up the audio well if the person then tilts his/her head to the other side while talking.

Use this same procedure if the person is wearing a t-shirt, running the cord up under the shirt and clipping the mic near the top of the shirt.

If the person has a necktie, run the wire down the back of the necktie and through the little label on the bottom back of the necktie.

If it's windy, the lav mic will pick up the sound of the wind. In this case try to clip the mic closer to the person's mouth, or switch to a hand-held microphone with a windscreen on it that muffles the noise of the wind.

Avoid High Contrast in Lighting Situations

Avoid shots of areas that have high contrast such as dark versus light settings, or bright sunlight and shadows.

For example, don't place an interview subject against a bright window or white wall or with sunlight behind the person.

This back light is problematic for the automatic exposure feature of the camera. If the camera focuses on the light in the background, then the face of the subject will be darkened and indistinguishable. If the camera focuses on the person's face, then the background will be washed out in light.

It's usually best to shoot with the sun to your back.

If the sun is directly overhead, hold your hand over the top edge of the camera lens. This will in effect extend the sun screen and avoid having the camera misread the amount of sunlight.

Get All the Shots You Need

Make sure you get all the requisite set-up shots, cut-aways, and so on, even if you don't think you'll use them. They may come in handy in the edit room.

So start with an establishing shot - such as video of the person who is the subject of your story - and then remember to get the other kinds of shots you may use to supplement that in your final film.

The latter is called B-roll, which refers to the earlier days of film when you had two rolls of film - A and B - and you had to edit them together.

A-roll is the main subject of your shot, invariably with audio such as an interview with someone. B-roll is the background video for your film; examples are working on computer, city vehicles moving or a park.These are you cutaway shots.They add visuals to the video, so you do not have just a talking head.

Another type of shot to look for is natural sound (called "nat sound"). This is film that has some natural background noise - traffic on a street, birds chirping in a park, etc. This audio can add depth and impact to a two-dimensional video tape.