How to Shoot Quality Videos: Tips to shoot quality videos, to ensure you get the best shots, sound and lighting in your videos.
Introduction
Buying top-of-the-line camcorder does not necessarily mean that you automatically get great videos. I am sure even you would have experience this if you have bought yourself a camcorder. When you watch the videos later, you realize that it could have been shot a lot better.
You may eventually figure out on your own how to deal with these issues regarding lighting, zooming, etc. But I think it is better to learn some basic video shooting skills before you begin using your camcorder so that you can start capturing great videos right from the beginning.
While lighting is definitely one of the most important things, when it comes to taking pictures or shooting videos, there are some other obvious things too, that you should keep in mind when using your camera — How to set up the camera, how to make sure the shot’s in focus, how to not sound flat on camera, etc.
Before shooting These are all tricky questions that can stop you from creating your next piece of content. You have the idea, but you just need to know how to do it yourself in the best way possible. So let’s jump in!
Most of these tips will instantly make your videos better and don’t require money, doesn’t require buying extra gear.
Video Shooting Tips
Let us take a look at some basic tips on how to shoot good video.
Check the Background
Before you start shooting, check the background to see if anything can be improved. You don’t need a studio environment, but you can always remove anything that’s distracting, or rearrange certain things, or open the curtains, so that the overall shot is improved.
Most of this applies to photography as well.
In case, you’re planning to shoot a lot of solo videos, do consider creating a permanent space for you shooting sessions where you can control the light so that all your videos get a more consistent look.
Use Zooming-In Sparingly
This is one of the feature you would be tempted to use a lot the moment you have a camcorder. It is fun to use but the fact is that it does not quite come out well in your final video.
Lots of zooming is actually very distractive while watching the video. So better watch out. Even if you want to do it, you need to do it slowly; it looks much better than a quicker one.
Keep it Steady
To ensure smoothness in your videos, you need to be steady while shooting your videos.
Too much shaking or vibration of your hands does not reflect well on the videos.
If you want to do it like the pros, go in for a tripod. Even otherwise, try to keep your hands steady – no shaking or jerks.
Check The Sound
If you are serious about videos, check this out! You will need to have a microphone attached to your camcorder. Having a Mic attached to your camcorder results in better audio quality during video shoots.
Ask everybody on the set to Shut Up when the shot is being taken!
Charge your Batteries
Don’t forget to carry your battery charger, and you also need to carry extra batteries. This is the most common mistake that lot of us do when going for outdoor shoots. You don’t want the battery to die down just when your creative juices are flowing full on.
Capture the Location/Landmark
Let the audience know where you are by capturing important landmarks, monuments. The pros do this all the time! They will zoom in on the landmark in one shot and then cut to the next scene, indicating that the next scene is near or related to the landmark.
Bring in Variations
Shoot from different angles; approach your subject from all angles. Don’t limit your shots to just one angle.
Involve the people you are shooting. Make them smile or talk. It is also important that you capture some candid moments of the people you are shooting.
All these variations will make your final video much more lively and interesting to watch.
Keep the Shots Simple & Short
If you intend to show your videos to others, it is important to understand that people in general tend to get bored looking at the same shot for long. Hence use different shots for variety, as well make them as short clips. The audience will find it much more interesting.
Proper Lighting is Important
This is an easy concept to remember and at the same time the most important, since poor lighting really spoils a video shoot.
You should always shoot with the light source on the subject and not on the camcorder. The light source should be coming from behind you. If your camera has a backlight feature, use it to compensate for excessive bright light!
Learn from The Movies
Observe and Learn! You will be surprised to know how much you can learn about shooting video from the movies. So the next time you are watching a movie, try to look at the way the scene has been shot and how the shots move from one to the next.
Reflect Back In The Video
Another trick is to use the start of the video as the current situation and reflect back into the details.
For example, if you see “the making of any successful movie”, the video will start with the director & producer talking about their success and then the video will go back to show the actual shooting, the challenges faced, etc.
Shooting for Online Video
Online video has become popular because it is very easy to share it with others, and also because it is very easy to promote your products and services.
There are many who want to learn about making videos so that they can upload instructional videos on the internet. And they really don’t want to spend a lot of money on digital cameras. In fact, most of them use only their webcam to record most of their videos.
You need to remember that online video is highly compressed in low resolution, and we watch them on computer screens that can be much smaller compared to televisions.
So when shooting for the internet, you need to have a different approach as opposed to shooting for television.
In general, keep an eye on the following:
- You should favor close ups
- Keep the video short
- Make sure the audio is clear and understandable
Gear for Shooting Video
You can always shoot with your smartphone, or the camera and setup that you already have. But in case you decide to spend on gear, you should consider getting the following:
DSLR, Wide lens (like a 24mm), Tripod, Microphone Audio recorder, External monitor, Daylight-balanced key lights.
How to Shoot Sports
When shooting sports or action, it is important to hold your camera steady.
If you want to shoot with the zoom focused on a distant player or object, you will need to use a tripod/monopod to get a better shot.
Don’t be tempted to get too close to the scene. Stick to safe, wide shot and let the action pass by.
Zooming, and the need to pan from left or right, becomes a necessity while shooting sports because of the constant action. If you intend to shoot a ball-game, a better option is to frame on the centre of the action with the zoom lens but not to zoom-in and out constantly. Adjust the pan and tilt-head of your tripod, to ensure it supports smooth panning shots. That way, you can just concentrate on the action.
Hand-holding the camcorder makes more sense at times as it gives you the flexibility to take dramatic shots.
For instance, if you are shooting from a moving boat, hand-holding makes more sense. Just use any part of the boat as a body-prop to get stability.
Similarly, you can take dramatic shots of bikes or snowboarders by taking hand-help shots.
I recommend that you practice holding the camcorder steadily in a range of different poses!
Filming Children – How to Video-Shoot Kids
As a parent, you can get tremendous satisfaction video shooting your children, especially the way they grow up. Right from the moment they crawl to the moment they are ready to run on their feet, you can cherish all those captured moments later in your life.
Here are some suggestions to film kids, capture their playing sessions, and those innocent moments, which you can treasure later in your life.
It is really important to let the kids be themselves. The more they are occupied, the less they will feel imposed upon by the presence of the video camcorder.
Engage your kids in some activities or games that will provide them with a distraction. Painting, drawing, building block, are some of the activities to engage them.
It is best to capture your shots while they are on their own.
Remain close enough, but not too close to be able to record every word. And once they have been distracted, do not impose yourself on them. Just take a break and let them settle down. You can try again after some time.
To make your video even more interesting, prompt your kids to talk about whatever their thoughts are at that time.
If you are lucky, they will reveal their thoughts! Just ensure that there are no extraneous noises – such as people talking or traffic noise.
It may be worth investing in a good external microphone, unless the rooms in your house are indeed very quiet.
How to Shoot Close Up
If you are learning how to shoot close up shots, it is better to try it with still objects rather than people. This is because not many people feel comfortable about close-ups. They become too conscious and may not give you the correct pose.
But since you have to learn how to take close up shots, you need to take the opportunity to get in close whenever and wherever you can!
The best and the only way to get a good close-up shot is to get in close to the subject!
So, make sure you have zoomed out fully to the lens widest setting (to avoid focusing problems).
Next step is to move in close. Manually control the focus to the point where the camcorder is virtually touching the subject.
You need to be fully zoomed-out when shooting big close-up shots to maintain stability while recording. It is more difficult to get a steady shot if your camcorder is fully zoomed in while hand-holding.
How to Shoot Panning Shot
A panning shot is one in which you move your camera or camcorder from left to right or vice versa. The term is derived from the word “panorama”, which means a wide view.
You can use panning shots for Shooting a beautiful landscape, Shooting a busy scene or street, Shooting the motion of an aircraft as it takes off at an airport, Shooting Sporting actions and more.
Here are some tips on how to use the correct panning techniques.
As with zooms, you need to give 2-3 seconds still shot at the beginning and at the end. This will give the viewers time to appreciate the panning scene.
After pressing the Record button, hold on for 2-3 seconds. Now perform the planned camera move. If you have a tripod, use it.
Once at the end of the desired shot, hold it steady for another 2-3 seconds. Now you can stop recording.
Pan with the Action: Sporting actions are perfect for making use of zooms, in addition to a definite need to pan left or right with the action.
Make sure your tripod is setup correctly to capture all the action.
Set up your tripod’s pan and tilt head such that it can support smooth panning shots. That way, you will be able to remain focused on the action while following it smoothly.