Summer is almost over! Footage from families are starting to pile up in everyone’s homes. As technology advances, it’s also easier to film anything at almost any moment. I mean, who wants to not film their children grow & share it? Check out some tips below on how to get the best possible footage from your hand held device, cell phone or DSLR!
1) Slow smooth shots: After transferring home movies for many years, the worst videos are when the camera is zooming in and out, panning and tilting everywhere with no sense of direction. It makes the audience feel very nauseous, and will loose their attention. When filming, keep your camera as steady as you can, if an action is taking place somewhere else off frame, make sure you pan over slowly, and try not to keep panning back and forth!
2) Getting audio: Its hard to grab good audio when you’re shooting without notice, especially if your microphone is on your device. However, there are some ways of getting the best possible audio with what you have. If you’re filming someone speaking, try to get your device as close to them as possible without having them being too large on the screen! This will bring the internal microphone on the device closer to the subject. Essentially, do a close up without zooming in. Also don’t cover the microphone with your finger or hand. If there is a lot of ambiance noise around, try to get them to talk louder. Also when recording, pre-roll your device so you don’t miss any of the conversation. Also don’t move your hands on the device too much while recording, otherwise, you’ll hear handling noises during playback.
3) Lighting: When filming on your portable device, get enough lighting when possible. If you see a black screen on your cell phone or dslr, you may want to try to change your settings to capture more light into the lens. If its too bright, you may want to adjust it accordingly. Adjusting the iris, aperture, shutter speed will help if there is that option. Going into details about the adjustment is another conversation itself.
So there you have it. 3 basic tips on how to get the best footage for your home movies on your hand held device, cell phone, DSLR and video camcorder. Keep shooting and apply these tips when you hit the red button next time! You want to get the best video of your friends, family and children!
(image from “http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2012/04/images/640_filming-tennis.jpg“)