We all know what poor quality video looks like. Too dark, too bright, murky, shakey, muffled audio. It’s horrible – quite literally “a turn-off”.
Effective video doesn’t require a huge amount of expensive gear. It can be shot on a smart phone. But it does require some knowledge of the basics.
So here goes:
1. Focus your camera!
It sounds blindingly obvious, but learn how to use the focus on your camera. Keep it simple. At first, stick to shots in which the subject remains at roughly the same distance from the camera.
‘Follow focus’ – literally changing the focus to follow the subject as he/she moves relative to the camera – is great, but it takes a lot of practice.
2. Keep the camera STILL
Perhaps the most common mistake in amateur video is to swirl the camera around as if shooting the latest Bourne movie. This induces nausea in the viewer.
Instead of an action movie, think French arthouse cinema: we’re looking for simple stable shots. For starters, this means fixing the camera on a tripod and allowing the subject to provide the action or movement.
Make the tripod your friend.
3. Frame the shot
Again, think arthouse cinema: static camera… but beautifully framed shots. This means considering all the visual elements available to you (it might be furniture, a vase of flowers, pictures on a wall) and arranging them lovingly in the frame. Here it’s best to apply the basic rules of composition – rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines etc.
4. If you must move the camera…
Once you’ve had some practice with static shots, try moving the camera but make sure the movements are really smooth. Doing so hand-held is tricky and requires practice but there are tools to help. My favourite, the slider, is fantastic. Others include the shoulder rig, dolly, jib and handheld video stabiliser.
5. All about light
Murky subject, blown-out background – it all points to bad use of light. Again keep it simple: make sure the light source (the sun, a window, a lamp) is BEHIND you, the shooter, and IN FRONT of your subject. Try to avoid bright light (eg big patches of sunlight) in the background of your shot.
Ideally the background should be dimmer – less bright – than your subject. If you are happy to invest a little (say $50-200), a LED light panel is wonderful for interviews.
Generally the more light on your subject, the sharper they will appear. Don’t blind your subject in the full blaze of the sun, but find somewhere bright. Video – like photography – loves light!
6. Audio – cut through the noise
Poor audio is an obvious reason why so much amateur video sucks. Here we’re not aiming for Dolby Surround Sound. Effective video means audio that is clear and easily decipherable. So try:
- Avoiding intrusive background noise as much as possible (although easier said than done). For me this is usually aircraft, traffic and squawky Australian birds.
- Beware the wind. Shooting outdoors on a windy day will result in that nasty scuffy noise as breeze batters your microphone. Try to find a sheltered spot, or if you’re using a video mic use a delightfully-named dead cat wind muff.
- For interviews, make sure the microphone is close to the subject, ideally a foot or two away. If you are using a video mic, position it in front and above the subject, pointing at his/her chest.
- Invest in audio. If you can, splash out on a sound recorder (I use my trusty Zoom H4N) and a video shotgun mic (Rode). You should be able to pick up both for around $500. You might also need a devise, such as a cold shoe extension bar, to attach this equipment to your camera.
7. Shoot WIDE
As you grow as a videographer, you’ll want to try different lenses for different looks. But for starters a wide angle lens – as oppose to a long lens – is best. A long lens can look great but it tends to wobble (the longer, the wobblier) and the subject can easily stray either out of frame or out of focus.
A wide angle lens leaves plenty of room of room for the subject to move while remaining in frame and in focus. And it allows you, the shooter, to…
8. Stay close to your subject (a lot of the time)
This applies particularly for interviews but also more broadly. Most videos are about communicating from human to human. Getting close to your subject allows the viewer to get close – to get a sense of the subject as a person, as if they were in the same room or space.
Usually we aren’t interested in what shoes they’re wearing but we are interested in the look in their eyes. On a more practical level, getting close allows you to control the shoot more easily and capture crisper audio.
Good luck and happy shooting!
