The sheer volume of video that is being shot and shared around the world today, is due in large part to the new pocket camcorders, such as The Flip, which shoot high-quality video at a very affordable price. Pocket camcorders are also easy to use – just push the red button to start and again if you want to stop. The days of needing to read some huge instruction manual before you begin to film are over. However, there are always ways that you can improve the steadiness, composition and overall content value of your video. Here are some tips for pocket camcorder users.
Tip #1 – Stabilizing Your Shot – We’ve all seen those funny YouTube videos that are kind of hard to watch with all the shaking and jittering throughout the shot. This is due in large part to the sheer size of these pocket camcorders, which encourages the behavior of shooting one-handed and not keeping a firm grip on the device. If you are just shooting basic video to share with your circle of family and friends, that’s one thing, but if you want to shoot better-quality video that people will actually want to sit down and watch, that’s another.
* Get a good grip on your camera with both hands, placing your index fingers on the side, your middle fingers at the front of the camera, and then stabilize it by placing your thumbs on the bottom of the camera. * Stance is important here, so stand solid with your shoulders squared and your feet placed precisely below them. * Create a sort of “tripod effect” with your body shape by holding your elbows tight against your ribcage or stomach area.
Tip #2 – Frame the Shot – You’ve watched enough video to know that the main subject of the film isn’t always dead-center in the shot. Think about the frame of your shot as being divided into three, this is actually called “The Rule of Thirds” – do this both vertically and horizontally, creating imaginary dividing lines in your mind so you can place your main subject into one of those sections. This will place your subject off-center, either right or left, or up or down.
Digital zoom should not be used as it decreases the quality of your video through pixel magnification. If you do need to zoom, do it by moving closer to the subject until the frame is filled with the shot.
Tip #3 – Lighting the Shot – For instances in which you can control the light level of your shot, such as indoors, ensure that all the lights that are near the shot are either off to one side from you or behind you and completely out of the range of the shot. Your best bet is to stand between your subject and the brightest light source, with the cardinal rule being that you should never allow a bright source of light to be behind the subject of your shot.
For outdoor shots it is the sun, in most cases, that will be the brightest source of light, so stand with your back to the sun to avoid creating any type of back-lighting issues that might silhouette your subject in the shot. Shots that are taken with the bright sun to the side of your subject will cast shadow effects on either side of the frame. Shadows aren’t bad, but you should recognize that this will happen and adjust accordingly.
Tip #4 – Panning the Shot – This technique is something you do to shoot a subject that is moving past you as you stand still. You should use the steady stance described in the earlier tip if the motion is moving vertically, from a high position to a low position, etc. However, you need to re-think your stance if the motion is moving horizontally, from the right to the left, etc.
If you are shooting a moving vehicle, a bicycle or someone walking, you should be able to predict the motion, which will allow you to retain the same steady position, but your feet should be pointed where the shot will finish, not just straight ahead. What you would do here is begin your shot to one side, turn at the waist, and since your feet are turned to the final portion of the shot, you would finish at your most stable. You want to end your shot in complete balance in order to create the smoothest panning effect possible.
Your shot should be ahead of your subject just a little, leading the subject. This will give the viewers of your video a little advance of where the subject is moving toward. This does two things: gives you a smoother panning effect and creates an interesting composition for the shot.
Tip #5 – Learn to Shoot from Different Positions – As you are learning the effects and techniques you should take the time to re-shoot your action scene again, but in a different position this time. For example, move a little to the side or advance in a little closer to the location of the subject. You could also try adjusting your position so that you are either below or above the subject. One interesting example is video of children playing that is taken at their level or from a position below their height.
Tip #6 – Edit Your Shot – The work that you do to edit your video will determine whether people enjoy watching what you’ve shot or if they quickly turn it off. Editing software that will auto-load onto your computer and is very easy to learn how to use will generally come standard with pocket camcorders such as the Flip MinoHD or the UltraHD models. Perhaps the most important editing functions that you need to learn to use with this software is how to remove scenes that were shaky, lit poorly or portions that didn’t add or contribute to your story or theme.
Here is one last tip that will help you to make great video: Do not try to create or tell a story. For example, a family vacation video should not chronicle the entire trip, it should shoot sections of the action that happened such as a few seconds of boarding a plane, getting in a car – some type of shot that will reveal what’s going on to keep it in context. Another example would be a party, where you could shoot segments of guests arriving, people standing around and chatting, getting a drink from the bar or some food from the buffet – it’s about making little scenes from the big “scene” of the event, not shooting every single moment.
One fun way to edit scenes such as these is to re-order them as you see fit to tell the final story. You don’t set out to shoot a story, but you can sequence your footage to create a storyline when editing. Keeping an idea of the story you want to tell in mind while you shoot your video groupings throughout the event will help you to create a good story in the “editing room” when you are finished.
