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Special Event Videography - Shoot Professional Home Video Footage |
Cinema is a matter of whats in the frame and whats out Martin Scorcese
Prior to becoming a Videographer, I could appreciate film for what it was. I could get sucked up into a story and carried away in the webs of emotion crafted by the writer, the director and all the other artisans that work on a film. I liked soaps and reality TV. But those days are long gone. These days I sit like the ultimate armchair critic passing comments, good and bad, on everything. I am often engrossed in discussion with my toddlers about how Hi 5s use of depth of field could be improved upon, or that Playschool could frame their shots better. And dont get me started on The Wiggles and their use of .pretty much everything. Granted my toddlers dont care, and neither do the producers given their demographic, but I do. Similarly, although you are only shooting home video it does not mean it cant be pure poetry. Here are a couple of tips on how to frame your shots to look as good as the professionals (or in some cases better).
Look at your shot analytically not emotionally
You are filming for a reason. It is an event that is worth remembering. Chances are you will look at this footage again in the future. So lets make it worth watching. What are you trying to say? You are filming a story, you are imparting information. Look at your shot, if it doesnt say anything or is not saying what you want it to say, ditch it and set up another shot.
Dead Space?
Divide your frame into nine equal squares. Does each square have a purpose or do you have dead space. Fill up the frame with interesting vision that assists in conveying mood and information. And make sure that all nine squares are conveying the same intention. It is not good if there is action or information away from the central theme that is drawing attention, such as a small child with their finger jammed up their nose, or Nanna kipping first aisle in the church, youll know this when it happens. Also adhere to the Rule of Thirds. Dont put action smack bang in the centre of the frame. Off to one side or the other and either higher or lower than the central point will be more pleasing to the eye.
Speed and Direction
When you are looking at action our eyes instantly compensate for speed, light and depth of field. Your camera does not. If you wiz about like a whirling dervish attempting to follow action you will cause disorientation to the viewer. I have watched endless doco dramas where they do the no tripod, third person view using fast pans and zooms as a drama heightening effect. Please stop. It just causes anxiety and motion sickness. Smooth pans and steady zooms. And use a tripod. If you dont have one, get one. If it is not practical to use a tripod, try attaching an extension handle that will allow you to use both hands to steady the camera. Or lean on something or someone lie down if you have to, just stop shaking the camera.
Think about editing
There is no reason that you cant edit your film and burn it to disk. Given the simplicity of some editing software on the market it is easy to produce a cut to cut film with nice transitions. Think about how you will piece your film together while you are filming it. Shoot lots of footage and give yourself a choice of shots to move between, also let the camera run before and after the action to give yourself space to maneuver while editing.
Try Thinking Like a Professional
Im not saying that you have to produce Oscar winning material, but try thinking a bit outside the box when taking your next home video. You can use different heights, an array of shots from establishing shots, to close ups to long depth of field. You can try changing some of the basic settings on your camera such as iris, frame speed, filters. Spice it up a bit. Experiment.
Home video does not have to be predictably unimaginative. You can create something pretty wild. It just takes a bit of imagination and like Martin Scorcese says, a bit of discretion as to what you put in and what you take out.About AuthorAmanda Nella is a professional videographer who operates her own special event video business in Perth WA. She provides quality documentary style films for parents about their children. She is trained in the field of investigative interviewing. She holds Diplomas in Investigations, SCAn,Stage Production, Computer Programming & Business. Visit her site at Bump2babyFilms
Source: ArticleTrader.com
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