Master Your Camera Basics pt.3

Creating a polished, professional-looking video doesn’t have to mean spending on expensive videography equipment. Just by paying attention to a few key details that may not be obvious at first, and practicing your craft you can become exceptional. These videography tips will prove to be very useful, whether you’re shooting a more high-end production or simply creating a vlog.

19 Videography Tips to Take Your Videos to the Next Level

1. Research

Do your research. The more you know about the subject, the better you can tell that particular story. Whether it’s an interview you are conducting or a conversation, you need to know what it is you are talking about if you want to relay important information to your audience.

2. Gather Your Equipment

Fortunately for beginners, we live in a time where high-quality digital cameras are made to be affordable for personal and recreational use. You can practice videography with gadgets that you may already have. Consider your smartphone, as long as you keep these simple things in mind:

* Use the back camera for better quality footage

* Shoot in landscape mode (horizontally instead of vertically)for YouTube type content

* Turn on the overlay grid on your screen, if you have it, when shooting video. This gives you a handy guide for keeping your phone level

If you have the budget for it, I definitely recommend purchasing a gimbal stabilizer for your camera for steadier handheld shots, an external microphone for better audio, and a reliable video tripod.

3. Plan Your Shoot

If you’re going to shoot a music video, commercial, or short film, you’ll have much more freedom to plan your full video production from start to finish. Create your own storyboard with illustrations of your scenes in sequence. This will help you pre-visualize your final footage and outline your desired shots. It will serve as your guide during shooting and editing, plus it can help you determine the perfect time of day for shooting, your desired venues, and the right cameras to be used (in case you have several options) prior to filming.

On the other hand, if you’re covering an event, you’re going to want to be as ready as you possibly can.

4. Tell a Story

One of the main reasons viewers lose interest in a video is a lack of storytelling. A single image or a short video clip can make a profound statement, relay a witty anecdote, or make a poignant observation on the human condition. Change your focus from one subject to another or build drama with interesting light, the choices are up you. 

Build emotion into the story and keep the attention of the viewer. Choose a premise that people can relate to. Add a bit of conflict, and finally conclude with some kind of resolution. These are all basis elements of story telling, but it’s up to you to decide how to present it within the setting of you own unique vision. You must also consider your audience demographic. Who are you making the video for?  For example, are you making a commercial for a fast-food chain or is for a clothing brand? 

5. Show, Don’t Tell

Video storytelling is, by definition, a visual medium. To use it to its full capacity, you must immerse the viewer into the world as if they are the ones witnessing the action. Let them find their conclusion and form their own opinion. That way, there is a greater sense of satisfaction if they discover it on their own.

So now that you’re showing instead of telling, you can use the classic “Wide, Medium, Tight,” which has been part of the language of cinema more or less since its conception. It can be used to establish your location, show the most minute detail, and everything else in between. What you show is as important as how you show it, which refers to motivation. Why are you using a wide-angle lens? Why have the need to move the camera, or go into a slow-motion shot? Every tool in your cinematic arsenal needs a reason or motivation for being used.

6. Have Good Lighting

One of the biggest secrets to achieving professional-looking videos is to use lighting for your storytelling. During conceptualization, try to be intentional about your lighting. Determine the types of lights that you need and where you will place them to achieve the effect that you want. Or if you’re on a budget and are working with existing lights (like lamps and the sun), think of how you can make it work for your particular scene.

For example, if you want a dramatic-looking scene, you’ll want shadows in the right places. On the contrary, having plenty of light can add cheer and create an ethereal feel, depending on your light placement.

7. Keep the Background Simple

Don’t just film anywhere. Make an effort to use a simple background or improve it by removing as much clutter as you can. Many use solid-colored backgrounds — be it a wall, a bedsheet, or backdrop paper — and place themselves (or their subjects) a few feet away from it to avoid casting a shadow.

The key is to minimize elements that will make the scene look cluttered and take attention away from your subject. Although there are themes and storylines that benefit from having a cluttered scene, you may want to focus on improving your videography with the basics and then level up and experiment from there.

8. Improve Your Composition

This involves arranging and allowing visual elements to tell your story. It also means changing your camera’s framing in order to make the scene look aesthetically pleasing.

Among the most important cinematic videography tips and compositional rules is the Rule of Thirds. This is where you place your subject’s head a little higher (not at the center) of the frame and give them visual breathing or walking space when facing the sides. Another is to remain on the same side of two people talking when taking over-the-shoulder shots. Also, having a foreground and a background to create depth within a scene is crucial.

Some of these are similar to basic photography compositional techniques, so you may want to read up on those.

9. Experiment with Angles

The angles you use to capture your content have a huge influence on mood and perspective. The major angles used by filmmakers are low, high, bird’s eye, and over the shoulder. The low angle perspective is achieved by placing the camera below the level of eyeline and looking up at the subject. This is also know as the “heroic” angle because the subject appears to tower over everything and seems larger than life. 

A high angle sees the subject from slightly above. It is often used to provide a sense of the surroundings. However, when used properly, it also allows the subject to appear more vulnerable. Bird’s eye view is often taken from vary high above, and often captured with a drone. It allows the viewer to get a larger view of the surroundings than a high angle perspective allows. The over the shoulder view is often used when characters are talking to one another or to show something one character sees but the other one doesn’t.

10. Select Your Talent

It is crucial to choose the right talent for your video. Interview several candidates before deciding.  It’s also prudent to choose someone with experience performing in situations similar to the content you’re creating. For example, if you’re making an instructional video, you’ll want someone who’s made similar content in the past. A person only experienced in making commercials about energy drinks may not be the right talent for that particular job. 

11. Observe Proper Camera Placement

For close-up shots, never place your camera close to your subject as this can create unattractive facial distortions and make it more challenging for you to crop out the edges of the scene. It’s much easier to place your camera a couple of feet away and carefully zoom in with your camera lens.

But before you go and zoom with your camera, know that you should do this optically (with the lens) instead of digitally (by pinch-zooming your screen) as the latter will degrade the quality of your video clips and possibly make them look pixellated.

12. Use Manual Focus

While the autofocus feature on your camera can be very handy, it can ruin your recording when it goes in and out of focus while trying to locate your subject in dimly lit scenes. The key is to use the exposure/focus lock on your smartphone or switch to manual focus on your standalone camera, so you can use your own eyes and set the focus yourself.

13. Set Your White Balance

Set the white balance on all cameras before recording to produce more consistent, professional-looking clips. This will help speed up the editing process and reduce post-production costs in the future.

Bonus Tip: The “correct” white balance is subjective and can depend on your desired output. For example, you could intentionally set it to look even colder to give the scene a more chilly or scary vibe. Use it to work for your story, as long as you practice consistency in each unique scene.

14. Evenly Expose Scenes

The same scene can look darker in one camera and brighter on the other. This is true if you don’t set the same exposure settings, like your frame rate, ISO levels, and aperture.

Bonus Videography Tips: If you have to shoot outdoors, do it quickly and on a clear day so the sun doesn’t end up setting on you and the clouds don’t get in the way of your lighting

15. Apply Cinematic Techniques

A truly professional-looking video project incorporates a mix of basic camera movements that will not only enhance the storytelling but will also keep your viewers interested. If you want to bring your videography to the next level and really impress your audiences, you may want to apply a few cinematography techniques.

The techniques you choose to use will greatly depend on your level of creativity and how you want to present the scenes, but it’s always ideal to choose just the essential few that will best tell your story. You don’t want to overdo them and end up overwhelming your viewers with the visuals rather than with your story.

16. Avoid Shaky Shots

Whether you’re panning, doing a crane shot, or dollying from side to side, you don’t want your shots to look shaky. Aside from possibly making your footage look like home videos, it could make your viewers feel seasick. Keeping your camera on a tripod or any steady surface is key.

Once your camera is set up, try not to move your camera unless you have to. When you do have to start panning or zooming, treat your camera as a full cup of coffee. Keep your speed consistent and don’t make sudden stops.

17. Time Your Shots

Here are a few videography tips from professional cinematographers that you may not find in many how-to articles. Keep your shots longer than five seconds but not longer than 10 seconds to effectively hold your viewers’ attention. At the same time, remember to keep your shots steady for at least 10 seconds — no panning or zooming before then..

18 Audio

Have you ever seen a YouTube video with bad audio? Of course you have! It’s unbearable to watch, right? In many ways, one can argue that audio is more important than video for a variety of content. For best content, plan on using dedicated audio rather than the mic built into your camera. You’ll want to consider the direction of audio you want to capture. 

Do you want to capture the voice of just the person in front of the camera or some of the surrounding ambient noise as well? Is there just one person talking or is it an interview? Does it matter if the mic is visible? You’ll also want to monitor the audio with dedicated headphones to make sure the levels are adequate but not clipped. Will you be recording content directly to the camera or to an external device?  Finally, consider recording using at least two methods, especially for very important content that you may not be able to re-record.

19. Shoot to Edit

This particular “pro tip” simply means that you should think like an editor when filming. When recording a scene, you’ll want to capture several angles and a few “safety shots”. This means you’ll have choices later when creating your final cut. This will save you time and effort that you might otherwise spend on refilming. Plus, it will prevent you from settling for subpar shots that will make your work look unprofessional.

And when you edit, use a simple video editing software that you can get used to before moving on to more complicated programs. #blackgirlcreator #contentcreatortips #contentideas #camerasettings #contentcreatorfinds #contentcreation #blackcontentcreators #blackgirlyoutube #blackwomenyoutube #lifestylecreator