Shoot Yourself!
You know that it takes busloads of people to get a Hollywood film production into the can. But what if you don't have access to busloads of people?John Lennon and Yoko Ono photographed themselves nude for the cover of their first album, the lamentably awful Two Virgins, because they...
How to Conduct a Live Multi-Camera Shoot
Gather 'round the family and friends for a multi-camera shoot and a fun time for all. Some will tell you that, due to the proliferation of inexpensive video editing computers, the age of the low-cost video switcher is dead. Not so! Every time you turn on a football game or watch...
Shoot to Show or to Edit
"Shoot to Show" and "Shoot to Edit" are two different styles requiring different methods of planning. No one knows these techniques better than a run-and-gun News Photographer. I've produced video on nearly every conceivable subject during my 15 years as a television news photographer. When I have the luxury of...
Hooking Up
Sadly, most camcorders only offer a puny 1/8-inch microphone jack for attaching to the outside audio world. Mixers and professional microphones generally don't come with 1/8-inch connectors, so now what will you do? It's time to gather all your audio adapters, sit down with your equipment and come up...
Q: I am going to shoot a Star Wars fan film with the Canon XL2 camcorder, and I was wondering if I should film the lightsaber fight at 30 frames per second. If I shot the whole movie in 24 fps and shot the fight scene in 30...
Person using a camera on a tripod
Professional videographers usually follow this one rule of thumb: when it comes to camera movement, it must be motivated. Because it looks cool, is usually not a valid reason for using tricky camera moves. Instead, you can use camera moves to change the viewer's perspective making what you shoot...
Shooting Terms Jargon
boom (verb) (pedestal) Vertical camera move ("boom up," "boom down") often making use of a boom or a jib.composition Visual make-up of a scene, including such variables as balance, framing, field of view and texture, which are all aesthetic considerations. Good composition techniques create an image that's pleasing to view.cutaway Shot of...
Fun Video Factoids
Surrounded by so much video technology, it’s easy to forget that video hasn’t always been a part of our world. In fact, the entire concept of “video” — starting with broadcast television and running through today’s landscape of camcorders, VCRs and DVRs — is barely 60 years old! ...