Steady Shots Without these precautions photos can be blurry or your viewers will get motion sickness and headaches Quick Shutter Setting – only an option on some cameras Use a tripod – This is the best option Use a monopod – With a single leg coming from the base of the camera this is a decent lightweight option. This is a good choice if you are changing camera locations very frequently or going to a remote location by foot. Use your environment – Lean against a wall, rest your camera on a ledge, you any stable object to table your camera Use your body as a tripod – Not the best option. By spreading your feet apart, locking your elbows, breathing slowly and practicing, you reduce shaking for short clips.

Lighting Get Enough Light – The camera needs more light than your eyes do. What would appear to be mood lighting to you, would make your image dark and muddy. Limit Light Sources – Incandescent, fluorescent and sunlight cast different colors of light and the camera cannot adjust the white balance for more than one at a time.

Backlighting If your subject is backlit (standing in front of an exterior window), you will need to provide extra foreground lighting. Also frame only the subject and lock the exposure setting, then you can pan across without the background lighting changing your exposure setting.

Lens Flare When your light source directly strikes the lens your picture will become overexposed and “washed out”. Shade the camera lens and be aware of your light source locations.

Natural Light Effects You will get more dramatic shadows and lighting in the early morning and late afternoon. Use reflectors to light shadows and combat top or backlighting. They can be made with stretched metallic fabrics and tarps or cardboard sprayed with metallic paint.

Special Effects DON’T use your camera’s special effects. Any special settings of your camera can be done with greater flexibility in post- production. (e.g. sepia, B&W, solarize, etc.)

Framing the Shot Don’t place subjects in the center. Rule of Thirds - Imagine a tic-tac-toe board overlaid on your viewfinder. The lines intersect in four spots. Your goal should be to frame the action using one or more of those spots. This is especially true if you're conducting an interview or shooting a close-up of someone talking.

Framing the Shot 2 Don’t place the edge of the frame at a person’s joints. It looks like body parts are cut off. Change your Point of View – One long scene with one point of view is boring. Break a scene up by recording it from multiple angles.

Straight and Smooth Shots Very slow zoom and very little zoom during recording! Slow panning! Do it rarely. It is easier for a viewer if the camera is still. Beware of lighting changes as you move the camera angle!

Sound Don’t use the camera’s built-in microphone. You might pick up the audio you wanted, but you will pick up too much background noise. Plug into the audio system for public addresses and school events Use a lapel mike for interviews Unless your camera has a directional built-in mike, every cough, whisper and breath of the cameraman will be captured loudly on tape. Be quiet.

Camera Settings Don’t use LP recording. You can get a lot more video on tape with an LP setting, but then you have a lot of worthless video recorded. Use the SP recording for the best resolution and picture. Don’t use digital zoom. Every magnification of digital zoom you use SERIOUSLY degrades your picture clarity Don’t forget extra batteries

Tape Management Label your tapes! Blank your tapes before using – Place your tape in the recorder with the lens cap on and the mic muted and record over the entire tape. This will remove previous recordings on old tapes and place a timecode on new tapes.

Sources for more details about these Video Production Tips “Production School – Metacafe – Studio” “Adobe Digital Kids Club: Introduction to Video Photography” Oct “Top Ten Digital Video Tips”. Digital Video in Education. “Top Ten Tips for Making Better Home Videos” Story, Derrick. “Top Ten Digital Video Tips”. Digital Video Pocket Guide 06/13/2003 “Don’t Shoot: Ten Tips to Beat Bad Home Video” C/NET Reveiws