1. Guidelines for Shooting Effective Video

2. Keep it Steady Use a tripod Brace yourself against something steady Use the human tripod technique (camera shake is annoying to viewers)

3. Learn to Pan and Zoom Common mistake is constant movement Be deliberate when adjusting Shoot and leve it there, STOP the recording and take another shot Don’t pan the camera from one subject to another If you have to pan, use slow, smooth deliberate motions

4. Lose the Zoom Use the zoom feature to frame shots Avoid zooming in and out during a shot If you must, zoom in slowly Zooms, pans a

5. Shot Composition Before you tape, look at the shot and see if you have everything in it that you want. Check to see how it is framed

6. Rule of Thirds When framing a person, you want their eyes on the top line and the center of their head on the left or the right line (i.e., facing inward). Although this may cut off the top of the subject's head, it will provide the proper balance and really make your shot look professional.

7. Learn your camcorder! Check out manny!

8. Lighting When possible shoot in a well lit area No bright light BEHIND the subject

9. Use Wide Shots Sparingly Focus on details Don’t be afraid to get close

10. The not so obvious obvious Have plenty of tapes Keep you camera charged and ready Don’t film EVERYTHING!