Making videos or
“videography” is a different animal from photography. When you are trying to capture great pictures
for a portrait or an event, you think in terms of still shots. In your mind the objective is “what will make
a great picture.”
Video opens up
whole scenes to be captured on film, for better and for worse. But it also opens up a lot of opportunity for
mistakes, unexpected results or interruptions and surprises. Not only do you have to continue to think
about what makes a great shot, you now have sound and movement issues to factor
in. So while videography is much more
fun, it also can be a lot more work.
You are trying to
find a middle ground when you start offering video as part of your
services. You know that anybody can
bring a camcorder and capture video streams.
These days they can even do it with their phone. But you want to create a more professional
shot than the high school kid with a camcorder.
Then again, you are not trying to win an academy award here. So the level of professionalism has to be
better than amateur so you can justify charging for it but it doesn’t have to
be great art to be a good video that the customer will be happy with.
To accomplish
this mix of perfectionism and compromise, a few tips from the pros who have
already set up a video business can help a lot.
Here are what many of the old pros tell us to focus on especially as we
are getting our video business up and running…
The cornerstone
advice that the pros give about making great video is plan ahead. The more you know about your shoot, the
better equipped you are when you show up.
If you are shooting a wedding, visit the chapel, perhaps the reception
hall and plan where you will set up to capture the best images. Plan your routes as you move around so you
can create a smooth flow that works with the wedding procession rather than
interrupts it.
The same is true
of any event. Even a sporting event, as spontaneous
as that is, will offer some less traveled areas where you can position yourself
to catch the action. If the best
location for capturing video is above or a distance from the activity, then you
know you will need to use zoom and focus differently than if you can be in the
middle of the action. This helps you
plan how to prepare your equipment and your crew who will be supporting the
shoot.
Lighting is
something that must be part of your preplanning so you have sufficient light so
the action and facial reactions are easy to pick out on the video. Outdoors, keep the sun behind you if at all
possible. Indoors, scout out how the
existing lighting will look on video during the hours that you will be
shooting. If they are not sufficient,
you should get in there and set your lights in place well in advance of the
event and work with the event organizers so they know your lights will be on
during the event. The people who hired
you want a great video so they will work with you. But you have to let them know what is going
on.
A good video is a
combination of stability of the camera and constant movement. So use a tripod to stabilize the shots when
the video is being actively shot. But
you have to be able to move the set up quickly to a new location. So make sure that your equipment is well
maintained and that cameras, tripods and that all supplies are quickly accessible
for field changes or repairs.
One of the most
valuable insider tips is to shoot with the intention of editing. In that way, you will shoot more footage than
you need, knowing you are going to edit it together later. You can go back and capture connecting video
shots to smooth out the action and you don’t have to get upset if you get some
bad footage. These and many other
talents you will develop will take you to that level of professionalism you
want to reach. And your customers will
notice it too and come back for more of your talented videography.
