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RSS feedsMany of us have a video camera of some description these days, whether it's a trusty analogue model that has served us well for a number of years or a newer digital video (DV) camera.
DV has a number of benefits, not least of which is its vastly improved image and sound quality over most analogue video formats. One of the best things about DV is that it is a simple process to transfer footage from a camera onto a computer's hard disk without any loss of quality. It's then possible to use a video editing application to cut out all those fluffed shots and boring bits, add effects and soundtrack music, rescue poorly lit shots or reduce camera shake.
We're going to show you some of the ways to improve home movie footage at the filming stage before it gets anywhere near a computer. We'll reveal how to make the most of all those confusing video camera settings and features, as well as how to plan a shoot to capture each moment at its best.
Forward planning
No matter how much trickery is employed during the editing process, any movie is only as good as the original footage - a fact that a large number of big-budget Hollywood flops demonstrate all too clearly. One way to make sure you get the shots needed to put together a successful finished home movie is to spend a bit of time contemplating your plan of attack before heading out with camera in hand.
Before pressing the Record button for the first time, it's crucial to make sure everything required to help a shoot go smoothly is covered. Check that the camera's battery is fully charged, that it will last the whole length of the event being filmed, and that there is some kind of alternative power source (such as a back-up battery pack, charger or mains lead) available.
And check that the camera lens is clean. There is nothing more confounding than getting home to find that a whole day's filming has been ruined by a smear across the lens. Clean the lens carefully with a soft cloth (such as a spectacle cloth or a dedicated lens cleaner, which is available from most photographic retailers) and take the cloth with you in case a mid-shoot wipe is required.
Got it covered
Next, you should think of the actual shots you want to take to make up the movie. Quite literally, you want to have all the angles covered. The best strategy is to try and have an idea of some kind of story that you want to tell and then make sure that you shoot enough footage, getting a variety of different shots, to tell that story.
A story can be something as simple as 'the day our daughter got married'. To tell that story you're going to need a certain number of specific shots (a church full of guests, a nervous groom, the bride's car pulling up outside the church, the bride walking down the aisle, the vows, and so on), plus plenty of filler shots to help make the transition from one shot to the next when it comes to the editing stage. It might seem silly, but film everything that catches your eye - flower arrangements, table settings, the wedding band setting up. All of this will come in useful later.
Shot for shot
Also think about throwing different types of shot into the mix to produce a dynamic visual style for the movie when it comes to the editing stage.
Some filming techniques are similar to those used in stills photography, while others are unique to film because they encompass an element of motion. The first thing to think about is the distance from which you are filming. One option is obviously the close-up. A good close image of a subject (a person's face or an interesting detail, such as a flower) is always effective and extremely useful to cut away to during editing. Such a shot is easily achieved by placing the camera physically close to the subject or by zooming in before you begin filming.
The majority of your footage is likely to be made up of wider shots, with the camera placed far enough from whatever it is you're filming to get a good overview of proceedings. Bear in mind that the further the camera is from the subject, the less likely it is that sound will be picked up clearly by the built-in microphone. Mid-range shots with human subjects appearing roughly from the waist up are a good compromise but a successful film will be made up of a lively mixture of shots from all distances; a wide-ish introductory shot to set the scene and some supporting close-ups and mid-range shots to focus the attention.
It's also important to consider the angle from which you shoot, as this can radically affect what the shot says to an audience. A high-angle shot (where the camera is placed above the subject, pointing downwards) can mean many things. It often infers a voyeuristic point of view and filming one person from a high angle can imply or heighten a sense of the subject's solitude. It's also worth remembering that a low angle (where the camera is placed below the subject pointing upwards) is rarely flattering to human subjects but is often interesting when filming buildings and architecture.
Whatever the angle or distance, remember to keep an eye on the composition of your shot. Try to frame your shots so that no tops of heads are cut off and so that the eye is drawn to the most important part of the picture.
Motion pictures
In the early days of cinema, filmmakers didn't consider that the camera itself could move, and the very first silent films were all shot from a static viewpoint. DV camcorders are small and light and we now think nothing of turning a camera mid-shot to follow a moving subject or switch from one subject to another. This is called a pan. Altering the speed at which you pan can have a dramatic effect. A slow pan can heighten anticipation, while a quick turn (a whip pan) can increase the drama of your shot.
Further camera-movement effects can be achieved using the zoom. Most DV camcorders come with fairly powerful zoom lenses. Optical zooming can be effective, but judicious usage is recommended. Zooming in and out while filming often looks very unprofessional and it's usually a better idea to zoom into your subject first, and then start recording. A sudden zoom can sometimes create an exciting, dramatic effect but it's rare for domestic camcorders to feature the manual zoom control required for such a technique.
Wobble-stoppers
Unfortunately, the mobility of modern camcorders brings with it one of the curses of home movie-making: camera shake. No matter how steady your hand is, it's near impossible to achieve truly smooth camera movement without the aid of some kind of stabilising device. This is particularly the case when zooming in on something from far away, as this also has the effect of magnifying camera judder.
To help counter the tremble-and-shake syndrome, many camcorders come with built-in image stabilisers and these can certainly help. Look for models with optical rather than electronic image stabilisation, as this tends to be more effective. Even the best stabiliser won't magically smooth out every camera movement, however, and there's no substitute for a good, solid tripod.
Tripods may be cumbersome to carry around but they really are unbeatable when it comes to steadying your shots and can be picked up from photography shops like Jessops (www.jessops.com) for as little as £30. If you really can't bear the thought of lugging a great big tripod around with you, then you could consider a one-legged monopod instead, since these are a lot smaller and will, at least, help to minimise most wayward wobbles.
Light fantastic
If there's one thing that distinguishes a good movie from a bad one, it's lighting. DV is relatively good for filming in low light conditions, but you'll often find that your indoor footage suffers from a reddish colouring and possibly increased image noise (a grainy appearance) in the picture, as your camcorder struggles to find detail.
While few of us will have the equipment at our disposal to light indoor scenes with studio-style lighting, it's possible to improve a poorly lit scene using manual camera controls. Precise details of how to do this will vary from camera to camera.
First, try adjusting the white balance setting. In manual mode, you should be able to set the white balance yourself. Point the camera at something white (a piece of white card should be on your list of carry-everywhere accessories) and press the manual white balance button. This will tell your camcorder what white looks like in the current lighting conditions and will help to balance the warmth or coolness of other colours in the shot.
You're always going to get better results when nature takes care of the lighting duties for you, though, so try to make sure that you've got plenty of external shots in the can, as these will be lit by good, even light, even on a fairly overcast day.
Take control
On most DV camcorders you can also manually alter other functions, such as the shutter speed and the iris. The principals are exactly the same as they are with stills photography. Opening up or reducing the size of the aperture can compensate for certain lighting conditions and allows you to manipulate the depth of focus for your image. A slow shutter speed lets more light into the camera to help brighten up darker shots, while a faster shutter can help sharpen an image when filming objects on the move, such as cars.
Other interesting creative techniques can be achieved using combinations of manual shutter speed, iris and focus settings. Refer back to our feature on getting the most from your digital camera for more information on some of these points.
Using manual settings gives you optimum control over your shoot but for most users there is a big trade-off to be made here. Filming video footage usually requires you to concentrate on what your subject is doing and constantly tweaking manual settings can cause you to miss an important moment altogether. Furthermore, if you're not sure what you're doing when you switch off your camcorder's autopilot, you can end up with shots that are extremely difficult to match up during editing. Try practicing at moments when there's no pressure - in other words, don't start to explore the manual controls in the middle of a special occasion.
A similar theory can be applied to the range of in-camera effects supplied with your camcorder. As a general rule of thumb, it's best to resist the temptation to add effects during filming itself. Always shoot your raw footage 'straight' and that way you can always choose to add an effect to it later, during the editing process.
Sound off
When filming video it's easy to overlook one of the most important pieces of the puzzle - the soundtrack. The sad fact is that many home movies are badly let down by their sound. DV is capable of recording very clear stereo audio but the weak link here is usually the built-in microphone on many cameras.
Built-in microphones are rarely capable of capturing a good audio accompaniment to a video. Fixed to the top (or sometimes the front) of a camcorder, the microphone will almost always pick up noise from the camera and its operator (including finger movement, the whirring of the camera and heavy breathing) at disproportionate levels to the sound coming from the intended subject.
The most obvious solution to this is to try and keep sound from behind the camera to a minimum. You might even want to connect a pair of headphones to the camera while filming so you can hear what's being recorded rather than what's audible to the human ear. This is particularly useful when playing around with a camera's manual audio settings (although such controls are rare on less expensive DV models).
Alternatively, why not do what the professionals do and use either an external microphone or an alternative recording device altogether? In all honesty, you may find that both of these options serve only to over-complicate a shoot. External mics can be expensive and require virtually a whole feature of their own to explain. A separate MiniDisc recorder - even one with a bog-standard microphone plugged in - can help to get better sound as long as it's cunningly placed and used in static shooting conditions. The trouble is that it gives you yet more to think about while filming and requires you to marry sound and vision back together during the edit.
The final cut
If you follow the guidance in this feature you'll almost certainly notice an instant improvement in your video-filming technique. Don't worry, though, if you still come home with hours of useless material and unmemorable shots; that's all part of the process, and it's what editing is there for. Expect to have around 10 times more footage than you need as you'll be lucky if you get any more than six minutes of edited footage from an hour-long DV tape.
What to look for in a DV camcorder
If you're confused by all the sales pitches and accompanying jargon, here's a brief guide to what you should look for when buying a DV camcorder.
1. Price
You can pick up the cheapest DV camcorders for less than £300, but naturally the cheapest won't usually be the best. Budget for around £500 and you should be able to get everything you need.
2. Zoom
Look for a good optical zoom (10x and above). Ignore the digital zoom figure quoted, as this is generally irrelevant.
3. Features
Things like night-shoot are really just gimmicks. Look for really useful things like megapixel still-shot functions, large LCD screens and DV in/out sockets.
4. Manual controls
A manual zoom ring and easily accessible manual white balance, shutter speed and iris controls are vital if you want to improve your video skills. Dedicated buttons are better than menu options here.
5. Size and shape
It may sound a bit shallow, but the better your camera fits in your hand, the more use you'll get from it. Don't be afraid to pick up a camera in the shop before you buy.
See also:
Don't let your computer get clogged up with old files you rarely use. An external DVD writer will give you more storage space without the need for a screwdriver 17 Sep 2004
Today's MiniDV camcorders offer more than ever before. We test six of the latest models. 24 Jun 2004All Peripheral Devices
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