20 Jan TIPS TO START SHOOTING VIDEO AND CREATE A FILM
I’m always being asked “What’s the easiest way to start shooting video and create a film?”
Here are my tips…
USE THE CAMERA YOU HAVE – Some people think they can’t shoot video because they don’t have a good enough camera or the right equipment.
But I don’t agree, as most of us have great camera in our bags or back pockets everyday.
The beauty of a mobile device camera is, it’s simple. No worrying about what the correct settings are. You can start simply and focus on what’s the most important part of making films – What’s happening in front of the camera. Like, what stories do you want to tell. What movements and moments you want to treasure. What’s worth capturing and the best way to do that.
Using your mobile phone is a great way to get started making films.
JUST START – I’m big believer in learning by doing. There is so much to learn by going through the process.
Video can feel intimidating if you’ve never tried it before, but jump in and just start shooting video. The more you shoot, the more you see what shots work and stories happening in front of your camera, are worth telling. Then you’ll see how those shots work in the edit and how joining clips together make your film flow – how you can improve things next time… By editing you see how you can improve your shooting footage and vice versa.
The two work hand in hand.
Remember… Your first films might not be as amazing as you hope or imagine but it will teach you loads and it’s a bit like the first pancake. You gotta start somewhere. And that first pancake always leads to better ones.
CHOOSE YOUR SHOOTING ORIENTATION – Consider which orientation you’re shooting in. Are you holding the camera in vertical or horizontal? Typically video was only shot in landscape or widescreen. But recently, with the fact that video is being shot and viewed on mobile phones, there’s lots more vertical video being created. So before you begin creating, decide which orientation you’re using, so all your video clips will be shot the same way and work alongside each other, when you edit them together.
EXPERIMENT WITH HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD – Try a variety of shots and angles when shooting video. As video gives the chance to show the action or movement and evoke a feeling. Play with composition, try different angles, like a wide shot or fill the frame with details in a close up. Don’t be tempted to just shoot from eye level all the time, move around and see how you can tell the story of the scene in a different way. Experiment with wide shots, close ups and details. Shooting looking up or down… or shooting along the floor low down, through things, get active and experimental!
COMPLETE A VIDEO – So you’ve been experimenting and shot some clips, now it’s time to edit them together. There’s so much to learn from the process. Your shooting will get better when you see what you’ve used in the edit. And vice versa. Each film you complete will teach you so much.
Here’s a couple of blog posts – with editing apps and music recommendations to help with the editing process.
HAVE FUN! – Enjoy the process. Shooting video and creating films opens your eyes to a new way of seeing the world.
If you’d like more guidance to start making your own films – check out my online courses where I share everything you need to get started and inspiration to take you through the whole process and find the love of making films!
No Comments