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More and more SLR cameras are now being sent of out of the factories with amazing HD video modes. Whereas previously photographers often kept to just shooting stills, you find that due to the convergence of the devices and global money issues, more photographers are treading into video production as a secondary income. In this article, I am going to share some tips that I have learned over the last few years that have helped me out. It turns out it’s more like still shooting than you think.

Step 1 – Use a tripod

When shooting photography it is great to use a tripod, however when dealing with video its a different story. In almost ALL cases you will need to use a tripod or some sort of stabilizer, nothing screams amateur more than wobbly footage.

Obviously a fixed camera location is only useful for half the amount of shots you need to shoot. Often you will need to walk around or move with a subject. For these tasks you will need a specialized rig which uses weights to keep the camera still. Steadicam are the most well known for their rigs, however they are very expensive at approximately $5000. You can purchase or even build yourself a much cheaper rig such as the brilliant CowboyStudio Shoulder Support Pad at just $35 which, due to price and quality, is very popular.

If you are lucky enough to have a bit of extra cash you might even want to look into slider rigs, dolly rigs or camera cranes. For further reading check out a previous tutorial on How to Build Your Own Digital SLR Video Dolly for Under $20.

You will want to make sure you have a heavy duty tripod that firmly locks your camera into place. Cheap lightweight tripods are fine for stills but have too much movement when shooting video. A good idea would be to purchase a tripod head designed for video, these heads are able to be locked on all axis and will stop all movement apart from in the axis you plan to move. Manfrotto have a great range that are available at all most camera stores.

Step 2 – Remember your fundamental visual skills

I’ve always been told there are three things that make a good picture: light, composition and moment. These all apply to video, too. Look for or create great light for you video shoots. Those aforementioned tripods vary in height, so don’t get stuck making those same eye-level compositions over and over again. And finally, make sure your video is full of great moments. This should be much easier on video, because you have the ability to film the whole time around the good moments instead of just having to rely on your timing skills.

Composition is easily the most lacking in most amateur video. Think creatively, just like you would if you were shooting stills. Create layers, use the rule-of-thirds, and pay close attention to your focal length. This will immediately take your video to the next level.

Step 3 – Leave the camera rolling

A tip I learned very quickly when starting to shoot video is to leave around 5 seconds on the beginning and 5 seconds at the end of your footage.

For example when shooting interviews, people are very quick to jump the gun and start speaking as soon as your hit that record button. During the first few seconds of shooting some cameras are still busy finalizing the lighting and focus.

When editing your footage, you will want to clip out these first few seconds, however if the person you are shooting has already started talking it often becomes impossible.

The same theory goes when merging two interview clips together, you want another space in between to make it sound like the person has taken a small pause.

Leaving it rolling at the end allows you to make sure you don’t accidentally cut anyone or anything off. Just remember you can always cut out if needed but you can never add content. The same goes for those shots of stationary scenes or objects. Be sure to hold each shot for at least 10 seconds.

Image credits: winterofdiscontent

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