Video Tips/Best Practices

Printable version

Look closely at videos to analyze how they was made and get inspiration.

1. Analyze Mentor Videos

Watch videos that a professional has made from the genre you are working on and take notes on details that you may not have noticed before (such as length of clips, shot types, angles, special effects, dialogue, action, music, or text.) Think about what makes that video engaging or pleasing to the viewer. It may spark some inspiration for things you'd like to try out when it's your turn to film.

2. Ask Permission of Subjects

Always ask permission of the subjects in your video, especially if you intend on publishing to the web. You can use a permission form like this one to get consent from your subjects. Your consent form must specify what kind of medium you are using, such as video or audio, how you plan on using the recording, and be signed by the subject or legal guardian.

3. Props and Costumes

Assemble and/or create all of the props and costumes that you need before filming.

4. Practice Before Filming

Spend time rehearsing so that you are ready to film. Acting out each scene will help you to memorize the dialogue and think about how you want to emote to engage your audience. Use your storyboard as a reference. You want to practice at least once with the props and costumes.

5. Film the Same Scene Multiple Times

There's nothing worse than getting deep into editing your project and then realizing that you didn't get the shot you wanted and you actually have to go back to record another scene. That's why it's good practice to film the same scene a few times so that you have several to choose from. You could film the scene exactly the same way, or try filming the same scene using a different shot type, angle, or lighting.

6. Preview Videos

After filming a scene or clip, it's a good idea to watch the videos on your device before going on to the next scene. You might end up needing to reshoot if the sound quality was not good, or if your subject did not stay in the scene, for example.

7. Capture a Few Seconds Before and After the Scene

If your subjects start their scene too soon after you press the Record button, you may get some dialogue cut off or miss part of the action. It is best to press record and then give your actors a non-verbal cue to begin, or have them silently count out a few seconds before starting, for instance. At the end of the scene, don't stop recording until you are completely sure the subjects are done. It is easy to cut unwanted footage in the editing process, but much harder to replace footage that you missed in the filming process. Plus your extended footage may be just the thing you needed for your post video bloopers!

8. Consider Continuity

Continuity is about making sure that your storytelling makes sense. For example, if your subject is wearing a red shirt, but in the next clip they're wearing a green shirt, the viewers may be confused. You want to make sure that clothing, props, lighting, location, and weather is similar across clips from the same scene. If you are stopping for the day, it helps to take pictures of the prop locations, and the actors clothes and makeup so that you can recreate the scene the next day.

9. Teleprompter

If your scene has a lot of dialogue, for example, a news report, you may consider using a Teleprompter. Here is a digital teleprompter that you could set up on a computer facing your actors. You can copy and paste text into it and then project the text. There are also speed options for scrolling text.

10. Delete Unwanted Clips Before Uploading to Your Device

Uploading all of your video clips at once may take time. Therefore, it helps to delete any clips that you are sure you will not use. However, if you are not sure about a clip, keep it. It's better to have more choices.

11. Rename Video Clips

In order to organize your clips so that it's easy to find the right clip when you need it, you should rename your clips. The manner of renaming is up to you. For example, it might make sense to name them by scene, take, location, action, date/time, or a combination of these. If you have a lot of clips, you might like using folders and subfolders.

12. Follow the 180 degree rule.

This means line up the cameras and all the shots to remain within a 180 degree range. Do not switch the camera or go beyond the 180 mark because it can easily confuse the viewer as to where the action is taking place and may also reverse the characters. See the diagram right and watch the video for clarification.

Report abuse