• Quiet Location: Try to choose an location with minimal background noise.

• Has good lighting: Use soft, even lighting. Avoid placing your subject in front of a bright light source, such as a window.

• Has adequate space: Ensure there’s enough room for your filming gear (e.g., tripod) and any props.

• A undistracting background: Use a clean, uncluttered background that fits the tone of your video

Use the Rule of Thirds: Position your subject off-center to create a more balanced and visually interesting frame.

Mind the Headroom: Leave appropriate space above your subject’s head—too much or too little can feel awkward.

Check the Background: Keep it clean and relevant; avoid distractions that pull focus from your subject.

Stabilize Your Shot: Use a tripod or stable surface to avoid shaky footage.

Record a test shot: Using the same audio levels you plan to use  during your recording.

(If possible) Review it on a large screen with headphones: This will help you spot issues like low audio, background noise, or visual problems.

Check exposure, focus, and framing: a bigger  screen also makes this easier.

Catching and fixing problems early in your shoot will help you avoid wasting time later.

• Choose the right camera angle: 

  • Low angle = power or dominance.

  • High angle = vulnerability or weakness.

  • Eye-level = neutrality and connection.

• Be aware of your whole frame: 

  • Try to keep your background clean and relevant —avoid distractions.

  • Watch for unwanted objects (e.g., trash cans, photobombers). It's surprising how easy it is to miss them when you're not looking. 

• Add a buffer before and after your recording:

  • After pressing record, count down from 5 to 1 for your subjects. Say 5 to 3 out loud, then stay silent for 2 and 1. Use your hand to show the countdown by lowering one finger at a time—this helps your subjects follow along visually.

  • Continue recording for three seconds after your scene has ended. Advise your subjects to hold still and not break character until the scene has completly ended. 

Film your footage in scenes: Don’t leave the camera running the entire time. This will make editing much easier.

Delete extra files on your camera: Deleting files you will not use from your camera will make sorting through your files a lot easier during the editing process. Be careful to not delete useful footage! 

Record extra takes: Even if the first take looks good, record a couple more. It gives you more options when editing.

Experiment with style, but keep it cohesive with the rest of your project. Bouncing around with different styles or ideas can be jarring for your viewer.

Mix up your shots, try close-ups, mid-shots, wide-shots, speaking into the camera, speaking to the side of the camera (interview-style), shooting over the shoulder, etc. 

Think like a storyteller, not just a camera operator.