Record better video; tips for mobile storytellers

The holiday season has arrived! Families all over the world are preparing to see old family members and throw what could be the party of the year! And ultimately that means that someone is bound to take out a camera or phone and try to capture the moment in a photo or video.

You know, a lot goes into preparing a feast like Thanksgiving dinner or even a small holiday brunch, so the least you can do is try to capture the moment in all its glory with a good video!

So here are 3 tips to help you get the most out of your Holiday Videos (or any video).

Keep your shots short (around 10 seconds)

No one wants to sit through 8 hours of continuous video even if they are the ones in the shot. Remember that you'll have to bear through them as well when you edit the footage. So do yourself a favor and keep the shots short. Take 10-12 seconds of footage per action and then move to a different location or angle. This will give you an array of shots that you can then use when editing your video. Changing shots every 3-5 seconds keeps the pace of your video interesting and with a good flow.

Stand Still (be the tripod)

No one likes to see shaky footage. This makes your video look amateur and it's very easy to lose interest in the video if there is nothing to focus on. Before you click record get comfortable and grab the camera with both hands. Open your stance and place your elbows close to your body. This will help you get a stable shot, as you'll ultimately act as the tripod for the camera. If you are shooting at an odd angle, try using a chair, or even the wall as an added stabilization point. The idea is to keep the camera as stable as possible.

Zoom in with your feet (get close to your subject)

Whenever something catches your eye and you want to see it in detail you usually get as close as you can to really appreciate it. It's the same with video.

If you want to take a closer shot of something on the other side of the room, get as physically close as you can and then start recording. Digital zoom is not the best way to capture close shots, because it makes the image way softer and you'll lose the sharpness in the subject. If you have an analog zoom on the other hand feel free to experiment, but do not zoom in and zoom out while recording. This could be very annoying, looks amateur, and you'll waste time and storage space in footage you'll never use.

BONUS TIP: Keep the camera horizontal!

This one should be an obvious one but in case you need a reminder, take a look at your social network and count how many people capture their home videos vertically (go on, I'll wait). Do any of them look like this?

Please, PLEASE capture your footage horizontally. Videos are meant to be recorded and seen horizontally. By shooting them vertically you'll be getting those pesky black bars that no one likes and if you think you can fix them by rotating or scaling your videos to fit the screen, you'll be losing a lot of detail. TV's, movie theaters, and computer screens are all horizontal so make the most out of this and fill the whole viewing space by flipping your phone or camera. Don't be another vertical offender (pretty please).

All right, you are all set. Get those cameras out and shoot with confidence. You'll be happy later when you are the one with the best footage this holiday season.

Happy Holidays from the WeVideo Team!

--

LINK:	http://blog.wevideo.com/bid/327171/Record-better-video-tips-for-mobile...
	See more stories from wevideo

Most recent headlines