Do you want to make better videos that are fun to watch for family and friends? I am talking about videos that are sharable on social media to get likes, high fives and “that is so cute!” and “that looked so much fun, I want to do that!” Then hang tight and we are going to walk through some simple steps to make your videos stand out no matter where you show them. Here are 3 Tips for Shooting Better Videos!
Hey there, my name is Evan and this blog is all about “Helping you capture, create, and share your memories.” So let’s get right to it.
Are you one of those people that wants to record every minute of your family’s activities? I am that person. But the problem we have is that sometimes we have hours of video on our camera and they just end up staying on the memory card, copied to the computer and left alone, or GASP!, deleted and never to be seen again! Don’t do that!
Or are you one to not record because you are afraid of how the videos will turn out? Don’t be that person either!
Whether you are always recording or never recording, I am here to help you get the confidence to not only capture but to also make them fun to capture. And bring smiles to those who watch them.
I have 3 Tips for Shooting Better Videos that you can do right now to help you make your videos stand out and are fun to watch. Keep reading to get a bonus tip that will get high fives from your family and friends, or statements like, “that was so cute!” or “I want to do that with my family.”
Pro Tip – Record with intention of capturing the activity. Don’t just turn the camera to record and leave it on to capture the whole 4 hours of playing in the yard. Pick parts of the activity to capture and move along. This will save in piecing it all together later.
How about that! A pro tip and we haven’t even gotten started yet.
Tip #1. – CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Changing the perspective will make a lot of difference. By adjusting just a few minor views with your camera you will see how the video changes for the better. Let’s look at a couple of options.
Decide on different angles or perspectives you would like to or can capture. This could also depend on Tip #2 which we will get to in a minute. Different angles could mean viewing from outside in, viewing from eye level, or right smack in the middle.
In the still above you can see that everyone is in the view. So this would be eye level but from a third person perspective.
Another angle or perspective would be you or someone holding the camera and being in the middle of the action. Such as this one. We were at a zoo and trying to jump as far as a kangaroo and I was jumping with the camera to be a part of the action.
Or give the camera to another person and get into the action (like when I played freeze tag with in the yard with our niece and nephew. The point here is to make sure you are not always behind lens but part of the memory for everyone.
Don’t feel stuck to only capture from one perspective the during the activity. Mix it up and use all the angles and points of view. Just don’t make yourself or the viewer dizzy when watching.
On to Step #2 which is
Tip #2 – LIGHTING
When it comes to lighting it is important that the camera has enough light to capture the action. There are two basic lighting sources. Natural light and Artificial light. Hopefully the differences are self-explanatory. When capturing your family it is always best to have the light source behind or off to the side of the camera pointing toward what you are capturing. Pay attention to how the light is on your “subject”, your family when recording them.
- Natural lighting. Cloudy days are great for not casting shadows downward on to faces. Sunny days are good as well, just make sure there aren’t harsh shadows. It is fun to capture the children catching fireflies just before dark just make sure your camera sensor can adjust to low light.
- Artificial lighting. If you are inside, make sure there is enough light for the camera to see the action. And the same ideas applies to lighting your subject’s faces.
If you aren’t able to control the direction of the light, then got back to step #1 and use angles and points of view. Notice that just moving the camera angle where the sun is behind her, but also not completely hidden you can get a lightened face and beautiful sun rise on the beach?
I hope this information is being helpful to you. We are about to look at step #3, but remember we also have a bonus tip coming up after that. Ok, now for step #3.
Tip #3 – AUDIO
You want to make sure that you have a good, clean audio recording of your fun activity. Your camera audio is mostly ok, but there are microphones that can be connected to your camera or phone to help with capturing voices. Depending on the activity or environment, you may have to get the camera and/or microphone close to the person if possible.
But this step about audio is not only about someone’s voice. It is also about enhancing your video with narrations, music and sounds.
Narrations, the idea of describing the activity to your viewer after it had happened. Think read along books, or documentaries.
Adding music to the background is a great idea, if done correctly, will actually help the viewer feel more connected. Be careful when adding music to your videos that you will share online. Some social media platforms will not allow copyright music to used and will mute the audio from the video or not let you post it at all. So choose from a source that allows you to license the music to your video.
Ok so we have gone over 3 Tips for Shooting Better Videos. These include adjustments and techniques that will make capturing videos of your family more fun. I promised you a bonus tip and after the bonus tip we have a challenge so stay with me.
BONUS TIP – TELLING A STORY
Use the technique of Storytelling when capturing your fun. I am referring to the idea of using a story arc.
- Story Arc
- The “Who” “What” “Where” “When”
- Conflict to keep end result from happening.
- Decision to keep going or change direction.
- Resolution to finish activity
- Emotional ending (satisfied, happy, joyful)
Let me explain how it works in normal a situation. You want to make pancakes. You gather ingredients. Realize you need milk. You then have to go get milk or their won’t be any pancakes. Got your milk, now mixing can resume. Then you realize that when you left to go get milk you cautiously turned off stove top (Good thinking!), but didn’t turn it back on. Now skillet is not hot. Now you wait. Once skillet it hot, you pour the mix out on to the skillet. The phone rings and you burn the first batch because of the distraction. At this point you could just eat cereal, but you wanted pancakes. So instead you pour again and stay focused until the first golden goodness is now ready to be plated and have butter and syrup added. The first bite is delicious! You are now happy that you pushed through and finished despite the set-backs.
This technique can be used in almost any activity that you want to record. Think about how events leading up to the activity could be used. Then the activity and then the resolution of getting through the activity. Then the satisfaction by all involved. Even condensed versions of the story arc can be used in 30 second clips. By using it, the viewer will stay engaged longer and feel satisfied after watching. Thus giving you the high fives, likes and “that is so fun, I want to do that!” In return you have made a memory to cherish forever and one that is worthy of watching over and over.
Challenge
And now for the challenge. Find a fun activity for your family to do. It could be going to the park, it could be playing football in the yard, it could be just as simple as watching a movie or playing a board game. Take out your camera or phone, and apply the 3 Tips for Shooting Better Videos that we have talked about today and see how much better just capturing the fun will be. This will get you wanting to do more activities together, recording them and even better, sharing them.
The purpose of this post and many others to come is to give you the confidence, the tips, and the desire to go out and capture as many memories as you can and create your own stories worthy of sharing.
With Much Thanks!
Thank you for following along as we talked about 3 Tips for Shooting Better Videos. I hope that this post was informative and useful.
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Do you have a cameras and other gear that you use to capture family activities? Then this website is for you. We show how to use your cameras with video tutorials giving you tips and tricks on how record your family. All for the purpose of saving and reliving those memories forever.
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