| Let's start there (but not spend too much time | | | | shot correctly before you push the red "take" |
| on it because you are probably already checked | | | | button, and keep your fingers off it while rolling. |
| out on their use):On/Off - On some brands you | | | | Fast or excessive zooms cause nausea and |
| actually have to find two or three switches to | | | | disorientation of your poor audience. You don't |
| accomplish this. You may be required to choose | | | | want to have to provide air sick bags at your |
| between camera and VCR or VTR, you may | | | | showing.These rules barely scratch the surface. |
| have to open shutters over the lens or remove a | | | | Start by following them and when your footage |
| lens cap, and you may have choices about | | | | looks more respectable, you'll be ready to study |
| snapshots, locked, standby, or video. You're | | | | the hundreds of other things you see the pros do |
| probably ready when you see a picture through | | | | in great movies and on TV that makes their |
| the viewfinder with no unexpected icon flashing in | | | | footage dazzle.Now let's take on some of the |
| the middle.Zoom - Changes the lens setting from | | | | many buttons on your camcorder. You should |
| wide angle to telephoto. You see what's happening | | | | have a large owner's manual that explains what |
| in the viewfinder.Red "Take" button - Rolls the | | | | they do and I don't intend to duplicate that. (Most |
| tape. Usually "REC" shows in the viewfinder when | | | | owner's manuals were written in Japanese first |
| recording and "STDBY" shows when the tape is | | | | and then are translated into dozens of languages, |
| stopped.Beyond that everything else is automated | | | | perhaps by a computer. Legal warnings probably |
| on most consumer camcorders. You only have to | | | | fill the first two pages and the really interesting |
| master all those other buttons if you want to | | | | stuff is frequently buried away in tiny-typeface |
| take control of things like focus, exposure, | | | | footnotes. Don't get discouraged, you are not |
| shutter speed, color balance, stabilization, depth of | | | | alone when wondering if you no longer know how |
| field, freeze motion, volume, and tons of other | | | | to read.) If you've studied photography a lot, the |
| special effects and titling. On most camcorders | | | | information that follows may be old hat, but I've |
| the default manufacturer settings are the place to | | | | got to cover it to show you why you may want |
| start -- they've done a very good job taming all | | | | to explore some of the buttons from time to |
| these options. You should only need to make | | | | time.Basically you are simply managing light and |
| changes for particular scenes when you see | | | | motion. Start with light: too much light and |
| things going wrong. So let's not trail through all the | | | | everything is blistered out, too little light and |
| buttons and menu options out there right now. | | | | details get lost in the shadows. The human eye |
| Instead let's focus on you and all the problems | | | | has a much wider range from bright to dark in |
| you can create.Let's examine other areas that | | | | any given scene than does any video equipment. |
| separate the pros from the beginners. It's always | | | | A video shot of your "true love" that looks OK to |
| said, and frequently demonstrated, that if you put | | | | you standing there may play back later with white |
| the cheapest pile of junk camcorder in the hands | | | | splotches and blisters all over his or her face. How |
| of a pro, the resulting footage will look dazzling. It | | | | can something like this happen, you ask? You |
| doesn't work the other way around. It's not the | | | | assumed the camera would "close down" |
| tools that separate the 8-year old baking her first | | | | automatically when the subject got too bright.The |
| cake from her grandmother -- it's lots of little | | | | automation in the camera can fail you if there are |
| things, some of which are hard and tedious to | | | | extremes in any one shot. It adjusts for the |
| document, and some of which fall into discussions | | | | average brightness. Hot areas are averaged with |
| and hot arguments that might be lumped | | | | dark areas. The range it can handle is limited. The |
| together under the category called "style."Let's | | | | middle or average of the range you are trying to |
| get you started with some of the obvious areas. | | | | shoot may not be the setting you want for a |
| As you shoot video you will naturally get | | | | correct exposure where the true subject is very |
| competitive with and wonder why your footage | | | | "hot" surrounded by a lot of dark holes. You have |
| doesn't measure up to the footage you see on | | | | to take charge deciding to throw away the details |
| TV and in the movies. This will cause you to start | | | | in the dark holes in order to get proper exposure |
| adding tricks to your trade consciously and | | | | of the main subject. Shots of someone on a |
| unconsciously. Most of us are very critical viewers | | | | stage in a spotlight is the most typical example of |
| of TV and movies.The first sign that there is a | | | | having to manually take charge of the exposure |
| rank amateur running the camera comes when | | | | setting in your camcorder.The other extreme |
| you realize it is being hand-held because the | | | | occurs when details of your true subject are |
| picture bounces around (and may actually make | | | | crushed into a gray mess because your subject is |
| some viewers seasick, watch out!). The standard | | | | surrounded by a very bright background. You |
| answer to this is to lug a tripod around with you. | | | | need to open up the exposure, throwing away |
| This is great if you are going to be positioned in | | | | the details in the bright background so you can |
| the same place for more than three minutes | | | | brighten up and see your subject correctly. Some |
| filming a game or stage performance, but if you | | | | camcorders have a button called "backlighting" |
| are zipping around like a fly on the wall you have | | | | that does this for you.This doesn't mean your |
| to take other measures. Here are some:Lean on | | | | camera can't take pictures in extremely bright or |
| things while filming to stabilize yourself. Find a tree, | | | | extremely dark places: it can if the whole scene is |
| a wall, a table, a friend . . .Take a deep breath and | | | | bright or the whole scene is dark. The thing you |
| hold it. Dig your elbows into your inflated rib cage | | | | have to be sensitive to occurs when there is a |
| creating a triangular bracing system between the | | | | mix of bright and dark, your true subject is not in |
| camcorder and your stable chest. Do not answer | | | | the middle of the range of lighting intensity, and |
| any questions thrown at you and stop filming | | | | your camcorder is calculating an average |
| before your whole body starts convulsing trying | | | | brightness setting that is wrong for what you |
| to purge the stale air.Zoom out (going to a wide | | | | want to capture.What do you look for to adjust |
| angle setting) and then move yourself and | | | | exposure? If your camera is anything like most of |
| camera in close to the subject. Wide angle shots | | | | ours, there are several ways to adjust exposure |
| are much easier to hold steady. Zoomed in | | | | -- some are redundant and others handle |
| telephoto shots really need a good tripod.Practice, | | | | extreme situations beyond those discussed above. |
| practice, practice. While rolling tape, pick a | | | | How do you sort it all out?If your camera has a |
| stationary object near the corner of the | | | | wheel or dial called exposure and the picture gets |
| viewfinder, lock in on it, and don't let it move | | | | dark and light as you turn it, then that's where to |
| around in the viewfinder. This turns your whole | | | | start. You will need to "turn it on" telling the |
| nervous and muscular system into a | | | | camera's automation that you are taking control |
| self-correcting stabilization machine. It becomes | | | | of exposure and to butt out. This may require |
| second nature if you work at it enough just as a | | | | you to read the manual -- different |
| waitress can carry a tray of drinks without spilling | | | | manufacturers have different ways to block you |
| any.Push the "take" button to stop rolling tape | | | | from tampering with their automatic settings. |
| when you realize you are about to lose stability. | | | | Once you are in control, here are several things |
| You'd be surprised how many shots run until the | | | | to consider and several words of advice:Be sure |
| cameraman bumps into something, loses | | | | you trust what your camcorder's viewfinder is |
| concentration or literally falls off a step.Be sure | | | | telling you. In an ideal situation, you want to play |
| the camera's built-in motion stabilization feature is | | | | with your camcorder in some very tough |
| turned on. On some brands the stabilization | | | | situations taking and reviewing throwaway |
| feature reportedly snaps and jerks the picture | | | | footage before you "go live" on location. The |
| too much as the camera is moved around. You'll | | | | viewfinder may have its own settings which if set |
| hear that the feature should be turned off. Don't | | | | wrong will mislead you. For example, if the picture |
| accept this advice as gospel -- play with it for a | | | | in the viewfinder looks dark and dingy, but it looks |
| while first because this objection is true on only a | | | | great when played back on a TV, brighten the |
| small percentage of camcorders.Don't dismiss | | | | viewfinder setting, not the exposure setting of |
| using a small mono pod or very light portable | | | | the footage you're taking.Flip out screens are a |
| tripod for those "on the go" shots. These won't | | | | wonderful invention everywhere except outside |
| serve you well when shooting a long event but | | | | on a sunny day. Because it's so hard to see |
| may be just the ticket when moving around like a | | | | anything on them when it's too bright outside, you |
| fly on the wall.Another rule to consider is how long | | | | may be tempted to crank around on the |
| your shots should be. Watch TV and count how | | | | brightness setting of the flip out screen. Fine, but |
| long their shots run. You'll notice that the average | | | | this may seriously mislead you when you come |
| 30-second commercial may have 20 different | | | | back inside again -- be careful. Try to remember |
| shots. Pretty much the same with MTV. Now | | | | the setting before you changed it outside and go |
| watch situation comedies and cops and robber | | | | back to that point as soon as possible.Once you |
| stories -- maybe shots stay on 3 to 5 seconds. | | | | trust what you are seeing in the viewfinder, learn |
| Follow up with slow running talk shows on PBS. | | | | what to look for that clues you when to switch |
| Even there they switch the camera before 10 | | | | off the camcorder's automation and change to |
| seconds have gone by.Back when you were | | | | manual exposure control. Then you need to know |
| getting advice with your home camera movie film | | | | how to set the exposure manually. Set it wrong |
| from Kodak, the advice they gave was to count | | | | and everything will come back too dark or too |
| to 7 and shut the shot down. They advised | | | | bright -- sadly it's easy to do.There is a trick I use |
| against lots of jerky short clips. While that was in | | | | when going to manual exposure at an event such |
| a slower and more graceful period of time, it's still | | | | as a stage performance or a wedding. Let the |
| a rule to seriously consider. Tightly edited sales | | | | automation help you! Before going to manual |
| pitches, action packed movie clips and music | | | | exposure, zoom in tight on an important face that |
| videos may demand one to three second clips, | | | | is lit pretty much as you expect will be common |
| but this is too fast for general family footage. We | | | | throughout the event. The camcorder should |
| find that when people put photographs together in | | | | adjust its exposure to a nice mid-point of the light |
| a video presentation, six seconds for each photo | | | | on that face. Then flip the manual exposure |
| is about the right time.On the other hand, you'll | | | | feature on. Normally this will "lock-in" the |
| lose your audience if you make your shots too | | | | automatic setting that you trust is OK. Do not |
| long. I can't tell you how many times I've seen | | | | turn the manual exposure knob -- the camcorder |
| shots of a baby being fed in its high chair that a | | | | is set to the desired value. You are now free to |
| proud parent lets roll for over a minute. It's | | | | zoom wide and pan around the room knowing |
| equivalent to a 3-hour sermon in church or a | | | | that a bright window in the background won't |
| filibuster in congress.Even though you and I may | | | | close the camera's lens down and black holes |
| have no interest in a "feed the baby" sequence | | | | won't cause the faces of the main stars to blister |
| unless we know the baby, it might keep our | | | | out.As I mentioned earlier, many cameras have |
| attention if broken up into multiple shots such as | | | | other ways to accomplish the same results when |
| an establishing shot showing where we are, feed | | | | working with uneven lighting situations. Many have |
| the baby, look at the mother, close up of the | | | | a "backlighting" button that will take faces out of |
| mess, close up of mother's stress, picture of | | | | the shadows in a scene with lots of hot spots in |
| baby wiggling feet in the air, mother leaning back | | | | the background. Solving the other problem, some |
| in exhaustion . . . . All of this puts you the | | | | have a special features setting that shows an icon |
| videographer to work. You have to move around | | | | with a face in a spotlight. This feature will help |
| and compose several shots telling a story. Some | | | | eliminate blistered out faces in your video where |
| shots may be long, some short, but the overall | | | | the main characters are surrounded by dark holes |
| impact is dramatically improved.Closely related to | | | | in the background.You may find these settings are |
| this is rule #3: avoid "hunting" with the camcorder. | | | | easier to use that trying to adjust the exposure |
| We've all seen shots where the camera is panning | | | | manually. Just be sure to turn them off when no |
| to the left surveying the scene only to change | | | | longer needed. We see videos shot with the |
| direction and pan back to the right again, then no, | | | | backlighting feature turned on during normal shots |
| maybe what it is looking for is down, let's zoom in | | | | -- they are all washed out.The camcorder |
| for a second, darn it moved out of the shot, let's | | | | engineers didn't stop there. Lurking behind every |
| follow it putting everything out of focus, well | | | | senior male electronics engineer is a teenage boy |
| heck, we seem to be looking at a blank wall, and | | | | who wants to develop the perfect camcorder |
| with a shake of the camera, it's turned off finally, | | | | that will shoot good footage in near darkness. The |
| followed by a totally unrelated shot taken hours | | | | race is on between vendors. This means you will |
| later.You avoid hunting by following rule #2: shut | | | | likely find still more exposure settings that address |
| the camera off when a shot falls apart. Also you | | | | this issue. Most of these settings result in footage |
| avoid hunting by getting your head out from | | | | with horrible color, jerky motion, and grainy |
| behind the camera before you start the shot and | | | | images. Go there if you must but all of these |
| planning out what you are going to shoot. If you | | | | features are outside the scope of this booklet.The |
| want really good footage, you might practice the | | | | next basic issue centers on focus. Most cameras |
| shot a couple of times before you push the red | | | | have a very good auto focus feature. This |
| "take" button. Does it stay in focus, is the | | | | feature probably does a better job by far than |
| movement too extreme, is there a bright light or | | | | you can do manually if you lack experience or |
| window that comes and goes as you pan causing | | | | just use the camcorder from time to time. Some |
| the camera to change the color and brightness of | | | | situations confuse the automation, however, and |
| the subject, etc., etc.?Paint your scenes with | | | | to get decent footage you will have to jump in |
| shots that move in one direction, then quit. Don't | | | | and take charge.There are two things to look for: |
| backtrack in the same shot. This applies to all | | | | 1) the camera is focusing on the wrong thing, and |
| three movements you control: panning, tilting, and | | | | 2) the camera is confused and is hunting back and |
| zooming. This seems so simple and yet this | | | | forth for something to focus on. Most |
| indecisiveness shows up all over the place in the | | | | camcorders today look for a sharp vertical edge |
| work of amateurs. You "hunt" before you "roll." A | | | | in your picture. Once found, they very quickly |
| few seconds of planning pays big dividends.Rule | | | | focus in and out picking which direction better |
| #4 builds on the two previous rules -- vary your | | | | sharpens this edge in the picture. It's the same |
| shots. Some shots should be from a distance to | | | | process the eye doctor uses: "Which is better, A |
| establish where we are and some should be very | | | | or B"?No edge in the picture: the camera is lost. A |
| tight so we can really see the subjects in your | | | | clear edge close by and another in the distance: |
| video. Some shots should be long and some short. | | | | the camera is confused which one to select. Most |
| Here's what to avoid: lots of mid-range shots with | | | | of the time you can help your poor camcorder by |
| three or more people posing in them.TV is an "in | | | | just centering in on a sharply defined object that |
| your face" medium -- watch it closely. It sits | | | | you want to film. If it's really lost and is focusing |
| across the room from you. The pros cut the | | | | on the dust on its own lens when you want to |
| tops off of heads with impunity. You need to be | | | | shoot a sunset, you can move things along by |
| "tight" on a lot of shots to make it interesting but | | | | aiming the camera at a tree or something else in |
| you want to vary it so as not to be too | | | | the distance before you push the red take button. |
| invasive.Also you need to be sensitive as to | | | | Once it's focused for distance shots, it will usually |
| whether you are above the subjects you are | | | | stay there.If none of this works you are going to |
| shooting making them look small and dominated | | | | have to learn how to turn off the automatic |
| or you are below the subjects making them look | | | | focus feature and take charge of focusing |
| lordly, controlling, and terrifying. If you get down | | | | yourself. This is not complicated. One switch or |
| on the floor with kids they look a lot more like | | | | button gives you control and usually the ring |
| little human beings when looking straight at the | | | | around the lens moves so you can change focus. |
| camcorder than if you are always shooting the | | | | Some camcorders let you go to manual but have |
| tops of their heads.Rule #5: let the motion come | | | | a button or spring loaded switch setting that lets |
| to you -- be careful how much you zoom, pan | | | | you tell the camera's auto focus feature to |
| and tilt. Watch what the pros do and you'll be | | | | quickly do its job and return to manual |
| surprised how little zooming you see. Any pans or | | | | operation.Carlile and Louise Crutcher went on a |
| tilts (looking from side to side or up and down) | | | | trip to China in 1992 and took a Hi8 camcorder |
| are generally very slow. When you do see the | | | | with them to document the trip. By the time they |
| pros chase the subject, you'll usually then see a | | | | returned they had recorded 8 hours of footage. |
| series of stable shots to let you get your | | | | They were interested not only in editing down the |
| bearings again.The pros hate zooming in and out. | | | | video footage but they wanted to combine it with |
| Instead they lay a track, bring in a crane or rent | | | | still pictures that they also had. None of their |
| a well-trained Steadycam operator to follow the | | | | friends or family would sit still for all the raw |
| subject around smoothly. This technology is | | | | footage. They looked, but could not find |
| beyond the casual user's reach, so we zoom. Best | | | | anywhere in Louisville where they could do this |
| advice, zoom slowly and zoom less than every | | | | work easily and affordably. |
| third shot. Use the zoom feature to frame in a | | | | |