Videoguys' Tips for Shooting
Family/Home/Holiday Video
Here are some Holiday shooting tips to make your family videos more enjoyable to watch.
(Holidays 2008 update - with new Video Montage Tips and HD shooting tips)

If you're like me, you shoot tons of video of your family. I've got hours and hours of videotape of my kids. Over the past 13 years I've learned a thing or two about getting the best possible footage. No matter how cool your NLE system is and how many awesome special effects you can add, the bottom line is this:

The video is only as good as the video you shoot!

If the quality of the video is poor, then no amount of editing is going to make it look better. By shooting better and getting more cinematic, your videos will look better and the editing will be easier! So here are a bunch of really useful tips and tricks hat will help you shoot better video and capture the moments.

When shooting the kids, get down to their level.
Especially the really young ones. The video will look so much better from their perspective. It's kind of silly to watch video of the tops of your kids heads. But if you are 6 feet tall and they are under 4 feet, that's exactly what you get. Another added benefit of getting down low is that you will also get their little voices better. Here are some great examples of kids eye view technique.

• We like to pile the boxes of gifts around the kids. When you get the camcorder down low and straight on, you really get the magnitude of just how cool it is for them. It's even better when they go to grab the biggest present they can carry!!
  
• My son had a little stool/bench in his room. I would put the camera on the bench and then get down on the floor and play with him. One day I got what to this day is in my best video moment. There I was banging on a basketball and Max would giggle every time I hit it. He started laughing so hard that at one point, both Max and the ball roll over!! It's a classic video moment. If an adult had been standing and shooting, you would never have gotten to see how he gradually lost his balance.
  
• We have our kids birthday parties at these special gyms or party centers. They have all kinds of cool activities for the kids. One of the things they do is play with a parachute. Most people just point down and shoot. The result is lots of parachute and very little kids. Not very interesting. Next time try getting down low. If the room is bright enough, get under the parachute with the kids. Or go high! I climbed up on top of one of the gym sets and shot some great footage of all the kids playing around the gym. Don't zoom - use these high up shots for wide angles that get you a large group of children.
  
• Last time went to Disney World I took my camcorder and held it underhand at the eye level of my 5 year old daughter. I followed about 10 feet behind her and my wife as they traveled throught he crowds. What a cool perspective. It really lets you appreciate how grand it all is to see it from their perspective - especially when they ran into Mickey and some of his friends.

Small kids have small voices
Keep in mind that these small voices can easily get drowned out by background noise, adults talking and bigger children playing. Get as close as possible to them - this will give you the best results with your on camera mic. If you have small children of your own, consider investing in one of our Azden shotgun mics. The SGMX shotgun mic is only $99.95. Use it and you will get much better audio quality in these situations.

• Speaking of kids - here's a great family project - Make a DVD Yearbook to give to friends and family!
  We did this last year and we plan to do it again every year. I put together a 1 hour DVD highlighting the year we had. I went through the years worth of footage and picked out the stuff I liked best. I also had my older kids "write" their own script for the holiday greeting and introduction. We spent a few days rehearsing it and 4 takes later we had a really adorable first play for the DVD. This year I'm adding special "Bonus" material to the DVD. I let the kids create a few 'outtake' scenes in addition to some of the moments I caught on tape over the year. Now that this has become an annual project and event, it's getting easier to do. I make sure to log my footage over the course of the year that I plan on using.
  
• Get some family history on tape.
  This is a great time to get the older generation to pass along great stories to the new generations. Don't make it a formal interview. Just set the camcorder up (a tripod is great) and have the kids ask grandma about what it was like when she was a kid. If you can, get some shots of the kids as they hear these stories. Their reactions can be priceless. Once again adding an Azden wireless microphone or shotgun mic can greatly improve your audio quality.

Shoot to edit.
That means leave the camera rolling. I can't even begin to tell you how much great footage is lost because you hit pause too early. Life isn't scripted or staged. Things happen when they happen.

Shooting to edit also means thinking about your final production while you shoot. I try to shoot a lot of very wide angle shots and close-ups. I find that these shots make great cut-aways when I have some long footage that needs to be broken up for pacing. As an example, at certain gatherings you may have a family member who likes to make a toast or tell some stories around the dinner table. I set up my shot and then let the camera roll. When he is done I shoot a few wide angle shots from various angles and some close-ups of people just talking and reacting. When I get to editing, I'll use these shots to break up the monotony of a talking head for 5 minutes. The result is much more enjoyable to watch.

• Get some establishing shots before the crowds arrive
  These shots are great for transitions, title backgrounds and cut aways. I recommend shooting 5 to 10 second clips. Get the decorations, the table settings, the presents piled high. If you are lucky enough to be having a white Christmas, don't forget to shoot the snow from both the outside of the house and from a couple of the windows looking out.
  
• There's a ton of great video going on in the kitchen.
  All the hustle and bustle. The potential for spills, thrills and chills. Don't get in the way, but find a spot where you can just leave the cam going for 5 or 10 minutes. You'll edit it all down, but you may get some really great gems.
  
• A burning candle and flickering lights make great transitions.
  End a scene by panning onto a candle or lights. Rather then just a cut, de-focus (ie make the image blurry). Stop shooting. Now go to a new scene. Begin with a blurry shot and then focus. Great for transitioning from the dinner table to the tree (or Menorah).
  
• Here's one of my favorites tips for travel video.
  Most points of interest have a sign or monument. I like to frame a wide angle shot that include the sign in a corner of the video. Then I zoom all the way into the sign. I roll for about 5 seconds, then slowly zoom out and pan. It takes some practice to get it fluid, but once you master the technique you can use it over and over.

 Videoguys HD Shooting Tips

Two years ago I purchased a Canon HV20 HD camcorder for myself. I absolutely love this camcorder. The HDV footage is spectacular. With the HDMI output I can plug it right into my Sharp Aquos 1080p HD LCD TV and immediately view the footage in all its HD glory. When it comes time to edit I just attach the camcorder to my NLE computer via FireWire, capture the HDV footage and then start editing. Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Xpress, Avid Liquid, Grass Valley Edius and Sony Vegas all do a fantastic job with my footage.

One of the most important things I’ve learned over the past year is to modify the way I shoot to take full advantage of the HD technology. Here are a few of my most important tips:

1) Keep It STEADY!
Whenever possible use a tripod. Especially for taping sports or any activity with a ton of action. Every little shake seems to get amplified when you are shooting HD. Especially if you are zoomed in even slightly. I’ve also found that with steadier camera work, my encoding for DVD or WebVideo comes out significantly better.

• Tech Tip: I keep a small beanbag in my camera bag that I use to set my camcorder up on tables, counters, chairs or shelves.

2) Keep it WIDE!
There is so much going on all around the main subject of your video. With sports and plays and performances you will be able to get so much of the action, flavor and emotion of the event by shooting wide HD and allowing it all to be on the video.

• Tech Tip: I find that my favorite shot in HD is the ¾. That allows me to capture a lot of body language and the faces are still crystal clear (more on that in HD Tip #3).

3) Avoid Close-Ups.
Always keep in mind that with high definition footage everything is sharper and clearer. This especially goes for skin tones and facial expressions. If the best looking actresses in Hollywood are worried about how they are going to look in HD, just think about Uncle Harry’s nose or that pimple on your nieces chin.

• Tech Tip: I'll intentionally try to use less then perfect lighting when shooting close-ups in HD. A little darker or washed out situation will minimize some of those embarrassing details.

4) Pan Slowly and Stop Zooming.
If you follow my first 3 tips you will end up with some really great HD footage. Want to know the best way to ruin it? Move your camera constantly. All it does is make your audience dizzy! Take a few extra moments to set-up and establish the best angle for your shot and then let it roll. If you have to move the camera keep it slow and steady. When it comes to zooming I find that most times I don’t like the footage during the zoom. In order to keep it looking really HD sweet, I find I have to zoom so slowly that it rarely matches the pacing of the video. It’s still good for opening sequences or establishing shots, but not during the main event.

• Tech Tip: When I need to zoom, I zoom in as fast as I can. Then I get rid of the zoom footage when I edit. Usually replacing it with some cut away footage I shot (see Tip #4)

5) Shoot Cutaway footage.
Your HD footages can look as great as a photograph if you take the time to do it right. That’s why I make sure to grab plenty of cutaway footage when shooting family events. Allow the camera to roll for a few extra seconds before and after each shot. Walk around the room and stop and shoot a few seconds throughout the event. I let the camera roll for about 5 seconds so that I can add transitions to and from them.

• Tech Tip: This Thanksgiving I’ll walk around and get shots of the stove, the table and place settings, the desert table, some guests pulling into the driveway, folks just mingling and talking. Close-ups of the the Turkey when it comes out of the oven, food being served or wine being poured.

• Know the play before you shoot. If your daughter or son is in the play, don't just practice the lines with them, ask them where they are supposed to stand and who else is on stage. If possible, ask permission to watch a rehearsal.
• Use a tripod, and get as close and as center as they will let you. Zoom in close enough that you've got the tallest kids full body in the frame. Try to keep this shot as much as possible, and limit the zooming in and out. Slow smooth pans are a must.
• If the play is showing more than once, go back and shoot again from a different angle. This time get the close-ups and quick pans across the stage. You will be happily surprised at how well you can cut and edit the footage together from these two shoots using an NLE tool like Premiere Pro, Liquid Edition, Vegas or Xpress Pro.
• Don't over color-correct the footage in trying to get it to look more natural. The lighting is a part of the play and you want to keep the feel of it.
• ALWAYS monitor your audio to detect any feedback or other problems. For the best sound, try to see if you can plug-into the PA system, or set up a wireless mic about 3 feet from one of the center speakers. If you can't use a wireless mic or plug into the sound board, try to get away from the band. Even if it is just a piano, it will drown out the kids very easily.

While we are on the subject of lighting, try to avoid back-lighting whenever possible. If you shoot people in doors against and open window, your camera will automatically compensate for the bright light outside. The result is that you get silhouettes instead of faces. I recommend always having a small fill light handy 10-25 watts. If you get into a situation where you can't avoid back-lighting, lighting your subjects is the best solution.

Check your Power & Play it safe.
If the battery indicator is low or if you are getting near the end of your tape, better to switch too soon then to have it run out on you. Max's last birthday party was at a gymnastics center. At the end of the party they put him in a harness on the trampoline. They hoisted him about 15 feet into the air. It was fantastic! Then they hoisted him back up about 6 feet and he did 4 flips, one for each year. Unfortunately I ran out of tape while he was still 10 feet in the air...Unfortunately, I missed every flip :'-(

Use a Tripod or other support.
I know it's a hassle to drag a tripod around with you all the time, but you will see a dramatic increase in the quality of youre video if you use one. Especially when you have to zoom in from a distance, or if you plan on zooming and panning.

One trick I use instead of a tripod is a beanbag. I have a small beanbag that I use to place my mini-DV camcorder on all the time. It allows me to get perfect steady shots even in tight spaces.

Synchronizing multiple cameras.
This is a great tip I learned from a Videographer who was shooting one of my friends weddings. Use a camera Flash to sync up multiple video sources. When you bring in a clip to the timeline, the frame with the flash in it will jump out at you as you scan/trim. Just find the flash in each clip, put them at the same spot in the timeline and Viola! perfect sync!! This trick can also be used to help sync audio.

Color correction tools work!
All of our non-linear editing solutions provide you with filters that can correct poor lighting. There is no substitute for having proper lighting, but mistakes happen and digital color correction can save the day. Even cooler the latest real-time NLE solutions offer you real-time color correction tools!!

Color correction can also be used to create / change the mood in your video.

• Want a more romantic feel - try taking the footage to black & white.
• Turn day to night - try adding a purple or blue tint to the video to give it that twightlight feel
• Brighten your day - indoor shooting or shooting on a cloudy day can give your video a dreary look. Just increase the color, add some extra yellow tint and everything will seem more sunny and bright!

Slow Motion is cool - but you need really good footage for it
I know it's fun to take some footage and change the speed on it. Especially doing slow motion work when filming kids sports and other action activities. If you are planning on doing this - and I know you are - use a tripod! The steadier and smoother the original footage is, the better and cleaner the slow motion will look.

Green Screen Fun!
If you watch the news, then you have seen the weatherman effect. That is when you superimpose people into other images. They can be still, video or animations. Years ago this effect - officially called Chroma keying was very expensive and tricky to do. Not anymore! All of our advanced NLEs (Premeire Pro, Vegas, Final Cut, Media Composer and even Studio) have Chromakey capability.

Just put your kids in front of a green background and start having fun with this! Put them in crazy locations, or have them added into a scene from a movie or sporting event. It takes a little preparation and set up - but once you gey the hang of it you will really have some fun with it.

EXPERIMENT
If you see something cool in a movie or on a TV show, don't hesitate to try it yourself. (As long as it is safe. Do not place yourself or your gear in danger!) Try different camera angles. Try framing the same shot two or three different ways. Learn to use the manual controls of your gear. This is how you can really make your videos stand out and be noticed. Trying different depths of field and intentionally shooting a scene a bit dark or bright can result in some very cool stuff. Sure you'll have lots of bad looking video at first, but that's why we edit! ;-)

Decide to do it semi-professionally (that means get paid), or politely say that you would rather be a guest.
Doing it a few times for free is fun, but eventually something will go wrong on a shoot. This will bring an incredible amount of stress into your life. Many very talented home videographers quit the hobby because of the tensions these 'jobs' created. So I say keep it fun or turn it into a little side business. Some guys I know work just enough to pay for the latest new gear. If they see a great new DV cam or a hot new video capture board, they shoot and edit a few parties or events. Then they go back to doing it for fun until they see something else they want to add to their toybox!

Teach others about video.
Take a few moments and let your 16 year old niece check out your camcorder. Then let her shoot some video. If the video she shoots is cool, give her credit as guest cameraperson on the edited tape. There is an added bonus to this: You will actually be in some of your family video for a change!!