Amateur video photographers often ask professionals for simple technical tips to improve home videos. These can be broken down into four major areas of possible improvement:

• Lighting
• Focus
• Sound
• Framing

Lighting

A common problem among home video-makers is the reliance on existing light sources and the video camera's 'auto' settings.

When the 'auto iris' setting on a camera is used, the camera looks at the central ten percent of the image to set the iris (the amount of light let into the camera) and the focus (the part of the picture that is sharp)¹. Using the auto iris setting results in a 'hunting' iris, which is constantly resetting to match the light in the sensitive central area. An example of this would be a moving shot where dark and light areas alternate as the camera moves from one subject to another. For instance, panning across a group of people where the background is much darker or lighter than the faces will result in a picture that cycled through brighter and darker moments as the automatic iris compensated.

Using Existing Lighting

Existing lighting may at first seem adequate for the subjects and setting, but can cause problems. Strong backlighting may cause the auto iris setting to read the background and not the subject, and could set the iris to turn the foreground into silhouette. For example, if you are videotaping a wedding where a bride and groom leave the ceremony to go outside, you should avoid the auto iris setting if you can to prevent the lens automatically 'shutting down' when it is pointing toward the bright doorway. Instead, set the iris to suit your primary subject(s). This is done by ensuring that the central ten percent of the screen is filled with the subject's face when the automatic iris button is momentarily pushed.

Try to shoot from as close to the existing light source as possible if you are not using additional light sources or you do not want to silhouette the subject. Remember that interior (usually incandescent or fluorescent) lighting is a different colour from the sun's light, so try to separate shots to allow for this.

Professionally, this colour difference is measured in kelvin which is not a temperature reading per se but is in fact a measurement of the colour of light. Read your manual and remember to do a 'white balance' which tells the camera what colour the light is. Some cameras will do this automatically, which is an excellent feature.

Using Additional Lighting

If you are using additional lighting, try to provide a broad, soft source of light: a 'hard' light will produce hard shadows. A professional (flame-resistant) diffusion material in front of the light or simply a white card to bounce the light will suffice. Always remember that if there is too little available light, the resulting picture will suffer from some degradation such as graininess or loss of resolution.

Focus

Again, an 'auto' setting can lead to trouble. If possible, focus manually so as not to create a 'hunting' focus as you or your subjects move. Remember that the more light there is, the higher the iris or 'F-stop²' number and the easier it is to focus. This is due to a larger depth of field (things far away and close up are in focus at the same time). As a reminder to yourself, think of the small iris as an additional 'lens' like a Camera Obscura, which makes focusing easier.

Sound

All too often the audio aspect of home video is ignored. First and foremost, be aware of ambient sound - turn off the radio, television, or other unwanted sound source.

People usually rely on the camera's built-in microphone to record sound. The result is tinny and suffers from the distance between the subject and the camera. A very good investment is a 'wireless' or remote microphone. This consists of a miniature microphone with a transmitter and a receiver for the camera. If you can afford it, one of these devices is very handy.

Remember to put the wireless microphone on the person who is of the most importance, or if two people are involved (as in a wedding), attach it to one person's jacket or dress on the side where the other will be standing. If the subject is not going to move about, place the microphone in an unobtrusive place: on a plant for example, or a piece of furniture. A word of warning however - find an unused piece of furniture as you don't want the rustling of papers on a podium or the creaking of a chair to drown out the sound you do want to capture!

Also beware of recording or listening when the subject does not want to be overheard. It is advisable to show them the 'off' switch for the microphone transmitter.

If a wireless microphone is not used, either stay within ten feet of the subject or use a 'shotgun' (extremely directional) microphone somewhat further away. If you have two inputs for sound on your camera, use two sources if possible (one can be the camera microphone). Stereo shotgun microphones or two wireless microphones with two receivers are ultimately the best choices.

Framing

Picture-framing is a personal choice but there are some simple rules which will help to improve your videos. Shots which are 'framed' by surrounding objects such as tree branches, doorways, etc are generally more pleasing to the eye. These frames also make wide shots more interesting by providing foreground information.

Over-the-shoulder framing gives a 'point of view' angle, while including something far from the subject which is slightly out of focus gives an illusion of depth to the shot. By all means, use your imagination!

Moving the Camera

When moving the camera, tripods make the image steadier. If you need to hand-hold the camera, try to stay close to the subject with a wider lens to reduce apparent camera movement. If you must shoot with a 'long' lens, try to keep your arms near your side for added stability and exhale slowly during the shot.

Try to vary your shots by not shooting everything from eye level. Swing-out flat screen viewfinders allow for shots at arm's length above one's head or close to the floor. Just remember once again that by extending your arm you are increasing apparent camera movement so try to keep the lens wide.

Some Final Tips

• An investment in some good editing software is advisable. Lots of mistakes you might make can be removed that way!
• Wider shots tend to be boring unless intercut with closer ones.
• Long sequences are easier to chop up than trying to make a continuous sequence from short ones. Try to keep recording until the action has stopped!

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