%% date:: [[2022-01-25]], [[2022-08-14]] %% # [[Filming]] Filming is the stage in [[Producing videos|video production]] that involves recording footage, either by using a camera or a screen recording. ## Tips for filming ### Video tips - Figure out where your lens actually is, and look DIRECTLY at that (not at yourself in the electronic viewfinder). - Keep your camera steady - use a tripod. Avoid touching the camera where possible. - Batch where you can: if you have multiple videos to film, try to film them all together so that you don't have to set up everything multiple times. - When you make mistakes, consider changing up the frame when you redo a take, so that you can cut to it later, during editing. - Edit in camera: Remember that the more footage you have, the longer it'll take to edit it. Simplify as much as possible, and eventually you'll get good at shooting only slightly more than what you need for the final product. - When shooting B-roll, hold the shot for at least 10 seconds so that you have options. - Find interesting angles - shoot low, shoot high, zoom in, shoot through objects. #### Multicam tips Shooting more than one angle can really help make your video look more dynamic, and is essential when shooting a conversation between two or more people. - Record audio on ALL cameras-- not just your main one. If nothing else, you can use the audio to synchronize your clips during video editing. - If you have two cameras shooting the same subject (presumably to add the option to switch between the two while editing), consider shooting with one camera in 4K instead. This simplifies your workflow and accomplishes the same thing. - Synchronize the time on every camera. It will come in handy to sort chronologically later. - Compare camera settings on each camera, so that it's not obvious when you make camera switches. ### Lighting tips - If you don't have great lights, use natural light! Position yourself in front of a window. - Avoid using ring lights. They are unflattering and leave rings in your eyes in the video. - Try to get lights with adjustable temperature. Play with the temperature and the white balance of your camera to use the most flattering shade. ### [[Audio]] tips - The simplest way to record audio is to just record it in-camera using an external mic. With this approach, you won't have to sync up the video and the audio in post. - For the ultimate in audio quality, you'll probably want some sort of XLR mic, but that means you'll need an external recorder or audio mixer as well, which will add to your cost and workflow. - Get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible. - Set the audio recording settings on your camera to manual, and then adjust it so that your voice isn't in the yellow or red zones. It's impossible to fix clipping (when sound is recorded too loud, in the red zone, and detail is lost) in post. ### Camera settings - Resolution - Use 4K where possible. Even if the final product is not in 4K, shooting in 4K gives you the opportunity to reframe your video later, in case you didn't do it right. - Camera picture profile - Shoot raw for the ultimate quality, but you'll need to color grade in post-production later. - [[Aperture]] - Shoot with a large aperture (small number) when you want bokeh, or when you want to focus on a subject to the exclusion of the background. - To maintain a large aperture outdoors, consider using a variable ND filter. - Shoot with a small aperture (large number) when you want viewers to see the background as well (such as in travel videos). - [[Shutter speed]] - Shoot at twice your intended frame rate. For example, if you want to shoot in 25p, your shutter speed should be 1/60. - [[ISO]] and exposure - I like to keep this at automatic, unless you can completely control the level of light in your video from start to finish (such as if you are shooting a video in a single room with blocked windows.) - An alternative is to set it to AV mode, where the aperture and exposure levels are locked but the ISO is allowed to vary. [^davella] - [[Frame rate]] - 24/25p for a more cinematic feel - 60p for action shots - [[White balance]] - Set to auto. - Focus - Just use autofocus for A-roll shots. - Use manual focus as needed for B-roll. ## Gear - [[Audio gear]] - [[Video gear]] - [[Lighting gear]] [^davella]: D'Avella, M. (2020). *Master YouTube*. Retrieved from https://slowgrowth.com