Video Filming Techniques

                                                 VIDEO FILMING TECHNIQUES

We need to look at the Video Camera / Flip Camera itself and how we can work with it regarding its features and functions. You will need to be working in manual focus and manual zoom, this is to get everyone used to working the video camera without any auto functions apart from auto white balance.

The digital video tape has been preloaded as the mechanism is quite delicate and the video cameras belong to a another department.

In this session I would like you to film a piece of video footage in a considered way, ie not just swinging it around ‘looking for shots’. The main objective will be to produce several types of shot, as listed below, select your scene and compose your shot first before you press record as you would in photography.

When you are ready press the record button and let the camera record for 10 seconds before and after each shot. All shots are to be produced with a tripod if available, and need to be as ‘camera shake’ free as possible. Types of shots you need to produce are listed below;

1. Pan shot from left to right
2. Pan shot from right to left  (different shot).
3. Close up shot, ie, a tight shot of someone’s face clipping off the top of the head.
4. A wide angle shot taken from a low viewpoint looking up.
5. A tilt shot from low to high
6. A tilt shot from high to low (different shot).
7. A shot which manual focuses on a person walking towards the camera and retaining focus.
8. A shot which manual focuses on a person walking away from the camera and retaining focus
9. A ‘Pull Focus’ shot moving from a static shot onto another static shot ie, from a branch to a person in the background.

To help you to focus on what needs to be done you may want to include one of the following key words in all of your images;

REFLECTION, LINE , VERTICAL, COLOURS, SCALE, OPPOSITE, FRAME.

For the shots that you do you must provide 3 versions of each as this assignment cannot be done correctly using your first attempt. Also several versions or ‘takes’ is normal practice in any video production to ensure you are getting a correctly focussed and composed video. Also when we come to the video editing stage we have choices to ensure that we have a useable section of video to use. And you don’t have to go out and film it again.

The last thing to consider is to start to use a technique known as ‘In Camera Editing’, this is where you are very aware of the starting point of your first composed shot before you press the record button. You let the camera start to record for 10 seconds before moving the camera, and you film your shot as normal, let the camera rest again for 10 seconds before pressing the button again to stop recording. This will also allow enough time for any editing transitions to take place between each section of video film in the editing stage.

Group G will go out first until break, then after break group H will go out. For the group staying in you will need to research the following.

1. The video camera / Flip Camera we are using and its functions.
2. The techniques you will be using, Pan, Tilt, and Zoom.
3. The ‘mm lens’ being used for wide angle, normal, and zoom techniques.
4. ‘Pull Focus’ technique with an explanation again in a new blog entry.
5. The advantage of ‘manual focus’ over ‘auto focus’.
6. The type of tripod you used along with a comparison to a normal photography one, main features and differences. Benefits of using a tripod over handheld.

All of the above will need to have a separate blog with supporting written analysis. This has to include video clips, photographs of the equipment used. Your written work must be reflective in that it must consider what went well, thoughts and ideas along with what you would do differently next time to improve the outcome.

For the people who cant get to use the main video camera you will use the Flip Cameras, the same applies for all of the above apart from the pull focus which is not possible with a Flip Camera.

We will be looking at editing the film clips to an audio track in the coming weeks. For next week you are required to bring in an audio cd of your choice, from which we can use an audio track in editing your videos.