Somethings about DSLR video

Recently I got an email asking me what I would do if I would give tips for DSLR filming.
Although I don’t see myself as an expert on the topic I decided to give you some of the tips I also tell during my workshop DSLR filming for beginners. They are just the basic things but hopefully they can help you out.

Please do remember that most of the videos you find on my YouTube account are put together in a rush, so most of the tips I give here are in the projects I do for clients and the videoclips we shoot, but often not in the behind the scene videos, those are just for fun and in 99% of the cases edited by our interns.

When shooting think about the following.
Where with photography you “often” can get away with the “wing it” method you can forget this with video. You will get much better results when you run from a written down script, this can be simple of course but at least know what you’re gonna shoot. With video it’s very important to have an interesting story, and where with stills you can often find 1-2 great shots going in unprepared with video this is totally different.

Film short segments, nobody wants to see shots running for 2-3 minutes. I always try to keep my segments at 10 seconds max (and according to some that’s already long).

Don’t repeat to much of the same stuff, in other words vary with angles, positions, action etc. If you already have two sequences with a bike coming by, don’t include the other 50, the message is clear.

Make sure that you “grade” your material, meaning get the exposure and look equal when you are going to combine the pieces later, nothing is more “weird” than having full bodies with exposure X and the close ups with exposure Y.

Find angles, as with stills it’s important to be creative, find the right angles and make sure that your material is interesting from that angle.

Try to keep the camera as steady as possible, use accessories if necessary or a tripod, remember that nobody is waiting for a roller coaster ride, but they want to see smooth video.

Don’t pan like crazy, slow pans look much better than the familiar holiday pans where you go 360 in 2 seconds and then throw up.

Don’t zoom in and out and in and out, keep one focal length and if you want to change start a new clip. (I don’t say NEVER zoom but keep it on the low side in terms of times you do it in a clip).

If possible record audio on a separate device. Make sure that the format is the same as the camera is using, don’t go for the cheap MP3 recorders but really choose the same as the camera is recording, otherwise you WILL get out of sync audio.
Remember that the refresh rate is very important when shooting inside with light or when TV’s are running.

Also remember that the shutter speed will have a very heavy influence on your final outcome, when shooting high speed action experiment with both high shutter speeds and slower speeds and see which look you like most. The higher speeds will give you a more “Saving private Ryan” look, while the slower ones will make the image more smooth.

Multicam
When using multi cam setups use cameras that are app the same in color and settings. UNLESS you can get away with different looking material of course, but preferably get the same cameras.

CLAP the audio and video, make sure all cameras see (and hear) the clapboard, this will make it very easy to later sync the audio and video.

Don’t stop cameras in between, with the modern software for syncing it’s not a real problem but I always prefer to just let them run.

Editing
Try to edit QUICK.
A video that runs for ever is boring, short clips with quick transitions look great and will keep the viewers attention.

Don’t freak around with looks. Choose a look for the whole video or sequence and stick with it.

A good way to edit is for example, full body, close up, 3/4, full body, close up etc. don’t go from close up to close up to full body to full body, experiment with the order but make it interesting.

Don’t use too much transitions, I know they look cool but hard cuts often work much better.

Add music, this changes the whole feel of a video, you can do it silently (very low volume in the background) or replace the original audio. Choose music fitting for what you film/tell.

When doing multi cam edits make sure you first do the “main story” and later add the angles, with the modern software this is literally a breeze, it’s like changing channels on a TV set.

When you do want to show a longer clip… try to cut some other material in between some of the shots.

Hardware and software
I use the following gear for my DSLR
Glidecam 2000 : A cheap but wonderful “steady cam” solution
Small HD monitor : You really can’t live without one when you once used it, Small HD delivers the best price quality in my opinion.
Edelkrone rigs : You have to make sure everything is steady and good to handle, Edelkrone has a great system to build rigs from the ground up and in the end have a system with follow focus, handles, shoulder rest and monitor mounts.

On the software side I LOVE the guys from Red Giant and use their software always to create a certain look in my videos, but also don’t forget to use Singular softwares Plural eyes to sync up your audio with multi cam.

My editing is done in either Final Cut Pro X from Apple or Adobe’s Premiere Pro CS6.
But there are of course many other options.

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