By Russell Gienapp
Though I work with camera packages that are worth +$100,000, I try to use simple tools when I am doing videos for ActiveKidsClub . Iphones and simple handicams are more than powerful enough for memories and the web. But as you will learn, some of your biggest challenges have nothing to do with picture quality.
Be close
One of the first light bulb moments in my photographic life was; if you don’t like your photos, you probably are not close enough. And this is so true. An executive from Kodak told me about a survey that had been taken from photo labs around the world. And though the exact number escapes me, it was over 95% of all photos taken were 12 feet from the subject at eye level.
So if you photos look like everyone else’s snapshots, perhaps they do because you were standing 12 feet from your subject and holding the camera at eye level. Get close and change up the angles. And don’t feel like you have to zoom in (better yet don’t zoom at all), try using a wide-angle lens and physically get closer and see what you get.
Sound
Getting closer will help save you with the other big problem that exists in the film world. Don’t tell any cinematographers I told you this, but it is sound. Just look at many of the viral homespun youtube videos with the worst image quality and camera craft ever. If the story is compelling and you can hear what people are saying clearly then you don’t mind the less than stellar camera work.
So unless you have a professional sound engineer with you, the camera (which houses the microphone) needs to be no farther away than five feet for good sound). Which is great for you because getting closer helps make better photos.
How close is close enough is entirely up to the situation you are in and the type of microphone you have on the camera. If you are in a completely quiet forest (not as easy to find as you might think) you can be quite far from the mic on the camera. But, say you are next to a waterfall; you might have to get right into someone’s face to hear what he is saying clearly. One piece of gear that can help is wearing good quality ear buds or headphones that isolate the sound so you hear what the camera mic is hearing.
A vlog
A vlog can be a single shot video or the kind you use editing software to refine your story. The simple one-shot wonder is where the viewer gets to see and experience what you are experiencing in the moment. They are the most difficult to pull off consistently if you have an agenda, but they are easy to shoot, don’t require editing and can be quite fun and carefree. As you shoot more videos you may find that you may want to start editing.
Short is often best
In my most humble opinion, any one shot video over one or two minutes can be painful to watch unless it is super amazing or you run into aliens and they have to tell you some really important things before they go back to their planet. Edited videos should be no more than 5 minutes.
And the final rule to this lesson is all rules are meant to be broken. But really, you have to understand the rules first before you start bending them. Get outside with your kids and start a vlog today.
Russell is a three times Gemini nominated Director of Photography in the film and television industry.He feels lucky to make his living doing what he loves in life. Being a cinematographer demands skills both creative and physical. His office ranges from steamy tropics to icy winter conditions where he has learned the importance of having the proper gear.
