Getting to grips with technicalities of home videoing can be more than tricky, especially if you’re trying it out for the first time. Your friend’s epic birthday party, your baby’s first babbling words… these occasions deserve to be captured in films that show off the beauty of the moment more than they show off your dodgy camera skills! Luckily it’s easy to fake it as a pro, if you just avoid a few common pitfalls. We already took you through a selection of the most frequent mistakes, but here are a few more to make sure that you really get the best out of your home camera!
Don’t Shake and Shoot
Keeping a steady hand is one of the surest ways to make sure that nothing detracts from the content of your video. Shaky shots often distract the viewer – and you don’t want to be held responsible for causing motion sickness when you finally share your video with family and friends. A little accidental wobble here and there can be excused, but many videographers find that once the power starts going to their heads they’re suddenly finding excuses to experiment with motion shots at every opportunity. It can be fun to move around while filming, but remember that stillness and balance can also be serious virtues when it comes to making home movies.
Avoid Accidentally Hitting That Record Button
Unwanted shots are exactly that – unwanted, and once they start cluttering up your video you’ll find yourself with more shots of Grandma’s feet than baby’s first steps. It’s all too easy to accidentally hit record, and it can be disappointing to find yourself with a lot of unintended footage. Luckily, this problem has a very easy fix: the camera’s viewfinder will always tell you if you’re currently recording, so keep an eye on it and make sure that you’re only filming what you really want. As an added bonus, you’ll find that less accidental recording makes for longer lasting batteries. Win!
Remember That Everyone Makes Mistakes
As much as this advice can help you take higher quality videos, there’s nothing worse than spending so much time worrying about getting the perfect footage that you end up missing the moment that you were trying to preserve. Mistakes are made by everyone – the best professionals with the greatest track records still find themselves messing up from time to time. As you practice filming and start to perfect your art, you’ll find that those mistakes get fewer and further between, and you’ll learn how to shrug it off when you do find yourself with that unwanted shot or little bit of shaky footage!
However polished your footage is, the most important thing is that once you’ve got it recorded you have it to keep forever. We specialise in transferring 8mm Cine Film to DVD, meaning that you can store your films in a format that is easy to watch, share and treasure. To find out more, contact us at 0800 592 433, or email info@cine2dvdtransfers.co.uk.
