What I learned from some secondary research is that in order for me to shoot a good short video, I have to handle my equipment with care, especially my camcorder. I also learned I need a spare battery, clean memory card space, a tripod and lighting which I may be going for natural. For my audio, I'm going to need a microphone plugged into the camera, but of course Im going to talk to my tutor about it.
For interviews, I learnt that you cannot shoot right up against a wall, which leads me right up to 'Selective Focus'. Selective focus shows what is the most important thing by focusing on the interviewee, while the background is blurry. Rule of thirds is generally visually pleasing, for the subject should be positioned at the point where the lines intersect with each other.
Review of 4 TIPS TO COMPOSE THE SHOT by Steven Shattuck
The author of the article is the Vice President of marketing at Bloomerang. Like the Rick Broida article, it's main purpose is to teach amateur filmmakers how to shoot, but mainly interviews.
It is presented as being equally friendly and a mixture of formal/informal. An example of this being a mixture of said is when it mentions "Poor Joe, we can't see his face at all." As it relates to the point of filming in front of a window.
It gives the first tip: Avoid Shooting into A Window. It mostly tells that to avoid backlighting from the sun, from making the interviewee look like a shadow.
Avoid shooting up Against the Wall. This tip shows that making the subject pop out from background is essential so that the focus is correct.
Make sure the room is well lit. This tip is helpful when your interviews are indoors, especially when avoiding unnecessary shadows such as, the 'racoon' effect. Fluorescent light helps with giving a cooler (cold) atmosphere to your video, whereas incandescent light gives a warm effect.
The final tip teaches you on the Rule of Thirds. Which I am already familiar with the concept and it also influenced my filming of my charity video.
So in comparison to the other article, Steven Shattuck did his best not to be rude, when Rick Broida himself failed at.
Sources:
Review of 8 Ways to Shoot Video Like a Pro by Rick Broida
The purpose of this article is teach amateur filmmakers how to shoot their movies like professionals.
I found some parts of the opening a little rude when it mentions 'You suck at making home videos.' But it was possibly provoking to read on. Rick Broida's approach in the article was quite snappy and witty. A few things he could do without saying is using the word 'videography,' just say 'filming,' because it would make a lot more sense and try to keep unnecessary detail/going off on a tangent.
It does however mention some helpful points: RTM, which is short for read the manual. An equipment checklist, such as, spare battery, duct tape and a lens cleaning cloth. Use a tripod, to avoid making your film shaky. Raising the light, in case there are any potential pitfalls including the sunlight being too bright or too dim or rain could stop people filming outside. Audio I have fortunately already planned for this. Set up shots by using rule of thirds and not use camcorder effects. I learnt that digital zoom is not the best way to go, so go for optical zoom to avoid graininess. Generally just plan in advance to achieve a great homemade film.
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