Shooting video looks a lot harder than it does in concept. The first time you saw someone holding a camera, you might have thought “I could do that easily.” But then you get hands on and roll and the output is nothing you expected it to be.
Becoming better on camera isn’t rocket science, but it isn’t like cooking ready-mix pancakes either. There’s always a thing or two to know about shooting videos and I explain that in detail here. But for now, I’d like to leave you with five simple and doable tips anyone can do that will have you shooting better videos in time.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Like the old idiom goes, practice makes perfect. If you want that perfect shot, perfect angle and perfect take, it’s going to take lots and lots of practice. The best part is you can start practising as early as now. With time and constant application, you’ll get used to all the equipment, gliding shots, angles and so on.
Improve Your Hand-held Technique
One specific area you will need a lot of practice in is improving your hand-held technique. Sure there will always be image stabilisers, tripods, monopods, gliding tracks and so on, but getting into the fundamental and rudimentary practices of mastering it hand-held before anything else will make you more confident when holding a camera any time.
Prepare a Script and Shot List
Businesses need business plans, buildings need architectural and engineering designs and teachers need teacher’s plans. Shooting video is no different. If you have a script and shot list on hand, you’ll be able to make sure that you don’t miss any important shots. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Think Outside The Box
The only reason why artists learn the rules is to find ways to effectively break them. While there is room and time to learn proper principles and techniques, the time will come that you will have to think outside the box and do things differently. Video production is creative work and the more creative you are the better you will be.
Have Fun
The secret ingredient to becoming better at anything is to be passionate about something and love what you do. It’s virtually impossible to love something you don’t have fun doing. When using the camera, be as natural as possible and even goof off at times (but make sure not to break anything!)
Everyone always has some aspect or area to improve on when it comes to being better on camera. There’s just so much to learn to add value to your work and the work you do for others, and it all depends on how good you want to get. Sometimes all it takes is the basics and a whole lot of commitment and drive to become the best videographer you can possibly be.
