How to Create a Great Video - a Simple Guide on How to Shoot Home Movies with a Camcorder

So you have bought a camcorder and have shota pen-pal on the other side of the world, you need
some footage, but truthfully you don't much like theto imagine that grandchildren 50 years from now will
results. Maybe I can help. My advice is based on tenbe watching and enjoying your footage -- they need
years of looking over people's shoulders at myto see more than this year's Christmas tree or a
business, the Video Kitchen in Louisville Kentucky,collage of unidentified faces all wedged together at
where people transfer old home movies, duplicatethe end of a table.If traveling and touring about,
video tapes they've shot, and edit their raw footage.consider being rebellious -- don't shoot a video that
My staff and I see a lot of mistakes being made.the travel industry would want to buy, don't try to
Other times we see exciting footage shot by anoutdo the shots on the picture postcards, don't
amateur who claims to have no education in the artcome back with hours of footage of old churches
of videography. What makes the difference? Lots ofand great overlooks. Instead, shoot the little things
things. I'll cover a few of the biggest issues here.Let'sthat are different: the tacky, the elegant, the ugly,
start with a test: What's the easiest thing to teach athe glamorous. Get kids at play, beggars on the
kid to do? Is it to feed itself, to go to the bathroomsidewalk, strange trucks, painted front doors, signs
in the toilet, to walk, to talk? . . . No, none of thosethat tell you that you are "going to hell . . ."In other
answers are the one I am looking for. Here's a clue:words, take great care in capturing what the trade
What do most kids do for more than 20-hours eachcalls "establishing shots" of a time and place. Get a
week? Sleeping doesn't count. OK, here's the answerpicture of the neighborhood, the house, the rooms
I'm looking for: The easiest thing to teach a kid to doyou know and live in. Capture shots of things that
is watch TV. As the kid grows up, how much time towear out and become obsolete: cars, telephones,
we spend teaching him or her to create TV? Howstoves, TVs, clothes, shopping areas, airplanes, you
much time was spent teaching you how to createname it.Break away from your friends and family and
TV? Not much.Many years ago, when I first startedget shots that put them in a time and place. I
taking home movies, the firms, such as Kodak, thatremember one morning looking at a home movie
sold film came with instructions how to make goodshot in the hills of Kentucky at a family funeral,
movies. Then, when you got your film back from theprobably 60 years ago. There were white frame
processing lab, you might find the dreaded "It's nothouses, the family all dressed in black, old square
my fault" note telling you how you screwed up withcars, a white frame church and spectacular shots of
advice how to do better next time. Not so witha cemetery on the side of a hill on a green and
today's video equipment -- you're on your own.golden fall day. I didn't know are care about the
Maybe a family member will suggest your video isfamily faces but the cameraman had so captured a
lacking, but most likely everyone will watch in stunnedtime and place that I couldn't take my eyes off of it.
silence and politely thank you for the experience asIt was a glimpse into an era that no longer exists,
they excuse themselves to get some fresh air or goand it was caught very simply by a novice family
get a drink.The learning curve for shooting video ismember with movie camera in hand.However, you
similar to learning how to cook -- rarely does aand most of your audience will care about the family
beginner produce a gourmet meal, but we all knowfaces in your video, and this is where you really have
what tastes dreadful and what is truly gourmet. Thisto go to work. Some of the best shots occur when
makes learning how to "cook up" great videosyou behave like a fly on the wall -- the actors in your
intellectually exciting. What looks trivial -- just pushvideo no longer care or know that you are there. It's
the red button -- really isn't. There is much more to itactually a lot of work. You need to shoot, or look like
than that, just as getting a great meal out withoutyou are shooting so much that everyone starts to
burning half of it and serving the other half cold andignore you. You aren't asking them to smile or say
undercooked can be a huge challenge for thecheese. You aren't interviewing them. You are simply
beginner (and even some of us who have been doingmaking a fool of yourself standing on a chair in the
it for years).Fortunately for the rebellious soulscorner, crawling on the floor chasing the cat, pushing
among us, the rules for shooting great videos are notin on the stove while someone tries to stir a pot,
cast in stone -- you can do rude things and youreavesdropping in on every conversation. You tell
audience may love it, just as a great chef may burneveryone to not worry, that you'll probably throw
and over-pepper a fish and sell it as "blackened" to90% of what you shoot away, and you well
an appreciative audience. But you really should knowmight.With the fly-on-the-wall technique you are
the rules of the game before you start breakinghoping to capture real people in action. Twenty or
them -- you need to know how to use your toolsthirty years from now you'll want to know what
and what happens when you push things to thegrandma sounded like as a young mother, your kids
limit.Put a video camera in the hands of a teenagewill laugh that their uncle still walks just like he did
boy and one of the first things he will do is shoot awhen he was a kid, they'll be amazed at how playful
bunch of footage in near darkness. Put the sameall the old goats were back then. These reactions
camera in the hands of his teenage sister and one ofdon't come if every shot is posed. A few interviews
the first things she will do is turn the cameraand testimonials may be good, but if they're bad,
sideways and upside down. Such fun -- just let mewhat do you do with them -- throw them on the
out of the room when we have to view this junk --floor and hurt someone's feelings?The fly-on-the-wall
it's roughly equivalent to a child baking his or her firsttechnique assumes you will follow up and edit out the
cake with it's soggy middle and chocolate all over thejunk and the boring but you don't just want to leave
kitchen.Most of us struggled through 12 or morethe camera running endlessly. You want to get shots
years of school where we were required to createfrom different angles. You want to grab snippets and
essays for evaluation by our teachers. Back themove. You need to hit the red button and stop the
papers would come with red marks all over themcamera before you hunt for the next shot.
correcting grammar, spelling and suggesting that weSentences have periods. Don't be guilty of taking
didn't really get our point across. A lot of years and arun-on videos.If your subjects get busy and decide
lot of essays later we might feel comfortable puttingto do something interesting, grab the camera. Maybe
words on paper.This isn't the case for creating video.the guys will tear into a car or motorcycle, maybe
Some schools offer a course or two but rarely haveeveryone will play a rousing game of Monopoly,
the poor teachers been taught anything about theperhaps the women will go shopping, how about a
subject, so how are they supposed to pass muchpickup football or basketball game, and certainly get
knowledge on to their students? At best the systemshots in the kitchen. Get dad in his tool room, get
turns out budding newscasters, great for TV stationsmom picking flowers, film washing a favorite pet,
who can pick the prettiest face from a hugecapture a stroll through the park.Let's look at taking
oversupply of kids who want to chase policemen,such videos from another angle. Suppose you find
but not really useful for all the other commercial andyourself with camera in hand at a deadly event you'd
artistic opportunities that are showing up as videorather missed filled with boorish in-laws you really
moves to hundreds of cable channels, shows up ondon't like. Just for the fun of it you decided to record
PC's and soon will be everywhere on the Internet.the event in the most hateful manner possible. Here
For examples, visit our web page at booklet is notare a few ideas. Start by shoving the camera in
for those who want to shoot video commercially.peoples' faces while they are chewing on food and
Most people (by a huge factor) simply want tomake them say something. Then move everyone to
create good videos for fun and family just as manya cramped area and make them repeatedly say
of us who aspire to be great chefs have absolutelycheese. If possible, put a bright light in their eyes or
no intention of ever darkening to door of the kitchenput them outside in the sunniest place you can find.
in a commercial restaurant. Unlike great or bad meals,Make the parents feel guilty for their kids that won't
however, a video will likely be around for many yearsstand still and film their anger and frustration.After
and in some cases will be viewed by generations ofthat, hope everyone slouches down in a couch with a
unborn grandchildren who may judge you unfairly ifbeer or too much dinner to watch a football game on
your video-making skills are inferior.So now I'veTV. Stand over them like a regal king and shoot
scared you a little, I don't want you to run from yourdown on them making them look as slovenly as
video camera. Instead I hope you feel challenged topossible. If you block their view of the TV, maybe
jump in and start to master the subject. Like anyone of them will stick his tongue out, curse you or
subject, your skills improve with practice, practice,give you the finger, all of which you can happily
practice. You are in control. You can (and should)record for future generations. One of my favorite
throw away your junk footage. Plan on letting theshots occurs when you burst into a bathroom while
world see maybe as little as one-sixth of what yousomeone is sitting on the pot. Wake someone up
shoot and you'll have much more fun.If you werewho is taking a nap. With luck you can so invade
making a Hollywood movie, you would need a script,someone's territory while they are having a serious
professional actors, and a support team of dozens ordiscussion that they will stick the palm of their hand
hundreds of people to manage everything fromout to block your lens just like a good communist
lighting and staging to snacks and insurance for thepoliceman might have as he was beating up on a
crew. If you were shooting a documentary, you'dkid.Find the fat people and film them to show off
need a story line, a point of view, an argument thattheir large stomachs. Find the old and shriveled people
you'd want to show and prove. Much the same canand go in tight on their bad skin. If one of the kids is
be said for videos that sell, train or record fora bully, film him persecuting his younger siblings.
posterity a defined event or staged production. ButCapture whining and temper tantrums if possible. Pray
here you are, you have a camera, want to shootfor a big family argument that you can film
video, but don't have any of this working for you.surreptitiously.That's just a few suggestions how to
What are you to do, leave it in the closet? No, butmake people look awful -- it's very easy to do, and
you do need to go about your task with some "do'smost subjects will rise to the occasion without much
and don'ts" in mind.When your job is to watch daysprompting. In fact, if you are not careful, you will
and days of old home movies and family videos, youaccidentally capture lots of such footage without
understand the comment of one of my staff after areally trying. We see it all the time at our shop.If you
really busy period: "I think if I see one morehave any other questions, please visit our web page
Christmas tree, shots of kids at the beach, or aat: us at:
family eating a large Thanksgiving meal, I'll throw up!"1917 Blankenbaker Parkway
In the middle of this rush, a large order came in ofLouisville KY 40299
1940's footage shot in and around a family summerCall us at:
home that was a total show stopper for my staff.(502) 266-0905That's all for now. This is a work in
My guys all said, "Wow, look at this!" and we did. Forprogress and I've put the rough version up on the
me, it was a time warp -- return to a childhood era Iweb hoping for some feedback. If there's interest,
knew, but for my young staff born 30 years aftermaybe that will spur me on to finish it up.Video
the footage was shot, it was completely fascinatingKitchen was founded in 1992 as a place to "cook up
too. What had this long forgotten uncle done righta great video!" Over the years over 25,000
that so caught our eye, so interested us? Simplecustomers have come through our doors to do
things, really, things that you and I can do with noeverything from duplicating a tape for their family to
great effort or planning.Here you stand, camera inproduction of sophisticated broadcast-quality videos
hand, with no story in mind. You don't know how thefor businesses, organizations and charities. We have
day is going to unfold, nor do you expect anythinggrown from one to two closely integrated operations
unusual to occur. You don't even know who yourin Louisville Kentucky. The original operation is at 2323
audience might be if you roll the camera, but youBardstown Road, Louisville KY, 40205, a mile and a
want to capture the moment, you want to play withhalf north of I-264 in the middle of the bustling
your new toy. Where do you start? Here are someBardstown Road corridor. If you look at a map of
things to think about that may help.Be selfish: assumethe Louisville metropolitan area, we are very near the
that you will be the ultimate audience -- that you arecenter of the map. In April 2004 Video Kitchen
trapped in a nursing home with hard floors and hardopened a second location to better serve you at
walls surrounded by strangers, lonely, and no longer1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, Louisville KY, 40299. This
interested in a world that is spinning away withoutis in Louisville's east end, two traffic lights south of
you. What would you want to relive andI-64 in the Blankenbaker Place Center.Not only do
enjoy?Create an imaginary pen-pal on the other sideyou gain access to professional equipment, you'll find
of the world: imagine you are exchanging "this is mya professional staff ready to help you create a
world" videos with that person -- someone you wantsuperb video. If you need copies, one or thousands,
to impress but whom you feel has no idea whatwe are the place to do that for you, six days a
everyday life in your world is like. Perhaps instead ofweek.