Tips for Filming

Before you start filming, watch WITNESS‘ intro to filming for video advocacy, which features the top filming tips and techniques to help you get the best footage and sound when you’re filming.  It also features tips on filming with mobile phones and filming a demonstration or an event.

Each of the following links feature a short how-to video, descriptive text and additional resources…

• Primary Visual Components of Your Video
• Tips for Filming
  • Holding Your Camera
  • Moving With Your Camera
  • Moving Your Camera
  • Zoom and Focus
  • Viewpoint and Direction
  • Composing and Framing Your Shots
  • Tips for Getting Good Sound
  • Tips for Getting Good Lighting
  • Tips on Filming a Live Event
• How to Conduct Great Interviews
  • Informed Consent: Process, Tips and Suggestions
  • Interviewing for Beginners
  • Interviewing Victims of Trauma
  • Interviewing Exercise
• Label and Log Your Footage
• Video Equipment Checklist
• Filming With Your Mobile Phone
  • Stream Video From Your Mobile Phone
• Safety and Security

Additional resources

These short videos from VideoMaker.com are great intro videos and worth watching.

1.  A two-minute video, Seven deadly sins of camerawork.

2.  A short video introduces great tips on good storytelling.

3.  This video features tips on how to shoot online video.

4.  This video features tips on what equipment to choose – particularly for creating online video.

5 additional online guides with great, in-depth resources

• Tactical Tech’s Comprehensive Video Section of the Message in a Box
• Knight Digital Media Center’s 15-Step Guide
• C-Net’s 10 Tips to Beat Bad Home Video
• CNN’s I-Report Toolkit
• MediaCollege.com’s: Video Camera Tutorials