1: Sharp Shooting

Good camerawork has less to do with using the latest state-of-the-art equipment and more to do with taking control.

Take a close look at a number of recent-model video camcorders and you’ll notice that although many vary in their outward appearance, they have remarkably similar functions.

Every compact digital video camcorder is designed for hand-held usage, as well as having a zoom lens. Most of them will allow the user to over-ride automatic functions like exposure, focus and white balance, too.

Not only do they offer the ability to add titles, fades and digital picture effects to recordings, but these days nearly all digital camcorders allow recording of your old analogue VHS or 8mm videotapes to the digital tape or disk in the camcorder, making it more than just a camcorder but also a portable digital video recorder and simple DVD authoring tool as well.

Good video of the kind that your viewers will enjoy isn’t the result of your owning the latest camcorder technology; with any camcorder and a basic set of skills it’s possible to shoot video on virtually any subject in a way that will appeal to your audiences and – more importantly – stand up to repeated viewing and even commercial distribution.

Who’s the boss?

Acquiring video footage that has the same look and feel as broadcast TV documentaries isn’t difficult; all that’s required is that you get to know what your camcorder can and cannot do, and then you simply tell it who’s boss. The best camcorder in the world will give you excellent pictures and sound – but it can’t think for you. That’s the bit you have to do yourself. You can begin this process of self-assertion by taking a close look at your camcorder. Most budget-priced late models have automatic control of focus, iris (exposure) and white balance (colour temperature). So, to begin with, let’s switch off everything automatic and see what the effect is.

Taking control

There are several good reasons for switching off the auto controls at this stage. For a start, you seize more control over what the cam is doing, and you don’t have to put up with auto circuits contradicting your every move. The worst culprit is auto focus – these circuits have a mind of their own, and no matter how sophisticated they are they never seem to work as efficiently as you intend. And, of course, they’ll never allow you to perform a natty pull-focus.

Look again at the docusoap – do you notice how there’s very little zooming? Professionals are trained to use zooms only when they have a relevance to the shot and sequence.

Another reason is that many cams used for TV fly-on-the-wall documentaries (such as the Sony DSR-PD170 and Canon DM-XL2) have low-cost lenses, and any zooming around in shot will often show up the inadequacies of the lens (with images tending to look fuzzy during hunting for a suitable composition).

Usually, shots will be gathered with the lens zoomed out fully. Getting a close shot invariably involves the operator physically moving in closer rather than zooming in to the subject. With the lens set to full wide, you’ll find the general depth of focus is better, too – something that’s immediately noticeable when zooming around aimlessly, as can be seen in many home videos which have been shot at parties or beside holiday swimming pools.

If you’re considering a lot of hand-held production, it’s well worth following the lead of docusoap-makers and investing in a good wide-angle lens attachment. Unlike their broadcast-TV specification counterparts (where wide-angle zoom lenses cost more than the average family car), so-called prosumer DV and HDV camcorders  don’t have interchangeable lenses, so a good adaptor will help you to get in close to the subject whilst retaining depth of field – but test several before buying.

You’ll find that shooting wide has many benefits; by pretending that you have a fixed-focus system, you’ll find that you have to give much more thought to the composition of the shot, with the result that sequences appear much more gritty and realistic. By physically getting into the action and shooting people close-up you’ll find that the resulting footage not only looks better from a technical point of view, but it makes it much easier and satisfying to edit into a workable sequence later. And even if you’re not planning to edit, you’ll find that the un-edited footage will appeal to all viewers.

Gripping stuff

For some strange reason, camcorder manufacturers seem to assume that the best way to support a cam is by placing your right hand through the strap in such a way that your forefinger and middle finger are nicely positioned over the zoom toggle.

The problem with this style of hand-held operation is that not only does it make the use of the zoom an ever-present temptation, but it also makes it difficult for you to support the cam effectively when viewing with the fold-out LCD screen on the opposite side of the body.

I once attended a wedding at which the now-customary wedding video guy went about his task with a handycam in his right hand, chewing gum as his left hand remained in his pocket. I could see that he was “hosing” the scenes before him with the cam – with no thought, no structure and clearly no idea – as the recording later proved. If he’d have kept away from the zoom and supported the cam properly, the footage would have been much better. Well – maybe.

Posture points

For more effective hand-held operation, it’s best to grip the cam firmly round the body and keep your elbows tight to your sides when using the viewfinder. That way, if you wish to take a panning shot from left to right, you’ll find that you can achieve reasonable stability by literally swivelling your hips as you pan. Smooth pans can’t be achieved without the cam being held rigidly against the body.

Most serious users tend to use the zoom control simply to reframe shots whilst the unit is in standby mode; it’s a good idea to treat the video camcorder very much like a still camera – look at the scene, select the shot, frame it and then hit the record button. Once you’re happy that sufficient action (or dialogue) has taken place, count to three in your head and pause the cam. Always give a breather at the head and tail of the shot, as it helps in editing.

The other obvious means of acquiring stable shots is to use a tripod. It sounds an obvious recommendation, but it’s surprising how many video-makers don’t possess even a basic model. In general, the more you pay for a tripod, the more control you’ll have over your shots. Choose carefully – and insist that you test a variety of models with your camcorder mounted. A good tripod will enable you to set up very smooth pan and tilting shots; it will give you variable control over the drag (ie: the resistance) of pans and tilts. Ideally, a properly set up tripod will allow you to “ramp-up” (ie: accelerate smoothly) at the beginning of a move, and “ramp-down” at the end. What you don’t want is a jerky move – something that is inevitable with low-cost tripods.

Though never intended as such, the folding LCD screen can be used as an aid to stability of hand-held shots too. By holding the cam firmly round the body in the manner already described, it’s possible to get some nice smooth shots simply by carefully holding the screen with the left hand. With practice you’ll be able swivel the screen as you crouch down or stretch up and maintain good framing. Holding the camcorder in this way can also result in a smoothing-out of walking shots – a sort of poor-person’s SteadyCam! Again – always shoot with the lens fully zoomed out for the best results.

Focusing

Where possible, set the cam’s optical system to manual focus – you’ll notice an instant improvement in the overall quality of your recorded sequences.

By virtue of the way they operate, automatic focus systems are constantly evaluating the nature of the image arriving through the lens, and will generally use the centre of the image as the reference point. If, therefore, you wish to throw out of focus the action in the centre of the frame in favour of (for instance) overhanging branches on the right of the frame, you’ll have no option but to adjust your shot to bring the branches of the tree into the centre of frame.

The auto-focus mechanism will then bring the branches into focus. Unfortunately, this has unwanted implications for your composition. The way round this is to select manual focus and take charge of what’s going on. Now you can select your framing – and your focus.

Obviously, if you’re shooting in a situation where there are rapid changes beyond your control (such as news events), it’s best to rely upon the cam’s auto-focus circuits – but manual focus gives you much more control in the long run, and that’s the name of the game.

Sharp practice

When attempting to zoom in to a subject using cams equipped with auto-focus circuits, have you ever noticed how the shot tends to go in and out of focus as you’re zooming? And have you found that, once into your close-up, that you have to wait for the image to sharpen? This is due to the action of the auto-focus system working overtime to analyse the image even as you are zooming. The way round this is to switch off the auto-focus altogether – and follow this simple guide to ensuring that a zoom in is always sharp:

With the cam in standby mode (before recording):

1. Zoom in to your chosen subject fully
2. Adjust the focus manually
3. Zoom out and frame your starting shot
4. Start to record – and commence your zoom.

You’ll find that not only will the shot be sharp all the way down the zoom (depending upon your cam’s optical system), but the shot will also be sharp at the end of the zoom.

Large, professional, camera lenses have zoom controls that are extremely sensitive, allowing the operator to start a zoom slowly and then speed up according to need. Low-cost cams don’t have such luxuries – and very smooth zooming comes only after a great deal of practice, so the advice is to use them sparingly.

Compensating for heavy back-light

Thanks to the over-enthusiastic nature of many cams’ lens iris (exposure), it’s often the case that a subject will appear silhouetted when placed against, or in close proximity to, a bright light source. Perhaps the most common example of this is where a bride and groom are unrecognisable at their church wedding because the cam user has positioned them in front of a large, stained-glass window.

The obvious way round this problem is to check out a more suitable position from which to shoot prior to the event. Where it’s unavoidable, you’ll find it better to switch to manual exposure operation and simply open up the iris as much as you can.

The downside is that the incoming light will bleach excessively – but at least the bride’s mum will have the dress on video. Most cams now have a feature called “back light”, which performs the above job at the press of a button.

Written by Colin Barrett. Updated Dec 2009.