Problems from the field
Top 10 Common Video Shooting Mistakes
1. Audio background noise can be one of the least forgiving components when in the edit room. Background noise can be difficult to control such as highway and airplane traffic, neighborhood noises such as lawn mowers. So scout out the location ahead of time. I have even had issues with someone’s stomach growling, so always use headphones while shooting and recording.
2. Wireless Audio noise can include pops, clicks and the dreaded buzzing from cell phones. Make sure you are scanning for the best frequency in your area, be sure all cell phones are turned off (mute can still cause the buzzing).
3. With audio be careful with over-modulation where the sound is to high causing distortion to the audio. This is many time impossible to achieve satisfactory results. You may want to have a dedicated audio tech monitoring the audio or for smaller shoots keep the audio on automatic for unexpected changes in the sound especially from an animated speaker.
4. Your camera lens should be clean prior to shooing and many times during. When in areas of moisture it can be difficult to detect moisture until you are in edit. Also take care it what you are using to clean the lens and that you don’t make it worse by using a lens cloth with oily residue from your sunglasses. Try holding the sky filter on angles to the light to reveal smudges.
5. Lighting can be a trial and error exercise. Take care not to unintentionally back light the subject with a window or light. This can overexposure the subject and make the washed out.
6. Lighting hot spots and reflections may not show up until edit so step back and look at the big picture for windows, mirrors, reflective surfaces and eye glasses. Be sure to turn on zebra patterns which may be able to indicate some of these suspect areas prior to shooting.
7. Props in the shot can be a nuisance. Look for lighting, stands, other cameras, microphones or other props that could ruin a shot.
8. Phantom objects and changes in attire can be distracting to the viewer. Be sure no objects suddenly appear in scene and the talent wears the same clothing if the scene is set to the same timeline.
9. Double check other camera operators. Make sure you know what is in all cameras on multi shoots and the camera operator is aware of props in the shot and proper framing. Inexperienced camera operators can make editing filled with unpleasant surprises.
10. Soft or out of focus objects can be very distracting to the viewer. IT is a good habit to zoom in on the subject close or the eyes of a person and get a tight focus. In some circumstances auto focus may be helpful but be careful if the focus keeps seeking to refocus on an object and creating a moving focus effect.
Stephen Showalter
WebVidco
www.webvidco.com
