Making moving pictures.
WHAT THE STAGES ARE
Planning Shooting Editing Sound Export and delivery
WHAT MOST AMATEUR VIDEO GETS WRONG
Sound, before anything else.
WHY
Viewers tolerate poor picture and abandon poor audio.
WHAT FRAME RATE DETERMINES
How motion appears.
WHAT THE COMMON RATES ARE
Around twenty-five or thirty, for ordinary video Higher rates, for slow motion Lower rates, for a filmic look
WHAT TO KEEP
One rate throughout a project.
WHAT SHUTTER SPEED SHOULD BE FOR VIDEO
Roughly double the frame rate.
WHY
It produces motion blur that looks natural.
WHAT HAPPENS OTHERWISE
Motion appears stuttering or smeared.
WHAT RESOLUTION TO SHOOT
Higher than you will deliver, if you intend to crop or stabilise.
WHAT STABILITY REQUIRES
A tripod, a gimbal, or deliberate bracing.
WHY SHAKY FOOTAGE FAILS
It is tiring to watch and reads as unprofessional.
WHAT TO SHOOT MORE OF THAN YOU THINK
Cutaway shots, showing detail or context.
WHY
They rescue edits, and their absence forces awkward cuts.
WHAT TO ALWAYS RECORD
Several seconds before and after each take.
