If you’re a videographer or filmmaker, it’s important to continue to increase your knowledge about your craft and how to improve it over time. Whether you’re an amateur or have more experience in the industry, it’s important to know a few filming techniques to avoid on your next project.
Failing to Clean Your Lenses
A common mistake some people make while filing is forgetting to clean their camera lenses in advance. It should be a common practice to prevent smudges or a cloudy haze from being present before you begin filming. You need to clean the glass with a soft cloth on a consistent basis to remove blemishes and dirt that accumulate as you use the equipment.
Forgetting to Smooth Out Your Audio
Your footage may be impressive, but if the audio is poor, it can affect the quality of your film with your video maker equipment. You need to clean it up and get rid of any background noise that may be present. Your dB level should be -3 to prevent the audio from sounding too loud when you upload the video on YouTube or other websites than other videos. You can also remove echo, low hums, and reverb that may be present.
You can also apply a compressor to take a point you choose to bulk up the entire volume of the clip. This step helps to create a leveling effect on the audio and create a radio effect with your voice.
Forgetting Your Equipment
Remembering all your equipment should be common knowledge as a professional in the industry, but it is still an easy mistake too many people make. If you want to succeed in your career, you need to set aside time to organize your equipment and get it ready for the next job that you work. This step includes charging all your batteries for your equipment and testing your cameras to ensure they’re working correctly. Keep the gear organized and easy to access in your bags to ensure you know where to find everything as you work quickly while filming footage.
Not Focusing
Failing to focus the camera on a specific object you’re filming can affect how well you tell your story. If you’re not capable of controlling the camera or fail to focus it at the right times then it will affect the quality of your footage and will prevent you from getting good shots. You can set your focus at the start if you plan to film something that isn’t going to move. Locking the camera into manual focus mode before you start shooting the footage.
Not Understanding White Balance
Understanding how white balance works is essential to ensure the colors are accurate and avoid getting a yellow tone. It only takes ten seconds to set up the white balance by setting up your lighting and resetting it if you move the camera to an outdoor setting. If you’re still learning how to use it, you can rely on auto white balance.
Failing to Follow the 180-Degree Rule
The 180-degree rule is well-known by videographers but is easy to ignore. You’ll need to create an invisible line between two characters on the screen to avoid confusing your viewers with the on-screen movement. It helps to keep everything oriented in the scene. When watching the shots back, it allows everything to be in the right place and make sense. If you fail to follow the rule, it can cause the actors to look like they moved even though they’re still in the same place.
Poor Lighting
The lighting is one of the most important aspects of any film and can determine the tone and mood of your scenes. Poor lighting can prevent enough dimension from being present.
The shadows can fall towards the camera instead of away from it. This type of lighting can create a dramatic effect and works well for making the mood more serious or thrilling.
It’s important to keep the shadows towards the camera with flag replacement, subject placement, or light placement. You also want to avoid using overhead lights in your shot.
Knowing certain filming techniques and mistakes to avoid can allow you to become more conscious about how you prepare for the footage you plan to film. You can start off on the right foot with your next project and become more professional to ensure you advance as a professional in the industry.
Taking Pictures -DepositPhotos
