Some Dos and Don’ts for Shooting Home Movies

As you’ll see throughout this text, there are no rules for shooting digital video—only suggestions and techniques. Digital video is an interesting beast, because the technology has made high-quality cameras and editing equipment more accessible and, at the same time, the cameras are forgiving. While you should endeavor to get great shots with perfect light and great backgrounds, the primary goal is to get out there and shoot. You’ll likely develop your technique and mastery of the equipment over time. (In fact, audiences in certain settings can watch video pictures of almost any quality as long as the sound is good; if they can’t hear what’s said or if the sound is too grating, a video is difficult to sit through. If the sound is good, however, sub-par lighting and composition don’t hurt your video too much.)
Knowing some pro-level techniques can certainly help. In this section, we’ll start out with some “Don’ts” and then move on to some “Dos” that serve as suggestions for better home video. Hopefully, these tips will keep you out of some of the classic potholes that home video producers fall into, while getting you some footage you’ll be able to use in the editing bay.