Keep these tips in mind when shooting:

• Think in shots – If you were watching this video what would you want to look at?
• Hold your shot – while you want to have shorter shots once the video is edited together, hold your shots for at least 10 seconds. You can never have too much b-roll!!
• See their eyes – when interviewing someone or filming a human make sure the shot is close enough to see their eyes, it’s what holds a lot of their character and humanity,
• Zoom with your feet – DO NOT use the zoom feature on your camera, it lessens the quality.
• Stand still (or use a tripod) – shaky shots are not cute.
• Hold your camera horizontally! Our eyes are horizontal, that’s how we see, it just makes sense.
• Don’t use a filter – this isn’t Instagram.
• Shoot what you find interesting! – This is key!! If you don’t like what you’re shooting why would anyone else?
• Keep the light behind the camera – look at the diagram below, you want your subject to be properly lit.

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• Rule of Thirds – look at the diagram below. You want to set up your subject to be filling one third of the frame. This gives a more professional look and most people find it creepy if someone is looking right into the camera. 

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• Keep your video short – 3 minutes max is a good rule of thumb. People have short attention spans.

What do you think is important to film for your video?

Brainstorm a list of those important visuals you need to capture to tell your story.

Sources and further reading:

Steve Stockman – How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck