With the easy access to video equipment, many people are tempted to capture footage or interviews for a project. Below are some guidelines to help you bring back usable material that will help elevate the quality of your presentation and perhaps add a level of legitimacy. Sloppy video can make a client think you don't care.

RULE #1. Mindfulness: Always think about what you are doing. Don't get distracted by your subject. Don't panic. Stay in the moment and remain cognisant of your mission.

RULE #2. Cam Chi: There is a place for wildly moving, unbalanced cameras but not all the time. Keep your moves smooth, steady and mindful of purpose.

RULE #3. Shoot For the Edit: When you shoot, give your shots enough length to give the editor something to work with. Let the camera rest on your subject a little bit before and after a camera move. An editor needs these heads and tails like you wouldn't believe.

Just follow those basic rules and you'll be way ahead of the average unlicensed camera operator. They are simple but take some practice. The next important subject is composition. Let's look at some samples:

The picture above demonstrates the correct use of what is termed "nose room". Generally some space should be given to the direction the person is looking into. To the right are two samples of wrong nose room. The bottom picture is more extreme. They also suffer from too much headroom.

Below, the sample on the left shows good headroom while the picture on the right has too little. I had to use my old G.I. Joe for a model; my wife refused to be in it.

Closure is a difficult topic to describe and demonstrate. Basically you don't want to cheat the viewers. If there is something interesting going on let it be seen or not seen. Don't hint at it and keep it just out of sight.

To the left G. I. Joe is playing a tanguiatang (it's a musical instrument that looks kind of like a spoon). If you want to zoom in and capture a closer shot you want to come to a pleasing closure. Below we see two bad examples of closure. On the left we are losing too much of his face and on the right we can not see enough of his hand

To the left is good closure. The viewer has the choice of clearly observing the hand or face as he chooses. Alternatively you could get an extreme close up of the hand or face without the distraction of other elements.

Below is a sample of another important topic: Lighting.

Above on the left is a sample of a subject lit well with only available light. If I were shooting on a bigger budget the addition of a little back light on her head would make it look a little nicer. On the right is what can happen when you put the subject right in front of a bright window. A simple solution would have been to close the blinds and open the blinds on the window to the right. This is also an example of WAY too much headroom. The horizontal plane is also bad.

On the left is a very well composed shot. Noseroom, headroom, light are all working. Also notice that the vertical lines are pretty straight up and down. That is known as the horizontal plane. There are times when you might want to throw it off but do it for a reason. A few years ago it was a fad to throw off the horizontal plane. It was supposed to look cool and everybody was doing it. If it doesn't add meaning stick to the basics. You can always funk it up in post. On the left is a shot that someone brought back from field interviews. An extra 30 seconds of set up could have made it look good. The camera was on a tripod but they were not being mindful.

Perfect balance and symmetry works well with architecture like the example at the top. The example on the left has much better balance than the sample on the right. The weight of the steeple needs openness on the right to balance the composition. The human eye tends to travel over an image from left to right, making the right seem like a destination that gives the image more weight. Putting the point of interest on the left gives better overall balance. Notice how Goya put the weight of interest on the left side of his painting, The Third of May.

There are many other elements to explore such as the impact of shooting angles, colors, movement but the information given thus far will go a long way to improve anyone's work.

Other important tips:

O Use a tripod whenever possible.

O In an interview sound is more important than video.

O If you have a "camera mounted mic" get close to your subject.

When you are in the field it is almost impossible to have everything work for you. Especially when you are doing documentary or reality work. Stay mindful, work with what you've got. At least documentary work has some expectation that there will be flaws. These flaws can work for you by giving a sense that what the audience is seeing is indeed real and personal. However you want it to look like you are in control.

Good luck and have fun.

Suggestions for further reading:

Understanding Movies by Louis D. Giannetti. This is a great book with all of the fundamental elements of film language explained.

The Television Production Handbook by Herbert Zettl. A fine technical manual and text book with everything from microphones to law.