Dive Into Your Imagination

In post production we added a film like look to the scene. We were at our last night of the camping trip and knew there would be singing around the campfire. Watch how we managed to cature these important moments to tell a story.

When you are behind the camera you always need to be aware of your surroundings and how you can place the viewers into your scenes. Use signs to set your scene and show your viewer where they are at. Whenever we go to a new location we will always film signs, but they may not always make the cut. Want to know more?

Watch for the natural humor in everything around you. Auntie Annie gave everyone a lecture, but the interesting part visually was not her in a tent with the kids, the funny part was that we all had to take our shoes off and on every time we entered or exited a tent. Capturing these moments helps make the story interesting. Don't forget about pre-production!

The rain was a big part of our experience. Looking back years from now, no one would have remembered the rain without capturing this little bit of footage. How did we do it?

Creativity. As the director of photography, you need to get creative with the camera. We had to get everyone in the video and try to capture all the personalities. The rain was a little bit of a damper but none of us let it stop us from having fun. Organizing 40 people to go on a hike was challenging and then filming it can be really boring. After all, how interesting can hiking be when you are walking along a smooth trail?

We started off with another time lapse. It was a rainy morning and everyone woke up slowly. We have in camera tools like the time lapse when filming and then during post production elements like slowing down the video are also possible. Notice the different camera angles we use. Learn how to maximize your ability to shoot.

Dive Into Your Imagination! I believe that when you get a group of kids together and encourage them to play, they really do know how to play make believe! It was not because we had a camera there, these friends get together and like to create scenes. I believe all kids dream of being a movie star or filmmaker. The girls all wanted to be Lizzie McGuire! If Lizzie only knew she was being imitated in the mountains of Colorado. I of course thought they were getting nature deficit disorder because the kids could have been out hiking, but they were dreaming of Lizzie McGuire!For filming tips read more!

This footage in this entry is similar to the first. We were establishing everyone’s presence at the reunion. Remember we had 40 people to capture, keep happy and make them all movie stars so we needed to film a little bit more, especially because one of the families arrived all the way from Australia. Find out what else is new!

You need to ensure you get the three main shots in visual storytelling: the wide shot, medium shot and the close up. As long as you have these three shots covered you can edit a sequence together. Our camera had some great features and we could do time lapse sequences. To get good time lapse sequences, you can either put your camera on a tripod for or find a picnic table or something steady so your camera will not move during the time lapse. How would you capture the moment?

The “Art” of Underwater Video Lighting Techniques Based upon Chapter Seven The Camera Coach, Your Guide to Creating Underwater Video

Underwater we lose light as we descend. Red is the first color to disappear due to absorption. Housings come with red filters. A red filter transmits red from the color spectrum and helps correct the loss of ambient red light.

Manufacturers design their filter system differently. Whichever type of filter you use, you want to ensure it is always clean and free of debris or else when you go to look at your footage, there may be funky lines in every shot because of how this affects the light entering your lens. Also if the filter is not cleaned properly, everything may be out of focus. Filters should be cleaned with a dry lint free cloth. Sometimes in temperate waters or where you have green water, some filmmakers use a magenta filter. The same techniques apply when using these filters.

A great rule of thumb to use when shooting video is to put your red filter on as soon as you start descending and leave it there for wide angle video. By using the red filter when white balancing with or without lights, you will maintain a rich blue in your background, this is a great trade secret I discovered after years of practicing with all different lighting conditions. Every rule made can be broken, there are a few exceptions, if you are shooting up close wide angle of silver fish with your lights, then the fish might get too close to you and have a red tint, or if you are shooting a silhouette directly into the sun, the sun may get a red glow. When using the red filter, it is important to take some test footage to insure the red filter is appropriate to your shooting situations.