Shooting : The Commandments
101 Tips to make shooting with your camcorder easier

Remember to take the lens cap off. (Eh?) No, really, I'm being serious. In the rush of setting everything up for a shot you would be surprised at the number of people who set the camera recording with the lens cap still on. Even the pros can do it - a friend of mine had some footage that a Channel 4 documentary crew had shot the other day, there was a five minute segment with just sound, until the producer starts cursing when he discovers the lens cap is still on.

Always record 5 seconds before and after the shot you want. Editing decks need a bit of space to get the signal properly (called pre-roll) and they can muck their edits up if you don't have enough pre-roll. Your editor will hate you if you don't have enough, and if you don't have an editor you will hate yourself even more.

Use manual focus if at all possible. Autofocus hunts for stuff to focus on, so if someone walks through the shot it will try and focus on them, getting your subject out of focus. Autfocus also uses up a lot of battery power, so using manual focus and push focus (a button you can press for autofocusing) makes your batteries last longer. Whatever, make sure your subject is in focus. To be absolutely sure, zoom in on the subject, focus, and zoom out.

Leave that zoom rocker switch alone! See that button that rests just underneath your fingers when you hold the camera? That's your ticket to bad film-making. Its sitting there, nuzzling you saying 'Hey press me! Zoom in, go on. Now zoom out! Smart'. Unfortunately when you come to watch your film most of your audience will be sick because the zoom is constantly tromboning in and out. There are only two occasions when it is OK to use the zoom during a shot.

1) You are interviewing a man who has just seen his daughter run down by a steamroller. Understandibly its a heartwrenching moment. So Mr. NewsCameraman zooms in really slow (you barely notice it) so we capture that first tear perfectly (how they can do this I do not know).

2) Cheesy 70's cop movie. We have just ended the last car chase scene and we want to establish that they are now back in the cop shop.

EXT. POLICE HQ - DAY

FAST ZOOM IN on window of building.

CUT TO :

INT. POLICE HQ OFFICE - DAY

SUPERINTENDENT ROBERTS is chewing the asses off the two rookie cops have just flunked the car chase. He's angry, he's mean and he's got huge sweat rings under his armpits.

OK, so you get the picture. Zoom for effect - not because the button is forcing you to.By all means use it to set up a shot when the camera's not rolling, but leave it at that.

Use a tripod - If you want a steady shot then stick your camera on a stand (or a wall or something).

Don't use a tripod - (umm..bit of a contradictionn here - oops!) - If you want to give your film some energy dump the tripod, setting your camera up on sticks takes too long anyway. To keep it steadyish get as close to your subject as possible and shoot as wideangle as possible to minimize shake. If you can, keep both eyes open (instead of just squinting down the viewfinder) so you can adjust the camera to follow your subject.

Check your white balance, especially if you are in mixed lighted rooms. (White Balance? Mixed lighting? Eh?) White balance is essentially what colour your camera thinks is white. Some cameras have buttons for this i.e. indoors, outdoors etc. Other cameras sort this out automatically (although they can make a botch job of it) and some allow you to set it manually (by sticking a piece of white card in front of it and saying 'Hey, this is white you dumb camera'.
This all matters because not all light is the same colour. Lights have different colour temperatures. Sunlight is kindof bluey, artificial light (like lightbulbs and stuff) is orangey and fluorescent strip lights are greeny. Your eyes can sort this information out, but the camera tends to make everything look all one colour if its on the wrong setting.
Checking your white balance is okay if you've got a colour viewfinder but you'll need to wire the camera into a TV if you haven't. Failing that sure the preset is right and hope its OK.

So remember :

Avoid Backlighting - This is where your subject is standing with the sky or a window or white wall behind them. The camera goes 'Hey, loads of white I better set my exposure to that', so when you come to look at your footage all you can see it a silhouette of your subject and you can hardly see their face. Solution - turn around, and use the light from the wall/window to light your subject (Some cameras might have a BLC - Backlight Compensation button, but these tend to on the whole suck).

Try not to appear in your own film - Unless of course you are Hitchcock or your actor has called in sick and you're having to play the role yourself you want to try and avoid appearing in your film as...the camera operator! Avoid fingers near the lens or long hair draping into shot. Equally be careful when shooting through glass, mirrors or shiny objects not to catch a view of yourself. Use a polarizing filter to cut down on any reflection.

Switch the camera on before you take the lens cap off - I don't know where I heard this, but apparently you can damage the camera's CCD chip if you take the cap off then switch it on - y'know, cap off, light streams in, chip gets frazzled. Equally don't point your camera at really bright lights i.e. the sun, nuclear explosions etc

Check your sound - Most cameras have headphone sockets so you can monitor what the camera is picking up. Recording without checking your sound is like shooting and not looking down your viewfinder. Remember : your ears are great (they can filter out all that extra noise and focus in on just one voice) - your camera isn't, it'll pick up on every squeak and rumble.

Use an external mike if possible - To get better sound get your hands on an good external microphone that plugs into your camera. This should cut down on operating noise from the camera (gubbins inside whirring etc.) and you can pick a mike for the job at hand. Doing street interviews? Get an unidirectional mike (y'know, the ones that look like ice creams) to cut down on all that traffic noise (if your camera has any kind of handle tie your flex around this, so if your interviewer yanks on the cord the mike isn't pulled out). Drama? Try a supercardoid mike and mount it on a old broom and get a mate to stand there and dangle it in front of your actors.

Gag your microphone - If you know you're going to be shooting in a windy place get a wind gag for your mike. Wind gags are basically furry things that fit over your mike (in the wild they can live up to 70 years), that cut down on the roar you will hear if filming in wind. The other day I stuck my camera out of a car window and the sound I got was like ground zero at a nuclear blast!

Protect your equipment - You've got to keep it safe from two things - the environment and from it getting nicked. Keep your gear clear from dust and dirt (use a cover to protect it from the rain) and screw on a skylight filter to protect the lens. Clean the lens/filter and viewfinder using blowerbrushes, airjets etc. Security! Keep your camera close to you, make sure its insured and know its serial number if it does get pinched.

Tape Care - Always use the best quality tape you can afford (usually metal evaporated). You can only capture an event on tape once. The great thing about tape is that you can record over stuff but be careful you may need footage again in the future. Remember, keep all your rushes!

Batteries - Always carry fully-charged extra batteries, otherwise you can bet that you will lose power halfway through the most important shot of your film. Bear in mind that batteries have a shorter lifespan in the cold. Hug them to keep 'em warm (and show them that you love them).

Shoot loads! - Tape is cheap. Use it. When you get around to editing you might just need a certain shot, so shoot everything. Shoot plenty of cutaways (shots to cut in at any point - closeups, buildings, reactions of other people). Don't tell your actors, but shoot practice takes (you might need to put a bit of gaffer tape over the recording light) sometimes they are the best, most natural take.

Shoot with both eyes open -- like the news cameramen do. It takes some practice but it allows you to see what's going on in the viewfinder as well as around you. (Jonathan Lewis)

Avoid the horns of satan! - Try to keep an eye on what is in the background of your shot. You want to try and avoid pot plants sprouting from peoples heads etc. Especially steer clear of backdrops where there's visually exciting stuff going on - a videogame running in the background as you can guarantee that your audience will end of paying more attention to this than what the person is saying or doing. There's a classic clip I've seen where two policemen are talking about what a quiet night it had been with no arrests. Outside the chippy in the background are two lads beating each other to a pulp.

And finally, have fun!

...oh, and tell me if you have any more useful tips.