Holiday Video Production Tips for Beginners

Everyone loves to watch a good video. But making an enjoyable video is another thing altogether. Below are a few tips for the beginners for holiday video production:

 

Learn the Basics, Know the Lay of the Land

• The Shorter The Better:

A video shot is somewhat like a sentence. Every sentence has something to say, and when it is finished saying that, it just stops. Likewise, every shot is supposed to say something. So you need to stop shooting when you think the shot has already finished telling.

• Focus on People, Not Scenery:

We create holyday video to remember. The Tajmohol in India will probably look exactly as it is today after 10 years from now. But you are not making a documentary about it; it is in your video because your 5 year old daughter is dancing in front of it. And she will look completely different when she will be 15.

So, no matter how spectacular the background scenery is, let them stay where they belong – in the background. Instead, focus on the people you are shooting.

• Tell the Story:

Instead of taking long shots of your aunts and uncles getting inside the house for your parents’ 50th anniversary dinner, show the heart-melting scenes of them trying to blow the candles off shaking. Make sure you didn’t miss the tears of joy and pride of your mom while recollecting the struggle of holding the family together when the time was rough. Be alert not to miss the surprise of your father, hearing a poetry from your brother, who hates poetry.

So, find the story of your video, and tell it like a storyteller.     

• Let Them Talk

Shooting seizes our look but it can shed a light on how we think. So it’s ok to be embarrassing.

My 4 year old daughter splashed chocolates all over my sister’s white, floral wedding gown but my sister tried her best to hold tears and telling that that was ok – but my younger brother captured everything. Now, every time we see it – my sister’s futile effort to be poised – we all burst out laughing.

So let them talk in front of your camera. Ask anything you want to know – your spouse, your parents, neighbors, even complete unknowns you meet on the tour. Your 5 year old will never be 5 again – so ask her why she thinks her mischievous acts are completely ok.

Some Common-Sense Stuffs:

• Using light efficiently can make your video professional –looking. You can also use the sun to your advantage. Tender rays of early morning or gleaming lights in the afternoon hours can affect you outdoor videos spectacularly.  

• You need to learn color rectifications of raw footage. It’s a vast enough topic if you are in this trade, but since you are not – just try to work with the tools you can find in the software when you edit – like lifting highlights, raising the midtones, increasing color saturations, tweaking blue or yellow lines etc.

• If you don’t have a tripod and DIY it is not your thing – don’t worry – use the stabilization effect of the software you are using. Also slowing down the video makes it less shaky. 

• Use the highest resolution possible at the time of shooting interviews.

• If you want to have a ‘bokeh’ effect but don’t have the required lens for it, you should get far out from the subject and then zoom in – this will give you a blurry background.

• Shoot closely to get good audio. A good video with bad audio is not enjoyable.

Some Technical Nerdy Stuff:

• 60fps 1080p:

The availability of cheap(ish) digital cameras and editing software enables you to shoot in any format you like. So select 60fps option and record videos at 1080p.

• Storage Space:

Here’s a simple list of fps rates and storage space – one minute of video is about:-

• 60MB: 720p HD at 30fps
• 130MB: 1080p HD at 30fps
• 200MB: 1080p HD at 60fps
• 375MB: 4k

I advise not shoot in 4k mode – it requires too much space and it is difficult to edit.

• Monopods, Tripods & Gyro Rigs:

People usually believe that gadgets can make you a great videographer. That works only for the professionals. So, start shooting with what you have, learn gradually and you will know when you need a gear from experience, and then go buy it.

• Editing is Not Impossible:

Please follow the followings:

• Video length should be 2-3 minutes

• Find a killer song that matches with emotions you are showing and clip them to it.

• You can remove the  audio altogether, but if you do want them there, buy a decent microphone,

• And if you realize editing is a thing best left alone, you can always use vacation video editing service.

I get the feeling that you have many more questions after completing reading, but click vacation video to get to know more.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video should be worth……well……like millions. So why wait? Pick up the camera and start shooting – everything and everyone.