Tips For Better Home Movies
By Tim Frakes
Why do home movies look and sound like, well, home movies? Here are five tips for making your home movies look and sound more professional.
1. The Law of Thirds
Most home moves are recorded from a single angle, typically from the back of the room. At the birthday party, the moviemaker stands in the back of the room, hits the record button, zooms in and out, pans left and right, capturing everything that is going on. A better option is to divide every scene into thirds: wide, medium and tight. Hold each shot for a minimum of ten seconds. For example, at a party, stand in the back of the room and record a ten second wide shot. Turn the camera off. Walk up to the birthday boy/girl and record a ten second medium shot. Turn the camera off. Hold the camera next to the birthday cake and record a ten second close up shot. The results will be more pleasing to the eye. Later, you can edit the material to make it even better.
2. No Zooms! If you want to get closer, walk closer. The most common home movie mistakes are made with the zoom. It is almost impossible to hold the camera steady when you are zoomed in. Watch a Hollywood movie and turn the sound down. Count the number of times you see a zoom. Not many. You may see a dolly or truck. The entire camera is rolled in/out/left/right using a track system. The Steadicam is a device sometimes used by Hollywood. Either way, the zoom is rarely used. The zoom is used in professional sporting events. In this case, the quality of the lens and tripod systems are light years beyond your home movie camera. Plus, the camera is run by a professional.
When it comes to home movies, keep your lens at the maximum wide angle. Get up out of your chair and move to the next shot when you want a close-up or medium shot.
3. Shoot humans at eye level. Keep the lens of the camera at eye level. Don’t stand over Billy as he sits and blows out the candles. Hold the camera so that the lens is parallel with is face. This will make your subjects appear to be far more credible.
4. Keep the light source to your back. When indoors, don’t shoot into an exterior window. You can’t compete with God’s light source! Put your back to the window. Your camera will be much happier. When outside, try to record with the sun to your back. You will find that this is much easier in the early morning or evening when the sun is low in the sky. Again, notice Hollywood movies. It is always sunset!
5. Get the mic close. When recording the human voice, make sure your camera (and the attached omni-directional microphone) is within three feet of the person talking. The microphone on your camera is omni-directional. It picks up sound from every direction evenly. Home moviemakers often wonder why they can’t hear the speaker standing across the crowded room? If you want to hear the person speaking, walk over and record the person from three feet away. You will like the results.
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