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Chapter 9 Shooting Semi-Pro Videos 111

Tip

When you position your subject at one of the rule of thirds intersection
points, have your subject look either directly into the camera lens or
slightly into the center of the frame. The alternative is to have your subject
staring out of the frame, which is a trifle disconcerting.

Shoot to Edit

We’ll get into video editing in Chapter 11, “Editing and Enhancing Your Video.” But
for better editing, you need to do a little preparation in advance.

The easiest way to make your videos easier to edit is by shooting to edit, which
means thinking about your final production before and during the shoot. This lets
you capture appropriate shots during the process, and keeps the shoot somewhat
efficient by shooting only what you need. Not only do you speed up the shooting
process, you also can edit much faster when you get to that phase of the operation.

Tip

Consider creating a shot list—literally, a list of each shot you make—so you
can remember exactly what you captured. A shot list, created in advance,
is also helpful when working with a crew, because it lets them know what’s
coming up.

Use a Teleprompter

Unless your subject is a natural extemporaneous speaker, and few people are, he’ll
probably speak from some sort of script. That’s fine, as long as he can actually read
the thing without having to hold a distracting piece of paper in front of him.

The solution to this problem is to use a teleprompter or some semblance of one. A
teleprompter is simply a device that displays the script, in very large type, on a
screen mounted next to the camera lens. The speaker can read the script while
appearing to look directly into the camera. It’s what all the pros and politicians use.

Note

Although I use the term teleprompter in a generic fashion, there is an
actual device called a TelePrompTer, manufactured by the TelePrompTer
Company, which first developed the device in the 1950s.