2. Avoid backlighting situations where you shoot the talent against a bright sky or window. If there is no alternative, put the iris on manual and overexpose the background. When shooting outside, try to pedestal up enough to minimize the amount of sky in the background. Also try to keep the sun at your back.
3. Always check the neutral density filter and white and black balance each and every time you change camera locations. On outdoor shoots, white balance every few shots even if you don't move the camera because the color of sunlight changes with cloud cover and the time of day.
4. Be sure to take the headphones on every shoot (they may be in the accessory bag with the AC adapter) and use them to insure high quality sound. Play back a piece of tape early in your shoot to make sure audio and video are taping correctly.
5. Let the tape roll AT LEAST 10 full seconds before cueing talent. If shooting static B-roll footage, count into a mic or to yourself to make sure you have 10 seconds of roll time before any footage you plan to use. When working with talent, have them give a 10 second count down for action. While the camcorders do a rough edit each time you roll tape, you will get much more stable video following these guidelines.
6. Hold your camera shots for at least 5 seconds before and after each camera move (zoom, pan, tilt, etc.). You'll appreciate this when in the editing room.
7. Shoot lots of cutaways. These can be lifesavers when editing your feature.
8. Most of all -- Know what you want to get BEFORE you shoot. Don't hope to shoot something in the field with the plan to "put it together in editing." The best projects are those that are pre-planned and well thought out in advance.
Hints for Editing Video on a Linear Editing System
1. Always use the insert edit mode which allows you to edit audio and video separately.
2. Make sure that you have a control track (usually black or color bars) recorded on the tape you plan to edit onto of sufficient length to cover your project and technical standards (1 minute).
3. Record voice-over narration, music and sound effects on video tape before beginning your editing session.
4. When possible, edit for audio first, arranging shots with synchronous sound, clips with narration and any music beds in the first pass through the tape. Then put in "B-roll" video to cover jump cuts and other mismatched shots.
