Recording Black

The beginning of a tape is most susceptible to damage, so it is good to begin a bit into a tape.  However, since unrecorded tape plays back as "snow," it is preferable to record black on this opening bit of tape. You can record black by holding down the fade button and then taping, or you can tape with the lens cap on.  Note that taping with the lens cap on will not mute any sound coming into the microphone, so you will have to be quiet as you do this.  Use this method to record black at the end of the tape or between sections to avoid "snow".

 Task:  Record 30 seconds of black at the beginning of your new tape.

High angle or low angle shot.

The placement of the camera relative to the subject can affect the viewers' relationship to the subject.  Thus, the "high angle shot" (where the camera is held high and pointed down) can be used to made a subject seem small, powerless, or inferior; and the "low angle shot" (where the camera is held low and pointed up) tends to made a subject seems large, powerful, superior, or even menacing.

Task:  Attach the camcorder to your tripod and practice shooting a low angle and a high angle shot; be sure to stop recording between these shots.  You should also use this opportunity to learn how to change the camera angle on the tripod, lock the tripod head in position, and lengthen the tripod legs.

Pan left or pan right.

Panning involves swiveling the camcorder around a fixed point, so it is best done using a tripod (though effective pans can be done with the camcorder on any smooth, stable surface).  Pans are often used to show a scene that is too wide to be captured effectively on a small screen; in addition, pans can be used to reveal something surprising that is off screen, or to simulate the effect of someone scanning the environment. Except in unusual circumstances, one should pan left or right, not back and forth.

Task:  Use your tripod to practice panning slowly in one direction. Take time to learn which knob on the tripod controls the arm position and which knob controls the pan tension.

Tilt up or tilt down.

Like the pan, the tilt involves shooting as you move the camcorder in a controlled way -- in this case, as you change the angle of the camera relative to the ground.  Again, a tripod is helpful, but a successful effect can be achieved with an improvised set-up.  The tilt is generally used to show something that is oriented vertically, to emphasize the height of something, to surprise the viewer, or to simulate someone looking up or down.  Like the pan, it works best if you tilt up or down but not both.

Task:  Use your tripod to practice tilting slowly in one direction (up or down).  Look for the knob on the tripod that controls the arm position, and look for the knob that controls the tilt tension.

Close-up.
 

Since a TV screen is relatively small, it is wise to use as many close-ups as possible when shooting video.  A close-up can be captured with the lens in wide angle or telephoto.  In wide angle, you will need to get the camcorder very close to the subject; the telephoto function of the lens must be used with a subject that is farther away.  (Be aware, however, that when the lens is in telephoto, any camera shake will be magnified, and a tripod should be used.  Also, depth of field, the area of acceptable focus, is much more shallow when the lens is in telephoto, which may be either a desirable or undesirable effect.)

Task:  Use the tripod, move the lens to telephoto and then shoot a close-up of something.  Don't record the zooming in.  Now try a close up with a hand-held camera and the lens in wide angle.

Long shot.

A long shot is used to set the scene or capture action in a wide area.  The best image is achieved if the long shot is done with the lens in wide angle.

Task:  Shoot a long shot of an image using either a hand-held camera or the camera on a tripod.

Zoom-in or zoom-out.

Zooming refers to changing the framing of a shot.  Almost all camcorders have a "zoom lens" which allows you to move between a "wide angle" view, which often allows you to see the whole scene, and a "telephoto" view, which generally allows you to see a magnified view of one element in a scene.  When a shot moves from wide angle to telephoto (zooming in), the effect is to isolate something from its environment and draw attention to it; going from telephoto to wide angle (zooming out) can be used to put something in context.  Be careful not to overuse the zoom, to do it smoothly, and to use this effect only for a specific purpose.  Zooming in and out on the same shot or jerky zooms will tend to make viewers disoriented and nauseous.

Task:  Using your tripod, shoot some footage zooming in slowly on something and pausing. Now zoom out from something else.

Interview.

The microphones on a camcorder are not very sensitive so people should be as close as possible (6 feet or less) to the camcorder in order for them to be heard clearly.  Also, make sure you get people to speak up as loudly as possible.

Task:  Set up an interview in which the interviewee is on camera (just their head and shoulders visible) and the interviewer is off camera.  Tape several questions and answers.

Throw Focus.

Throwing focus involves shooting with a narrow depth of field and moving the focus from one point to another (e.g. from a bird in the foreground to a smokestack in the background).  The easiest way to get the narrow depth of field required for this is to shoot something in telephoto with another object behind it.  This shot will require you to shoot in manual focus.

Task:  Set the lens to telephoto with the camera in manual focus and focus on an object in the foreground.  Begin recording and change the focus to an object in the background.

Jump-cut magic.

In general, programs are planned and edited so that shots which are recorded at different times can be set back to back to create the illusion of continuity.  However, the discontinuous "jump-cut" (in which things seem to magically appear or disappear) can be fun to use where appropriate; also, getting this effect to work will help you practice your in-camera editing skills.

Task:  Using a tripod, shoot a pair of shots in which something seems to appear or disappear.  Remember not to move anything between your shots (not the camcorder nor the actors) except the thing you want to jump.