video: tips

Practice operating the camera before the event. Talk to the other camera operators and the knowledge worker operating the video mixer to establish which "shots" each camera will be responsible for. Stay alert for views that only your camera can capture. Using the walkie-talkie headsets for communication between the camera operators and the video mixer operator can make for a better video and reduce the chance of missed "shots".

Zoom - Use your camera's zoom feature sparingly. The zoom lens enables you to go from a wide angle view to a close up at the push of a toggle. Zoom too much and your video will look like you're on a roller coaster, and will make it difficult to watch. Zoom slowly. Start with about five seconds -- a slow "one one thousand, two one thousand" -- during which there is no movement, then zoom in or out at a speed which is virtually imperceptible. At the completion of your zoom, remain stationary on the new scene for at least five seconds.

Pan - Remember that there are two sources of movement when shooting video: the subject your are shooting, and the camera itself. You can keep the camera steady and allow your subject to move. You might choose to do this when video taping the front of the room facilitator in the radiant room. You zoom back and let the facilitator move in the frame. The most common camera move is a "pan," in which you traverse the camera from side to side. To do a pan smoothly you must use a tripod. You let the camera follow the motion of your subject in a "pan." You follow the subject with the camera as they move. Be sure to leave enough room in front of the subject so that your audience gets a sense of where the subject is going. Otherwise your subject will appear to be running into the edge of the frame. Think of it this way: If the frame were divided into thirds, and your subject was walking from frame left to frame right, you would try to keep the subject in the left-hand third of the frame as you followed the action with your camera.