Home
>
Photography
>
Camcorder Techniques: How To Make Home Movies Your Family And Friends Will Be Excited To Watch

Camcorder Techniques: How To Make Home Movies Your Family And Friends Will Be Excited To Watch

Pre-Production:

It's all got to start somewhere, so before you even charge your batteries, rewind those tapes or pack the car, take a seat and have a good think about what you are planning to shoot with your camcorder. 'Planning is the key' to a good production even if you're just shooting a small home movie.

It may sound like overkill if you head out the door to film your children at a sporting event or a family birthday party, but if you are planning to display the video to family and friends or even review it yourself for extended lengths of time, you will want AND need it to be as compelling as possible.

Now if you're filming a longer feature or being paid for a project, pre-production planning is essential. Both in streamlining the production phase of the project and displaying a professional image for your business. This is done by using basic filming techniques.

This may consist of sketching up a storyboard (to download a sample go to www.kmsvideo.com/Resources.htm), detailed notes or an interview/information session with the client.

"But I just want to shoot a home movie, not a production of Ben Hur!" I hear you say. OK then, let's bring it back to basics shall we?

First of all any video you take needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Simple as that!

Now, say you were to tell people at work on Monday morning an interesting event that happened on the weekend. How would you go about it? A bit of background information, then the main 'body' of the event and close it off with a punchline or resolution. You're telling a STORY.

Now go out with your video camera and- "Tell a Story on Film". Still unclear?

Here's a practical example... Timmy's first soccer final is on Saturday. It's a big occasion so you are going to capture it on video. Using our basic formula lets make it into a compelling story-

Beginning:

Open with a shot of the alarm clock, Timmy packing his bag, having breakfast then climbing into the car. All less than 5 seconds duration and if your camera has the function, set it to fade in and out to black.

Middle:

The team runs onto the field. Shots of Timmy chasing, dribbling and passing the ball at warm-up. Get the opening whistle and kick off, then move around the field for various angles and shots of Timmy. Film the coaches address to his players at half time followed by more game footage.

End:

Ref blows the full-time whistle and you video the teams shaking hands and walking off the field. Finally, close the video with a shot of our star and maybe a few words.

That's it! A very simplified version so here's a few tips to remember- >

Don't just keep the camera rolling in the hope that something interesting will happen

move around so you're not always filming from the one spot

use close-ups and wide shots alternatively

don't talk over the footage, let the pictures tell the story

Now with a bit of pre-planning and good camcorder and filming techniques, you'll Have friends and family lining up to watch your home movies!

Mark Sturge is the owner of KMS Productions and webmaster at http://www.video-production-mastery.com A site where visitors can find information, training videos and manuals that help people to better their http://www.video-production-mastery.com techniques or discover ways to earn an income from their video taking hobby.

move in cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.

Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.

A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.

Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.

Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.

The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.

A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.

Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.

Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.

California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.

Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.

Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.

House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.

Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.

Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.

Third-party security breach at Discord exposes sensitive user information including government IDs, highlighting cybersecurity risks from external service providers.

Camcorder Techniques: How To Make Home Movies Your Family And Friends Will Be Excited To Watch

Photography