I am definitely not a videography pro! In fact, I am very much an amateur. I have started to explore videography and educate myself in making amazing videos. Recently I posted this video of my son announcing our pregnancy to my husband. After I posted the video, I had many requests from my faithful followers to put a starting videography tutorial on the PhotogBlog. Since I love to share what I learn, I thought I would do a quick post on some tips to getting started in videography.
Song: “A Good Day Today” by Gordon Pogoda, licensed from Triple Scoop Music. || Acting: Brody Maughan || Filming: Kylee Ann Photography
Get the RIGHT Equipment
For the best quality video, you will want to use at least a DSLR and the better the DSLR, the better the quality. I use the 5D Mark III for photos and videos. Next, you will need lenses. For the video above, I used my Sigma 50mm 1.4. If you are looking at new lenses to get started in videography, I would suggest looking at a lens with Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction to keep your videos smooth! They truly make a significant difference.
Along with quality camera bodies and lenses, you will want stabilization gear. This can add up pretty fast, so I am still building my collection. To start you will probably want a monopod and a tripod at the very least and preferably ones with the rotating heads at the top. After that look into glide cams and sliders.
Use Correct Settings
It’s really important to study videography settings a little bit before you dive right in. The first video I did was totally wrong and I had NO idea. Your movie size and frame rate will change depending on what type of video you are creating (movie vs television vs slow mo). For example, for slow motion, you’ll use a higher frame rate BUT for typical situations you will want to shoot your movies in full HD (as high as your camera will go). On my 5D Mark iii, I have my camera set to 1920×1080 24P.
Now you need to keep your shutter speed at 1/50 in most situations. Click on this link and after you are finished here check out how shutter speed affects video. It’s very important!!!!
Post-Production
I imported my video to Lightroom with my Preset to keep my brand consistent. You can’t do much in Lightroom except a few things in the Library module and applying presets, but a little bit is better than nothing! After I export my files back to my folder, I open them in Adobe Premiere. The goal is to film in order and keep your clips short so you don’t have to do a lot of re-ordering and cropping in post-production. While your filming, keep your storyline in mind.
Another very important part of post-production is music licensing. I didn’t know about music licensing with my first video. I thought you could put any song you owned with any video you made. But actually, that is stealing and it’s illegal. You must buy your songs AND the license. I license my music through Triple Scoop Music. It costs $60 per song and I can use it unlimited amounts of times!
Tell A Story
Every video needs to have a point! Whether it’s a portrait shoot, an event or just hanging out with your kids tell the story from the Beginning to End. Just like writing an essay, you need an introduction or lead in, the main content and a conclusion. The video above uses words (since it was from a 15-month-old’s perspective), but most videos should be able to tell a story without the captions. Keep each of your shots under 10 seconds and the entire video as concise as possible. Trust me, no one would have sat through the video above if they saw it was 7 minutes long. Keep it short and catchy!
Intro to Videography || Pin It
Kylee Ann is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
January 28, 2016
Kylee Maughan
