How to Shoot Video With Your DSLR
Take the camera off Auto., Read the manual. , Set the ISO lower., Make sure you set your White balance to the correct setting., Set your shutter manually and as a rule of thumb leave it at double your frame rate for regular shooting i.e., Get a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take the camera off Auto.
If you are shooting exterior in bright natural light make sure you set your ISO to a low setting to avoid unwanted grain.
If you want a grainy image for effect, it is very easy to add in post-production.
When you are filming in low light situations, experiment and only push your ISO to what looks acceptable for your individual camera. , This is really important when moving from indoor to outdoor and between different lighting environments.
If you shoot in indoor mode (3200K) outdoors your image will have a blue colour cast and your skin tones will look unnatural.
This is down to colour temperature.
Our eyes are amazing at dealing with change in colour temp, however, cameras need to be told this.
Colour temp is measured in degrees Kelvin, any vague memory of the Kelvin Scale from Science class..? Daylight is approx 5600K.
If you set the colour temp to the wrong one, unlike stills even with the most advanced colour correcting tools, this is incredibly hard and time consuming to correct in video and you will never be able to get it to look 100% natural. , if you are shooting at 25fps (European standard) set your shutter to 1/50 of a second.
Increasing the shutter speed is good for shooting high-speed action i.e. a racing car.
Regular action shot with a high shutter will have a staccato effect and look unnatural.
Horror movies often use this as an effect. , Even though you are using a stills camera, you do need some video tools and accessories.
A fluid head tripod is one of them.
This will allow you to do smooth pans side to side and tilts up and down. , You will end up with hours of rubbish to trawl though in the edit.
It is better to turn over (record) 4-5 seconds before your action starts and cut 4-5 seconds afterward.
If you are doing a move i.e. a pan of a landscape, then record 5 seconds of the static frame at the beginning then pan then continue to record 5 seconds of the end frame.
This will give you 3 shots instead of just one. , Auto focus, can be great on stills, but for the moving image it will continuously ‘hunt’ for focus.
This is because the camera will be looking for what to focus on.
This is especially true in low light situations when you have a much shallower depth of field.
Practice following movement, the more you practice the better you will get at manually focusing. , Learn about Manual Exposure.
It is 100% better to manually set the aperture (F Stop).
This way you expose for what is important in the frame and the exposure won't change when you pan from something light to dark.
Exposure has a direct effect on depth of field.
Read up on this and how you can select what is and isn’t in focus.
A shallow depth of field will give your image a much more 3D quality. , Buying a screw on neutral density (ND) filter will help you control the amount of light that enters your camera and hence the exposure.
This will help you correctly expose using a wide aperture and regular video shutter 1/50 shutter speed ensuring a shallow depth of field even in bright light. , Get them to feel comfortable with you and being filmed.
Giving them encouragement will increase their confidence and in turn increase the quality of the end product. , Framing is one of the most important aspects in filming.
Watch movies and good quality TV series with the sound off
- This way you will concentrate on how the images are framed without getting drawn into the story.
Look at how the sequences are edited together and how different angles cut together. , Try shooting hand held.
Learn how to be comfortable with the camera.
The more you feel comfortable and in-control behind the camera the more your filming skills will improve. , A follow focus unit will make focusing much more accurate.
A viewfinder will allow you to see your image much clearer so you can spot focus and exposure easily. -
Step 2: Read the manual.
-
Step 3: Set the ISO lower.
-
Step 4: Make sure you set your White balance to the correct setting.
-
Step 5: Set your shutter manually and as a rule of thumb leave it at double your frame rate for regular shooting i.e.
-
Step 6: Get a fluid head tripod.
-
Step 7: When shooting
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Step 8: don’t be lazy and just continuously record.
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Step 9: Make sure you use manual focus.
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Step 10: Take your camera off Auto.
-
Step 11: Use good filters.
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Step 12: Talk to who you are filming
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Step 13: build a relationship with them.
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Step 14: Learn how to frame.
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Step 15: Enjoy and experiment.
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Step 16: Get hold of some basic accessories to make your life easier.
Detailed Guide
If you are shooting exterior in bright natural light make sure you set your ISO to a low setting to avoid unwanted grain.
If you want a grainy image for effect, it is very easy to add in post-production.
When you are filming in low light situations, experiment and only push your ISO to what looks acceptable for your individual camera. , This is really important when moving from indoor to outdoor and between different lighting environments.
If you shoot in indoor mode (3200K) outdoors your image will have a blue colour cast and your skin tones will look unnatural.
This is down to colour temperature.
Our eyes are amazing at dealing with change in colour temp, however, cameras need to be told this.
Colour temp is measured in degrees Kelvin, any vague memory of the Kelvin Scale from Science class..? Daylight is approx 5600K.
If you set the colour temp to the wrong one, unlike stills even with the most advanced colour correcting tools, this is incredibly hard and time consuming to correct in video and you will never be able to get it to look 100% natural. , if you are shooting at 25fps (European standard) set your shutter to 1/50 of a second.
Increasing the shutter speed is good for shooting high-speed action i.e. a racing car.
Regular action shot with a high shutter will have a staccato effect and look unnatural.
Horror movies often use this as an effect. , Even though you are using a stills camera, you do need some video tools and accessories.
A fluid head tripod is one of them.
This will allow you to do smooth pans side to side and tilts up and down. , You will end up with hours of rubbish to trawl though in the edit.
It is better to turn over (record) 4-5 seconds before your action starts and cut 4-5 seconds afterward.
If you are doing a move i.e. a pan of a landscape, then record 5 seconds of the static frame at the beginning then pan then continue to record 5 seconds of the end frame.
This will give you 3 shots instead of just one. , Auto focus, can be great on stills, but for the moving image it will continuously ‘hunt’ for focus.
This is because the camera will be looking for what to focus on.
This is especially true in low light situations when you have a much shallower depth of field.
Practice following movement, the more you practice the better you will get at manually focusing. , Learn about Manual Exposure.
It is 100% better to manually set the aperture (F Stop).
This way you expose for what is important in the frame and the exposure won't change when you pan from something light to dark.
Exposure has a direct effect on depth of field.
Read up on this and how you can select what is and isn’t in focus.
A shallow depth of field will give your image a much more 3D quality. , Buying a screw on neutral density (ND) filter will help you control the amount of light that enters your camera and hence the exposure.
This will help you correctly expose using a wide aperture and regular video shutter 1/50 shutter speed ensuring a shallow depth of field even in bright light. , Get them to feel comfortable with you and being filmed.
Giving them encouragement will increase their confidence and in turn increase the quality of the end product. , Framing is one of the most important aspects in filming.
Watch movies and good quality TV series with the sound off
- This way you will concentrate on how the images are framed without getting drawn into the story.
Look at how the sequences are edited together and how different angles cut together. , Try shooting hand held.
Learn how to be comfortable with the camera.
The more you feel comfortable and in-control behind the camera the more your filming skills will improve. , A follow focus unit will make focusing much more accurate.
A viewfinder will allow you to see your image much clearer so you can spot focus and exposure easily.
About the Author
James Mitchell
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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