European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Making those vacation videos less Boring by Steve silk the Hartford Conn courant Quot if you think there s nothing More Boring than watching a pal s vacation slide show you obviously Haven t seen the video. A. Version. V the vide camera it seems has superseded the instamatic As the vacationers memory Bank of Choice. No longer do we sift numbly through stacks of poorly composed jittery photos of aunt Martha in front of the grand Canyon aunt Martha in front of the Navajo Hogin or aunt Martha in front of the Saguaro Cactus. Now we watch her on to. Zzz Zzz. And although the technology has changed Amateur technique has not. Vacation memories captured on videotape can be every bit As sleep inducing As those recorded haphazardly on film. Video can be even worse unsteady cameras wobbling zoom Lens shots and shaky Side to Side pans can induce a Case of viewer seasickness undreamed of in the age of still photography. But there s Hope for even the most inept vide Grapher. Just As bumbling still photographers can improve their skills so too can video Klut Zes. For a few tips we turned to experts in the Field to photographers those who shoot everything under every condition and still bring Back footage Good enough for the evening news. And if their knowhow can make a press conference look interesting it should put you on easy Street next time you re filming  still the first and worst sin of the Amateur movie maker is shaky images too Many Home videos look As if they were shot during an earthquake. The Best bet for a keeping your camera steady is to mount it on a tripod says Tom Lang a photographer at Wisbin Hartford Conn. But he says nobody takes one on vacation. There Are alternatives. Look for something to rest your camera on. Lang suggests perching a video camera atop a table chair or any Handy stable surface. For Rock steady shots Tim Clune chief photographer at Wanh in new Haven Conn., recommends turning yourself into a human tripod lean against a Wall a. Telephone pole or whatever hold your breath then make your shot. Breathing jiggles even the most carefully hand held camera. And while you re holding Stock still a keep the tape rolling. Most Amateur directors tend to make their shots too Brief so they appear As a Mere Flicker on the screen Clune says. Hold the trigger Down for a slow count of 10 or 20. It might seem a like a Long time while you re filming and maybe even longer if you re holding your _ breath but it looks better on the screen. Keep it simple gadgetry is the next. Hurdle to Clear on the path to Good movie making Clune says. The Basic Rule about gadgets and doodads is simple avoid a a them. Quot the simpler the better a he says. 0 Quot Don t go crazy with the fancy  you know that flashy zoom Lens on the camera forget about it. Auto focus Don t count on it. Simplify your technique by not zooming the Lens at every excuse. Take your wide Here we Are shot say of the kids frolicking on the Beach then instead of zooming to on them turn off the camera walk right up restart the camera and resume filming with the kids filling the viewfinder. But Don t get too close or you la get Quot fish face Quot a wide Angle distortion _ a Side Benefit of working closer to your objects is that your on camera microphone will pick up clearer sound. If  action filled images let your subjects not your camera do the moving. Again that Means very Little zooming. Panning or following a moving subject with the camera is permissible but keep it to a minimum too. And when you do either keep the movements slow. Auto focus usually assures Sharp images but be aware of those instances in which it does t work Well a shots with off Center subjects for example. With those few technical lips packed away in your bag of tricks turn your attention to the More aesthetic Side of a shooting videos a came angles. Composition lighting and storytelling.�?. Vary the Angle for starters remember Canon s can vision 8 camcorder features musical tunes graphics and Auto focus. Experts advise amateurs to avoid most complicated accessory functions. That not everything has to be shot from shoulder height. Using High and Low shooting angles is one of the easiest ways to enliven your video s Appeal. If you re at the Beach go up to the Boardwalk and shoot Down. The High Angle will show a Broad expanse of Beach dropping off into the Distant sea it makes a great scene setter. Low angles often add dramatic Impact a neck craning sidewalk View of the Empire state building packs More punch than a shot taken from a a half dozen blocks away. Tell a Story to better understand the Basic mechanics of video storytelling Lang suggests tuning in to soap operas or travel programs. Watch the mix of close ups and Long shots the Way they Frame or. Compose their shots and the Way they shift from scene to scene. Then try to emulate those techniques in your own productions. Vary your shots within the Story just As the professionals do. Use High and Low angles Long shots and plenty of close ups. Quot close ups Tell the Story a Clune says. Quot so get close ups of expressions.�?�. Shape the scene to avoid too abrupt transitions Between scenes try to close a shot visually. When you want to end a scene for example let aunt Martha simply walk out of the Frame leaving an open expanse of the grand Canyon on screen for a moment. Or end a Beach shot by slowly panning up into the Palms. Sometimes similar techniques can be used to introduce a shot. For a nifty scene setter for example open with a tight close up of a Flower then zoom out slowly and steadily to expose the surrounding Panorama of waterfalls Trees or whatever. Make sound sense one Way to help weave your collection of images into a Story is through judicious use of the soundtrack. Get plenty of on location sound and if possible provide your own running narration while  you re Lucky enough to get a tour guide who s particularly funny or enlightening stick close for Good sound and let the guide provide commentary. Focus on composition even before tackling the building blocks of a Story budding video directors should work on improving the composition of their individual shots. Some still photographers employ a Rule of thirds dividing the viewfinder in their imaginations into thirds both across and Down. Placing a subject on the Axis of two imaginary lines creates a More dynamic image than simply putting it dead Center. Vat the very least avoid Divi Thrig your a scenes in half Don t let the Beach Foi example fill the Bottom half of the Frame and the sky the top half. If the sky is ablaze with a Sunset fill the viewfinder with it and leave just a thin Trace of land along the Bottom. Think about what is drawing you to photograph a scene and then concentrate on showing it to its Best Frame filling advantage. A see the Light a heightened awareness of Light will brighten any vide Grapher s efforts. Basically be sure your subjects Are Well and evenly lit. If the background is sunny you Don t want your subject in Shadow. Quot it s the same As when you took your first Brownie pictures you want to shoot with the Sun Over your shoulder for the Best results Quot Lang says. A should you be stuck with a Baclit subject override the camera s automatic exposure and open the Lens Omil the subject a appears Normal even int neans Over exposing or washing out the background. On sunny Days you la get More pleasing results Early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Filmmakers Call the times right around Sunrise or Sunset Quot magic hours because the Light is Rich warm and Golden. Select extras wisely when it comes to video technology advertisements Are Likely to plug a camera s zoom Lens but both Clune and Lang say it s better to put your Money into a camera with in camera editing capability and a greater capacity for shooting at Low Light Levels. In camera editing permits you to go from scene to scene without fading to Black each time a shot ends it produces a More professional looking tape. Low Light capability is a life Saver for those Twilight or indoor shoots Many attractions a historic Homes and major museums or example a do not allow lights or tripods. Stripes Magazine february 7, 1991