Web Video Filming Tips

Unless you are a professional videographer, you probably don't have any credientials to fall back on when you're making a web video.  The fact is, most people that make web videos have little to no experience in filming, and the techniques that come with it.  If you are not a professional filmmaker, than it is easy to make blatant mistakes that will cost you viewers and credibility, however, there is hope.  Making a web video is not nearly as complex as making a major motion picture, and actually most people can make a very attractive web video once they learn several basic techniques.  

When you're making a web video, you must remember several things in order to ensure a beautiful outcome.  Like most things in life, how you present something is how the viewer will respond.  Basically, the delivery of your web video accounts for the success of the video itself.  It doesn't matter if you have the answer to world hunger, if you do not divulge this information correctly, most viewers won't watch the video past five seconds.  When you are shooting your web video, remember, everything that is viewed online is much smaller than it would actually be.

If you have filmed a non-web video before, than you may have a difficult task in front of you.  You must learn how to create larger-than-life illustrations to your message.  Remember, video on the Internet is usually only 320 x 240 pixels, which is very small.  You must provide your information to where it is easily seen, even on a small scale.  

As you're preparing to film, make sure that you do not use certain types of camera movements, as well as various types of colors and patterns.  Always stay away from detailed clothing patters, such as stripes and other types of lines.  These will usually come across as a pixilated mess when it is streamed over the Internet.  Also, avoid moving the camera around frequently.

The reason why this is not a good idea is because if a viewer as a slower internet connection, than they will most likely have a video that skips, and if the camera is moving around frequently they will have a very unpleasing viewing experience.  In the same manner, make sure that what you are filming does not move a lot.  If you're filming a person, make sure they don't sway side-to-side or move around.  

In order to keep the look of your web video as professional as possible, make sure that you stay away from high-contrast lighting and spots of very bright light.  This will usually come across as blurs of light when viewed over the Internet, and will ruin the quality of your web video.  Also, it is a great idea to invest in a tripod.  When you use a tripod you are able to capture perfectly still shots, and if you have to move, you can make the movement extremely smooth and lucid.  And most importantly, keep the camera in focus.

While many people rely on the auto focus feature on their digital camcorder, this is not always a good idea.  Although, there are many camera's that do not allow you to manually focus, try to find a camera that does allow you to do this.  You will have better control over the quality of the video, and you won't have to worry about the picture going out of focus because a car drove past the lens.