Instruction manual

2) A CAMCORDER OPERATOR - I assume it’s you! Like anything else, the
more you practice, the better your camcorder work will be. Hand-held camcorder
operation - The human body is capable of going places, obtaining angles, and making
camera moves that wouldn’t be possible with a tripod. It takes a lot of practice to make
smooth camera moves when shooting by hand. Another option is to shoot from a
stationary tripod, which has 3 adjustable legs, and allows the operating height of the
camera to be raised or lowered. A mounting head is used to attach a camcorder to the top
of a tripod.
STATIC SHOT - No camera moves (Pans, Tilts, or Zooms).
Hand-held PAN practice - Find a fence, stand about 8 feet away, Zoom Out wide, and
Pan from left to right in one steady motion. Concentrate on keeping the top of the fence
in the center of the viewfinder. At the end of the Pan, hold the camcorder steady for a 5-
second Static shot (no moves), then Pan from right to left, and hold steady for another
Static Shot. Repeat the exercise numerous times, and vary the speed of each Pan (very
slow, medium, fast).
Hand-held TILT practice - Find a telephone or flag pole. Stand about 8 feet away, Zoom
Out wide, start at the base, and practice Tilting up in one steady motion. Concentrate on
keeping the pole in the center of the viewfinder. At the end of the Tilt, hold the
camcorder steady for a 5-second Static shot, then Tilt down to the base, and hold for
another Static shot. Repeat the exercise numerous times, and vary the speed of each Tilt
(very slow, medium, fast).
Some camcorders have an electronic image stabilizer which is supposed to take most of
the shake out of hand-held operation.
Shaky Cam - Some music videos have intentional shakes in each shot.
3) LIGHTING - Shoot outdoors with free sunlight, or it may be possible to shoot
indoors with existing lights. Home camcorders look best with lots of light, and make nice
pictures with sunlight. Shoot when the sun is highest in the sky. When shooting with a
camcorder, always keep the sun to your back (unless of course, it’s directly overhead) so
the sun will shine on the performers.
Total cloud cover (white or light gray) is acceptable. However, cloud cover acts
like a sunlight filter, and there will be fewer hours of desirable light. So, shoot during the
hours when the sun is highest in the sky. On a partly cloudy day, try to shoot only when
the sun is out. On a mostly cloudy day, try to shoot only when the sun is hidden.