Instruction manual

the footwork with a camcorder in advance, and walk softly.
* * *
When shooting inside a room - Remove furniture and furnishings. Use 3 of the
walls as the background. It is ideal for a medium to large size room, such as a bedroom,
den, living room, kitchen, basement, school room, etc.
Overhead View: The map above shows four performers in a small room. Shoot hand-
held while walking around anywhere inside the black area. Pan left and right for 3-
second shots of each performer. The performers should always “play” toward the
camcorder as it moves. Occasionally back up, and show 2 or more people in one shot.
Don’t Zoom. Concentrate on steady, smooth Pans and camcorder moves. Practice the
footwork with a camcorder in advance.
To shoot outdoors with sunlight, simply build the 3 walls. Use your imagination
for creating the background, whether indoors or out. Use duct tape, wire, string or coat
hangers to suspend backgrounds. Prop up lightweight, solid backgrounds - like sheets of
Styrofoam - with either wood (broom sticks) or tape the back of each sheet to a chair or
table with duct tape. Here are some inexpensive options:
* Rolls of Plastic Sheeting, available in different colors and sizes at many hardware
stores. The last roll I bought was black, and covered 10 x 25 feet. Larger sizes are
available.
* To cover small areas, buy and use Plastic Garbage Bags from the grocery store. They
come in white, yellow, brown, yellow, silver, and black. Steel-Saks by Hefty are silver on
the outside, and black on the inside. Twenty large plastic garbage bags can cover a large
area, when slit down the sides, and joined together with masking tape. Unless you want it
to show, tape should be used on the side away from the camera. Use clear tape on yellow
and white bags, as masking tape will show through.
* Balloons could be used as a background, either Army size or hundreds of small ones.
I’ve seen giant 20 foot balloons available by mail order, and they’re sometimes available
through Army/Navy surplus stores.
* Styrofoam and cardboard are excellent, inexpensive materials for prop and background
construction. They’re lightweight, easily suspended, and can be joined together with
wire, glue, and Gaffer’s (duct) tape. They are also flammable, so be very careful with
them around lights, and other sources of heat.
Grocery, retail, and appliance stores are great sources for free cardboard boxes,
which can be cut into flat sheets. Ask the store owner or manager to save some boxes,