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If you’re new to video

Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Better Home Video

Perfect Holiday Video in 10 Easy Steps

**Shameless Plug: Of course you’re buying a dozen print copies of How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck for the video people in your family– but did you know there’s an audio version too? 

Special bonus: Scroll down for a Christmas music video parody called “I am Santa Claus” that I created and directed for Atlantic Records and my friend Bob Rivers. There are at least 900 stupid Christmas jokes in its 4 minute run-time. And yes, I’m proud of that.  

End Shameless Plug**

Ah, the Holidays!

Chestnuts roasting, noses being nipped, and hours of incomprehensible video being shot … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Better Home Video

5 Killer Halloween Video Tips

Halloween Princess

Halloween PrincessGoing out to shoot memorable video of your kids?  Here are five Halloween Video tips that will help:

1) It’s dark out at night.  I know you knew that, so let me be more specific:  outside at night away from any light, it will be too dark to see your kids.  The obvious solutions: use your phone’s built-in light, position the kids under streetlights, or shoot at the pre-show party indoors.

Less obviously- have another parent light the kids with their cellphones from off to the side. You’ll get much prettier looking footage. Above all, remember– if you can’t … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Better Home Video

Five Easy Ways to Shoot Better Thanksgiving Video

Shoot Better Thanksgiving Video

Hopefully your Thanksgiving gathering will be near-normal this year– at least from a Covid perspective (I mean, whose family is normal?) — and that means you’ll need these five tips to make your Thanksgiving video kick butt.

Bad Thanksgiving video can be hell to sit through.  Mom hiding her face to keep from being seen when she’s messy after cooking all day.  Ten minute shots of the steaming turkey, as if this one looks different.  Loud dinner cross-conversations that are impossible to hear, let alone follow.

Why not make this the year you shoot GREAT Thanksgiving video with these 5 … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In If you’re new to video, Teaching and Training, Your Questions Answered

Do I have to Watch Movies to Learn Video?

Should you watch movies? Yes.

Reading your book for a college video course. The book talks about movies all the time. I like videos, but I hate to watch movies. They seem incredibly boring to me.

Is there another way to get better at making videos?

–Anika, Chicago

Video is a kind of language, and it was invented in the movies. The more you understand film language, the better you’ll be at using it. Ultimately it’s up to you. How good do you want to be? If the answer is “very”, learn to watch movies.

Exposing yourself to different forms of an art enriches your … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In If you’re new to video, Feature Film, Your Questions Answered

Getting from Idea to Documentary

documentaries need story

I’m making a short documentary for my college doc course. My idea is to document my thought process while experimenting with sound design. The documentary would end with me having created a new and out-of-the-box piece of music.

Two questions:

  1. What makes a documentary valid? I’m afraid my idea could be perceived as a random youtube video about music production.

  2. Does my documentary need to have a message?

–Johnna

“Documentary” generally means that a piece has been created by filming what is actually going on in the real world, as opposed to a fictional “narrative” story, where nothing is real. … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In If you’re new to video, Feature Film, Television, For Pros

How do I make it as a Hollywood Screenwriter?

screenwriter page

I just finished my first screenplay, and I know it is really good. I just need a chance to get in front of someone to prove it. I’ve tried to contact agencies, but got no response. I don’t want to give up my dream of being a Hollywood screenwriter!

Any advice?

–Jim S., New York

The stock answers to the career screenwriter question tend to be variations on “you have to pay your dues” or “you have to know someone.” I’m not a fan of either piece of advice, so let’s start by reframing those two old bromides into solid

… Read the rest
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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Toy Story: Learning to Use Video Tools

Recently I picked up a multi-rotor drone to carry my HD camera.

I’m having fun flying my drone, but now my videos feel all the same: running along a straight line, go up and take a 360, fly really low almost touching the bushes. Pretty pictures, but not really good video.

Any ideas on how to script/arrange/film better videos for subjects as simple as “last weekend with friends”?

–Ed

Basic drones are mostly good for scene setting and beauty shots. Think fireworks from inside the blasts; an establishing montage of New York City between segments on a TV show; or … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Featured, Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Better Home Video

How to Shoot Vacation Video that Won’t Bore People to Death

Vacation videos suck, unless you follow these tips.

How to shoot vacation video

When I was a kid, the Armbrusters had a slide projector.  Which meant that after every vacation they took, we’d troop dutifully to their house for endless carousels of badly-shot Kodachrome slides, narrated  live.  The slide show always seemed longer than the vacation itself.  Washed-out, badly composed views of Disneyland or Paris—dotted here and there with the back of the head of someone we knew.

Today technology has changed everything.  People can record hours of vacation video on a single chip. But they don’t trap you in their living rooms anymore. Instead they find you at work, at parties, on … Read the rest

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