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shoot video Archives - Steve Stockman

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 Tips and Tricks, Video Marketing, Better Home Video, For Pros

Better Video with “How?”

In every project,you’ll reach a point where something isn’t working. That’s when you need to ask “How?”

How might I show his fear? How might I make this funny? How might I shoot when there’s a car in the way? Learning to be flexible and brainstorming around these problems become core skills for great shooting.

Here are the steps to better video while stuck:

Stop shooting.  Make a list of at 5-10 different ways to do whatever you’re doing.  They have to be different than what you’re doing.  Don’t worry how good they are until you’ve thought of a real … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Tips and Tricks, Video Marketing, Teaching and Training, For Pros

Better Video with “Why?”

Want better video? Try asking yourself “Why” and see what happens.  Sometimes people will look at you a little funny, but remember that you don’t need to ask out loud.

“Why shoot this video?” leads to answers like “to remember our vacation,” “to get more people to contribute” “to show why our pet store is the best.”  Any big “Why?” leads you to insights about what you’re shooting– which help you make decisions as you go.

Smaller “Why”s help too.  Why put the camera here? Why be close now? Why shoot this at night? Why does Neo take the blue … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Examples from the Book

Shooting in Limbo (p. 127)

From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 127:

Some videos take place in an ethereal neverland called “limbo”—a seamless, glowing, solid color wash. Frequently black or white, limbo backgrounds are cheap to shoot and they totally focus your attention on the people in front of them.

In this great looking trailer  for a film/book package called “The Wisdom Book” by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, the limbo was created in-camera: Zuckerman hung a seamless white background behind his subjects to stay beautifully focused on their faces and words.

You can do the same by hanging a nine-foot roll … Read the rest

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Steve Stockman
In Examples from the Book

What’s Your Intent? (p. 25)

From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 25:

Before you shoot your next video, brainstorm a long list of why you’re doing it and how you want to treat the audience. Select the most useful thoughts from your list and keep that in mind as your intent, or purpose. Let your intent live in your mind, and your video will instantly take on a life it may not have had before.

Here’s a video I co-directed for Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts. Summer Stars teaches disadvantaged kids ages 11 to 14 how to … Read the rest

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