Apple Final Cut Express HD: Getting Started - Manual (Page 9)

Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD 9
Step 1: Shoot
Making good videos begins with good camera work. Although this book does not
teach the finer points of shooting video, you need to be aware of some basic issues
while shooting your footage and recording your audio. Final Cut Express HD is a robust
and powerful digital video editing tool; however, it is not designed to correct video
that was improperly shot or audio that was improperly recorded.
The following list is a series of tips on shooting good video:
• Use a tripod. Tripods add stability to your shot, allowing your viewers to focus on
your subject instead of your camera motion.
• Avoid zooming to get closer to your subject, especially when the camera is handheld.
Magnifying the image with a zoom lens also magnifies camera movements,
potentially giving your viewer motion sickness.
• Never use digital zoom. Turn this feature off on your camcorder. Digital zoom makes
pixels bigger on the screen, resulting in a blockier, lower resolution image.
• Avoid auto-focus. Learn to focus your camera lens manually so you control the image
instead of the camera.
• Avoid bright lights behind your subject (called backlighting ), since this often results
in unwanted silhouetting.
• Be cautious when shooting reflective surfaces. For example, eyeglasses and car mirrors
can cause overly bright highlights and often reveal the camera operator in the shot.
• Plan your shots in advance. Consider image composition and how your shots may
work together during the editing process. Scripting and storyboarding can be useful
ways to organize your shooting.
• Think about image composition and frame your shots. Pay attention to headroom–
too little will smash actors’ heads against the top of the frame; too much will lose
them at the bottom.
• Avoid using the on-camera microphone–use an external microphone instead. Built-in
microphones tend to capture the sounds of the camera and the camera operator
instead of the subject of the scene.
• Leave at least one minute of black (recorded with no audio or video) at the
beginning and end of your tape, where tapes receive the most wear and tear.
• Pull the record tab to prevent recording over your tape as soon as you’ve finished
shooting.
• Always label your tapes as soon as you remove them from the camcorder. This is the
number 1 organizational rule of motion picture editing. Sorting through piles of
unlabeled tapes for a particular scene is an editor’s worst nightmare. On feature films,
there is one person dedicated to labeling film and tape reels as soon as they leave
the camera.