Videoguys’ Happy Thanksgiving - Videoguys Tips for Shooting Family/Home/holiday Video

[Gary Bettan]

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would like to thank all of our customers and friends for your support and patronage throughout the years. Every year around this time we refresh the following article and post it.

Videoguys’ Tips for Shooting Family/Home/holiday Video
If you’re like me, you shoot tons of video of your family. I’ve got hours and hours of videotape of my kids. Over the past 13 years I’ve learned a thing or two about getting the best possible footage. No matter how cool your NLE system is and how many awesome special effects you can add, the bottom line is this: The video is only as good as the video you shoot.

Now includes Video Montage Tips!
Go to any big family event - wedding, Bar Mitzvah, anniversary, graduation etc and you are going to be asked to take 5-10 minutes to watch the montage. For most folks this consists of 100s of snapshots laid over a couple of songs, with every cheesy 3D transition you’ve ever imagined between the images. BORING!!!

You are a videographer, so use video! It’s much more work, but well worth the effort. If a picture says a thousand words, a video clip says a million. First smiles, first steps, first goal, learning to ride a bike - are all so much more exciting in action rather then stills. Even if you don’t catch it on video the first time, watching those early years on video is just so much more powerful then stills You also get peoples expressions and reactions as they celebrate and do things together. When you put it all together, you’ll share your families history with your passion and talent for video editing - what a winning combination!

Videoguys HD Shooting Tips
Two years ago I purchased a Canon HV20 HD camcorder for myself. I absolutely love this camcorder. The HDV footage is spectacular. With the HDMI output I can plug it right into my Sharp Aquos 1080p HD LCD TV and immediately view the footage in all its HD glory. When it comes time to edit I just attach the camcorder to my NLE computer via FireWire, capture the HDV footage and then start editing. Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer / Xpress Pro, Avid Liquid, and Sony Vegas all do a fantastic job with my footage.

One of the most important things I’ve learned over the past year is to modify the way I shoot to take full advantage of the HD technology. Here are a few of my most important tips.

Click here for Videoguys Tips for Shooting Family/Home/Holiday Video now including our new HD Shooting Tips! Videoguys' Tips for Shooting Family, Home & Holiday Videos

Gary