Hello everyone!
You are probably thinking about taking your new Handycam camcorder on your next trip like
this couple.
Of course you are!
It's exciting and fun to watch the video of your trip when you get home.
But wait one second, let's check out what that guy over there is filming.
So what do you think?
The image is swaying and doesn't look very good, does it?
Won't be enjoyable to watch later.
The basics of video are to film footage and to enjoy your footage.
The fun doesn't stop after you've stopped filming, you've got to enjoy it afterwards
as well.
In other words, film so you can enjoy the footage later on.
There are two important points.
First of all, don't record long periods of time.
The viewers will get bored if they watch the same footage for long periods of time.
Additionally, stabilize your images.
The viewer will feel uncomfortable if the camera is wobbly or faces this way and that
way.
And so, I want to share these two points with that couple over there.
After all, they are here on their vacation with their camcorder.
Excuse me sir, I've been watching you for a while now.
Your girlfriend, she's beautiful.
A mismatch if you ask me.
And it's understandable to be giddy around her on your vacation.
But you're only taking close-up shots of her waving at the camcorder.
On top of that, that's the only thing you're filming for long periods of time.
It's not going to be very much fun when you get home and watch your footage later on.
What?
What?
It's going to take too long to do introductions, so I'm going to get straight to the point.
I'm going to show you how to make a fun and meaningful video.
Just by taking a little care while filming, the results will be totally different.
There are plenty more ways of enjoying videos.
So listen up and let's begin.
Here's an experiment.
Let's review what you just shot.
Oh, I thought I did a better job than that.
It doesn't look very good.
Well, one of the reasons is that the footage is wobbly.
True.
Most of you probably shoot video by holding the camera in your hand like him.
Therefore, it becomes especially important that you steady your camera.
For this to work, when you're recording, you must not sway or wobble.
First, spread your legs about shoulder width and relax.
Yeah, that's about right.
Then tighten the hand strap.
Bring your elbows in and stabilize the camera with both hands.
There, isn't that much better?
Yeah, that does look better.
When filming with Zoom, the appearance of shaking gets amplified.
So lean against a sturdy object or place the camera on top of a stationary object to stabilize
the image.
Furthermore, being careful to keep the image level improves your shot.
Level?
Right.
When the camera is not level, she looks crooked and so the image looks strange.
Shoot the camera so that your girlfriend appears straight.
That's easy but very important.
Even with this small change, the image appears stable and looks better.
Whoa, that small change makes such a big difference.
See?
Now let's take a look at this.
Just by doing this to this image, you can see the sparkling ocean and how beautiful
the yacht looks against the sea.
On the other hand, if you shoot more of the sky, the blue skies and white clouds become
the focus and the great weather looks like it feels great.
Like you see, changing the location of the main subject in your frame is the composition
of the image.
The composition in turn changes the atmosphere of your shot.
Right, yes, I see.
Additionally, pay attention to composition while filming people.
For example, this footage of a woman facing sideways is neither wobbly nor crooked.
However, it feels cramped.
Right.
How about now?
If we put a little bit of space in the direction she is facing, look, it looks more balanced.
Right again.
Also, the angle of the shot affects the impression of the subject as well.
Simply put, the angle is whether you shoot from above or below your subject.
Take a look at this.
This is footage that a father took of his daughter playing with bubbles.
And this is the same shot only shot at the eye level of the child.
What do you think?
In this one, you can see the expression of the child's face.
And the child looks much cuter.
You can change the angle of the LCD monitor on the Handycam camcorder so you can film
even at this low angle.
There are many other angles to shoot from, so try out as many of them as you like.
For example, look at this footage.
The low position that the toy car was shot at gives the image an intense look.
Even a familiar scene can look dramatic when shot from a different angle.
Like this flower scene, when shot from a lower angle, it gives more depth to the image since
you can see more than just the ground.
Children and pets especially look great since their facial expressions are brought out.
All right, everybody.
In order to shoot footage that is fun and won't bore you after you've taken it, there
are some things to keep in mind.
That is to film who, what, when, and where.
Where did you film this?
Um, I think yesterday at the Botanical Garden.
Wait, isn't that the park that had a nice view?
See?
When you watch the footage later, if you can't tell the who, what, when, and where aspects
of the video, for people seeing it for the first time, the footage doesn't make sense.
In other words, it's boring.
Wow, so beautiful!
When you come to a location with beautiful scenery like this, ta-da!
What do you think?
This is what's called a long shot, and it captures the entire scene.
If you film the entire scenery or situation like this, you can easily identify the where.
But I can't really tell much about her.
True, but wait and see.
Oh, I see.
When you put the various cuts in order, you can tell a lot.
You can tell where you are, and who came there, and even the expression on her face.
After all, movies are composed of multiple cuts.
They come one after another to create the whole movie.
And if each cut tells a different tale, there is variety in the images, and the viewer doesn't
get bored.
Basically, long shots are a great way to understand the situation of the scene, and a good way
to tell the where of the shot.
We use the long shot to capture certain scenery and buildings.
Capturing tourist signs at tourist locations are also a good way of showing where.
Yes, I see.
That's right.
When you have a beautiful wide panoramic view, do the following to capture it.
Move the camera horizontally in a slow, steady movement.
This technique is called panning, and finally, your girlfriend appears in the frame.
That looks very good.
With panning, you can get the where and who in one shot.
Here's a tip for when you want to pan.
First, face the direction you wish to finish panning on, and twist your body.
Right, right.
Stabilize the camera, start recording, and twist slowly back.
When you're panning, you want to make sure to pan slowly and get the beginning and the
ending.
Ta-da!
This is a tripod.
You can take stabilized images with this piece of equipment.
You can even pan smoothly.
It's very useful.
Next, let's try to shoot footage focusing on the who.
The close-up shots that our friend has been taking makes it easy to identify the who.
Let's talk about the zoom button that is on many of your cameras.
The zoom button controls the field of view.
T stands for telephoto and allows you to record subjects in the distance up close.
W stands for wide angle and allows you to film a wider area.
I knew that.
So, how come if you move towards T, the appearance of shaking gets amplified?
Watch this.
Here we have a father filming his daughter in a park.
It's a pretty common scene, yes?
And the child is actively moving around.
This is the father's footage.
In this case, the father was filming from a distance using the zoom.
And, as we said earlier, the zooming in causes the appearance of the image to wobble.
How about this then?
There's not as much wobbling this time.
Right, that's because this time we use less zoom from close-up.
It's tempting to get a close-up shot by using the zoom, but if you stand close, you can
clearly see the expression.
Even while walking, there is not that much shaking to the video.
I see.
Even at a beach like this, there is a piece of equipment that can allow you to get close
to the child while filming.
Introducing the Sports Pack.
It protects the camera against water and sand.
You can get up close and personal with your subject even at a beach.
This will give the sensation of being close with your subject.
You can even film some underwater scenes.
There are many more fun ways you can use it.
This is a scene where we filmed a tennis game, however, the camera has to change the action,
and it makes the viewers dizzy.
There is a fence behind her so she can't back up any further.
In situations like this, here, the wide-angle conversion lens.
By using the wide-angle conversion lens, you can shoot a wide area even if you can't back
up.
The angle becomes wider so it's much easier to shoot children and other scenes from up
close.
And if you use this teleconversion lens, you can get better close-up shots when you can't
get close to your subjects.
Now for the when.
For example, how can we show seasons?
It would give the viewer an idea about what time of year it is.
And also, it would give the video a distinct look.
For example, during the late afternoon, you can shoot beautiful sunset scenes.
If you use the sun effectively, you can get beautiful shots that tell the time.
To convey the season, filming bright flowers is good too.
I see.
So, like you said, I should shoot not only people but the when and where as well.
If the viewer can tell these elements, it becomes an exciting viewing experience.
I think you're starting to get it.
If you insert cuts like this, viewers can tell that time has passed by between cuts.
However, if you leave these transitional cuts out of your video, you only see that you're
playing on the beach and then suddenly you're eating, followed by more footage of eating,
and it becomes confusing to the viewer as to what's going on.
For example, when you're at a place like this…
I film the sign.
Right.
Yup, there you go.
If she stands next to the sign, you can tell the who of the shot.
And for example, if she says something like…
I found a place that teaches hula dancing.
I'm going to go try it out.
I'm not sure if I can dance well, but it looks like fun.
If she says something like that, you can tell a lot about the scene and the viewers want
to know what happens next.
Speaking towards the camera is a good way of building anticipation.
And speaking of telling the passage of time…
In this example, it's important to shoot the scoreboard once in a while.
The viewer can tell the status of the game, and it makes watching the game more interesting.
Okay, let's talk about the water of our video and film some hula dancing.
Okay, whoops.
What happened?
Oh no, I'm out of power, and I forgot my spare battery too.
No!
Here you go, a spare battery.
When you're filming for long hours, it's always safer to bring a spare battery and
some spare media.
Also, if you have a spare battery at home, when you're rushing on your way out the
door, you will always have a fully charged battery.
Finally, the charger on the camera itself takes a pretty long time.
If you're on the run, it's useful to have a rapid charger handy.
Now you are ready to start filming again.
Okay!
For example, after your girlfriend said that she was going to dance, and you didn't film
her dancing, the viewers will feel cheated.
Like you see, it's important to film what you did, what you saw, what you rode, what
you ate, etc.
So there's a technique that allows you to shoot the who and where, along with the when
and what, all in one cut.
Remember, the long shot and the close-up shots we were talking about earlier?
There is a technique that allows you to film the two in one shot, and that technique is
called the zoom.
First, shoot the overall scene for a little bit.
Then, press the T button on your camera.
Look, the field of view gets smaller and you can see your girlfriend becomes larger on
screen.
That's zooming in.
On the other hand, this is an example of zooming out.
As you can see, your girlfriend appears to be relaxed in this close-up shot.
Press the W button and ta-da!
We can now see that she is getting a massage.
You can tell stories with just one cut.
In this scene, if we zoom in on this part of the scenery, it's easy to tell what the
close-up is of.
Remember, always make sure to shoot the beginning and the end of the zoom properly.
Okay, so let's review.
What do we need to make video creative, interesting, and most of all, fun?
We need to be able to identify the who, what, when, and where clearly after filming.
You got it!
If you keep in mind what your footage will look like when you review it later on, you'll
have fun.
Now, take a look at this image.
Why is she so happy?
Oh this!
We got lost on our way to the restaurant.
Then, you should take footage of her being lost.
See, if we put shots of her looking at a map, asking people for directions, walking, and
even some shots to show the passage of time and connect it with that previous scene, the
viewers can tell why I'm so happy.
That's right, your feelings come out onto the screen.
I really enjoy the section on long shots and close-up shots.
The effect from the two styles are different, which allows the video to vary so the viewer
doesn't get bored.
Long cuts that don't have any visual appeal are boring.
The average cut should be around 5 seconds.
Also, using the same angle and same composition is not interesting as well.
It's ideal to give each individual shot its own meaning.
Alright, seems like you got everything.
Okay, let's meet at your house next.
My house?
Yup, remember what I said in the beginning?
You're still fun after filming your video.
Okay, everybody, like I said, filming the video is only half the fun.
You have to see it too.
And so, we're watching it.
Nice.
I recommend viewing your video on a big screen TV.
If you use a DVD Handycam Camcorder, you can easily place it into a DVD player.
Also, there are other ways of enjoying your footage.
This is a digital photo printer.
Select Handycam Camcorders also record beautiful still photos, which you can print and enjoy.
Sony's printers are high quality and can print very fast.
Simply stick a memory stick duo into the printer and you can print high quality photos quickly
and easily.
If you use a DVD recorder, you can save your footage to a hard disk drive and burn it onto
DVDs.
And if you have a DVD or hard disk drive Handycam Camcorder, you can also burn DVDs easily with
a PC.
Looks like he's going to burn the video to DVD and give it out to his parents and relatives.
He's thinking, I'm going to marry her.
Nobody really believes him though.
After filming your footage, you can view it, enjoy it, and share it with your family and
friends.
This is the Bundle Package Software Picture Motion Browser.
This is a great software.
You can organize your footage according to the date, cut out unnecessary shots, and even
burn to a DVD.
So, did you enjoy the Handycam Camcorder?
The more you dive into it, the more you can enjoy it.
There is no particular way you have to use it.
Just experiment with different techniques and use what works best for you.
Whether you're in a crucial moment of your life or just an everyday event, you can make
great memories and enjoy them for years to come.
These are some of the accessories that can brighten your video filming life.
First, we have the carrying case.
It allows you to safely carry your Handycam Camcorder around in a compact case.
It protects the camera from damage while transporting and allows easy access to the camera so you
can shoot when you want to shoot.
This video IR light allows you to shoot in the dark without having to shine a bright
light on your subject.
When you're in a slightly dark environment, such as a night scene, the video flashlight
is the perfect accessory.
You can even use it against strong light to film people.
Notice how it's difficult to hear what a subject standing far away is saying?
You can use the Gun Zoom Microphone.
It picks up the sound from the direction you point the microphone in.
With this wireless microphone, you can record sounds up to 30 meters away.
Make sure to get great sounding audio even when your subject is far away or the surrounding
noise is loud.
The Handycam Camcorder has a wide range of useful and exciting optional accessories.
Buy some of them out today with your own Handycam Camcorder.