Important Points to remember from Filming

Filming: Do's and Do Not's.

1. Don't cross the 180 degree line; keep all shots and camera angles at a sensible vector and positioning. Simple shots are often the best, and so elaborate camera useage is not always required.

2. Don't zoom in when recording audio; frame the shot by getting closer into the active event within. Also to note with zooming, try and make movements fluid rather than jerky. Hold the camera still within the tripod, and zoom in slowly but consistently to avoiding jumping.

3. Do make sure recorded speech is audible and coming across when filming. There's nothing worse than incoherant wording on a production. If it requires it, add a voice track over the top of the diegetic audio during editting, if it will make things sound clearer. Narrative is an extremely important part of filming, and it doesn't matter how good a film is if the speech is not matched in quality.

4. Do check wind direction when filming outside. Film with your back to the wind if possible, to avoid the crunching affect when recording audio. This isn't so important if tracks are being put over the top of the original audio, but if the plan is to directly film the sound, definately take wind direction into consideration, as it can seriously hinder the sound of the voice.

5. Do observe health and safety; it's there for a reason, after all. Be careful when filming that you're not doing something dangerous, and make sure that health awareness checks are performed and accepted by teachers before filming. Injury occuring during filming will look bad on many people, especially the teacher, if these checks are not made, and so making a simple plan highlighting the dangers, and then going to extents to avoid them, are quite easily done, and work effectively.

6. Do contain consistency with shots. Too many varied shots and camera angles over a small period of time can ruin the flow and fluidity of your piece. You need to make sure that you keep shots at a suitable time frame, with a sensible amount of alternating shots keeping the general feel of the piece alive. For example, in a horror film or a thriller, short shots work IF they are creating tension. If they fail to do this, however, and do not add to the atmosphere of the piece, the result will be a mess.

Editing: Do's and Do Not's.

1. Do use conventions of continuiety editting - cut between shots effectively to establish scene, narrative and/or dialogue. Make sure that shots are focusing on what they are supposed to focus on, and cut shots if they run for too long. Make sure that the camera was held under regulated support during filming, to avoid shaking or distruptions of the camera.

2. Don't ignore the pacing of the shot. Pacing is very important when filming, and it should not be overlooked. If your brief is to create a two minute film, don't go filming exactly two minutes worth of footage, as you will most likely have to delete some during editting, which will leave you short. Aim to film over the limit by some margin, perhaps a minute or two more, and then during editting keep the shots that best represent the piece.

3. Don't focus too much on sound...initially. If adding a soundtrack, do not try and base your film around the song in question, whether it is an existing piece, or a custom made product using Freesoundproject.com or Audacity and such. Make your film first, and get all of the shots sorted, and then incorporate music afterwards. Music is very important in a production, but is second to the picture and image quality.