How to Shoot Great Video on DSLRs

In the world of video there is, what some would say, a revolution in using the Digital SLR cameras (that are meant for still images) for capturing video.  This system has not only been adopted by indie filmmakers on a small/nothing budgets, but also by professionals in Hollywood, i.e. shows like House and CSI. The Appeal of these cameras are for there range of lenses that create sharper images, shorter depth of field, and  amazing capabilities of shooting in low-light situations . The sharpness of the image and low-light advantages are due not only to the lenses that can be used, but also the large sensors on these cameras - because the larger the sensor, the more information can flood in and be processed.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify that while DSLRs take amazing video, they have many drawbacks - well of coarse they do! they are not designed to be true video cameras.  They don't record more than 12 minute clips at a time, the in-board mics are terrible, and you can produce shaky footage if you are not careful. In this post, I will talk about workflows and solutions to help you get around the weaknesses and use them as the amazing tools that they are.

"So which Camera should I buy?" That is the #1 question i get. The answer is a complicated one. There are many great DSLR cameras, but if you want to use these cameras for video, i would recommend sticking with the Canon line. Philip Bloom has a fantastic rundown on his blog on all the Video DSLRs, and i wont try to do a better explanation than him.  All i am going to say is, stick to any of the Canon cameras that he mentions and you will be getting great video. However, as with all things tech, you get what you pay for; and the 5D Mark II is amazing!

Along with the camera purchase comes the decision on lenses. I will spare you and not go into too much detail here, but here are a couple things to keep in mind. I do recommend you get a kit lens with it. These are the lenses that are optional with the cameras. I would look for two qualities in these kit lenses. first is the focal length. this  is the number ending with (mm) in the description of the lens. The lower the number, the wider it is. the higher the number, the more zoom you have. These are good for wide shots and close ups -  good to have that range when on the go. The second quality that most of these kit lenses provides is image stabilization. Footage can get shaky on these cameras if you are not careful, and this helps a bunch. I do tell people to buy a prime lens with their purchase - at least one. primes have one, single focal length, but usually have a great aperture - this gives you a nice sharp image and a nice blurred out background look - great if you want to achieve a cinematic look.

Alright moving on. so you have your DSLR, (or you know which one you want) and you want to learn how to shoot great video on them. The thing you need to familiarize yourself with first is what i call, "The FIve Variables."

THE FIVE VARIABLES

Exposure Variables

• Aperture - the window of light. this is how much light the camera is taking in at a given time. the lower the aperture, the wider the window and the more light that comes in. this also shortens your depth of field, so the softer the background becomes.

• ISO - sensitivity to the light. you can heighten your cameras sensitivity to the available light by increasing the cameras iso. this is useful for taking video indoors or where light is not plentiful. just remember the higher the iso, the more grainy and pixelated your footage will look!

• Shutter Speed -  how long the frame is exposed for. in film photography, you are exposing frames of film. it is not much different in digital photography, motion film cameras or in video. the higher the number of your shutter speed, the faster it exposes the frame. so, in other words, if your cameras shutter speed is really high, the frame gets less exposure - so the darker it becomes.

Other Varibles

• Frame rate- so if the shutter exposes the frame, what is Frame Rate? or what is the difference between shutter speed and frame rate. This confused me too. it took me a while to understood the difference, but in it's simplest form: Shutter is how long the frame is exposed for (the longer the shutter is open, the more light enters the camera) and Frame rate is how many frames the video produces in a second. these two variables are tightly linked and i'll go over more about their relationship later.

• White Balance - white balance is tricky because it can be both objective and subjective at the same time. The idea is simply telling the camera what is supposed to be "true white" in your environment. it is tricky because true white looks different in every environment, and depending on style and preference white can be either cool or warm. But style and taste aside, the fact of the matter is - if you are not careful with your white balance setting, your image can come out hideous! I like to set the white balance manually using the temperature setting (K). Keep in mind, indoor balanced lighting is usually around 3200K and outdoor balanced lighting is around 5600K. (but this can vary tremendously)

SHOOTING RULES AND TIPS

Alright so hopefully you have an understanding of the variables in exposure and light. there are some rules about shooting. these rules will help you get better looking footage and will make your workflow and editing process easier down the road.

The 180° Rule

Earlier i went over the relationship between shutter speed and frame rate. if you have every taken a picture with a digital camera and left the shutter open for a long time - say for a shot of the night sky, you know that if there is any movement in the shot you get blur and streaking. if you have, then maybe you have been frustrated or pleased with the effect. well in video, you want a little bit of that blur - but just the right amount. getting this is easy when you know the 180° rule - and its simple. just take your frame rate, double it, and set your shutter to the closest setting to that number. pretty easy. Now you have that perfect amount of motion blur!

Exposure

When shooting, i follow a couple rules. your meter on your camera that gives your exposure levels is really nice and handy. I use it as guide, but also shoot with the principle - what looks right, is right. if you are shooting something and it says its way over exposed, it may just be evaluating something in your background - the sky perhaps? see what your subject looks like. If it looks well exposed, go with it.  I also have noticed that being slightly underexposed is better than overexposed. you have a little bit of leeway with color correction in post - but don't solely bank on it.

Outside shooting

Normal video cameras have an ND filter built in. this basically allows you to cut down on light when there is just too much of it - like on a bright, sunny day. so if you are shooting in these type conditions, and your ISO is set as low as it can go, your shutter locked into one setting, your only other option to cut down the amount of light is to close that aperture. this works fine, but you loose that sweet blurry-background look. what you can do is buy a ND filter to put on your lens, cut the light out, open your aperture and enjoy that sweet bokah!

How to Get Great Audio

To get the clearest audio you can, the best thing to do is record audio into a separate device. I recommend the Zoom H4N. it will cost you about $300, but it works great for getting good audio. It has XLR inputs, so you just plug one or two lavaliere microphones or a shotgun mic into it and record away. it also has a built-in mic that is great for quick and easy recording.

if you don't have the budget for this, you can also get an external on camera mic that has a 1/8" plug and record straight into your camera's microphone input. this will work fine for quiet, close shooting environments. i do recommend getting at least something like this, because the camera itself can produce annoying noise that the built in mic picks up. This is a good mic that i have heard people recommend

Stabilization

Along with great audio, another mark of professional quality video is smooth, steady shots. the most effective and cost efficient solution is a tripod with a smooth, fluid head. i recommend Manfrotto Tripod with 501HDV Head Kit. for smooth handheld looks you can find shoulder rigs that make shooting easier. also compact dollys and glidecams give you great looking footage. but all this can get quite pricey, i would stick with a good tripod and a $15 monopod from Walmart or Target.

EDITING

Editing the footage from these cameras is not hard, but it does take some getting used to. The thing you have to know is that these cameras do not shoot in a format that is easy for editing. you will need to convert all the footage to a "Native" format. to do this, a free program called Mpeg Streamclip is a great solution. Just open your clips up with this program and convert them into Apple Prores or DVCPRO files (whatever your choice format). you can also convert batches of clips at a time, so you can set it, and forget it!  once your files have converted, open them in Final Cut and start cutting away!

Syncing Audio

Audio can be a pain to sync when you have multiple cameras, and even more difficult when you record audio separately. in the film industry they use a clapper to help them sync by creating a moment where a visual and auditory marker occurs at the same instance, but there is an easier way - software called Pluraleyes. it will run you about $150, but the amount of time that it saves you is well worth it! there is a great tutorial on their site on how to use it.

Well That should get you started, i guess. Happy Shooting!