Video Recording 101 – A Beginners Guide
With the COVID-19 pandemic going on, many of us have resorted to doing meetings, attending classes mostly via online means.
Some of us may also find ourselves doing home recorded videos with our smart phones for events, religious gatherings, lectures and more.
Getting a good set up is important for the receiving end of the audience gets the best online experience.
Here’s a simple guide on how to do a video recording.
Things You'd Need
- A recording device [DSLR, video camera or a smart phone with minimum 720p resolution]
- A tripod [it could be the full length or short table tops ones]
- The correct mounts to be used for smart phones or video cameras
Next, pick a suitable location. The ideal spot should be:
- Quiet or has minimal noises from external sources;
- It can be a small to medium sized room or space;
- Well-lit;
- The background should be aesthetically pleasing. [A plain or light coloured background will be ideal]
Assuming you have already chosen the location and set up the gear, let’s jump right in to getting a good framing for the videos.
Where to place your subjects
- Light Source
The light source should be facing the subject or from side. If the light is coming from the behind, the subject will be in the dark.Good source of Lighting Bad source of Lighting 
If the environment needs to be brighter, consider investing in one of these ring lights or LED lights to be used as the primary light source.
- Ensure Subject is in Focus
Check on the recording device that the subject is not out of focus.
If the recording device has a manual focus function, adjust and set it before proceeding to record.
Use rules of thirds if there are more than 1 subject in frame.
Recommend Video Framing
With a well-framed video, it keeps the viewer focused and not be distracted with what does not look good.
A well-framed video will take up most of the screen space that is available. Not too wide, not too close up.
Here’s 4 important frames to use in a video.
Wide Shot
This type of shot will usually capture more of the surrounding and the context of the scene.
An example will be, a child running towards their parent across the field.
Medium Close-up
Another commonly used framing is the medium close-up. This creates a larger frame of the head and is primarily used for interviews and news programs.
This frame usually focuses on the subject’s head and facial expressions, with mid-chest areas cropped off.
The surroundings and background should not be the focal point for this framing method.
Medium-Shot
One of the frames to use if filming someone speaking to an audience.
The subject will be framed from the waist up. The top of the frame will be above the head and the bottom frame will be mid-way down the torso.
Close-up
Unless the video is depicting emotions of the subject or focusing on the details of something, this framing will be the least to be used.
This form of framing may convey to audience a certain message or transition of the story.
Head Room
For every framing, do ensure that there is ample head room provided between the subject’s head and screen frame.
This refers to the space between the top of the screen frame to the top of the subject’s head.
If too much head room is given, the subject will feel as though they are sinking into the water, and will tend to also make them look small.
Whereas if the opposite is done and there isn’t enough head room given, part of the subject’s head will be cropped out of the screen frame.
An ideal gauge in order to get a proper head room, is to apply the rule of thirds in the framing process.
That's all for this 'How To' Guide
To sum it up, you are now equipped to setup and frame a basic video shoot with these fundamentals.
Hope you gave found this to be a useful reference to start your video making journey.
Stay tuned to this space for more tech related articles.