Today’s Guest Tipster is Dean Kautzmann, the “Video Guy” and president of Interactive Digital Media L.L.C.

I have sat through far too many home videos that were simply not viewable. Here are his tips to creating a decent home video:

• Use A Tripod Whenever Possible - You’re not making a horror flick, so the shaky camera thing has no place in your video.
• Never Shoot A Subject In Front Of A Window During The Day - For that matter, never shoot a subject who has a major light source behind them, because the camera will pick up the strongest light source. If the light is behind the subject, everything in front of that light source will be dark.
• Make Sure The Subject Is Well Lit - Any kind of home lighting will do as long as the light is in front of the subject. Again, video needs light in order to record anything to tape. The better the lighting, the better the quality of the video.
• Whenever Possible, Use An External Microphone - Just imagine your local news reporter on the scene of a car acccident, delivering his or her information using the mic on the camera. You wouldn’t be able to make out much of what they are saying. Your home camera is no different. You can buy them cheap at Radio Shack and they help minimize external ambient noise, allowing the viewer to clearly hear what the subject is saying.
• Pick A Shot And Count Seven Seconds Before Moving To The Next Shot - The camera should act like the human eye. Stay long enough to grasp what is going on, but not too long so as to be boring.
• Always Make Camera Movements Slow And Easy - It’s very disconcerting to view a video that is jerky and “all over the place.” After you count your seven seconds, if you want more video of that subject: move slowly to a new angle; slowly zoom in or out; or slowly circle the subject until you get to a new angle that you like. But slow moves is the key.
• Be Creative - Try shooting from different angles. This keeps the video visually interesting.
• When Shooting Children, Bring The Camera Down To Their Level - This creates a more intimate viewing experience between the viewer and the child.
• Stay With Close-Ups And Medium Shots - Video can acquire only so much information. Long shots - especially of people - make the subject look tiny and disproportionate. Video, above all, is a “close-up” medium. That’s why your favorite TV shows tend to use a lot of close-ups.
• Always Place A Written ID On Every Used Tape When You Are Done - This makes it a lot easier to organize and ultimately find the home video you want to watch when Grandma and Grandpa show up on Thanksgiving.

What are some of your best home video tips?

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