Tips For HOW TO FILM YOURSELF - Immediately Make Better Videos With Your Own Hands!

Summary

This video offers invaluable tips for solo filmmakers, emphasizing the importance of knowing your project's objectives and accepting your limitations. It advises on selecting the right gear, achieving balanced shot coverage, and utilizing manual focus for creative control. The script also encourages viewers to use their aperture wisely, review each shot, and employ post-production techniques like fake camera movement to enhance the final product. Sponsored by DJI, the video highlights the DJI Action 2's versatility in capturing unique perspectives, urging filmmakers to maintain creativity despite working alone.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Know what you're shooting: Have a clear idea of the content and shots you need before you start filming.
• 🚫 Understand and accept your limitations: Be aware of the constraints that come with filming alone and use them to fuel creativity.
• 🧳 Bring the right gear: Choose equipment that matches your project needs and your personal filming limitations.
• 📸 Use manual focus: Gain more control over your shots by manually setting the focus points.
• 📉 Use aperture wisely: Don't always shoot at the widest aperture; consider stopping down for more depth of field.
• 🔄 Review every shot: Always check your footage immediately to ensure it's correctly captured before moving on.
• 💡 Be creative with shots: Don't fall into a routine; experiment with different angles and techniques.
• 🌟 Balance your coverage: Mix up wide, medium, and close-up shots to create a visually interesting sequence.
• 📹 Fake camera movement in post: Use editing techniques to create the illusion of camera movement if you couldn't capture it during filming.
• 🔗 Use gear to your advantage: Utilize compact and versatile gear like the DJI Action 2 for unique and easy-to-capture shots.

Q & A

What is the main challenge of self-filming according to the script?

The main challenge of self-filming is managing multiple roles such as director, talent, producer, and even getting coffee, while keeping track of details and ideas, which becomes more difficult when doing everything alone.

What is the first tip given in the video for self-filming?

The first tip is to know what you're shooting, meaning having a clear idea of the project and what needs to be captured, which could range from simple concepts to detailed scripts or shot lists.

How does understanding and accepting limitations enhance creativity in self-filming?

Understanding and accepting limitations can spark creativity by forcing you to find innovative ways to work within those constraints, such as getting creative with shot composition or movement given the single person constraint.

What does the script suggest about the gear one should bring for self-filming?

The script suggests bringing the right gear for the job, which is informed by knowing what you're shooting and understanding your limitations. It also emphasizes the importance of bringing essential items like a tripod, memory cards, and batteries.

Why is it important to get balanced coverage when self-filming?

Getting balanced coverage is important to avoid repetitive shots and to ensure variety in the footage. This includes a mix of wide, medium, and close-up shots, as well as balancing shots of the main subject and the surroundings.

What is the significance of using manual focus when filming alone?

Using manual focus is significant when filming alone because it gives you control over what is in focus, ensuring that your subject remains sharp and reducing reliance on potentially unreliable auto-focus systems.

How can stopping down the aperture help with self-filming?

Stopping down the aperture can increase the depth of field, making it easier to keep the subject in focus and allowing more of the scene to be in focus, which can be beneficial for showing off beautiful scenes.

What is the advice given in the script for reviewing shots during self-filming?

The script advises reviewing every shot after filming it to ensure it worked, rather than moving on immediately. This can save time and headaches in post-production by catching issues early.

How can fake camera movement in post-production enhance the final video?

Fake camera movement in post-production can give the illusion of dynamic camera work, such as slight zooms or shakes, which can make the video more engaging and help hide the fact that it was filmed solo.

What is the final tip for self-filming mentioned in the script?

The final tip is to remember to be creative with your shots. Even though one might be tempted to take the easy route due to the多重 roles, it's important to push for creative and experimental shots to match the quality of videos shot with a full crew.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Self-Filming Challenges and Tips

The paragraph discusses the challenges of self-filming, where one person takes on multiple roles such as director, talent, producer, and more. It emphasizes the difficulty of managing all aspects of filming alone and the importance of being organized and prepared. The speaker offers advice on how to improve the self-filming experience and the final product, suggesting that the tips are applicable to anyone involved in filming, regardless of whether they have a team or not. The paragraph also introduces the first tip: knowing what you're shooting, which is crucial for setting a solid foundation for all other decisions in the filming process.

05:01

🧳 Gear Selection and Practicality

This paragraph focuses on the importance of selecting the right gear for self-filming, taking into account the project requirements and personal limitations. It suggests minimizing the amount of gear to carry, especially for locations that require hiking or extensive movement. The speaker shares personal preferences for lenses and mentions the need for essential items like ND filters, microphones, and a variety of other equipment depending on the shoot. The paragraph also highlights the DJI Action 2 action camera for its size, weight, quality, and versatility, which is sponsored by DJI and recommended for unique shots due to its magnet system and ease of use.

10:03

🎞️ Achieving Visual Balance and Creativity

The final paragraph emphasizes the need for balanced shot coverage to avoid repetitiveness and to create a visually engaging video. It suggests a mix of wide, medium, and close-up shots, as well as a combination of subject and environmental shots. The speaker also advocates for using manual focus to control the depth of field and create visually pleasing shots, and advises against relying solely on the camera's autofocus. Additionally, the paragraph discusses the use of aperture to enhance shots by increasing the depth of field, which can be beneficial for maintaining focus and showcasing scenic beauty. The speaker also stresses the importance of reviewing each shot to ensure quality and the potential for creating the illusion of camera movement in post-production to add dynamism to the footage.

Keywords

💡Self-filming

Self-filming refers to the process of filming oneself without the assistance of a crew or other individuals. In the context of the video, it is the primary theme as the script discusses various challenges and tips for successfully filming alone. The video aims to provide guidance on how to overcome the difficulties of multitasking during self-filming, such as being the director, talent, and producer all at once.

💡Conceptual tips

Conceptual tips are theoretical pieces of advice that guide the thought process rather than providing specific technical instructions. In the video, these tips include understanding one's limitations and knowing what you're shooting. They set the foundation for practical application and help in planning and executing self-filming projects effectively.

💡Limitations

Limitations refer to the constraints or restrictions one faces when filming alone, such as the physical ability to carry gear, the challenge of capturing diverse shots, and time management. The script emphasizes understanding and accepting these limitations to use them as a catalyst for creativity rather than as obstacles.

💡Gear

Gear in the context of the video refers to the equipment used for filming, such as cameras, lenses, tripods, and action cameras like the DJI Action 2. The script advises selecting the right gear based on the project requirements and personal limitations when filming alone, which is crucial for achieving the desired shots without being overburdened.

💡Balanced coverage

Balanced coverage suggests achieving a mix of different types of shots, such as wide, medium, and close-ups, to create a visually engaging narrative. The script uses this term to encourage variety in self-filming to avoid monotony and to ensure that the final edit has a diverse range of footage to tell a compelling story.

💡Manual focus

Manual focus is the act of adjusting the focus of a camera lens to achieve the desired sharpness on a specific subject or area. The video suggests using manual focus when self-filming to have control over focus points, which is essential when the camera operator cannot rely on autofocus systems that might not focus on the intended subject.

💡Aperture

Aperture refers to the opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light that enters and the depth of field. The script advises using aperture to one's advantage by not always shooting at the widest aperture but rather adjusting it to increase depth of field, which can help in achieving better focus when filming alone.

💡Reviewing shots

Reviewing shots is the practice of checking the footage immediately after capturing it to ensure it meets the desired standards. The video emphasizes the importance of this step when self-filming to avoid potential issues in post-production, as it can be time-consuming to reshoot scenes that were not properly captured initially.

💡Fake camera movement

Fake camera movement is a post-production technique used to create the illusion of camera motion, such as zooming or panning, when the camera was actually static during filming. The script suggests this technique as a way to add visual interest and dynamism to self-filmed footage that might otherwise appear static or monotonous.

💡Creativity

Creativity in the context of the video refers to the innovative and artistic approaches one can take when filming alone. Despite the challenges, the script encourages viewers to maintain a high level of creativity, ensuring that the final product is engaging and does not reveal the constraints of self-filming.

Highlights

Embrace the challenge of self-filming by taking on multiple roles and staying organized.

Having a clear vision of what you're shooting is crucial for self-filming success.

Understand and accept your limitations to spark creativity in self-filming scenarios.

Select the right gear that aligns with your project needs and personal limitations.

Minimize gear to maximize efficiency, especially when filming solo.

Use manual focus to maintain control over your shots when you're not behind the camera.

Utilize your aperture effectively to enhance focus and scene depth.

Review every shot to ensure quality and avoid editing headaches.

Create the illusion of camera movement in post-production to add dynamism to your shots.

Experiment with different shot types to avoid a monotonous visual narrative.

The DJI Action 2 is praised for its size, weight, quality, and versatility in unique shooting situations.

Ensure balanced coverage by varying shot types and perspectives.

Accept the time-consuming nature of self-filming and plan accordingly.

Be creative and experimental with your shots to match professional productions.

Use post-production techniques to simulate camera shake for a more dynamic feel.

Engage the audience by ensuring they cannot discern that the film was self-shot.

Transcripts

so it seems like you've got no friends

available to help you shoot that great

idea that you had but instead of calling

the whole thing off you've decided to

just do it yourself you're going to be

the director you're going to be the

talent you're going to be the producer

and of course you're going to be the

person who gets the coffee but filming

yourself is a lot harder than you might

think when you're wearing all of those

hats keeping track of all the little

details and ideas that may become second

nature to you normally is a lot more

difficult so in this video i'm gonna

give you a handful of tips and things to

think about to make your self-filming

experience and the final result a whole

lot better and just between me and you

after i reviewed this list it turns out

it's basically just good advice for

anyone filming almost anything so stick

around because there's probably

something in here for you even if you do

have friends available

i have friends

[Music]

now the first couple of tips are a bit

more conceptual but the later ones are

going to show you what you can actually

do with all this thinking that i'm gonna

make you do sorry so let's kick things

off with probably the most basic one

know what you're shooting

[Music]

and i know that sounds like a dumb thing

to say of course you should know what

you're shooting but this is going to be

even more vital when you're self-filming

because your brain is going to be busy

with all those extra roles that you're

taking on this part of the process is

going to look different for every

project and for every person for me a

lot of the time it's super simple like i

want to show me showing up at a spot

hiking up to the top of a mountain and

taking in the beautiful view and that's

really all i need to get me started on

that kind of a project but for other

projects or for other people who maybe

their brain just works a little bit

different that might mean scripts might

mean shot lists or maybe even just a

basic checklist of the important things

that you want to make sure you shoot so

whatever that is for you and for your

project make sure you've got a solid

foundation because it's going to inform

all the other decisions that you make as

a director dp talent everything the next

tip is a two-parter it's to understand

your limitations and then accept them

limitations have the ability to stop us

in our tracks or to excite our

creativity and when you're shooting

alone you're about as limited as you can

be there's only one person to carry all

the gear that you're gonna need it's

really hard to get any kind of movement

in your shots while you're in frame most

of the time there's no one standing

behind the camera to make sure that you

stayed in focus or that the audio is

working okay and then of course as they

say our most valuable resource

time filming by yourself takes a lot

longer so those time limitations become

very apparent very quickly every single

time that you have to run back and forth

to the camera you're ticking down that

clock between losing the light or just

getting so tired that you really can't

keep going so be ready for that if you

can and then the most important part of

this tip is that you accept those

limitations you don't let them get you

down you let them spark your creativity

all right stepping away from the

conceptual stuff for a second the next

tip is to bring the right gear for the

job

and combining what we've already learned

knowing what you're shooting and

understanding your limitations that

should inform what we're going to bring

with us personally for these little

hikes that i like to film i'm trying to

bring as little gear as possible to

still get the job done if i had friends

available to help me i could ask them to

carry some of it we could bring some

more stuff maybe some more kind of like

just in case we need it kind of things

but when it's just me i'm just trying to

bring what i think i will absolutely

need obviously i'm not bringing any

lighting with me but that might be

something that you want to consider

depending on what kind of shoot you're

doing as far as lenses go i generally

start by trying to cover as wide a focal

range as i possibly can so i'll bring

like a 16 to 35 24 to 70 and 70 to 200

and again this is going to be different

depending on what kind of location

you're in what kind of shoot you're

doing if i need specific lenses to get

specific shots i'll make sure to bring

them and on top of that this is of

course limited by what you already have

so use the gear that you own if you're

filming outside in bright sunlight

you're probably going to need nd filters

maybe you want a polarizer depending on

what you're shooting are you capturing

audio do you need microphones lav

wireless any of those kinds of things

hey future dunny here i just realized

that in this section i forgot to say

some pretty basic stuff tripod memory

cards batteries those are things that

you're gonna want to make sure that you

bring okay back to the other stuff about

gear other things to consider are

monitoring does your camera have an app

you can connect to to monitor and set up

your shots maybe start and stop

recording is the flip screen going to be

enough for you to be able to see or do

you need to bring a monitor with you how

important is camera movement to whatever

you're shooting do you have a gimbal

that you can set up on a tripod and

pre-program movements into it or do you

have a small motorized slider that maybe

you can do the same thing with and then

of course again are you willing to haul

all of this stuff wherever it is that

you're going if it's a chute that's in

one location and you can kind of just

bring it dump it all there use it as you

need it then great if it's like these

hikes you're not going to want to carry

them the whole way so again i'm sounding

like a broken record here but every

shoot is a little bit different i'm not

going to try and tell you exactly what

you need to bring because you're going

to have to figure that out on your own

but knowing your gear and knowing what

you're going to need is really key here

one thing that i almost always bring

with me because it's so small and light

easy to pack away and it comes in handy

for these really unique shots is the dji

action 2 and dji is actually sponsoring

this video the action 2 is by far my

favorite action camera to date for its

size weight quality stabilization and

for its magnets it allows me to do

things that would be really difficult to

do with my other cameras for example the

magnet lanyard lets me get super simple

point of view shots to make you feel

like you're seeing things as i would be

seeing them i also like to use a bite

mount because it's easy for me to move

the camera with my head the size of it

and excellent stabilization makes it

great for mounting to the car with a

suction cup the action 2 is also

waterproof up to 10 meters without the

waterproof case and up to 60 meters with

the case and sometimes you just need to

be able to sneak a camera in a tight

situation and those big mirrorless and

dslr cameras won't go in there the

action 2 software and touch screen are

intuitive and easy to use and again it

just allows me to get shots that i might

not be able to get otherwise but that is

just really the tip of the iceberg when

it comes to the action 2 just some

things that make sense in the context of

what we're talking about today there is

so much more going on with this little

camera so if you want more information

there's a link down in the description

you can check it out there huge thank

you to dji for sponsoring this video

okay so we've got all the gear that

we're gonna need the next tip is to make

sure that you're getting balanced

coverage

and what i mean by that is that

especially when you're filming by

yourself it's super easy to get caught

up getting the same types of shots over

and over and over again you're already

running back and forth to the camera a

million times there's going to be an

inherent pull to get lazy and just shoot

the same types of shots do not succumb

to that feeling basically you just want

to get a nice balance of wide shots

mediums and close-ups and you want to

make sure that you're balancing out

shots of the main subject or yourself

and the surroundings or kind of b-roll

whatever you need to kind of show what's

going on around the subject so in my

specific type of example maybe there's a

wide shot of me pulling up to the scene

then there's a medium shot of me walking

by the camera to the back of my car a

detailed shot of me grabbing my camera

bag and then maybe we see where we are

by me showing a sign or something like

that so you know hey we're at mount work

and we're gonna go for a hike just

enough variety of shots so it doesn't

feel boring the other thing that you can

do in a similar vein is to get multiple

shots of the same action so if i'm

stopping to take in a view maybe a wide

shot of me walking up to it and then as

i hit that view a medium or close up of

me stopping to take a breath and look

around and then follow that directly up

by the kind of point of view shot so you

can see what it is that i'm looking at

all strung together nicely this is gonna

feel like it's all of these things

happening at the same moment in time

it's actually only one thing even though

you had to move the camera a bunch to

make it happen the next tip absolutely

changed the game for me when i started

using it and that is to use manual focus

[Music]

i don't care how incredible you think

your camera's auto focus is if you're

not at the camera able to control it and

tell it what to focus on there's always

a chance that it's going to choose

something you don't want it to focus on

and on top of that i actually find it

quite visually pleasing when the focus

stays in one spot and the subject moves

in and out of that focus or sometimes

it's cool to just focus on something

interesting in the foreground and just

walk through the background so you can

see that there's motion happening there

you know the subject is moving but

you're actually getting more information

out of the scene from what's in the

foreground to use manual focus i'll

generally pick a point in my shot where

i think it'll be most important to have

me in focus either at the point where

i'm walking through or at the point

where i want to land i'll choose

something that's approximately where

i'll be standing at that point and focus

on that if there's nothing at that

distance from the camera that i can use

i'll go put my backpack where i'm going

to be standing and use that focus on the

backpack and then i know when i hit that

mark i'm going to be in focus and so

then as i walk through the scene as i

hit that point i'll come into focus and

as i move past it i'm going to be boked

the only real exceptions to this are

anytime that i know my face is going to

be clearly in the scene for the whole

time because then i can use my face

detect autofocus or if i'm talking to

the camera like this again because my

face is in the whole time and i trust my

auto focus system to find me and stay

with me all of this in focus out of

focus hocus pocus brings me to my next

tip which is to use your damn aperture

i know it can be super tempting to shoot

everything wide open all the time but

stopping down your aperture can actually

make your shots better for a couple of

reasons first of all like we talked

about before nailing focus when you're

on this side of the camera is already

hard enough as it is but you know what

makes it easier if more of the frame is

already in focus so slightly increasing

depth of field by pushing your aperture

up to something like f4 or f 5.6 might

save you a lot of headache for missed

focus shots by just putting a little bit

more of the frame in focus and also if

you're trying to show off a beautiful

scene and there are lots of things to

look at in it why not put a little bit

more of it in focus for the audience to

actually see if you're shooting on a

super wide focal length like 16

millimeters this might not be necessary

f 2.8 at 16 millimeters puts most of

your scene in focus already but it's

just something that you actually want to

be considering don't just default to the

widest aperture possible all right so

we're living on the edge here we're

using manual focus we're actually using

our aperture to our advantage one thing

that we're going to want to make sure

we're doing in the next tip is to review

your shot

every single time if you can

normally if you're behind the camera you

might be able to get away with moving on

from a shot right after you're done

because you were there you watched it go

by the whole time you pretty much have

an idea whether it worked or not but

when you're filming yourself do not move

that camera until you have checked the

shot to make sure that it worked make

sure that you don't need to change

settings or change focus or anything

like that and shoot it again this is one

of those things that adds a lot of extra

time to filming by yourself but it's

going to actually save you a ton of

headache and time in the editing process

because trying to fix something or patch

it up or try and live without it if it's

something important in your story

it's such a pain that being said there

are certain things that you can get away

with doing in post and that's where our

next tip comes in fake camera movement

sometimes a series of locked off tripod

shots is just fine but it can get a

little bit boring so what you can try

and do is in post keyframe small

movement so it gives the illusion of

camera movement for example one of my

favorites is to slightly zoom in as i'm

walking away from the camera and

slightly zoom out as i'm walking towards

the camera it almost gives the illusion

that the camera is moving with me and of

course you can do the same thing for

left to right movement or right to left

movement but i don't do those nearly as

much and remember that if you're gonna

do those types of things you're gonna

need to zoom in first to give yourself

room to move so hopefully you planned

ahead and shot those specific shots

extra wide to give yourself that extra

space the other thing that you can do in

post is fake camera shake to give it the

illusion of being handheld davinci

resolve has a plug-in that makes this

super easy but there are ways to do it

in all the other programs as well if you

do a quick youtube search there's lots

of tutorials out there to teach you that

fake camera movement can give a more

professional feel and it definitely

starts to hide the fact that you were

alone when you shot the thing and the

final tip of this video is the one that

i probably struggle with personally the

most and it's to remember to be creative

with your shots

like i said earlier when you're wearing

all of these different hats when you've

got all of these different roles it can

be super tempting to take the easy route

and not get too experimental and

creative with what you're doing and

while you should definitely be

considering what the project needs first

it doesn't mean that you can get lazy

just because you're filming by yourself

remember the audience doesn't

necessarily know they're not judging you

based on the fact that you did film the

whole thing by yourself they're just

judging whether they liked it or not so

that means that you need to go the extra

mile to make sure they can't tell the

difference between your film that you

shot all by yourself and somebody else's

where they had a proper crew and

everybody to do their individual jobs so

those are my tips but as always i want

to hear from you do you have any extra

tips that you would give to someone who

is trying to film themselves make sure

to leave a comment down below and on

your way down there hit that like and

subscribe button hit the bell

notification so you don't miss out on

future videos huge thank you to dji for

sponsoring this video make sure to go

check out the link in the description to

check out the action 2. thank you so

much for watching and i'll see you next

time

[Music]

you