Tips For HOW TO FILM YOURSELF - Immediately Make Better Videos With Your Own Hands!
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🎥 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.
🧳 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.
🎞️ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Self-filming
💡Conceptual tips
💡Limitations
💡Gear
💡Balanced coverage
💡Manual focus
💡Aperture
💡Reviewing shots
💡Fake camera movement
💡Creativity
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
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