Tips for making of Vacation and Family videos?

[evgeninikolov]

Hi,

Is there a website, a good book or DVD on how to shoot and make a good vacation or family movie?

Most of the tips I found are either just list of 10 or more rules without examples or they pay attention more on the computer programs to cut the movie but not on the shooting itself.

I read both German, English and Russian so the language should not be an issue.

Thanks,

Evgeni

[mattias]

Most of the tips I found are either just list of 10 or more rules without examples or they pay attention more on the computer programs to cut the movie but not on the shooting itself.
that's because editing is 90% of any documentary filmmaking if not more. typically you just point the camera towards something interesting and press rec, then figure out later what you want to show/tell. read a book about light, maybe "painting with light" (you're always lighting even if you're not) and one about picking your shots, maybe "film directing shot by shot" (you're always directing even when you're not) and you'll be on your way.

/matt

[bluegrass]

here's a few tips i think might be helpful.

1. no the ends and outs of basic shooting with your camera before doing a lot of shooting.

2. think as you shoot, that you're not only recording memories, but you want to tell a story.

3. keep sequences as brief as possible.

4. don't do fast panning if the video in the pan area is important to view later.

5. use a tripod as much of the time as possible. occasionally freehanding shoots are necessary but unless you practice a lot or have a very study hand, you will wind up with jerky clips. i sometimes find a monopod useful, and they are light, can be cheap, & can be quite inconspicuous when need be. i have actually carried my HV20 into a music venue in my coat pocket and a monopod in my hand or under my arm without anyone noticing.

6. don't be afraid to shoot a lot(tape is cheap), but like i said above, try and keep the shooting to short sequences.

7. try and do good framing, paying attention to what is in the background. backgrounds can become as important as the main subject. i am not speaking of shooting with a 35 mm adaptor.

8. it doesn't hurt and is sometimes very meaningful to vocalize names, places & dates. try & sneak it in or work it in in a natural way. this can be true especially when viewing a video years down the road or perhaps generations down the road. in sequences with no speech, i believe some narration can be useful. remember you can always edit the audio track later.

9. i try and think of the audience watching my home video will not only be my family, but possibly friends or even strangers to. i try and make family videos that will be interesting and not just a little piece of family video that is boring.

10. i think that most of the time, the best family video will not be something that is planned out - "say cheeze", usually comes out cheezy.

there 10 of mine. i'm sure i could come up with some more ideas but so can a lot of others. use some of your own experience. if you watched other family videos, remember what made the parts interesting & fun to watch and what ones were boring.

[betasx]

I don't know about family vacation videos but there is a book that has a lot of useful info about shooting on dv and making it look like film.

http://www.rebelsguide.com

Don't know if thats what you want but I like the book alot no fancy wording or know it all style approach, just solid techniques and it includes a DVD full of goodies.

I only recommend this because you sound like you already know the basics and what a more in-depth approach to shooting in general.

[arco1]

( . Lengthy Post . )

1. TELL THE STORY - tell it visually, and only allow the dialog if it adds to the story. Its not a travelogue and its not just "Vacation Video;" its the story of your time and your life. Get the images of those people/things/places close to you!

Mount McKinley will still be there 10/15/20 years from now. You could go back or you can always buy postcards. What you'll really want 10/15/20 years from now is 'the Story of Us' planning, getting ready for, packing, driving/flying, getting lost, the hotel we stayed in (with that awful green swimming pool), Suzy after getting stung by the bee, having to dial 14 digits to get an outside line, the music we listened to (and the songs we sang), those interesting paddle boats/ski lodges/fireplaces, getting homesick (then not wanting to leave when it was time to go), the turtle we found, the trip home (and getting lost again), unpacking the car, etc.

In 10/15/20 years, you'll want a visual reminder of the old VW bus or yellow-AstroVan, and you'll laugh about that awful green swimming pool. The way baby Olivia's hair went into tight curls whenever the humidity went up will be a pleasant discussion for almost everyone except Ollie (as she likes to be called now.) That strange purple hairdo worn by little Johnny (who will be 6'3" by then) will be funny and might even invoke a, "What was I thinking!?!"

The painful bee sting will have become a darling piece of nostalgia, or maybe even a family legend. And Little Suzy will be married and have a Suzy Jr by then, who can't imagine how many freckles mom used to have.

2. Maximum Seat-time is 20-minutes - The preacher used to say he'd have trouble saving souls if his sermon lasted more than 20-minutes. It's unlikely your video will be of greater importance or interest. By keeping it short, you'll have to cut out the junk. Look at the Travel Channel, or MTV for some examples of how to hit the highlights in a short time. 20-seconds of screeching and gasping by Aunt Jeanne (after she fell into the pond) will be funny - two minutes would get tedious. But a few seconds of 'audience reaction' might be fun to look at, over-and-over. Remember the travelogue is really secondary to the people and "The Story of Us."

3. LONG-SHOT, MEDIUM-SHOT, CLOSE-UPs, CLOSE-UPs, CLOSE-UPs - Television tends to be an intimate medium and you're really trying to capture personalities. The cinematic practice of an establishing shot (long-shot) to provide the setting; a medium-shot to transition; then some close-ups is a simple and fool-resistant technique. My personal thinking is that you really can't have too many closeups.

4. Embarassing? Maybe, but NO REAL PUT-DOWNs - Editing is a judgement call about rewriting history. That strange girl with Goth makeup that cousin Tom dated really was at Thanksgiving dinner, even if they had a fight later that week and he never saw her again. Whether to show "Uncle Charlie's Mooning Incident," will depend on the circumstances of the accident and how Charlie really feels about it. (Even if he can't ever go back to that same church.)

If it is likely cause real pain, its better left 'on the cutting room floor.'

Oh, and did I mention lots of closeups.....

[lordtangent]

Here are my tips:

1. Think about how you are going to edit what you are shooting WHILE you shoot. Stuff happens fast. If you don't get it (and get it in a way that is editable) youa re screwed.

2. Shoot inserts to cover edits that would be impossible otherwise. This is a grate oportunity to over load the piece with more "Story telling" BTW. How about signs or other details of the location?

3. Actyually edit the piece. As others have said, even you family wont want to watch 30 hours of raw footage. If you want the video to become a charished family possesion, you are going to have to edit it.

4. Keep it short and sweet.

[PTravel]

Lots of good tips here.

I'll add only this: shoot long scenes, but no too long. For each scene you'll need a "head" and a "tail" that will cover the slight shake when you press and release the record button, settle yourself in place, etc. In addition, you'll need enough head and tail material to cover any transitions that you might want to add. Unless you're going for a specific effect, the minimum scene length should be 6 seconds and 10 seconds would be better. When you edit, you'll find that comfortable scene lengths (to keep things interesting) will generally be in the 4 to 8 second range. Sometimes you'll want longer scenes -- for titles, to establish mood, etc. Don't, however, constantly shoot long scenes, 20 seconds or more. These become boring. Think the same way Hollywood does: POV (point of view) shots, i.e. what you're seeing, reaction shots, close-ups, medium shots, long shots, etc.

You can see some short travel videos here: travelersvideo.com
The Buenos Aires and Harbin videos could, arguably, be called "vacation videos."

[Daiky]

that's because editing is 90% of any documentary filmmaking if not more. typically you just point the camera towards something interesting and press rec, then figure out later what you want to show/tell.
Hehe, with "just pointing the camera towards something interesting and press rec and figure out later what we want" you are going to miss exactly the storytelling shots that are the cement to hold the bricks together. And your story is going to totally fall apart into a big pile of bricks.

Did someone already mention the importance of the story telling shots? :p

-silence-

Ok, I think we need an example here.
On a vacation you go inside a museum and just shoot some artwork, because you see it as interesting... If you put this in your vacation movie just like that, outsiders are going to ask themselves: "where are we?" and "what are we doing here?". They are confused and if this happens more than once they loose interest. The viewers don't get the feeling they are involved in the story.
A movie maker's worst nightmare is people that are not interested in your movie or even leave the room before your movie is finished :(

To involve a viewer you must have 1) a long shot of the outside of the museum (>people entering it), 2) a close-up on a name-plaque, 3) a medium shot of people watching art, 4) a close-up on a facial expression, 5) a close-up of some art, 6) an over-the shoulder shot of someone wachting art etc...

If you add all these interesting shots, your viewers get totally sucked into your vacation story, they are going to tell you it was such a great movie and forgot it is already getting very late and they should go home now.
Unless you have other vacation videos, because they'd love to watch them too :)

[mattias]

Hehe, with "just pointing the camera towards something interesting and press rec and figure out later what we want" you are going to miss exactly the storytelling shots that are the cement to hold the bricks together

that's why i said "something interesting". knowing what is interesting comes with experience, although arco's advice is really great as a start.

/matt

[PTravel]

Hehe, with "just pointing the camera towards something interesting and press rec and figure out later what we want" you are going to miss exactly the storytelling shots that are the cement to hold the bricks together. And your story is going to totally fall apart into a big pile of bricks.

Did someone already mention the importance of the story telling shots? :p

-silence-

Ok, I think we need an example here.
On a vacation you go inside a museum and just shoot some artwork, because you see it as interesting... If you put this in your vacation movie just like that, outsiders are going to ask themselves: "where are we?" and "what are we doing here?". They are confused and if this happens more than once they loose interest. The viewers don't get the feeling they are involved in the story.
A movie maker's worst nightmare is people that are not interested in your movie or even leave the room before your movie is finished :(

To involve a viewer you must have 1) a long shot of the outside of the museum (>people entering it), 2) a close-up on a name-plaque, 3) a medium shot of people watching art, 4) a close-up on a facial expression, 5) a close-up of some art, 6) an over-the shoulder shot of someone wachting art etc...

If you add all these interesting shots, your viewers get totally sucked into your vacation story, they are going to tell you it was such a great movie and forgot it is already getting very late and they should go home now.
Unless you have other vacation videos, because they'd love to watch them too :)Dalky, I think this is excellent advice. With respect to museums, I've found a lot can be done in post, too -- select the right music, the right rhythm, the right pieces of art and you can tell a story just through selection and timing.

I'll also add something that I would think is obvious, but just in case . . .

The most interesting thing when traveling, particularly to other countries, isn't buildings or scenery. It's people. I always try to get candid shots of locals when I travel, and its these shots, more than anything, that helps establish a sense of place in my videos. Here's one I shot with my HV20 (actually, the first one I've done with the HV20 -- I was using a VX2000 before that), that illustrates this principle:

http://vimeo.com/453481

[mattias]

btw i shoot all my vacation "videos" on super 8. 6 carts is perfect for a week and gives me 20 minutes of footage that i edit down to around 10, a perfect length imo. and of course super 8 looks like a memory already, so it puts you in the right state of mind when you watch it later.

/matt

[Daiky]

Oh, and you asked about books. If you find this one at a second hand book sale, take it home with you: (I did and don't regret it, although it is a bit old)
(The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques)
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Cs-Cinematography-Picture-Techniques/dp/187950541X

[bluegrass]

evgeninikolov - thanks for posting your question. i think some great insights into shooting intereting video came out of the resulting posts. something along this line of discussion should probably make the sticky list.

one of the things i meant to post and i was so glad someone brought it up, was how important "closeup" shots are to a video project. did you ever notice the closer in a subject is, how much the video quality improves?