If you follow these simple rules, then you to can create great looking movies that will impress even the toughest critic.

1. Plan out your shoot. You will have a better chance of getting the shots you want if you plan out the what and where of each shot. You can even try to story board your shots so you have an idea what it should look like when you go out to film each shot.

2. Use a tripod. Nothing says " Professional " like a smooth, steady shot. If you can afford it, try investing in a gel filled head. They cost more but make panning your shot look smooth.

3. Avoid over zooming. The more you zoom in and out, the more your audience will become sea sick. In this case, less is more. If you have to zoom, try to zoom as slow as possible. And remember that at full zoom anymovement on your part is highly amplified. Even the pulse from your finger tips can show up on your movie as a shaky camera.

4. Get a variety of shots. Try shooting your scenes from different angles and vantage points. Pan a shot then get a close up of the same shot. Try shooting a scene then film it again from a 45 degree angle of the first shot. This will make editing easier.

5. Try to visualize each scene. Most directors do this as they are preparing a shot. Pretend your hands are the scene and you are watching it like a movie. Move the scene from point to point  to help tell your story. Also try to remember where your shot left off so when you film your next scene you can pick it up and continue the story with out any seams. This helps during editing.

6. Give your filming some lead in time. Nothing is worse when your editing your own master piece then when the most important or expensive scene is missing enough extra time to have a scene fade or transition added to it. In this case you want to turn your camera on a few seconds early to allow extra film to work with during editing.

7. Lighting and Autofocus. This one is the most over looked because people are use to shooting film without thinking about shadows or backlight. Unless your shot calls for this it can really make your film look like a home movie. Try investing in light reflectors. Lastolite makes a large variety of them for any budget and they come in different colors for that special touch. Also dont be afaid to experiment with the manual focus. This will guide your audience to see what you want them to see and can set the tone for many shots.

8. Sound. Believe it or not the soundtracks of any movie,whether back groundmusic or your main characters voice, make up 80% of a film. There is nothing worse then watching a movie that you like but you cant hear what is being said because the cameras built in mic. is  unable to pick up anything 10 feet away. This is where you will need to invest in a wireless system. They can cost from $100 to several thousand dollars, based on your level of expertise. I recommend Sony for about $150 bucks. They have great range and clarity but only record in mono so be careful when editing. Also try using good quality royality free music for your film project.

9. White Balance. I know you must be thinking " what the heck is he talking about, my camera has auto white balance "  Trust me on this one. I had to find out the hard way on this little problem. Have you ever shot a great piece of film and then shoot the same scene again only to find out during editing that one scene looks a little blue while the other one looks dark brown or even gray. The problem is that your camera is trying to white balance agaisnt the first thing it sees and if you turn your camera off then back on again and you happen to have it pointed at the sky then quess what , thats right a blue tint to your shot. The answer is to either point the camera a the same color everytime you turn it on or use warm cards. They come in a pack of 4 and have different shades of blue on them for getting that same color everytime you shoot. They even have a green card for shooting indoors for flourecent light.

10. Use What Works. I know that it might sound strange but try thinking about how each shot was made for the next film you see. Watch how the Pros did it and learn from there work. After watching your favorite DVD, go to the special selection tab and watch how they made it. I promise you will get alot of insight to the magic of movie making if you do this after each film. When you see a fantastic shot, try to figure out how the got the shot and then try using it in your own film, but remember that crane shots and dolly shots can be expensive to shoot, so start off small and work your way up. B+H photo has a large inventory of video products for the beginner to the expert so check them out .

If you would like to comment on this article or if you have questions about film work then drop me a line, I would like to hear  from you. Until next time, keep shooting those camera’s.      Jeff