Shot Selection For Better Video

When you’re videotaping an event, whether a political campaign, a soccer game or a birthday party, you need to capture a variety of images to have some good material to edit. For most people to enjoy sitting through a lengthy video, it has to be a compelling event (such as a grandchild’s soccer game for a grandparent). Editing is important, but it can be difficult if you don’t have the appropriate shots.    
 
How do you get the right variety to make editing easier? One certain way is by shooting extensive footage, but after a while that’s a lot to deal with. The better way is to have a set of shots in mind as you film and review the footage as you go to be sure you’re getting them.

We reviewed the new JVC GZ-MC200US Everio camera, in part because the Everio camcorders make working a scene much easier with nearly instant review of any shot. These cameras record video onto a hard drive or memory card instead of tape, so you can immediately access any part of the video from a menu of scenes. You can review any scene, whenever you need to check a shot, without rewinding—a major hassle with tape-based recorders.

There are four main shot types to look for when shooting video, reviewing shots and selecting scenes to edit in the computer: wide shot, medium shot, close shot and cutaway. If you try to cover each shot, you’ll have good material to work from when editing, making it easier and more fun.