audio

Always check your sound with headphones, don’t just rely on your audio meter levels to tell if you’re capturing good sound. The levels will tell you if your audio is in the right volume range, but you won’t be able to determine if there is excess noise or static.

This seems like an obvious tip, but I have come across this problem more than once in the last few weeks, even people who know what they’re doing can get tripped up on it.

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video

When recording something happening, shoot the same action from multiple perspectives if you have the time and opportunity. For example, if you are recording two people in conversation, you might get these shots:

• a wide shot (shows the two people and surrounding environment)
• a medium shot (both people in frame about waist up)
• and two close ups, one for each person

When you start to edit your clips together you will be able to cut from the wide to the medium to the close ups which will make the action more dynamic and give you more creative options. This tip can also apply to photography.

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video editing

If you’re looking for a desktop-based video editing software, DaVinci Resolve is a cross-platform, professional-level editing application which makes the majority of its features available in the free version. It’s definitely worth getting to know if you are getting started and want something to grow into.

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Want more random DIY content creation tips? Check out vol. 1 and vol. 2