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Shooting an interview
In home videos, it's all too common to see someone talking directly into the camera at great length, while being interviewed by the videographer. Think about it: How many professional presentations have you seen that are shot this way? Not many? I thought so. The solution: Shoot it interview-style, just like pro news shooters do every day. Enlist the support of one more person as your interviewer, or get someone else to shoot and you be the interviewer. Or, I'll show you how to fake the interview, making it look like you were talking to the subject yourself (this is done every day in television interviews).

The first thing to remember while shooting an interview is to always shoot your subject's face straight on, not in profile. You need to be able to see both the subject's eyes in the shot. OK, if you really want to get artsy, shoot the person in profile, but if you do, please allow some breathing room in the direction your subject is looking. If your subject is looking left, pan a bit more to the left -- it's a more esthetically pleasing shot. But for the straight-on interview, have your subject look at the interviewer, not the camera, and place your interviewer next to the camera lens. That way, you'll see your subject's face full-on. Frame up the subject's face and shoulders, but not too tight. Occasionally, slowly zoom out to include the interviewer in the foreground.

Then, after the interview is done, take shots that are called "cutaways," and also take a few "reversals". Cutaways, sometimes called "noddies," are shots of the interviewer listening to the interviewee, or, shots of what the subject is talking about. Get a variety of these shots, both singles of the interviewer and over-the-shoulder shots of the interviewer with the subject in the foreground. Here's where you can fake that interview, with yourself in the shot as interviewer. Just place your camera (on its tripod) on the other side of your subject, and frame it up on yourself listening with the subject talking in the foreground. Try not to show the subject's lips to be seen in these shots, so you can fake these shots in editing. Then try shooting some reversals, where the interviewer re-asks the questions asked during the interview. You can cut these in later, making it look like you used two cameras. Finally, if your interviewee was looking slightly left screen, have your interviewer in the reversals looking slightly toward the right of the screen. You'll see the magic happening when you edit all this together. Wow. It's fake, but looks real, especially if you do it right. After an attempt or two, you'll get pretty good at this.

Lighting
Keep in mind that when you look at a camera shot (or anything else, for that matter), you're actually looking at reflected light. So, get a lighting kit with at least three lights in it, and the improvement in your video quality will make you feel like you just upgraded your camera. Good lighting makes even lame camcorders look passable. A basic lighting setup would include a key light, placed close to the camera, a fill light, aimed at the subject and set up on the other side of the camera, and a back light, behind the subject, to set him/her apart from the background. Be careful not to have the back light's stand in your shot. If you have more lights, place a blue or amber gel on another light and point it at your background. You'll see a great difference with just this one colored light brightening up the background. When shooting outdoors, the best look is to shoot in the shade, but use a reflector to add some punch.

Shooting For the Edit
The best shooters are always thinking about how their shots will be used in the edit session. For instance, if your subject is talking about swimming, make the effort to get some shots (called "b-roll") of people swimming, or better yet, the subject swimming. The most prevalent problem editors complain about when sifting through b-roll footage: There's never enough. It's hard to get too much B-roll footage. When you're shooting a flower, for instance, stay on that shot about five seconds longer than you think you'll need. That way, you'll have more options in the edit session. That's the key to shooting for the edit: Allow yourself as many options as you have time to shoot. Every edit session I've ever done has moments of serendipity, where I think of something I hadn't planned, and that's usually the best part of the final product. Allow for these insights. Give yourself options.

Close-ups and Backgrounds
Here's probably the number-one beginner mistake, both in still photography and videography: The shots are all too wide. Get in there, close to your subject. I'm not talking about shots that feature nose hairs. But if you'll just move in a bit closer, and eliminate things in the shot that aren't imparting any information, your shooting will be a lot stronger. Remember, you're communicating, and the video frame is limited. You get to decide what goes into that limited space. Don't waste it by showing us an expanse of carpet or a huge blue sky (unless you're going for a special effect). Use that precious space to show us a loved-one's face, for example. The best side effect of this is, generally, the tighter your shot, the higher the perceived video quality -- there's usually more detail that needs to be reproduced in a wider shot.

Finally, choose your backgrounds carefully. Avoid anything that's too busy or moving. Even when dealing with lightly compressed DV footage, the less compression necessary, the better your video will look. Try not to have any distracting elements in the background. Sure, that plant is beautiful, but if you place it right behind someone's head, they'll look like they're wearing some kind of absurd plant headdress. Another suggestion: Add some splashes of color to the background, without getting too distracting. A little bit of color goes a long way toward creating an attractive background.

Conclusion
Use the tips included in this article, and I guarantee you that people will be impressed with your improved video-making prowess. You'll be surprised at how just a small amount of attention to the right details can make a tremendous difference in the ability of your videos to communicate your message.

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Charlie White has been writing about digital video editing since it was the laughingstock of the postproduction industry. He's an Emmy award-winning producer and director for PBS, and Senior Producer at Digital Media Net. Reach him at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.