Video Camera Techniques - PART 1

One of the best ways to pick up good techniques for filming wildlife is to watch how the professionals do it on television. Record a few programmes from your TV in the style you would like to emulate, and view them carefully several times, making notes on the techniques you would like to copy.

Pay attention to all aspects – the actual use of the camera, what wildlife footage is most memorable, how it was edited together to make a good story, what the narration adds etc. You will find few cinematic gimmicks in classic wildlife films so it’s up to the skill of the camera operator (and later the editor) to shoot the footage that can be woven into exciting sequences.

As far as gadgets go you could spend a fortune on extras to help you take more interesting shots, but as you will see, a little bit of improvisation can solve a lot of problems more cheaply. Wildlife filmmakers, often working in the bush far away from any studio or gadget-store, are well known for their improvisation!

Let’s concentrate on a few of the most important aspects of camera technique........