Easy Ways To Shoot Great Vacation Footage

Watching the "dailies" together can be fun, too.

Shooting home video while on vacation is a valuable investment in preserving your precious memories, one that will only increase in value as time marches on. But raw footage alone is not very accessible to other viewers, especially if it is not sufficient to tell the whole story. The following tips will help you be aware of future editing needs while you are enjoying those special moments that will never happen again.

Get your establishing shots right away.

The condo or hotel room is never going to look as nice as when you first get there. Take a little tour with your camera before bringing in luggage. Taking your camera along as you first explore the immediate surroundings is helpful, too. You’ll want to take a look at everything, and you won’t be on your way to an activity yet.

Set up a stage.

You can make one corner of your lodging your “confessional” area by arranging lighting, playing with camera angles, and keeping it clear of clutter.  Take a little time every day to have all the members of your party sit and talk about the day’s highlights. The consistent, clean background will make editing easier and your final movie more polished.

Make sure everyone has equal camera time.

That means you, Mr. or Ms. Videographer. You don’t want it to seem later like only your disembodied voice participated in the vacation. If you feel the urge to narrate, hand the camera over to someone else and get in the shot.

Keep the shot dynamic, short and tight.

Your footage will be more interesting if you zoom in and out as the action changes. Wide, establishing shots are good, but close-ups are more personal and help viewers feel the mood. Don’t get hung up on keeping whole bodies in the frame, as you’ll lose the nuances of facial expression. Cut after any noteworthy moment so that those gems don’t get buried in the middle of long stretches of footage.

Think about the set-up

Any television show has to set up the action before it happens, right? So take the time to film members of your party on the phone, arranging a tour or outing. Or film the “getting out the door” stuff, with periodic checks on a clock. Capturing the work behind the play sets the scene and keeps viewers interested in what comes next.

Embrace the bloopers

Candid moments are great not only for capping individual scenes in your movie, but a “blooper reel” running beside the credits of your movie, or as a separate bonus feature, is a really fun touch for viewers.

 

Prerequisite: Video camera. Most digital cameras shoot video, too.