Camera techniques

Post a watchable video on almost any forum and you're guaranteed to be asked the same question, "what software did you use". Or perhaps, "what camera did you shoot that with". Although perfectly understandable questions, they expose the first faux pas of the video editing newbie... that the editing suite is a magical place that creates professional looking video. In the right hands, and with a lot of ingenuity, even the most dire of video can be made to look presentable. But ...

It's relatively easy to achieve the fabled film look. We've featured various post production tips to get the look and feel of a Hollywood production, but it's not just film treatment that gets results. Long before hitting post production, camera technique goes a long way to giving your footage a film look. So rather than rely on expensive plugins, why not learn a few tricks (and in the process dispel a few myths) to give your footage impact without post production wizadry? This first in our series ...