Do you want to be able to record home movies that look more professional and impressive? Odds are your mobile phone or digital camera can record Full HD videos at very least, so on that front you should be covered. There are also vintage movie props for sale that you can use to add a little character and a classic feel to your home movies.
The more difficult part of recording impressive home movies is the skill that is required, and knowing what needs to be done. That is where there are three easy tips in particular that are vital if you want to capture home movies that look professional:
- Make sure the light is good
Good lighting can mean a lot of things, but in this case you will want to aim for there to be plenty of light, and for it to be diffused.
Diffused lighting is simply lighting that is evenly spread across the beam. It will illuminate the subject more evenly, and result in softer shadows.
While you could buy the lighting you need, if you’re on a tight budget you could DIY a softbox on the cheap. If you want even more control over your lighting you could DIY 3 softboxes and use them for a three-point lighting setup.
- Keep the camera steady throughout
If you want your video to look good, the camera needs to be kept steady throughout your recording. That can be easier said than done, especially after some time goes by and your arms start to feel tired.
The easiest option is to invest in a decent tripod. If you do it should help you to not only make sure your camera is kept still, but also allow you to pan and tilt it steadily as well.
- Get to know your camera settings
The more you familiarize yourself with your camera settings, the more able you’ll be to record high quality and impressive videos.
As a starting point you may want to experiment with adjusting the frame rate, possibly even as high as 60 if you want the video to look really smooth. After that you can look into the white balance, focus, and ISO settings.
Make no mistake it can take some time to really learn how each setting affects your video. That being said it is definitely worth the investment, as it will give you more control over how the home movie you record looks.
- Improve the audio recording
One of the hardest areas to get right when you’re recording home movies is the audio. The best thing to do is to first decide if you’re going to keep the audio or discard it and replace it with background music.
If you are keeping the audio – you need to take steps to improve its quality. That starts with getting a decent external microphone of the right type, and trying to minimize or eliminate as many sources of background noise as you can.
Last but not least if you intend to make a movie at home you need editing software. It doesn’t have to be anything that breaks the bank, but it should have essential features so you can trim, join, crop, add audio, adjust the colors, and perform other basic alterations. For example you may want to try Movavi Video Editor as it should have all the features that you need and is user-friendly to boot.
The role that post-production plays in creating professional-looking videos should not be underestimated. Now that you know what you need to do to record impressive footage, the next step is to look into what you need to do to take that footage and cut it into a great home movie.