Today's point-and-shoot videocameras make recording the Christmas holidays and other activities easier than ever. Better Homes and Gardens magazine suggests some tricks to recording and editing:
- Charge your batteries (and a spare) before the big event, especially if you'll be traveling to another town. Think about shots in advance: relatives arriving, cookie-making, kids bedding down before Santa arrives.- Look at last year's videos to get an idea of what to repeat and what to improve. Flip through magazines for a sense of camera angles and good photo ideas. For your first bits of footage on a new cassette, create an opening scene, such as packing your car to head to the family get-together or turning on the tree lights for the first time. Get the family funster to talk to the camera: "We're off to Grandma's for Christmas."
- Go easy on the trigger. Nothing will strain a friendship more than forcing folks to sit through tedious, repeated scenes of people opening packages or eating turkey. Tape scenes for only 15-30 seconds at a time - unless something truly dramatic occurs.
- Use the zoom carefully. Every camcorder these days has a zoom lens that's easily operated by pressing a switch to bring a subject extremely close - great for facial expressions at gift-opening time - or to offer a wide view. But beware of recording the zooming motion. While the camcorder is in the pause mode, zoom in or out to the desired image, then press record.
Also watch out for excessive zooming, a common error that makes viewers feel as if they are on a rolling ship. To make direct cuts like the pros do, put the camcorder into pause after you tape a scene.