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Film-Technique Crash Course The bottom line is that two different issues separate film from video: the technology and the technique. What you can't change is the look of the basic medium: You're going to be recording onto tape, not film. Tip: If the grain and softness associated with film are crucial to your project, you're not utterly out of luck. With the addition of a 320 video-processing program called Adobe After Effects and a $550 software add-on called CineLook (from DigiEffects), you can get very close to making video look like film.

Bracing your elbows against your sides helps. ) POWER USERS' CLINIC Recording Entrances and Exits When it's possible, record the "entrances and exits" of moving subjects in to, and out of, your camcorder's field of vision. For example, if you're filming two people walking, film the space where they're about to appear for a momentand then, when they enter the frame, pan the camcorder to follow their movement. Finally, stop panning and let your subjects walk clear out of the frame. Entrances and exits like this make more interesting footage than simple follow-them-all-the-way shots.

Press the Record button. It's usually bright red and located next to your right thumb. ) Some camcorders have an additional Record button on the top or side, plus another one on the remote control, for use when you're filming yourself or holding the camcorder down at belly level. In any case, now you're rolling. 6. Film the action as described in this chapter. When you've filmed enough of the scenewhen you've got the shotpress the Record button a second time to stop rolling. At this point, the camcorder is back in standby mode.