Learning Video: Taking Baby Steps

Today’s Post by Mark Toal

In the movie What About Bob, Bill Murray plays a character that is terrified of anything new or different. His therapist convinces him to take baby steps into any new situation. That’s my new approach to learning to shoot and share video.

I’m not new to video. I currently have 147 videos online at Vimeo.com but every time I have to shoot video my stomach gets in knots. This is the year that I’m going to get over that and I’m taking you with me.

Right after New Years Day I decided this was going to be my goal for 2016 and without me mentioning it to anybody I got an email almost immediately requesting that I put together a video for the steam train restoration group where I volunteer. Then my employer, Panasonic, decides we need to make an effort to spread the word about video and asked if I would teach a class? Now I know all that stuff about the universe will give you what you ask for and a window opens when a door shuts, but jeez I never really believed it.

If you’re interested in learning more about video using any camera that you want to shoot with from a cell phone to a GoPro to an interchangeable lens camera I’ll be write a weekly post—starting today—laying out the baby steps. I don’t guarantee you will like shooting video but at least you will know more about your mirrorless camera and why you don’t like it.

The first lesson is to find the video button on whatever camera you are going to use and push it to start shooting a video and then push it again to stop the video. Try to hold the camera horizontally since that’s the way it will play back, except on a phone. Shoot a few short 10-15 second clips.

Next week we will learn simple editing and how to post them on YouTube or Vimeo and share them to Facebook, if you’re so inclined. From there we will learn to polish them to try and look more professional.