Shooting Videos

Articles about operating camcorders and capturing better footage at home. Topics include camera movement, zoom techniques, scene composition and specialty situations like underwater filming.

How to Shoot Your Video

Plan your shots and avoid common mistakes like excessive zooming to turn your home videos from amateurish into something people actually want to watch.

How to Use a Zoom Lense

Zoom works best when used sparingly and smoothly to enhance your footage, not to show off what your camera can do.

How Your Camcorder Works

Camcorders break down into three essential parts: a lens that captures light, an imager that converts it to electrical signals, and a recorder that stores the result.

Moving with Your Camera

Amateur filmmakers often move the camera wrong, but six key techniques like panning, dollying and arcing can add real drama to your videos.

Setting the Scene for Your Video

Plan your video scenes using visuals and sound to set the mood, from choosing the right location to lighting and music.

Shooting Underwater Videos

Get closer to your underwater subjects to cut through murk and optical distortion for clearer, more dynamic footage.