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Family Video – Baby's First Steps
Family Video Basics
 Baby's
first steps are the most amazing moments of baby's starting
independence that you absolutely have to record as a family video.
Before walking on their own, babies made a lot of unsuccessful and then
successful attempts to stand-up against anything they can hold to like
beds, chairs and furnitures. They hesitate, fall and try again. At this
stage, your presence and help is absolutely
necessary to give them confidence in themselves
and in their physical abilities. While one parent provides this
assistance, the other one needs to grab the camcorder and shoot.
Shoot at baby's level
 Shooting
baby while you are standing up is a bad idea. The only thing you will
capture is baby's head and what you will miss is baby's expression and
movements. Feel free to bend, sit down or place your video camera on
the floor.
Use the swiveling screen to monitor your shots. Alternate wide shots
that will show the environment where baby is evolving, medium shots to
best capture baby's awkward movements, and close shots of baby's face
to record the excitement and joy, as well as close shots of their
irregular steps. At the family video editing stage, the combination of
all these shots will produce an attention grabing and funny movie.
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Different environments
 Your
family video must include variety. Place baby in different environments
and situations. At home, of course, but let them exercise their new
walking skills at the park, at the beach and anywhere else
where
baby can practice.
Shoot while moving with them
Another rewarding technique is to follow your baby walking,
either next to them, behind them or in front of them. It is not easy to
walk and shoot at the same time, especially when it comes to keep the
camcorder at baby's level. Try to be very flexible on your legs and to
hold the camcorder low, close to the floor, monitoring the
swiveling screen while you are moving at
baby's speed.
The easier shot is when walking behind baby as you will
also walk forward. Walking on the side is more difficult as you will
either have to walk forward and direct the video camera to your (right
or left) side towards baby, or you can walk sideways and keep the
camcorder in front of you, always low at baby's level. The most
difficult is to walk backwards while
shooting baby's face coming towards you..
These techniques require a little practice and flexibility but the
results are very much worth it when at the editing stage you will be
able to combine all these different angle shots together to create an
irresistible family movie.
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HINTS
AND TIPS
- Shoot at
baby's level by
bending or placing the camcorder close to or on the floor.
- Use mainly
wide angles to allow movement in and out of the
frame.
- Choose
different environments where baby can express their
new walking skills. This will bring variety in your family
video.
- Move with
baby while shooting, next, behind or in front or them.
This requires some technique and practice to minimize shakiness but is
much worth it.
- Don't
forget a few close shots or baby's face and legs to amplify excitement
and awkwardness.
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VIDEO
EXAMPLES
Coming soon...
See also...
Prepare
the shoot: The items and skills you need to prepare before
starting to shoot
Frame
the action: Use the adequate framing techniques to compose
for space and track movement of your subject
Frame
your shots: Distant shots, close-ups, panning, zooming - when
and how to use them
Shooting
for variety: Find different creative angles to make things
interesting to watch
Useful
services
Coming soon...
Go to Best Family Video Tips home page
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