Practical tips on shooting video with D7000

<p>I am looking for a book on shooting video with the D7000 that has practical tips for those of us who are not aspiring Hollywood directors. There are books that are quite involved, and while the issues remain the same ( proper focus, exposure, and camera placement / movement ), it would be nice to have a book that is focused on simple methods to get there.</p>

<p>I actually started to write a book like this years ago on basic video shooting and would recommend it to you if I ever got to the point of finishing it and finding a publisher. :)<br />But a couple of tips that apply regardless of what camera you are using:<br />1) Keep the camera on a tripod whenever possible. There are times when you want to shoot handheld either because you have to or for effect, but the basic video shot should be rock steady. Let the subject move, not the camera.<br />2) Dont' zoom or pan unless you have a reason to. Again, let the subject to the moving.<br />3) Shoot multiple shots of each setup, and mix them up. Most scenes in a video should start with a wide "establishing" shot to show where you are, then move in to medium shots and closeups and alternate between them.<br />4) Use a separate microphone that is on or close to the person speaking, not the microphone on the camera. No matter how good your visuals are, if you can't hear the person speaking or they sound like they are "down in a barrel" the video is worthless.<br />5) Light the scene properly if at all possible. "Three point" lighting is standard just as in still photography -- a main light, fill and hairlight and/or backlight. Just because video can shoot in low light doesn't mean you get good pictures in low light.</p>

<p>Now <em>that</em> is a nicely distilled list, Craig. <br /><br />But you can't possibly emphasize, enough, the audio issue. The internal mic is useful mostly as a reference for syncing up recordings made on an external device like a Zoom H4N. Otherwise, use an external (and shockmounted, and windscreened!) mic. Super important for gratifying results.<br /><br />On the tripod front ... alas, most rigs suited to still photography are nothing but trouble for video that involves any movement whatsoever. I finally gave in and got fluid head, and good thing, too.<br /><br />On actual shooting, the main lesson I have to keep telling myself is: shoot more! Get that B-roll. Leave yourself heads and tails for editing wiggle room. Get ambient audio (room tone) so you can lay it in over your real take to cover up various audio sins that may take place. Just come away with a lot of extra stuff you can use for transitions, backgrounds, behind titles, etc.<br /><br />Mostly, <em>have a plan</em>. If you think in terms of a beginnig, middle, and an end, you'll start shooting in a way that provides the material you need to cover those bases. Never mind the technical stuff, which will come along. It's the <em>narrative </em>stuff that can be the hardest thing to learn. When you start getting more serious about it, you'll stop enjoying most of the shows you watch ... because you'll be so busy taking apart the shots, the lighting, the audio techniques, and stewing about how they did the camera movements.</p>

<p>Go to Amazon and search for book called "Making Videos That Don't Suck" Don't let the title put you off. The author is a seasoned Videographer and gives great advice for those of use that just want to put together short videos for family and friends.</p>

<p>It's not specific to the Nikon D7000 or any other camera/camcorder, but it really helped me. </p>