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All of the posts on this page feature examples from the pages of my new book. They’re also pretty self-contained, and worth looking at even if you don’t buy the book.
Which you should.
But no pressure.
Examples from the Book
The 180 Degree “Rule” and Why You Shouldn’t Care
Did you break the “180 Degree Rule” when you shot your exercise “50 Ways to Shoot My Daughter Doing Homework”? Not that it matters because the video looks great, but did you? –Sohail The 180 Degree “rule” suggests that you must …(Read the rest)
5 Tips to shoot better video– Instantly!
I’m a writer and director in Hollyood, and this 3-minute video is based on my book: How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck. The video gives you 5 tips you can use right now to shoot better video. If you like …(Read the rest)
Downloadable Video Bootcamp for Teachers and Trainers
Way back when (okay, a couple of weeks ago) I posted our new FREE Video Bootcamp for Teachers and Trainers– 5 hours of classroom lessons you can use with your students/employees to make their video better. Since then, I’ve received more …(Read the rest)
Free Book Excerpt: How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck
One of the great frustrations of the digital age is the death of bookstore browsing. Not that it’s actually dead, since there are still bookstores. But browsing has become much more difficult. You have to put on clothes, for example, and …(Read the rest)
Shoot Short Shots? There are No Rules (p. 106)
An example from How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck (p. 106) I tell people to shoot short shots because (a) our brains process information so fast that long shots are likely to be boring and (b) most people don’t know how to do …(Read the rest)
Shot List: The Opera Spot (p. 77)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 77: The easiest way to plan a video that’s more complicated than “point at party guests” is by using a shot list. A shot list is exactly what it sounds like: a …(Read the rest)
How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck: Official Book Trailer
This took a while, since doing a book trailer for a book about video that doesn’t suck is risky for obvious reasons. But in the end, I decided that putting my money where my mouth was was a better idea than …(Read the rest)
50 Ways to Shoot One Thing (p. 140)
From How To Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 140 Imagine this video: At a retail in-store appearance in Hollywood, the costumed movie superhero steps out of the limo and walks through the store. Shot from adult height, we see the …(Read the rest)
Immerse Yourself in Better Video
I took French in high school, which was more than a few months back. So I’ve forgotten a lot of it (um, ok, all of it.) But when I go to France and spend a week having to get around, I …(Read the rest)
How Viral Videos REALLY Work
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 189: Viral videos can be total luck or part of an intentional, well orchestrated push. What you don’t want is to have neither. One kind of viral video happens when people accidentally stumble …(Read the rest)
“How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck” Manifesto
The journey to great video starts with a single step, grasshoppers. That step is to read, print and sign the How to Shoot video that Doesn’t Suck manifesto. Then email to others. The bad video you prevent may be your own: …(Read the rest)
Shooting in Limbo (p. 127)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 127: Some videos take place in an ethereal neverland called “limbo”—a seamless, glowing, solid color wash. Frequently black or white, limbo backgrounds are cheap to shoot and they totally focus your attention on …(Read the rest)
What’s Your Intent? (p. 25)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 25: Before you shoot your next video, brainstorm a long list of why you’re doing it and how you want to treat the audience. Select the most useful thoughts from your list and …(Read the rest)
How to Promote Your Product Using Video (p. 192)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 192: If you want to intrigue a potential customer into learning more, you’ll need a big idea and plenty of entertainment value. A great video grabs your attention even when you have no interest …(Read the rest)
Shoot Video that You Love (p. 26)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 26: Brandon Hardesty (www.brandonhardesty.com) has made a YouTube career reenacting scenes from movies in his basement, with Brandon playing all the parts. He’s not joking– he performs with passion, giving it everything he’s …(Read the rest)
What in the Hell is Unity? (p. 114)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 114: Aristotle was the first to note that great drama has three unities—of time, of place, or of action. “Unity” is another way to suggest a pure focus on one thing. A play …(Read the rest)
Genre Mashups: Musical Admissions Video (p. 61)
Genres may seem limiting, but actually the expectations they set up can be fun to screw with– Witness this mashup of a musical and college admissions video from Yale.
Set the Shot and Hold It: Beyonce (p. 111)
If you watch professionally shot film, you’ll be surprised how often the camera stays still. Practice keeping the camera locked. That way the action in the frame becomes the most important thing.
Short Shots Add Up (p. 106)
Cutting makes us pay attention. Each cut to a new shot forces our brains to figure out what we’re looking at and what it means. We’re more engaged in what we’re watching because we have to work to understand it. Short shots make us participants instead of passive viewers.
The static camera: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (p. 111)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 111: You gotta walk before you run, and in video, you gotta learn how to compose a shot before you start waving the camera around. Until you’re a pro, you’ll shoot better video …(Read the rest)
College and Job Application Videos: Singing Math (p. 171)
From How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, Page 171: Application videos need to cover interesting topics, presented in unique ways. Doing a bad video is like misspelling the company name on your cover letter. First, Do no harm. Don’t duplicate what’s …(Read the rest)