Ah, Mothers Day! Burnt toast and coffee made with hot tap water in bed (“We aren’t allowed to use the stove.”) . Macaroni-art “I love You Mom” cards. Perhaps a meal at Mom’s favorite restaurant–say, Chuck E. Cheese. The day is loaded with great material that can become memorable video. Video you can use 15 or 20 years from now in that mandatory embarrassing/cute wedding video.
With that in mind, here are a few Mother’s Day Video Tips for the Dad behind the camera:
Find the Story: “Mother’s Day 2017” isn’t a story. Stories are about people and action. “Shaniqua and Kitain surprise Mom with a new Puppy” is a story. “The Kids make breakfast” is a story. “Taking Mom to a movie” is a story. Each one of these stories calls for a different point of view when shooting. Think a little bit about what the story is going to be in your family on Sunday, and your video will be that much stronger.
Interview your kids: We see interviews on TV all the time for a reason: They work. They work especially well at capturing the precious moments of childhood. You’re only 6 once. Start before the big day and ask them to show you what they’re preparing, tell you how Mommy’s going to like it..how they thought of it…if it’s a surprise or not. Interrupt as little as possible and you’ll be amazed at what you get.
Shoot at their level: We tend to hold the video camera at eye level if we’re looking through a viewfinder or chest level if we’re looking at a screen. Instead, get down to kid level and shoot at their height. Stay close. Suddenly you’ll be in their world,and everything will look different.
Interview Mom: Moms don’t often get to be the stars, and they have a lot to say– especially about their kids. And especially after the surprise/emotional impact/disaster that is Mother’s Day. Your kids may not appreciate it now but 30 years from now, they’ll pull out a video of their mom talking to camera with gratitude for the guy who shot it.
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Steve Stockman is a writer/ producer/ director in Los Angeles. How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck, available in 9 languages, is the best selling video how-to book in the world. You can find the updated (2017) edition from Workman Publishing wherever you get books, ebooks or audiobooks. 