Tips and tricks for individuals and groups with limited access to technical equipment:

  • Start working on the texts. Try to sort out only the most essential and interesting information.
  • After composing the texts, practise and learn pronunciation, intonation, stress, suitable loudness of the voice and explicitness. Try to speak as most natural as possible.
  • Before real shooting, first practise some test scenes and evaluate them. Try to solve possible imperfections which can be eluded. (E.g. incorrect pronunciation of: castle, square, hotel, theatre, museum, monument, fountain, the -ing endings. Confusion of adjectives and adverbs, etc.)
  • You should be able to imagine the whole film in your head before you start the shooting. This is the best way not to forget an important part.
  • Use a microphone. In case you haven't got any or you cannot get one borrowed, check the distance of recording acceptable sound with the built-in microphone on your camera.
  • Avoid shooting in windy conditions. If you have to shoot at a windy place, cover the microphone with spume rubber, which absorbs gusts of wind and reduces unpleasant noises.
  • Before shooting inside buildings, in yards of palaces or near monuments, at railway stations, in the underground, at busy crossroads and similar places make sure you don't need a permission.
  • For shooting at rush places where crowds of people occur you will have to have some assistance. Some helpers can ask the passer-by pedestrians not to enter the shots. You may also use a string to mark the place. On the string you might place a notice saying: ‘Thank you for not entering.'
  • If your camera has the picture-stabilisation function, use it while shooting scenes in motion.
  • Shooting static takes is better for later work. They are easier to edit and in case the motion with the camera is not done properly it may look like ‚sprinkling water with an ewer‘. A scene may be better described by three static shots than by one which shows the scene around and around.
  • Use a tripod for shooting static takes or stabilise the camera against unplanned motion.
  • Think about the size of each shot. If a person is planned to be in the shot, it should take a remarkable part of it.
  • When shooting in bright sun light the speaker should face the sun. If you shoot against the sun, the people will look too dark in the pictures.
  • Avoid using the digital zoom - it drastically lowers the quality of the picture. Don't be lazy to make a few steps nearer. Be aware of the fact that the bigger the zoom is the more the picture trembles.
  • Go through all the places in advance and try out the sizes of all takes. Good preparation is the recipe for a good picture.
  • If shooting in a rush street, don't forget to speak louder, so the commentary won't get lost in the noise of traffic. Do not hesitate to repeat a shot when a noisy car spoils it.
  • If you have not satisfactory editing technique, try to shoot the individual takes one by one to avoid a lot of work on editing.
  • Think about editing before and while shooting. Start shooting each take a few seconds earlier and finish a few seconds later to save enough place for editing. The cameraman may count mumbling to three after he starts the camera and before he finishes. Between two takes of the same place change the angle or size of the take to avoid the so called ‚jump‘ of the picture.
  • If possible, insert suitable music to accompany the pictures. It creates good atmosphere and the work looks more solid. But don't forget about the priority of the speech.
  • Essential advice how to operate a camera can be also found in each manual to the camera.
  • You may break all the above rules in case you know you break them and you know why you do so.
  • Before sending your video cassette to the organisers remove the safety lock on the front of the cassette to prevent unwanted recording.