There’s a lot to consider when filming. Here we’ve gathered 3 simple tips and tricks you can use to elevate the quality of your videos!

Tip 1: Depth

This is the world’s easiest way to improve quality! Being mindful of depth in your shot makes it look much more professional. It simply means stepping a few steps away from the wall — too often people film right up against it. Whether it’s a plain wall or a stylish background, keep a few meters between you and it. It’ll look much better! One of the first things we do on set is find the best spot to film, and depth is one of the most important factors.

Tip 2: Good Sound

Did you know that streaming services always lower video quality before audio quality when the internet connection is weak? Good sound is extremely important. Humans simply can’t stand bad audio — we can actually tolerate poor visuals better. That’s why you shouldn’t use the built-in camera microphone; it’s quite unpleasant to listen to. It picks up sound from the whole room, and when you review your footage later, you often hear the camera operator and surrounding noises just as much as the speaker.

Don’t underestimate audio quality. Invest in a microphone that suits your needs — and watch a few YouTube videos about it!

There are a few things to consider when buying a microphone. There are user-friendly options you can plug directly into the camera, which is probably the easiest. This could be a shotgun mic that’s highly directional, or a lavalier mic clipped to the speaker (just watch out for clothing rustle). You can also record through an external recorder to have more control over sound levels. If you plan to film with both a camera and a phone, make sure the mic works with both — often they’re not that versatile.

Tip 3: Aperture

Ever noticed those beautiful shots with a lovely blurry background? Aperture has a lot to do with that!

It’s worth learning the basic camera settings (aperture, ISO, and shutter speed), but this section focuses only on aperture — the one that looks like f/4, for example. If you take the time to understand it, your videos will pop and look much more professional! Simply put, aperture is the opening in the lens that lets light in. It allows you to make the image brighter or darker by adjusting it up or down.

Another cool thing is that the aperture determines how blurry the background will be! The lower the number (e.g. f/2.8), the more blurry the background. A higher number (e.g. f/22) means more of the image is in focus. What’s slightly confusing is that lower numbers mean a wider aperture that lets in more light, while higher numbers mean a smaller aperture. Often, you’ll want the ability to blur the background — it gives the image a softer look. You’ve probably seen photos or videos with those unfocused “light bubbles” in the background — that’s called the bokeh effect, and it often makes the image look more aesthetically pleasing.

Additionally, the distance to your subject matters. When filming close-up, the focus area becomes very narrow (for example, if you film close to someone’s face, the tip of the eyelashes might be in focus while the rest of the eye is blurred). That’s something to keep in mind.

If you want more tips, check out this blog post about what to consider before you start filming: Roza Pixel: Videoproduksjon – Think About This Before You Start Making Videos.