We love being able to play a part in capturing your precious family memories through transferring video to DVD, giving it the longevity it deserves for future enjoyment. With so many ways and means of capturing video, there is an increasing leaning towards being frivolous when it comes to committing your most important moments to permanency.

It’s great being able to use your mobile phone to be able to capture the blowing out of a birthday cake, but many forget to back it up or even try to get a good quality filming in the first place, so beyond watching it again on your phone, there is little quality or definition to it. At Video2DVD we would like to help you capture these important videos well through providing tips on how you can begin to make great or improve the quality of your home movies.

Planning

Equipment Needed

Firstly, it may seem unnecessary, but planning can be your solution to guaranteeing you are receiving the greatest volume and quality of video. Initially, you would benefit from planning what type of cameras may be necessary. Some cameras are better for close-ups, where as others would be best utilised from a distance. Also, if you desire to capture top quality sound, multiple microphones placed in different locations – further from and/or closer to the action – may be your best solution.

If you are filming an event you know is occurring in advance, as opposed to a spontaneous occurrence, there are certain sequences of events that you can anticipate – so plan for them! If you were to consider undertaking the filming of a birthday, your footage would benefit from taking into consideration certain factors such as, where would be best to stand to capture the blowing out of the candles, or where to position yourself when games are played? Also, maybe opt for a tripod to get extra professional and motionless footage.

Other cool little additions, to capture the full atmosphere of the event, may be filming the guests as they arrive or even capturing the decorating of the cake. One cool little idea would be to interview people before, during and after, so as to intersperse them during the editing process. It will aid in providing a real sense of completion and narrative to the footage.

Filming

Shoot Test Footage

One way to guarantee your camera is up to the challenge of filming, and that it is set up correctly, is through shooting some test footage. Here you can check that you are acquainted with the camera as well as checking the camera is shooting correctly, that the footage is looking sleek and also that the sound is correct. If you have all those boxes ticked, then you are good to go!

Film too much, you can always edit it down, this way you guarantee that nothing will be missed by your awesome camera work. Also, shoot wide, close and at different angles where possible. It may be excessive – although totally worth it – but maybe opt for the use of multiple cameras and angles. If you can find someone as dedicated to capturing the event as you, draft their help. You can make the home movie as blockbuster or as lacklustre as you desire!

Editing

This is where you can really let your artistic flair flow. Not only can you edit down the footage into super entertaining little chunks primed for ordering, you can tie it together with music, opt for special effects, change the camera lens – it’s up to you! Through interspersing your interviews, you can create a running narrative to the event, adding a further sense of completion.

Editing a video may sound like something reserved for the pros, but there are so many fantastic editing tools out there that make the job super easy; you’ve probably got one pre-installed on your computer! So give it a go, you can only impress yourself!

The consequence of succeeding with your filming mission is totally worth the effort. Imagine having a professional looking recording of some of your family’s most treasured memories, all through a little bit of careful planning and dedication. Also, what more a fantastic gift could you give someone than a wonderfully captured memory?

We expect you have many cherished memories committed to video that you would like to experience long into the future. If so, our video to DVD transferring service is perfect for you. Preserving your treasured memories is what we do best, so give us the chance to give your videoed memories the longevity they deserve. You can contact us on 0800 592433 today, where one of our friendly team members will be eagerly awaiting you call.