How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro

When people ask me the best way to learn video skills, I point them to this book. Whether you’re just starting to get into video or have video experience, Steve Stockman gives you the tools you need to create videos people will actually watch. Of course, you have to learn the skills, practice them and then implement them. First off, Steve tells you up front that this book isn’t about equipment. And that’s a good thing because you may have the latest and greatest DSLR/mirrorless camera, an old hand-me down camera or your smartphone. This is a technique and skills book. Steve breaks everything down into easy to digest chapters and succinctly explains everything. He doesn’t overwhelm you with technical jargon, but writes in everyday, understandable language. You don’t need a videography/cinematography dictionary next to you as you read this. He provides everything you really need to know to get started, or get reoriented if you’ve fallen victim to all those fancy YouTube techniques or crazy transitions. I have both the Kindle and paperback versions. If you thumb through the pages of my paperback edition, you’ll discover all the notes, highlights and underlines I’ve made in it. It’s a book I reference again and again. If you want to make videos and don’t know where to start, then start with this book. Or if you started already and need some help to cut through all the other video stuff “creators” inundate you with, then cut to the chase and get this book.

Excellent book. Well written and fun to read, in addition to being very informative.

The short chapter make this an easy book to pick up for a few minutes, get a new concept, and then out it down.It changed how I think about making videos. I just finished it, so I haven't got a finished video. But I shot one last night, and I shot it very differently, based on what he said. We'll see how it comes out.

I came across a guy recently who's put out a really good book, for everyone that has a video camera. I've owned a whole lot of cameras since the 1970s, culminating in my DLSR. I thought I knew a lot about composition and engaging an audience, but Steve Stockman's book showed me, like most people I had little idea about how to shoot movies.The book is called "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck." As Steve says, if you shoot the normal sort of video people will get bored and zone out or leave. He has a number of solutions. The first thing is to have some sort of a plan. Don't expect that you'll get interesting video by walking around with the camera. He suggests that when you start shooting you don't move or zoom the camera, but just position yourself and set the camera so that you can see the your subject.His second point is to close up on people's faces. Parts of your video should be emotional, and that emotion is seen on people's faces. Again, stay in one place where you are able to capture a face in close up. Their expressions are the best way to tell your story.He says that newbie videographers often let each shot run too long. Around 10 seconds is usually long enough. If the person is saying something that that takes a long time to explain, cut to other shots for a second or two during this time. Almost everyone will grow bored quickly with a person on screen that shown in the same position, even if they're telling an interesting story.The other thing is a problem with light. I see so many cruise videos where the camera person starts in the corridor, opens the cabin door, and the light from the windows is so bright that until the camera adjusts you can't see anything. He advises shooting against the light, for instance if a person is sitting in front of a window. All you'll get is a silhouette where you can't see the face.I felt really bad because, in spite of my photography experience, I would have made these mistakes pretty much immediately. The book has around 250 pages and there are plenty of other tips which will make your videos more interesting. If you don't want to invest in the book, you can go to Steve Stockman's web site (Google it) and find a lot of the lessons there.But since this book is so cheap (just over $11 on Amazon) and because I like to have something in front of me where I can refer to rules rather than try and remember what happened in a training video, it's worth getting.