Camera Basics for Video Storytelling

Whether you're shooting a short video of the CEO to put on YouTube, an interview with the police chief, or a full documentary, you need to know the basics. Everyone who shoots these types of stories needs to understand how to frame and light an interview and how to shoot sequences of shots for b-roll. 

There are many great resources to help you get started or to refresh your skills if it has been a while. A great free resource is a creative commons e-book written by Nancy Kalow. It is called, "Visual Storytelling: The Visual Documentary. You can download the PDF file. The book goes over the basics, like the rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule.

Another free resources is mediacollege.com. Here is a link to some basic information on how to conduct a video interview.

http://www.mediacollege.com/video/interviews/composition.html.