Chapter 4. Shooting Video

In this chapter we'll take a look at some of the things you need to consider before shooting video for your vlog, such as creating a plan, determining the length of your finished piece, and ensuring that you record usable video and audio. Because your clips will need to be compressed, or reduced in size, to be posted on the Web, we'll give you some insight on how compression can affect video quality. We'll also show you easy ways to make your videos look and sound good enough that they won't distract viewers from the most important thingwhat you have to say.

If you're an experienced cameraperson or filmmaker, you may want to enlist the help of a crew or use additional equipment to give your videos a more polished look. But this isn't a competition, and you don't need to be a video pro to start shooting.