Plan and capture video
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The idea in everyday life
Plan a beginning, middle, and ending. Record wide views, medium views, close-ups, details, reactions, and shots that connect scenes. Leave enough footage around each action to edit. Keep sound clear, camera movement steady, and frame rate and scene details consistent. Record the room’s background sound and an extra backup take.
Editing can only connect the moments you deliberately capture.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.
- 1
Write the beginning, change, and ending of a 60-second story, then list essential wide, medium, close, detail, and reaction shots.
- 2
Choose the frame rate (frames per second) and shutter setting for the motion you want. Lock exposure and white balance when brightness and color need to stay consistent. Keep the camera as steady as the shot requires.
- 3
Record clean primary audio close to the source plus room tone and natural sound.
- 4
Keep recording briefly before and after the action. Vary the shot size and angle, and capture extra shots you can cut to when joining scenes.
See how it works.
Kai's sequence follows clay becoming a cup: studio exterior, wheel setup, hands centering, artist concentration, shaping detail, wire cut, and finished piece. Each shot rolls five seconds before and after action; a clip-on microphone records the explanation with a second audio backup.
Did you cover these?
- The shot list covers story beats and edit transitions.
- Frame rate, resolution, white balance, and orientation are intentional and consistent.
- Speech is monitored with headphones and a backup exists for irreplaceable moments.
What to finish
A labeled footage set with complete visual coverage, primary sound, natural sound, and room tone.
Watch for this
Recording many near-identical medium shots that leave no clean way to compress time or hide edits.
How can I tell I understand it?
The footage contains a clear opening, progression, payoff, and enough variety to edit smoothly.
Quick knowledge check
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Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
How to Set Exposure in Manual Mode
From Adorama · Master Your Craft. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
Apply the exposure video's shutter discussion to motion capture, then keep white balance and frame-rate choices consistent across coverage.Tools, templates, and lesson sources
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