Home videos are like fruitcake. Both rear their respective heads around the holiday season, and both are rarely made well. Here are five indispensable tips from our Shutterstock Footage team to help make your next holiday home video a production worth celebrating.
1. Get the Interview
Picture it: You see your Uncle Larry roaming around the house. You want him to give you a good soundbite for the family holiday video you’re making. Which of the following questions will yield the best response?
a. Did you like your presents, Uncle Larry?
b. Having a good time, Uncle Larry?
c. What does the holiday season mean to you, Uncle Larry?
If you guessed “c,” here’s a cookie! Never ask a “yes” or “no” question of a person you’re hoping to have a meaningful (or at least, interesting) conversation with. Avoid getting one word answers. Ask open-ended questions to get them talking.
2. Have a Silent Night
Ever notice how soap operas only play music after a character says something shocking, like, “It’s not your baby, Jack!” (dun-dunnnn!) Why drown out a perfectly lovely moment with competing background noise? This includes sports games on TV, and even holiday music playing in the distance. Yes, we all love that Mariah Carey song, but there is a time and a place for everything. The place may be right, but the time — particularly when you’re making your Holiday Home Movie Masterpiece — is not. Turn it off (or at least, down).
3. Stay Out of the Kitchen
Most kitchen lighting is overhead. Most kitchens are brightly colored or stark white. Most kitchens are messy — especially before/during/after a holiday meal. The footage you’ll end up with will be a poorly lit mishmash of a brightly colored mess. Sure, a behind-the-scenes bit documenting The Making of Christmas Dinner is tempting, but the owner of said kitchen may not appreciate footage of his/her sauce-bathed counter tops. Trust us: You can’t stand the heat.
4. See the Gift. Be the Gift.
It’s that age-old holiday question: How does one best capture that special moment when a person opens a present? The answer lies in the dialogue of the classic comedy Caddyshack: “See the ball. Be the ball.” First, grab the essential real estate to best capture all of the present-opening fun: sit on the floor. The advantage of this spot is that (in most cases) it will give you the POV of the gift itself. You’ll expertly capture the expression on the receiver’s face, and of course, be the biggest holiday hero since Rudolph.
5. Light the Way
Yes, the lights on the tree are gorgeous. Sure, the candles in the menorah are stunning. Indeed, those parade floats on your widescreen TV are colorful. Yet these very things will make your home video… homely. Depending on your camera, lighting can often be an attack of the senses on video, leading to bleeding transitions and discolored human subjects. How can you stop “seeing the light”? Do a walk-through prior to your guests’ arrival. Know your hot spots. Even just letting in some natural light will help keep viewers of your home video from seeing red.
Or, you could forsake all of the above tips and just edit in some of our collection of stock holiday footage clips when the going gets tough. Happy Holidays!