5 rules for making engaging, attractive videos (and how to know when you should break them)

 

 

Are you trying to branch out from still photography, but finding that your videos seem to lack a little something? Or perhaps you've been hesitant to get into video capture in the first place, and aren't really sure where to start. Either way, you might find a just-published short from the folks at B&H Photo Video to be instructive.

In the three-minute clip, B&H's Doug Guerra outlines a number of rules for filming good videos. B&H has titled the piece "Six rules of video composition (and why not to break them)", but the last item isn't really a rule, per se. To our mind it would be more accurately described as "Five rules of video composition (and how to know when you should break them)". But we digress...

The clip, shown above, starts out simply enough with the Rule of Thirds, a concept that's equally applicable to stills photography and very easy indeed to grasp. From there, Guerra works his way into some rather more videocentric concepts such as the 180-degree rule and how to use depth to guide your viewer's attention.

If you're an experienced video shooter, these techniques for making more interesting content will doubtless be second nature. For the less-seasoned amongst us, though, you'll come away from the piece with a little better idea of how to start off on the right foot.

Of course, using these techniques won't magically make an uninspired video more interesting. If you've got an interesting story to tell, though, they can help give your project a bit more impact and polish -- and that can only be a good thing!

(via The Digital Picture)