Track 62

Track 62.

If you’re going to take film-making seriously, you need to learn how to get the best from your camcorder.

Many people use camcorders these days, to make short videos of their friends and family, and often people just use the automatic functions.

These work well enough for those types of occasion, but if you want to take a more professional approach for the production of your short film, you should have some knowledge of the camcorder’s manual functions too.

In this tutorial I will start by discussing three of the most basic functions: the focus, the iris and the zoom.

The focus control is usually the manual focus ring at the front of the lens, well certainly with professional cameras.

It’s a particularly useful function if used correctly.

The ring turns anti-clockwise for a more distant focus and clockwise for a closer focus.

Next, I will talk about the iris ring.

This is also located on the lens.

It manages how much light appears through the lens, through the adjustable opening called the aperture.

As you let more light into the shot, it naturally becomes brighter.

Finally, I will talk about the zoom function.

Many people use this function and it’s often over-used!

Used in moderation, however, this very popular feature can be a really useful tool.

It moves your perspective closer or further away from your chosen subject.

I would advise, however, that whilst shooting a long zoom, you use a tripod.