In this lesson, you’re going to learn the following:
These are key elements to consider when filming your B Roll or capturing Behind The Scenes.
Filming other people
When filming other people, I think it's important to be respectful of their wishes and privacy. When I was younger, I would film my friends all the time without any regard as to whether they wanted to be filmed or not. Now I’m older, and I reflect on that, I don’t think that was cool. Some people may not feel comfortable being on camera, and I think you should respect that, and not force it.
I’m not the kind of creator who can just go up to people, film them, and have a friendly conversation about something - it took me years to learn that. I’m not that good with words and not particularly social in that way, I find it awkward putting a camera in their face and saying something witty or asking a good question, and that’s okay. That’s just who I am. It could even be more of an American thing, but in the UK, we’re generally a bit more ‘head down, don’t talk to me’. There may be a type of filming that you are influenced by, and that you see online, that just doesn’t work for you too when it comes to actually filming like that.
At the time of trying, I watched content that inspired me to give it a go. I was thinking, “damn, if he can do it like that, for me to succeed, I’ve got to do it like that too.” It was years later, I learnt that’s the completely wrong mindset and approach. By all means, try things outside your comfort zone, that’s how you learn things about yourself. And eventually, you’ll figure out which part of things you’re inspired by do you align with, and which parts you don’t.
So, for me, there are certain people I’m close with that I know enjoy or don’t mind being filmed. I feel comfortable with them on camera, and I know how they respond, and they know how to react. Dave is one of them. I know we can discuss certain things I want to film, random ideas, like when I asked him to dress up like a lion (or tiger). Having spent 10+ years working with him, I’ve learnt those boundaries. And because of that mutual understanding, I feel comfortable doing it, I’ll enjoy it, and therefore I can do it more consistently.
It’s important to consider how you approach other people to be a part of your video - whether that’s asking them before filming or, if that’s not possible, asking for their permission afterwards. Not everyone is a crazy creator type that is ok with being plastered all over the internet!
The most important thing is that you’re doing something you feel comfortable with and is sustainable for you as you grow as a creator.
Filming yourself
This section is about filming yourself and the various things you might encounter, or feel. If you don’t have a problem with it at all, you can skip this part, but from personal experience, it was a bit of an ordeal when I started, so I want to address it here.
Talking to a camera is not a normal thing. It can take a while to get used to it. And that can be scary at first, because you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, but it is where growth and progress happen, because you’re learning in the process. I think where and when and how you might film yourself is a bit of a mix between pushing yourself a little more than you’re comfortable with, and just doing it over and over again (practicing).
Like for example, if I gave up on talking to camera, after the first time I tried it, because it was quite awkward, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I knew it was something I wanted to do, so I just practiced and practiced.
Genuinely, years ago, I struggled A LOT., I remember talking to a camera in a field near my mum and dad's house, and no one was around, but it still felt weird. However, I did it a few times, and by the last time, it felt more normal, and now, I don’t even think twice about it. When I’m on my own, that is, still working on doing it in public.
I mean, I can just about speak to my phone in public if I need to. A bigger camera, I’d struggle with because it’s drawing more attention to me, and it makes me anxious. I wish that wasn’t the case, but that’s the truth, and it’s just who I am.
So what I do to ensure I enjoy making videos, is I make videos from where I feel I can create effectively, and that’s in my safe space, in my studio; I’m the only one in there when I’m filming, and I can make mistakes without any judgment.
If this is something you’re worried about, I’d say, be brave, experiment with it, and try to learn what works for you, and what doesn’t. There are plenty of ways to deliver content without talking to a camera in public.
The energy of the shot (and camera motion)
I believe that the energy of the camera motion is way more important than the exposure levels and focus. I’m not talking about cinematic B-Roll here. I’m talking more about a relaxed-looking filming style, something on your phone that’s a little shaky to show real-life energy, or even something shot on your DSLR, where you chose to shoot auto-exposure because you want that feel to the footage - that’s cool if that’s what you’re going for! This is stuff that doesn’t look set up in any way. Remember, things can look set up but not be set up - and they can also look not set up but be completely set up. By knowing what you want the final shot to feel like in the edit, you can figure out exactly how to get there when you’re filming. As a quick example, have a look at this opening shot here.
This shot was fully planned, pretty much fully scripted. It was made to feel quite organic, but in reality we did 3 takes - Dave isn’t used to filming this style, so it took us a few tries, bless him.
This was a shot that was fully setup, but made to not feel setup. It’s also treding that fine line, where even if people know it was setup, it’s not cringy, I actually play on this, and kind of confirm the ‘setupness’ when I do the fake sick thing at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9D-GGff3E0
The place you don’t want to be, is where you’re faking something, and it’s obvious it’s fake, and you’re pretending it’s not. Yeah, be careful of that.
There’s often no way of knowing for sure whether something’s set up, but knowing that doesn’t matter. What’s important is knowing what you’re trying to achieve and therefore mirroring the energy in the camera motion to match.
A shot should have purpose. If you want to go handheld, you should think about why you’re doing that. If you want to go super wide, there should be a reason, same goes with a super close up.
Generally speaking, I would use a wide angle shot as an establishing shot so the viewer knows the context about where you are, but only if that’s important to the story. Don’t just do it because it’s the first shot of the scene, and that’s what “you’re suppose to do it”. Do it because it makes sense for the story you’re trying to tell.
Handheld shots has a sense of activity about it, somethings happenings, I’m going somewhere. You know like in this shot, straight away, we think, this is filmed from someone’s POV, and they’re looking for someone or something.
Fixed close up shots where I’m sat down has this energy of me telling you something important. Like it’s a therapy thing and we’re both sat down talking. And then you have the close up, and it’s intimate, all you have to focus on is my face, there’s nothing else around me!
Being aware of these aspects and really getting clear on why you’re doing a certain shot type is really important. I can’t stand all these videos at the moment, that just do a crop in to hold retention, and flash up your subtitles, for retention. We’re losing our sense of storytelling. So I’d say, think about why you’re doing something, and if that ‘why’ isn't for the benefit of the story, don’t do it.
Knowing when to cut whilst filming
When you’re filming BTS B roll type of footage, it’s hard to know exactly when to cut. And when I’m filming, there are times when a new angle can really help to give a video a new perspective. Just flip the camera around, say something or say that one extra thing where you could have cut. I always make sure I film for a bit longer than I think I need to or ask Dave another question just in case that ends up being the part where he gives a great answer.
A great example of this was a small studio build video I was making, where I clicked my fingers, and this studio build was happening around my hand. That is the core of the video, that’s why I was doing it, but after doing the final shot, I turned the camera on to Dave, tapped him on the shoulder, smiled and cheered to loosen the energy in the room, relax everything, and to get a reaction from him - it’s a really nice spontaneous ending to the video, that took seconds to film, and had it gone wrong for whatever reason or his reaction wasn’t right for the video I was under no pressure to use it.
Aim to film this much but try and shoot that much. Because sometimes, that tiny extra bit actually makes the video so much better - and if it doesn’t, you just don’t use it.
Doing another take
Sometimes I might ask Dave, or someone I’m filming with, to say a certain thing, or ask them to expand on something they've just said. If the first take filming with them was shit, maybe you timed a zoom wrong on the first take, or the response wasn’t quite what you wanted, it’s fine, you can ask them “Do you mind if we do that again?”. I sometimes do things twice, and there’s no problem with that. You have something you’re trying to make, and if you’re not happy with it, say something, and do it again. ‘Attack’ the film you’re trying to make! It’s all go baby!
I remember I was filming Dave from my phone as he tried to fix the slider. I did two takes of this, with the first take, my zoom was timed badly, and Dave’s response wasn’t clear. So we did it again, and it was much better the second time - that was the take I used in the final video.
Keep in mind that, more often than not, the first take is okay because you get a more genuine reaction, and those are the best kind of reactions. However, depending on what you’re filming, you might get a better reaction a second time. That’s a judgment call depending on who and what you’re filming.
