DSLR VIDEO TUTORIAL I: ENTER FILM-IT FREE CONTEST - WIN $100 MONTHLY

Digital SLRs with video mode F4 essential features which makes them special. First, for the other 24 frames per second, they are usually used on feature films. The video is not to jerky and not too smooth either. This was not possible with old DV or HDV cameras. Secondly, it is the shallow depth of field. The audience is clearly drawn to objects or people that are important in the right moment. For example, that could mean that an actor is in focus and the background is blurry and out of focus. Important is also the third point. Even in color correction, he recorded video can be easily edited using any software. 

It is also because of the tripod, the recorded video can be easily edited using any software. Even in color correction one has great freedom that can achieve high contrast or even a flat look without losing too much detail or seeing artifacts. Also fascinating is the fourth point. Turning night into day thanks to the wide range of lenses you can catch more light when shooting with a wide open aperture. This is not possible with a regular camcorder. Before starting shooting you should change certain camera settings.

Everything should be controlled manually that means aperture, ISO and shutter speed. These are the same settings you use in photography, whether analogue or digital. The higher the aperture,  the less light will enter. That also means that an aperture of f1.4 gives you a shallow depth of field and an aperture of f8 there are much more objects in focus. This applies to objects that are close to the camera as well as distant objects. The ISO starts at 100 and ends at 6400 on most DSLRs. These values are used for regulating the brightness. The shutter speed has to be set differently in video mode.

When shooting with 24 or 25 frames per second use a shutter speed of 50. At 50fps it is 100. Always double the frame rate. When filming with an aperture of f1.8, a shutter speed of 50 and ISO 100, the image is heavily over exposed in daylight. In photography, you would just choose a faster shutter speed, for example 1000, to expose the image correctly. Moreover some light sources might start flickering depending on the herz frequency. To expose correctly you need a neutral density filter. The ND filter makes the image darker. So now, you can shoot with an aperture of 2.8, a shutter speed of 15 and ISO 100 without over exposing the video. Back to the camera settings, most DSLRs let you choose a picture profile or picture style. It is important that you take the sharpness out completely because it leads to worry, these are lines in detailed object for example when shooting waves. You also lose other fine details. It make sense to sharpen the video in post production. Make sure to take the contrast completely down or you will lose details in the shadows.  Also, de-saturate the image slightly. These are the ideal settings for getting the best out of your videos in post production and for creating a nice film look. The beginning might be hard but to get the film look, you have to control everything manually. Also the white balance or color temperature depending on camera manufacturer and model you can choose different presets. If possible, you should set the kelvin value manually especially when shooting on multiple light sources, especially indoors. It makes no sense to use auto-focus if available because you have to decide what should be in focus and not the camera. If you take a look around you may have a feeling that many DSLR camera are professionals just because they use expensive gears. 

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