There are 5 tiny clip filming mistakes that I could (should) stop doing. Some days I do really well, but most of the time either one of them is slipping in. That’s because they are just these tiny things that you easily don’t think about and before you know it, they happened again.

Maybe you recognize yourself in one or more, maybe you find out something new. There are probably many more, but these were the ones coming to mind right now. If you have any tiny clip filming mistakes that you want to share, please go ahead and comment!

Here are my 5 little flaws:

      1. Give the camera time to boot / adjust

        When I turn on the camera, I need to wait a little before I actually start the clip. There are several reasons

        • The colors often adjust only after a few seconds
        • The focus has to ‘find’ me
        • My arm is still reaching out to the camera (because I turned it on with the switch) although I already started talking. I can’t cut it out, because that would cut off my first words

        So Sinna, turn the thing on, step back, wait 5 seconds, then start!

      2. Slow down

        • I often move too fast. There is this most delightful, juicy scene and I move so much that I later can’t get a screenshot for promotion without having blurs in it.
        • Moving slower can also help when something stupid happens and I need to cut it out. It helps remembering the last position when I move slower.
        • Moving slower can be more sensual and can give the viewer a more pleasurable experience.
        • However, pay attention that your hands / hair or anything else (like a prop) is not blocking the view while you move slowly. Because then you just block the view for a longer amount of time 😛
        • It’s sometimes a good idea to insert a slower part even in a faster clip. That increases the dynamic and stimulates the viewer

      3. Don’t try to “secretly” look at the camera

        My camera has a screen where I can see myself. You should know that I love standing in front of the mirror and look at myself while styling my hair or being seductive 😛

        So I just can’t help to look at myself when I see that screen. In some clips, when I act as if there is no camera, that is really difficult. There is this urge to check what I am doing, if I am in the screen, if everything is visible.

        So then I “secretly” look at the camera. For example stroking my hair and having a quick glance when my hand moves across my face. Then, when I look at the footage, it’s so obvious.
        There is a simple rule here: One can NOT “secretly” look at the camera!

        It’s just not possible. I absolutely need to stop thinking that I can somehow pull it off. I need to check the outfit, lights and screen that is being captured BEFORE the actual recording, then never look at it again.
        I must say though that I trained myself to check that small screen because I had the next mistake happen so often:

      4. Check the room / background

        This one is such a pain. Everytime I think I checked everything, I find something in the finished clip that absolutely should not be there.

        Think about a picture of your kids, an envelope with your address on it, a bill, an exclusive item that you can’t buy anywhere else, an item with an address/logo of a local shop in your town, something ugly like garbage, something personal you don’t want anyone to know (your baby’s diapers and cleaning wipes), something that could kill the mood for the viewer (a cross with Jesus, should add a picture at some point), an item from your sports club with the logo on it, a mirror or window that shows the camera and lights. It can be anything that doesn’t look suspicious and later on you think “damn”. A window is often dangerous as well. There could be something visible that let’s the viewer pinpoint your location (aside from letting someone watch what you are doing)

        When filming outdoors: A number plate, a street sign, kids, animals, a shop sign, anything super recognizable or searchable (if you are filming in your home area).

        I must say that I have seen many a preview on c4s / clipsites where there is stuff going on / visible in the background that just shouldn’t be there in my opinion.

      5. Don’t forget the lights

        In the beginning, when I didn’t have studio lights, I often forgot to turn on all light sources that were available. Low light makes the picture grainy, reduces quality and sometimes you can’t even see the important things, for example something getting wet. It’s not getting much better with software corrections afterwards, as they reduce quality again. I had to give up on some great clips just because I forgot the lights. Not counting the clips I eventually did post, because they were really good but would have been great WITH the lights on.

        It’s become second nature for me to turn on the lights now, but when I film in an unusual location, I still keep forgetting about them.

        If you don’t have lights, get anything that shines 🙂 Order some studio lights as soon as you can. I use light boxes. They come in all shapes and sizes (I tried a few) and they are much cheaper than you might think. Even the best camera can’t work without sufficient lights, but a bad camera can shoot astonishing quality with good lighting. Many studio owners agree that better lighting can increase your sales.