First considerations

From shooting to the final result, how not to loose your audience

From my point of view, we are too often confronted with a number of a priori that ruin the experience of viewing a video clip, or even a film.

Nothing annoys me more than having to wait until the end of the advertisement before being able to view a video on YouTube... when there are not two ads in a row... Personally, I want to offer the visitor to my site a pleasant experience, without advertising and without throbbing music, favoring native sound, even if it includes engine noise (during boat trips for example), comments from guides or people around, or simply the wind, omnipresent in some regions (after all, the wind is part of nature).

My videos are therefore hosted on Vimeo, at a maximum resolution of 720p25 in order to offer a smooth viewing without too much harming the image quality, even in full screen. I pay for this accommodation. On the other hand, you watch these movies for free, without any advertising.

First remark:
Do not shake the camera to give the impression that something exciting is happening.

A recent method of filming, which appeared in television series, consists of using a fist camera and shaking it to give an impression of dynamism while the sequence is deeply boring. Conversely, a long clip, very stable, captured on a tripod may seem artificial since, regarding animals, their observation is only rarely quiet.

This crested tit is extremely mobile by itself and there was no need to shake the camera to add dynamism to the image. Another mistake made here is to have made too tight shots while the video in HD or UHD shows so many details that it is not necessary to zoom in too much.

Although this video was taken freehand, I kept the camera as stable as possible... given the circumstances... of course with the optical stabilizer engaged. This deer appeared less than ten meters away without me knowing if he was going to continue towards me or run away!

Sony MiniDV VX-700 camera, low light at dawn, optical stabilizer engaged.

Second remark:
The clips must be long enough for the viewer to have time to see what the videographer wants to show.

One of my friends was advised not to exceed 4 seconds for each sequence of a video. The film opposite shows the result... which is more like an animated slideshow than an animal documentary.

The video opposite begins with 4-second sequences, edited to minimize the "static slideshow" effect. Further on, longer sequences that better illustrate the atmosphere of this end of the day and the flight behavior of the cranes.

Autumn at Lac du Der

Third remark:
Stay to natural sounds.

Avoid these throbbing and repetitive music that ruin videos on youtube and inevitably make you want to mute the sound, which, at the same time, loses comments that could be useful.

Nature is full of sounds - or silences - that suit much more to the images it offers us.

The first part of this video is "embellished" by music, more or less in accordance with the scenes, while after a minute fifteen, it goes back with the ambient sound. We then clearly hear the firecracker that frightens the fox cubs. We also enjoy the birdsongs in the early evening this May.