Camera Exercises

Bill Fisher
April 2004

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There are many unanswered questions in life and that sometimes goes double for us video makers. Here's one we've probably all asked ourselves: Why doesn't my camerawork look like that of the pros?

The answer is tricky. It's tempting to blame the nature of the equipment, the tape format, the lighting and the support staff (or lack thereof, if your friends or family are feeling cranky). And it's true that each of these contributes in some way to what often looks like a hard and fast dividing line between the work that broadcast professionals do and what we do at home.

But the truth, I'm happy to report, is a whole lot simpler: it's all about practice. The pros pick up their cameras every day and hone their skills in an ongoing trial-by-fire that may take them anywhere, from a studio to a war zone. In fact, they're a lot like athletes or soldiers. They have to be ready for anything, and their jobs depend on the production of high-quality video every time. For the pros, nurturing ingrained camerawork reflexes is a matter of survival.

Fortunately, you're probably not under that kind of pressure. (Yet.) Still, it's undeniable that running almost any camcorder is a tricky balancing act that demands a wide range of skills, both physical and mental. Being a good shooter means you've got to be a clutch performer when it comes to things like steadying a shot at maximum telephoto, keeping a subject in frame while walking, making smooth tripod moves, holding your shot while looking away from the viewfinder, racking focus manually and even finding camera control buttons without looking.

To compete with the pros, you need to hone these skills into instincts, so you'll be able to spend your time behind the lens thinking about what you're shooting, rather than wasting time worrying about how you're shooting. Read on for a boot-camp-style exercise regimen designed to give you the reflexes of a lean, mean, camera-operating machine.

Like new recruits drilled in breaking down and reassembling their rifles, a video shooter needs, first and foremost, to be able to grab the camera from it's sitting, powered-down, in its case location to having it up and running quickly when the big moment happens. It's tougher than it sounds.

Start this exercise with the camera in its case, the lens cap on, the battery unattached and the tape still shrink-wrapped. Now check the time and begin getting ready to shoot. Do this quickly and efficiently, though without rushing -- you want to be fast, thorough and calm. See if you can develop a routine that you can repeat every time.

When you're ready, roll a few seconds of tape, and you're done. Check your time, break down your setup again and repeat the cycle until it's smooth. Think you've got it down? Try it in a darkened room. It sounds silly, but give it a try once or twice.

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