Camcorder Tips
Students of all ages can use a camcorder effectively, but that does not mean that teachers should take their camcorder skills for granted. Some opportunities, such as a major field trip, might come only once a year, and scant experience can mean that students return from such a trip with little in the way of a permanent record. If we were to offer only one suggestion, it would be to allow the students to practice using the camcorder before they attempt to record an important event. Give students some fun and simple recording assignments, such as a favorite cook in action, the school’s messiest locker, plants on the school grounds, or close-ups of the contents of a pocket, and then take the time to critique their work.
There are many books that explain basic camera techniques to hobbyists, and you will find it worthwhile to thumb through one. If you intend to use the video primarily to capture individual images for computer projects, here are some additional suggestions to consider:
- Show students how to identify what is informative or interesting and get a tight shot of it. Students seem to capture video images that are too distant and too general. There is nothing wrong with capturing images from a variety of distances, but generally the close views are most useful.
- Do not pan a scene and assume you will be able to capture later what is useful. Pause for ten to fifteen seconds when recording individual scenes you expect to be useful.
- For the best close-up shots, students should set the camera to extreme wide angle and move it toward the object until they get the image they want. Most students intuitively take the wrong approach to capturing close-ups. They tend to stand at a comfortable distance from the object and then zoom in with the telephoto. Getting close to an object with a wide-angle setting will increase the amount of the image that will be in focus. The students may find themselves on their hands and knees in the dirt, with the camera two inches from a wildflower, but the picture will be great.
- Always carry an extra battery.
- Read the instruction manual so you know, among other things, how to stop the camera from stamping the time and date on the recording.