Originally Posted by **********

Hi Chase,

Here are some ideas for you:

- Avoid low contrast / high key light lighting. Instead, try to light with some flare, or make your lighting look like it is part of the scene (for example, if your subject is standing near a window, your key light should be on the other side of that window (think sunlight, moonlight, etc)

- Turn off any in-camera image enhancement such as color saturation enhancement. You want raw video that you can add this stuff to later if necessary. Open your aperture as wide as possible and aim for maximum depth of field. Don't forget to white balance properly.

- Shoot in wide screen 16:9 or wider.

- Shoot using full 30 frames per second instead of 30 interlaced, then in post see if you can drop it to 24 frames per second (called 3:2 pulldown on Adobe After effects I think). If possible set your shutter to 1/30 and you'll get a nice even film-like / slightly blurring motion (or motion blur). It's not perfect but it can help if done right.

- If you use Adobe Premiere to edit, look for filters that can combine 2 fields into a single frame to give you something similar to film.

- A big difference between video and film is grain. Film has random grain which is not very noticeable unless you are looking for it, while video's grain looks more like "noise" and is usually a dead giveaway for video. Adobe After effects has some tools to fix this but sometimes it too looks too obvious. Experiment but don't go crazy with it.

- De-Interlace your video.

Finally what alot of videographers forget to take into consideration is SOUND. Sound is VERY important and most people don't know what they're doing when it comes to sound. The mic on your camera is garbage. Give your actors lapel miss and / or use boom miss where possible. If impossible, make it possible. Sound is paramount and should never be compromised unless there's no other way. Use good cables and a good mixer so no noise is recorded. (Removing noise in post is bullshit and never substitutes for proper recording). Tell everyone on your set to STFU, and make sure there's no noise in the background that you can control (air conditioners, refrigerators, etc, should all be off).

When editing, use big color correct monitors, and a fast computer with lots of Ram. This will make your work fun, easy and fast). Buy some good headphones like the Bose Quiet Comfort 15's. Kick everyone out of your cave, close the door, and work.

With the right pre-planning, tools and time, you can make your video look very pro.

Good luck!