Extensive preparation is crucial before you pick up the camera. Know what you want to achieve and an idea of how you want to achieve it. A storyboard – a step-by-step visual respresentaion of your video - is a good start.
Start with a storyboard. This can be a visual representation of each shot or simply a list of shots.
Turn your storyboard into a script. For any voiceover/subtitles, add a paragraph break between each sentence to break up the script. This will encourage pauses between sentences when the voiceover is recorded, and when editing. Pauses between sections will help to illustrate the points, and allow the information sink in.
Allow around three words per second for a voiceover (you can use this to estimate how long your voiceover will take based on your script).
Create a ‘shopping list of shots’ – all the crucial bits you need, and add this to your script. You should end up with three separate columns – a visual representation, script and a list of specific shots for each section.
It is good to have a variety of different shots to splice together. This looks better than shots from a moving camera. Once in position keep the camera still (unless doing a stylistic zoom or tracking shot)
Master – for instance a head-on shot, filming all the activity from the front. This is your insurance policy, and should contain the entire narrative.
Close ups and Over the shoulder – as if through a mind’s eye. When doing these types of shots, ensure you stick to one side for a particular piece of action. Imagine there is a line down the middle of the table/room and stick to filming the action from the left or right side.
The pace of the video is dictated in the edit, led by the different angles.
You should always have a minimum of two people taking part in the shoot. Work as a team, sharing roles (camera operator, sound recordist, producer, director, interviewer, researcher, writer, animator), and very often doing several of them at once.
You will need to adopt separate roles – one person filming, one directing and ideally one for continuity/overview. Don’t be afraid to play to the strengths of individual team members to get the best results.