Canon Creator Kelsey J. and the PowerShot V1

Hey guys, I'm Canon creator Kelsey J and today we're going to dive into one of my favorite topics, learning how to film video. Whether you're a photographer that wants to add video work to your portfolio or maybe you're a content creator that just wants to level up your video game, this tutorial is for you. For this tutorial, we're going to be using the Canon PowerShot V1. This is a point-and-shoot camera that's super compact but still films really high quality video footage. You can just turn it on, hit record, and start filming or it has more professional video settings. You can film in Canon Log 3 or 4k 30p. This is a great video camera to learn on and work your way up with. So let's dive into my top five tips for getting started with videography. Number one, choosing the right frame rate and settings. For picking your video resolution, you have two main options. Full HD, which is 1080p footage, or 4k, which is higher resolution. To get an idea of the difference, 4k footage is four times the resolution of full HD. Most of the time, I recommend filming in 4k, even for social media, unless you're worried about running out of memory storage. Then you need to choose your frame rate. 23.98 frames per second is the most cinematic. Record with this if you want your video to look like a film. 29.97 frames per second looks like a TV show. Record with this if you are vlogging or chatting to the camera. 59.94 frames per second is for slow motion. If you think you want to slow down your clips later, film with this. Number two, filming in manual mode. This is a little different than taking photos in manual, but it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. And this is just going to be based on the settings that you already chose in tip number one. First, let's set our aperture. At a wide aperture, you're going to get a lot of bokeh, which does work for specific shots. But for talking to the camera or vlogging, I recommend more of a mid-range aperture, anywhere between f5.6 to f8.0. If you're filming landscapes and want everything in focus, you can go with a narrow aperture like f11. I'm going to set this at 4k 29.97 fps and then aperture f5.6 because I'm vlogging. Now if you remember just one thing from this entire video, make it this. The golden rule of video is that your shutter speed should always be double your frame rate. So since my current frame rate is set at 29.97 or essentially 30 fps, I'll be setting my shutter speed at 1 over 60. If I had set it at 23.9 fps, I would be taking the shutter speed that's as close to possible as double, which in this case would be 1 over 50. Or if I was using 59.94 fps, I would be using 1 over 120. Then once you have those two settings, just use your ISO to balance your exposure. If your video is looking too bright, lower your ISO. If it's looking too dark, raise it. And that's it for your manual settings. I think framing video can feel really intimidating at first, but it really is similar to photography composition. All the same rules still apply. The rule of thirds, the golden ratio, leading lines, all of it. What's important when getting started with video is to not just set up your tripod and only film from one angle. It's important to switch up the angles to make the video more visually interesting and keep the viewer engaged. So get creative. If you're filming a talking head like this, you can have your a cam but also have a b cam on the side. You can film top down or down up, hold the camera and talk to it, punch in, move out, get far away, mid-range and close-up shots, getting b-roll details. It's all great. What's awesome about the PowerShot V1 is it's so small and lightweight. It's easy to move around and get creative with your filming. It also has two kinds of built-in image stabilization, so you don't have to worry about shaky footage. So get creative with it. Number four, get used to talking on camera. I know this is a scary one for most people, but I promise you, you can do it. The goal is just to not feel too stiff or forced, but be authentic and let your personality shine. This is a skill that really just comes from a lot of time and practice. The reality is the more you practice filming yourself, the more you're going to get comfortable at it. So to start, just go about your day talking to the camera about anything, about the things you love. You don't even need to use the footage. The point is really just to practice, even without posting it. If you're feeling really brave, live streaming can help you get a lot of on-camera experience really quickly. And heads up, the PowerShot V1 allows you to record continuously and live stream. For short-form social media content, I don't script any of it because I want it to feel authentic in how I would talk to a friend. But for long-form videos or client videos, I script all of those. What helps with remembering a script is really just repetition. First, read your script silently three times, then read your script out loud three times, and then see if you can recite the entire thing without looking at your script. The more you do this, the easier it's going to be to say your lines naturally when recording. You got this. Number five, storytelling is key. When you're planning on a video, remember it should be based on storytelling structure. In order, there needs to be a hook, which is the goal of the story that gets the viewer invested. Then there needs to be a conflict. This is something that gets in the way of the goal of our main character. This builds tension and makes the viewer want to keep watching. And three, the resolution. When the desired outcome is or isn't achieved, this is the final payoff of the video that the viewer was watching for. Storytelling structure is important to follow whether you're making a 15-second reel, a 10-minute YouTube video, or even an hour and a half cinematic masterpiece. It's what keeps the viewer engaged and gets them to keep watching. So as you script and storyboard your video, keep the structure in mind and think about how you can film it in order to best tell your story. And that's it for today, guys. I hope this inspired you to get started on your video journey. Be sure to like and subscribe for all things Canon, and I'll catch you next time.