DSLR Videographer’s are everywhere these days. Anyone Can pick up a reasonably priced camera and shoot a music video for their friends band. Which I assume was the intent of the major brands when they decided to include HD video on their entry level models. 

I appreciate the fact that film is no longer an exclusive club, for those who could afford tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

I like how DIY film has become since DSLR’s have had video capabilities. I met a guy a short while ago who had made a shoulder rig from a Tesco chopping board and I know another who used a head torch to film in night clubs. Both ingenious ideas.

I think it can defiantly be said that DSLR video enthusiasts are some of the most resourceful and inventive people. This is usually down to financial constraints, as video accessories are still horrendously expensive. 

I do not appreciate however that now the internet is over-saturated with badly made video’s that are full of cliché and all look the same. 

I know what you are thinking, the videos I have shot/edited fall into that category, and some of them do. Clients see things trending on the internet and ask you to recreate what they see for them. I have to put my foot down when it comes to some things though. 

Light leak/film burn

Why is it needed? You are shooting on a digital medium, this is as bad as taking an image and photoshopping it to look like a Polaroid. We have the opportunity these days to create crisp clear images and to avoid the issues that were caused when using film. 

Corn fields/Poppy Fields (in the summer)

Fields have been popular in amateur photography for a fair few years now. Every amateur thinks in order to take a whimsical photograph you have to trek out in to a corn field. I wish DSLR videographers were as inventive with their locations as they are with their equipment. 

Tracking shots

Pot calling Kettle black, I hear you say. I do own a Glide Track and I have used it, but the key thing to bare in mind when using a track is, some things are more effective in moderation. When all a film is, is tracking and gliding you become more wary of the way something is shot, rather than the shot itself. 

Flare

Yet again in moderation a bit of flare behind the actors/interviewee’s head can make the shot look very cinematic but this is something that when used in every shot makes a film look tacky or too false. The sun can not be behind someone the whole duration of the video unless they do not move. 

Flare that is added in post irritates me, it’s not that much effort to create it for yourself plus if you add it after you are running the risk of putting it in the wrong place which really does look silly. 

There are many things that are used in DSLR video to make a film look on trend. I will probably extend this list over time, as and when I see something that really gets to me bur for now, I will carry on avoiding those mistakes I have outlined above.