Shooting Videos at Home- A Mess or a Boon?
Things have drastically changed because of this Covid-19 situation. For a YouTuber artist in specific this means very rare opportunities for external shoots. Hence, many artists resort to doing their shoots at home.
Shooting in general is a huge task and now that it’s being done at home, there are far too many things that could easily go wrong as well. I personally face a lot of hurdles while shooting but I also do see the flip side of things- of how this could be a good thing for me as an artist.
So here are aspects that I face during shoots at home, and if you can think of more, do comment down below as I would love to know that there are more of you out there (and actual people read this blog hahahaha):
Lighting- No one’s home is made with the intention that shoots can be carried out in these spaces. Hence, the lighting is done to ensure that when actual people are around, the vibe is comfortable and good for people to be in. And unfortunately, that lighting is not sufficient to bring out the best in shoots. I have always had troubles trying to edit or bring my vision to life because my footage are either very overexposed or if the shot is supposed to be dark in nature but the only option I have at my disposal is either a flash light or pitch dark, I have been advised to get LED lights or external lights that could be used to create a better feel while shooting, but I could not do much about that.
Space- If you are a performer and have tried out a studio or a stage, you know what space means. I have only been used to dancing on a stage or in an auditorium and due to the situation, I have started to dance at home which obviously is a lot more restricted. This honestly helped me look at my choreographies, and dance in general, in more depth now. I have been investing time in looking at how intricate a routine could be and how to engage the audience without large movements. Definitely it’s a change but I do personally agree that this is for the better.
Furniture- As mentioned earlier, a home is not meant to be a place to shoot, and that is also because there are going to be a lot of furniture for you to move around to ensure your set is ready for a shoot. I honestly take more time than planned mostly because there is a lot of stuff to move and I also need to ensure that I don’t break them. So this definitely causes a big hurdle, but on the other hand I see it as a positive thing because once you start moving the furniture, there is no turning back. You have no choice but to go ahead and get the shoot done. What I do most of the time is I try to move the furniture around as quickly as I can so that it creates this uncomfortable feeling where I have no place to rest or even sit. So I get the shoot done and then have my rest time.
Timing- I live with my family, which may or may not be a shock for you but it’s pretty common from where I am (fantasizing I have readers from other countries). Knowing that my family is around, I would not want to come in the middle of their day of living a normal life. Hence, I made an active choice of shooting during times where no one would have any problem, which is when everyone is asleep. So I would start immediately after everyone is asleep and probably go on until the sun rises.What I really enjoy about this is that I am in my own space and I could retake shots just because I feel like it. I enjoy that sort of freedom I have while reshooting, but on the bad end of things, it affects my sleep cycle as my body is confused with what routine I am trying to set. I think somewhere this is some struggle that I have to go through before we have made it and it’s a pretty blissful feeling because it shows me how dedicated I am towards my goals.
At this point you might think that this blog just seems more like a rant, so where is the boon factor? Well, you were pretty much on point that this is a rant of some sorts, but I cannot deny the boon element, which is this: the personal growth that I can see in myself as I am more understanding of the process of making just one YouTube video. I would also like to emphasize that a lot of planning and scheduling needs to take place for any YouTuber to get something out there. Mainly as a dancer, I see how many elements need to be thought out before you shoot. This lockdown has been a pain but I see a lot of growth and I am somewhat having a love-hate relationship with shooting at home. So if you also shoot at home, let’s have a chat! I think it would be great to talk about all our struggles and be there for each other.
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Originally published at http://amchikingdom.wordpress.com on August 7, 2021.
