Filming your kids: How to shoot really cute video footage

The most common reason to buy a camcorder is the birth of a child. Now that your bundle of joy has arrived, started smiling for the first time or has taken its first steps you’re trying to capture those precious moments on film.

Our experts here at Pixability have brainstormed on tips how to improve your filming ability when it comes to kids videography:

On your knees
First, make sure not just to film from above. Take your child’s vantage point. You may feel a bit silly crawling with your camera at first, but it will pay off in better material.

Future in mind
Ask yourself: in twenty years from now, what will I want to remember about this scene? Make sure to shoot some of the details of what you’re filming. How about a close-up of your child’s favorite toy or slowly panning the nursery? Parents often forget about the surroundings and focus solely on the child. In years to come, you may have redecorated the house, moved away or painted the nursery to suit a growing child. Filming those details will increase your enjoyment of the movie years down the line.

Engage others
As a general rule the videographer should try never to speak to the subjects if possible. The camera is an observer and your subjects shouldn’t speak into the camera. This can be hard when filming children. If you can, try to enlist other people in the room to play and speak with the children you’re filming.

Be brave: let them try
If your kids are more than four years old, you might want to allow them to take some footage themselves. Maybe they want to film the dog or the hamster? Let them do it – it will be shaky but probably interesting footage. This can be especially valuable if they film you. Often the videographer forgets that he/she should be on camera a least a couple of times. When you watch the video years later, your kids will appreciate that they not only see themselves but also both of their parents/grandparents. If your kids are not up to filming yet, make sure to hand the camera to other adults every once in a while.

Have fun
Most important of all: don’t take capturing the footage too seriously. Filming your kids is fun and the result will be heartwarming to watch, no matter your level of filming ability.

We hope this helps! If you have tips on how to capture kids on video, why not contribute by adding a comment below?