10 - HAVE A CHECKLIST

Once you have established your equipment and who is presenting, have a checklist to make sure that you shoot everything you need.

1- A good establishing shot : this tells the viewer your location and gives you the opportunity to add a graphic with the title of the project in post-production.

2- Your opening piece to camera, which again should establish what you are doing and perhaps what you are about to do. Don’t be scared to show your emotions, even if you’re tired, hungry or fractious: it makes good viewing to witness how you react to situations.

3- Shoot plenty of sequences of the sights you are seeing or the adventures you are having. Always hold the shot for at least five seconds. If you are doing a left-to-right pan you’ll need a very steady hand or a small tripod. You can later use voiceover over these sequences or even lay these pictures over the sound from your pieces to camera.

4- If appropriate or available, use sound bites of brief interviews with local people to add colour to your piece.

5- Summarise at the end of the piece what happened, your thoughts and emotions, with a tease to the next episode or the next online segment/clip if applicable. You should always aim to leave the viewer wanting more.