Hands-On Guide to Flash Video

CHAPTER 5

Streaming-Related Shooting Skills

Most shot composition and shooting rules of thumb (thumb rules?) were established for film or TV, where the viewing window is much larger than the 320×240 or so used for streaming video. So, while some still apply to streaming, you also need to factor the small viewing windows into some of your decisions.

All that said, this chapter is more for novices than shooting pros, and covers many of the basics, like the rule of thirds, that make video “good video.” For this reason, I’ll try to highlight the key areas where streaming differs from TV/film to make the chapter more scan-able for pros.

I’ll start with a few simple rules on minimizing camera motion, which are critical to high-quality streaming. Then ...