Making a GoPro movie is a reality these days. GoPros have come so far in their development and the quality and effectiveness of these little cameras has got to a point where you can make a great film with them, especially extreme sports stuff.
Let’s take a look at using your GoPro to create a film and examine what you need to know, as well as dos and donts along the way.
In this age of digitalization, you need to stay updated with the latest technologies so that you can fit in and properly utilize what the digital age has to offer.
Say you’re a travel videographer, or someone involved in extreme sports. You could start your own blog, create social media profiles or you can start making GoPro movies which is probably the most effective and fastest way of gaining people’s attention today!
Anyone can make a GoPro movie, you just need to have the GoPro in your hand and you’re ready to shoot. But how good is your GoPro movie?
That is a completely different question. This article will guide you towards creating the best possible film with that little box in your hands.
Making A Gopro Movie
The success if your GoPro video largely depends on how effectively you can capture each and every scene and mostly that process involves shooting multiple variations of every scene.
When you have loads of perspectives and angles to choose from, then it helps you in altering the film’s rhythm and eventually give it a nice flow which makes all the difference between you and an amateur.
If you want to shoot something out of the box, then look look to innovate with your shots. That will allow you to raise the game and improvise along the way. This is still a nascent technology, so innovation is still very much possible.
So, be creative and step out of the box, keep your options open and you will set yourself on the right track to creating something brilliant.
Creating a whole load of cray footage can look great at the time, but if you overdo it it can make the editing process much longer than normal. When you have variations in every shot then you will need to invest a lot of time going through the raw footage. This can make you indecisive on what to add and what to remove.
Therefore, playing with imaginative shots is good but it could cost you time if you overdo it. There’s always a time commitment the crazier you want to get with your filming. But if this is simply a hobby to you, then this time commitment isn’t as much of a factor.
Shoot Like A Pro With Your Gopro
There are two ways that you can shoot. You could either shoot everything that is in front of your camera or you could shoot in a more effective manner, that is shoot to edit.
Now, you must be thinking what does shoot to edit means?
Well, it simply means that you can have a framework in your mind about the number of scenes you want or the entire structure of the movie and with everything in place you could create each scene with two or more variations. The simplest and most convenient form of shooting to edit is getting a normal, wide-angle and close-up view of every subject in sight.
However, when you are shooting to edit with a GoPro in your hand, things are a bit complicated.
Why do you ask? Because it has a fixed lens that covers an immense wide angle of view. Therefore, making normal view difficulty and zoom almost impossible.
When you are working with a GoPro, you have a few options for varying your shots, they are:
Changing Field Views
When you alter the size of the primary focus that is in the frame, it provides you with the actual versions of close-up, wide and normal views. So, if you want to mix up your framework a bit, then changing the field views will help a lot.
Try Diverse Composition
When making a GoPro movie you have a lot of frame at your disposal and it’s totally up to you how you use it. Our advice is that you use it wisely by incorporating different compositional devices like the rule of thirds, framing and subject placement. Once you’re good with the various compositional setting, your visuals will start to speak for themselves.
Shoot In Variations
Just holding a GoPro doesn’t make you a pro. You need to learn the basics and one pro-tip is that you should shoot in variations of each shot in the scene.
This simply means that you can include different types of subject angle and size. Why do this? Doing this will make it easier for you to choose shots in the primary editing process.
Try Different Angles
One way to shoot is at eye-level, which most amateurs do. But you could also try something new: place the camera high and then shoot down on the main subject. Or do it in reverse by mounting the camera low and shooting up at the subject. Working with different angles will give your GoPro movie a definite edge.
Mix Up Your Shots With Your Gopro
The GoPro in your hand or the one which you are planning to buy uses a single focal length to make videos and movies. And that may seem like normal. Mostly feature films are filmed with multiple lens choices and changing the camera to main subject perspective and distance varies shots.
But you are missing the big difference here. That is, the cinema cameras mostly use a lens with a standard perspective. In a world that is 35mm, it would be the 50mm standard lens. The perspective simply lies between being somewhat telephoto and slightly wide.
When you are using a GoPro, things aren’t that simple. Because GoPro makes alternating shots a bit more complicated because of its width. It is very much still possible to get a decent variation of shots with your GoPro, all you need is a bit of creativity and you’re good to go.
More Tricks With Your Gopro
Most amateurs don’t know when to start shooting and when to stop and because of this simple flaw, they suck at shooting. You just can’t look through the viewfinder on most camera models and press the shutter at the exact second.
Nor can you completely rely on the GoPro app on your smartphone because it has a delay of two seconds. But worry not, we’re here to break this down for you with a few more tips and tricks.
Need Stills? Burst Mode Is Here For You
You can change the settings to alter the amount of frames it captures along with the duration. Photography wise, for scenes in motion that you just can’t miss, set your camera on burst mode and press the shutter button.
Begin Early
It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you’re working with, it is always best to pre-shoot so that the actions happens after you’ve started shooting. The same goes for stopping the video. Always leave time before pressing stop. You never know what you might miss if you’re too premature with stopping your shot!
Great things have been missed like this over the years. I remember a friend of mine was shooting some humpback whales off the Australian coast. He regularly tells a story about how he stopped recording just before a truly magical moment involved the whales and their young interacting. It’s fair to say this guy rues the day he stopped recording too soon.
Using The App
As mentioned earlier, the app has a two-second delay, yet it provides the best way to shoot every scene. Not only can you view the shot, but also there is no need to touch the camera, keeping everything exactly how you want it.
Making Your Gopro Film
If you want to improve the quality of your GoPro movie, then follow all the tips and tricks we’ve included here in this article. So that every moment can be stunningly captured and you can offer innovation and an improvisational touch to your work.
Once you master shooting with your GoPro, you will have a pretty decent fan following over social media where you can show off your awesome work. Being creative and innovative is super important when it comes to making your GoPro movie. Playing around with different variations and compositions is key, too, and can help you create a work of art.
So stop thinking and start doing and remember: practice makes perfect!
We hope this article on making a GoPro movie has been instructive for you. What are your favorite GoPro tips and tricks? How do you like to shoot with your GoPro? Let us know in the comments just below.
