Video Recording Tips

In light of our upcoming digital recital, I decided to put together some quick tips for taking a good video of your performance at home.

Profile view

First, where to shoot from. 
Similar to video lessons, when recording a performance, we want to be able to see the performer's face & hands on the keys, so a profile view is simple & effective. You are welcome to get fancy with angles if you like, but it's definitely not required.

Second, setting up your equipment.
Now, if you have a DSLR & a tripod, or a USB mic & a computer with video software, you know how to do this, you can skip to step 3.
 
But if all you've got is a smart phone or tablet, here are a couple tips:

• Set your recording device down on something to avoid shaking in the video. 
• But we don't want to set it on the piano itself. This is because the sound can distort when the microphone is in contact with the instrument.

Third, Introduce yourself, play your piece, thank your audience.
Students should introduce themselves & say the name of their piece before beginning to play, and when they are finished they should thank their audience. 
Instead of taking a bow as we would in a traditional recital, this time we can say "thank you for listening" or "thank you" and, if they like, can smile or wave. 

You can do as many takes as you like until you get a performance you are pleased with. 

Fourth, Sending the Video
I've created a google drive folder for large file transfers. Just let me know when you need to access it. (But if you have an apple device, you can just send me the video through iMessage.)

This is going to be a fun, new project for all of us. Please don't hesitate to ask me if you have questions along the way!