Knowing about framing, composition, and lighting can help you to make small changes in how you record that will lead to big improvements in how your video looks.

Framing and composition

• These videos will explain the basic rules of framing and composition.
• Rules of Framing and Composition
• 6 Rules of Video Composition (and Why Not to Break Them)

Camera angles and how to use them

• This video will introduce you to 12 different types of camera angles and how they can be used to enhance your video.
• 12 CAMERA ANGLES to Enhance Your Films

Avoiding bumps

• This video will teach you how to stabilize and move your camera to create a more professional look and feel to your videos.
• Camera Movement Techniques for Beginners | How to Film Cinematic Footage 

Lighting

Proper lighting an important element of any video. Use the simple techniques listed below to take maximum advantage of the lights around your office or home.

Light from the front, not from behind

• We tend to place lights behind where we sit. The light illuminates the things in front of us, so this makes sense from a practical standpoint, but having your primary light source behind you can ruin the quality of a video. This happens because the primary light source is not illuminating your face, the most important part of the video.

Keep your light source out of the frame

• Avoid having a light source you can see through the camera! This applies to windows during daylight as well as to ceiling lights and lamps. Your camera or recording software will often adjust its settings based on this bright source of light, casting everything else, including you, in deep shadow.

How to set up your own lighting

• The best and easiest way to light yourself is to sit facing a window. Diffused sunlight illuminates you well. If that isn’t possible, then bouncing light off the wall in front of you works well too. Or, try placing a lamp in front of you, behind your camera. One lamp to either side of you will work well too, as long as they are shifted more in front of you than behind you, and the lamps themselves aren’t actually seen in the camera lens.