Lay the Camera Down

Turn the camera on its side and videotape someone doing push-ups against the wall. To the viewer, it appears that they are moving up and down.

To climb a wall, have the talent pull himself across the floor using a rope. With the camera turned sideways, it appears that the talent is climbing up a wall.

Starting and Stopping

Objects can appear and disappear from a scene by using your camera’s pause button. Simply pause the tape, add or take an object from the scene, then restart the tape. When your audience views the tape, they see the object appear or disappear. Be sure not to move the camera while it is in pause or the whole picture will jump where you make the edit. If people are in the scene, have them freeze when you pause the tape and then continue their motions when you restart the tape.

Pixilation

This is a rough form of animation that can be done with a video camera. It is most often used to animate people. The talent stands still while the tape is rolling and moves when the camera is on pause. This creates the effect of a person scooting around while not moving his or her feet. Have the talent stand still, start the tape and then hit pause after about two seconds. The talent moves forward about 6 inches while the tape is not running. Start the tape again for two seconds and then hit pause. Continue this routine until the scene is finished. Remember, each time the talent is recorded equals one to two seconds of finished tape. After the talent has moved 10 times, you only have 10-20 seconds of tape to show your audience.