Filming Quality

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Most surveillance investigators do not get a chance to compare their video quality with others because they don’t employ other investigators. In the past, this has been true for myself as well. However, when I started building my website, I browsed other Private Investigator website for ideas and comparisons. I’ve found several website that show samples of their video work and I was surprised… at how horrible the quality of the video was that they are advertising! I quickly realized that many investigators have nothing to compare their work to; therefore they assume their video quality is acceptable.

HOW TO GET GOOD VIDEO

Getting great video takes practice! The more seasoned you are, the better you’re video quality will get if you keep training yourself to adapt to proper techniques.

Stabilization – When attaining video, you need to stabilize the camera. If you’re going to be filming for a very short amount of time, or you don’t have time to get your tripod or bean bag out, you need to improvise. Often I will balance my elbows on my knees, use the steering wheel, use the headrest, use the window, or use anything else the can help me stabilize my camera. Even the seasoned investigator cannot get steady video for long periods of time without some sort of stabilization help.

Prepare – Always have your camera on and near you when you think you will start shooting. This will allow you to be more calm when it’s time to press record. Before you press record, make sure you’re in focus and at least partially zoomed in. Do not press record and then start finding the proper focus or even worse, start using your camera to find the subject in the crowd while recording. This is a sure way to lose the audiences attention.

Breathing– This is the first thing I tell a trainee. Remember to breath steadily when you are recording. This will help eliminate any violent hand shaking.

Camera – A good camera will make your life much easier. Nowadays, cameras have stabilizers that allow a 10 year old to get a steady shot! If your video is too shaky, and you’ve practiced for weeks without being able to get a steady shot, it may be time to upgrade to a better camera or figure out how to use the stabilizer on your camera.

BAD VIDEO


If your video ever looks like this… you need more practice or a better camera. This clip may be a bit over-exaggerated, but I’ve seen way too many surveillance videos that look like this, even when only 20% of your video looks like this, and the rest looks good – that is unacceptable!

Don’t forget, your goal isn’t only to get the subject doing something wrong, your goal is get evidence that your client can present in court! Not many people ( including a jury) will have the patience to watch a video that looks like this!

GOOD

This is what is expected of your video. The subject is in the center of the video, her entire body can be seen from head to toe, no camera shaking, no unnecessary zooming. This quality of video can be easily obtained without the use of a bean bag or tripod, however if you plan to record longer then 1 minute of video, I strongly recommend pulling out a tripod or bean bag.

LAZY

I would put this partially exaggerated clip into the lazy category because these are the movements you see after several minutes of recording (or several seconds for the very lazy P.I.). You may tend to relax or get tired and start making violent movements and/or zoom in or out to get your “groove” back. A seasoned P.I. would have already pulled out a bean bag or tripod.

FILMING IN MOTION – BAD

This is very steady video, however I would rate the quality to be poor. The subject is rarely in the center of the screen and throughout the video half her body is cut out of the shot. This is partially due to a lazy investigator and partially due to a lack of practice. You need to practice properly moving your camera without a tripod.

FILMING IN MOTION- GOOD

This is what your video should look like. The subject is mostly centered on the screen, her entire body is visible at all times, and there are no violent movements as the camera moves to follow the subject. Note that when the camera started to record, the subject was already centered and the camera was in focus. Note that for the most part, no parts of the vehicle where visible during the recording. When I had to move from the windshield to the drivers side window, I stopped recording and then started again to avoid filming the interior of the vehicle.

PRACTICE

Too many investigators tell me that the only way you learn surveillance is by taking surveillance cases… they are wrong!!!! You need more practice before you decide to take your first surveillance case!!! The only true way to practice is to go to a busy street in the morning, pick a subject, and follow that subject throughout the day. This will allow you to practice recording “under the gun.” You need to learn how to get that steady 10 second shot of the subject going from the car to the store and back, getting a steady shot when you’re parked in the middle of the parking lot, and getting the steady shot when you’re nervous because you think your getting made (you’re not!). You need to learn how to remain calm in any situation and this requires practice in the field.

To see some of our sample surveillance videos that were attained in the field Click Here

I would like to recommend that you visit www.investigativetraining.org to learn more about surveillance techniques. I will be posting more write-ups but this site has tons of great information. They have a great video on film quality for the P.I. which you can see by The only reason I created this blog post is because I believe that several techniques and comments were left out of that video.

 

 


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