Serran here with another tip for you. The subject this time is focus. Miyamoto Musashi, a famous Japanese swordsman, said, “In battle, keep the vision broad.” This axiom applies to focus as well. There are certain things to pay attention to before pressing the record button of the camera. A composition is made out of subject, foreground, background, light and shadow. The first thing is to focus on the subject. Next, observe the background, foreground, lighting and shadow. You might say, "Duh, no kidding," but many times in our excitement to catch the shot we overlook very simple steps that would insure the quality of the shot. The quickest way to make video look amateurish is to leave the Auto Focus on. Leaving it on will invite trouble because if something new and unexpected gets into the scene (like a bird or a person) your shot will be ruined when the auto focus attempts to bring the alien object. It is a little more work in the production end but it is less of a headache later when you’re trying to edit a shot around a blur. There are times however that one may use a blur as a transition. Start with the image out of focus and then bring it in to focus at the beginning of you shot, or take it out of focus at the end of your shot. Before you record any shot, remember to zoom all the way in, focus, and zoom out. Now your focus is good as long as the distance between you and your subject stays the same. Continued good fortune to my fellow producers. Until next time, “Reporting live from studio 5,” Serran

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