Videography tips

The Seven Deadly Camcorder Sins

Headhunting--placing every subject in the center of your frame.
Motorzooming--overuse of on-screen zooms.
Rooting--staying in one spot instead of looking for interesting angles.
Firehosing--panning all over the scene.
Upstanding--shooting everything from standing eye-level.
Snapshooting--taping only two or three seconds per shot.
Backlighting--too much light falling on the background instead of on the subject.

Twelve Helpful Tips for Shooting Great Video

Use manual focus if your camcorder has it.
Set white balance at every location.
When shooting outdoors, keep the sun behind you.
Plan your shoot.
Use a tripod or other image stabilization device.
For handheld stability, imagine that your camcorder is a very full cup of hot coffee.
Use the zoom to compose your shot. Avoid zooming while the tape is rolling.
Move the camcorder only when necessary.
Shoot to edit.
Keep your average shot length between 5 and 10 seconds.
Keep the shot steady (no zoom or pan) for at least 10 seconds.
While shooting, be as inconspicuous as possible to best capture the true behavior of your subject.