Tips for filming your child's performance

This year Andrew's school hosted their first Jingle Jam performance. I was excited to put my new Sony Handycam to the test and try some of the new filming techniques I had been working on.

During the performance I had Tyler climbing all over my lap while I was trying to film the show. I was so worried that the movie would be blurry and give the viewer a headache while watching. When we got home we watched a preview of the performance using the camcorders built-in movie projector, and I was so excited to learn that the image stabilizer eliminated any shaking of the camera.

The performance was a huge success and I was able to capture all of the memories using my new Sony Handycam. One of my favorite features of the camera was that it also takes still images during filming, alleviating me from having to use a separate camera for still images.

This was my first attempt at filming the first of many performances my children will have with my Sony Handycam. I was able to make a highlight movie directly on my camera with music and transitions in just one step. Here is my highlight movie of the event:



This is the full performance of just Andrew playing his recorder:



Here are some tips when filming your child's performance:

• Performances are a big deal to any parent or child, so be sure to capture the smaller details as well as the main event.
• Get a few shots of the children making their puppets and fideting before the show.
• If the room is a little dark, you want to use an HD camcorder with a big image sensor for better picture quality in low light settings.
• A Sony camcorder makes it easy to keep up with kids, as it has a tracking focus feature that enables the focus to allow the selected subjects as the move around.
• If you're filming a show in it's entirety, use a camcorder with image stabilization technology that helps compensate for camera shake to deliver smooth video.
• Despite your temptations to continually zoom in on your child, try to remember that recording all of the onstage action will be much more fun to watch later.
• Once the curtain begins to open slowly, zoom out.
• The Sony Handycam has a wide angle lens, which allows you to capture the entire stage or scene - perfect for an opening scene.
• After the event, try shooting some still images of the performance. These will work great for editing or as an ending.

Andrew celebrating his performance with his Grandpa and Uncle

I was provided a Sony handycam by Sony. All of my thoughts and opinions about the camera are of my own.