Video Tips

Your video will be professionally edited and represented in a respectful manner so do not worry if it contains any "bloopers". To improve the chances of your video making the final cut, review the below steps prior to your hunt.

Good Things to do:

• Keep it real. Be natural. Don't script your hunt. We want unrehearsed footage!
  
• Make sure your set up will not spook game.
  
• Tape your approach to your stand or hunting location if possible.
  
• When speaking, make eye contact with the camera.
  
• Film the surroundings and give a brief verbal description of what is beyond camera range.
  
• Provide a verbal description of the methods you are using. (Example: Today I am hunting over a home made scrape that I just freshened with X brand doe in heat lure).
  
• Get footage of the animal at the time of shot if possible.
  
• Tape the tracking process.
  
• Tape the recovery process including your approach to the fallen animal.
  
• Always practice a safe approach to a fallen animal and don't assume it is dead until verifying that it is dead.
  
• Secure your weapon safely before posing for a trophy shot with the animal.
  
• Get behind the fallen animal and film a trophy shot while giving a verbal recap of the hunt and admiring the animal.
  
• Do not be afraid to celebrate and show your true excitement throughout the process.
  
• Always abide by all state and federal game laws.

Things to avoid

• Foul language
  
• Unsafe practices (Example; Pointing a gun at the camera or hunting from an elevated position without a safety harness)
  
• Showing disrespect to the animal

Acceptable Video Formats
You may send in as many as you wish, there is no limit. All home video formats are acceptable (VHS, 8MM,Hi-8, mini-DV and DVD).

Practice
Practice videoing whenever possible, then go back and view what you shot. See if it's what you expected. Good luck and keep them cameras rolling!

Zoom
When videoing animal, take it slow. Zooming in and out can be edited out, but it also takes away from the quality footage and makes footage look choppy. Try to find a happy medium for the range you expect the action to happen at and work from that point. Zooming reduces the life of your battery.

Control the Viewfinder
Keep the subject's head at the upper 2/3rd of the viewfinder. Don't full frame the animal, leave room for movement so you don't appear to be chasing the game with the camera.

Panning
Try to pan the area you are hunting, this will give the viewer a bigger picture of the hunt set up. While panning take it slow and only pan for 45 degrees. Take pan shots when the action is slow.

Camera Focus
Avoid using auto focus. If possible learn how to use the manual focus on the camera you have or buy one that has a manual focus. If you're stuck with auto focus, refer back to zooming and panning tips. You need to keep movement to a minimum and keep branches and other objects that will cause the camera to change focus out of the middle of your viewfinder.

Be Steady
Use a tri-pod, special camera mount or one of the many devices being made specifically for hunting videographers.

Lighting
Keep the sun at your back or side whenever possible. During low light open up the iris if your camera is equipped to allow you to. At low light times cameras have a tendency not to work.

Wrap up the hunt
Make sure language is clean and respectable. Clean up animal for the trophy shot. We want to show the viewers the respect we have for the game we harvest. Tell us about the hunt just as if you were telling your buddies.