5 Tips To Give Your Video A "Film Look"

So you don't have a multimillion dollar budget for your film. Yet. Follow these tips and your film will still look like it was shot by the pros.

Shoot at 24p

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Shooting at 24 frames per second (fps) has been standard for most of the film era. The equivalent in modern digital times is 24p (24 progressive frames per second); using this setting will give viewers the familiar motion-flow feeling they're used to seeing in the majority of the "mainstream" productions.

Nevertheless, note that this is not a fixed rule, and your creativity, your style or your technical needs might require a different frame rate.

More info here.

When possible, use a shallow depth of field

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Having a soft background (or foreground) is one of the most visually pleasing effects used in professional videos. When possible, try to do it too!

To do so, open your aperture as much as possible (a prime lens such a cheap 50mm is perfect for the purpose). If the light conditions don't allow to do so, use filters, such a Neutral Density Filter (ND), to be able to open a bit more.

If a prime lens is not available, use a telephoto and shoot from a distance, but careful, because the image can very easily get shaky this way.

Pay attention to sound

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In filmmaking, the eye is forgiving. The ear is not. Nothing will ruin your film quicker than bad audio, so make sure you're able to record your sound in the most professional way you can.

For entry level tips about it, check this.

Move the camera smoothly

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One hallmark of film images is the steadiness of the camera. Most films are shot with elaborate camera supports – tripods, cranes, dollies, and Steadycam rigs. The point of all this is to avoid calling attention to the camera itself by its motion. You should strive for the same sort of steady shots. The MTV “hand held shakycam” look is not very “filmic”.

Do NOT zoom. Ever!

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Film camera lenses don’t generally have a zoom ability, so zooming is a giveaway that the material was shot by a video camera.