Pre-shoot
checklist.

A level camera keeps the horizon line straight across the frame. Even 2-3 degrees of tilt is noticeable and makes footage look amateur. Most cameras and phones have a built-in grid or level tool — turn it on before you film.

Use the rule of thirds — place the subject's eyes on an upper intersection point, not dead centre. Check camera height: eye level feels natural for talking heads. Make sure there's appropriate headroom and the edges of the frame are clean.

Talking-head setups → autofocus with face/eye detection. Top-down product shots → switch to manual focus and lock it. Always zoom into your monitor to confirm sharpness before recording.

Set your camera's native ISO first, then adjust aperture and ND filters. Skin tones should look natural. Use zebras or a histogram — especially important when shooting log profiles.

The 180-degree shutter rule: set shutter speed to double your frame rate. If any practical lights are in frame, switch to 1/100 to avoid flickering.

White balance controls the colour temperature. If set wrong, everything looks too orange or too blue. Set it to match your lighting — daylight (~5600K), tungsten (~3200K), or use auto.

Confirm resolution (4K or 1080p), frame rate (24fps cinematic, 30fps standard, 60fps slow-mo), and SLOG3 picture profile. SLOG3 will look flat — that's normal. Make sure ALL cameras match.

Look for even light on the subject's face with no harsh shadows. A key light should be in front and slightly to the side. Avoid lighting from directly above or behind.

Check for distracting objects, clutter, bright colours pulling focus, and anything that might "grow" out of your subject's head like a plant or pole.

Check their shirt isn't wrinkled, posture is upright and confident. Ask which side they prefer to be filmed from and position the B-cam accordingly.

One of the most common mistakes is recording with the camera's built-in mic instead of your external one. Check your audio input settings and confirm the correct mic is selected.

Audio should peak between -12dB and -6dB during normal speech. Too low = hiss when boosted. Too high (0dB) = unfixable clipping distortion.

B-cam needs to pick up enough speech so your editor can sync the two angles in post. If B-cam audio is dead silent, auto-sync tools won't be able to match it.

Close your eyes and listen for 10 seconds. Air con, fridge hum, traffic, echo from hard surfaces — these all get amplified by microphones and are hard to remove in post.

Check every SD card in every camera. 4K eats storage fast — a 64GB card might only hold 30-40 minutes. Format cards in-camera, not on a computer.

Record 10 seconds of your subject speaking, then play it back. This is your safety net — it catches every problem the other checks might have missed. Never skip this step.