Just say no to pans and zooms; take control of storytelling

I found a video on the yahoo group that is very impressive in some ways, but also includes some common mistakes that beginner shooters make. Please don't pan or zoom for no reason! It's hard to fight the urge but if you do it, your video screams, "amateur!" Just say no to drugs, pans and zooms.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the video. According to the post on the yahoo group, this was shot by a photographer who had never shot video before. It's extremely good considering that fact! I'm also impressed because the video was produced at an amazing turnaround time: "We were 2/3 the way done editing when the fireworks went off, editing on a laptop. We finished it off at the paper. just after midnight." Wowsers!

If I didn't already know, I think I would be able to tell that this was a photographer-shot video. You can tell the shooter has a good eye. There are some nice detail and perspective shots, like the people pushing through the turn styles, and this one low shot with a helmet and baseball glove in the foreground and players practicing in the background. The video is edited together into a good chronological visual story.

I may also be able to tell the video was done by a photographer because of the lack of strong storytelling. Reporters are usually very comfortable with this part, but photographers must retrain themselves to become more active (they're not a fly on the wall anymore). I'm already 45 or 50 seconds into this video before there's any kind of voice. The interview is okay, but the story would have been better with more voices that could round out the story. We could hear from a ticket taker, a player, children, a concession stand worker, etc. The video is rich in visual information, but lacking a strong story.

Also, four minutes! Come on, you can't be serious! It's not that compelling. Two minutes or less would have been perfect.