Your X Series camera is an awesome picture-making machine, but it doesn’t stop there. It also enables you to create fantastic video. Let’s set up your camera and start making movies!
Creating video clips alongside your stills is a great way to tell the complete story of a vacation, day out, or party. You can flip between photo and movie modes as easily as you would with your smartphone, only the results will be a whole lot better. This is because:
- The low-light capabilities of your X Series camera let you make great-quality footage even in poor conditions.
- You can make images with that shallow depth-of-field look (where the subject is sharp and the background is blurred) that gives your video a professional look.
- The variety of lenses available lets you get creative when you want to be.
When it comes to setting up your camera for video, you can be as hands-on or automatic as you want. But before we dive in and look at how to start filming, it might be good to have your camera’s user manual nearby (you can find it online here). Each X Series camera has different video capabilities and controls, so you may need to explore exactly how to use them by playing around a little.
Movie Mode
Some X Series cameras have a movie mode position on their shooting mode dial; others have a movie mode setting on a drive mode dial, or in their drive mode menu. Some cameras also have a dedicated video start/stop button that lets you quickly start filming without having to change modes – great when you see a moment and need to react quickly.
When you’re more experienced with video, and want to make creative movie projects, then manual shooting mode is the way to go, since it gives you the most control over the look and feel of the end result. But for those starting out in video, it’s fine to use auto movie mode so you can better concentrate on what’s happening in front of the camera. The way this is done varies from camera to camera, but on FUJIFILM X-S10 shown above, you simply have to select the AUTO setting on the top-plate dial.
Start, Stop…
To start filming, just press the shutter release button as you would when you’re shooting stills, then press again to stop recording. You might want to use the camera’s LCD screen flipped out to compose, so you can hold the camera slightly lower than normal. It’s a flattering angle to shoot from.
Although it’s tempting to keep filming when things are happening in front of you, try to resist making massive, minute-long clips. A series of much shorter clips looks way better and tells the story more effectively. Just watch some TV for inspiration: you probably won’t see a shot that lasts for more than a few seconds, and in creative filmmaking projects like music videos or action sequences in dramas, cuts between shots may be even quicker than this.
You can always trim your footage down into shorter clips afterwards with some editing tools on your computer or smart device, but this does take time and you’ll be faced with an easier job if you’re starting with a sequence of short clips rather than a single long one.
Film Simulation Modes
Just as with stills photography, there are a range of Film Simulation modes for you to choose from on your X Series camera when making video. Experiment to find what you like the look of the best, but also take a cue from professional videographers who like their cameras to produce low-contrast footage so that details in shadow and highlight areas of the scene aren’t lost.
You can achieve this look with any of the PRO Neg. Film Simulation modes or with ETERNA, which is inspired by FUJIFILM ETERNA cine film – a favorite with film studios all around the world.
Your Next Steps
- CHALLENGE The next time you’re out with your camera, make short movie clips instead of stills. Post the results to social media using the hashtag #MyFujifilmLegacy and #video. You can also submit your work here for a chance to be featured on our social media channels
Header image © Daniel H Bailey
