how to FILM YOUR OWN MOVES

0:10 There are a lot of videos out there teaching you how to film yourself,

0:13 but none of them talk about action.

0:15 Shooting any type of movement comes with its own unique challenges and problems.

0:20 Did this ever happen to you?

0:21 You learn a new trick, so you bust out your little camera or phone,

0:25 put it down, and hit record.

0:26 you go back to look at your footage and it

0:29 doesn't look half as cool as what it felt like.

0:32 And it's true, there can be this huge gap between

0:34 how impressive a trick feels and how it looks on camera.

0:38 But of course, it doesn't have to be that way.

0:40 And you are in luck, cuz today I will share the secret tips

0:43 and tricks I learned from spending 20 years

0:46 roaming the world by myself with a camera

0:49 trying to make myself look as cool as possible.

0:51 Talking about gear, this video was made in support by ASUS,

0:54 who just released a laptop in collaboration with GoPro.

0:58 Throughout the video, you'll also see how I use their technology

1:01 to make my creative process as smooth as possible.

1:04 All right, we're going to shoot some beautiful parkour today,

1:07 and I'm going to walk you through the most important things

1:09 you need to know to be able to do the same.

1:11 The first thing I want you to think about is what trick am I doing,

1:13 and what is that trick's sweet spot?

1:15 Meaning, the best angle to show off that particular trick.

1:19 For example, my aerial will not look so great when filmed from the side

1:23 because you can tell that I'm not really going completely upside down.

1:27 But if filmed with the chest facing the camera,

1:30 the camera can't really see that I'm not

1:31 fully upside down and the trick looks much nicer.

1:34 Same trick.

1:35 What a difference.

1:36 And this will take some experimentation.

1:38 Whenever I learn a new trick, I will spend some time pointing the camera at it

1:41 from different angles to find that trick's particular sweet spot.

1:45 But sadly, it's not always this straightforward.

1:48 For example, a simple jump over a fence can

1:50 look completely different depending where you film it from.

1:54 Shot on a zoom lens from the front,

1:56 it's really easy to tell how high I'm jumping,

1:58 but it's difficult to understand how far the jump is.

2:01 Shot from the side, the distance becomes clear,

2:04 but we're making the fence look pretty small.

2:06 Shooting with a super wide from below makes

2:08 a fence look tall and the jump look far, but we don't see takeoff or landing.

2:13 Filming on a zoom lens from the top will do the opposite.

2:16 The action is very easy to understand,

2:18 but we're making the jump look pretty small.

2:21 I try to think of all these elements while I balance out the A cam shot.

2:24 In the end, I like this framing the most.

2:26 The camera is slightly low to make the fence look tall,

2:30 and being slightly to the side and on a wide

2:32 angle communicates the distance of the jump,

2:35 but most importantly, it shows takeoff, air time, and landing all in one frame,

2:40 which is the one rule I follow for my main action shot.

2:43 But sadly, there's no one sizefits-all jump solution.

2:47 For example, if you're doing a jump that's a little bit higher up,

2:50 an angle from the front or the side is usually a bad

2:54 choice because it doesn't show what makes this jump so difficult.

2:57 It's scary.

2:58 A shot from below or above will do a much

3:01 better job showing off the height of the jump.

3:03 What I want you to know is that it's

3:04 not always straightforward what the perfect angle is.

3:07 So, if you are aimlessly walking, climbing,

3:10 and crawling across the spot like somebody

3:12 who can't find their car keys, don't worry.

3:15 That's a natural part of the process.

3:17 Now that you found your sweet spot,

3:19 I'm going to show you how to add camera movement.

3:21 Even if you're shooting yourself, before I hit record,

3:24 I back up the camera so I have some extra room at the edge of the frame.

3:28 With this extra space, I can go into the editing room and then crop in.

3:32 Now I can use this frame to track the movement,

3:35 creating the illusion of a moving camera.

3:37 And if you look at the result,

3:38 it should be pretty easy to tell how much energy this adds to the shot.

3:42 If you want to be more subtle,

3:43 even a little zoom in or zoom out can be really nice.

3:46 Sorry for not getting too technical in today's video,

3:48 but if you search key framing and the name of your editing software,

3:51 you'll be able to learn this in about 10 to 15 minutes.

3:56 When I'm shooting an important project,

3:57 a lot of times it's useful to do a quick edit on location

4:00 to see if my idea works or if there's anything that needs fixing.

4:03 For this, the Asus Pro Art GoPro Edition is

4:06 ideal because I can get the job done quickly.

4:09 There's a micro SD card slot so I don't have to mess around with a card reader,

4:13 and it edits fast and smooth,

4:15 so I can just quickly see if the shot works or not.

4:18 The screen is bright, so even if the sun is out, I can see what I'm doing.

4:22 and it's built nice and rugged.

4:23 So once I know the shot works,

4:25 I just throw it into the bag and go on to the next one.

4:27 The bag is also perfect for when you're going for a little

4:30 bit of a longer editing session because it fits everything you might need.

4:33 And even the box that the laptop comes in can

4:35 be reused by adjusting the foam to your needs.

4:38 I've become a little bit of an organizational nerd, so I love this.

4:42 Thanks again, ASUS, for supporting me on this video.

4:44 Check out their new laptop in collaboration with GoPro in the description below.

4:49 Now that you know how to move the camera in post,

4:51 I'm going to show you three gadgets that I use to move the camera in real life.

4:56 The first one is a self-flying drone by Hav Air.

4:58 This thing is ridiculous and allows you to get some really interesting shots.

5:15 Number two and three is the GoPro Max.

5:18 In the POV mode, it creates one of the most

5:21 immersive and exciting perspectives you can use to showcase parkour.

5:25 I especially love to pair a cinematic action

5:28 shot with a rough and raw GoPro POV angle.

5:31 And lastly, in 360 camera mode, I love putting this thing on a tripod

5:35 and then tracking my movement in post with key frames.

5:38 Now that we're happy with how we film the action, we're at the final step.

5:42 Let's film some B-roll.

5:44 To me, the action is the meat of the sandwich, and the B-roll is the sauce,

5:49 the spices, the lettuce, the bread, everything that creates this full package.

5:54 For example, I might show myself wiping off

5:56 some dust to show what makes this jump difficult,

5:58 or a close-up of my face to show that this is a particularly scary jump for me.

6:05 That look like I was about to jump.

6:07 Since I don't like to cut in the middle of the action,

6:09 I try to capture B-roll of what happens before and after my trick.

6:14 Another great shot to get is the celebration

6:16 or the relief after making the trick.

6:19 And while I'm setting up my B-roll shots, I try to ask myself,

6:22 what information does this shot add to the story?

6:25 Today was the first time for me doing

6:27 a front flip from this high since injuring my ankle.

6:30 So, check out how I used the B-roll to make this moment

6:33 feel as big as it felt to me in real life.

6:49 Yes.

6:49 Let's go.

6:50 So nice.

6:56 Yeah.

6:57 I think really Yeah.

7:00 is what what we're doing is actually about the movement is

7:03 about the emotion and I try to translate that into the video.

7:08 And now you know how to make an awesome sandwich.

7:10 I mean, shoot some great action.

7:12 Remember to find the sweet spot for your tricks.

7:15 Frame your shots with the environment in mind.

7:18 Think about how you can create camera movement

7:21 and tell the rest of the story with your B-roll.

7:24 If you use these techniques, you'll be able to make your moves look as big

7:27 and dynamic as they actually feel in real life.

7:30 And I do recommend you practice your film making alongside your movement.

7:34 So, even if your moves are not the biggest in the world,

7:37 you're still going to capture your story and your journey,

7:40 which is valuable in itself.

7:42 And that way, when those bigger jumps or harder tricks eventually come,

7:46 you'll already be ready and know how to film them properly.