Best Practices: Hunting Videos

  • If in doubt always record!
  • Tell the story.  Don’t focus on just killing the animal, tell the story to help educate and entertain.
    • Create a beginning, middle, end
  • Focus‐Stable‐Recording
  • Live through the view finder.

Tell the Story

  • Imagine you’re telling all your friends a good hunting story – relax and be yourself on camera!
  • Have video footage that supports the story. (Packing the quad, driving to the location, sunshine on leaves, wind on leaves, climbing into stands.)
  • Show us the animal!
  • Never give it away – especially a failed hunt.  If we know the conclusion of a failed hunt why would anyone watch?
  • Successful hunt?  Tease the conclusion as much as you want!
  • Set up on a tripod and record.
  • Keep rolling.  Don’t be quick to stop recording.  Remind yourself that “stop record” is done in post-production.
  • Present the harvest tastefully.  Try to get as much blood off the animal as possible for still photos and post hunt interviews.  Attempt to display the rack or fan/spurs/beard to the best advantage.  Always be respectful of the dead game.  Watch out for deer tongues sticking out.
  • Always try to get some sponsor product throughout the video but do not overdo it.  Be natural.

Producing

  • Think: beginning‐middle‐end.  The episode will have a beginning, middle and end, so will an individual hunt.
  • A deer hunt is about the deer & hunter.  The hunter gives all the context.  The deer gives the thrill.
  • The hunter is more important to the episode than the deer, but deer are much harder to get.  Without a bit of both, either can get boring.
  • The camera should always be on the hunter when he talks – but never on the hunter at risk of missing important deer action.
  • Zoom & focus: when in doubt back out.
  • All music used in the edited videos must be either public domain or used with the proper license and permissions from the artist.  Giving credit at the end of the video DOES NOT constitute permission for use.
  • It is your responsibility to have permission for public sharing from all people appearing in your video.