Lottie
Stevenson
Films

5 easy ways to shoot incredible Christmas films

If you’re like me you  just want to preserve ALL the memories!! But if you’re a parent (or even if you’re not) Christmas is already stressful enough without putting extra pressure on yourself to film all day. Last year I videoed Christmas. I confess, I LOVE the finished film, but it was madness. It meant that I had another job to do on an already very busy day. Plus I felt like I wasn’t totally present because I was thinking about getting a good angle on the stockings, or making sure I had a shot of the meal, or setting up a tripod rather than just enjoying the time with my family and playing with the kids. So, this year I’m trying some different strategies, which I thought I’d share. So if you want to remember some of the magic, without adding to the anxiety, here are a few tips!

1. RECORD THE PREP

This is WAY less stressful, but just as meaningful! Christmas is a season, not just a day! There is SO much to get ready before we even get to Christmas Day. All those things we do to prepare are super festive and will still give you those warm fuzzy vibes when you watch them in years to come. I’m going to try to make a few little videos of the things we do in the run up to the 25th rather than just focusing on the day itself.  Want some ideaHere are a few ideas of Christmasy prep that you can film before the big day. 

  • Wrapping presents (mess + wine is likely to feature heavily in my version of this)
  • Writing to Father Christmas / making Christmas list (remembering what the kids asked for in years to come will be GOLD!)
  • Decorating your  tree or home (twinkly lights and random home-made decorations are the best!)
  • Shopping for presents (clicking on Amazon might not make the best film, but if you’re heading out to shop in real life, nice!)
  • Christmas meal prep (yes, even peeling carrots can be part of this! Maybe you’re making a Christmas pudding, or mince pies?)
  • 2. FOCUS ON YOUR TRADITIONS

    Do you barbeque your turkey or have a Christmas shoe instead of a stocking (it’s a thing!) Maybe you always play monopoly and have a big family argument afterwards. It happens. Everyone has their own special things they do at this time of year.  Weird and wonderful traditions are the stuff Christmas is made of! And I love the idea of capturing a little montage of these moments that make your Christmas unique!

    For me, it’ll be things like making cookies with the kids; finishing off a stocking for my littlest one (yep, it’s taken me 2 years, and it’s still not finished!); and watching Christmas movies in our PJs as a family.

    3. TAKE A TIME-LAPSE

    Got a four hour Christmas lunch? Kids spending ages opening presents? Then a time-lapse is win, win, win! As long as you get the set up sorted, this is an easy way to capture something that takes a while and watch it back over a few seconds. Most mobiles have a time-lapse function built in, but I like using the LapseIt app. It lets you control your exposure, focus and white balance, as well as  decide how many shots per minute / second you want. Just make sure you set up your phone or camera on a tripod before you record. Also, use a nice wide angle (don’t zoom in) and frame the shot so you’ll get as many faces in as possible.

    So that’s the plan guys. Will you be picking up or putting down your camera for Christmas? I hope these tips give you some easy, simple ideas for capturing a little of the Christmas magic this year, and save you from a filming frenzy! I’m just going to pick one or two things to focus on, then spend the rest of my time watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and eating too many chocolates. Bliss!

    Happy holidays!

    Lottie x

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