Recording Video... what tips do you have?

Audio & Video
1

Many of us record our shows or the shows that we go to.
What hardware do you use to ensure that you get a good recording? What settings do you use?
If you use a phone, are you using the native video app or a 3rd party app?

I have tried DSLR’s and phones. Most recently I used a GoPro-like camera called the Akaso Brave 7 LE.
I literally just used it last night for the first time to record pyro. I haven’t yet had a chance to look at the footage. Admittedly, the GoPros seem to record pyro flawlessly, albeit with a bit of fisheye due to the wideangle setting. I’m wondering if they are set to “Full Auto” mode or if people are manually setting settings.

The primary tip that I have, regardless of what you are recoding with, is “TURN OFF AUTO FOCUS!” Many a recording of mine were ruined because of auto-focus trying to figure out what exactly it should be focusing on. And inevitably, a portion of the show just looks like big ol’ bokeh dots…until it figures out that’s not the proper focus. So yeah, Tip #1: Turn Off Auto Focus.

2

One of our displays from 2016, just as the drone laws were becoming more strict. My friend George did the choreography & product selection, I’m not that gifted, especially pre-proline. The drone operator did a great job with some (now) old tech, a Phantom 1 with a GoPro on gimbal. I really like his changes in view, both angle and moving closer and farther away. A different perspective on filming a display.