B-roll is the most important footage you’re likely to forget. Originally, it was footage used to cover up what’s called a jump cut in editing – when you cut abruptly from someone in one position to the same person in another position. But b-roll is used in other situations as well. For instance, it’s boring to look at one static shot of a person speaking for several minutes. If you cut that footage with applicable b-roll, your film is much more appealing. So when a character is talking about a car he loves, show the car. Like the rest of your footage, b-roll is something you should plan before you shoot.

Inserting firelight in an appropriate scene in a video can add a certain degree of mystery or give a shot a romanticized, rustic feel. Sometimes, also, the scene simply calls for a fire. But lighting a fire isn’t always possible (especially if you’re shooting indoors). There is an easy fix, however. Aim a redhead (standard film light) with an orange gel away from your actors at a reflector. Shake the reflector so that the light appears to flicker on your subjects. In post-production, add some crackling/burning sound effects and you’ve got realistic firelight.

To get the best video quality, take advantage of your camera's manual focus and get control of your footage. If you don't see the advantage of manual focus, take this example of a stationary camera with several objects moving around the frame. In auto focus mode, the camera may switch focus between the different objects, which can be annoying if you are trying to focus on one person or object in particular. If you focus manually, the focus will remain on the subject you choose as long as you don’t move the camera. That alone is reason enough to take control manually.

When direct sunlight hits your camera’s lens, the result isn’t nearly as magical as you might hope. What you end up with is known as lens flare, and it can wreak havoc on your footage. How to avoid it? If your camera accepts a lens hood, that’s the best solution, but you can always shade it with your hand or a piece of cardboard. Just make sure that whatever you use doesn't end up in the shot.

Establishing shots do exactly what their name implies – establish a scene’s setting. Many scenes begin with such shots to show the audience where the action will take place. For instance, before showing a student and professor speaking after class, you might want to establish the scene with a shot of the particular building or university. Due to web video's inherently short nature, establishing shots are becoming less and less common in made-for-the-web productions. But if the setting of a scene is unclear, you still might want to throw one in to clarify – that is, unless you want to keep your audience deliberately in the dark.