 Are you finding your videos lacking something? I don't mean a budget or fancy VFX, but maybe your work is starting to all look the same as each other. Hey, it's Herman here again with Artlist, and if you shoot a lot of videos like me, then you start prioritizing efficiency over creativity. Whether it's commercial work or narratives, I just find myself developing the habit of always pulling out the same techniques and playing it safe, mostly to make sure that I hit deadlines and not disappoint my client. Now the cost of being a well-oiled machine is that we forget about the tools that we've left behind. Here are five techniques that don't get as much attention as they deserve, but like James Bond, they can act as secret weapons that improve your storytelling through video. The first one is the anti-frame, and it's a term I haven't heard in so long that I was convinced I made it up until I found this Reddit comment. Glad I'm not insane, yet. The anti-frame isn't just the clever use of negative space, but also the direction your subject is facing. Normally, you'll have your subject facing toward the negative space, which provides balance in the frame and feels natural to look at. Anti-framing is unnatural as you have your subject facing the edge of frame, giving a sense of loneliness. I wish I could take out my dog for a walk. Too bad the weather reminded me I don't have one. I see this used often in movies or TV shows to let the viewers know that something is a little bit off or that there's a disconnect between the subject and everything else. You might not use this technique when talking to a camera like I am right now, but for moments that you want to create a sense of isolation, it's perfect for your next narrative film, documentary, or even social media. Next we have The Crash Zoom, which is a term for zooming in or out really quickly. You're probably familiar with this wacky technique if you watched Quentin Tarantino's films, but outside of his work, zooming that fast almost feels like committing a crime. However, I think that it's one of the most underrated techniques because you can accomplish so many things with it. In narrative work, it's a great way to add intensity to your scene by quickly delivering new information. In TV shows, it can be comic relief as it hyper-focuses on the character's reaction to amplify the funny. For social media, it's a great way to quickly direct the viewer's attention for coverage. The zoom on smartphones lately are way too good to not take advantage of this. My favorite thing about The Crash Zoom is that you can hide an invisible cut to make sure that you get your perfect shot. Just end your first shot with a fast zoom and start your second shot with a fast zoom as well. Then make a cut in the edit to stitch the shots together into one seamless masterpiece. When I first started making videos, I felt like a horse chasing after the cinematic look like a dangling carrot. And shooting with shallow depth of field made me feel like a master cinematographer. But I saw deception in those blurry backgrounds because years later, I realized that using deep focus is the mark of an experienced creator. Deep focus is when everything in the frame is in focus and relies on other elements like composition, staging, set deck, and lighting to create visual interest. I first noticed this technique in Wes Anderson's films and realized how much more engaged I was because everything's in focus. Now to accomplish this, you just have to close down your f-stop as far as you can while correctly exposing your scene to compensate. But if you're lazy like me, then smartphone cameras try to keep everything in focus by default. So filming on there is the perfect way to practice deep focus compositions. By the way, if you're looking for ways to create cinematic videos with only your phone, we have a video just for that if you click on that little pop-up. This next technique is actually used by many modern creators, but only for one purpose. To cut up moments like these between your talking headshots, that's right, I'm talking about the junk cut. It's an editing technique where you break up a single shot and cut away a segment of time from it. Now, how can it be underrated if it's used so often? Like I said, it's because I only see it being used for one purpose, which to me is like using water to only wash your hands. You can drink it, water your plants, have it, ruin your day. You get the idea. Jump cuts are a great way to show the passage of time and only highlight what's worth showing to your viewers. It's also a great way to create a sense of urgency by using it as a montage. If you work on music videos, you can use jump cuts on the beat of the music to create a satisfying experience. Here's an example with a song that I used from Artlist. Be careful though, because when used too often, jump cuts can make people feel like they just wrote the worst roller coaster of their life. But for the right moments, people would think that you're the James Bond of video editing. Okay, at least I will. The last technique I think is highly underrated is the static shot. Really, Herman? The last technique is just to throw your camera on a tripod. Now, in an era where filmmaking tools like gimbals, sliders, and drones are in the hands of many creators, we can be addicted to camera movements. I swear, it's becoming a drug more addictive than caffeine and there's probably more camera equipment brands than Starbucks in your local downtown. Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of this as well because I've always believed that something needs to move in your shot if you're shooting videos instead of pictures. But that thing that's moving in your frame doesn't have to be your camera. Just like deep focus, there are other things to rely on in your scene like the staging of actors. Without camera movement, we pay greater attention to the things that do move. So next time that you're shooting something, I encourage you to just let go of the camera and try to do something interesting. Okay, you know what I mean. Now, we only went over five techniques, but here are a few more for you to look up and try out. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see a video about these techniques as well. Although I believe that these are underrated techniques, I do think that they should be used sparingly. Playing it safe was how my brain started rotting. So I hope that trying these cinematic techniques can be a fun creative exercise for you to improve your videos. What do you think is an underrated cinematic technique? Let us know in the comments. And if you wanna see more videos like this, then make sure to subscribe to the Artlist channel. Also, make sure to check out Artlist and get everything you need to create amazing videos from music and sound effects to footage, templates and apps, the links in the description. Thank you all for watching and I'll see you in the next one.