The basics
The elements common to food photography are lighting, the composition, the framing, color, the form, the style and of course… the food.
In the video, however, there are some more elements to keep in mind, and that is: the movement, audio and duration in minutes.
As in food photography, stage number one, before moving on to filming, and the scenography. You have to create one from top to bottom without jolts and trimolii, because', as in the photo food, in that moment you tell a story.
So, before the camcorder, you have to take a pen and paper and you have to imagine the phases!
What you need to think about when writing the storyboard?
1To the ingredients of the recipe and how to prepare them on the shooting bench, whether or not you will do an overview of the ingredients first, etc.
2.Movement / action: think for example of a close-up while the chef cuts the onions, for example, steam rising from the pot, to the bubbles of a boiling liquid, when mixing. When the hands work the flour, for example, etc.
3. time. Think about the total duration of the recipe (which doesn't have to be very long!). A recipe must last at most 5-7 minutes. Think about the length of each particular frame. Remember that those who look at your recipe if you say or watch the chef mixing ... the action does not have to be of real duration because the action (mix) it must be understood and then it goes on. It makes no sense to make the action last 5 minutes!! Risk ... we tire the user who looks at the recipe. Result… change channel! Nobody wants to watch the pizza dough rise for two hours! As long as you understand that you have to let it rise.
But other elements are also important in making a video recipe.
4Audio. In the video it is very important. It could be the chef's description of the recipe, from background music (or both together). It can also be the noises of sizzling fries in a pan, on the kitchen timer, or all of this together. If there is the chef's voice explaining the important thing is that the music does not overlap the voice! As for the microphone, I do not recommend that of the camera because it records all environmental noises. Better to use an external unidirectional microphone or a wireless microphone that only records the chef's voice.
5Camera. If you don't have a video camera, almost all DSRL cameras have the ability to shoot video as well. But pay attention to the white balance and exposure because in post-production videos it is much more difficult to correct them. So it's better to get a correct white balance and exposure when shooting. Of course, the tripod is necessary. I use from 2 all 3 cameras for a video recipe. One stares in front of the counter (to the chef) on an easel, one on another easel to shoot the details from other angles and another from above ( i use a gopro).
6The objectives. In the video food you can use all the focal lengths you want. It depends on how far you are from the camera. If you want a shallow depth of field, I recommend a 24-70 f2.8.
7Lighting. Reflectors and diffusers are very useful for shooting. In general, continuous light softboxes are used but LED panels can also work well.
Here's what your photo shoot could look like
