Ten Commandments of Cinematography

Is it Raining? San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. August, 2013
Panasonic GX7 with Lumix 35-100mm f/2.8 X
It used to be that shooting movie film or video was reserved for people with deep pockets and / or extensive training. No more. Now virtually every camera shoots good quality video, and even cell phones shoot HD video. Simple editing software is available, often for free, and it doesn't take long to figure out how to get your scenes up on sharing sites like YouTube or Vimeo.
But, just as there are millions of boring and even hopeless looking still images on Flicker and Instagram, so to are there crappy videos on sites that host people's cinematic productions.
But raising your work above the lowest common denominator isn't all that hard, particularly when it comes to shooting. Assuming that you're using a DSLR, CSC or camcorder with some basic controls (unlike a cell phone) here are 10 things to consider doing that will greatly improve the quality of your videos.

1: Don't zoom. Zoomin...