Following a few simple rules can make a huge difference to your videos.
1. Keep the camera still.
It should be the pictures that move and not the camera! Don't move the camera backwards and forwards over the subject (known as 'hosepiping'). Keep it perfectly still. This will pay off later when you cut your shots together. Your video will look very much more professional. Use a tripod if you have one.
2. Don't zoom in or out whilst shooting.
Beginners will often zoom in and out on a subject. Don't! Use of the zoom during filming simply draws attention to the camera and away from the subject. Having a zoom lens is like having lots of different lenses all in one. If you need a telephoto, then zoom in to the subject and only then start filming.
3. Vary your shots.
Variety is the spice of any good video. Between every shot you take, change your position, the angle of shot (either lower down or higher up), the length of the lens (change to telephoto or pull out to a wide shot) and also vary the length of time the shots last. There are no rules but in general a wide shot should be around 8 to 10 seconds, a medium shot should be 4 or 5 seconds and a close-up can be as little as 1 - 3 seconds.
4. Use establishing shots.
At the beginning of every natural sequence you should use an establishing shot. For instance, if you move from the beach to the harbour, show a wide view of the harbour to establish that's where we are. Then go in for the close-ups.
5. Use lots of close-ups.
Nothing captures the viewers attention better than a close-up. Get lots of them and don't be afraid to get in real close (a local character's face filling the screen.) Remember, close-ups only need be on screen for a few seconds. However, also remember that if you are edited your shots later then you should make sure you get more than you need and cut it down in the edit.
6. Use the 'Rule of Thirds'.
When looking through your viewfinder, compose the shot in accordance to the rule of thirds. In your mind, split the frame into 3 parts vertically and also into 3 parts horizontally. Then position your key area of interest on one of the intersections. This will always make for more pleasing shots. Never position a persons head in the middle of the frame. Place them off to one third of the frame and make sure they have 'viewing room' (they should be looking into the greater space in the other two thirds of the frame.) Never position the horizon so that it splits the frame in two.
7. Be experimental with angles.
Look for more exciting angles on an otherwise mundane subject. Get really high up and look down. Look from between some pillars. Maybe have some grass waving in the wind in your foreground. Be daring, it will pay off.
8. Get lots of 'cut-aways'.
As well as the main action (the parade going right past you) get lots of shots you can cut away to - (the reaction of the faces in the crowd, the small child playing at the parents feet, the old woman looking from a high window, the dog yawning across the street!)
9. Pan left to right.
When faced with a wide sweeping landscape you may want to pan across it. If so, decide on a starting shot (just like if you were taking a still photo) and an ending shot (where is the pan going to end up) before you begin. Then start shooting, stay on the starting shot for a few seconds, then slowly pan from left to right (the direction you read a book in) and come to rest on the ending shot. Hold the ending shot still for a few more seconds then stop shooting.
10. Avoid bright backlit subjects.
If your subject is a friend stood indoors in front of a bright window, the camera will see all that light coming in and decide to close down your lens aperture. Your friend will be in darkness! The answer is to lock the exposure on the subject first and let the windows 'wash out'. Alternatively, move so that the windows in not so prominent in the shot.
If your recording people speaking, it's well worth using either a tie clip microphone or a directional mic on a boom. The microphone on your camcorder is designed to capture sound from all around, which can be fine for your holiday movies, but no good if you want good clear dialogue.
You can buy cheap additional microphones for any camera that has an external mic socket. Get an assistant to hold the boom (a microphone on the end of a long stick) as close to your actors as possible without being in shot.
Daylight is great for shooting video, but it's best to avoid shooting in bright sunlight. Video doesn't cope with high contrast very well, so try and shoot on a slightly overcast day if possible. If the light is very string and directional, use a reflector (even a large sheet of whit card will do) to bounce light into the darkest side of your actor's faces.
Indoors you might need extra lighting. Tungsten halogen worklights, the kind available from DIY stores, are a cheap and effective way of light your video. A good technique is to bounce these light of the ceiling to get a soft overhead light.