Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard. My friends
I sense there's something in the wind, something that tells me that it's
time once again. For what you ask? Two years ago Hollywood Graveyard opened up
its doors to submissions from you the Hollywood Graveyard community. As summer is now upon us and
many of us have been cooped up for the past year, what better way to shake off the dust from our
boots and spread our collective wings than to sojourn together out into the cemeteries of the
world. Join us as we continue our viewers special. That's right folks for the next month
Hollywood Graveyard is accepting submissions from viewers like you of videos
of famous graves in your neck of the woods. Below is a link to a form on our website where
you can submit your videos, but before you do let's go over a few guidelines. Be sure to read and
follow these guidelines before you film and submit because if you don't we may
not be able to use your video. First and foremost be sure to film in the proper
format. Now, you don't need a fancy camera in order to do this most of you have a cell phone that
has a great camera on it. Now, the first and most important thing to remember when filming is to
film horizontally in the age of TikTok and Instagram it can be tempting to film vertically
but for our needs be sure to film horizontally. As far as resolution be sure to film in full HD,
1080p minimum, but if you have 4k that's that's awesome too. Now, when you're at the grave site be
sure to move slowly and smoothly. The instinct may be to look around like you would with your head
but that can lead to some pretty jarring footage. Smooth and steady. Give us a nice
wide surrounding view for context and then move on the subject, say you
were visiting L Frank Baum for example. Once you have it nicely framed where it's
legible hold very still for 10 to 15 seconds... I can't emphasize this enough hold
completely still for 10 to 15 seconds, and then pull up and look away. If there
are multiple points of interest, say if there's a something written on the
back or a secondary marker or a statue hold on one point of interest for the 10 to 15,
seconds move to the second point of interest and then hold that for another 10 to 15
seconds, again completely steady and still, and then pull up and look away. Don't worry
about narration or anything, I handle all of that in the edit. We just need the raw
footage. Now a few things to avoid when filming. When you're walking toward a grave the
instinct is sometimes to point the camera down. Keep it looking forward like a POV. And also try
to avoid your shadow or reflections in the shot. This can be challenging sometimes to avoid it I'll
sometimes shoot at odd angles or even upside down. And avoid digital zoom. If you need to get
closer just move in closer. Optical zoom is fine. And also as with our previous viewer special we'll
need lots of B-roll to fill out these tours as well. Is the cemetery near you particularly
scenic? Are you a savvy videographer? Get some nice scenic shots while you're there,
maybe some pov walking shots like this one. And of course, for those of you who aren't
camera shy, turn the camera on yourself for a cameo walking through the graveyards like
the ones I do at the beginning of each episode. As with our previous viewers special submissions
aren't limited to famous entertainers. While that may be the core of what we do, we love
to remember and tell stories from all facets of life, like athletes, innovators, scientists,
entrepreneurs, and other historical figures. Not sure if there are any famous graves near you?
Check out your local cemetery on Find a Grave, you might be surprised who you find. We have a complete
submissions guideline on the form on our website so be sure to read that before filming and
submitting. But most of all have fun! I can't wait to see where you take us as this time around
it is I who will join you in Hollywood Graveyard.
