Tips for filming a birth

We strongly recommend videoing all breech births where possible (acknowledging that some populations, such as Plain communities, may not allow photos or videos to be taken). Watching videos is an essential learning tool; videos often reveal things that attendants missed during the actual birth.

Assure the parents that the video belongs to them and will only be shared with the immediate birth team, unless they give specific permission to share beyond that circle.

Be sure the batteries are fully charged and there is adequate memory on your device. 

We highly recommend putting the phone/camera on a tripod to avoid losing important footage and to avoid shaky footage. Keep a small tripod with your birth equipment.

If possible, have someone at the birth whose only job is to film. That will ensure that the camera does not get set down if the person filming has to take on another duty, such as birth assistant. They should carefully watch the screen, not the birth, to ensure the camera doesn't wander. 

Please film horizontally, not vertically, whenever possible. Most of our teaching still occurs with widescreens (TVs, projectors, computers, etc.), and birth videos filmed vertically will thus appear much smaller on-screen.

If you are using virtual remote support (Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp, etc.) and started filming vertically, please do not change the camera orientation without first stopping the video feed and turning the camera. Then you can restart the video. 

Avoid bright spotlights or flashlights, since they tend to wash everything out on camera. Instead, use soft, diffuse, indirect lighting or natural lighting whenever possible. Secure enough lighting that attendants can see well without interrupting the process with bright lights.