A great thing about this day and age, that we didn’t have when we were younger (I’m a child of the ‘70s),is affordable video. With the coming of digital video, regular video is getting less and less expensive. 8mm and high 8 are getting cheaper and cheaper. If you own rats (or any pets for that matter), you really should invest in a video camera. Especially with rats’ lifespans so short, video is the best form of documentation ever. Even once a week, you’ll find yourself months later viewing and reviewing stuff you shot of your rodents when they were younger and you’ll realize that the purchase of that video camera was one of the best things you’ve ever bought.

There are many forms of video. You can get a regular VHS video camera (those huge things) now pretty cheap, if not at regular places like Best Buy, at garage sales and flea markets. But I suggest no less than 8mm. You’re going to get a clear picture, much better than regular video, and it can be transferred to regular video easily.

Hi 8mm is even better and if you can afford it, digital video is the best. But even if you’re budget is really small, there are options. There is a child’s video camera that you can buy at Toys-r-us. You say "yeah, a child’s video camera. What’s the point?" Well, think about it. This camera only has two drawbacks. You can’t take it outside, unless you have an outlet. It only works with your regular plug in outlet (no batteries). And it’s in black and white. Other than that, you can’t beat the price. Fifty bucks. If you want to get something to tape your rodents with, but you have hardly any money, this is better than no video at all.

But as I said, with digital video the wave of the future, 8mm cameras are going down in price every week. Look around where you live. You can usually get a floor model even cheaper than an in-the-box model. The camera I got was on sale from $499 to $399. It’s a Sony (the brand I recommend) with a 26x speed zoom. It’s an 8mm and I can’t think of anything outside of my computer and my 500 home run club signed baseball that I own that I like better.

After you’ve looked around and found a good bargain, you’ve purchased a fine video camera and you want to shoot your little guys as soon as possible (as well as yourself, your spouse, Aunt Thelma, Uncle Todd and his goofy dance and everything else that will let you that first week of owning the camera).

You don’t need to be Martin Scorsese with your little rodents, but you do want the video to at least be good enough that when you watch it years from now, you’ll be glad you took the time to set it up well.

I suggest a tripod. Although it’s not necessary, it’s always handy in so many ways. If you’re by yourself, you can always get video of you with your rodents together. It also keeps the camera still if you’re trying to shoot the little ones doing something in the same spot over a few minute period. Of course, you can always use a table and books and create a makeshift camera holder. Tripods are pretty cheap though, so you might want to think about it. You can find them on sale in stores like Frys sometimes on sale for as low as twenty bucks.

Lighting is also important. You can use lights within your house for this, so you don’t need to buy anything. A simple light next to your bed is good in many cases (as additional lighting). If it has a shade, take the shade off. Play around with lighting when you first start shooting your rodents. Shoot a few seconds without the additional light, then with it. You’ll see a difference. Play around with where you shine the additional light. I many cases, you’ll actually want to reflect the additional light off the wall or in another direction. Spend a little time experimenting and soon you’ll be able to know exactly how you want lighting on your rodents. Again, this isn’t a huge necessity, but if you experiment, you’ll find this makes your video so much better. And if you don’t have any extra lights around your home, you can always by lights at the Goodwill or Salvation Army for five bucks. Many cameras also have variations set for different lighting. I use the night shooting option on my camera, for stuff inside my house, and it works the best.

So you’ve got something to stand your camera on, and you’ve got lighting. You’re ready to shoot the video of your pets that you will own the rest of your life. When you’re in your sixties and you’re pulling out that old video you shot back in the 1990’s, you’re going to be glad that you took the time to make sure it was clear and done well.

Start shooting your little guys. Always make sure at least one of them is in the picture. Never shoot something still for a long period of time, like the bottom of your bed as you wait for one of them to come out. Know what you’re shooting and anticipate your subject’s next move.

If you’re taping your rat as he takes a piece of carrot and hides it, then comes back for more and repeats the process, keep the camera on him the whole way, in fact, stay a half second ahead of him.

One of the biggest, dumbest things people do who shoot video, is keep one shot on one thing for a long time. Nothing gets boring quicker than having to look at one thing for more than a couple minutes. You want your shots to be short and sweet. This is very important.

Have you ever been at your grandma’s and she wants you to watch cousin Warnie’s tape from Hawaii? Warnie’s wife got a camera, turned it on and taped them driving up a hill. For about two hours. One long, continuous shot outside a car window of trees and cement. Whoopee. There is nothing more boring than one shot of something for a long time.

This is a problem with anyone video taping stuff. When I’m with family and I’m passing the camera around, I try and tell them to make sure you don’t tape one thing for too long. But when I get home and look at the tape, I’ll see that someone got the camera and shot about ten minutes of my dad eating. Hey, it might be interesting for about 20 seconds. But after a while, no one wants to watch that scene any more. Not even the person who taped it. Not even the person in it. So as you see, when taping, keep in mind how important it is to keep your shots short and sweet.

You’re video taping your best rat as she nibbles on some cheese. Shoot an over-the-head shot for about 15 seconds. Pause the taping and move to the floor. Now shoot her from that angle for about 15 to 20 seconds. Pause again and go to her side. Shoot from that angle for maybe 30 to 40 seconds. She might look over at you and do something funny in response to what you’re doing. Now you’re getting one scene, but numerous different angles. The whole scene maybe is two or three minutes. But you’re getting four or five different perspectives. Now you’re making it interesting. People will think you planned it that way. Maybe even scripted it (I'm kidding here). It will look better than having one shot on one subject for a long period of time and changing angles can make a simple shot of your rat eating cheese very interesting.

Create situations. Put two rats on a table with a piece of cheese for each of them and tape it. Tape your rats running around your shoulders. Make sure you get stuff with you in the shot. You’ll be so glad you did, years from now. If you can, get your rodents outside. Shoot them running on the grass. Maybe take them to the local high school football field (where no one is around you) and tape them playing. Natural light is great for video. Get a lot of outside stuff if you can. And of course, always be careful.

Shoot your rodents playing in the car or in the bathroom or even when you’re giving them a bath. Shoot them sleeping, playing and eating. Keep in mind this is stuff you’re going to be viewing years from now (I know I keep saying that, but just remember that while you're shooting).

Keep the shots short and sweet. Remember. You can have a few minutes on one scene, just get numerous angles so it’s interesting. Maybe get one shot where you’re slowly zooming in. Remember that zooming in can go out of focus. Also, if you’re zoomed in on your new pups as they’re playing, movement can cause the camera to go out of focus.

When I’m shooting the rats really close up, I’ll have the camera not zoomed at all. I’ll just place the camera right up to the rodents and tape. This causes the least amount of blurring.

Get shots of your rodents moving with you moving. Move the camera along with them, or an even cooler shot, move the camera in the opposite direction your rodent is going. It’s a quick shot, but cool. When you have a bunch of quick shots of one subject, you find you’ve created a really interesting scene (this is also techniques used on music videos: quick shots, move to the next shot, boom, boom, boom).

If you have money, keep in mind there are numerous video editing systems you can get for your computer too. For as little as $169, you can get a system called Studio 400, which works best with Sony camcorders. You’re not going to created sitcom quality video with it, but as far as editing and creating video of your rodents that you can view over and over with great pleasure, this is a bargain.

The main thing is to remember that you’re documenting your rodents. You’re going to have this video for the rest of your life. Your pets don’t live long compared to us, so you want quality video of them to keep a visual, moving image with you for the rest of your days. My rat Oscar passed away recently and I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I’ve got a lot of him on video, from when he was a baby to his last day. I’m making copies of that tape. If my house caught on fire, that’s the first thing I’d go for. That tape is one of my most cherished items. You’ll find your tapes will be too. I recommend taping at least once a week. If the rodents are young and still growing, do it more. Believe me, you’ll be so glad you did.