While many freshman composition textbooks offer cursory instruction on how to conduct field research, very little information exists on teaching undergraduates field research methods. Such instruction often occurs during graduate school. However, in order to become polished writers and researchers, and to see firsthand how research enhances various writing genres, students should learn field research methods early. In classroom settings, the author has had students conduct mock interviews. Also, she has sent students around campus for practice observation sessions, or together they have gone to a nearby mall or grocery store. During such practices, she has noticed many students taking scant notes and showing careless attitudes about data collection. Hence, she has learned that students could use a bit of scaffolding even before practicing research methods. Digital video provides a scaffolding mechanism that demonstrates the complexities of field research, which requires more than a simple look around or asking a couple of questions. In this article, the author discusses how she uses online digital video to scaffold note-taking, interviewing, and observation skills. Field research is a complicated yet productive means of data collection. And the more carefully data are collected, the more useful they will be during the writing process. (Contains 2 figures.)