Beginners Guide to Video - JMBS
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Beginners Guide to Video - JMBS This guide is intended for anyone who wishes to use a video camera for news gathering or documentary work. Although it is written for the complete novice there should also be something here for the more experienced. Camera Technique Books have been dedicated to this but there are a few things that are very useful to consider. • The most reliable way of getting good shots is to turn the lens to as wide an angle as possible and get as close to the subject/action as possible. • Treat the camera as if it were a stills camera. Avoid panning(left/right), tilting(up/down) and zooming unless it is absolutely necessary. Simple shots are best and they are easier to pull off. • Use a tripod or monopod wherever possible and if not try to find something to lean against. • If you have to change the camera angle do it as slowly (and smoothly) as possible. It is much better to have something briefly out of shot than to be continually/rapidly changing the camera angle. Ideally it should be done so slowly that the audience does not notice. • If you are panning over a long distance or following quick moving action generally speaking things should be in shot for at least five seconds. • When shooting without a tripod bear in mind the wider the angle you are shooting the steadier the shot. If possible move in closer rather than zooming in. To help steady the camera push the eyepiece to your eye and press your elbows against the bottom of your ribs. • Leave at least 5 seconds before and after each shot. This will make editing easier and stop rollback (some camcorders briefly record over the end of the previous shot). • Try to keep shooting for at least 20 seconds as this will help when the footage is edited. • Even a slight movement can cause the camera to re-focus as auto-focus will not take depth of field into account. • When doing interviews if possible always use manual focus otherwise every so often the person will briefly go out of focus for no apparent reason. Composing a piece Take establishing shots early on to identify the place(s) you are talking about to the viewer. These are long-distance shots and possibly shots of the interviewee arriving at the house, site or wherever. • Think about interesting angle shots if it suits the mood of the piece, such as from very low down or with the camera pointing down from up in a tree. • As a rule of thumb the interviewee should be to one side of the centre of the frame and facing in toward the middle a bit to be easy on the eye. See "rule of thirds" handout. • Try to find an appropriate background to shoot against that says something about the piece, that cannot just be anywhere. • Try to make sure there are no distracting background visuals or noises, e.g. if a plane goes over or someone pulls a face in the background it might well be best to stop recording and ask the last question again. It is better not to have people walking around in the background unless this adds to the atmosphere of the piece. Bear in mind that if there is a mirror behind them the audience may be distracted from the speaker. • Interviewees need to know where to look. A good technique is to ask them to talk straight into the camera lens, to the audience in there! Getting the interviewer to stand behind the camera is a good idea to insure this. • Make sure that all answers in the interview will ‘stand alone'. So that questions can be edited out without the meaning of the answer being lost. This means asking rounded open ended questions like: talk to me about why you're here, or can you explain some more about that? Always listen to the start of their answer very carefully. If your interviewee starts off in a way that will not stand alone e.g. Well we did that because of the swinging digger.. then politely stop them and give them a hint of how you want them to start e.g. we jumped off the digger because it was swinging around, the guy was trying to kill us..! Sound Do not underestimate the importance of sound in your piece. Treat it with as much care as you give to the picture. If you cannot hear an interviewee clearly, or if there are audible distractions in the background, it is as bad as a very wobbly picture with distractions in the background. • Camcorder built-in mikes used to be inadequate except for getting background noise (wildtrack), and then only in windless conditions. Newer cameras that record to memory cards have no motors onboard, and generally are OK if the shooter is close enough. • If possible it is best to monitor the sound using headphones. Some would argue that not doing this is like shooting with your eyes shut. At least it will worn you if you forgot to turn on the mike!. Using headphones is better than an ear-piece. • The closer the mic. is to the sound the better the sound will be (being twice as near will improve the sound more than twice!). Cutaways (Also known as B-Roll) • Always get shots of action or just general scenes that are unique or particular to the story you are telling. These are for illustrating or ‘cutting away' to during interviews. • Get people in the shot whenever you can. • As a rule of thumb never take shots of less than 30 seconds. The shot you need may be longer than you originally think. • If the cutaway contains no action itself, such as an immobilised digger that no longer works, then use gentle zooming and panning to make the clip more interesting and put it in perspective. • Always listen out during an interview for possible cutaways that you don't already have, such as the smouldering digger that the interviewee has been talking about but that you haven't seen. Make a list (maybe a mental list) of these and go get them before your next interview if time allows. Lighting Lighting is not only in the domain of the professional. And it also is not only a consideration indoors. • It helps to think in terms of soft (fill) light and hard (direct) light. • To get the best picture a mixture of both is necessary. • Avoid strong direct sunlight, especially overhead noon sunlight as the sharp shadows this causes can look artificial and noon overhead sun can cause strong black shadows. In general subjects eye's should not be in shadow. Morning sun tends to have a cold pastel blue hue while evening sun is warm and beautiful, improving skin tones and ideal for landscapes. Known as the 'golden hour' in California, it comes in a variety of shades in the UK. Shooting in shade on a sunny day is the simple solution but be careful with exposure if you have a mixture of shade and light in your composition. When it is overcast a subject can seem flat but this is difficult to avoid, unless you wait for the sun to come out. A reflector make things easier. These can be brought from photographic/video shops or home made. If it is overcast the reflector can be used to through ‘hard' light on the persons face, improving contrast. If it is bright use the reflector to ‘fill in' the shadows. You can easily mock up reflectors using large sheets of white card, polystyrene board, etc. “The More You Carry In Your Head, The Less You Carry On Your Back” Since 1999 DV Camera Shots & Tips Film Grammar Types of Shots - as Seen By the Editor New Shot = New Information Establishing New Shot = New Angle if Same Subject Master 180 Degree Rule Single Over the Shoulder (OTS) Shot Composition Reverse Angle Headroom Point of View (POV) Noseroom Reaction Shot Point of Focus Two Shot Distracting Background Elements Group Shot Rule of Thirds Cutaway Convergence of Parallel Lines Insert ¾ Angling (45 Degrees)for Depth Final Frame Types of Shots Documentary Shots and Acronyms Piece To Camera (PTC) Subject Size Self-Mount PTC (SM-PTC) Extreme Close Up (XCU) Traveling Shots Close Up (CU) Diary Medium Close Up (MCS) General View (GV) Medium Shot (MS) Voice Over (VO) Long Shot (LS) Wide Shot (WS) 5-Shot Method for Action Extreme Long Shot (XLS) 1. Close-Up on the Hands Barbie 2. Close-up on the Face 3. Pull Back to a Wide Shot Camera Angle 4. Over the Shoulder, POV Shot Low Angle (lo <) 5. Different Angle Shot High Angle (hi <) Dutch Angle WALLDO Technique - Creative Format Wide Camera Position Angled On Ground, Low Angle Low Waist Linking (pan, pullback, etc.) Midsection Depth Shoulder Opposite Overhead, High Angle Cutaways Camera Movement Get as many as you can. You can edit 4 or more Pan (short for panorama) as a group. Tilt Tracking Tripod Transition Shots Follow Scenery Transition Shot Crane Whip Pan Transitions Zoom Focus Transition Handheld P.O. Box 61 – 267 Camp School Rd. Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896-0061 (603) 569-6150 [email protected] www.jackmtn.com Other Shots Lighting Back Light Shot BASS Lighting Background Reflection Shot Accent Subject Walk Out Of Frame Shot Separation - light separately and see what they look like individually Door Frame Shot Various Tips Rack Focus Shot - Use focus ring to alternate between background and foreground being in Zooming limits depth of field and perspective and focus.