VIDEO CINEMATOGRAPHY techniques loved by pro filmmakers

This is without doubt the single most important thing taught in this course. Watch this video, BEFORE going any further.

Now you have been told the key to great filmmaking, let's understand why this is true.

Why is audio so important?

Capturing audio when shooting a documentary film is as important, and in some ways more so, than capturing video. The reason is that without an audio track, a film is lifeless, has no emotion, and will never inspire its audience.

Have you ever watched an entire TV show with the sound off? Probably not. But have you ever listened to a story on the radio? Sound is more powerful than imagery when expressing emotion.

And, as you learned last week by looking at programming you enjoy, every great story creates emotion in the hearts of its audience.

Images provide the information. Audio creates the emotion. A video with no emotion is dead. So this means that audio is the key to making great videos.

This task will assists you in understanding the power of audio to paint a picture and create emotion.

In this lesson, we discuss shooting for the edit, both as a still photographer coming into movies and as a dedicated videographer.

The first two videos are aimed mostly at still photographers transitioning to movies. However, if this does not apply to you, I still recommend that you watch them, as there is valuable instruction in them for anyone holding a video camera.

Making the leap from stills to movies

This leap can be a challenge even for professional still photographers, and many fail because:

• they do not make the necessary changes to how they capture their images. A visual for a video is not very different from a still image, but the way it is captured is very different.

• they seem stuck on the fact that beautiful images are ‘everything’. With stills, of course, it is. But with video, it is not. Still, photographers who make storytelling, and not perfect images, their priority quickly learn to balance great images with content, and thus tell great stories.

From still photographer to creative video filmmaker.

The main difference between a still photo and a video is not the moving images. Its the audio. Because its the audio that creates the emotion, not the video.

Summary

• The wide shot is the establishing shot. It instantly tells us where we are, what the place looks like, what the weather's doing, and time of day. Two, a maximum of three-wide shots will usually suffice to establish all of this.

• Close-ups are used to capture detail and emotion. These shots answer the following story questions: who is there? how are they feeling? did anyone get hurt? Has anything been broken? who has the beers? are they happy to be there? Get lots of variations to keep the editor happy.

• Sound creates emotion by providing even more information. Without pictures, sound answers questions like: how fast is the river running? are the people stressed? it is peaceful? are there other people about? The story comes from what the subjects say and how they say it. Capture additional ambient sound effects so the editor can create the right atmosphere.

The 4-second Rule and Audio is King is without question the most important tools in this shooting-for-storytelling course. Remember them, and always use them.

As you now know, providing the editor with as many variations of shots as possible is the aim of any good camera operator. The 4-second Rule is your key to achieving this. By following the guidelines I teach in the video above, you will easily double, treble, or even quadruple the number of variations from the same shot. After that, the editing will be a breeze on a hot day.

Okay, to recap on the video:

• Once you have your shot properly framed, hit the record button, and count to four. I suggest an actual count in the head until this becomes natural because four seconds is longer than you think.

• Hold the camera still. STILL! MOTIONLESS! Only pan if you are following a subject that is moving.

• Once you have your four seconds, move the camera, and do the whole process again.

Shooting video so the edit is easy and intensely creative.

A task to increase your awareness of the need to shoot for the edit.

A task to assist you with making the 4-second rule a habit— one of the most valuable parts of this course.

How to shoot is one thing. What to shoot is the other. Let's talk about getting footage that makes editors love what they do.

Telling stories with the camera.

What kind of detail to shoot to enhance and help tell the story.

Good and bad habits when shooting for the edit.

I’ve shot so much of my work in situations where I’ve had little time to set up a tripod and light the scene. So much has been, as I put it, shot from the hip.

But shooting from the hip doesn’t excuse sloppy camera work. By that, I mean, bad composition and a shaky camera when there is nothing to shake about.

It does mean being creative and inspired at the very moment when something happens. This is the great reward of the camera operating ‘from the hip’. And I love it!

In the following video, I show a sequence 'shot from the hip' to illustrate this point. Please watch it now.

In this sequence in the previous video, you may have noticed some rather odd camera angles – alternative shots to the ordinary. I have often been frustrated with hired camera operators who shoot everything from eye level and never think to seek an interesting angle. Even when they set up a tripod, it always at eye height so they don’t have to bend down to look through the viewfinder. I call it laziness and laziness makes for uninteresting storytelling. Challenge yourself to find the alternatives to the eye-level perspective, because it makes for far more interesting viewing.

Even in low light, a still photographer usually only has to hold the camera steady for a couple of seconds. When filming with video, those seconds quickly roll into double figures. It is therefore important – vital– that you discipline yourself to hold the camera steady. Use your body to help you steady the shot when it isn't possible to set up a tripod.

This week we look at the common camera techniques that shout, ‘I am an amateur’.

Beware the zoom lens

Most video cameras are equipped with zoom lenses, but, contrary to the view of most amateurs, the zoom function should be regarded only as a tool for instantly changing the framing of a shot. It should not be used to zoom while filming, because nothing screams amateur more than a randomly zooming camera.

On rare occasions, you can perhaps use it where a fast zoom into a subject is done to highlight attention. But use this technique sparingly because zooming is unnatural to the human eye, and therefore should be avoided. In the accompanying video, I explain more on this and other exceptions where a zoom can be hidden by a pan or a tilt.

Image composition

Getting an image properly framed and composed is another minefield for the amateur. To solve this challenge, use the 4-second rule, and avoid excessive camera movements.

If you are going to pan (side to side) or tilt (up and down) do it with purpose, from one fixed, still composition to another. Every pan and tilt must begin from a well-composed shot and end with an equally nicely composed shot, with a four-second still frame at both ends. Panning and tilting when following a moving object does not need to be composed or static at each end.

Any direct sunlight on a person's face will be harsh and unkind, no matter the time of day. Direct sunlight shows every blemish and wrinkle, a problem easily solved by placing the subject in the shade, if possible.

As a rule, using soft front light on the face, with sharp, brilliant light on an out-of-focus background is always desirable.

Shooting an interview

Shooting formal interviews when the inside is mostly easy.

• Move the subject close to a window.

• Keep the background clutter kept to a minimum and darker than the subject.

• The background should be out of focus, especially if the items in the background have no relevance to the story.

• The light should be flat, angled straight into the person’s face.

• Avoid deep shadows on one side of the face, as was fashionable in the ‘80s. It's not cool.

Outside interviews can be more challenging.

• Your subject must be in deep shade, the deeper the better. The trouble with this is, that the light on the background is almost always brighter than on the face. This is particularly bad with dark-skinned people, where the exposure has to be increased to provide skin detail. The solution is to find a background that is as dark as possible or move into a room, hut, or stall.

Lenses and their affect on the image.

Auto-white-balance is a no-no if you want your footage to look good.

• Auto-white-balance should only be used when multiple light sources are present.

• When outdoors, never use auto-white-balance. It tends to remove any ambiance from the picture and gives all the images the same tonal value. This often makes things boring.

• As an easy to remember the rule, when inside (with artificial light) use auto white balance, and when outdoors in natural light, set the white balance on whatever conditions prevail (cloudy, sunny, snow, etc.)

Exceptional light can turn an ordinary scene into one that is extraordinary.

You will find that amateur filmmakers often do most of their filming in harsh sunlight. It is always best to shoot during the 'magic hours' – late afternoon and early morning – when the shadows are long and the light is sharp.

• The backlight is great for ambiance and feeling. So, if it is more important than the subject be given a quality by the light, the backlight will very often be the better choice

• The front light is better for detail and information. If the subject's details and content are important (what the subject looks like) then the front light of flat light is preferable.

Ideas on image creation and perspective to tell a story.

The important ingredients that a presenter needs to be loved by their audience.

More ideas as to how to present to the camera.

Camcorders, their advantages, and disadvantages for filmmakers.

Mirrorless still cameras and their advantages and disadvantages for filmmakers.

Microphones and advice for indie filmmakers.

Action cameras like GoPros are not just about getting great footage.

Filters like polarizer and color graduated are discussed and their uses are discussed.

Technical information for indie filmmakers.

Tips on capturing great audio for indie filmmakers.

Thank you for your participation in this course. I hope you have gained insight into making better videos. This video concludes this course and introduces the follow-on course, which is all about creative editing. It takes what you have just learned to the next level - to grab our audience, hold on to them, and have than wanting more.