Video Composition

Composition
Universal units of composition
Long Shot
Medium Shot
Close up

Types of Shots
EWS (Extreme Wide Shot) The view is so far from the subject that she isn't even visible. This is often used as an establishing shot.
VWS (Very Wide Shot) The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing her in her environment.
WS (Wide Shot) The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as possible.

Types of Shots
MS (Mid Shot) Shows some part of the subject in more detail whilst still giving an impression of the whole subject.
MCU (Medium Close Up) Half way between a MS and a CU.
CU (Close Up) A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

Types of Shots
ECU (Extreme Close Up) The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.
CA (Cutaway) A shot of something other than the current action.
Cut-In Shows some part of the subject in detail.

Types of Shots
Two-Shot A comfortable shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.
(OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot Looking from behind a person at the subject.
Point of View Close-up Looking the perspective of the other person.

Framing: Headroom
Too much
Too little
JUST RIGHT!!!

Framing: Lead Room
Giving space ahead of your moving target

Framing: Law of Thirds
Divide the screen into 3rds
Horizontally
Vertically
Try to place main elements within the 3rds boundary lines
Gives a balanced look to your shot

Framing: Law of Thirds
Works nicely for stand-ups
Allows viewer to see the environment
Gives room for gestures & props
An nice overview

Framing: Face Shots
Camera set to same height as your target
Need to see both eyes
Interview
Head and shoulders
Looking slightly away from lens towards interviewer
Stand-up
Medium-wide shot – below waist or head-to-toe
Looking directly at camera

Framing: Backgrounds
Watch out for distracting backgrounds
Distracts the viewer
Examples:
Tree braches
Power lines
Kids
Antlers!!

Framing: Line of Action
Shoot from one side of the action only
Cannot cross line or action reverses
Action Action Photographer

Framing: Horizon Lines
Try to keep the horizon line at the lower or upper third of your shot
Horizon at the middle of your shot tends to divide your picture

Sequences:
Telling a story by shot selection
This means more than one shot…
How is it done?

Sequences:
Establish your location with a wide shot
Then get a series of close-ups that was within that wide shot:
Activity / Action
Areas of interest

Close-ups:
Intensifies the action
Holds viewer interest
Will actually listen more closely
Viewer will relate better to the story

Pans, Tilts, and Zooms:
Camera movement MUST have a motivation
Why are you moving the camera?
Example:
Follow something
Students walking
Car driving
Football pass

Pans, Tilts, and Zooms:
Many shots are stills
Set it, shoot it, leave it alone
Editing motion
Motion must end before going to next shot

Action:
Action catches the eye
Zooming in usually intensifies action
Object only vs. people involved with the object
Courthouse vs. people walking up steps to courthouse
Art vs. people admiring the art

Balance:
Arrangement of objects within the frame
Does it look heavy on one side or the other?
Color balance
Arrangement of light and dark that compliment each other

Angles:
Look at object from different angles and see what looks the best
Shooting up makes things look bigger
Shooting down makes things look smaller
Lowering the camera often will give more interesting shots

Natural Framing:
For an added creative dimension, compose your pictures with an interesting foreground frame
Example - tree, leafy branch, window
Creates depth & directs attention to the center of interest

Getting Your Shots
Plan, plan, plan! (storyboards)
Shoot 5 seconds before and after you shot
Allows for editing
Take the same shot several times, or 2-3 times longer than you need
Ensures you get enough footage

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Video Composition

by Dan McDowell on Jun 23, 2007

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Video Composition — Presentation Transcript