TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 1

THE BARE BONES CAMERA COURSE FOR FILM AND VIDEO (SECOND EDITION. REVISED) Copyright (c)1982-2006 by Tom Schroeppel . All rights reserved . Printed in the United States of America No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews For information. address Tom Schroeppel. 3205 West Price Avenue. Tampa. Florida 33611 .

BASICS

. .

.................................. 1 EXPOSURE ................................................... 4 COLOR TEMPERATURE .......................................... 6 SETTING EXPOSURE ON A TV CAMERA ............................ 7 SETTING EXPOSURE ON A FILM CAMERA .......................... 8
THE CAMERA . HOW I T WORKS
IS0

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 82-90651 ISBN 0-9603718-1-8 33rd Printing Manufactured in the United States of America

................................................... 8

..................................... 9 L I G H T METERS ......................................... 1 0 U S I N G A L I G H T METER ..................................1 0 LENSES .................................................... 1 2 . FOCUS ................................................ 1 5 ZOOM LE SSES .......................................... 1 6 DEPTH OF F I E L D ............................................ 1 7
COLOR TEMPERATURE

COMPOSITION

..................2 1 USE A TRIPOD .............................................. 2 2 RULE OF THIRDS ............................................ 2 3 BALANCE . LEADING LOOKS ...................................2 6 BALANCE . MASSES .......................................... 2 8 BALANCE . COLORS .......................................... 3 0 ANGLES .................................................... 33 FRAMES WITHIN THE FRAME ................................... 35 LEADING L I N E S ............................................. 3 7 BACKGROUNDS ............................................... 3 9 I N SEARCH OF A GOOD COMPOSITION ........................... 4 2
THE CAMERA . A TOOL FOR SELECTIVE V I S I O N

iii

B A S I C SEQUENCE HOW A B A S I C SEQUENCE WORKS..

..............................4 3

SHOOTING A B A S I C SEQUENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 CUTTING ON THE A C T I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 0 CLEAN ENTRANCE 1 CLEAN E X I T SOME F I N A L WORDS SCREEN DIRECTION SCREEN D I R E C T I O N AND C R O S S I N G THE LINE....................56 U S I N G SCREEN D I R E C T I O N TO SOLVE SHOOTING PROBLEMS.........64 CAMERA MOVES WHY CAMERA MOVES? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 MAKING CAMERA MOVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 9 MONTAGES.. ................................................71 LIGHTING E X T E R I O R L I G H T I N G .........................................72 I N T E R I O R LIGHTING .........................................74 BASIC LIGHTING SET-UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7 DOING I T

............................... 5 2 ON B A S I C SEQUENCE ........................ 55

PREFACE

This book explains, as simply as possible, how to shoot usable images on film, tape and other media. If you are, or plan to be, a cameraperson, I suggest you read your camera's operator's manual in addition to this book. When you understand both, you should be able to go out and shoot footage that works. If you're not interested in becoming a cameraperson, but simply want to better understand how the camera is used, no additional reading is required. Just relax and enjoy the book.

.........................8 0 SHOOTING S C R I P T S AND STORYBOARDS ..........................8 1 SHOOTING OUT O F SEQUENCE ..................................8 3

PLANNING AND SHOOTING A SEQUENCE. COMMUNICATING .............................................84 WORKING I N UNCONTROLLED S I T U A T I O N S SOME F I N A L WORDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 INDEX ....................................................,....87 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

........................8 4

............................................... 89

1.
THE CAMERA

Basics

HOW IT WORKS Like the

The camera is an imperfect imitation of the human eye.

eye, it sees by means of a lens which gathers light reflected off objects. The lens directs this light onto a surface which senses the
i

pattern formed by the differences in brightness and color of the different parts of the scene. In the case of the eye, this surface at

STILL FILM CAMERAS RECORD LIGHT PATTERNS ON FILM COATED WITH LIGHT-SENSITIVE CHEMICALS

the back of the eye sends the pattern of light to the brain where it is translated into an image which we "see."

You'll notice that both the lens of the eye and the lens of the camera turn the light pattern upside down as it passes through. This

is because they're both convex lenses, or lenses which curve outward. Because of their physical properties, convex lenses always invert images. In the brain, and in the camera viewfinder, the images are

turned right side up again. Movie cameras record images in the same way as still film cameras, except they do it more often. Eight-millimeter movie

cameras normally take 18 different pictures, or frames, every second sixteen millimeter and thirty-five millimeter movie cameras take 24
THE EYE GATHERS PATTERNS OF REFLECTED LIGHT WHICH THE BRAIN TRANSLATES INTO IMAGES WE S E E .

frames per second. When these pictures are projected on a screen at the same fast rate, they give the illusion of continuous moveement. The viewer's mind fills in the gaps between the individual frames,

In the case of the camera, the lens directs the patterns of light onto a variety of sensitive surfaces. Still film cameras record light patterns on film coated with light-sensitive chemicals. The chemicals react differently to different amounts and colors of light, forming a record, or image, of the light pattern. After the film is processed in other chemicals, the image becomes visible.

due to a physiological phenomenon known as persistence of vision.

MOVIE CAMERAS TAKE MANY DIFFERENT PICTURES EVERY SECOND.

u-----J

EXPOSURE In digital cameras-both still and video-the lens focuses light patterns onto a light-sensitive surface made up of small flat chips called charge coupled devices, or CCDs. Each CCD contains thousands of tiny light-sensitive areas called picture elements, or pixels, which change according to the color and intensity of the light hitting them. In video cameras, the image formed by all the pixels taken together is electronically collected off the chip at a rate of either 25 or 30 complete images per second. These images can then be recorded or broadcast. Exposure is the amount of light that comes through the lens and hits the film or CCD chip. The hole in the center of the lens If the

that the light travels through is called the aperture. aperture is big, it lets in lots of light. in very little light.

If it's small, it lets

The size of the aperture is adjusted by the An f/stop is simply a

f/stop ring on the outside of the lens.

measure of how big or how little the aperture is. I find that the easiest way to understand /stop is to think of them in terms of fractions, because that's what they really are. F/2 means that the aperture is 1/2 as big across as the lens is long. F/16 means that the aperture is l/16th as big across as the lens is long. ,

When you look at it this way, it's easy to understand why in a

V I D E O CAMERAS CONVERT L I G H T PATTERNS I N T O ELECTRONIC IMAGES

dark room, you'll probably be shooting at f/2 to let in all the light you can. Conversely, outside in bright sunlight, where

At the viewfinder or TV set the process is reversed to recreate the original image. Persistence of vision causes the viewer to perceive the separate pictures, or frames, as continuous movement. you've got a lot of light, you'll probably stop down to f/11 or f/16, to let less light in.

, let me point out that in most

om lenses, what I've just told you isn't aperture won't physically be exactly 1/2 the

COLOR TEMPERATURE Have you ever been out walking on a cold, dingy day and remarked to yourself how warm and cozy all the lighted windows

But optically it will be.

It will let through And

looked? Well, that was because the light in the windows warmer color that the light outside. Yes, light comes in different colors. you'll see it's true.

of a

t as if it were indeed 1/2 the length of the lens.

If you think about it,

that's the important thing. F/stops are constructed so that as you go from f/1 to f/22 and beyond, each stop admits 1/2 as much light as the one before. progression is: The There's the red glow from an open fire or a sunset; the bluish cast of a sky dark with rainclouds; and that blue-green ghoulish look you get from the fluorescents in all-night pizzerias. F/1.4 admits half as much light different colored light sources that we hardly notice them. Not so the camera. As a general rule, our eyes adjust so well to these f/1, fl1.4, f/2, f/2,8, f/4, f/s.6, f/8, f/i1, f/16,

f/22. f/32, f/45. f/64, and so on, as f/1.

F/4 admits half as much light as f/2.8.

/

. \ I /

Color films and CCD chips can handle only one color of light source at a time and reproduce colors accurately. They do this by means of color temperature and color filters.

\\\

,
\

Color temperature is a way to identify different colors of light sources. It's measured in degrees Kelvin, after Lord Kelvin,

A m -

who devised the system. It's written like this: 2500K. The idea is, you take a perfectly black body, like a piece of coal, at absolute zero (-273OC), and start heating it up. As it

gets hotter, it puts out different colors of light: first red, then blue, then bluish-white.
EACH F / S T O P A D M I T S HALF A S MUCH L I G H T A S THE ONE BEFORE.

The different colors of light are 2000K is the

identified by the temperatures at which they occur. reddish light produced at 2000 degrees Kelvin. light produced at 8000 degrees Kelvin.

Many of the newer lenses are marked in both f/stops and T/stops, or T/s tops alone. T/stops are more accurately measured f/stops.

8000K is the bluish

F/4 on one lens may not let in exactly the same amount of light as f/4 on another lens; but T/4 is the same on every lens. lets in the same amount of light.

As I mentioned above, color films and CCDs can handle only one color of light source at a time. To take pictures under a

It always

different colored light source, color filters are used to convert the existing light to the color temperature required.

professional video cameras have built-in filters, which you set Professional video cameras have both auto and manual exposure. ding to the light you'll be shooting under. A typical filter To manually change your exposure, look in the viewfinder and move ction might include: TUNGSTEN-INCANDESCENT (3200K); MIXED the f/stop ring until the picture looks good. (Most cameras also UNGSTEN AND DAYLIGHT/FLUORESCENT (4300K); DAYLIGHT (5400K); AND have an indicator in the viewfinder to tell you when your exposure SHADE (6600K). (Fluorescent light, strictly speaking, has a disconis correct.) With a new or strange camera, it's a good idea to make tinuous spectrum and doesn't fit into the Kelvin system; still, a a test recording under various lighting conditions and play it back 4300K filter setting will give you adequate color reproduction.) on a good monitor to check the calibration of your camera's Once you select the correct filter on a video camera, fine tune viewfinder. the color by adjusting your white balance. This procedure varies lighter in the viewfinder to get the best color on playback. from camera to camera and can be as simple as pushing a single The main problem with video cameras is large areas of white, button. It assures that the whites in your scene reproduce as particularly those caused by strong backlight-light shining toward whites; the other colors then fall into place. the camera from behind the subject. Color movie films are manufactured for two kinds of light: bright white in your frame, all the other colors go dark. Some3200K-Tungsten; and 5400K-Daylight. If you shoot tungsten film in times the white will "bleed"over into the other colors. White tungsten light, you don't need a filter. Likewise if you shoot problems are seen clearly in your viewfinder, so they're easily daylight film in daylight. avoidable by moving the camera or subject or both, or by changing To shoot tungsten film in daylight, put a #85 filter on the your lighting or scenery. front of the lens or in a filter slot on the camera. This orange SETTING EXPOSURE ON A FILM CAMERA
1 . 9 0 .

Sometimes you'll have to go a little darker or a little

If you include too much pure,

filter converts 5400K bluish daylight to reddish 3200K tungsten. To shoot daylight film inside with tungsten light, use a #80A filter. This blue filter converts reddish tungsten light to bluish daylight. For photoflood lights (3400K) use a #80B filter. SETTING EXPOSURE ON A VIDEO CAMERA First, select the correct filter and adjust your white balance, as discussed above. If your camera has automatic exposure and you can't turn it off, all you can do is avoid large light areas and large dark areas within the frame. These will throw your exposure off.

Check the film label to see what IS0 your film is. IS0

stands for International Standards Organization. The IS0 number indicates the speed or sensitivity of the film. The lower the number, the less sensitive, the "slower"the film is, and the more light you need to get a usable picture. The higher the number, the

more sensitive, the "faster"the film is, and the less light you need to get a usable picture. Film speed may also be indicated as ASA, for American Standards Association, or El, for Exposure Index. For all practical purposes, ASA and El numbers are equivalent to IS0 numbers.

IS0 numbers p r o g r e s s g e o m e t r i c a l l y i n terms o f s e n s i t i v i t y , Each time you double t h e IS0 number, you h a l v e t h e amount o f l i g h t needed t o g e t a u s a b l e image.

L I G H T METERS.

L i g h t m e t e r s measure t h e amount o f l i g h t h i t t i n g

them.

Then, based on t h e IS0 o f y o u r f i l m and t h e number o f frames

p e r s e c o n d y o u ' r e s h o o t i n g , t h e y t e l l you what f / s t o p t o s e t f o r t h e b e s t e x p o s u r e o f your s c e n e , For a l l i n t e n t s and p u r p o s e s , l i g h t m e t e r s s e e e v e r y t h i n g i n b l a c k and w h i t e , i n t e r m s o f l i g h t n e s s and d a r k n e s s . They d o n ' t r e a c t t o

t h e c o l o r of a s u b j e c t , o n l y t o i t s l i g h t n e s s o r d a r k n e s s . On most cameras w i t h b u i l t - i n m e t e r s and on hand-held l i g h t m e t e r s you must manually s e t t h e ISO. do i t .

EACH T I M E YOU DOUBLE THE I S O , I N HALF. YOU CUT YOUR LIGHT REQUIREMENT

The method v a r i e s , b u t be s u r e you

O t h e r w i s e , t h e m e t e r won't know how much l i g h t your f i l m r e -

q u i r e s and w i l l g i v e you i n c o r r e c t e x p o s u r e s .
O v e r e x p o s u r e means you l e t t o o much l i g h t i n - - t h e p i c t u r e i s t o o

S l o w e r , low IS0 f i l m s g e n e r a l l y produce a h i g h e r q u a l i t y p i c t u r e . F a s t e r , h i g h e r IS0 f i l m s , w h i l e r e q u i r i n g much l e s s l i g h t , g e n e r a l l y produce g r a i n i e r , lower q u a l i t y images.

COLOR TEMPERATURE.

l i g h t , washed out. c

U n d e r e x p o s u r e means you d i d n ' t

l e t enough l i g h t

i n - - t h e p i c t u r e i s too dark.
U S I N G A LIGHT METER.

I f you have an a u t o m a t i c e x p o s u r e camera and

Make s u r e t h e c o l o r t e m p e r a t u r e of y o u r f i l m

you c a n ' t manually o v e r r i d e i t , a l l you can do is t r y t o a v o i d l a r g e l i g h t and d a r k a r e a s i n y o u r f r a m e , which w i l l throw your exposure o f f . On-camera exposure m e t e r s a r e c a l l e d r e f l e c t i v e m e t e r s . They

i s t h e same a s t h e c o l o r t e m p e r a t u r e o f t h e l i g h t y o u ' r e f i l m i n g under. I f n o t , p u t on a #85 f i l t e r t o u s e t u n g s t e n f i l m i n d a y l i g h t ;

o r p u t on a #80A f i l t e r t o use d a y l i g h t f i l m i n t u n g s t e n l i g h t . Remember, any time you u s e a f i l t e r on t h e camera, y o u ' r e r e ducing t h e amount of l i g h t r e a c h i n g t h e f i l m . T h i s means you have

measure t h e l i g h t r e f l e c t e d a t t h e camera by whatever i t i s y o u ' r e p o i n t i n g t h e camera a t . Handheld r e f l e c t i v e m e t e r s work t h e same way.

t o have t h a t much more l i g h t e n t e r i n g t h e l e n s , t o compensate f o r t h e l i g h t soaked up by t h e f i l t e r . S i n c e your l i g h t r e q u i r e m e n t s have Look once more a t t h e
ON-CAMERA A I D HANDHELD R E F L E C T I V E L I G H T METERS MEASURE L I G H T REFLECTED OFF THE S U B J E C T .

gone up, y o u ' v e e f f e c t i v e l y lowered y o u r ISO. c h a r t above and y o u ' l l s e e what I mean: e q u a l s lower IS0 number.

higher l i g h t requirement

To d e t e r m i n e t h e c o r r e c t IS0 f o r t h e f i l m -

R e f l e c t i v e m e t e r s work on t h e b a s i s of a t h e o r e t i c a l a v e r a g e s u b j e c t which i s g r a y and r e f l e c t s 1 8 % of t h e l i g h t h i t t i n g i t . buy a n 1 8 % Gray Card from Kodak.) (You can

f i l t e r combination y o u ' r e u s i n g , check t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r ' s i n f o r m a t i o n sheet f o r that particular film.

N o m a t t e r where you p o i n t i t , t h e

meter w i l l t e l l you t h e f / s t o p needed t o r e p r o d u c e t h a t s u b j e c t a s i f i t were 18% g r a y . T h i s u s u a l l y g i v e s you a s a t i s f a c t o r y exposure.

LENSES

The human e y e i s a wonder.

With a s i n g l e l e n s l i t c a n concen-

t r a t e on a t i n y d e t a i l - o f a s c e n e , e x c l u d i n g a l l e l s e , and i n t h e However, f o r l i g h t e r - t h a n - a v e r a g e g r a y s u b j e c t s , you have t o open up your a p e r t u r e t o r e p r o d u c e t h e s u b j e c t a s l i g h t e r t h a n 1 8 % gray. n e x t i n s t a n t t a k e i n a whole panorama. For U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e camera

d a r k e r - t h a n - a v e r a g e s u b j e c t s , c l o s e down t o l e t l e s s l i g h t i n and r e produce t h e s u b j e c t c o r r e c t l y a s d a r k e r t h a n 1 8 % g r a y . How much, you have t o l e a r n by e x p e r i e n c e .

i s not so v e r s a t i l e .

I t r e q u i r e s many d i f f e r e n t l e n s e s t o even

approximate t h e performance of t h e eye. Every camera h a s o n e l e n s which i s c o n s i d e r e d t h e "normal" lens. T h i s i s t h e l e n s which comes c l o s e s t t o r e p r o d u c i n g o b j e c t s

For most f i l m work, t h e b e s t way t o measure l i g h t i s w i t h a handh e l d i n c i d e n t l i g h t meter. The i n c i d e n t meter h a s a w h i t e h a l f - s p h e r e

w i t h t h e same p e r s p e c t i v e as t h e human e y e ; t h a t i s , o b j e c t s a p p e a r t o b e t h e same s i z e , p r o p o r t i o n and d i s t a n c e a s i f w e w e r e n ' t l o o k i n g t h r o u g h t h e camera a t a l l , b u t s e e i n g them w i t h t h e naked eye. The normal l e n s u s u a l l y i n c l u d e s a h o r i z o n t a l a r e a o f a b o u t

which you h o l d i n f r o n t of your s u b j e c t , p o i n t i n g toward t h e camera. The m e t e r measures t h e l i g h t f a l l i n g on t h a t p a r t i c u l a r s p o t and c a l c u l a t e s a n f / s t o p f o r an a v e r a g e 1 8 % g r a y s u b j e c t . (It's essentially

25 d e g r e e s . On a ' s i x t e e n m i l l i m e t e r camera, t h e normal l e n s h a s a f o c a l l e n g t h ( i t s o p t i c a l measurement) o f 25 millimeters. On a 35m i l l i m e t e r camera, i t ' s 50 m i l l i m e t e r s l o n g . On a v i d e o camera

t h e same a s t a k i n g a r e f l e c t i v e r e a d i n g o f f a g r a y c a r d h e l d i n f r o n t o f your s u b j e c t . ) T h i s g i v e s you t h e c o r r e c t exposure f o r a l m o s t any

s u b j e c t , s i n c e once you s e t your exposure c o r r e c t l y f o r 1 8 % g r a y , a l l the other r e f l e c t a n c e values f a l l i n t o place. 90% r e f l e c t a n c e r e p r o d u c e s a s 90% w h i t e . black. 50% g r a y r e p r o d u c e s a s 50% g r a y .
A white s u b j e c t with

w i t h a 2/3" CCD c h i p , t h e normal l e n s i s 25 millimeters l o n g . The o t h e r l e n s e s on t h e camera a r e c l a s s i f i e d " w i d e a n g l e " i f t h e y i n c l u d e a l a r g e r a r e a t h a t t h e normal l e n s , and " t e l e p h o t o " i f

0% b l a c k r e p r o d u c e s a s 0 % And s o on.

I N C I D E N T L I G H T METERS MEASURE L I G H T F A L L I N G ON THE S U B J E C T .

Normally, t h e o n l y time you have t o a d j u s t an i n c i d e n t r e a d i n g i s when you want t o r e p r o d u c e something d a r k e r o r l i g h t e r t h a n i t r e a l l y

Wide a n g l e l e n s e s a r e s h o r t e r t h a n normal l e n s e s ; t e l e p h o t o lenses a r e longer. I f y o u r normal l e n s i s 2 5 m , y o u r wide a n g l e

is.

For example, you might want t o open up your a p e r t u r e t o l i g h t e n

m i g h t b e 12mm and y o u r t e l e p h o t o 100mm.

and show more d e t a i l i n a v e r y b l a c k f a c e ; o r c l o s e down and darken a v e r y w h i t e f a c e t o s e e more d e t a i l i n i t .

Wide a n g l e and t e l e p h o t o l e n s e s have s p e c i a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s which can be summarized a s f o l l o w s :

F e a t u r e s become spread o u t , bulbous.

* Includes a l a r g e r area t h a n t h e normal l e n s a t t h e same d i s t a n c e ~ g o o d f o r cramped q u a r t e r s where you c a n ' t move t h e camera back any f a r t h e r .
S u b j e c t is s m a l l e r i n t h e frame t h a n w i t h t h e normal l e n s a t t h e same distance.

Includes a smaller a r e a t h a n t h e normal l e n s a t t h e same d i s t a n c e - - g o o d f o r distant subjects where you c a n ' t move t h e camera c l o s e r . Subject i s l a r g e r i n t h e frame t h a n w i t h t h e normal l e n s a t t h e same distance

* Exaggerates depth-makes e l e m e n t s a p p e a r f a r t h e r a p a r t than normal. * Because o f e x a g g e r a t e d d i s t a n c e s , movements toward and away from t h e camera seem f a s t e r t h a n normal. Move 6 i n c h e s toward t h e camera and i t looks l i k e you're moving 18 i n c h e s . * Because o f s m a l l e r image s i z e , camera jiggles are less n o t i c e a b l e . Good f o r handholding t h e camera.

* Compresses d e p t h ~ m a k e s elements appear c l o s e r t o g e t h e r t h a n normal.

Because o f compressed d i s t a n c e s , movements toward and away from t h e camera seem s l o w e r t h a n normal. Move 18 i n c h e s toward t h e camera and i t l o o k s l i k e y o u ' r e moving 6 inches.

F e a t u r e s become flattened out, compressed.

The more extreme wide a n g l e l e n s e s s u f f e r from g e o m e t r i c distortion. V e r t i c a l and h o r i z o n t a l l i n e s become c u r v e d n e a r t h e T h i s i s c a l l e d pincushioning.

e d g e s of t h e f r a m e .

* Because o f l a r g e r image s i z e , camera j i g g l e s a r e more n o t i c e a b l e . Bad f o r handholding t h e camera.

FOCUS.

The h e a l t h y human eye normally s e e s images i n f o c u s - - t h a t T h i s i s because t h e l e n s o f t h e eye

To a d j u s t a f o c u s i n g e y e p i e c e , f i r s t p o i n t t h e camera a t a b r i g h t a r e a - - t h e s k y , p r a w h i t e w a l l , f o r example. t o i t s widest a p e r t u r e . Open t h e l e n s

i s , s h a r p and c l e a r , n o t b l u r r y .

a u t o m a t i c a l l y b r i n g s each l i g h t r a y t o a s h a r p p o i n t on t h e l i g h t s e n s i t i v e s u r f a c e a t t h e back o f t h e e y e . The p a t t e r n formed by a l l

t h e focus Throw t h e l e n s o u t o f f o c u s ~ t u r n

r i n g u n t i l e v e r y t h i n g i s a s b l u r r y a s p o s s i b l e . Then, on a f i l m camera, t u r n t h e d i o p t e r r i n g on t h e e y e p i e c e u n t i l t h e ground g l a s s o f t h e v i e w f i n d e r s c r e e n i s i n f o c u s ~ u n t i lt h e t e x t u r e d s u r f a c e o f t h e s c r e e n i s a s s h a r p and c l e a r a s p o s s i b l e . O n a v i d e o camera, a d j u s t t h e d i o p t e r r i n g u n t i l t h e messages on t h e v i e w f i n d e r s c r e e n a r e a s s h a r p as possible. That's a l l there i s t o it. N o w y o u ' r e ready t o f o c u s

t h e s e s h a r p p o i n t s of l i g h t t a k e n t o g e t h e r forms a c l e a r , s h a r p image. Automatic f o c u s cameras, which e m u l a t e t h e e y e , d o n ' t always work t h e way you want them t o . When you have t h e t i m e , i t ' s u s u a l l y b e s t

t o do t h e f o c u s i n g y o u r s e l f . To f o c u s a camera which d o e s n ' t have t h r o u g h - t h e - l e n s v i e w i n g , you measure o r e s t i m a t e t h e d i s t a n c e o f t h e s u b j e c t from t h e camera,

t h e l e n s w i t h complete c o n f i d e n c e .

ZOOM LENSES.
t h e n move t h e f o c u s r i n g on t h e l e n s t o t h a t s e t t i n g . Focusing i s e a s i e r , q u i c k e r and s u r e r on cameras w i t h t h r o u g h t h e - l e n s viewing systems. T h i s i s because t h e r e ' s no guesswork

Most cameras use a zoom l e n s , which combines a wide By moving a s i n g l e c o n t r o l ,

range of f o c a l l e n g t h s i n a s i n g l e l e n s .

you can s w i t c h from wide a n g l e t o normal t o t e l e p h o t o , o r anywhere i n between, w i t h o u t changing l e n s e s . T h i s makes i t a l o t e a s i e r and

involved--what you s e e i s what you g e t .

A l l you do i s l o o k i n t h e

q u i c k e r t o compose your s h o t s .

I f you want a l i t t l e w i d e r frame,

v i e w f i n d e r and t u r n t h e f o c u s r i n g on t h e l e n s t i l l your s u b j e c t l o o k s zoom back t o wide a n g l e ; f o r a c l o s e r s h o t , zoom i n t o t e l e p h o t o . s h a r p and c l e a r . ( I f p o s s i b l e on a f i l m camera, you s h o u l d open t h e T h e r e ' s a s p e c i a l way t o f o c u s a zoom l e n s . l e n s t o i t s w i d e s t a p e r t u r e f o r f o c u s i n g - - 1 ' 1 1 e x p l a i n why i n t h e way i n on your s u b j e c t , w i t h t h e l e n s i n maximum t e l e p h o t o p o s i t i o n . f o l l o w i n g s e c t i o n on d e p t h of f i e l d . ) Some cameras have f o c u s i n g e y e p i e c e s , which use l i t t l e d i o p t e r r i n g s t o a d j u s t t h e focus of t h e image i n t h e v i e w f i n d e r t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l eye of t h e cameraperson. Adjustable eyepieces are s u b j e c t changes p o s i t i o n . Focus t h e l e n s , even i f a l l you s e e i s a n e y e b a l l . wide and f i n d your f i n a l f r a m i n g . Then zoom o u t Your s u b j e c t w i l l remain s h a r p and F i r s t , zoom a l l t h e

i n f o c u s a t any zoom s e t t i n g , a s long a s n e i t h e r t h e camera o r t h e (When p o s s i b l e on a f i l m camera, you s h o u l d learn e s p e c i a l l y u s e f u l f o r p e o p l e who wear g l a s s e s b u t who p r e f e r o r need t o s h o o t w i t h o u t them. ( I t ' s n o t a good i d e a t o wear g l a s s e s when why i n t h e f o l l o w i n g s e c t i o n on d e p t h o f f i e l d . )

a l s o open t h e l e n s t o i t s w i d e s t a p e r t u r e f o r f o c u s i n g - - w e ' l l

shooting with a through-the-lens film camera--light entering t h e viewing system from around t h e e d g e s o f your g l a s s e s can fog t h e f i l m . ) I f your camera h a s a f o c u s i n g e y e p i e c e , do a d j u s t i t t o your e y e - - o t h e r w i s e y o u ' l l n e v e r s e e a p e r f e c t l y s h a r p image t h r o u g h t h e l e n s and y o u ' l l n e v e r be 1 0 0 % s u r e o f your f o c u s .

DEPTH OF FIELD Depth of f i e l d i s simply t h e a r e a i n f r o n t o f your camera where e v e r y t h i n g l o o k s s h a r p and i n f o c u s . For example, i f y o u ' r e

The n e x t t h i n g t o know i s :
you d e c r e a s e your f o c a l length.

Your d e p t h o f f i e l d i n c r e a s e s a s

With a wide a n g l e l e n s , you have a This i s why,

much d e e p e r a r e a i n f o c u s t h a n w i t h a normal l e n s .

f o c u s e d on somebody s t a n d i n g 10 f e e t i n f r o n t of t h e camera, your d e p t h o f f i e l d might be from 8 f e e t t o 1 4 f e e t . That means o b j e c t s

when y o u ' r e s h o o t i n g i n u n c o n t r o l l e d s i t u a t i o n s w i t h a zoom l e n s and d o n ' t have time t o zoom i n and check f o c u s , y o u ' r e b e t t e r o f f s e t t i n g a n approximate f o c u s and s t a y i n g a t wide a n g l e . This w i l l

f a l l i n g w i t h i n t h a t a r e a w i l l be a c c e p t a b l y s h a r p and i n f o c u s ; o b ~ e c t sf a l l i n g o u t s i d e t h e a r e a w i l l be s o f t and o u t o f f o c u s .

g i v e you y o u r b e s t chance of k e e p i n g e v e r y t h i n g i n a c c e p t a b l e f o c u s .

W I D E ANGLE = G R E A T E R DEPTH OF F I E L D

Another thing about depth of f i e l d :

c r e a s e s a s you c l o s e down your a p e r t u r e .

Your d e p t h o f f i e l d i n -

A t f / 1 6 you have more d e p t h

There a r e s e v e r a l i m p o r t a n t t h i n g s t o know a b o u t d e p t h o f f i e l d . First i s this:

focal length. Your d e p t h o f f i e l d d e c r e a s e s a s you i n c r e a s e your

of f i e l d t h a n a t f / 2 .

When you make your a p e r t u r e s m a l l e r , i t ' s

e s s e n t i a l l y t h e same a s s q u i n t i n g your e y e s t o s e e something s h a r p e r i n the distance. T h i s i s why on f i l m cameras we open t h e l e n s t o i t makes i t e a s i e r t o s e e t h e e x a c t

I n , o t h e r words, w i t h a t e l e p h o t o l e n s you have a T h a t ' s why

much s h a l l o w e r a r e a i n f o c u s t h a n w i t h a normal l e n s .

i t ' s widest aperture t o focus: focus p o i n t .

w i t h a zoom l e n s , you zoom i n t o t e l e p h o t o f o r f o c u s i n g - - i t makes

i t e a s i e r t o s e e t h e e x a c t p o i n t where your s u b j e c t i s s h a r p e s t .

L A R G E A P E R T U R E = L E S S DEPTH OF F I E L D

TELEPHOTO = L E S S DEPTH OF F I E L D

S M A L L A P E R T U R E = G R E A T E R DEPTH OF F I E L D

19 Next :
Y o w d e p t h o f f i e l d i n c r e a s e s a s your s u b j e c t g e t s

f a r t h e r from t h e camera.

The f a r t h e r away t h e s u b j e c t , t h e more

d e p t h of f i e l d ; t h e c l o s e r t h e s u b j e c t , t h e l e s s d e p t h of f i e l d .

F O C U S I N G I N T H E M I D D L E L E A V E S T H E FRONT MAN OUT OF FOCUS. D I S T A N T S U B J E C T = G R E A T E R DEPTH OF F I E L D

C L O S E S U B J E C T = L E S S DEPTH- OF F I E L D

Finally:

You always have l e s s d e p t h o f f i e l d i n f r o n t o f your

p o i n t o f f o c u s t h a n behind i t .

This is e s p e c i a l l y noticeable a t
F O C U S I N G ON A P O I N T 1 / 3 OF T H E WAY I N P U T S EVERYBODY I N FOCUS.

d i s t a n c e s o f 25 f e e t o r l e s s .

A t t h e s e n e a r d i s t a n c e s , you can

u s u a l l y f i g u r e on your d e p t h of f i e l d e x t e n d i n g a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1 / 3 i n f r o n t and 2 / 3 b e h i n d y o u r p o i n t o f f o c u s . So, i f y o u ' r e working

w i t h a s h a l l o w d e p t h of f i e l d and you want t o t a k e maximum advantage o f i t , f o c u s on a p o i n t 1 / 3 of t h e way i n t o t h e a r e a you want i n focus

2. COMPOSITION

USE A TRIPOD To appreciate a good composition, the viewer must first see it without distractions. One of the most common distractions is camera jiggle caused by shaky handholding of the camera. Your viewer--the Shaky pictures are okay if you're shooting an earthquake, or if you're in the middle of a prison riot or some other precarious situation. Most of the time, though, shaky pictures are just plain annoying to the viewer. They make it harder for him to see what's happening and they remind him of the camera; they destroy the illusion that's he's seeing the real thing. In editing scenes together, the only thing more distracting than a shaky shot of a building inserted between two nice steady shots is,two different shaky shots one after the other, with one shaking up and down and the other shaking side to side. Where they

THE CAMERA

A TOOL FOR SELECTIVE VISION

The camera is a tool for looking at things in a special way. It's a window on the world which you control.

person who will look at the pictures you take~willsee only what

you decide to show him. This selectivity is the basis of all

camerawork.

T H E CAMERA I S S E L E C T I V E .

D E C I D E WHAT T H E V I E W E R W I L L S E E

come together, it looks like the cut was made with a chain saw. So use a tripod whenever possible. A good tripod, preferably with a fluid head, will give you a steady frame, make your camera moves smoother, and keep your arms and the rest of your body from getting tired so quickly. It's not that much trouble to use a tripod. With practice, most people can set up and level a tripod in less than 30 seconds. But, if you don't have a tripod, or you're someplace where a tripod would get in the way, or you're just moving too fast to bother with it, you can still try for tripod-like support. Use a monopod or a shoulder brace. Lean against a wall, a chair, or your assistant. Try for at least three points of support for the camera. With a well-balanced news camera, these would be your shoulder, your hand on the grip, and the side of your head. If you can brace the elbow

Say you're shooting a program about a high school. The decisions you as a cameraperson make will shape the reality of the school as perceived by your viewer. Leave Student A out of your Include B, C, and Show E

frame and for your viewer he will never exist.

D in a number of shots and they become important persons.

studying by himself and he becomes a loner.

By choosing what to

shoot and how to shoot it, you create your own selective version of the high school. How close your version comes to reality depends on your camera skills and how you use them.

of your camera-supporting arm against your side, so much the better.

23

RULE OF THIRDS

WITHOUT RULE OF THIRDS

WITH RULE OF THIRDS

The r u l e o f t h i r d s i s an o l d , o l d t h e o r y a b o u t c o m p o s i t i o n t h a t s t i l l works p r e t t y w e l l .

I t won't compose t h e p i c t u r e f o r

you, b u t i t ' l l a t l e a s t g i v e you someplace t o s t a r t . The i d e a i s t o m e n t a l l y d i v i d e t h e frame i n t o t h i r d s h o r i z o n t a l l y and v e r t i c a l l y . Then you p l a c e your e l e m e n t s a l o n g t h e l i n e s ,

p r e f e r a b l y w i t h t h e c e n t e r o f i n t e r e s t a t one o f t h e f o u r p o i n t s where t h e l i n e s c r o s s . Here a r e some examples o f c o m p o s i t i o n s improved by u s i n g t h e r u l e of t h i r d s :

WITHOUT RULE OF THIRDS K I T S RULE OF THIRDS

WITHOUT RULE OF THIRDS

WITH RULE OF THIRDS WITHOUT RULE OF THIRDS KITH RULE OF THIRDS

BALANCE

LEADING LOOKS

One o f t h e mostecommon e r r o r s among camerapersons everywhere i s t h e f a i l u r e t o l e a v e enough s p a c e i n f r o n t o f p e o p l e ' s f a c e s when t h e y ' r e l o o k i n g t o one s i d e o r t h e o t h e r .
A shot l i k e this,

WITHOUT RULE OF THIRDS

WITH RULE OF THIRDS

(Eyes on t o p 2 / 3 l i n e )

I n p a i n t i n g s , s t i l l p h o t o s and f e a t u r e f i l m s , y o u ' l l s e e many i n t e r e s t i n g and good compositions t h a t d o n ' t comply w i t h t h e r u l e of t h i r d s . But remember, s u c h c o m p o s i t i o n s , b e i n g more comHis

u
i s annoying t o l o o k a t .
Psychologically, t h e viewer perceives t h e By moving t h e frame j u s t a man a s boxed i n , w i t h no p l a c e t o go. l i t t l e , like this,

p l i c a t e d , r e q u i r e more time from t h e v i e w e r t o comprehend.

eye w i l l roam around more b e f o r e he s e e s what you want him t o s e e . I f you c a n a f f o r d t o l e a v e a n u n u s u a l c o m p o s i t i o n on t h e s c r e e n

I S o r 20 seconds o r more, i t c a n w o r k ~ o f t e nq u i t e n i c e l y .

But be

s u r e you know what y o u ' r e d o i n g and why.

For most documentary f i l m

and TV work, t h e r u l e o f t h i r d s i s a good s a f e b e t ,

you g e t a more c o m f o r t a b l e composition.

compositional weight o f the look.

You've allowed f o r t h e

People a r e n ' t t h e o n l y t h i n g s t h a t have l o o k s . thing has a look.

Almost e v e r y -

Some examples f o l l o w on t h e n e x t page.

LEADING LOOKS

CONTINUED

BALANCE

MASSES

Sometimes you s e e a s c e n e w i t h a l a r g e o b j e c t on one s i d e and n o t h i n g s i g n i f i c a n t on t h e o t h e r s i d e . Even though i t d o e s n ' t l o o k T h a t ' s be-

a l l t h a t bad, you s t i l l f e e l a l i t t l e uneasy a b o u t i t . c a u s e i t ' s o f f b a l a n c e i n terms o f mass.

T h i s i s most p l e a s a n t l y

c o r r e c t e d by p l a c i n g a s m a l l e r o b j e c t a t some d i s t a n c e away w i t h i n t h e frame. V i s u a l l e v e r a g e t h e n b a l a n c e s t h e two n i c e l y , l i k e t h i s :

UNBALANCED

BALANCED

UNBALANCED

BALANCED

O f c o u r s e you c a n b a l a n c e o u t w i t h a n o t h e r o b j e c t t h e same

s i z e i n t h e frame, b u t i t u s u a l l y ends up k i n d o f s t a t i c and unUNBALANCED BALANCED

exciting:

BALAHCED

AA
UNBALANCED BALANCED

l o o k through t h e camera.

O b j e c t s c l o s e r t o t h e camera w i l l always Depending

ones a t t r a c t t h e v i e w e r ' s eye.

How o f t e n have you s e e n a TV i n t e r -

a p p e a r l a r g e r ; t h o s e f a r t h e r away w i l l a p p e a r s m a l l e r .

view on l o c a t i o n somewhere and found y o u r s e l f w a t c h i n g , n o t t h e i n t e r v i e w , b u t some guy i n a r e d s h i r t i n t h e background? Your e y e

on t h e camera a n g l e , a house i n t h e d i s t a n c e c a n b a l a n c e o u t a man i n t h e f o r e g r o u n d :

j u s t n a t u r a l l y goes t o w h i t e o r b r i g h t l y c o l o r e d a r e a s i n t h e frame. Once you know t h i s f a c t , you can u s e i t t o h e l p your p i c t u r e s . F i r s t o f f , t r y t o a r r a n g e y o u r frame s o t h a t t h e b r i g h t e s t a r e a i s a l s o t h e a r e a you want t h e v i e w e r t o look a t f i r s t . Con-

s i d e r t h e f o l l o w i n g example, where we want t h e v i e w e r t o look a t t h e man:

Some o t h e r examples:

NO GOOD E Y E GOES TO THE WALL I N S T E A D OF THE MAN

BETTER

EYE GOES TO THE MAN

When you do i n c l u d e a b r i g h t o b j e c t o r a r e a i n your frame, r e member t h a t i t s b r i g h t n e s s g i v e s i t e x t r a w e i g h t i n t h e composition-w e i g h t you have t o b a l a n c e o u t , e i t h e r w i t h a n o t h e r b r i g h t a r e a , o r w i t h a l a r g e r mass.

ANGLES
R e a l i t y h a s t h r e e p h y s i c a l dimensions: depth. h e i g h t , w i d t h , and h e i g h t and width.

I n p i c t u r e s we have o n l y two dimensions:

To g i v e t h e i l l u s i o n of d e p t h , we show t h i n g s a t a n a n g l e , s o we can a t l e a s t s e e two s i d e s . When t h e camera and t h e s u b j e c t a r e a t t h e same h e i g h t , i t g i v e s t h e f e e l i n g t h a t t h e viewer and t h e s u b j e c t a r e o f e q u a l v a l u e .

FLAT

ANGLED

When t h e camera i s h i g h e r t h a n t h e s u b j e c t , i t g i v e s t h e f e e l i n g t h a t t h e s u b j e c t is i n f e r i o r , s m a l l e r , l e s s i m p o r t a n t .

FLAT

ANGLED

The a n g l e c r e a t e d by t h e d i f f e r e n c e i n h e i g h t between t h e camera and t h e s u b j e c t makes a d e f i n i t e i m p r e s s i o n on t h e v i e w e r :

When t h e camera i s lower t h a n t h e s u b j e c t , i t g i e s t h e f e e l i n g t h a t t h e s u b j e c t i s s u p e r i o r , l a r g e r , more impor a n t . By r a i s i n g o r l o w e r i n g your camera, you can s u b t l y i n f l u e n c e how y o u r v i e w e r w i l l p e r c e i v e your s u b j e c t . Thi

i s used t o g r e a t

e f f e c t i n h o r r o r f i l m s and p o l i t i c a l TV commercials.

35
FRAMES WITHIN THE FRAME

T h i s t y p e o f f r a m i n g can a l s o be u s e d t o h i d e o r o b s t r u c t unwanted e l e m e n t s . For example, a c u t t r e e b r a n c h h e l d n e a r t h e

O f t e n you can make a p i c t u r e more i n t e r e s t i n g by u s i n g e l e m e n t s o f y o u r l o c a t i o n t o c r e a t e f u l l o r p a r t i a l frames w i t h i n t h e camera

f rarne.

camera c a n c o v e r up a n u g l y sky o r a b i l l b o a r d i n t h e background.

BETTER

SO GOOD

BETTER

BETTER

OKAY

BETTER

LEADING L I N E S A n i c e way t o d i r e c t t h e v i e w e r ' s eye t o your s u b j e c t i s

V i e w e r ' s eye i s drawn h e r e ,

through the use of leading l i n e s .

V i e w e r ' s eye ie drawn h e r e

Here a r e some examples:

NOT VERY GOOD

BETTER

The l i n e s l e a d away from t h e f l o w e r on t h e t a b l e .

1 I

All

l i n e s now l e a d t o t h e

flower on the t a b l e

NOT VERY GOOD

BETTER

L i n e s o f fence now l e a d t o man. V i e w e r ' s eye i s drawn h e r e

NOT VERY GOOD

BETTER From t h i s a n g l e , t h e p a t h l e a d s toward t h e h o u s e ,

From t h i s a n g l e , t h e p a t h l e a d s away from t h e h o u s e .

BACKGROUNDS The b e s t background i s t h e one t h a t s t a y s where i t b e l o n g s - i n t h e background. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , some types o f backgrounds push

s o you can u s e a t e l e p h o t o f o c a l l e n g t h .

This w i l l give

more s h a l l o w d e p t h oaf f i e l d , throwing t h e background o u t o f while leaving t h e s u b j e c t sharp.

forward and c a l l a t t e n t i o n away from your f o r e g r o u n d s u b j e c t s . L e t ' s look a t some o f t h e more common d i s t r a c t i n g backgrounds and ways t o a v o i d them;

PROBLEM: SOLUTION:
'-

Unusual o r p e r s i s t e n t movements i n t h e background. Move t h e camera, t h e s u b j e c t , o r b o t h .

PROBLEM:

Door f r a m e s , window f r a m e s , t r e e s , p o l e s , e t c . ,

that

One q u i c k way t o remove a d i s t r a c t i n g background element from y o u r frame i s t o move c l o s e r t o y o u r s u b j e c t , drop t h e camera t o a lower l e v e l , and s h o o t up:

grow o u t of p e o p l e ' s heads. SOLUTION: Move t h e camera, t h e s u b j e c t , o r b o t h .

A LOVES CAMERA ANGLE REMOVES D I S T R A C T I N G ELEMENTS

\

PROBLEM:

Backgrounds t h a t a r e t o o v i s u a l l y busy, s o f u l l o f de-

t a i l s and c o l o r s s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f t h e s u b j e c t t h a t t h e s u b j e c t becomes b u r i e d i n t h e background. SOLUTION #1: Move t h e camera, t h e s u b j e c t , o r b o t h . SOLUTION # 2 : Move t h e camera f a r enough back from t h e s u b j e c t

Another way t o e l i m i n a t e a d i s t r a c t i n g element i n t h e backI N SEARCH OF A GOOD COMPOSITION

ground i s t o p l a c e e i t h e r t h e s u b j e c t o r a n o t h e r o b j e c t i n t h e
A common mistake'made by c a n e r a p e r s o n s everywhere i s t o a r r i v e

f o r e g r o u n d t o b l o c k t h e camera's view o f t h e d i s t r a c t i n g element. a t a l o c a t i o n , s e t up t h e camera i n t h e f i r s t c l e a r s p a c e t h a t l o o k s p r e t t y good, and go from t h e r e . yourself. S u r e , go ahead and s e t t h e camera down. walk around. side to side. and b a l a n c e . But t h e n t a k e a q u i c k

I f you do t h i s , y o u ' r e s h o r t - c h a n g i n g

As you w a l k , go up on your t o e s , s q u a t down, l e a n from Find y o u r b e s t a n g l e f o r f r a m i n g , background, c o l o r , The whole o p e r a t i o n c o u l d t a k e l e s s t h a n a m i n u t e , and

i t ' s w e l l worth y o u r time

From above

I f you have t r o u b l e v i s u a l i z i n g s h o t s ,

c a r r y t h e camera a r o u n d w i t h you and l o o k through i t t o f i n d your angle.

eme ember,
see it.

you don1't have t o a c c e p t t h e l o c a t i o n e x a c t l y a s you

I f you've g o t a couple m i n u t e s , you can r e a r r a n g e f u r n i t u r e ,

remove d i s t r a c t i n g e l e m e n t s , add i n t e r e s t i n g ones--do a l l k i n d s o f t h i n g s t o improve y o u r composition. Look, t h e n look a g a i n , a s c r i t i c a l l y a s you can. The human eye

h a s a tendency t o c a n c e l o u t u n i m p o r t a n t d e t a i l s , b u t t h e camera s e e s The camera i s moved around s o t h a t t h e man's body h i d e s t h e s i g n i n t h e background. SOLUTION # 2 ture, and r e c o r d s e v e r y t h i n g e q u a l l y .

o f a w i l d e r n e s s s u n s e t you took on v a c a t i o n , o n l y t o d i s c o v e r when you p i c k e d up t h e p r i n t s t h a t you had t e l e p h o n e w i r e s running a c r o s s t h e frame. When you l e a r n t o s e e t h e w i r e s b e f o r e you t a k e t h e p i c you c a n c a l l y o u r s e l f a cameraperson.

Think back t o t h a t " p e r f e c t "

shot

From above

4 p l a n t p l a c e d between t h e camera and t h e s i g n h i d e s t h e s i g n ,

3. BASIC SEQUENCE

HOW A BASIC SEQUENCE WORKS

That w as a lot easier, wasn't it? So what have we proved? We've proved that itls,easier to look at six different images in 30 seconds than to look at one single image for the same time. That's the idea behind the basic sequence~to break up one long scene into several shorter scenes. This makes the story more interesting for the viewer. ~t also gives us the opportunity, in editing, to vary the length and emphasis of the story as we desire. Let's review the

Look at this shot.

basic sequence we've just seen, shot by shot, and see how it works. Imagine that the man is talking to the boy. Try looking at the picture

Let's say he talks for thirty seconds.

while you count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, and so on, up to thirty seconds. If you're normal, you won' t get much past one-thousand-ten before your eyes start wandering. shots. next. Now look at this sequence of

Count to one-thousand-five at each one before moving to the

WIDE SHOT

A WIDE SHOT or ESTABLISHING SHOT is simply that--a shot that's wide enough to establish your subject in the mind of the viewer. In this particular case, we see the man, the boy, and enough of their surroundings to establish that they're in the great outdoors. Remember, a WIDE SHOT doesn't have to show everything~just everything that's important. A WIDE SHOT of a mountain would be a landscape. A WIDE SHOT of a man typing might show only the man and his computer, eliminating from the shot the rest of his desk and the surrounding office. A WIDE SHOT of an ant would be a fraction of an inch across.

46

minute-and-a-ha

f which was b o r i n g .

So, i n e d i t i n g , you l e t 1the

man t a l k f o r t h e f i r s t 15 s e c o n d s , c u t away t o t h e boy l i s t e n i n g , throw o u t t h e b o r i n g m i d d l e o f t h e t a l k , t h e n c u t back t o t h e man f o r t h e f i n a l I S seconds. So i n s t e a d o f t h i s :

MEDIUM SHOT

CLOSE- UP

The MEDIUM SHOT and t h e CLOSE-UP a r e , l i k e t h e WIDE SHOT, e n d l e s s l y v a r i a b l e , depending on your s u b j e c t and your own p o i n t o f view. E s s e n t i a l l y , t h e CLOSE-UP i s t h e t i g h t e s t , t h e c l o s e s t you choose t o be t o y o u r s u b j e c t . s h o t , a s shown h e r e . I n a p e r s o n , i t ' s u s u a l l y a f u l l head

The MEDIUM SHOT f a l l s somewhere i n between t h e

WIDE SHOT and t h e CLOSE-UP.

we have this:

CUTAWAY

The CUTAWAY i s t h e one s h o t t h a t l e t s you e a s i l y change' t h e l e n g t h and/or o r d e r o f y o u r s e q u e n c e . I t ' s t h e s h o t most o f t e n

CUTAWAY

f o r g o t t e n by c a m e r a p e r s o n s and most o f t e n needed by e d i t o r s . I n o u r s e q u e n c e o f t h e man and t h e boy, l e t ' s s a y t h a t i n s t e a d o f t a l k i n g . f o r 3 0 s e c o n d s , t h e man t a l k e d f o r two m i n u t e s , t h e middle

The s p l i c e i n t h e sound t r a c k between Scenes 1 and 6 i s covered by t h e cutaway of t h e boy l i s t e n i n g . The most common cutaway i s t h e s h o t o f t h e r e p o r t e r l i s t e n i n g i n TV i n t e r v i e w s . However, a n y t h i n g c a n s e r v e a s a cutaway, a s l o n g

CAMERA S E T - UP

B A S I C SEQUENCE

as it's related to the main action, hut not visually connected to it. That's the great value of a cutaway: when you cut to it, you don't have to match anything in the main shot you're cutting away from. For example, a sequence of a man making toys can be shortened or rearranged by cutting away to shots of already completed toys on the shelves. Or the toymaker's face can serve as a cutaway from close-up actions of his hands working on the toy. If you look hard enough, you can find a cutaway for just about any sequence you shoot. In an interview with an athlete, If a woman is just sitting

his photos and trophies are cutaways.

and talking to the camera, a close-up of her hands in her lap is a cutaway. An extreme wide shot, or a shot from behind, can also be a cutaway. Cutaways can serve to enhance the story. If a man is talking

about how he won an auto race, you can cut away to footage of the race, while continuing his voice on the sound track. If an Notice that between WIDE SHOT, MEDIUM SHOT, and CLOSE-UP, I changed my camera angle by at least 45 degrees. try to move your camera at least that much. It's pretty obvious that a change in image size and angle SHOOTING A BASIC SEQUENCE The most important thing to remember in shooting a basic sequence is that EACH NEW SHOT SHOULD, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, INVOLVE A CHANGE IN BOTH IMAGE SIZE AND CAMERA ANGLE. This not only makes between shots makes for a more interesting sequence. What's not You should always

interviewee mentions a person who helped her in her career, you can cut away to a shot of that person.

quite so obvious is that it makes the transition from shot to shot smoother and easier to accomplish. With rare exceptions, most nonThis means your subject

studio work is shot with a single camera.

the sequence more interesting but, as we'll see, it makes it much easier to cut back and forth between shots. On the following page is a diagram, from above, showing where I placed the camera for the sequence of the man talking to the boy.

has to repeat himself for the medium shots and close-ups. He's not always going to be able to remember and duplicate his actions exactly

f o r every take.

So you might end up h a v i n g t o c u t from a wide s h o t

him n o t t o n o t i c e t h e s l i g h t mismatch i n h e a d p o s i t i o n .

where h e ' s l o o k i n g s t r a i g h t ahead

S I Z E AND ANGLE

'

t o a medium s h o t where h i s head i s i n c l i n e d s l i g h t l y downward:

SMOOTH TRANSITION

I f you change image s i z e and n o t camera a n g l e , y o u ' l l s e e t h e man's O f t e n , you' 1 1 f i n d t h a t a change i n image s i z e and camera head j e r k down on t h e c u t . This i s c a l l e d a jump c u t . a n g l e w i l l c o v e r e v e n g r e a t e r mismatches. One s p e c i a l s i t u a t i o n : When y o u r s u b j e c t i s t a l k i n g d i r e c t l y t o
f

,
I

t h e camera and you change camera a n g l e s , be s u r e t o show t h e s u b j e c t

C H A N G E IS IMAGE
1

p h y s i c a l l y p i v o t i n g h i s body from one camera p o s i t i o n t o t h e o t h e r .

S I Z E ONLY+

O t h e r w i s e , t h e a b r u p t c h a n g e i n background w i l l c o n f u s e t h e v i e w e r . I f you p r e f e r , i n t h e e d i t i n g , you c a n c u t on t h e a c t i o n of t h e t u r n . They do t h i s e v e r y n i g h t o n y o u r l o c a l news show when t h e a n c h o r

a n g l e , y o u ' l l be home f r e e .

t u r n s t o a new camera and s a y s "On t h e l o c a l s c e n e . .

JUMP CUT

.".

CUTTING O N THE ACTION

A good way t o g e t smooth t r a n s i t i o n s between s h o t s i s t o c u t

on the action. But, i f you change n o t o n l y t h e image s i z e b u t a l s o t h e camera The combination of image change and p a y i n g much a t t e n t i o n t o a n y t h i n g e l s e . screen. The v i e w e r ' s e y e n a t u r a l l y f o l l o w s movement on t h e

I f a movement b e g i n s i n one s h o t a n d ends i n t h e n e x t , t h e

v i e w e r ' s eye w i l l f o l l o w t h e a c t i o n r i g h t a c r o s s t h e c u t , w i t h o u t a n g l e change w i l l a l t e r t h e v i e w e r ' s p e r s p e c t i v e j u s t enough f o r

L e t ' s s a y t h a t t h e man i n o u r o r i g i n a l b a s i c sequence t a k e s o f f h i s hat. W e s h o o t t h e wide s h o t down t o t h e p o i n t where he comThen we s e t t h e camera up

CLEAN ENTRANCE

CLEAN EXIT

Having a c l e a n e n t r a n c e and a c l e a n e x i t i s a l m o s t a s good a s h a v i n g a m i l l i o n d i f f e r e n t cutaways. Clean e n t r a n c e s and e x i t s g i v e L e t ' s s a y f o r example

p l e t e s t h e a c t i o n o f removing h i s h a t .

f o r t h e medium s h o t , and have him b e g i n t h e medium s h o t by r e p e a t i n g t h e a c t i o n o f removing h i s h a t .

you t e r r i f i c f l e x i b i l i t y i n your e d i t i n g .

t h a t you a r e s h o o t i n g a n e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h e c o n t r o l s on a c o m p l i c a t e d p i e c e o f equipment. one where you keep t h e Your m a s t e r s h o t ~ t h e

camera r u mi n g f o r t h e whole e x p l a n a t i o n - - l o o k s l i k e t h i s :

W I D E SHOT

MEDIUM SHOT

Then, i n t h e e d i t i n g , we CUT ON THE ACTION, s o t h a t he s t a r t s r e moving h i s h a t i n t h e wide s h o t and completes t h e removal i n t h e medium s h o t . Without even r e a l i z i n g i t , t h e viewer i s c a r r i e d As t h e man e x p l a i n s t h e d i f f e r e n t b u t t o n s , h e touches them and t u r n s them. When you've f i n i s h e d t h e m a s t e r s h o t , move i n f o r c l o s e S t a r t each s h o t showing o n l y t h e knob

smoothly from one s h o t t o t h e n e x t .

ups o f t h e d i f f e r e n t knobs. on t h e machine.

C U T T I N G ON THE ACTION

Then have t h e man's hand come i n (CLEAN ENTRANCE),

f i d d l e w i t h t h e knob, and go o u t a g a i n (CLEAN EXIT), l e a v i n g once more j u s t t h e knob i n t h e frame.

W I D E SHOT MEDIUM SHOT

There a r e l o t s o f obvious s i t u a t i o n s where i t ' s c o n v e n i e n t t o c u t on t h e a c t i o n . F o r example: o p e n i n g d o o r s , g e t t i n g o u t o f c a r s ,

CLEAN ENTRANCE CLEAN E X I T

s i t t i n g down, s t a n d i n g up, r e a c h i n g f o r o b j e c t s , w a l k i n g , r u n n i n g , jumping--almost any k i n d of movement. The i m p o r t a n t t h i n g t o rememSo what does t h i s do f o r u s ? b e r i s t h a t t h e l a s t a c t i o n of t h e f i r s t s h o t h a s t o be r e p e a t e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e second s h o t . movement t w i c e . So you have t o s h o o t t h e same t h e knob, w a i t a b e a t , t h e n have t h e hand e n t e r , you d o n ' t have t o Well, f i r s t o f f , i f
YOU

cut to

This i s c a l l e d overlapping action.

worry a b o u t matching t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e man's hand from t h e wide s h o t t o t h e c l o s e - u p , because when you c u t t o t h e c l o s e - u p t h e hand i s n ' t y e t i n t h e frame.

I f you t h i n k a b o u t i t , you c a n s e e t h e r e a r e many ways t h i s sequence c o u l d be r e a r r a n g e d by t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f t h e c l e a n e n t r a n c e s and e x i t s of t h e hand. L e t ' s l o o k a t a n o t h e r example. Say you've g o t a wide s h o t o f a

c a r d r i v i n g by and you have t o c u t t o a d i f f e r e n t s h o t of t h e same c a r , b u t t h e background i s d i f f e r e n t . I f you j u s t c u t from one s h o t t o t h e B u t , i f you

o t h e r , t h e change i n backgrounds w i l l be v e r y n o t i c e a b l e .

l e t t h e c a r e x i t t h e frame i n t h e f i r s t s h o t , h o l d a b e a t , t h e n c u t t o t h e new s h o t w i t h a d i f f e r e n t background, i t ' l l work.

CLEAN ENTRANCE NOTHING HAS TO MATCH OVER T H I S CUT

By n o t s e e -

i n g t h e c a r f o r a second o r two, t h e a u d i e n c e w i l l a c c e p t t h a t i t had time t o g e t t o a d i f f e r e n t p l a c e f o r t h e f o l l o w i n g s h o t .

Secondly, l e t ' s s a y you d e c i d e a f t e r t h e s h o o t t h a t you o n l y have time t o e x p l a i n t h e most i m p o r t a n t c o n t r o l s and y o u ' r e going t o have t o e l i m i n a t e some o f t h e middle e x p l a n a t i o n s . Easy a s p i e , .
I

J u s t go t o a c l o s e - u p o f t h e l a s t knob b e f o r e t h e s e c t i o n you want

CLEAN E X I T

^
NOTHING HAS TO MATCH OVER T H I S CUT

t o e l i m i n a t e , l e t t h e hand e x i t c l e a n l y , w a i t a b e a t , t h e n c u t t o t h e wide s h o t , p i c k i n g i t up a f t e r t h e dropped s e c t i o n . Since

y o u ' r e c u t t i n g from a c l o s e - u p o f t h e knob w i t h o u t t h e hand, n o t h i n g has t o match when you go back t o t h e wide s h o t a t a much l a t e r p o i n t i n the explanation.

O r you c o u l d a c c o m p l i s h t h e same t h i n g by c u t t i n g t o t h e new

s h o t w i t h o u t t h e c a r t h e r e , w a i t i n g a b e a t , and t h e n l e t t i n g t h e c a r make a c l e a n e n t r a n c e .

CLEAN E X I T

NOTHING HAS TO MATCH OVER T H I S CUT

CLEAN ENTRANCE

NOTHING HAS TO MATCH OVER T H I S CUT

4. SCREEN D I R E C T I O N
C l e a n e n t r a n c e s and c l e a n e x i t s a r e v e r y h e l p f u l i n g e t t i n g p e o p l e q u i c k l y from one p l a c e t o a n o t h e r . Say you have a s e q u e n c e Rather

SCREEN DIRECTION AND CROSSING THE L I N E S c r e e n d i r e c t i o n i s t h e d i r e c t i o n p e o p l e and t h i n g s f a c e when viewed t h r o u g h t h e camera. Have you e v e r been w a t c h i n g a c o n v e r s a t i o n on TV between two p e o p l e when s u d d e n l y t h e s c e n e changes and i t l o o k s l i k e one o f them i s t a l k i n g t o t h e back o f t h e o t h e r ' s head? screen direction. That's called reversed

o f a boy w a l k i n g i n t o h i s h o u s e and u p s t a i r s t o h i s room.

t h a n f o l l o w him a l l t h e way up w i t h t h e camera, j u s t show him w a l k i n g i n t h e f r o n t d o o r (CLEAN EXIT), t h e n c u t t o h i s room a s he e n t e r s i t (CLEAN ENTRANCE).

The cameraperson c a u s e s it by CROSSING THE LINE.

The l i n e i s a l s o known a s t h e a x i s o f a c t i o n , o r simply t h e a x i s . By w h a t e v e r name, i t ' s a n imaginary l i n e which d e t e r m i n e s t h e d i r e c t i o n p e o p l e and t h i n g s f a c e when viewed through t h e camera.
CLEAN E X I T CLEAN ENTRANCE

When

you c r o s s t h e l i n e , you r e v e r s e t h e s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n o f e v e r y t h i n g you s e e t h r o u g h t h e camera, even though n o t h i n g has moved b u t t h e

t

C l e a n e n t r a n c e s and e x i t s a r e good f o r a l m o s t any k i n d o f s h o t where somebody o r something i s moving from o n e p l a c e t o a n o t h e r , p i c k i n g something up, p u t t i n g s o m e t h i n g down, h i t t i n g , p u l l i n g , s e lecting, etc. Whenever you h a v e a n y t h i n g moving t h r o u g h y o u r frame,

camera. I n o u r sequence o f t h e man t a l k i n g t o t h e boy, t h e l i n e would i n t e r s e c t t h e man and t h e boy.

p a r t i c u l a r l y i n a c l o s e - u p , y o u ' l l be d o i n g y o u r s e l f a b i g f a v o r by giving i t e i t h e r a clean e n t r a n c e o r a c l e a n e x i t , o r both. w i l l always a l l o w you g r e a t e r freedom i n y o u r e d i t i n g . This

S O M E FINAL W O R D S ON BASIC SEQUENCES Only a m a t e u r s and some g e n i u s e s p l a n on making e v e r y c u t a match c u t . The more you c o v e r y o u r s e l f w i t h changes i n image s i z e ,

changes i n camera a n g l e , cutaways , o v e r l a p p i n g a c t i o n s , and c l e a n e n t r a n c e s and c l e a n e x i t s , t h e b e t t e r y o u r f i n a l p r o d u c t w i l l be. Remember, any s t i l l p h o t o g r a p h e r c a n s h o o t a bunch of p r e t t y s h o t s , b u t o n l y a r e a l c a m e r a p e r s o n c a n s h o o t a sequence.
CROSSING THE L I N E REVERSES YOUR SCREEN DIRECTION

When you c u t them t o g e t h e r , you g e t t h i s :

A s long a s t h e camera s t a y s on t h e f r o n t s i d e o f t h e l i n e , t h e

man w i l l be l o o k i n g s c r e e n l e f t and t h e boy w i l l be l o o k i n g s c r e e n

REVERSED SCREEN

right.

If you c r o s s t h e l i n e , t h e y ' l l be l o o k i n g i n j u s t t h e oppoNow, t h i s i s

D I R E C T I O N = CONFUSION

s i t e d i r e c t i o n s , a l t h o u g h t h e y h a v e n ' t moved a t a l l .

r e a l l y no problem, as l o n g a s you s t a y on one s i d e o f t h e l i n e o r the other. But you c a n ' t go jumping back and f o r t h . I t l o o k s l i k e t h e boy h a s t u r n e d c o m p l e t e l y around, w i t h h i s back t o t h e man!
L e t ' s t a k e a n o t h e r example, a p e r s o n working a t a computer.

Say you make your wide s h o t from one s i d e o f t h e l i n e , l i k e

See

Line
Then, f o r some r e a s o n , you s h o o t y o u r cutaway o f t h e boy from t h e other side, like this:

REVERSED SCREEN

DIRECTION

= CONFUSION

I t l o o k s l i k e s h e ' s g o t h e r head t w i s t e d 'on backwards!

There a r e c i r c u m s t a n c e s i n which you have t o c r o s s t h e l i n e , whether you want t o o r n o t . Maybe your s u b j e c t ' s body i s b l o c k i n g Maybe p a r t o f your sequence j u s t Maybe you have no

s e e w h a t ' s going on:

a new d e t a i l you need t o show.

l o o k s b e t t e r from t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e l i n e . c o n t r o l o v e r y o u r s u b j e c t ' s movements.

Whatever, d o n ' t f e a r .

There a r e ways t o c r o s s t h e l i n e w i t h o u t c o n f u s i n g your v i e w e r . The e a s i e s t way i s when y o u r s u b j e c t changes d i r e c t i o n on camera, w i t h i n t h e frame. c r o s s e s under you. You s t a n d s t i l l , and t h e l i n e a c t u a l l y
Or a

For example, a c a r t u r n i n g around.

p e r s o n t u r n i n g from a f r i e n d on h i s r i g h t t o a f r i e n d on h i s l e f t . As l o n g a s t h e change i n s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n i s made on camera, t h e r e ' s no c o n f u s i o n .

C R O S S I N G THE L I N E I N A CONTINUOUS CAMERA MOVE

You s e e t h i s t y p e of s h o t f r e q u e n t l y i n TV commercials and f e a t u r e films.

I t ' s u s u a l l y done w i t h a d o l l y - - a camera p l a t f o r m on w h e e l s .

Sooner o r l a t e r we a l l g e t i n a s i t u a t i o n where w e ' r e f i n i s h i n g

C R O S S I N G THE L I N E - S U B J E C T CHANGES D I R E C T I O N ON CAMERA

up s h o o t i n g a sequence and we know we've jumped back and f o r t h a c r o s s the line. N o m a t t e r what t h e r e a s o n , we've g o t t o f i g u r e some way T h i s i s where m y f a v o r i t e l i n e - c r o s s i n g method
I t ' s b a s e d on a s i m p l e t r u t h : YOU CAN CROSS THE

Another way i s t o c r o s s t h e l i n e i n one c o n t i n u o u s move w i t h t h e camera. recourse. I n u n c o n t r o l l e d s i t u a t i o n s , t h i s i s sometimes y o u r o n l y Say a r a c e c a r mechanic i s working on a c a r and he moves
A l l you c a n do, i f you want t h e

t o s a v e t h e day. comes i n handy.

L I N E I F YOU STOP ON I T .

You can go from one s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n t o

s o you c a n ' t s e e what h e ' s doing.

a n o t h e r i f you p u t a n e u t r a l s h o t w i t h no s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n i n t h e middle.
A s long a s you have a t l e a s t one n e u t r a l s h o t a s a b r i d g e ,

s h o t , i s t o keep t h e camera r u n n i n g and walk around t o where you c a n

you can c r o s s t h e l i n e .

You'd be amazed a t t h e m i l e a g e you can g e t o u t , of one o r two good n e u t r a l s h o t s . One n e u t r a l s h o t which d o e s n ' t always o c c u r t o e v e r y b o d y i s t h e POV, t h e p o i n t - o f - v i e w typing, t h e point-of-view shot. I n t h e s e q u e n c e o f t h e woman

would b e a s h o t o f t h e c o m p u t e r s c r e e n

from t h e p o i n t of view o f t h e t y p i s t

POINT-OF-VIEW O N THE L I N E NO SCREEN D I R E C T I O N

CROSSING T E E L I N E WITH A POINT-OF-VIEW

t*

SHOT

O f t e n you c a n f a k e a p o i n t - o f - v i e w s h o t a f t e r y o u r s u b j e c t has l e f t . F o r t h e c l o s e u p o f t h e computer s c r e e n , who s a y s you

have t o use t h e same p e r s o n , i f you d o n ' t s e e h e r h a n d s i n t h e shot?

O r , i f you need t o show h a n d s , you c a n s t i l l u s e a n o t h e r

woman w i t h s i m i l a r h a n d s .

There a r e two o t h e r ways t o c r o s s t h e l i n e w h i c h , though n o t p e r f e c t , a r e c e r t a i n l y b e t t e r than nothing. F i r s t i s t h e s i t u a t i o n where you have a c l e a n p o i n t o f r e f e r e n c e t o help the viewer o r i e n t himself a l i t t l e . I n a l o t of o l d movies,

y o u ' l l s e e a wide s h o t o f p e o p l e going up a g a n g p l a n k t o a s h i p , f o l l o w e d by a medium s h o t from a c r o s s t h e l i n e . The argument h e r e

NEUTRAL SHOT O N THE L I N E NO SCREEN DIRECTION

i s t h a t t h e gangplank s e r v e s a s a r e f e r e n c e f o r t h e a u d i e n c e t o h o l d on t o .

YOU CAN CROSS THE L I N E I F YOU STOP O N I T

USING SCREEN DIRECTION TO SOLVE SHOOTING PROBLEMS

A s we l e a r n e d e a r l i e r , s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n is t h e d i r e c t i o n p e o p l e

and t h i n g s f a c e when viewed t h r o u g h t h e camera. by t h e a x i s o f a c t i o n , t h e l i n e .

I t ' s determined

When you c r o s s t h e l i n e , you r e -

v e r s e y o u r s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n , even though n o t h i n g has moved b u t t h e camera. The c o r o l l a r y t o t h i s i s : AS LONG AS YOU DON'T CROSS THE

L I N E , AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THE S A M E SCREEN D I R E C T I O N , YOU CAN MOVE

C R O S S I N G THE L I N E M I T E A REFERENCE

PEOPLE, THINGS AND C A M E R A ANYWHERE YOU WANT. s o l v e many s h o o t i n g problems.

T h i s can h e l p you

O t h e r common r e f e r e n c e s which c a n e a s e a r e v e r s a l i n s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n a r e sidewalks, roads, hallways, t a b l e s , c a r s , boats-a n y t h i n g t h a t ' s i n b o t h s h o t s and h a s a c l e a r l y d e f i n e d d i r e c t i o n o f i t s own. Please note: t h i s does n o t make a p e r f e c t c u t , b u t

L e t ' s s a y y o u ' r e s h o o t i n g an i n t e r v i e w w i t h a well-known n a t uralist. S i n c e h e ' l l be t a l k i n g a b o u t t h e wonders o f t h e g r e a t

o u t d o o r s , i t would l o o k b e s t i f he were i n a n o u t d o o r s y s e t t i n g . But f o r r e a s o n s o f time and money, you have t o s h o o t i n h i s s u b u r ban backyard. A f t e r a q u i c k r e c o n n o i t e r o f t h e backyard, you f i n d

i t ' s b e t t e r than nothing.

The o t h e r n o t - s o - p e r f e c t way t o r e v e r s e s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n i s t o c r o s s t h e l i n e a t t h e same time a s you c u t on t h e a c t i o n . The i d e a

your b e s t l o c a t i o n and s e l e c t two camera p o s i t i o n s :

is t h a t the c o n t i n u i t y of a c t i o n over the c u t w i l l psychologically

cover the r e v e r s a l i n screen d i r e c t i o n .

C R O S S I N G THE L I N E BY CUTTING ON THE A C T I O N

Again, i t ' s n o t p e r f e c t . no t h i n g .

But i n a p i n c h , i t ' s b e t t e r t h a n

From P o s i t i o n #1, you c a n do your wide s h o t o v e r t h e s h o u l d e r o f t h e r e p o r t e r , a s w e l l a s medium s h o t s and c l o s e - u p s o f t h e naturalist~all w i t h l u s h t r e e s i n t h e background. So f a r , s o good.

You s e e , you h a v e n ' t c r o s s e d t h e l i n e .

You've merely p i v o t e d
As long as

i t - - a n d your s u b j e c t s - - f r o m P o s i t i o n A t o P o s i t i o n B .

you s t a y on t h e same s i d e of t h e l i n e and keep t h e same s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n , you can move t h e l i n e anywhere you want. In fact, in a

B u t , when you move around t o P o s i t i o n # 2 f o r your s h o t s of t h e r e p o r t e r , you s e e a n u g l y f e n c e and t h e n e i g h b o r ' s c l o t h e s l i n e i n t h e background. Not e x a c t l y t h e l u s h n a t u r a l s e t t i n g y o u ' d l i k e .
MISMATCHED BACKGROUNDS, # Z r S BACKGROUND D I S T R A C T S FROM CONTENT OF I N T E R V I E W .

p i n c h , you c o u l d even s h o o t t h e r e p o r t e r ' s c l o s e - u p s - - w i t h o u t t h e n a t u r a l i s t ~ a ta n o t h e r p l a c e and time'.

MATCHED BACKGROUNDS, CONTRIBUTE TO CONTENT OF I N T E R V I E W .

The s o l u t i o n ?

A f t e r you've f i n i s h e d w i t h a l l o f y o u r s h o t s

Ah h a h , you might s a y .
6

I t s t i l l won't work because we know

o f t h e n a t u r a l i s t from P o s i t i o n #1, p i v o t t h e n a t u r a l i s t and t h e r e p o r t e r c o u n t e r - c l o c k w i s e s o t h a t t h e t r e e s a r e now b e h i n d t h e r e p o r t e r , who i s s t i l l f a c i n g s c r e e n l e f t ,

t h e r e ' s a f e n c e b e h i n d t h e r e p o r t e r and n o t t r e e s . we - know i t , b u t t h e v i e w e r s u r e d o e s n ' t . s e e s on t h e s c r e e n . geography.

W e l l , maybe

A l l he knows i s what he

S c r e e n geography has n o t h i n g t o do w i t h r e a l

Nothing e x i s t s f o r t h e v i e w e r e x c e p t what you show him.

Once you u n d e r s t a n d t h i s , you can work wonders. You won't always have t o go t h e extremes i l l u s t r a t e d by t h i s example. Sometimes i t ' s j u s t a m a t t e r o f moving o r p i v o t i n g y o u r Re-

s u b j e c t a few f e e t one way o r t h e o t h e r t o g e t a b e t t e r s h o t .

member, as l o n g a s you keep t h e same s c r e e n d i r e c t i o n and e v e r y t h i n g e l s e matches, y o u ' v e g o t n o t h i n g t o worry about. I ' v e moved

p e o p l e c l o s e r t o windows t o g e t b e t t e r l i g h t on c l o s e - u p s , p u t them i n d i f f e r e n t rooms t o g e t b e t t e r backgrounds; o n c e , i n a v e r y t i g h t s i t u a t i o n , I s h o t f i v e d i f f e r e n t a n g l e s w i t h o u t moving t h e camera, b u t moving t h e s u b j e c t s i n s t e a d - - a n d i t worked!

ZOOM-OUT

(from c l o s e - u p

wid e s h o t ) u s u a l l y r e v e a l s new For example, you

WHY C A M E R A MOVES?

information.

O f t e n i t t e l l s us where we a r e .

T h e r e ' s a tendency among camerapersons, e s p e c i a l l y b e g i n n e r s , t o be c o n t i n u a l l y moving t h e camera--zooming i n , zooming o u t , pann i n g l e f t , panning r i g h t , t i l t i n g up, t i l t i n g down. I guess they

c a n s t a r t on a c l o s e - u p o f a man's f a c e t a l k i n g a b o u t f l o w e r s , t h e n zoom back t o r e v e a l t h a t h e ' s s u r r o u n d e d by f l o w e r s .

f e e l t h e y ' r e n o t e a r n i n g t h e i r money i f t h e y j u s t h o l d t h e camera

still.

T h e y ' r e wrong.

A camera move s h o u l d have a p u r p o s e .

It

s h o u l d i n some way c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e v i e w e r ' s u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f what h e ' s s e e i n g . I f i t d o e s n ' t , t h e move d i s t r a c t s and c a l l s

attention to i t s e l f . Camera moves l i m i t you i n y o u r e d i t i n g .

I f t h e o n l y s h o t you

PANS ( h o r i z o n t a l moves) and TILTS ( v e r t i c a l moves) a l s o r e v e a l new i n f o r m a t i o n .

have of a c e r t a i n s u b j e c t i s a zoom and t h e zoom l a s t s 15 s e c o n d s , b u t you o n l y have 5 seconds o f n a r r a t i o n t o go o v e r i t , y o u ' r e stuck. E i t h e r you l e a v e t h e whole move i n , and your v i e w e r s s i t

I ^-^I

bored f o r t e n seconds of s i l e n c e , o r you c u t i n and o u t o f a f i v e second p i e c e o f t h e zoom, which i s v i s u a l l y j a r r i n g . The s a f e

t h i n g t o do i s s h o o t your move, t h e n c o v e r y o u r s e l f w i t h a couple o f s t a t i c s h o t s of t h e same t h i n g . you s t a r t e d i t i n g . The b a s i c camera moves a r e ZOOMS, PANS, TILTS, and combinations thereof. I n g e n e r a l , a ZOOM-IN (from wide s h o t t o c l o s e - u p ) d i r e c t s o u r a t t e n t i o n t o w h a t e v e r i t i s w e ' r e zooming i n on. So i f you zoom i n , One c a u t i o n a b o u t pans. I f you pan t o o f a s t , v e r t i c a l l i n e s , Y o u ' l l be g l a d you d i d when

PANS AND TILTS REVEAL NEW INFORNATION

l i k e f e n c e p o s t s , doorframes, e t c . , w i l l s t r o b e on y o u , t r a i l i n g g h o s t images b e h i n d . When i n d o u b t , p a n a l i t t l e s l o w e r .

t r y t o zoom i n on something i n t e r e s t i n g o r i m p o r t a n t .

An e f f e c t i v e way t o l e a d your v i e w e r through a l o n g pan i s t o f o l l o w a s m a l l e r o b j e c t - - a p e r s o n w a l k i n g , a c a r p e r h a p s ~ a si t p a s s e s by y o u r s u b j e c t . For example, a wide s h o t pan a c r o s s t h e f r o n t o f

a b u i l d i n g i s much more i n t e r e s t i n g w i t h a p e r s o n walking by, l e a d i n g t h e move.

MAKING CAMERA MOVES The first rule of camera movement is this: EVERY MOVE WITH A WELL-COMPOSED STATIC SHOT. BEGIN AND END

muscles will be relaxing, untensing, returning smoothly to their natural position. He'll be moving from uncomfortable to comfortable, This is true of any move, not just pans.

It's very distracting

smoothly, naturally.

to cut from a static composition to a move that's already in progress. Likewise, to cut from a move to a static. Oh, you can

do it, and sometimes it works when you want to create a feeling of excitement and action. And you

can dissolve between

static shots

and moves, visually blending one scene into another, with good results. But why limit your options? If you're going to make a

move, hold it steady for a beat or two at the beginning, ease into your move, make the move, ease gradually out of the move, and hold for a beat or two at the end. start editing. You'll be glad you.did when you
MOVE FROM UNCOMFORTABLE TO COMFORTABLE
/

One final tip.

I've found that when combining a zoom with a

tilt or a pan, it works smoother if I start the pan or tilt just a fraction of a second before the zoom. better this way, but it does.
B E G I N AND END EVERY MOVE WITH A WELL-COMPOSED S T A T I C SHOT

I don't know why it works

The other rule of camera movement is this:

ALWAYS MOVE FROM This is es-

AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION TO A COMFORTABLE POSITION.

pecially important in pans, when you're moving in a wide horizontal arc. Have you ever seen a cameraperson start to pan with a passing

car and, as he follows the car by, slowly twist himself into a quivering pretzel? He's starting with his muscles relaxed and For the
O N COMBINED MOYES,
S T A R T THE PAS OR T I L T A FRACTION OF A

then twisting them into a tense, unnatural position.

smoothest possible move, he should be doing just the opposite. He should get comfortable in his end position, then twist around into the beginning position. That way, when he makes the move, his

SECOND BEFORE THE ZOOM.

6 . MONTAGES

7 . LIGHTING
EXTERIOR LIGHTING

A montage i s a s e r i e s o f r e l a t e d s h o t s .

For example, a montage

o f n i g h t c l u b s i g n s , o r a montage of workers' f a c e s , o r a montage of f l o w e r s . Most TV c o m m e r c i a l s a r e montages. For a montage t o

The most powerful 'and common s o u r c e o f l i g h t i s t h e f o r f i l m and TV i t h a s one b i g d i s a d v a n t a g e : i t ' s always movi

work, e a c h s h o t s h o u l d b e c l e a r l y d i f f e r e n t i n c o m p o s i t i o n and c o l o r from t h e one b e f o r e i t . Otherwise, i t l o o k s l i k e a bad c u t

I t t r a c e s an a r c across the sky, e a s t t o west, horizon t o horizon,

e v e r y day.

T h i s means t h a t t h e a n g l e a t which s u n l i g h t i s f a l l i n g Most p e o p l e look t h e i r above t h e

b e t w e e n two v e r y s i m i l a r s h o t s of t h e same t h i n g .

on o u r s u b j e c t s i s a l s o c o n s t a n t l y changing.

I f you s h o o t a l l t h e f a c e s t h e same way, i t ' l l l o o k l i k e one f a c e i s changing a b r u p t l y i n t o t h e

next. But i f you s h o o t a v a r i e t y of a n g l e s and image s i z e s , t h e e f -

F o r example, a montage of f a c e s .

b e s t i n s u n l i g h t when t h e s u n i s no h i g h e r t h a n a b o u t 45' horizon.

When t h e s u n i s h i g h e r , around t h e noon h o u r , i t c a s t s Eye s o c k e t s go d a r k and l i t t l e shadow "beards"

u g l y shadows on f a c e s .

f e c t can be very n i c e .

show up on c h i n s and under cheekbones and n o s e s .

YAN I N E F F E C T I V E MONTAGE

THE SHOTS ARE TOO S I M I L A R

PEOPLE LOOK B E S T I N SUNLIGKT F A L L I N G AT ANGLES OF 4 5 DEGREES OR L E S S . THE NOONTIME OVERHEAD S U N C A S T S UGLY SHADOWS.

Most e x t e r i o r s h o t s a r e made w i t h t h e s u b j e c t f a c i n g t h e sun, s o i t i l l u m i n a t e s him d i r e c t l y . s i b l e or desirable.

AN E F F E C T I V E MONTAGE

Sometimes, though, t h i s i s n ' t pos-

Perhaps t h e l o c a t i o n d o e s n ' t p e r m i t i t ; o r may-

be t h e s u n i s b o t h e r i n g y o u r s u b j e c t ' s e y e s ; o r maybe your s u b j e c t

EACH SHOT I S DIFFERENT

l o o k s r e a l l y n i c e w i t h t h e sun behind him. w i t h b a c k l i g h t o r s i d e 1i g h t . o n your s u b j e c t ' s f a c e .

So you end up s h o o t i n g

An e a s y way t o make a n i c e s i g n montage i s t o t i l t e a c h one a

d i f f e r e n t way. For some r e a s o n t h e s e a r e c a l l e d Dutch t i l t s .

Both c o n d i t i o n s c a s t s t r o n g shadows

The shadows c a s t by b a c k l i g h t and s i d e l i g h t can b e f i l l e d i n - b r i g h t e n e d up w i t h l i g h t - - i n two ways: r e f l e c t o r s and f i l l l i g h t s .

I t ' s normally

A r e f l e c t o r i s a n y t h i n g which r e f l e c t s l i g h t .

a board c o v e r e d w i t h s i l v e r p a i n t o r f o i l .

But i t c a n a l s o be a You use

II
A F I L L LIGHT B R I G H T E N S UP SHADOW AREAS REGARDLESS O f WEERE THE S U S I S .

w h i t e p o s t e r b o a r d , o r a w h i t e w a l l , o r a p i e c e o f canvas.

A f i l l l i g h t i s t h e b e s t way t o b r i g h t e n up t h e shadows c a s t

by t h e noontime o v e r h e a d s u n .

And on o v e r c a s t d a y s , a l i g h t s h i n i n g

d i r e c t l y on your s u b j e c t can s t a n d i n f o r an a b s e n t s u n and g i v e your p i c t u r e s needed b r i g h t n e s s and c o n t r a s t .

REFLECTORS F I L L I N SHADOW AREAS WITH BOUNCED SUNLIGHT

INTERIOR LIGHTING

Any l i g h t c a n be used a s a f i l l l i g h t o u t s i d e , a s l o n g a s i t p u t s o u t d a y l i g h t - c o l o r e d l i g h t , w i t h a c o l o r t e m p e r a t u r e o f 5400K. The lamp c a n be 5400K; o r i t can be 3200K-tungsten, w i t h a d i c h r o i c f i l t e r o r a b l u e g e l a t i n s h e e t i n f r o n t t o c o n v e r t i t t o 5400K. One d i s a d v a n t a g e t o u s i n g a f i l l l i g h t i n s t e a d o f a r e f l e c t o r i s t h a t you need e l e c t r i c i t y t o power i t - - f r o m a b a t t e r y , a p o r t a b l e g e n e r a t o r , o r an e x t e n s i o n c o r d . Another d i s a d v a n t a g e i s t h a t , i n

There a r e t h r e e b a s i c t y p e s o f l i g h t s u s e d most f r e q u e n t l y i n interior lighting: f o c u s i n g q u a r t z , b r o a d s , and s o f f l i g h t s .

The f o c u s i n g q u a r t z l i g h t i s t h e movie and TV v e r s i o n o f t h e theatrical spot light.

I t ' s t h e most common, v e r s a t i l e l i g h t i n u s e .

By moving a l e v e r , you c o n t r o l t h e i n t e n s i t y and p a t t e r n of l i g h t it puts out. The r a n g e i s from "spot" t o "flood."

A t "spot,"

you

g e t a small, concentrated area of l i g h t . spread-out, l e s s intense area.

A t " f l o o d , " you g e t a

o r d e r t o match t h e tremendous b r i g h t n e s s o f t h e s u n , you e i t h e r have t o bring the f i l l l i g h t i n very close t o the s u b j e c t ; o r e l s e use a v e r y p o w e r f u l f i l l l i g h t , r e q u i r i n g a l o t of e l e c t r i c i t y . The advantage t o a f i l l l i g h t i s t h a t , u n l i k e a r e f l e c t o r , i t ' s n o t d i r e c t l y dependent on t h e sun. You c a n p l a c e i t anywhere you

want, a t any a n g l e you want, f o r t h e b e s t l i g h t i n g e f f e c t and f o r maximum comfort of your s u b j e c t . The f i l l l i g h t i s e s p e c i a l l y u s e FOCUSING QUARTZ L I G H T S RANGE FROM SPOT TO FLOOD.

f u l i n c o m p l e t e l y b a c k l i t s i t u a t i o n s where a r e f l e c t o r may s h i n e a g l a r e r i g h t i n t o your ' s u b j e c t ' s e y e s .

One c a u t i o n on u s i n g f o c u s i n g q u a r t z l i g h t s :

d o n ' t c o u n t on Even a t

g e t t i n g a smooth even p a t t e r n o f l i g h t a t e v e r y s e t t i n g . f u l l f l o o d you may f i n d a h o t s p o t o r two.

Before d o i n g any r e a l l y

c r i t i c a l l i g h t i n g , your b e s t b e t i s t o s h i n e e a c h l i g h t on t h e w a l l o r t h e f l o o r and r u n i t through t h e whole range from s p o t t o f l o o d , n o t i c i n g t h e l i g h t p a t t e r n a t each s e t t i n g . Q u a r t z l i g h t s , even on f l o o d , p u t o u t a h a r d , d i r e c t l i g h t . T h i s produces s h a r p - e d g e d d a r k shadows, which a r e n o t always d e s i r a b l e , e s p e c i a l l y i n people s h o t s . To d i f f u s e t h e l i g h t ~ t o spread
A BROAD LIGHT PUTS OUT A FLAT EVEN PATTERN OF LIGHT

A s o f t l i g h t i s a permanent, p o r t a b l e bounce l i g h t .

I t consists

of a curved

SCOOP,

t h e i n s i d e of which i s w h i t e o r s i l v e r - c o l o r e d .
SCOOP,

A b r o a d - t y p e lamp i s mounted f a c i n g t h e

so t h a t i t s l i g h t

i t o u t and produce s o f t e r , more f l a t t e r i n g shadows--we can do one o f

bounces o f f t h e curved s u r f a c e and o u t towards t h e s u b j e c t .

two t h i n g s :

e i t h e r p u t d i f f u s i n g m a t e r i a l , l i k e spun g l a s s , i n f r o n t

o f t h e l i g h t ; o r bounce t h e l i g h t o f f a r e f l e c t o r - t y p e s u r f a c e , l i k e a white w a l l o r c e i l i n g , o r a s i l v e r - c o a t e d space blanket taped to the ceiling. Both methods work w e l l , b u t t h e y a l s o reduce t h e amount

of l i g h t reaching t h e s u b j e c t .

A SOFTLIGHT I S A PERMANENT,

PORTABLE BOUNCE LIGHT

The a d v a n t a g e s o f a s o f t l i g h t o v e r a bounced l i g h t a r e conv e n i e n c e - - ~c~ an ~ u s e i t anywhere, w i t h no need f o r a w a l l o r c e i l i n g t o bounce o f f - - a n d c o n t r o l - - i t ' s e a s i e r t o d i r e c t t h e l i g h t e x a c t l y

QUARTZ L I G H T C A N B E BY D I F F U S I O X MATESIAL I N FRONT OF THE LIGHT, OR BY BOUNCING THE LIGHT OFF A REFLECTOR- TYPE SURFACE.

SOFTENED

where you want i t .

However, i t does t a k e up more s p a c e .

Most l i g h t s , b e t h e y f o c u s i n g , b r o a d s o r s o f t l i g h t s , come w i t h Broads a r e n o n - f o c u s i n g l i g h t s d e s i g n e d t o p u t o u t a broad even l i g h t over a l a r g e area. They have no f i n e - t u n i n g c o n t r o l s .

All

barn doors.

These a r e l i t t l e b l a c k f l a p s which a r e used t o b l o c k

o f f l i g h t from a r e a s where you d o n ' t want i t , t o shape t h e p a t t e r n o f l i g h t you p u t o u t . They a r e v e r y u s e f u l .

you do i s t u r n them on and p o i n t them.

The h a r d , d i r e c t l i g h t from

a b r o a d , l i k e t h a t from a f o c u s i n g q u a r t z , can be s o f t e n e d w i t h d i f f u s i o n m a t e r i a l o r by bouncing.

S e t up your f i l l l i g h t on t h e o p p o s i t e s i d e o f t h e s u b j e c t from t h e key l i g h t . The f i l l s h o u l d be b r i g h t enough t o p a r t i a l l y

f i l l i n t h e shadows from t h e key, l e a v i n g j u s t enough shadows on t h e s u b j e c t ' s f a c e t o give a f e e l i n g of depth. (Completely shadowless

l i g h t i n g i s c a l l e d f l a t l i g h t i n g and g i v e s l e s s s e n s e o f d e p t h . )
BARN DOORS SHAPE THE PATTERN OF LIGHT

B A S I C LIGHTING SET-UP

The c l a s s i c b a s i c l i g h t i n g s e t - u p i s a s f o l l o w s :

KEY LIGHT ALONE = HEAVY SHADOWS

KEY F I L L = J U S T ENOUGH SHADOWS FOR FEELING OF DEPTH

Next, p l a c e y o u r b a c k l i g h t .

This f a l l s on your s u b j e c t ' s

head and s h o u l d e r s from b e h i n d , c r e a t i n g a r i m o f l i g h t which v i s u a l l y s e p a r a t e s him from t h e background. The b a c k l i g h t i s e s p e c i a l l y

u s e f u l when t h e s u b j e c t ' s h a i r o r c l o t h e s a r e s i m i l a r i n c o l o r t o t h e background.

F i r s t you p l a c e your key l i g h t t o one s i d e o f t h e camera and a t T h i s i s your main l i g h t , t h e b a s i s f o r t h e r e s t o f your l i g h t i n g s e t - u p . Unless you have a good r e a s o n , no a r e a i n your frame s h o u l d be b r i g h t e r t h a n t h e a r e a l i t by t h e key l i g h t . The v i e w e r ' s eye i s always a t t r a c t e d f i r s t t o t h e b r i g h t e s t a r e a o f t h e frame. If t h a t t u r n s o u t t o b e t h e background, t h e n your l i g h t i n g i s n ' t working t h e
TEE BACKLIGET SEPARATES THE SUBJECT FROM THE BACKGROUND.

about a 45'

a n g l e above your s u b j e c t .

L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , p l a c e your background l i g h t .

This brings

t h e background up i n t o t h e same r a n g e o f i l l u m i n a t i o n a s t h e r e s t o f t h e s c e n e and g i v e s an added s e n s e o f d e p t h . As a g e n e r a l r u l e ,

way i t s h o u l d ; o r i t ' s working i n a s p e c i a l way, which you s h o u l d be aware o f .

i t ' s a good i d e a t o have your background a l i t t l e d a r k e r t h a n your

key a r e a .

Well, you s a y , s o now I know how t o l i g h t one p e r s o n . But how do I l i g h t two o r t h r e e o r more? moving around? And what happens i f t h e y s t a r t You p l a c e a
It gets

8. D O I N G I T PLANNING AND SHOOT1NG"A SEQUENCE

,

Well, you m u l t i p l y t h e b a s i c s e t - u p .

key l i g h t f o r e v e r y i m p o r t a n t a r e a , t h e n s t a r t b u i l d i n g .

When p l a n n i n g a s h o o t , t h e f i r s t t h i n g i s t o d e c i d e what you want t o end up w i t h . What s o r t o f s t o r y do you want t o t e l l ? How do you want them t o r e a c t ? What s h o u l d you downplay? Who

c o m p l i c a t e d , b u t i f you j u s t t a k e i t one s t e p a t a t i m e y o u ' l l do a l l right. O f t e n y o u ' l l f i n d you can c o v e r more t h a n one s u b j e c t w i t h t h e same key l i g h t .
O r that the fall-off

w i l l be y o u r a u d i e n c e ?
s h o u l d you emphasize?

What t h i n g s

Keep a l l t h i s i n

from one s u b j e c t ' s key l i g h t

A s i n g l e broad can

mind a s you look o v e r t h e l o c a t i o n and t a l k w i t h t h e p e o p l e y o u ' l l be working w i t h . Next, make a s h o o t i n g p l a n , even i f i t ' s o n l y i n your head. Decide where y o u r camera and s u b j e c t s w i l l b e f o r each s h o t . For

can s e r v e a s f i l l l i g h t on a n o t h e r s u b j e c t . provide backlight f o r several people.

To a v o i d m u l t i p l e , u n n a t u r a l - l o o k i n g shadows on w a l l s , keep your l i g h t s h i g h and your s u b j e c t s away from t h e w a l l s . Keep i n

r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t s e q u e n c e s , your b e s t b e t i s t o s h o o t t h e whole t h i n g a l l t h e way through i n a wide s h o t ; t h e n r e p e a t i t i n a medium s h o t , and a g a i n i n a c l o s e - u p .

/

mind t h a t shadows a r e l e s s n o t i c e a b l e on d a r k - c o l o r e d w a l l s t h a n on l i g h t - c o l o r e d o n e s ; s o , sometimes a change of s c e n e r y c a n s o l v e a l i g h t i n g problem. Also, f i l m shows more shadow d e t a i l t h a n v i d e o ;

Then s h o o t your cutaways.

This

method u s e s up a l o t o f t a p e o r f i l m , b u t you c a n be s u r e y o u ' l l have m a t e r i a l f o r e d i t i n g . y o u r f i r s t few p r o j e c t s . L a t e r , a f t e r you have a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of what y o u ' r e d o i n g , you c a n t r y s h o o t i n g a l l t h e way through i n a wide s h o t , and t h e n j u s t r e p e a t i n g c e r t a i n s e c t i o n s f o r medium s h o t s , close-ups and cutaways. I t ' s p r o b a b l y t h e b e s t way t o s h o o t

s o f o r TV, y o u ' l l have t o throw more l i g h t i n t o your shadow a r e a s . I n t h e l a s t few y e a r s , a l o t o f camerapersons--myself included--have begun l i g h t i n g e n t i r e s c e n e s w i t h bounce l i g h t . I t ' s

n o t d r a m a t i c l i g h t i n g ; b u t i t & q u i c k and e f f i c i e n t , and i t l o o k s n a t u r a l i n a l o t of s i t u a t i o n s . R e a l l y good l i g h t i n g f o r TV and f i l m i s a n a r t i n i t s e l f . Please don't t a k e t h e b a s i c l i g h t i n g set-up a s gospel. Like t h e

A t t h i s s t a g e of t h e game, y o u ' l l have t o s t a r t

thinking about s l a t e s .

more, no r u l e of t h i r d s i n composition, i t ' s a p l a c e t o s t a r t ~ n o less. The b e s t a d v i c e I can g i v e you f o r your f i r s t few l i g h t i n g j o b s i s t o be m e t h o d i c a l . watch what it d o e s . a l l your l i g h t s . Go slow. Put up one l i g h t a t a t i m e and

A s l a t e i s s i m p l y a p i e c e of i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , whether on a f a n c y
c l a p b o a r d o r a s c r a p of p a p e r . When you have many d i f f e r e n t s h o t s

t o p i e c e t o g e t h e r i n t h e e d i t i n g , you need some way t o q u i c k l y t e l l one from t h e o t h e r . T h a t ' s what s l a t e s a r e f o r . You w r i t e a s c e n e

I f you do g e t c o n f u s e d a t some p o i n t , t u r n o f f

number o r a d e s c r i p t i o n on t h e s l a t e , h o l d i t i n f r o n t of t h e came r a , and r u n o f f a second o r two o f i t b e f o r e you s h o o t t h e s c e n e .

Then t u r n them on a g a i n one a t a t i m e , s o you can

s e e what e a c h i s d o i n g and r e g a i n c o n t r o l .

S l a t e s a r e wonderful t h i n g s .

They n e v e r f o r g e t , even if you do.

,

Sometimes you can v i s u a l i z e b e t t e r what y o u ' r e going t o s h o o t i f you make up a s t o r y b o a r d .

A storyboard i s a s e r i e s o f simple

Any time you have t h e s l i g h t e s t doubt t h a t t h e e d i t o r might n o t know what a s c e n e i s o r where i t goes, t e l l him w i t h a s l a t e . You

d r a w i n g s - -you c a n do them w i t h s t i c k f i g u r e s ~ r e p r e s e n t i n gt h e s h o t s you p l a n t o make. Drawing a s t o r y b o a r d i s l i k e a f r e e p r a c t i c e For example:

s h o u l d do t h i s even i f y o u ' r e going t o e d i t e v e r y t h i n g y o u r s e l f . I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e , i t ' s good d i s c i p l i n e .

I t f o r c e s you t o t h i n k a b o u t

i t d o e s n ' t u s e up any f i l m o r t a p e ! shoot~and

how t h e p i e c e s a r e going t o f i t t o g e t h e r .

S e c o n d l y , who wants t o

spend h a l f an e d i t i n g s e s s i o n wondering where t h i s s c e n e goes o r where t h a t one goes, when a s i m p l e s l a t e c o u l d t e l l you i n a second? A l s o , i f you number v a r i o u s t a k e s of t h e same s c e n e , you can go i m m e d i a t e l y t o t h e one marked b e s t on your l o c a t i o n n o t e s , and n o t w a s t e time r e v i e w i n g bad t a k e s . Hiya f o l k s ! L e t me t e l l you a b o u t t h e new Zootmobile! SHOOTING SCRIPTS AND STORYBOARDS O f t e n i t h e l p s t o make up a s h o o t i n g s c r i p t . This i s simply a T h i s c a r i s t h e g r e a t e s t ! And cheap? I ' l l t e l l you i t ' s cheap!

l i s t o f what y o u ' r e going t o s h o o t and how y o u ' r e g o i n g t o s h o o t i t .

For example:
VIDEO AUDIO

1. WIDE SHOT. by c a r .

Salesman

SALESMAN: Hiya f o l k s ! Let me t e l l you a b o u t t h e new Zootmobile! T h i s c a r i s t h e g r e a t e s t ! And cheap? I ' l l t e l l you i t ' s cheap! Look a t t h i s s t i c k e r ! 25,000 drachmas! And t h a t ' s i n c l u d i n g t a x , t a g and d e a l e r prep: So come on down and buy one today! Okay? Okay!

Look a t t h i s s t i c k e r !

25,000 drachmas! And t h a t ' s i n c l u d i n g t a x , t a g and d e a l e r prep!

2. MEDIUM SHOT. Salesman. PAN a s he moves t o s t i c k e r on window.

3 . CLOSE-UP.

Sticker

4 . WIDE SHOT.

Salesman

by c a r .

So come on down and buy one today! Okay? Okay!

83

SHOOTING OUT OF SEQUENCE When circumstances allow, you can save a lot of time and energy For some sequences, especially those involving a lot of lighting changes, there are advantages to shooting the scenes out of sequence-out of order. Say, for example, that only the first 3 0 seconds and the last 15 seconds of your sequence need to be shown in a wide shot. What you do is, set up for your wide shot, shoot the first 3 0 seconds, cut, then jump ahead and shoot the last 15 seconds right then, without moving the camera. This way you're finished once and for all with that camera position. Now you can move your lights, microphones and everything else around for your other shots. And you don't have to worry about putting everything back again for the end wide shotbecause you've already shot it! Take another example. Say you have a sequence consisting of COMMUNICATING Everybody has his or her own philosophy of working. make a small pitch for mine. I believe in communicating. I try to let everybody, from my assistants to the people who will appear on camera, know what we're going to do. Before we start, I discuss the shooting plan, ask for I'd like to by shooting out of sequence. Just remember to plan well, and don't forget your slates!

suggestions, and let everybody look through the camera. I try to get across the idea that we're all on the same team and we're going to have fun. ,Most of the time, we do. Of course, I also make it understood that, for the shoot to go smoothly, somebody has to be in charge--and that somebody is me. But

four scenes. You decide that Scenes 1 and 3 will be shot from Camera Position A. Scenes 2 and 4 will look best from Position B. If you

since by this point everybody knows what we're doing and why, mine can usually be a benevolent dictatorship.

have control of the situation, it makes a lot more sense to shoot Scene 1 from Position A, stay there and shoot Scene 3; and then move to Position B for Scenes 2 and 4. That way you move the camera one time. If you shoot the scenes in their natural order, you'll move

WORKING IN UNCONTROLLED SITUATIONS Sooner or later you'll find yourself working in a totally uncontrolled situation. If you're a television news cameraperson,

the camera three times: From A for Scene 1 to B for Scene 2 to A for

you'll be doing it every day. But you can still use what you've learned in this book. You can always try for a decent composition. You can construct basic sequences by regularly changing your camera angle and image size, and by grabbing cutaways wherever you can--even if it's the old standby of a closeup of another cameraperson. You can maintain your screen direction--and cover yourself with neutral shots when you cross
OUT O F S E Q U E N C E ONE CAMERA MOVE

I N SEQUENCE T H R E E CAMERA MOVES

the line.

You can let your subject enter and exit the frame cleanly. SOME FINAL WORDS Making moving pictures is a subjective art. absolute rights and wrongs. But there There are no

You can still shoot great sequencesyo just have to hustle more to get them. Shooting in uncontrolled situations can be exciting and fun, especially when it's all over and you know that in spite of everything you've got footage that works. some things that

usually work-like the things I've explained to you in this book. If you want to stray from the basics, fine. Just be sure you

understand what you're doing and why; otherwise you lose control of your work and confuse your viewers. Until you're really sure

of yourself, shoot a basic sequence for protection before going all out artsy-craftsy. You'll be glad you did. Learn to welcome criticism of your work. criticize yourself.
f

And learn to Every

It's the only way to progress.

criticism, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, can tell you something about your work. Don't bask in your successes-analyze them and find out why they worked, so you can repeat them. Use the same process to Professionalism is based

evaluate and learn from your failures.

on the ability to repeat your successes, and avoid repeating your failures . Writing books, like making moving pictures, is also a subjective art. So I welcome your criticism of work.
If you

have any ideas to improve future editions of THE BARE BONES CAMERA COURSE FOR FILM AND VIDEO, please contact me:

Tom Schroeppel 3205 Price Avenue Tampa, FL 33611

E-mail: TomSchroeppel@att.net Website: http://TomSchroeppel.home.att.net

87 INDEX set-up, 77-79; bounce Action, cutting on the, 50-51 Angles, camera, 33-34, 40, 4850 Aperture, lens, 4, 18 ASA, 8 Axis, of action, 56 Background light, 77-78 Backgrounds, distracting, 39-41 Backlight, 8, 72, 73, 77-78 Balance, colors, 30-32; masses, 28-29; white, 7 Barn doors, 76-77 Bounce light, 75,79 Broad light, 75-76, 79 Camera, 1-3; movie, 2; still, 1-2; television, 3 CCD, charge coupled device, 3 Close-up, 45, 48 Colors, balance, 30-32 Color temperature, 6-7, 73; film, 9-1; television, 7 Composition, 21-42 Cutaway, 45-47, 48 Depth of field, 17-20 Dichroic filter, 73;
DIN, 8
El, Exposure Index, 8

Script, shooting Shot, establishing, medium, 45, 48; n 60-61; point-of-view, 62; wide, 44, 48 Slates, 80-81 Softlight, 76 Storyboard, 81-82 Temperature, color, 6-7, 73; film, 9-10; television, 7 Thirds, rule of, 23-25 Tilts, 67-70 Tripod, 22 ~/stops,5 White balance, 7 Zoom, lens, 16; camera movement, 67-70

lighting,75, 79; broad light, 75-76, 79; exterior lighting, 72-74; fill light, 73-74, 77-79; focusing quartz, 74-75; interior lighting, 74-79; key light, 77-79; sidelight, 72-74; softlight, 76 Line, axis of action, 56-66; crossing the line, 56-66 Lines, leading, 37-38 Looks, leading, 26 Meters, light, 10-11 Montages, 71 Moves, camera, 67-70 Pans, 67-70 Pincushioning, 14 Pixels, 3 Quartz, focusing, light, 74-75 Reflector, 73 Sequence, basic, 43-55; planning/shooting, 80-85; shooting out of sequence, 83-84 Sunlight, 72-74

Entrance, clean, 52-55 Exit, clean, 52-55 Exposure, 4-5; film, 8-11; television, 7-8 Eye,human, 1 Eyepiece, focusing, 15-16 F/stops, 4-5, 18 Fill light, 73-74, 77-78 Film, 1-2, 7, 8, 9 Filters, color, 6-7, 73; dichroic, 73 Focus, 15-16, 17-20 Frames, within the frame, 35 ISO, 8-10 Key light, 77-79 Lens, camera, 1-3, 12-16; normal, 12-14; telephoto, 12-14, 17, 39-40; wide angle, 12-14, 18; zoom, Lens, human eye, 1 Light, color of, See + r temperature Light meters, 10-11 Lighting, 72-79; background light, 77-78; backlight, 8, 72, 73, 77-78; basic

Direction, screen, 56-66

Also by Tom Schroeppel, author of THE BARE BONES CAMERA COURSE FOR FILM AND VIDEO,
B

Getting Results With Pictures And Sound

VIDEO GOALS: GETTING RESULTS WITH PICTURES AND SOUND

116 pages, 8 1/2 x 11 A practical guide to the entire production process, from initial concept to final edit.

BY Tom Schroeppel

About the Author Tom Schroeppel has worked as a writer, director, cameraman and editor. His credits include documentaries, industrials and TV commercials. He lives in Tampa, Florida. "VIDEO GOALS is the kind of book everyone should read or reread before a directing or editing s e s s i o n ~ i tcan help anyone do a better and more professional job." Sandy Mielke Independent Producer/Director Miami, Florida "Overall, a very valuable guide to the pragmatic elements of the film and television production process. The text is clear, honest and helpful, not pedantic." Jay B. Korinek' Professor, Mass Communications Henry Ford Community College 4 . Dearborn, Michigan PARTIAL CONTENTS: Planning the shape of your program, Establishing a style, Writing dramatic and non-fiction scripts, Pre-production, Directing the basic sequence, Directing to edit, Directing actors, Selecting the appropriate microphone, Recording voices and presence, Basic rules of editing, Editing sound, Selecting and cutting music, Editing montages, Preparing for the sound mix, and more. TO: Tom Schroeppel 3205 Price Avenue Tampa, FL 33611 Please send me copies of Video Goals: Getting Results With Pictures and Sound at $9.95 each, plus $2 postage/handling per book. I enclose check or money order for Name (Please print) Address City State ZIP total.

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