Presentation from the Fall 2012 JEA/NSPA National Journalism Convention in San Antonio, TX. This session discussed basic rules and tips for video angles, composition, lighting and shooting for sound.

1. Basic videography
techniques
Don Goble
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, MO
dgoble@ladueschools.net
@dgoble2001
2760

2. News Feature from HEC-TV &
other Goble videos with professionals:
http://teachersites.ladue.k12.mo.us/lhwhs/dgoble/Goble_Teacher_Website/Professional_TV.html
While on the site, also visit the Video Production Tips page!

3. Goals for the Session
Build some common language
Teach you new methods or validate
what you are already doing
Presentation will be uploaded to my
SlideShare account for review
http://www.slideshare.net/dgoble

4. Ten Finger
wide sound
medium shot
shot lighting nose
reaction
close eyes
shot
background
action

5. Wide
• Long shot – LS/Wide shot - WS: shows the
big picture from side to side and front to
back--the location, the characters, and the
relationship between characters & location; a
person's entire body is visible on the screen.
Head to toe
• Extreme long shot – ELS: very distant view of
subjects, relative to other shots
• Establishing shot - ES: first seconds/minute
of video, shows setting & sets mood in our
broadcasts,

6. Medium
Medium shot – MS: closer to
scene; advances action &
information to understand why of
location & action; shows a person
from the waist up.
Medium close-up – MCU: shows a
person from the chest up

7. Tight
Close-up – CU: on a single object;
person's head & down to just below
shoulder; reveals details of emotion &
personality, tension & excitement on
person’s face
Extreme close-up – ECU: relative to other
shots, a small part of person’s body; it is
OK to cut off the top of a person's head,
but never cut off their chin--remember
the rule of thirds about a person's eyes!

8. Critical Focus

9. Composition
• Rule of Thirds
• High Angle
• Low Angle
• Oblique/Canted Angle
• Zoom In & Zoom Out
• Pan Left & Pan Right
• Eye Level
• Hand Held Shots
• The Bird’s Eye View

10. Framing
• Rule of Thirds
• Eyes on Third
• No Head room
• Nose Room
• Shoot to edit protocol - give
extra time
• Always shoot in sequences
• Wide
• Medium
• Tight

11. High Angle
• Not so extreme as a bird's eye view.
The camera is elevated above the
action using a crane to give a
general overview.
• High angles make the object
photographed seem smaller, and
less significant (or scary).
• The object or character often gets
swallowed up by their setting - they
become part of a wider picture.

12. Low Angle
• These increase height (useful for short
actors like Tom Cruise) and give a sense of
speeded motion.
• Low angles help give a sense of confusion to
a viewer, of powerlessness within the action
of a scene.
• The background of a low angle shot will tend
to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail
about the setting adding to the
disorientation of the viewer.
• The added height of the object may make it
inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who
is psychologically dominated by the figure
on the screen.

13. Oblique/Canted Angle
• Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not
placed horizontal to floor level), to
suggest imbalance, transition and
instability (any Michael Bay movie).
• This technique is used to suggest
POV=Point-of-View shots (i.e. when the
camera becomes the 'eyes' of one
particular character, seeing what they
see - a hand held camera is often used
for this).

14. Zoom In & Zoom Out
• Slowly include a WS slow zoom to
CU and hold the shot.
• And then slowly begin a shot at a
CU and zoom to a WS and hold the
shot.

15. Pan Left & Pan Right
• Moving the camera to the left or right
side is called a Pan.
• Can help follow action or show the
landscape of your shot.
• Must be used sparingly and slowly.

16. Eye Level
• A fairly neutral shot
• The camera is positioned as though
it is a human actually observing a
scene, so that actors' heads are on
a level with the focus.
• The camera will be placed
approximately five to six feet from
the ground.

17. Hand Held Shots
• The hand-held camera was invented in the
1950s to allow the camera operator to move in
and out of scenes with greater speed.
• It gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds
with the organized smoothness of a dolly shot,
and is favored by filmmakers looking for a
gritty realism (i.e. Scorsese), which involves
the viewer very closely with a scene. Much
favored by the makers of NYPD Blue.
• If possible, ALWAYS use a Tripod when filming.
Shaky shots can be VERY distracting.

18. The Bird’s Eye View
• This shows a scene from directly overhead,
a very unnatural and strange angle.
• Familiar objects viewed from this angle
might seem totally unrecognizable at first
(umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This
shot does, however, put the audience in a
godlike position, looking down on the
action.
• People can be made to look insignificant,
ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.
• Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de
Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

19. Light
• White Balance - use a sheet of
white paper to help set
• Natural Light
• Florescent Lights
• Light kits

20. Camera Placement
• 180 degree rule

21. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

22. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

23. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

24. Shooting Tips !
Always:
• Use a tripod
• Use Manual focus on the camera
• Be mindful of your light
• Shoot more footage than you need from as many
angles as possible
• Zoom your feet, not only the lens

25. Shooting Tips !
Always:
• Remove hats and glasses (eyes are windows to the
soul)
• Avoid bright backgrounds (windows, whiteboards,
etc.)
• Get a variety of angles (not just eye level)
• Avoid movement (pan & zoom while recording)
• Shoot for sound

26. The Cell Phone - short film
http://bit.ly/qn56RC
More 7 cam angle examples at:
http:www.schooltube.com/search/?term=7%20camera%20angles