Let’s Set the Scene
Imagine you have four cameras all prepped, white balanced, back focused, and pixel corrected. The lighting is optimized, the audio tested, and the talent briefed. Now that your shoot is ready to roll, how will you direct the cameras and choose the shots?
When an event is covered with a single camera, your choices are rather simple. Once the tripod location is selected and the framing set, the shoot unfolds from one unchanging perspective. While functional, a one-camera shoot has obvious limitations.
Adding a second camera, now, allows a back-and-forth method of capture, using one camera in wide perspective and one in narrow. A third camera expands your options exponentially, with multiple angles and several framing choices available to broaden the visual storytelling palette. Finally, using four or more cameras in the layout creates a virtually unlimited approach to each segment of the event, delivering a dynamic, multifaceted montage to the viewer.
Depending on the subject matter and type of event, your camera shots may range from the mundane to the experimental; but, as a general rule, it’s best to follow accepted best practices, honed over decades by generations of directors. In a musical setting, the framing and transitions can be sharp and quickly executed. In contrast, a person speaking will be best served through fewer, slower movements and conversions.
Your overarching goal is to tell the story in an appropriate and compelling way. The idea is to enhance an event, not visually distract from it. To that end, here are seven ways to shoot video and call shots in a creative yet effective manner.
Rule of Thirds
Imagine your viewfinder is segmented into nine sections like a tic-tac-toe board. Move the camera so the eyes of the subject fall along the upper horizontal line. This position mimics normal, real-life encounters and frames the subject to a natural size and focus.
Negative Space
Using negative space is a positive technique. As the subject moves left or right across the scene, have the camera lead them in the frame, always putting more space in front of them than behind them.
Push
One of the most effective techniques for a talking-head environment such as a corporate meeting or a church service is the zoom push, or “push,” commonly used to emphasize the importance of the point a person is making. Using a deliberate, slow push of the zoom from a wide to a narrow perspective adds to the poignancy of what the person is communicating. For example, the “Presidential Push” technique is a painstakingly slow, slightly upward push that takes as long as a minute or more to conclude. If done well, the zoom culminates in a tight shot as the subject reaches the pinnacle of their message.
Pull
Opposite to a push, a zoom pull, or “pull,” can help communicate a broadening idea such as “We are in this together!” by slowly zooming out, showcasing more people in the frame as the concept is being delivered. However, pulls are more dangerous because their exposure is into the unknown. Pulls should be used sparingly and in tandem with a second camera, often called a “status camera,” that is running ahead of the pull to alert the director to any potential issues in the field of view.
Pan
Panning allows the camera to move along its horizontal axis to follow the subject as they move across the scene. It’s best executed when zoomed in to a narrow range. As the subject moves across the scene, be sure the camera shot leads them while keeping them in frame. When the subject reaches the camera pan limit, the shot should be cut to a “receiving” camera the subject is moving toward, maintaining visual continuity for the viewer.
Dolly
In contrast to a pan shot, where the camera only turns left or right from a fixed position, the dolly technique allows the camera to hold the same perspective on the subject by physically moving the camera across the scene in conjunction with the movement of the subject. Typically, the dolly technique involves a camera mounted to a dolly rolling along a smooth, railroad-type track. While dolly equipment is expensive, the technique can be imitated using a stabilized handheld rig such as a Steadicam.
Jib
This technique renders a very powerful and compelling visual experience to the viewer. Jib systems have been used for decades in cinema but are traditionally very costly; however, affordable units are now accessible. The jib allows the camera to physically fly through the air by mounting it to a boom arm to capture the perspective from above the scene coupled with the camera movement. A jib can move vertically, horizontally, and diagonally while zooming, making the framing choices virtually limitless. A counterweight is often used on the opposite end of the boom to balance the weight of the extended boom and the camera until a fluid equilibrium is achieved. The key to effective jib usage is adequate prep work to ensure the components are fixed, secure, and adjusting as intended. It is, then, up to the operator to engage the jib as smoothly as possible while remaining cognizant of potential obstacles or audience members in the path of the jib.
A Note on Directing
The key to getting the best footage is to think through each shot and always have the next one in mind. The director should communicate over the intercom-system headphones to each of the camera operators in a positive, steady, and authoritative voice, providing the team confidence as the show progresses.
Many directors use a “Command – Notify – Confirm” approach to calling the shots, such as, “(Camera) two go tight, three stay put. Ready two, take two, two is live.” Speak with a defined rhythm that is easy for the operators to grasp and execute.
About Transitions
When it comes to transitions, the current trends are to use straight cuts between shots with only occasional short dissolves when the moment is sensitive or would benefit from a tiny dose of drama. Avoid elaborate wipes and interplays as they are not considered tasteful by current standards.
In Summary
Video offers an unparalleled opportunity to tell a visual story in sync with the audio and lighting. When the right moves are directed and executed, the results can be spectacular.
Kent Morris is a 40-year veteran of the AVL arena driven by a passion for excellence and tempered by the knowledge that digital is a temporary state.
