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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
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Videography for Dummies
More than likely, there is a book called
Videography for Dummies, and if so, I’m sorry I stole the title!
Video is becoming more popular every day. Have a look in the window of a camera
shop and you will find as many video cameras as there are still cameras. In
addition, many still digital cameras also have a video capability as do many
camera phones these days, so there is probably just as much video work being
done as still.
The main difference between still and video lies in that still photography
freezes a moment in time, while video photography tells a moving picture story.
For the still photographer it is a case of looking at the background and then
working out the best combination of shutter speed and aperture. For the video
photographer it is a case of working out the story line and then how to shoot
the various elements in the story.
One of the ways you can pick the first time video user is the fact that the
camera operator spends much time taking shots of still subjects. Having not made
the mental adjustment from still photography, many minutes are taken up with a
video of his wife standing by the front door of the hotel. That was a ‘still’
shot. With video, you film your wife checking out at the cashier’s desk, picking
up her bags and walking towards the exit. Then you rush outside and the next
footage is her coming out of the hotel and hailing a taxi. You have just shot a
living ‘story’.
So where can you go to ‘learn’ this new art? Just as still photographers have
photographs in books and magazines to study, the video photographer has a very
ready source of informative examples to scrutinize. This is called TV! Sit down
in front of the goggle box and see how the pros do it. Even the dreadful Thai
soap operas have good cinematic technique! So start to look critically at
technique. Where was the camera, relative to the subject? Did they “zoom” in or
was it one far shot and another close up to follow? How many times did the
cameraman actually use the inbuilt zoom? You may be amazed to see how seldom!
Here are a few more “rules” which can help you produce better video. Firstly, no
rule is absolute, but you should have a good reason to break it. Having said
that, let’s look at a few basics.
You should shoot people in full or three-quarter profile to let the viewers see
both eyes. The one eyed effect does not look good. Again, look at TV. When two
people are talking, the camera shoots over the shoulder of person one to shoot
the second person face-on to the camera. When the first person replies, the shot
is taken the other way, over the shoulder of the second person. You can also
take shots of the person who is listening to the other speak. These are called
‘noddies’, because the person will be nodding while listening to the other
speaker.
When shooting people, place the subject’s eyes one-third down from the top of
the frame no matter the type of shot. It is that old rule of thirds again. Dead
central is boring!
Another shot to avoid is one with large distances between people. Again, look at
the soaps on TV. The people are really standing much closer than they would in
real life (in each other’s personal space in fact), but if you have them a meter
or so apart, you lose ‘contact’ in the video.
Focusing. This is a common problem with still cameras with Auto-Focus (AF), and
99 percent of video cameras are AF too. The magic eye in the camera focuses on a
spot in the middle of the screen. When you are filming a couple, if the magic
dot is not on one of the people, they will end up out of focus and the
background perfectly sharp.
Application of these simple aspects of video photography will give you (and
those who watch your videos) a much better end product, and a much more
satisfying one for yourself to produce.
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