Intro to Video

1. Intro to Video Multimedia Storytelling Spring 2014

2. Visual components • Frames • Composition • Angles • Shots • Shot types • Shot length • Shot sequences

3. Frames

4. Composition • Composition refers to the arrangement of elements within a frame • Pay attention to: • Rule of thirds • Head, nose + lead room • Background elements

5. Rule of thirds • Objects, people and the horizon should fall on a line or points that cross • Place the subject at one of the intersections • Interview composition tips: • One third of the frame should be above the person’s eyes • One third of the frame should be the person's face and shoulder area • One third of the frame should be the person's lower torso.

6. Head, nose + lead room • Head room: Watch the space above your subject’s head to avoid chopping and sinking • Nose room: If a subject is looking to the side, add space in the direction in which the person is looking • Lead room: If a subject is moving, add space to the direction in which they’re moving so they can move through the frame

7. Background elements • A simple background will draw more attention to your subject • An environmental background will tell the viewers more about your subject • If you’re working with a busier background, frame your subject between the background objects • Avoid poles, branches, etc. that run through people’s heads, etc.

8. Simple backgrounds

9. Environmental backgrounds

10. Angles • A variety of angles + a variety of shot types = visually rich sequences • Angle review: • High angle • Low angle • Eye level • Bird’s eye/ant’s eye • Slanted

11. High angle

12. Low angle

13. Eye Level

14. Bird’s eye/ant’s eye

15. Slanted

16. Shots • A shot refers to a single, continuous take • Presenting a variety of shot types in each sequence is what keeps the viewer interested • Try collecting 25% wide, 25% tight & 50% medium shots • For each shot type, shoot at least 10-15 seconds of that shot

17. Shot types • Extreme wide shots • Wide/long shots • Medium shots • Medium close-ups • Close-ups • Extreme close-ups • Two-shots • Over-the-shoulder • Point of view • Selective focus • Abstract

18. Extreme wide shot

19. Wide/Long shot

20. Medium shot

21. Medium close-up

22. Close-up

23. Extreme close-up

24. Shot types: Two-shot

25. Over-the-shoulder shot

26. Point-of-view shot

27. Selective focus shot

28. Abstract shot

29. Shot length • Shot length refers to the amount of time a shot appears on screen • Amount of time for which you show each shot will vary • At a minimum, gather 10-15 seconds of each shot • Keep in mind that the average edited shot length is between 4-5 seconds • Less is more, so when editing, edit down your shots to keep viewers moving

30. One-shot videos

31. Shot sequences • A sequence refers to a series of related shots • Sequences move the viewer through the story • Using variety in your shot sequences will hold the viewer’s attention • Gathering a variety of shot sequences for your story will give you more editing flexibility

32. Film sequencing

33. Documentary sequencing

34. Sequencing in journalism

35. Video 101: A-roll vs. B-roll • A-roll is your primary footage • Your interviews • B-roll is your secondary footage • Action • Details • Enriches the story by adding meaning/context to the sequence • Gives you more flexibility when editing by hiding or distracting from unwanted content

36. Video 101: Working your camera • Use a tripod • Set your white balance • Set your exposure • Focus • Zoom • Capture movement

37. Tripod • Tripods frame your shots, control your camera • Head: Steadies camera, allows for panning + tilting • Legs: Stabilize head, set height • Feet: Grounds tripod

38. White balance • Color temperature of the shot • Test auto white balance before shooting • If WB is off when you test the auto function, manually adjust it by using your WB controls • Bring or find something neutral to shoot • Shoot the neutral object • Set your camera’s WB to match that neutral

39. Exposure • Exposure is the brightness or darkness of a picture/video • Exposure is controlled by F-stops • Lower f-stop = wider lens opening = brighter picture • Higher f-stop = narrow lens opening = darker picture • Test automatic exposure before you rely on it

40. Focus • Each shot needs to have something in focus, whether it be the subject or an object • When setting up a shot: • Zoom in to eyes/focal point of object • Focus • Zoom out • Frame the shot • Shoot

41. Zoom • Set the zoom before the beginning of the recording session • When first starting with video, don’t zoom in the middle of your shot • If absolutely necessary, zoom as slowly as possible during a shot • If someone is talking do not zoom!

42. Movement • Panning : Camera swivels to show scene • Moving shot: Camera swivels to follow action • When first starting out: • Camera should capture motion, not create it • Use camera movement sparingly • Remember that camera emotion draws attention to itself and away from the subject • Experiment with movement once you’ve collected all necessary shots for your sequence