CMS 3510 Sports / CMS 3511 Performing Arts
Camera far away, zoomed in VS. Camera close up, zoomed out
"background looks closer"
"background looks farther away"
"background looks close"
2:04
While you're shooting, imagine your frame divided into into thirds (tic-tac-toe)
Important elements of your video line up with lines and on intersections. This will make your shots look more artistic and interesting to the eye.
Rule of Thirds examples
See how filmmakers use the Rule of 3rds to guide some of their shots...
Shape of the thirds echo the shape of the overall frame
Yes! It's just one of many composition techniques that make your video artistically interesting; there are other composition techniques, such as symmetry.
And...
optical illusions:
A forced perspective or optical illusion can juxtapose different elements in a new, amusing or interesting ways
Vanishing point, helps create a feeling of depth, scale, and personal experience
Puts the audience "into the shoes" of a character.
Sometimes resulting in a more direct emotional response by being able to see what a character sees. The audience can start to relate to the character's experience.
Cinematic: Emphasize space, create tension, reinforce a theme...
First person perspective: makes it more personal.
Optical illusions: juxtaposing different elements in new and interesting ways, possibly stating an opinion about perception and reality.
Now lets talk about FRAMING!
(MFS / MWS)
(FS) / (WS)
(also a perspective!
Extreme Close Up (XCU): a small but important portion of the face (or object), usually the eyes.
Close Up (CU): a shot of the face (or object), sometimes cutting off some extraneous material like the top of the head and neck
Medium Shot (MS): a little wider than waist up, showing more context, but not the whole body
Medium Full Shot or Medium Wide Shot (MFS / MWS): a shot showing the whole body (or almost all of it), and more of the surrounding context, but not all
Wide Shot or Full Shot (WS / FS): Showing the whole body and all of the important parts of the surrounding context.
Extreme Wide Shot (XWS): showing the whole scene, the subject very small within it, including necessary and unecessary contextual detail
Framing shot sizes:
This is a composition technique that tells the story using the landscape itself. Using the environment's frame is sometimes more compelling than just the camera's frame alone.
Don't shoot vertical video!
One option for dealing with vertical video: