One Day on Earth Interactive Lesson #4

Lesson 4: Shooting Fundamentals


Composition is the spatial arrangement

of visual elements in a work of art.


Composition is the

spatial arrangement of visual elements in a work of art.


is the spatial arrangement of visual elements in a work of art.

CompositionLesson 4: Shooting Fundamentals

Composition

Exercise:

Arrange a round object, a square object and two long objects a create an interesting photographic or video composition with them.


Composition

Exercise:


Composition

Exercise:

Find a curved object and do the same.


Composition

Exercise:

Find a curved object and do the same.

Now find two lines that intersect and create a composition with them.


Look at the horizon, and try different ways of dividing the space.






Framing is the act of creating a boundary between what the filmmaker chooses to show the audience, and what happens beyond the view of the camera. ! Paying close attention to your framing allows you to create a more pleasing image, while keeping the focus on the subject.


Framing Framing can add depth to the image, give context, and add information to the picture.

Terry Henderson


Framing

Sometimes a natural frame can be found within the environment you are shooting, such as trees, clouds, a tunnel or an archway.

Terry Henderson


The rule of thirds is a compositional guideline that states that an image should be thought of as divided into nine equal parts...

Rule of Thirds


...by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines.

Rule of Thirds


Important compositional elements, or the subject of the image, should be placed along these lines, or at their intersections.

Rule of Thirds


© Peter Beier Lorenzen / Alamy


Camera dddd perspective

! can be thought of as the point from which the photo or the film is being shot in relation to the subject that you are shooting.

Neutral Angle High Angle

Jennifer Serchia


Neutral Angle High Angle

Jennifer Serchia

Camera dddd perspective

! can be thought of as the point from which the photo or the film is being shot in relation to the subject that you are shooting.

This is the place that you are choosing to view your subject from. This can also be referred to as camera angle; you can use a low angle, a high angle, or an overhead angle to name a few.


a

shot is a continuous series of frames,

running for an uninterrupted period of time, and coming from one camera.


a

shot is a continuous series of frames,

running for an uninterrupted period of time, and coming from one camera.

TIP: When you find a shot that you like, hold on it for 10 or more seconds. This increases the the chance of capturing an interesting action and will also give you more footage to work with, making editing easier.


a

shot shows the full scene and places the

subject in relationship to its surroundings. It is the widest view of the scene.

master

Anto Motulz


a

shot


medium falls between a wide shot and a close-up shot, and can cover the full subject or part of the subject in order to draw attention to a specific area or action.

Gina Nemirofsky


in a

shot

subject in relationship to its surroundings. It is te widest view of the scene.

close-up the subject framed by the camera ddddddddddddd generally fills the entire screen.

Richard Clark


extreme close-up an

shot


shows a fragment of a subject. It is a way to signify the importance of an object, the movement of a body part, or an action taking place in a scene.

Tristan Bayer


What camera will I use?

You, or people you know, may have a camera that you can use on your filming date. !!


!!

It is important that you get to know how to use this camera before you film. Please take out your cameras and investigate them.


Here’s a list of questions that you can answer about your camera to help you better understand what it can do and how best to use it: !


1) Does your camera have the following?

On/Off button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button

Tape Dock or Card Dock



On/Off button

Start/Stop button


LCD screen or viewfinder



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button

White Balance Button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob

Focus Button or Knob



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack

Battery



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack

Battery

AC adaptor/Power cord



On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack

Battery


Lens Cap


Journal: Make a list of anything you find on the camera that’s not on the list. Next to the name, write what you think it’s for.

On/Off button

Start/Stop button



Record button

Menu Button


Exposure Button

Display Button

Zoom Button or Knob


Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack

Battery


Lens Cap


Experiment with your camera:

Zoom

Certain lenses are designed in such a way that their focal lengths can be changed, making subjects appear closer (zoom in) or farther away (zoom out).

Dave ShaLuck



Zoom

Generally this is a sliding button on a video camera, a button or manual adjustment on your SLR camera.

Dave ShaLuck



Zoom

Exercise: Turn your camera on and point it at a subject. Find your zoom button or knob and push it, watch as your camera zooms in and out.

Dave ShaLuck



Focus

Tristan Bayer



Focus

Your lens can be adjusted to make an image distinct and clear by shifting the distance of the lens from the subject.

Tristan Bayer



Focus

A subject that is in focus will have sharp, crisp edges. A subject that is out of focus will be blurry.

Tristan Bayer



FocusAutoAuto focus allows the camera to automatically adjust the focus for you.



FocusManualManual focus allows the user to adjust focus. When working with shifting light or off-center compositions, manual focus is best.



Exercise: Point your camera at a subject, zoom in as close as you can, and then focus manually by adjusting with your manual focus button or knob. Zoom back out and everything should look sharp and in focus. This is called critical focus. !



White Balance To make sure that your footage best matches the real life light and colors of your subject, you must set the white balance on your camera.



White Balance White Balance adjusts the sensor in your camera to perceive light from different sources the way your eye perceives those colors.



White Balance

White Balance adjusts the the sensor in your camera to perceive light from different sources the way your eye perceives those colors...

Daylight:

Bernard M Lynch Jr: OrangeMercury.com



White Balance


Fluorescent:

Noemi Preiswerk



White Balance


Tungsten:

Javier Pistani



Exposure Exposure is a term that refers to the total amount of light that is allowed to fall on the image sensor during the process of taking a photograph or video.



Exposure The purpose of adjusting exposure is to control the brightness and the darkness of the image.



Exposure

Underexposed Properly Exposed Overexposed

Jennifer Serchia



SoundSound is an important element in your video. Most video cameras have built in microphones. For be<er sound, you can plug a external microphone into your camera’s audio jack.



Sound

Exercise: Find out what sound options your camera has. Does your camera have levels? If it does, adjust for sound levels. Red is the peak, and if it sounds distorted the levels are set too high.



Tripod!

A tripod is a three-legged stand used to provide the stability to hold a camera.



Handheld!

If you don’t have a tripod, then you will be shooting handheld footage.



Handheld Exercise: Try holding the camera and moving around with it. How can you best stabilize the camera so that the image appears still? How can you give your shot a smooth floating quality? Try to hold the camera still and focused on one point for 10 seconds.



Panning and Tilting

Panning refers to the horizontal rotaAon of a camera that changes the field of view from side to side. This is usually done with the aid of a tripod.


Tilt refers to the verAcal rotaAon of a staAonary camera that changes the field of view along a front to back access.


Panning and Tilting


Journal: What kind of coverage do you need for the topic you have chosen to film? How many cameras will you use? What type of shots will you use to cover the topic?


One Day on Earth Interactive Lesson #4

Education

fundamentals composition

camera angle

low angle

overhead angle

rule of thirdslesson

work of

different ways

curved object