Shooting a Sequence

COM 266Advanced Photography

Framing: field of view

• Wide angle shot– Establishes location– High angle

• Medium shot– Brings us closer– Shows the action

• Medium shot

• Close up– See see expressions

• Extreme close up– See details– Cutaways

• Extreme close ups– See details

• “The Lord’s Resistance Army Hunts Children in Sudan”– Cutaways of wounds, drawings

Ratios

Wide shots – 10%

Medium shots – 20%

Close ups– 50%

Extreme close ups – 20%

• Each shot should last 10 secs.

• Kobre adds– Point-of-view shot– Reaction shot

Rule of thirds

• Divide screen vertically and horizontally

• Intersections where should place most important parts of image

Too centered, needs more nose room on left

Better, works horizontally and vertically, has “looking room” on the left

• A-Roll– Interview footage

• B-Roll– Shots that illustrate the story– Fill in over interview in places– Ideally should be specific• Avoid “wallpaper” or generic video

• “The Boys of Christ Church House”– Chapter 2: A look inside– Example of “specific” B-roll

Additional shooting tips

• Avoid jump cuts– Caused when edit interview– Subject’s head appears to jump– Use B-roll

• The 180 degree rule– Violate it, characters appear to change sides– Shooting parade from different sides of street

Adding visual variety

• Vary angle– Shoot from high angle• Establish location • Dance hall, street fairs

– Low angle• Provides different perspective

• Avoid panning, zooming– Move in closer, farther away– Zoom in or out between shots

• Cinemagraphic shots– Dolly shot• Camera moves closer, farther way

– Tracking shot• Camera moves with moving subject

• In an action shot, generally want to stay with the action until it finishes