Helpful hints for shooting video
Here are some tips for shooting video from Tim O'Brien, university videographer.
When planning your video, remember to use a variety of shots. The most common are the following:Establishing shots: Wide shots that show the entire scene. They are meant to help the viewer recognize where the action is taking place.
Cut-ins: Bring the viewer in close to specific details in the scene.
Cutaways (or B-Roll): Supporting footage of the main idea of the video. Example: A cutaway might be a shot of a person playing an instrument that is used during an interview in which the person talks about playing music.
Reaction shots: Help the viewer understand how the interviewer (or the audience) is reacting to the topic.
How to set up a video interview
Use the “rule of thirds.” The rule of thirds is a helpful compositional tool that ensures that a shot looks balanced. An example would be an interview in which the subject is placed with his or her head centered on one half of the screen or the other. This puts them on the “third” and helps balance the look of the composition.
Pay attention to talk-space. Any subject on camera should be framed so as to allow space in front of their face. If you don’t allow enough talk-space, the subject will appear confined.
Allow for enough headroom. Unless shooting an extreme close-up, your subject should always be given a small amount of space above his or her head to avoid the illusion of the top of their head being chopped off.
Leave space for graphical information. Room should be left below the interviewee’s chin so their title information can be displayed in the lower third without covering part of their face.
Create a conversational feeling with camera angles. During an interview the interviewer should be near the camera, and the interviewee should face the interviewer. Interviewees should not directly face the camera, unless they are directly addressing the viewers. Also, it is important that the interviewer not be too far away from the camera as this will result in an awkward-looking interview, as the subject will be looking too far away from the camera in profile.
It is also important to keep in mind that placing the camera below the eye-level of the subject will make the subject seem superior to the viewer, whereas shooting from above will create the opposite psychological effect.