Basic Shooting Techniques

Presented by

and

Basic Camera Techniques

Session presenter: Jennifer O’Rourke, Managing Editor Videomaker

Mic and Audio TechniquesSession presenter: Charles Fulton, Technical Editor

Videomaker

Session presenter: Tom Skowronski, Associate Editor

Videomaker

Lighting Techniques

Question Procedure

• Throughout this session, you can ask questions on the Google Moderator.

• The Videomaker team will answer the most popular questions during the last 15 minutes.

• If we are not able to answer your question during the webinar, we will post the answers in our Creator’s Corner blog.

So let’s get started...

Basic Camera Techniques

Tripods

• Size and Type do Matter

The Seven Deadly Camera Sins

• Backlighting

• Fire-hosing

• Snap-shooting

• Head-hunting

Backlighting

Good Lighting

The Seven Deadly Camera Sins

• Upstanding

• Constant Zooming

• Jogging

Upstanding: Bad Angle

Good Angle

Framing Your Shots

• Head room

• Look/Lead room

• Rule of thirds

Head Room• Don’t cut off chin• Don’t have too much empty

space above head

Bad Framing

Good Framing

Lead Room• Give the subject room to

move within the frame of video.

Bad Framing

Good Framing

Movement

• Dolly

• Pan

• Truck

• Tilt

• Pedestal

Make it smooth, make it deliberate

Dolly - Camera moves in or out

Movement

Truck - Camera movesside-to-side

Pan - Camera lens moves across scene

Movement

Tilt - Camera Lens tilts up to down

Pedestal - Camera moves

up to down

Handheld Shooting Tips• Tuck your elbows into your

sides

• Cup your elbow or support the bottom of the camera with the other hand.

• Tuck the camera into your hip.

Handheld Shooting Tips• Lean against a tree, pole or wall• Use a small support device

Handheld Shooting Tips

• Bad Balance

No!

Handheld Shooting Tips

• Good Balance

Yes!

Glossary

• Backlighting: Positioning a strong light source behind the talent.

• Fire-hosing: Irrational and jerky camera movement.

• Snap-shooting: Excessive cutting without rhythm or specific purpose.

• Head-hunting: A close-up shot, showing only the talent’s head.

Glossary Continued

• Upstanding: An extreme high angle shot of the talent.

• Constant Zooming: Excessive zooming in and out.

• Jogging: Excessive camera shaking while moving.

Resources

• Videomaker Presents: Basic Shooting DVD• The Videomaker Guide to Video Production• www.Videomaker.com: Production Techniques F

orum• www.YouTube.com/videomaker

Mic and Audio Techniques

Introduction

• Audio as afterthought?

Overview

• Being a good listener

• Mic considerations

• Mic qualities

Being a Good Listener

• Use the right headphone– Circum-aural (around-ear)

Mic Considerations

• Built-in or External • Balance and Impedance (signal

considerations)

Qualities: Design

• Shotgun

• Lavalier

Qualities: Pickup Pattern

• Omni

• Cardioid

• Hyper-cardioid

• Bi-Directional

Qualities: Situation?

• Voiceover

• Wedding

• Interview

• On-stage production

Qualities: Wireless

• Pros: – Mobility, unobtrusive

• Con: – Cost, loss of power, AC-RF interference

Qualities: Frequency Response

• Flat as possible

Qualities: Signal-to-Noise Ratio

• Low as you can afford

• –60dB OK - 80 dB Great!

Golden Rules

• Get close

• Don’t rely on “fixing it in post”

• Always record sound

• Plan sound like visuals

Resources

• Videomaker Presents: Sound Success DVD• The Videomaker Guide to Video Production• www.videomaker.com: Online microphone buyer’s

guide• www.YouTube.com/videomaker

Lighting Techniques

Purpose of Lighting

• Illuminates subject and background

• Creates a visual design

Good Lighting

• Defines subject shape/texture

• Flatters subject

• Matches locale

• Sets mood

Light Source Size

• Spotlights vs. Floodlights

• Umbrellas / Bounces

• Fluorescent banks

• Softboxes

• Practicals

• Natural

Light Setups

• Classic 3 point lighting– Key– Fill– Back

Guerrilla Lighting

• Quartz shop lights

• Household lamps

• Reflectors: poster board/tin foil/sun shields

• Diffusers

– Bed sheets

– Plant screening

– Any bulk fabric (rip-stop nylon the best)

Real World Indoor Lighting

• Supplement existing light

• Avoid windows as backgrounds

• Watch for other backlight problems

• Watch for mixed light

Indoor DIY Lighting

• An example of a shot using a professional softbox light kit.

• Setting a similar shot using paper Chinese lanterns. To help the use of a paper lantern, bring the lantern in closer to the subject than you would a professional light.

Indoor DIY Lighting

• To decrease the harshness of a shop-light, use some diffusion in front of the light, or point the light at a white ceiling or wall and bounce the light from there onto the subject.

Reflectors and Diffusers

• Use reflector to fill dark areas

• Use reflectors as bounce or rim light

• Diffusers-soften & spread light as it passes through

• Decreases light intensity

Outdoor Lighting: Use Reflectors• Bouncing light into a dark area can give the darker detail more

punch. We are making the viewer focus more on the basketball net by reflecting light to it. Compare the Reflector 2 close-up with the Reflector 3 close-up shot. The look is subtle, but the rim of the basketball net has more punch on it, and is pulled away from the background by the use of the reflector. The net in the Reflector 3 shot just blends into the background.

With ReflectorWithout Reflector

Outdoor Lighting: Use Reflectors

• If you don't have a professional reflector, you can bounce light using a piece of firm white poster board, sheet metal, or a board wrapped in crinkled foil.

Poster Board Sheet Metal

Resources

• Videomaker Presents: Light it Right

• Placing Shadows

• www.Videomaker.com

• Painting with Light, John Alton• www.YouTube.com/videomaker