Videography & Editing Guide PDF

VIDEOGRAPHY & EDITING LOOKING THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER Viewfinder The viewfinder is a small video monitor attached to the camera that shows an image of what the camera sees; and show how to frame static or moving objects and events. As soon as you point a camera at some object or event you n...

VIDEOGRAPHY & EDITING LOOKING THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER Viewfinder The viewfinder is a small video monitor attached to the camera that shows an image of what the camera sees; and show how to frame static or moving objects and events. As soon as you point a camera at some object or event you need to make certain decision about what to shoot and and how to shoot it.  FRAMING A SHOT Frame Composition  The way in which images can be effectively structured within a frame or single shot  Some considerations: Aspect Ratio Rule of Thirds Symmetry Closure Field of view  FRAMING A SHOT Aspect Ratio  The dimension of the film/video effect the relation of objects and shapes  To put it plainly, it’s the shape of your image—the width and the height.  An image’s aspect ratio represents the image’s size with two numbers separated by a colon.  So, an image with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 means the image’s width is 1.85 times the size of its height.  The correct aspect ratio used will allow for the comfortable viewing  FRAMING A SHOT Aspect Ratio Standard TV Standard 35mm photography aspect ratio HDTV aspect ratio Feature Film aspect ratio  Rule of Thirds Which one is better?  FRAMING A SHOT Rule of Thirds Assures that there is harmony and balance in the composition of the image. Makes the image more dynamic and prevents it from static. Place important elements of the image in one third of the frame, where the lines cross. This will emphasis to the viewer, where they should direct their gaze. Rules of Thirds When shooting a subject, align the subject on the one of the lines (or intersections). This makes a more aesthetical pleasing image/shot. Rule of Thirds: Examples  FRAMING A SHOT Symmetry/Asymmetry  Symmetry – balances the objects in the scene, appears stable and solid – But can be boring  Asymmetry – Frame is more volatile and interesting – But can be distracting Key to good directing is knowing how to balance these. Symmetry Asymmetry  FRAMING A SHOT Closure  Closure is the sense of completeness invoked in the viewer.  Frame the subject in the center of the frame gives a sense of closure (call this a “closed frame”) –We feel the scene is complete, no relationship with the rest of the scene  Framing the subject on a principle line, or leaving view room or lead room (call this an “open frame”) – Gives the sense that the subject is still part of the scene  Directors must know how and when to use closure/non closure to help the narrative of the story  Closure Shot A gives us a sense of closure. We think this is a shot about 3 house. We may call this a “closed frame” Shot B is not closed, gives us a sense that there are lots of houses (maybe more than 3). We may call this an “open frame”. Depends on what the director wants to convey to which shot is correct. Closure for Human Subjects Do not cut the person at joint points. This gives doesn’t give a sense of closure, we will feel like something is missing. Instead frame between joints.  Frame up to here if you want to include the shoulders. Don’t cut at the shoulders.  Frame up here if you want to have an. Upper body shot. Don’t cut right at the mid- waist.  Frame here for even more. Don’t cut at the knees.  Psychological Closure  Through psychological closure we are able to perceive a complete figure even if it is shown only partially in a close- up.  Close-ups that show only part of the object must provide sufficient visual cues for closure in off-screen space. We perceive this three angle brackets as a triangle by mentally filling in the missing parts.  Framing Close-up  A properly framed close-up leads our eyes into off- screen space to complete the figure.  This picture also will make you mentally fill in the rest of the subject’s body although you actually see only her head and shoulders on-screen. Choosing the proper frame Here are two extreme close-ups. Which one is better? Improper and Proper Framing  FRAMING A SHOT Field of View  Field of view refers to how close the object seems to the viewer, or how much of the “field”, or scenery, in front of you is in the shot.  The field of view is usually expressed in five shots, ranging from extreme long shot (ELS or XLS), extreme close-up (ECU or XCU), long shot (LS), medium shot (MS) and close-up (CU).  Other shot designations refer to how much of a person we can see (such as bust shot or knee shot) and how many people we can see (two- shot or three-shot).  In an over-the-shoulder-shot (O/S), wee see the shoulder and the back of the head of the camera-near person while looking at the camera- far person.  A cross-shot (X/S) A technique for filming interactions between two people in which the camera looks alternately at one or the other person, with the focus on the person farthest from the camera. Field of View The field-of-view distance steps are relative and depend on how a long shot or a close-up is visualized. Field of View Other shot designations tell where the subject is cut off by the upper or the lower part of the frame, how many subjects are in the frame, or how they are arranged.  FRAMING A SHOT Other shot designations. What is the shot here?  FRAMING A SHOT Shot use  Close up – Draws the attention to the subject – Can increase dramatic emphasis – If overused, dramatic impact greatly reduced  Long Shot – Orients the viewer to the subject – Used to “establish” the scene – An opening scenes often start with a long shot that we call “establishing”  FRAMING A SHOT Camera Angles  Point of view – Shows scene from a subject’s point of view/  Reverse-Angle shot – shows what the actor is seeing, i.e. point of view shot, but used after showing the actor (i.e. we see the actor, then their POV  Eye Level – Most common  Low-Angle Shot – Gives emphasis that the object is powerful, larger  High-Angle Shot – Can be used to indicate smallness, danger, but also can just add variety into the sequence  Overhead Shot – Creates a unique perspective for the viewer What is the shot here?  The image uses a bird's-eye view shot (also known as an overhead shot) where the camera looks directly down on the subjects from above. This perspective provides a sense of intimacy and creates a unique visual effect, often emphasizing the environment around the subjects—in this case, the cracked icy surface.  In a high angle shot, the camera is positioned above an actor and looks down at them. This perspective makes characters look small, vulnerable, or lost in their environment. High angle shots are often used in horrors, thrillers, or suspense films because they convey danger or shock. Overhead vs high angle  The overhead shot is when the camera is almost 90 degrees above the subject and often not too high. It gives us a perspective so close to the reality of a scene. The overhead shot usually gives us more information about a scene and actions and shows us the cause and effect between them, like an overhead shot of a fight scene between several men. It’s also a good option to show the environment of a subject or a situation that the character is in as it gives us the feeling of being diminished or even stuck in a situation.  High angle shot somehow has the same height as the overhead shot but with a different angle. It creates a feeling of danger or inferiority around the character, especially when using it with zooming in. We can see the high angle shot in horror movies or action genres when the character senses danger and is not dominant in the situation.  FRAMING A SHOT Composition  The most stable picture area is screen-center. Screen-Center Placement The most stable screen position is screen-center. All screen forces are neutralized at this point. Screen-Center Placement of Newscaster A single newscaster should be placed screen-center. This position draws undivided attention to the newscaster and what she is saying. Picture Balance When newscaster has to share the screen space with other visuals, the elements must be placed in opposite screen halves so that they balance each other.  FRAMING A SHOT Composition  Headroom neutralizes the pull of the upper screen edge. No Headroom Without headroom the person seems glued to the top edge of the screen. Too Much Headroom tends to dwarf the person and push the image against the lower half of the screen.  FRAMING A SHOT Composition Proper Headroom  neutralizes the magnetic pull of the upper edge and makes the person look comfortable within the frame. Headroom for transmission The framing on the left is correct for the viewfinder display, but the inevitable picture loss during transmission or video recording requires more initial headroom. The framing on the right is therefore more appropriate.  FRAMING A SHOT Composition  Nose room and lead room neutralize the index and motion vector forces, respectively, and the pull of the frame No Nose room Without any space between the nose and the screen edge, the person seems to be glued to the frame or crashing into it. Proper Nose room This nose room is sufficient to counter the pull of the screen and the force of the glance.  FRAMING A SHOT Composition No Lead room Without proper lead room the laterally moving subject or object seems oddly impeded by the screen edge. Proper Leadroom With proper lead room the laterally moving subject or object seems able to move freely in the given direction.  FRAMING A SHOT Horizon Line Level Horizon Line When framing a person standing in front of a prominent horizon line make sure that it is level. Tilting the Horizon Line A titled horizon line increases the dynamic tension of the event.  Manipulating Picture Depth  Depth dimension is two-dimensional area of the video screen.  Whereas the width and the height of the video screen have definite limits, the depth dimension extends from the camera lens to the horizon.  The screen depth, or z-axis is an imaginary line that stretches from camera lens to horizon, regardless of where the lens is pointing.  The depth dimension depends on defining the z-axis into foreground, middle ground and background.  Depth of field (DOF) refers to the range of distance within a photo or video that appears sharp and in focus.  Objects outside this range appear blurry. Understanding DOF helps in creating visual emphasis and storytelling in an image.  Manipulating Picture Depth Lenses and Depth of Field The area of the z-axis in which the objects appear in focus is called depth of field. Wide-angle zoom lens positions (zoomed out) make the z-axis look longer; objects seem farther apart, and their z-axis movement appears faster than it actually is. Narrow-angle zoom lens positions (zoomed in) make the z-axis look shorter; objects seem more compressed, and their z-axis movement appears slower. Wide-angle lens positions show a great depth of field, narrow-lens positions show a shallow one. Manipulating Picture Depth Wide-angle Z-axis  The wide angle lens stretches the z-axis and increases the perceived distance between objects (palm tree). Narrow-angle Z-axis  The narrow angle (telephoto) lens shrinks the z-axis, compresses the distance between objects (palm tree), and enlarges the background (building). Shallow Depth of Field in Close-ups Regardless of the focal length of the lens, close-ups have a shallower depth of field than long shots. The clue is the out-of-focus background.