[This is an excerpt from a recent on-line video webinar: “Illustrating Visual Literacy” which is available as a download in our store, or as part of our Video Training Library.]
SESSION DESCRIPTION
In a world where videos move millions and a picture is more powerful – and popular – than the written word, a key survival skill is how well you communicate visually. Visual literacy and media storytelling are now essential skills in this digital age.
From creating images to posting videos on YouTube, your ability to effectively communicate your ideas depends, in large part, on your ability to master visual literacy. Whether you shoot stills or video, edit with Photoshop, Avid, Adobe or Apple, this highly-illustrated, visual webinar will give you the tools you need to create more compelling, powerful images.
During this session, host, Larry Jordan, will illustrate and explain:
In this short video excerpt, watch Larry as he illustrates basic camera framing techniques that you can use immediately to make your images more compelling and powerful.
Camera Framing Techniques
TRT: 7:17 — MPEG-4 HD movie
Visit our website to see lots more video training in our store.
3 Responses to Camera Framing Techniques Illustrated [video]
The trend that absolutely drives me nuts these days is taking the eyeline off the lens for unmotivated side-cutaways. This side-angle shot without eye contact is an angle originally meant to illustrate a person musing to themselves, internally monologuing, or to give a quick “backstage/side wings perspective” for a third-person viewer, in the context of some kind of performance. But what I see too much of these days is, people using this angle to break up a long first-person take of a presenter, instead of changing to a tighter or wider shot.
I think inexperienced shooters and editors use this to be trendy. (This generation’s version of shaky-cam and unmotivated Dutch tilts.) But when misused, as it so often is these days, it’s like I’m talking to you, making eye contact, then suddenly I turn 45 degrees off and continue the conversation, but now I’m not facing you – I’m facing the wall. It’s totally unnatural because it’s the wrong shot for the job.
The established visual grammar for this is simple. When your presenter is addressing the audience, first-person thru the lens, you pop between tighter and wider shots from the same angle, or you have the presenter turn to another camera 90 degrees to the side, picking them up with a different width shot than the first, either tighter or wider. Then they turn back to the original lens position and framing, and you pick it back up. This is perfect for a section that goes into more detail about the subject matter, but it also just breaks up one long take to keep the view fresh. If you don’t have two cameras running, you just do two takes and change the camera position for the second take, then match-cut in post.
But you don’t take a third-person profile head shot of them when they are speaking one-to-one to the audience, thru the lens.
Oooh, I’m so enraged just thinking about it, I have to go have a time out and a cup of tapioca to calm the heck back down. That’s how much I hate, hate, hate this trend.
Mark:
Aside from the tapioca, I totally agree.
I talk about this later in my webinar. Switching between eye contact and no eye contact gives the viewer visual whiplash.
Larry
What a great refresher!
Thank you,