The traditional shot of a talking head is face on or profile.  They will be slightly to the right or left of shot to show they are talking to someone, but by facing the camera, the audience is included in the conversation.  This is essential for engaging the audience in the dialog between the people on screen.

If there are two subjects talking to one another, then they should be facing each other.  This is to show the audience they are discussing between themselves, not to anyone else or just to the camera.

The main shots used in a talking head scene is mid shot to medium close up.  You may seen the occasional wide shot for establishment or for a cutaway but the rest will be the standard mid or medium close up.

Different shots are called when the subjects are delivering different types of information.  For example, if one of the talking heads is offering factual information or statistics then a medium close up is the most appropriate.  If they are delivering personal or emotional information then the shot goes closer.  That way the viewer gets pulled in to the conversation and the emotional space.  It increases the connection between the two.

There is often an established sequence of shots with an interview that follows a pretty standard course.  The scene will start with a loose shot of the studio, to include the interviewer.  To begin with the shots will be very similar between the interviewer and the guest.  Once the audience is familiar with them, the shots can be varied between them.

The most common shot is the mid shot for both subjects as the subject or the facts of the discussion are laid out.  If the conversation involves emotion the shots close up to draw the audience in.  If the subject gesticulates, move the shot out a bit, or cut to them if they aren’t in shot.  Vary these shots depending on the actions, and the discussion.  It’s important not to stay in close up for too long as it can make the audience feel uncomfortable.  Like they are invading the subjects personal space.

If you think the interview is going to need some heavy editing, then keep the shots between the two similar, so they can be spliced together easier.  There will be less jarring in a sequence if shots of similar scope are used.

Shooting an interview is a fairly simple process, and one that can be learned fairly quickly.  Despite that, it does take a while to get them just right, and it is something that only experience can teach.  Try watching interviews and current affairs programs and study the types of shot the director calls at different times.

The choice of shot differs from person to person, that’s what makes movies by different directors all the more appealing.  They all see the same thing in different ways, and will want to portray that thing in their own particular style.  Choice of shot and camera angle are one of the ways different directors distinguish themselves from each other, and one of the ways they make the piece interesting.

So to the shots.

Extreme Wide Shot (EWS).  This shot covers a lot of ground and is most often used outside as an establishing shot.  Often the subject isn’t even visible in an extreme wide shot, but it can set the scene or give an idea of scope for a later shot.

Very wide Shot (VWS).  We have moved into the subject a bit here, but they are still in the background, and not the focus.  It is a continuance of the EWS, placing the subject in context or scale with the surroundings.  Often used is establishing shots for reality TV, where an EWS wouldn’t work.

Wide Shot (WS).  Similar to the long shot, where the subject takes up most of the frame.  To continue putting them in context with their surroundings, or to include activities around them in the shot.  Also used in reality TV a lot where a group of people are all in the scene.

Long Shot (LS).  Works the same as a wide shot, has the subject in full frame, but also includes the surroundings, including anything that is pertinent to the scene or makes for interesting viewing.  Useful for when you want to portray the subject being in the middle of the action.

Mid Shot (MS).  This is a half body shot, which half depends on what the subject is doing.  Most often this is a shot from the waist up, which also gives an impression of the whole body.  This is a popular one for news broadcasts.  Upper body only with a small space above the head at the edge of shot.

Medium Close Up (MCU).  This is a halfway house between a mid shot and a close up.  The subject fills the frame which is cut off high chest and leaves a little room above the head.  The standard new anchorman close up.  CU is often too close for studio work, so the MCU is used instead.

Those are just some of the camera shots possible in modern film making.  I will go through the others in my next post.  There is more to movie making than you think!

Reviewing what you have before leaving a location is essential. If you have frames missing or are unusable then you want to be able to recreate the conditions as closely as possible while you can. Doing this at the time, especially if travel is involved will help the production team no end, as well as improve your reputation as a cameraman.

Editing is the pivotal time in filmmaking and needs proper thought and preparation. Checking the footage before going to editing is a great way of speeding the process up. Some shots may not have worked, while others may have exceeded expectation. Make sure you watch all the material before the edit and, like above, ideally before you leave location.

While reviewing the footage bear in the mind the story you’re trying to tell. Do they match? Does each frame further, or color the story sufficiently to be included? You may find while watching back that a new story emerges, or a different angle or take that might make a better feature. Reviewing and editing your own footage is an ideal learning experience as you can pick up on errors, or room for improvement much quicker when you see it in front of you. It also gives you a chance to make good any mistakes before the editor sees them!

Logging your shots as you make them pays off when coming to editing. You can link up the footage that best tells the story you’re trying to tell. It doesn’t matter if you use a notepad and pen, excel or a purpose built software package. If you have a timeline of what shot was where, on what tape at what time then hours will be saved when it comes to the edit. Ensure you mark the outstanding shots so they can be included in the final feature. Use whatever method you want, longhand or an asterisk or something. Make sure it’s recognizable to both you and the editor.

Log the sequences, not individual elements as it will become laborious when it comes to editing. For example of you have just shot an interview, don’t log the questions, but the whole sequence. This prevents you having to load each question individually and waste a lot of time. There is a risk of over-editing something and it not ending up as first envisioned. Resist this temptation and just put together something that feels right and don’t over-edit.

In the end its you the cameraman who is telling the story, therefore you need to ensure that the material is in the order you want, the way you want before it goes to editing. Then feed into the editing process by talking through the rush with the editor to give them an idea of the story and what you’re trying to portray.

The editing process can be as long or as short as you make it. By shooting good quality footage, on topic, with good sound levels will make for a simple edit. Doing something other than that is going to add to your time in the editing suite.

Clean sound is perfect sound as far as video production is concerned. Clean mean is has no distortion or unwanted background or otherwise sounds. The best way to achieve this is to place the microphone as close to the subject as possible and monitor the levels as closely as you can.

Before filming, just have a listen to see what’s going on around you. Spare a little thought about the sounds you want to come through and those you want to suppress. Always use a windshield if filming outside and keep an eye on events going on around you and the sound levels. Sudden noises like school bell or a low flying aircraft can send the levels all over the place.

Reducing unwanted noise is an art. Our ears can filter out what they don’t want to hear, whereas a microphone records everything. By listening to the surroundings you can get an idea of the character of the sound and how to approach it.

If you are in a noisy environment, placing the microphone 180 degrees to ambient noise can reduce it as much as possible, and placing it as near to the required source as possible will also minimize this noise while concentrating on the sound you want. A high amount of background noise will distract the subject and certainly the viewer. If redirecting the microphone doesn’t work, consider changing the angle of the shoot, or moving altogether.

Sound recording equipment is very sensitive kit. It can pick up interference a lot better than the human ear. Understanding some of the problems that can occur will help in the diagnosis and treatment of it.

A clicking sound can be caused by electrical contacts. These can either be within the equipment itself or nearby. If you can’t stop the contact, move location as it will show through on the shoot.

Popping from a human subject is down to the microphone being too close to the person. Either move it away slightly or angle it to one side of their mouth. If you use a radio microphone you may hear other conversations, called “ghosts”. These are signals from elsewhere being picked up on the frequency you’re using. If you hear them, change the frequency a bit until they fall silent.

A buzz or hum can be interference from other electrical items such as computers or mobile phones. Try to isolate them as much as possible by turning them off or moving them away. A hissing sound is likely to be a fault with your equipment, not the environment. First stop would be to try a new microphone and seeing what happens.

Distortion is another issue you may face when working with sound. This can be because the recording level is too high, the microphone is too close to the speaker of an equipment fault. Checking in each these in the order given here should eliminate the fault with minimum disruption.

Sound is an important and often underestimated facet of filming. It’s something you onl notice when it isn’t there.

This is another facet of video production which highlights the differences between the human eye and a camera. An eye perceives ambient light as white, but to a camera daylight appears as blue, fluorescents green and artificial light as yellow. This is where the white balance comes in. We adjust the white balance in order to reproduce these colors as a person would see them.

There are many colors in between these blues, greens and yellows and different cameras will pick them up differently. Newer halogen lights are much bluer than their tungsten counterparts, and often they will be mixed as lights are updated as they fail. The eye will be the best judge in these situations.

Setting a white balance if fairly straightforward if you know your tools. Not all cameras were created equal and some can produce white balance better than others. Check your equipment will be able to cope with the conditions you expect during filming.

To manually set white balance, point the lens at a piece of white paper as near to where the subject will be and zoom in until it fills the frame. Do an auto-exposure, the press the white balance button and the paper should appear white. Set exposure back to manual and reframe the shot.

This needs to be done every time the light source changes in order to retain the correct levels. If filming in mixed light, always tip the paper towards the daylight source if there is one to get the best color. In extreme light situations, of where light is colored, don’t worry too much about skin tone as it will never happen. Accept that the light is off and make the best of it. Remembering that a warmer skin tone is far nicer to look at than colder ones will ensure that when doing a balance you choose the right one for the job.

Making the most of the available light is vital for the exposure as well as adding depth to a shot. A cameraman always needs to identify the principal light source and decide if it is a hard or soft light. Managing light can go a long way in making a good shoot.

Not pointing the camera at hard light sources and avoiding subjects that are backlit is the most basic light management. Shooting outdoors in the early morning or late afternoon will offer the best lighting conditions, not counting the weather.

You can get away with bad or less than ideal lighting if the scene or shot has enough to carry it through. It should be avoided if possible, but a shot can survive a bit of bad light. If there is enough going on that the audience doesn’t get distracted, or you are shooting something that can’t be repeated then you have to make of it what you can. Just don’t make a habit of it.

There are many ways to film the perfect picture, which is just as well as a poorly shot sequence will end up on the cutting room floor, or at worst, bore the audience. Whatever kind of camera you prefer, the established filming techniques help you achieve the perfect shot each time.

The most basic technique is getting the focus right. No amount of editing or post-production is going to fix out of focus images. Focus is down to the distance between the camera and subject. If this changes the focus changes and will need to be adjusted. It’s tempting to use auto focus as it takes most of the work out of the shot, but it can get confused with movement and foreground objects.

It is much better to focus manually and then use a push-auto feature to fine tune. Static shots can be manually focused and then push-auto, the back to manual focus. Then reframe the shot to your satisfaction. You only need the subject to be the largest object in frame, not so close you can see their nose hair. If the subject is in focus and begins to move, it is relatively easy to follow the movement manually. Using manual will allow you to focus on the subject even if foreground objects get in the way.

Maintaining focus is all about predicting the movement wherever possible. Tracking or panning something moving at a predictable pace allows you to follow in focus. Knowing the maximum and minimum focus distance is essential is knowing where to set yourself, and where you can follow the subject if it moves. Subjects moving unpredictably are much more difficult and something only knowledge and experience will allow you to do effectively. Again, knowing your maximum and minimum focus distances will also play a part.

This leads nicely onto using lenses. While it is the eye of the camera, and the effective eye of the audience, it does work much differently than a real eye. This can be utilized when shooting to be creative with shot size, perspective and angle.

A wide angle lens is ideal for moving subjects. It avoids many focus problems and allows the greatest freedom. It is also ideal for handheld shooting or if you want to make a small thing look bigger, longer or wider. It can also be used for dramatic visual effect like making something look as though it’s moving much quicker than it actually is, especially if moving towards camera!

Tight lenses are ideal for close ups as they can be done from a distance, and you don’t have to stick the camera in their face while they are doing a piece to it. The face also appears the most flattering using a tight lens, which is why presenters like it. If the shot is a busy one with lots going on, a tight lens can make things look closer together than they actually are. This can distort the perspective so judgment is needed as to which lens to use in what situation.

Good planning is essential in any enterprise if you want it to succeed. Video production is no different, especially if you want to avoid having to make decisions on location or creating problems during edit.

Even on the easiest shoot, having a schedule will help get the most important shots in first and plan logistics or interviewees. If shooting outside it is double essential to have a schedule as it will factor in the environmental aspects of the shoot as well as the practical ones.

A good schedule will include;

• Time for a recce. This is essential in planning where to get sited and set up, the light conditions at the time of day, and any other factors like traffic noise, aircraft or other things that could interrupt a shoot. Consideration should be given to the area and time of day. There is no point shooting near a school or factory when its knocking off time. Also recce a “plan b”, if something happens to the original site, have a backup site ready to go.
• A timetable and shooting schedule. Allocating time to take the shots, conduct the interview, film the occasion or whatever. Planning how long each detail needs and setting it into a schedule. Considering the environmental factors as noted above should also feature in the timetable. Avoiding high traffic or noisy times if shooting outside, avoiding flight paths or bus routes.
• Time for travel and set-up. Something often missed by newcomers. The traffic conditions can vary, breakdowns happen and the equipment doesn’t come out of the box ready to go. Adequate time should be allocated for unforeseen circumstances and to set up the shoot.
• Take into account the weather forecast is working outside. This is an important factor as many shoots need ideal conditions in order to work. Different weather conditions may mean different shots, microphones and lighting. Knowing in advance what to expect can help you when packing the kit.
• The needs of any interviewees or contributors. Advance planning of all those needed to make the piece happen. Especially civilians or other contributors not with the crew. Taking their needs into account will make for a far more effective and congenial shoot.
• A script will also form part of a schedule. This will help you adapt if the situation changes. It’s much easier to change tack or ad-lib if you know the general direction of the piece. It will allow you to keep the thread if the unexpected happens.

The old adage “failing to plan is planning to fail” is as true here as anywhere. Having a comprehensive plan, and a good idea of what’s going on, where and when, will allow you to concentrate of capturing great footage, while allowing you to react to situations as they arise, but not be surprised by them.

These elements are what separates a good video production from a great one. Awards are won when the crew is prepared but able to capture the unexpected.

If the story is planned, the summary written and time to shoot, equipment choice will now come forth. Choosing the right tool for the job is as important in video production as it is in any other field. Too much kit and it will get in the way, too little and the shoot will suffer, and the wrong kit and the shoot will be a write off.

To decide what kit you need, you need to know the type of shoot you’re going to. What the style is and what any director might want to see. You also need to bear in mind the weight and if you’re single manning the shoot, if you can carry everything all day. It isn’t only the camera you’ll be carrying if you’re working alone, or with a journalist or interviewer. You’ll need sound too.

Ensuring all the elements of the kit are compatible is also something worth checking before you even leave the building. If working with sound and video, they must be able to communicate otherwise you’ll only get one or the other. Everyone has their own favorite brands and models of equipment. Some are better than others and as long as you’re familiar with it all then you should be able to produce results.

There is no camera yet made that can do everything. Neither is there a microphone that is suitable for all situations. Have an idea of what to expect before setting out will prevent you from having to compromise when it comes time to shoot.

Another aspect of equipment you need to consider is lighting. For most shoots, ambient light will be sufficient, especially if using DV kit as light correction is often automatic. There may be situations where you will also need to add light. Battery lights are the favorite if single manning the shoot as they can bolt on to the top of the camera. Extra lighting you may need could include batteries, stand or tripod, reflector, preferably a fold out one and blue and orange color correction gel.

As if that wasn’t enough, what about the mounting for the camera? Often for short shoots or where the subject is moving, the camera can be hand held. Static shots or fast moving shots will need a monopod or tripod. Monopods are just a tripod with a single leg. They are lighter and easier to carry than a tripod, but aren’t quite as steady. The average video production shoot won’t need specialist mounts like the limpet or magic arm, but they are tools to be borne in mind for shoots if you have one. Either will affix to an object and offer great stability with a good range of movement.

Choosing the right equipment will make a difference to your day. Not always in the quality of the film you make, but in how flexible and comfortable you are during the shoot. Knowing your gear, and what works with what, in which situations will not only make your job easier, but enables you to react much quicker if something unexpected happens.

Each type of production has a distinct style. Within that style is a further one. For example, a wedding shoot has a fairly serious style, with an edge of familiarity and humor. The standard shots need to be taken, the bride and groom preparing separately, interviews with family, the bride walking down the aisle, speeches, cutting of the cake, first dance and others. Within that framework, a further style can be chosen. While nobody wants a John Woo style wedding video, elements of all types of film making can be used in any kind of production.

A single perspective using a single angle can tell a seamless story from a single viewpoint. This can be ideal for interviews or reality style filming where there is a main character and the story is told from their perspective. A single shot like this will need to be creative with the viewing angles and use zoom and wide in order to avoid becoming predictable and boring.

For a documentary style shoot, many angles and other film making techniques can add a little spice to the feature. Using drama or a build up, mystery, or whatever. A documentary doesn’t just have to be a monologue describing situations. You need to give the viewer a reason to watch. A compelling and relevant story won’t always do that on its own, so keeping the shots varied and interesting is just one way of making it more compelling for the viewer.

If you join a shoot for an existing format, or do a piece for that format, then it is advisable to learn all you can about the existing style. Each network, channel, and program has its own unique style and all the footage they use will need to conform to it in one way or another. Learning the style in advance will allow you a lot more shooting time, and may give you ideas about how to work within it or even improve it.

Sometimes, it’s just better to let a story tell itself. It can be tempting to reshape a story in editing. You can do a lot with the right footage and editing skills, enough to completely change a story. Sometimes though it is just better to edit it seamlessly but leave the rest alone. A human interest story, or one about a grueling journey may lend itself to a lot of editing, but often, if the filming is of good quality, it’s just better to let the story unfold.

Keeping the “house style” in mind when shooting will save time in the shoot, in the editing room and deliver exactly what the director wants. The end result will fit nicely into the slot and won’t jar the audience with a change in style or pace from what they’re used to.

If there isn’t an existing style to conform to, then it’s an ideal time to make your own. While this comes with responsibility, it is also an ideal opportunity to stretch your creative legs.

Before shooting even a frame you need to know the whole story you’re trying to tell and how this footage fits into it. Knowing in advance will give you a much better idea of what you need and from which perspective.

A useful technique for telling a story is the summary. They outline the point of the story, the characters involved and show you where it will lead. Pulling key words or phrases from the summary will assist you in decided what and how to shoot. Creating a summary is essential to telling it. You need to know the angle, for both the filming side and the journalistic side, if there is one. While planning is essential for a good shoot, you must always be ready for the unexpected. Always be prepared to react if something happens or the story develops in a hurry.

The summary will give you an idea of the sequences needed to shoot the piece. It doesn’t matter if it’s an interview, news piece or a wedding, they will all need some kind of sequence to tie them all together and make the end result a seamless one. You need to plan cutaways and cut-ins, overlaps and overshoots. Overshoots are where you get more material than you need in order to give a margin when it comes time to edit. If you need five shots, film eight then if anything goes wrong you have spare material to work with.

In a shot film the person, then the thing, then the person and the thing. This is an old adage that has been passed down throughout the ages when talking video production. It offers a variety of angles and images for when it comes time to edit. Changing shot size, angle and zoom will also help create an interesting a diverse, yet cohesive piece.

The five shot rule is also useful when filming. The five shots are close up, close up on the face, wide shot over shoulder, and a different angle shot. Each of these can sequence together seamlessly and portray the whole picture. If you only shoot from one angle, then only one perspective is seen, then when it comes to editing, you only have two choices, use it or lose it.

A good cameraman will always shoot much more than they need. The situation being recorded may never happen again, or be very difficult to stage. Therefore you only have one chance to get the footage, so it had better be good, and offer options when it comes to editing. This is why the overshooting and the five shot rule are so important. Once the footage has been obtained, the story can be told in a number of different ways with all this information. Shooting from a single angle, with a single shot limits the feature quite a lot.

These are just a few tips to enable you to become a better cameraman, movie maker, editor, producer or whatever. If you are recording a single moment in time, just make sure you capture it all.