Research one
Camera shot types
Extreme wide shots (EWS) act to establish the area.
Wide Shots (WS) show the entire person or area. They're great for establishing the scene and allow for good action of the characters. Sometimes this is known as the long shot.
Medium Shots (MS) frame the subject from the waste up. This camera shot is the most common shot and allows for hand gestures and motion.
Medium Close Ups (MCU) shots show the subject in more detail and are often framed from just below the shoulders to the top of the head.
Close Ups (CU) show a particular part of your subject. For people this usually means the shot frames just the head.
Extreme Close Ups (ECU) are much tighter close-up shots in which you get detail greater than the human eye. An example of this shot might be of the mouth and eyes together.
You then have your advanced camera shot types which are the following:-
Two shot - This is a shot of two peoples (or other individuals) together.
Cut Away (CA) - Cutaways are used in the editing process to fill in footage which is different from the main action. B-roll is often used for cut-aways. An example of a cutaway might be of a bird singing if the shot is focused on a couple in the woods.
Over the Shoulder Shots (OSS) - Are shot from behind the individual towards their subject. Generally the frame is cut off just behind the ear, although there are several variations. A good technique to use to get this shot is to frame the person facing the subject with about one third of the frame.
Point of View (POV) - This is an effective shot that gives the audience the feel that you're seeing it from the eyes of the performer. It is taken from near the eye level of the actor and shows what he might see. It could be used to give the perspective of other animals too for example a bird or a fish.
Selective Focus - By using a large aperture value (f/1.4, f/2.0) you will be able to create a shallow depth of field. This effectively leaves one part of the frame in focus while blurring others, such as the foreground or background. When you change the focus in the shot from the foreground to the background you're doing another advanced camera shot called a rack focus.
Wide Shots (WS) show the entire person or area. They're great for establishing the scene and allow for good action of the characters. Sometimes this is known as the long shot.
Medium Shots (MS) frame the subject from the waste up. This camera shot is the most common shot and allows for hand gestures and motion.
Medium Close Ups (MCU) shots show the subject in more detail and are often framed from just below the shoulders to the top of the head.
Close Ups (CU) show a particular part of your subject. For people this usually means the shot frames just the head.
Extreme Close Ups (ECU) are much tighter close-up shots in which you get detail greater than the human eye. An example of this shot might be of the mouth and eyes together.
You then have your advanced camera shot types which are the following:-
Two shot - This is a shot of two peoples (or other individuals) together.
Cut Away (CA) - Cutaways are used in the editing process to fill in footage which is different from the main action. B-roll is often used for cut-aways. An example of a cutaway might be of a bird singing if the shot is focused on a couple in the woods.
Over the Shoulder Shots (OSS) - Are shot from behind the individual towards their subject. Generally the frame is cut off just behind the ear, although there are several variations. A good technique to use to get this shot is to frame the person facing the subject with about one third of the frame.
Point of View (POV) - This is an effective shot that gives the audience the feel that you're seeing it from the eyes of the performer. It is taken from near the eye level of the actor and shows what he might see. It could be used to give the perspective of other animals too for example a bird or a fish.
Selective Focus - By using a large aperture value (f/1.4, f/2.0) you will be able to create a shallow depth of field. This effectively leaves one part of the frame in focus while blurring others, such as the foreground or background. When you change the focus in the shot from the foreground to the background you're doing another advanced camera shot called a rack focus.
Camera angles
The most important rule is that you don't get confused with camera angles and camera shots. Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationships between the characters.
A bird's eye angle is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.
A bird's eye angle is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.
Framing shots and rules of thirds
The common rules of using the Rule of Thirds when videoing are :-
Framing an interview - The eyes of your subject should fall in one of the upper powerpoints and the subject should be looking towards the empty space on the frame.
Shooting a horizon - Rather than position the horizon on the centre of the frame, align it along the upper or lower third depending on what you want to emphasise. For example, if you're shooting a cloud time lapse you will want two thirds of the shot centred of the sky.
The rule of thirds is a general principle in photography, which is generally used to make shots more appealing to the eye. One can easily visualise this rule by taking a frame and dividing the horizontal piece into three equal sections and dividing the vertical in to three equal sections.
Framing an interview - The eyes of your subject should fall in one of the upper powerpoints and the subject should be looking towards the empty space on the frame.
Shooting a horizon - Rather than position the horizon on the centre of the frame, align it along the upper or lower third depending on what you want to emphasise. For example, if you're shooting a cloud time lapse you will want two thirds of the shot centred of the sky.
The rule of thirds is a general principle in photography, which is generally used to make shots more appealing to the eye. One can easily visualise this rule by taking a frame and dividing the horizontal piece into three equal sections and dividing the vertical in to three equal sections.
Crossing the line
Crossing the line is also known as reverse cutting. Crossing the line refers to an imaginary line which cuts through the middle of a scene from side to side with respect to the camera.
Crossing the line means shooting consecutive shots from opposite sides of the line.
Whilst using crossing the line there is a 180 degree rule which is keeping the camera position within a field of 180 degree.
Crossing the line means shooting consecutive shots from opposite sides of the line.
Whilst using crossing the line there is a 180 degree rule which is keeping the camera position within a field of 180 degree.
Dutch tilt
The Dutch Tilt is a camera shot in which the camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side. This can be used for dramatic effect. A Dutch Tilt can be a static shot or used with planning, tilting of zooming.
You also might come across that the Dutch Tilt is also known as the Dutch angle.
You also might come across that the Dutch Tilt is also known as the Dutch angle.