Scenes
In this module we are going to demonstrate how to shoot a Scene and gather Shot Types. We’re starting with a very simple Scene of one person doing one activity in one location – in this case of someone reading in their living room. You’ll also be shooting someone reading for your first Skill-Builder exercise. In future modules and exercises we’ll add complexity to the content of our Scenes, by including multiple characters, activities and locations. But for now, we are keeping the Scene simple so that we can easily practice shooting Shot Types.
Video 1: Framing Shots from One Position
Video 1 Transcript:
Here I am shooting a Scene of a person reading. To capture a variety of Shot Types, I move around to find the right position. In this case, I’m positioning myself for a Full Shot (FS). Here’s the recording of the Full Shot (FS) captured from that position.
From the same position, I frame other Shot Types by using the zoom control. I can zoom-in and out either using the zoom toggle or the ring on the lens. Zooming-out creates a wider Angle of View (AOV), while zooming-in narrows the Angle of View (AOV).
Zoom lenses are essential for shooting lived-reality documentary Scenes because they allow a cameraperson to shoot a variety of Shot Types – while staying in one position.
Going back to the footage of Mr. Poole, you may have noticed that all these different Shots were taken from one position. The cameraperson didn’t move the camera to get the different Shot Types. They used the zoom control to frame this Medium Shot (MS) and then this Close Shot (CS).
Being able to quickly capture a variety of Shot Types is crucial to lived-reality documentary filmmaking because we don’t direct our subjects. Telling a subject what to do or when to do it influences their behavior and can make them self-conscious. They may also start waiting for your direction or become hesitant, which ruins the fluidity of the activity and makes their behavior feel unnatural.
Video 2: Using the Zoom Lens and Tripod
Video 2 Transcript:
Using the zoom lens allows me to stay in this position and reframe for a Medium Shot (MS). Then I zoom-in further to get Close Shots (CS) which allow the viewer to have a more intimate experience of the subject.
You’ll have noticed that I’m using a tripod to capture different Shot Types. The tripod allows me to zoom-in and maintain a steady Shot. The same Shot without a tripod is unusable because it’s too shaky. Any noticeable camera movement distracts the viewer from the story and draws attention to the camerawork, which we want to avoid.
We will cover tripods in detail in a subsequent module, but for now, know that using a tripod is crucial for undirected, lived-reality filmmaking.
If you don’t have a tripod, for the time being you’ll need to use a different shooting technique to gather your Shot Types. Instead of staying in one position and zooming-in and out, keep your camera zoomed-out at a wide Angle of View (AOV) and physically move around to get your different Shots.
Video 3: Shooting with a Phone without a Tripod
Video 3 Transcript:
If I’m shooting with my phone and without a tripod, I position myself for each Shot. For a Full Shot (FS), I stand here, and then I move closer for a Medium Shot (MS), and again for Close Shots (CS). Doing so forces me into the subject’s personal space and takes time. In this situation, it works because the subject is stationary and there is not much activity. But as we’ll learn in future modules, the more active the subject, the faster we must respond with our camera work and the less we want to be in their space. Without a zoom lens and a tripod, we risk missing important Shots and often feel pressured to ask our subject to repeat their actions which, of course, we want to avoid.
Even with a zoom lens and a tripod, you cannot tell the visual story from one position. We maximize the number of Shots that we can get from each position, and then we move – quickly. Now I’m moving as far back as I can to record a Long Shot (LS), an important Shot that establishes where our subject is and what the location looks like.
Some shooters leave the camera rolling while moving, while others turn it off between Shots. Either approach is fine. The editor knows what to look for in terms of usable Shots. The editor also decides what order to put the Shots in, so don’t think that you need to record the Shots in the order that they’ll appear in the film.
Let’s now learn two golden rules for shooting. By the way, a quick note about the ‘rules’ we introduce throughout these courses. Rules are established best practices that others have learned and shared. It’s helpful to understand the ‘rules’ so that when you choose to break them, you do so with intention. For now, we encourage you to learn these ‘rules’.
Video 4: Rules of Documentary Camera Work
Video 4 Transcript:
Golden rule number one for documentary camerawork is to use the video camera like a still photo camera. You may have noticed that once the cameraperson sets up a Shot, they remain steady and hold the Shot without moving or zooming. They frame and hold each Shot as if it were a still photo.
Reviewing again the Shots from the footage of Mr. Poole doing his craft project, what moves in the Shots: the subject or the camera? It’s the subject, right? The camera remains steady, without zooming-in or out or moving across the action, except to reframe. It’s the movement and activities of the subject that makes the story interesting and drives it forward. Rule number one is to keep your Shots steady and still. Record the subject’s activities and let the movement of their activities tell the story. We’ll learn how to break this rule later.
Now I’m positioning myself for what we call Point of View or POV Shots.
The second golden rule of cinematography is the seven second rule. Count to at least seven seconds before you consider moving or reframing for the next Shot type. Frame and hold: one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, six thousand, seven thousand. After that, you can move or reframe for the next Shot and start counting again. If you move the camera too quickly, your Shots won’t have enough time to tell their story, making the footage difficult, if not impossible, to edit.
On some of these Shots you can see that I am holding for longer than seven seconds. I am waiting for the subject to turn the page so that I have all the activity in each Shot.
And here are the Shots we just recorded of a person reading, edited into a Scene.
It can be hard to stay calm during shooting and to remember to count to seven. There is often a lot going on around us and we feel pressured to rush to record it all. To help with this, we have created a mantra called the “Zen of Cinematography: Focus, Expose, Compose and Hold.” Right now, we are just practicing holding. We’ll cover the rest of the mantra in future modules. For now, keep the mantra in mind with every Shot. Hold your Shots and you’ll be on your way toward cinematographic nirvana!