Video lessons to go beyond the basics of shooting video. Includes a 6 word story, 6 shot video lesson and student examples.

1. Intermediate videography
techniques
Don Goble
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, MO
dgoble@ladueschools.net
@dgoble2001

2. Goals for the Session
Build some common language
Teach you new methods or validate
what you are already doing
Presentation will be uploaded to my
SlideShare account for review
http://www.slideshare.net/dgoble

3. Audio
• You don’t have VIDEO without AUDIO
• “Audio is just as important, if not more,
than the video!”
• Always shoot for SOUND

4. click the image to play video

5. wide
medium shot
shot
Ten Finger
sound
reaction
lighting
tight
shot
nose
eyes
action
background

6. click the image to play

7. Extreme Wide
•
Extreme wide shot – XWS : very
distant view of subjects, relative
to other shots.
•
Establishing shot - ES: first seconds
of video, shows setting & sets
mood in our broadcasts.

8. Wide
•
Long shot – LS/Wide shot - WS: shows the big
picture from side to side and front to back.
Location, the characters, and the
relationship between characters &
location; a person's entire body is visible on
the screen.
Head to toe.
•
Similar to the XWS as it shows a lot of the area
and environment around the subject, but in this
case, the WS moves closer to the subject so it
can been seen more easily.

9. Medium
•
Medium shot – MS: closer to scene;
advances action & information to
understand why of location &
action; shows a person from the
waist up.
•
Medium close-up – MCU: shows a
person from the chest
•
This is how we see the world. Must
break away from only MS.

10. Tight
Tight shot or Close-up – T/CU: on a single
object; person's head & down to just
below shoulder; reveals details of
emotion & personality, tension &
excitement on person’s face
Extreme tight Close-up – XT/XCU: relative
to other shots, a small part of person’s
body; it is OK to cut off the top of a
person's head, but never cut off their
chin--remember the rule of thirds about a
person's eyes!

11. •
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Composition
Eye Level
Rule of Thirds
High Angle
Low Angle
Oblique/Canted Angle
Zoom In & Zoom Out
Pan Left & Pan Right
Hand Held Shots
The Bird’s Eye View

12. Eye Level
•
A fairly neutral shot
•
The camera is positioned as
though it is a human actually
observing a scene, so that
characters' heads are on a level
with the focus.
•
The camera will be placed
approximately five to six feet
from the ground.
•
Most journalistically sound,
especially when covering issues
with 2 sides

13. •
Rule of Thirds
•
Eyes on Third
•
No Head room
•
Nose Room
•
Shoot to edit protocol - give
extra time
•
Don’t forget the XWS
• Establishes the setting
•
Always shoot in sequences
• Wide
• Medium
• Tight
Framing

14. High Angle
•
Camera is elevated above the
action.
•
Make the object seem smaller,
and less significant (or scary).
•
The object or character often
gets swallowed up by their
setting - they become part of a
wider picture.

15. •
These increase height and give a
sense of speeded motion.
•
Sense of confusion to a viewer, of
powerlessness within the action of
a scene.
•
Background will tend to be just
sky or ceiling, the lack of detail
about the setting adding to the
disorientation of the viewer.
•
Added height of the object may
make it inspire fear and insecurity
in the viewer.
Low Angle

16. Oblique/Canted Angle
•
Camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed
horizontal to floor level)
•
Suggests imbalance, transition
and instability
•
POV=Point-of-View shots
• Camera becomes the 'eyes' of
one particular character,
seeing what they see
• Hand held camera is often
used for this).

17. Zoom In & Zoom Out
•
Slowly include a WS slow zoom
to CU and hold the shot.
•
Then slowly begin a shot at a
CU and zoom to a WS and
hold the shot.

18. Pan Left & Pan Right
•
Moving the camera to the left or
right side.
•
Helps follow action or show the
landscape of your shot.
•
Must be used sparingly and slowly.

19. Hand Held Shots
•
Allows camera operator to move in
and out of scenes with greater speed.
•
Gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at
odds with the organized smoothness of
a tripod shot,
• Good for a gritty realism, which
involves the viewer very closely with
a scene.
•
If possible, ALWAYS use a Tripod when
filming. Shaky shots can be VERY
distracting.

20. The Bird’s Eye View
•
Shows a scene from directly overhead,
a very unnatural and strange angle.
•
Familiar objects viewed from this angle
might seem totally unrecognizable at
first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers'
legs).
•
Shot puts the audience in a godlike
position, looking down on the action.
•
People can be made to look
insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider
scheme of things.

21. click the image to play video

22. Light
•
White Balance - use a sheet of
white paper to help set
•
Natural Light
•
Florescent Lights
•
Light kits
•
Aluminum foil & cardboard

23. Camera Placement
• 180 degree rule

24. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

25. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

26. Crossing the Axis
• 180 degree rule

27. Shooting Tips !
For BEST results:
•
•
•
•
Use a tripod
•
Zoom your feet, not only the lens
Use Manual focus on the camera
Be mindful of your light
Shoot more footage than you need from as many
angles as possible

28. Always:
Shooting Tips !
•
Remove hats and glasses (eyes are windows to the
soul)
•
Avoid bright backgrounds (windows, whiteboards,
etc.)
•
•
•
Get a variety of angles (not just eye level)
Avoid movement (pan & zoom while recording)
Shoot for SOUND

29. click the image to play video

30. click the image to video

31. 6 words + 6 shots video story
• Click here for the
lesson

32. Q&A
Don Goble
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, MO
dgoble@ladueschools.net
@dgoble2001