Panasonic AG-HMC150 Use high and low angles, Try a rack focus, Use close-ups, Use Dutch angles

SPECIALTY SHOOTING SHOOTING BETTER VIDEO

Use high and low angles

A high angle shot can make your subject appear weak and vulnerable or it can simply add a new dimension to your scene. Conversely, a low angle shot makes your subject appear powerful and “larger than life.”

Try a rack focus

“Racking focus” means shifting focus from one object in a scene to another. It’s easy to rack focus when the camera is zoomed in all the way because the camera’s depth of field, the area where subjects will be in sharp focus, is narrow.

Use close-ups

Television is called “the close-up medium” because a TV can’t show as much detail as a movie screen. As a result, television videographers shoot more close-ups than movie cinematographers. Use this to your advantage! It’s easier to convey emotion in a close-up because the face is seen in greater detail. Close-ups are also great for revealing details the audience may miss in your wide shots. Don’t be afraid to get in there and get personal!

Create depth in your shots A television screen is a two-di- mensional piece of glass so extra effort needs to be made to create depth for your audience. Try shooting your subject with some- thing in the foreground to give the viewer depth cues. Shoot buildings from the corner instead of head-on which can make a building look flat.

Use Dutch angles

To use a Dutch angle, also called a canted angle, tilt the camera so that the horizon or floor is diago- nal instead of flat. This creates tension in a scene and works well for fast paced action productions with a lot of quick editing.

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