2.9. Video Composition: A Crash Course The tips in this chapter so far have been designed to turn you from an amateur into a more accomplished technician. Now it's time to train the artist in you. Even when shooting casual home movie footage, consider the composition of the shotthe way the subject fills the frame, the way the parts of the picture relate to each other, and so on. Will the shot be clearer, better, or more interesting if you move closer? What about walking around to the other side of the action, or zooming in slightly, or letting tall grass fill the foreground? Would the shot be more interesting if it were framed by horizontal, vertical, or diagonal structures (such as branches, pillars, or a road stretching away)? All of this floats through a veteran director's head before the camera starts to roll. As an iMovie-maker, you, unlike millions of other camcorder owners , no longer need to be concerned with the sequence or length of the shots you capture, since you can rearrange or trim your footage all you want in iMovie. Your main concern when filming is to get the raw footage you'll need: you can't touch the composition of a shot once you're in iMovie. Figure 2-7. For freedom of zooming without worrying about going out of focus, begin by zooming in all the way (top). Then use the focus ring to focus (middle). Now you can zoom in or out to any level, before or during the shot (bottom), and your focus remains sharp all the way.
Be careful, though: Don't zoom in so far that you make the camcorder's digital zoom kick in. Most camcorders zoom in optically (true zoom) for several seconds, and then, as you continue to press the Zoom button, begin the artificial digital zoom that makes the image break up. You can detect the end of the optical zooming in two ways: First, a bar graph in the viewfinder usually identifies the ending point of the true zoom's range. Second, your camcorder may introduce a very short pause in the zooming as it switches gears into digital mode.
Either way, when using the manual focus trick described here, you want to zoom in all the way using your true, optical zoom only. 
2.9.1. Kinds of Shots You'll hear film professionals talk about three kinds of camera shots: wide, medium , and close (see Figure 2-8): -
When you're zoomed out all the way, so that the camera captures as wide a picture as possible, you're using a wide shot . Wide shots establish context. They show the audience where we are and what's going on. Wide shots make great establishing shots, but they can also reveal a lot about the scale and scope of the action even after the scene has begun. (There's a famous crane shot in Gone With the Wind that starts on a medium shot of Scarlett O'Hara and then moves up and wide as she walks through a compound filled with hundreds of dying confederate soldiers to reveal a tattered Confederate flag. Thanks to the wide shot, you can see the people she's passing completely, from head to foot . -
Medium shots are useful because they eliminate many distractions from the background. By zooming in part way, you let your viewers concentrate more on individuals, and you establish a relationship between objects in the frame. People in medium shots are usually visible only from the waist up. Medium shots are by far the most common ones on TV. -
When you're zoomed in a lot, so that your subject fills the screen, you're using a close shot, tight shot , or closeup . These shots reveal detail, such as a character's reactions , which have a huge impact on how the audience reacts. Close shots are the best kind of shot if you plan to show your movie on a small screen, such as in a QuickTime movie or on a small TV.
Note: You'll hear professionals talk about lots of other kinds of shots, too: the extreme closeup, the extreme long shot, the medium closeup, and so onbut they're all variations on the Big Three.
Figure 2-8. A wide shot captures the camcorder's biggest possible picture (top). It gives viewers a sense of place and direction. A medium shot (middle) begins to direct the audience's attention, but still captures some of the surroundings. And a closeup (bottom) is delightful for all concerned, especially if you plan to export your finished iMovie production as a QuickTime movie. 
2.9.1.1. Choosing your shots After you're finished editing your video in iMovie, will it be viewed primarily on a computer screen or a TV screen? This important question may affect your choice of zoom level for each shot. If you plan to make QuickTime movies (for playback on computer screens), use a lot of closeups. Remember that most QuickTime movies play in a small window on the computer screen. Beware the wide shot that looks great on the TV or in the viewfinder, but when shrunk to QuickTime-movie size , reduces faces to white specks on the screen.
Tip: If you're concerned about the file size of the finished QuickTime moviesif you intend to email them or post them on a Web site, for examplesimpler and steadier shots work best. When iMovie creates the QuickTime movie, it reduces the file size by discarding information about parts of the frame that don't change from one frame to the next . Frames filled with clutter, and moving shots, therefore, result in larger QuickTime movie files that take longer to email and download from the Web.
If your iMovie productions are instead destined to be sent back to your camcorder for viewing on a TV, you don't need to be quite so worried about using mostly closeups (although they're still extremely effective on TV). Medium shots are fine, and so is variety in your shots, as described in the next section. 2.9.1.2. Combining shots When editing footage, professional editors often use a wide shot to show where something is happening, then cut between medium and close shots. Example: -
A wide shot reveals the hustle and bustle of a city market . No individual details stand out. -
Cut to a medium shot of two people standing next to each other, back to back . Their hands are by their sides. -
Cut to a close-up showing the hand of one person passing a small envelope to the other . -
Cut back to a medium shot . The exchange was barely noticeable. -
Cut away to someone reading a newspaper -
Cut in to a closeup of the newspaper guy, showing that he's not actually reading, but is looking over the top of the paper . -
Cut to a wide shot of the two people who made the hand-off, now starting to walk away from each other . -
Cut to a medium shot of the person with the newspaper. As he stands up, someone sitting at the table behind him also gets up . The audience didn't even notice the second person before, because the first shot of the newspaper guy was a closeup. Of course, you'll do all of this fancy footwork in iMovie, during the editing phase. But you can't create such a dramatic sequence unless you capture the various close, medium, and wide shots to begin withas you're filming. As noted earlier, footage that you'll eventually save as a QuickTime movie file should consist mostly of closeups. But regardless of the final format, the best movies feature a variety of shotsa fact that doesn't occur to every camcorder operator.
Tip: It's an excellent idea to set a new scene with an establishing shot, but when you film that shot is unimportant. Ever watch a TV sitcom? Almost every segment that takes place in, for example, the Cosby family's apartment begins with an exterior establishing shot of the brownstone building's exterior. Needless to say, those interior and exterior apartment shots were filmed on different days, in different cities, by different film crews. The magic of video editing made it seem like the same time and place.
2.9.2. The Rule of Thirds Most people assume that the center of the frame should contain the most important element of your shot. As a result, 98 percent of all video footage features the subject of the shot in dead center. For the most visually interesting shots, however, dead center is actually the least compelling location for the subject. Artists and psychologists have found, instead, that the so-called Rule of Thirds makes better footage. Imagine that the video frame is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, as shown in Figure 2-9. The Rule of Thirds says that the intersections of these lines are the strongest parts of the frame. Putting the most interesting parts of the image at these four points, in other words, makes better composition. Save the center square of the frame for tight closeups and "talking heads" (shots of people standing alone and talking to the camera, as in a newscast). Even then, try to position their eyes on the upper-third line. Figure 2-9. The Rule of Thirds: Don't put the good stuff in the middle. When shooting some-one's face, frame the shot so that the eyes fall on the upper imaginary line, a third of the way down the frame. When two people are in the frame, zoom in so that they're roughly superimposed on the two vertical "rule of thirds" lines. When shooting a panorama, put the horizon line at the bottom-third line to emphasize the sky or tall objects like mountains , trees, and buildings ; put the horizon on the upper-third line to emphasize what's on the ground, such as the people in the shot. 
2.9.3. Mind the Background Most home videographers don't pay much attention to the background of the shot, and worry only about the subject. The result can be unfortunate juxtapositions of the background with the foreground imagetree branches growing out your boss's head, for example, or you and your camcorder accidentally reflected in a mirror or glass, or a couple of dogs in furious amorous passion 20 feet behind your uncle. When possible, set up the shot so that the background is OK, and then place your subjects in front of it. If you have no such controlif you're shooting home-movie, reality-TV, or documentary stylemove yourself . Find a spot where the subject looks better relative to the background, whether it's 6 inches away or 20 feet away. Professional camera operators, in fact, train themselves to watch the edges of the frame while filming, rather than the actors' faces. Doing so ensures that they take in the background, spot such accidental intrusions as reflections of people standing behind the camera, and stand ready to pan or tilt if the subject should move into or out of the frame. If you pay some attention to the shapes rather than people in the frame, composing the shot well becomes much easier. (You can always watch the subject later when you play back your footage.)
Note: Even despite years of training, Hollywood film crews nonetheless occasionally catch unwanted reflections, equipment, and technicians on film. The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), for example, maintains message boards where observant moviegoers can report gaffes, such as the scene in Titanic where both crew members and equipment are visible as a reflection in Rose's TV.
2.9.4. Framing the Shot Another way to make a shot more interesting is to let something in the environment frame it, subtly altering the shape of the square image of the frame. You might, for example, shoot through a door or window, shoot down a hallway, and so on. Even a tree branch stretching across the top of the frame, emphasizing the horizontal component of the image, makes an interesting shot. 2.9.5. Camera Angle The camera anglethat is, where you place the camcorder relative to your subjectis your greatest compositional tool. What position in the room or setting gives you the best framing, the best lighting, the least background distraction? Which position gives the shot the best composition? You know the old stereotype of the movie director who walks slowly in a circle, squinting, peering through a square he frames with his thumbs and index fingers? It's a clich , for sure, but old-time directors did it for a good reason: They were trying out different camera angles before committing the shot to film. If you want to capture the best possible footage, do exactly the same thing (although you can just check the camcorder's LCD screen as you walk around instead of looking through your fingers like a weirdo). Before recording any shot, whether it's for a casual home movie or an independent film you plan to submit to the Sundance Film Festival, spend at least a moment cataloging your camera placement options.
Tip: When framing any shot, take a step to the left, then a step to the right, just to check things out. You may discover that even that slight a movement improves the shot substantially.
The vertical angle of the camera counts, too. Will you be shooting down on your subject, up at it, or straight on? In commercial movies, camera angle is a big deal. Shooting up at somebody makes him look large, important, or threatening ; shooting down from above makes him look less imposing . In home movies, you don't have as much flexibility as you might when shooting a Hollywood film. About all you can do is hold the camcorder while lying down, squatting, sitting up, standing, or standing on a chair . Still, that's a lot more flexibility than most camcorder owners ever exploit.
Tip: Choosing the angle is especially important when filming babies, toddlers, or other cuddly animals. Too many people film them exclusively from a parent's-eye view; you wind up with tapes filled with footage shot from five feet off the floor. As anyone who has ever watched a diaper commercial can tell you, baby footage is much more compelling when it's shot from baby height. Kneel or squat so that the camera puts the viewer in the baby's world, not the parent's.
2.9.6. Capturing Multiple Angles When you make a movie, you're trying to represent a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional screen. To give the audience the best possible feeling for the environment where the filming was doneand to create the most interesting possible videosconsider varying your shots. When you're shooting longer scenes, such as performances , interviews, weddings, and scripted movies, consider changing the camera position during the same shooting session. Doing so gives you two benefits: First, it gives your audience a break; whenever the camera angle changes, your footage benefits from a small boost of energy and renewed interest. In fact, whenever you're shooting something important, cover the same action from different angles and with different kinds of shots. Get wide shots, medium shots, and closeups. If you're shooting a scripted movie, have the actors repeat their actions for the different shots, when possible. When shooting two people in conversation, get more than the standard "two shot" (a composition containing two people, equally prominent, in the same frame). Shoot the two people talking in a wide shot that establishes where they are and how their positions relate. Get a closeup of one person by shooting over the shoulder of the other subject (whose back is therefore to you). If you can shoot the scene a second time, shoot the conversation again, this time from over the other person's shoulder. Keep rolling even when that person's just listening, so that you'll have some reaction shots to edit into your finished iMovie. The second advantage of capturing the same scene from different angles is that it gives you the luxury of choice when it comes time to assemble your movie in iMovie. You'll be able to conceal a flubbed line or a bad camera shot by cutting to a continuation of the action in a different piece of footage. Because the new footage will have been shot from a different angle or zoom level, the cut won't feel forced or artificial. 2.9.7. Capture Footage for Cutaways and Cut-Ins Capturing a scene from more than one angle is a great precaution for another reason, too: You'll often find it extremely useful to be able to cut away to a shot of a secondary subject, such as an onlooker or the interviewer's face. For example, when you're making a scripted movie, the first 30 seconds of dialog may have been terrific in the first take, but the next few lines may have been better in take number 4. You'd want to avoid simply editing the second take onto the end of the first; doing so would introduce a jump cut , an obvious and awkward splice between two shots of exactly the same image. But if you conceal the snip by briefly cutting away to, for example, the reaction of an onlooker, your viewers will never suspect that the dialog came from two different takes. Another example, one that's especially pertinent when you're making training or how-to videos : Capture some footage that you can use for cut-ins . Cut-ins are like cutaways, in that they're brief interpolated shots that inject some variety into the movie. But instead of splicing in a wider shot, or a shot of somebody who's observing the scene, you splice in a closer shot. When you're filming somebody for a cooking show, you can cut in to a closeup of the whisk stirring the sauce in the bowl. If it's a technology show, you can cut in to the computer screen, and so on. When you're filming a dramatic scene, you can cut to a closeup of the actor's hands twitching, a trickle of sweat behind the ear, or a hand reaching slowly for a weapon. You'll do all of this cutting in and cutting away during the editing process, not while you're actually filming. Nonetheless, the point in all of these cases is to make sure you've captured the necessary footage to begin with, so that you'll have the flexibility and choice to use such techniques when it comes time to edit. Shoot cutaway candidates near and around your subjectclouds in the sky, traffic, someone sitting at a caf table sipping cappuccino, a bird in a tree, and so on something so that you'll have some shot variety when you assemble your final footage. (You can always film your cutaway material after the main shooting is over; when, or even where , this supplementary footage is shot makes no difference. In iMovie, you'll make it seem as though it all happened at once.) POWER USERS' CLINIC
The "180 Degree" Rule | | When you're filming a scene from several different angles, don't cross "the Line." That's the invisible line that connects two people who are conversing , the two goalposts of the football field, and so on. Change camera angles and positions all you like, but stay on the same side of the action. That's the "180 degree" rule they'll teach you about in film school. If you were to cross this 180-degree angle between the right and left objects in your shot, you'd confuse the audience. Imagine, for example, how difficult it would be to follow a football game if one shot showed the Browns rushing to the right side of the screen, and the next shot (of the same play) showed them running left. Similarly, the audience would become confused if an interviewer and interviewee shifted sides of the frame from one shot to another. And if you're showing two people talking, you can imagine how disconcerting it would be if you cut from a closeup of one person to a closeup of the other, each facing the same direction . As you watch TV and movies in the coming days and weeks, notice how rigidly directors and cinematographers obey the 180-degree rule. Once the right-to-left layout of the room, scene, or conversation has been established, it doesn't change for the duration of the scene. The only exception: when the audience sees the camera cross the line, so that they get their new bearings as the camera moves. What you should avoid is cutting to a different shot on the other side of the 180-degree line. |
Tip: Imagine the difficulty of shooting and editing a movie like My Dinner With Andr (1981)a conversation between two men seated at the same restaurant table for the entire two- hour movie. If this movie had been shot with a single camcorder on a tripod, its audiences would have gone quietly insane. Only the variety of shot types, angles, shot length, and so on make the single setting tolerable. (That and the conversation itself, of course.)
2.9.8. Dolly Shots One of Hollywood's most popular shot types is one that never even occurs to most camcorder owners: the dolly shot or tracking shot . That's when the camera moves while shooting. To create a dolly shot, filmmakers mount the camera on a platform car that glides along what looks like baby train tracks. The purpose of this elaborate setup is, of course, to move the camera along with a moving subjectto follow Kevin Costner running with wolves , for example, or to show the axe-murderer-eye's view of a teenager running away in terror, or to circle the passionately embracing Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow at the end of Shakespeare in Love . As a film technique, this one works like gangbustersnot only is it a very exciting shot to watch, but it also puts the viewer directly into the action.
Note: A dolly shot that moves forward isn't the same as simply zooming in. As a quick experiment will show you, the visual result is completely different.When you zoom, the camera enlarges everything in the picture equally, both foreground and background. When you move forward through space, on the other hand, the distant background remains the same size;only the subject in the foreground gets bigger, which is a much more realistic result. Your viewers are more likely to feel as though they're part of the action and actually in the scene if you dolly forward instead of just zooming.
As a camcorder owner hoping to film, for example, your daughter 's field hockey championship, you may find that this business of laying down train tracks on the field isn't always well received by the other parents. But don't let the expense and dirty looks stop you. When it counts, you can improvise. You can lean out of a car window or sunroof , holding the camcorder as steady as you can, as a relative drives slowly alongside the action. You can film while riding a bicycle. You can persuade a family member to drag you along in an actual Radio Flyerstyle wagon in the name of getting more interesting, more professional footage. 2.9.8.1. The wheelchair solution Or use a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are remarkably popular with low-budget filmmakers who want to create dolly shots inexpensively. Wheelchairs don't require tracks, are comfortable to sit in while shooting, and provide a stable moving platform. 2.9.8.2. GlideCam and Steadicam JR You might also consider buying or renting a special camera mount called GlideCam, a padded brace that keeps the camera steady (about $170, Figure 2-10), or even a Steadicam JR (about $550), a scaled-down version of the popular Hollywood tracking device. Both devices incorporate variations of a gimbal (a universal ball joint) that intercepts jerks and twists before they can reach the camera; they also distribute the camcorder's center of gravity to keep it even steadier. As a result, the camera stays level and stable even while you're running in a crowd , up and down stairs, and so on. These ideas may sound extreme, but you'd be surprised at how effective they are. Suddenly you have access to one of Hollywood filmmakers' favorite tricks. Sure you'll feel silly riding through the neighborhood in your kid's Radio Flyer wagonbut how do you think professional camera operators feel riding along on their little choo-choos? Figure 2-10. Both the GlideCam, shown here, and the Steadicam JR require lots of practice and a strong arm, but can create spectacular moving shots. Both Bonfire of the Vanities and Goodfellas include very long shots where we follow the main character as he crosses the street, enters a building, goes down-stairs, through a hall-way, and so onall in one continuous, very steady shot, thanks to the Steadicam. 
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