Following Versus Anticipating

Both documentary and scripted projects will include very mundane events and actions that present a challenge for the camera operator: sitting down, standing up, opening a door, following a subject as they walk. Often, these sorts of movements happen spontaneously and unpredictably. In general, the rule is that the camera should slightly follow any action of the subject. If your actor decides to stand suddenly in a scene that you blocked as seated, it will look okay if the camera is a little behind the movement of the actor, following their movement. But if the camera operator senses that the actor is about to stand and tilts up before the actor actually stands, then the camera will be perceived as anticipating the actor’s movement, which will result in footage that looks awkward and sloppy. If you do accidentally anticipate a movement, resist the urge to correct the movement by moving back to your original position unless you are fairly certain the movement you anticipated isn’t going to happen in the next few moments.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Too Close

Although it’s important to have the proper headroom and leading in a shot, there are times when a shot calls for something more dramatic. Don’t be afraid to get in close to the actors and to crop their heads and bodies out of the frame, as shown in Figure 7.21.

Figure 7.21

You can increase the drama and suspense of a scene by getting in really close to your subject. Although this “tight” framing

cuts off some of our actor’s head, it’s still a well-composed, effective image.

168 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

This is a very “dramatic” type of framing. In Figure 7.21, tight framing is used to heighten suspense. In a more dramatic moment, it could be used to give the audience the perspective to see an actor’s mood change or develop.

Listen

It might sound funny, but listening is one of the most important skills of any camera operator. Whether you’re shooting a documentary or a scripted drama, listening and paying attention to what is going on beyond the visual elements of the scene is often the key to achieving the most brilliantly captured moments or performances. Many camera operators think that anything that isn’t visual is not of their concern. This is a big mistake, and the result is that the camera operator fails to capture the moments of the high drama, emotion, or spontaneity.

Eyelines

If you’re shooting a conversation between two or more actors, you need to make sure the eyelines in each close-up match, so that when the shots are edited together, the performers appear to be looking at each other (Figure 7.22). It’s also a good idea to shoot separate close-ups within a dialogue scene using the same focal length and from the same distance, so that the shots match in terms of scale, composition, and lens distortions as well.

Figure 7.22

The upper images have eyelines that don’t match, while the lower images have eyelines that match—in other words, they appear to be looking at each other.

Clearing Frame

When framing a static shot that might be used to start or end a scene, have the actors enter the frame from off-screen, perform, and then exit the frame entirely. You might not need to show them both entering and exiting frame in the final edited project, but you’ll at least have the option.

Beware of the Stage Line

Crossing the 180° axis, also known as the stage line, or axis of action, is jarring. If you think of your set as a theatrical stage, the 180° axis falls along the proscenium (the front of the stage). Once you’ve set up your camera on one side of the axis, avoid moving it to the other side, or you might end up with camera angles that don’t cut together (see Figure 7.23), as well as mismatched eyelines. Be aware that this primarily concerns action and dialogue shots. Cutaways and establishing shots can often get away with crossing the stage line, as can handheld moving shots in documentaries.

Figure 7.23

This camera diagram corresponds to the images in Figure 7.22. Camera angle B is on the wrong side of the stage line, which results in the mismatched eyelines in

Figure 7.22.

TV Framing

The portion of the video image that is visible varies from one TV set to another. To ensure that all viewers can see the action and read the titles, there are standard guidelines for the action-safe and title-safe areas of the image. If any elements of your image fall outside of these lines, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be visible on all TV sets.

Professional lenses have visual guides visible in the viewfinder that show where the title-safe and action-safe boundaries lie. Unfortunately, not all video camera manufacturers include these guides in their viewfinders. When shooting, it’s imperative to remember that your LCD viewfinder is showing the entire image, much of which will not be visible on many TVs. If your viewfinder doesn’t have action-safe and title-safe guides, you’ll simply have to try to approximate where the safe areas are and remember to try to keep important action within them.

Also, remember to frame your subject appropriately if you think you might need to put any text over the image. If you are shooting a documentary that is destined for television broadcast, be sure to frame your interviews with enough room for lower thirds. Lower thirds are titles in the bottom third of the frame that state the person’s name, job title and other information (Figure 7.24).