174 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

WHAT TO WATCH

Watching camera movements in movies can be a great way to understand how they can be used, how they are edited together, and what emotional impact they can have on a scene. As we mentioned earlier, a well-orchestrated camera movement won’t necessarily be visible, so you may have to pay close attention to notice them. This means focusing less on the story,

which is often easier with a movie with which you’re very familiar. Being a little less compelled by the story will make it easier to concentrate on technical specifics. For complex movements, you’ll probably need to watch a scene repeatedly.

For an interesting comparison, rent Dr. Strangelove and The Shining, both of which were directed by Stanley Kubrick. In Dr. Strangelove, pay particular attention to the scenes between Mandrake (Peter Sellers) and Ripper (Sterling Hayden). Note Kubrick’s use of extremely wide-angle shots that contain no movement at all. Also, note how he’s willing to only show Hayden’s back. Now consider The Shining, a movie that is stunning for its dynamic camera movements and well known for being the first prominent use of a steadicam. These films represent two very different approaches to camera movement, from the same director.

Plan a Test Shoot

If you’re really worried about how your footage is going to turn out, you should plan on a simple test shoot prior to going into production. This will give you a chance to look at the quality of your footage and determine if you need to make any changes in your shooting plan. If you’re transferring to film, you might also want a film recordist to do a film print of your test shoot. Obviously, to be a useful test, your test shoot should replicate the lighting and shooting conditions of your real shoot.

Shooting Checklist

Do a camera test: depth of field, focal length, lens filters, white balance, and camera movement are all cinematic tools that you have at your disposal when composing a shot. Good composition involves balancing these choices along with the placement of your subject and background within your scene.

Here, then, is a simple list that you should get in the habit of following when setting up your shots:

1.Consider depth of field. Think about how deep or shallow you want the depth of field in your image. If you want a very shallow depth of field, then you’re probably going to need to use a longer focal length, so you might need to move your camera away from your subject to get the framing you established in step 1. Remember also to manually control your camera’s aperture, as described earlier.

2.Pay attention to the effect of your focal length. Whether or not you’re trying to control the depth of field in your scene, you should take a minute to consider how your choice of focal length is affecting the sense of depth in your image. Are you trying to create a large sense of space? If you are, then you probably want a shorter focal length to reduce depth compression. However, if you go too short, you might distort your actors’ faces. There’s no right or wrong to focal length choice, but it is important to pay attention to how focal length is affecting your image.

3.Double-check exposure and shutter speed. Most of the time, your camera will be calculating at least one of these parameters, often both. If you’re manually adjusting aperture to control depth of field, then make sure the camera hasn’t switched to a shutter speed that’s too high. Or perhaps you want to make your images darker, or to expose them in a particular way. Or perhaps you’re worried about your actor’s movements interfering with your camera’s automatic exposure mechanism. If so, you’ll want to manually pick an exposure that works well for the scene and set the camera to that aperture.

4.White balance. Assuming your set is already lit—and assuming you’ve decided to shoot using manual white balance—it’s now time to white balance. Have someone hold something white in an appropriate spot and take your white balance. You might not have to do this every time, but remember that if your camera has shut off or been placed in standby mode, or if your lighting setup has changed, you need to take a new white balance.

If you follow the preceding steps when setting up your camera, you’ll stand a better chance of using all of the creative tools at your disposal.

Like any other tool, when you’re very familiar with how to use your camera, your hands will simply do what they need to do without you having to think about it. With all of the other things you’ll have to think about when on set, worrying about a particular camera setting is a luxury you won’t be able to afford. As such, a thorough working knowledge of your camera is essential.