How to Know Which Shots to Use for My Storyboard
The ultimate power in filmmaking and cinematography is how shots and camera movement are able to affect us subconsciously. They can steer us toward reactions or understandings without us being aware it’s happening. Films of all genres, including documentaries, manipulate audience’s emotions through shot, camera movement and editing choices.
Producing The Newscast
Conventional wisdom in broadcasting says your lead story will determine how many listeners or viewers will stick with your station for the rest of the newscast. However, at all-news stations and on web sites, nothing really leads the newscast because listeners and viewers are coming and going all the time. Even so, the half-hour newscast remains the standard for local stations around the nation, and it's important to know how such a newscast is created.
Dynamic Chase Scenes
If you make a car chase using only one camera angle, it will be the world's most boring chase, no matter how fast the cars are going. The key to making chase scenes work is an abundance of coverage. The more cuts in the scene, the more effective it tends to be. Adding the right soundtrack to accompany the visuals finishes off a more effective action scene. Videomaker's first mag and online tutorial will cover the technique of making exciting chase scenes.
Mic Types for Your Production
Have you wondered about HiZ versus LowZ, dynamic versus condenser, cardioid versus omnidirectional or shotguns and lavaliers versus handheld and boundary mics? Throughout this article, we will take a look at impedance, the two major ways microphones work, microphone pickup patterns and microphone styles. So sit back, relax and proceed through this quick look into the sometimes confusing world of microphone choice.
The Lighting Triangle
Now that you have your lights it's handy to know how to use them. Turning them on and pointing them at your subject is a good start, but if you really want to get the most out of them you can use what's known as "the lighting triangle." This helps your subject appear more detailed and shots more dynamic.
Selecting Boompoles and Shotgun Mics
Many articles have been written about the value of a boompole and good shotgun mic when it comes to achieving quality Production Sound. (Well, folks, here’s one more!) Why use a boom? Because of all of the techniques available to us, the simple boompole with shotgun mic allows us to get the most professional audio with the least amount of fuss.
Interview Camera Setups
You have many choices as to how to shoot an interview, determined in part by the story, the style of the movie, availability of equipment, size of the crew and the amount of physical space in which to shoot. Remember, the better the coverage, the more options you'll have in the editing room. Below are the most common ways of shooting sit-down interviews.
Can Our Play or Musical Be Recorded?
There are play and musical production licensing companies which amateurs (schools) must deal with to get performance rights for all material not in public domain. Shakespeare is definitely in public domain. Five of the largest of those licensing companies are listed below with a copy of the actual contract clause which applies to video recording. Nearly every major play and musical you’ve ever heard of is handled by one of these five companies.
Why We Need Sound Effects
The mistake many beginning filmmakers make is that they assume the microphone used on the set to record the dialog will automatically pick up the other sounds heard on set. It’s not until they get to the editing stage that they realize how wrong they were. The microphones used on sets are primarily focused on the mouth of the person speaking. This reduces the amount of natural sound that occurs around the actor during the shot, such as footsteps and other movements.
Remote Production
Remote productions, other than news, usually utilize multiple cameras. As mentioned in other articles, single-camera remote productions are generally referred to as ENG or EFP productions. In this article, we will use remote productions to refer to both multi camera and single-camera productions.
The Art of the Title Sequence
The first few minutes of a film will often either leave the audience full of excitement and eager to see how the story of the movie will play out, wondering what hints they were shown in the opening credits to what they're about to watch. Sometimes these opening moments are grander than the film that follows them.
Maintaining Continuity From Take to Take
Shooting a movie over a period of days, weeks or even months can be a very difficult task - especially when it comes to maintaining continuity. During every take, the action must be the same. Make sure your actors know what movements they are making during the lines they are speaking. They must maintain these movements for every shot.
Casting Shadows
Did you ever think about where you wanted to place the shadows or how you could add shadows to your images to make them look less flat and more realistic? TV is a two-dimensional medium. In this article, we will focus our attention on the shadow - how you can manipulate its look and density - and we'll look at some ways in which you can cast it to create a more three-dimensional feel to your images.
LipDub 101 - Getting Your Whole School Involved in Video
On September 25, 2010, almost 1000 students at the University of Victoria in BC came together to film a lipdub. They were inspired by the AMAZING lipdub put together by the other UVIC in Spain. See how the video turned out here.
10 Things You Should Know When Starting a Video Production Class
I find it interesting that a person has to be certified in math to teach math but that teachers with zero production experience often fill a highly technical class like video production. If you find yourself teaching morning news or video production, you must understand what the students need to know. Here’s how you can do it.
Crash Course for Mixing Sound - Part 1
There are two indisputable rules to follow when mixing sound. When these rules are followed, you are guaranteed to have a mix that will seem flawless to your audience and keep them focused on the story rather than the technical aspects of the production. If your mix strays from these rules, stop what you are doing and start over again!
White Balance 101
White balance is a camera control that adjusts the camera's color sensitivity to match the prevailing color of outdoor light (cooler), indoor light (warmer) or fluorescent light (greener). On most cameras, white balance may be set either automatically or manually. On professional cameras, white balance can be set to match exactly the light source you're shooting with.
Using Gels
Gels control the color of the light. Gels (or color filters) are thin sheets of transparent colored plastic, usually dyed polyester.
General Copyright Questions
In general, any original work of authorship may be protected by copyright. Copyrighted materials may be subject to claims of copyright infringement. The most common reason we take down videos for copyright infringement is that they are unauthorized copies of copyrighted content, and the owners of the copyrighted content have alerted us that their content is being used without their permission.
Floor Director Hand Signals
Hand Cues or Hand Signals given by the Floor Manager, are the standard method of cueing to start or stop. Make sure that your signals can be seen by the talent and are understood. If necessary, explain the basic cues to them before the broadcast. Do not assume they know what you are doing-especially with inexperienced talent.