SmartShoot Producer's Blogg

Visual Aesthetics & Its Application to Editing

What is a beautiful image? Is there a formula for creating great composition?

Certainly balance is important. Aesthetic balance comes from a variety of sources. Color, light, and depth of field all should be in balance. You wouldn't want an image with only one color, just as you wouldn't want an image that is 100% brightly lit.

If balance is so important, then why is a rectangle more visually pleasing than a square, and why does the "Rule of Thirds" exist?

Well, it would seem that the human brain generally enjoys images which are slightly favoring one end of the spectrum (Unless you are Wes Anderson). So while your image should contain both bright areas and dark areas, choosing to make your subject perhaps 15% brighter than the background will visually separate him/her from the background. This is the same reason you want the background slightly out of focus, and your subject sharp. It helps tell the viewer what to pay attention to, and creates a more beautiful image. Too much balance can make things look unnatural.

This is all fine for on-location cinematography, but how does this apply to editing?

To add visual interest to your frame in post production, consider the use of split screen techniques- think beyond the composition you've created on location. While utilizing this technique, remember to keep the compositions of your frame interesting. A direct 50/50 split of your screen might not be the most visually appealing, whereas if you scale one video source to 65% of its original size, and a second video source to 35%, put one in the top 1/3, and the other in the bottom 1/3, you will have a slightly "imperfect" balance.

If depth of field is important to on-location shooting, then it should be in post production as well. Adding a blur effect to one image can draw the viewer's attention, and using keyframes so that a "rack focus" effect is created, with one image coming into focus while another goes out of focus, creates a much more kinetic energy to your composition.

In Final Cut Pro, this can mostly be done with the "Motion" tab in your viewer window. That will allow you to crop, scale, and add movement to your images, and the included "Blur" effects will enable you to create the rack focus effect.

Lastly, there are no absolute rules in regards to this: only subjective opinions. Play around with the controls, experiment, and find what appeals to you. Study classical paintings for inspiration. Just never be afraid to try something new- the undo function exists for a reason.

-Peter Duddington

Tips on Motion & Location

•    People in motion are always a better alternative to a talking heads.  A combo, of course, is required but long talking head diatribes are deadly. Breaking it up is the best technique. EXAMPLE
•    Get people out of chairs – always interview people standing or on the move
•    Get the subject out of his comfort zone. Take them out of their office; take them outside.
•    Make sure to keep separation between the subject and the background. Don’t ever put someone up against a wall. Deep backgrounds (slightly out of focus) can make your interview shots rich and appealing.
Rule of thirds. EXAMPLE
•    Shoot parts of the interview in at least 2 places to make cutting more interesting. Example.

Match dissolves

This video about a handbag maker shows off a really neat technique: the match dissolve. The filmmaker Jacinto A. shoots some isolated shots of several handbags with the same framing, then he dissolves between them. To the viewer, it seems as if one handbag morphs into another. Since handbags on a shelf are not intrinsically a great subject in video, this is a great technique to make products in videos come alive.

Great B-roll is a must!

•    Shoot plenty of related, insightful and fun b-roll: Pans of action, of stuff, of people, of city scenes, little trinkets, cars, art, etc. Look for original interesting stuff.
•    B-roll is NOT wallpaper; you are not spraying the camera around the room. You need to think and compose meaningful shots.
•    Vary your use of wide shots and close-ups, remembering close-ups play better in compressed web-streaming form. B-roll should be well-lit.
•    Get motivated b-roll, then matches and enhances your narration.
•    Shoot a bunch of nicely composed stills, then cut them together in a montage.
•    Swish pans, Rack focuses, Foreground composition, Try some dutch angles, Out of focus/in focus combo, etc.
•    Shoot candids. These are shots where the subject is not speaking but seems to be in thought. These are often shot from different angles, from the side.

What other B-roll tips and ideas can you share? We would love to hear from you.

Some tips to FOCUS on

Here is some useful info about focus:

• Don’t forget to do it!  Simply zoom in all the way on your subject, focus, and zoom out. 
• After focusing, turn OFF auto-focus. That way if the subject moves during an important sound bite, the camera doesn't readjust making the visual unusable.
• If you notice the subject shift in their chair, wait until the subject finishes their thought.  Then ask them to find a comfortable spot and refocus. 
• DV cameras have a large depth of field, so be sure you have ample room between your subject and the background.  Whether a bookshelf, foliage, or simply a room’s decor, be sure that the interviewee is in focus and the background is out of focus.  It may seem counter-intuitive to shoot part of your frame out of focus, but your image will be much more appealing if you utilize technique.   

Ways to make your on-camera subject look their best

1. We are in the human nature business. Our videos work best when real people act like real people, not like TV spokespeople.
2. Attributes: enthusiastic, passionate, emotional, positive.
3. Carry a small makeup kit (powder) to help take shine off of subject’s face
4. Make sure they are not sweating; if so, have them wipe or blot the sweat
5. Turn your viewscreen around to get buy-in on looks from the subject. If they give their assent then, it is unlikely they will complain about how they look later.
6. Get your subject fired up -- make sure clients are caffeinated and alert
7. Spend as much prep time with subject as needed. If person seems rigid, find someone else or engage with them more to heighten their performance.
8. Personality -- if your subject is dull or unexciting, ask for alternatives who might fit the bill: funny, animated, interesting, charismatic, likeable, trustworthy. Title does NOT qualify someone.
9. If subject is not a good talker, get someone else in the business/office/restaurant to speak.
10. People should be passionate about their business—get them to show it.
11. Shoot candids. These are shots where the subject is not speaking but seems to be in thought. These are often shot from different angles, from the side. Example.

What else can you add to this list? Please share a comment.

What is good interview lighting?

Three Point Lighting. Its a common term, and used daily for typical interview lighting. What is it exactly, and how does it apply in the real world?

People often think that light is either highly controlled with a full light kit, or totally uncontrolled existing light. However, manipulation of existing light can provide the same qualities as a setup with a light kit.

LIGHTS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE:

1. Key Light: the most powerful light source, hopefully nice and evenly spread (flood). Makes the shot watchable and understandable.
2. Back Light: aka hair light. Creates a gentle halo effect, separating your subject from the background. Usually a fairly small light.
3. Fill Light: eliminates some of the shadows created by the key light. Often ambient light serves this purpose.

On location, look for windows or existing lights. They can act as a pleasant key light, casting light on your subject's face- not straight on, and not from the side, but halfway between (often called 3/4 angle). It should also be slightly above the level of their head. If you're doing it right, the key-side of the face will be a bit brighter than the other, and the nose shadow will create a small patch of light on the fill-side cheek, under the eye. Never blast a person in the face with a light aimed straight at them. Diffusion ($4-5 for a small sheet) should almost always be used on your key light. This will make your key light look significantly better.

So say you have a 1- light kit, and you want to achieve a nice look. Fill light is often the least important, since ambient light can make sure the shadows aren't too harsh. So depending on your framing, hopefully either your key light or your back light will be already existing. Use your light to fulfill the missing source: If you have a nice existing key light, then use your light as a back light, and the other way around if you have an existing back light.

This is all a rather abstract concept to write about so check out this link to get a tangible example:

http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/simulator.html

Oh yeah, and don't forget about your background! Keep things beautiful and interesting back there too! Light candles, turn on small accent lights, get light poking through windows. Whatever it takes to keep things broken up and not just a flat, blank wall.

Some key LIGHTING tips

As you already know, lighting is crucial in creating a video that people want to watch. We are fortunate that the cameras we use are able to produce such high-quality video even in low-light situations. Since we do shoot in many restaurants, bars and nightclubs where lighting is low, I wanted to share some techniques for getting the most out of your camera in these situations. And keep in mind that encoding tends to make a video darker.

• Know how to shoot in natural light, indoors and outdoors. Well lit with the right backgrounds. Dark faces, dark places and dark settings do not work. Brick walls, blinds, etc. do NOT work.
• Make sure there is not a bright window or wall behind the subject; if so, the foreground, i.e. subject’s face, will probably be underexposed and the background will be blown-out.
• When it is dark, increase the gain and/or slow down your shutter speed (i.e. Adjust from 1/100 to 1/15 or 1/30). Using gain will increase “video noise” and slowing shutter speed will create a blur effect in fast action scenes. These options should only be used if you can’t open your iris any farther.
• With many cameras, particularly the DVX100 series, at full telephoto, the iris won’t open as far (i.e. f 2.8 max instead of f 1.4)
• Lock your exposure settings as often as possible to avoid drastic light level fluctuations.
• If your camera has light metering, often called Zebra, use it to check for overexposure. At 100% Zebra, nothing should be showing up as overexposed. At 70% or 80% Zebra, only 5-10% of your shot should be creating the zebra effect.

WHAT vs. WHY

Brad Inman pointed something out at our daily screening today that I wanted to share with you. The videos that you produce really come alive when the interviewee speaks about WHY they do what they do, not just WHAT they do. The "why" reveals them as real people with real passions and motivations; this is key in our people/personality-based format. The "what" usually comes off as a lackluster recital of services offered, information that is important but does not elevate a video. That information is better alongside the video, in text.

What's the story about STORY? (part 1 of 2)

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We talk a lot about the importance of story in our videos. And stories as we know are some of the oldest and most enduring forms of communication.

But when we discuss story in the context of a 1-2 minute video, what do we really mean? What kind of story is there in a short video about a cafe or spa? When I hear story I think less about the standard meaning (plot, characters, motivations, drama, etc.) and more about what story means to a viewer: it is something that keeps you watching and provides some resolution at the end. Clearly, no one is talking about re-creating the elements of an episode of Law & Order in a 1-minute TurnHere professional profile. Now that would be challenging!

Here are 6 ways to look at story that I think can help you craft a compelling video:

1)   One of the important elements of story that we see in the TurnHere videos is the structure: a well-crafted story has a beginning, middle and end. Even a 1-minute video should have this structure. The opening visuals and soundbites should feel like they can only go at the beginning, and the closing visuals and soundbite should feel like they belong at the end, not just stuck there at random. In between is a logical procession of information told in an interesting, possibly entertaining, manner.

2)   Another key element of story is voice and character. The people featured in a story need to be interesting and able to hold the attention of the viewer. The best ones are memorable, and they stick in your mind after watching a movie or TV program. TurnHere videos are no different. While we may not have the range of fictional characters that the best dramas have (think Tony Soprano), our "regular people" narrators all have their particular personality traits, mannerisms and energy that can make their performance in a short video really compelling. Of course, these people should be chosen and molded to get the performance you are looking for, and that is where your producer skills come into play.

3)   Another key to a well-told story is point of view. We like when people have their own take on things, when they are opinionated (whether we agree with them or not). The key for me is not being able to guess what they are going to say next. The less predictable they sound, the more interesting it is. Take a restaurant video for example: when they recite the information that can be found in print on their website, I immediately lose interest. But when the host speaks more off-the-cuff (and that may be due to your producer capabilities), you will have strong building blocks with which to construct the rest of your video. That element of surprise keeps the viewer engaged and hungry for more.

(this topic is continued in the next blog post)

What's the story about STORY? (part 2 of 2)

Now, continuing our discussion about the importance of STORY and how it impacts the web videos you are producing. Here are a few more important considerations:

4)   Pacing is an important element in any story or narrative.  Face it -- we live in a fast-paced world. We get bored or antsy when a movie or TV show does not unfold at a pace that we expect. Pacing is no less crucial when producing for the web; in fact, it may be even more important because people can click away at any time. Your web videos should be well-paced. This does not necessarily imply an over-reliance on quick cuts; there are other ways to move things along, including using specific cues or track changes, quick montages to offset longer bites, taking out some of the "uh's" and dead air of a slower-speaking subject.

5)   The next story attribute could be thought of as hooks or stickiness. The most skillful writers have frequent (and sometimes invisible) hooks to keep the reader turning pages. On TV shows, where one of the goals is to get viewers to sit through the ads, there are usually frequent cliffhangers or turning points written into shows to keep you watching. When you are producing your video, think to yourself: what do I have that will hook the viewer? Granted, the number of hooks in a 1-2 minute piece is much less than an hour-long TV show. So you really just need a few. It can be a memorable soundbite that reveals character, it can be a visual technique that surprises, it can be images that appeal to base needs, like mouthwatering shots of food that will keep a hungry viewer watching a restaurant profile.

6)   Finally, character motivations or background can be crucial in forging a bond with the viewer. It can be something writ large or some tiny detail that the camera picks up. Did the pizza restaurant owner start his business because his grandfather was a famous pizza maker? That sounds like an important detail that will make him stick in my mind. Did someone become an attorney because of some injustice they experienced as a child or young adult? The things that motivate our narrators are intrinsically interesting to the viewer. Don't be afraid to let them reveal something about themselves and bring out their character.

I would love to get your thoughts on this; this definitely seems like a ripe subject for discussion.

A short how-to video about Shooting

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This video produced by TurnHere and starring one of our filmmakers has great tips on shooting.

The TurnHere guide to producing local merchant videos

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You may or may not be producing videos for Citysearch, but the tips in this video can be applied to any of the videos we produce. It is chock full of useful information.

http://turnhere.com/newplayer.aspx?filmname=merchantdemo

Shooting in low-light conditions

I thought this Citysearch video shot at a Persian Tea House was excellent. Click here to watch video. What really made the piece work was that the filmmaker Maxwell Guberman was able to get excellent video quality even though the setting was mostly dark. It looks like he had a camera light but it does not blow-out the subjects, which makes me think it had diffusion or a dimmer or both. It would be great to hear from filmmakers about the challenges and triumphs of low-light shooting.

A TurnHere how-to video about INTERVIEWING

Here is a must-watch short video with great tips about how to get the most out of your interviews on these short projects. It is hosted by one of our TurnHere filmmakers, Colin McAuliffe.

 

Energetic host makes all the difference

And now I know where to go when my computer breaks down.

Visually not a whole lot to work with in this video. But the filmmaker got some great soundbites from the owner speaking passionately and forcefully about his business. This is probably the number 1 thing that makes the difference between a good and great video. I also like that that the host mixed in specifics with his general statements about his business. We learn about the most common problems people have with their computers, which I found interesting. And the opening soundbite is great -- made me want to watch more. Good work Steve Janas!

Click here to watch video.