Video Filming Advice: Great Looking Shots
Make your videos stand out with these six simple pieces of video filming advice.
1: A different angle
There’s a ton of videos on sites like Vimeo and YouTube, so make yours memorable by picking an angle people haven’t seen before. In this example, the camera’s high up and captures the tennis ball as it flies past, putting the viewer right at the centre of the action. So when it comes to angle, think outside the box.
2: Rule of thirds
A sure fire way of making an aesthetically pleasing shot nigh on every time. As you set up your frame, imagine lines diving the image three ways, both horizontally and vertically. Place your action on one of the intersections and your shot will look great.
3: Looking Space
If there’s a person looking off to one side of your shot, simply give that side of your frame more space. It gives a sense of space without distracting the viewer, no matter what size room you’re filming in. Similarly, if something is moving through the shot (like in the rule of thirds example), give the frame more room in the direction it’s moving.
4: Depth
That’s not the only way you can give your audience a sense of space. Putting your camera at an angle to your subject– a person or a production–will give a 3D feel to the space you’re in. It makes your subject stand out and makes for a more engaging video.
5: Head Space
Continuing our space based video production advice, give a moment to consider the room between the top of your subject’s head and the top of your frame. For a high end look, this needs to be limited to roughly 5% of your image. Too small and your subject’s head could be cropped, too big and it’ll distract your viewers.
6: Foreground
One way to add a deeper 3D feel is to include blurred objects in the foreground (between your subject and the camera). It works especially well if the camera moves, like in this example where the camera is panning with out of focus grass overlapping the subjects.
