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When it comes to video content, HOW you shoot is often just as important, if not more important, than WHAT you shoot.
To explain what I mean, I'll use one of my favorite non-sports Harvard videos -- about a library (not the most exciting topic, to be sure).
Thread:
To explain what I mean, I'll use one of my favorite non-sports Harvard videos -- about a library (not the most exciting topic, to be sure).
Thread:
Shooting at eye-level is rarely the way to go. It's boring & expected. It doesn't covey anything special.
If you want to show SIZE or SCOPE, go low and shoot high. Better yet, go with a shallow depth of field. Have your subject fade into the distance, to show how big it is.
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If you want to show SIZE or SCOPE, go low and shoot high. Better yet, go with a shallow depth of field. Have your subject fade into the distance, to show how big it is.
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If you want to show detail, go close. Don't zoom in. Get up, move your camera, and come right up against your subject.
Shooting up close is not the same as zooming in. The "feel" is different. You get a certain sense of intimacy when the camera is close to the subject.
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Shooting up close is not the same as zooming in. The "feel" is different. You get a certain sense of intimacy when the camera is close to the subject.
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If you want to show a "hidden" spot, or the relation between different spaces, use the "reveal method".
Pretend you're a child peeking around a corner. Go with a deep depth of field, so that you can see the background and the foreground and slowly reveal one vs. the other.
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Pretend you're a child peeking around a corner. Go with a deep depth of field, so that you can see the background and the foreground and slowly reveal one vs. the other.
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Every now and then, lift your eyes from your viewfinder, and try to think about the spaces that no one bothers to look at. Things that are VERY high or VERY low.
Don't show people things they know are there. SURPRISE them. Make them look for the shots that only you can find.
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Don't show people things they know are there. SURPRISE them. Make them look for the shots that only you can find.
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IMPORTANT NOTE - Your audio and your video are not separate. Don't edit a video, drop in a VO, and go about your day. The video and the audio need to be connected.
If the VO mentions something, try to match that with a shot. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.
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If the VO mentions something, try to match that with a shot. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.
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Never underestimate the power of the feet/walking shot. It's been used many times, but it's a good way to demonstrate MOVEMENT, PROGRESS and ACTION. It's also a good way to move from one space to another - just follow the feet.
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There are three main ways to show movement on video:
Move the camera, show something that's still.
Move the camera, show something that's moving.
Keep the camera still, show movement around it.
The last method is typically the most effective way to show passage of time.
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Move the camera, show something that's still.
Move the camera, show something that's moving.
Keep the camera still, show movement around it.
The last method is typically the most effective way to show passage of time.
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At the end, think about how you pull away.
A video brings people IN to your subject. It gives them a peek. It shows them hidden things.
At the end of the video, you need to pull AWAY, or reestablish context. Try to match the camera movement with the message you're sending.
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A video brings people IN to your subject. It gives them a peek. It shows them hidden things.
At the end of the video, you need to pull AWAY, or reestablish context. Try to match the camera movement with the message you're sending.
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Finally - here is the video it its entirety. A really compelling way to get a sense of what a library really is. A combination of TIGHT and WIDE, of STATIC and MOVEMENT. A contrast of LARGE and SMALL.
The WAY the video was shot says just as much about WHAT was shot.
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The WAY the video was shot says just as much about WHAT was shot.
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Disclosure - I did not make this video. This was done by a different department at Harvard. We just use this video in our broadcasts, as a compelling way to showcase the academic side, not just the athletic side, of our University.
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