Nine Digital Cinematography Tips (page 2)
5. Steady as She Goes!
Steadicams are brand-name stabilizer devices with counterweights which make handheld camera movements smooth. The originals weighed a lot and had to be mounted to the operator with a brace, and the operator had to be trained and licensed in its use. New consumer versions weigh only a few pounds, and you can carry them with one hand. Try a stabilizer shot moving through dancers at a wedding or following the running dog at a park.
6. Spin It Around
Who says a camera has to look in one direction all the time? Try putting your camera on a rotating device like a lazy susan to pan back and forth between two characters in a dinner scene. Just don't go crazy and make your viewer nauseous!
7. Use a Crane!
Crane shots add a whole new level of sophistication to your shoots. They can cost thousands of dollars, but there are also low-cost alternatives. Cranes like the Cobra Crane (www.cobracrane.com) start at just a few hundred dollars and use your existing tripod as a fulcrum. You could also use a camera strapped tightly to a monopod, or try making your own crane out of a sling securely fastened to the end of a long pole.
8. Point of View
We sometimes call a point-of-view shot a "first-person shot" or abbreviate it as "POV." It is the camera shot we see very often in home videos, where the camera operator is holding the camera at eye level and walking about. But you can also effectively use POV shots to show what the Sasquatch sees as it creeps through the quiet camp at night.
Steven Spielberg used POV shots effectively in Jaws to show us what the shark was seeing. This added an element of excitement, as the audience wondered which of those tasty swimmers would be eaten. It also allowed him to show that the shark was in the scene without actually showing it, which he didn't want to do, not only for budgetary reasons, but also to keep the viewers in suspense.
9. Put Your Camera Inside Something
"Hidden camera" shots by undercover journalists often use cameras placed inside purses or boxes to catch people unaware. Allen Funt made a career with Candid Camera by hiding cameras in plants or in coat closets and playing practical jokes on people.
YouTube and a spate of new reality TV shows have taken this a step further (very often taking an unabashed leap from the realm of questionable to complete bad taste). Spying on people while putting them into increasingly unbelievable situations has become de rigueur at this point. But you can also put your camera in a paper bag and rattle it for a first-hand account of the last thing a mouse sees as your cat charges across the floor to attack.
Conclusion
Break yourself of the habit of putting the camera at eye level. Your eyes are stuck at the top of your body, but your camera isn't. Today's lightweight and inexpensive camcorders can go places that cameras of only a few years ago couldn't go without very expensive equipment and oftentimes large crews of people.
By considering a scene from many angles when you first see it and thinking of innovative and unusual ways to show things to your audience, you'll engage and entertain them while telling your story.
Contributing editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who writes extensively about technology.
