Camera Work: Shots and Scenes (page 3)

Earlier, we noted that you want to find exactly the "right" angle for every shot in your program. On top of that, you should know that certain sequences of angles have become established over the years. As with size change, you might label these sequences classic, contemporary, and, well, let's call the third one "MTV."

In the classic Hollywood style, a scene often begins with an "establishing shot"--a wide shot intended to orient viewers. An establishing shot shows you where you are and who's where. From there, the camera moves in to full shots and three-quarter length shots, before settling down to medium shots punctuated with occasional closeups.

Though many now consider this progression of angles to be hackneyed and dull, it can still be very useful, especially when you must introduce complicated locations and situations. In some cases, the audience will never get with the program, so to speak, if you don't orient them at once. In contemporary filmmaking, many sequences still contain establishing shots. The difference is that they are seldom the first shot in the sequence. The director will start with closer angles at once, to enhance audience involvement with the characters, and then pull back to a wide shot only when the audience needs to know the context of the scene.

Also, modern directors seldom deliver rigid sequences of matched medium shots and closeups. Instead, (time and money permitting) they prefer to frame each shot strictly according to its own needs.

When you get to the very personal world of music videos and experimental programs, all rules go out the window. Angle changes tend to be as extreme as possible, and, instead of being hidden through cunning craft, video techniques are flaunted and featured.

Again, all of these angle sequences can be useful to you in different program applications; and if you know what they are, you'll be ready to implement any of them comfortably.

So there's a hefty dose of movie making theory and practice. In all of it three things stand out:

1. Take pains to vary your camera angle between every shot you make.
2. In doing so, vary the subject distance and either the camera's horizontal position or its height.
3. Hunt for the "right" angle that shows exactly what's needed at each point in the program.

One more thing--to slightly paraphrase a famous observation by Oliver Wendell Holmes, no generalization is worth anything--including this one.

Good shooting!

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