Getting Started: Video Composition (page 2)

Space to Walk and Talk

Your subject will not always talk directly to the lens of the camcorder. Sometimes your subject will speak to someone who is off-camera, out of the shot. In these cases, you should position your subject to one side of the frame, rather than right in the middle. Why? Because you need to give your subject space to talk.

When your subject talks to someone off camera, your viewer's eyes will naturally wander in the your on-camera subject faces. If you put your subject in the middle of the frame, or on the same side of the frame as the off-camera person being addressed, the viewer will feel as if there isn't enough conversation space between your subject and the unseen off-camera person (see Figure 3). That's why the space in the frame between your subject and the opposite side of the frame--the "talk space"--is so important to the viewer. It helps them to believe that there is really someone being talked to, and that this individual is an appropriate distance from your subject.

When you shoot a moving subject, you'll need to pay attention to walking space, or "lead room," as well. If your subject turns to her left (your right) and begins walking, you will have to pan the camera to the right to keep up with her. Otherwise, she'll walk off camera. If you don't move the camera fast enough, though, it will appear as if your subject is walking into the left edge of the frame (see Figure 4). To compose a moving shot properly, you must provide adequate lead room so your subject can move without getting too close to the edge of the shot.

That Wasn't So Hard, Was It?

In theory, composition is an easy thing to master. Simply be aware of how you position things in the frame and follow the rule of thirds. In practice, however, composition is more of an art than a science. In time, and with practice, you'll develop an eye for framing and all your shots will look attractive and well composed.