CLOSE UPS

CLOSE UPS

The term close up is a relative one. One videographer’s close up may appear to

be a medium shot to another shooter. But, in general, in a close up, the pri- mary subject of your shot fills more than half of your entire frame. Close ups provide great detail: the wrinkles on someone’s hand, the detail of flowers, the texture of sand. By filling the frame with your primary subject, you are eliminating all other confusing or unnecessary elements. Close ups are a sim- ple but very effective compositional technique that produces great footage.

Getting close enough for a close up can be surprisingly difficult for a new shooter. Moving close to someone with a camera takes discipline. When we shoot family vacation photos or iPhone videos, we tend to stand at least

8 feet or more away from our subjects. Getting any closer can feel like an invasion of personal space. A videographer will often have to get within inches of his subject. While you can zoom on your camera to get closer, this is not always a preferred technique. We will discuss how to shoot close ups in more detail in Chapter 5: Field Production.

Exercise

Go to 10 different locations and shoot close ups of your primary subject. In this exercise, try to shoot people. When you are starting out as a shooter, it is very uncomfortable to get close to people. You must practice often to over- come this fear and hesitation. During this exercise, do not use the zoom on your camera. Move closer to your subject with your feet.

56 PA RT I I : Production and Post-Production Techniques UNDERSTAND FOCAL LENGTHS

The focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens and the camera’s sensor when the image is focused to infinity. Focal length is measured in millimeters, such as 24mm, 35mm, 85mm, and so on. Lenses with a fixed focal length are called prime lenses. Zoom lenses have adjustable focal lengths. Zoom lenses feature minimum and maximum focal lengths such as 24–70mm, 24–105mm, 70–200mm, and so on.

The focal length of the lens affects the field of view (also known as the angle of view), or what is visible in the frame of your shot. A shorter focal length results in a wider field of view, whereas a longer focal length results in a nar- rower field of view. When you zoom in on your subject, you are decreasing your field of view and limiting the elements in your frame. This creates the illusion that you are physically closer to your image.

Using different focal lengths can dramatically affect your image in ways other than simply magnifying your subject. Wide-angle lenses (such as 24mm or shorter) give your shots a wide field of view, but they also exaggerate the fore- ground of your shot. Normal lenses (such as a 50mm lens) present an angle of view that looks natural or “normal” to the human eye. Telephoto lenses (85mm and longer) give a narrower angle of view and compress the fore- ground and background in your shot.

Figures 3.32a, 3.32b, and 3.32c are images of the same scene, but each was shot with a different lens: a wide-angle lens (24mm), a normal lens

Figure 3.30 Illustration : Juanita Ceballos

Exposure, Composition, and Sequences 57

Figure 3.31a A shorter focal length (24mm) creates a wider field-of-view.

Figure 3.31b A longer focal length (105mm) creates a narrower field-of view.

(50mm), and a telephoto lens (105mm). In each shot, the foreground object has been framed to be in the same position and size. Notice what happens to the appearance of the background object. In the 24mm shot, the background object seems to be at a great distance away from the

58 PA RT I I : Production and Post-Production Techniques

Figure 3.32a This image was shot at a focal length of 24mm.

Figure 3.32b This image was shot at a focal length of 50mm.

foreground object. In the 105mm shot, the background object seems much closer to the foreground object. In the 50mm shot, the foreground and background objects seem to be the same relative size as they would appear to the human eye.

Understanding focal lengths and their effects on your image will allow you to make creative and editorial decisions in your compositions. For example, if you use a wide-angle lens to shoot a scene of two people

Exposure, Composition, and Sequences 59

Figure 3.32c This image was shot at a focal length of 105mm.

Figure 3.33a In this image (shot at 24mm), the person on the left seems significantly smaller than the person on the right.

having a conversation, then the person in the background will appear to be much smaller than the person in the foreground. This may make the foreground subject seem much more impressive or powerful. If you shoot the same scene with a normal or telephoto lens, the two people will appear to be more proportionally balanced. Wide-angle lenses can also make shots very dramatic, and ultra-wide angle lenses can make your images appear skewed.

Figure 3.33b In this image (shot at 85mm), the two people seem to be proportional in size.

Figure 3.34 Shooting with shorter focal lengths can produce dramatic wide-angle shots.

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Practice shooting with different focal lengths to understand the effects they can have on your shots. While focal length is primarily used to zoom in or zoom out of a scene, it is important to understand that different lenses can have dramatic editorial impact on your footage.

Exercise

1. Select a scene to shoot. Decide on a foreground object. This can be

a person, a sign, or any other object. Frame and focus on this object using a wide-angle lens. Shoot a few seconds of this shot.

2. Adjust your lens to a normal length (such as 50mm). You will notice that your field of view has changed and your foreground object appears closer in your shot. Adjust the position of your camera so that your foreground object is in the same position and same size as it was in your wide-angle shot. How far back did you have to move your camera? Shoot a few seconds of this shot.

3. Adjust your lens to a telephoto length (such as 100mm). You will notice that your field of view has changed again and your foreground object appears much closer in your shot. Adjust the position of your camera so that the foreground object is in the same place and is the same size as it was in your wide- and normal-angle shots. How far back did you have to move your camera? Shoot a few seconds of this shot.

4. Review your footage. How did the background objects of your shot change when you adjusted your focal length?