WEBVTT 00:00.960 --> 00:05.240 This lesson we're going to be learning about how to compose better shots. 00:05.250 --> 00:11.610 The first thing you need to understand about composition is aspect ratio basically how big or the size 00:11.640 --> 00:13.770 of your video frame. 00:14.070 --> 00:17.640 Today the most popular aspect ratio is 16 by 9. 00:17.640 --> 00:21.550 This is the standard aspect 16 is the width 9 is the height. 00:21.570 --> 00:25.720 This is what you're going to be shooting on with your DSL our cameras or smart phones. 00:25.800 --> 00:28.100 This is how most TVs are built today. 00:28.290 --> 00:34.220 A while back most TVs were made a little bit more squished and that was a 4 by 3 aspect ratios. 00:34.230 --> 00:38.270 Not many people are shooting or creating videos in four by three anymore. 00:38.460 --> 00:41.730 And if you go to the theater you will see even wider aspect ratios. 00:41.730 --> 00:46.890 And this is something that you can even do in post-production to make your video seem more cinematic 00:47.190 --> 00:50.090 now that you know what frame you are using you're ready to compose a shot. 00:50.220 --> 00:53.370 And this is really how you frame the shot specifically. 00:53.370 --> 00:58.520 We're going to talk about several ways to frame your shot for coverage and that's really a wide a medium 00:58.530 --> 00:59.400 a close up. 00:59.400 --> 01:01.740 An extreme close up and inserts. 01:01.740 --> 01:05.910 Now keep in mind these are the most common ways of shooting but there are infinite ways of composing 01:05.910 --> 01:06.460 your shot. 01:06.570 --> 01:10.620 So if we are shooting a narrative or really a documentary we have to have a story right. 01:10.680 --> 01:15.930 So Phil over here is getting ready to plan his hiking trip and we're going to shoot at first as just 01:15.930 --> 01:20.290 a normal narrative or this would also act really well as B-roll for your coverage in a dock. 01:20.400 --> 01:25.930 So we're going to start with a wide shot so you can see here I have Phil framed up in a wide shot. 01:26.190 --> 01:30.960 He's sitting here you can see the entire scene and really you can kind of use this whole frame for your 01:30.960 --> 01:32.460 wide coverage shot. 01:32.460 --> 01:36.630 It's something they can always cut back to when you get in trouble or if you need to really show the 01:36.630 --> 01:39.450 entire area and the world and set the scene. 01:39.450 --> 01:41.720 So this is a very basic wide shot. 01:41.760 --> 01:48.050 If I were to frame up a little bit more negative space I might do this. 01:48.050 --> 01:50.410 So in this wide shot I have a ton of negative space. 01:50.420 --> 01:51.890 It's a little more stylistic. 01:51.890 --> 01:55.840 You can see all the ideas and all the anti space that Phil may have in his head. 01:55.850 --> 02:01.070 It really kind of speaks a little bit more to your audience the emotion that a frame evokes is really 02:01.070 --> 02:03.040 depend on how you compose it. 02:03.040 --> 02:04.710 It's another way of different wide shots. 02:04.730 --> 02:08.390 Let's get in and get a medium shot of Phil since I'm on a zoom lens. 02:08.390 --> 02:13.320 I'm able to just zoom in on my 24 to 70 and achieve this really quick medium shot. 02:13.460 --> 02:17.720 Normally if you're on a primary on a different lens you may have to get up and move your camera whereas 02:17.720 --> 02:22.730 a wide shot is great to show the area you're in and really give your viewer space and show you where 02:22.730 --> 02:23.560 you are. 02:23.600 --> 02:25.710 A medium can be used for several things. 02:25.760 --> 02:30.410 It's really just a start to connect with your character start to see what they're doing in the frame. 02:30.410 --> 02:35.330 It's also something that's used mostly for interview shots and for dialogue covering talking back and 02:35.330 --> 02:36.040 forth. 02:36.050 --> 02:37.660 So here's a good medium shot. 02:37.760 --> 02:38.830 It's composed centered. 02:38.840 --> 02:43.960 It's very basic but it allows us to get the amount of action that he's doing with some of the background. 02:44.030 --> 02:48.770 It's not as wide as the wide shot where we can see everything going on and it's not as emotional but 02:48.770 --> 02:50.390 it's a really good way to cover. 02:50.390 --> 02:52.530 Next we're going to jump into a close shot. 02:52.560 --> 02:55.290 I'm at the end of my Zoom now with a smartphone. 02:55.310 --> 02:58.520 Generally you're going to have to move around to get your shots because the zooms aren't great. 02:58.520 --> 03:02.500 Digital zooms are basically zooming in digitally and you can start to lose quality. 03:02.660 --> 03:06.800 So for here we're going to have to change to a longer lens or I'm going to have to get up and move over 03:06.800 --> 03:07.390 there. 03:07.430 --> 03:08.370 I think I'm going to do that. 03:08.390 --> 03:13.320 Here's a close up shot of Phil. This has a little bit more emotion right in there he's reading his book. 03:13.370 --> 03:15.730 The book's a little bit in the frame so we can see what he's doing. 03:15.740 --> 03:18.350 We've gained more emotion by being closer to him. 03:18.350 --> 03:23.300 The audience is connecting a little bit more with our subject versus the wide where we see everything 03:23.300 --> 03:28.490 in the medium where we may not see his face we're right here right here with him and we can really get 03:28.490 --> 03:30.950 in his head almost We can see what he's doing. 03:30.950 --> 03:35.480 So here's an extreme close up of Phil. You can really see his eyes and what he's reading. 03:35.480 --> 03:40.160 We can really connect to the character here through the eyes and we can really see what he's doing. 03:40.160 --> 03:43.610 It really brings an entirely even deeper emotion into it. 03:43.910 --> 03:45.850 So see how Phil's reading his book right now. 03:45.890 --> 03:47.720 Watch what happens when he looks over here. 03:48.740 --> 03:53.600 Between this shot and the wide shot you know as an audience member what he could be looking at because 03:53.600 --> 03:58.250 you've already been here you've already seen the wide shot you're inside his world and now you're with 03:58.250 --> 04:00.880 him emotionally. 04:00.910 --> 04:02.890 So next is an insert shot. 04:03.070 --> 04:06.910 This is really kind of detailing what our subject is doing. 04:06.910 --> 04:12.490 You can see here what book Phil is reading he's planning a hike in Los Angeles and these types of shots 04:12.490 --> 04:15.870 can really be used for narrative or B-roll for a documentary. 04:15.880 --> 04:20.500 The big thing about him is really just kind of pick up on detail and see exactly what your subject is 04:20.500 --> 04:23.220 doing in order to relay back to them. 04:23.290 --> 04:25.610 These are the basic shots you need to tell a story.