Shooting Sequences
When
we shoot a series of shots that relate to the same activity, we call it
a Sequence. The sequence is really the foundation of visual
storytelling. Sequences not only offer visual variety, but they can also
compress real time into dramatic time, helping editors develop better
pacing to the story. Additionally, the shots in the sequence advance new
information to help move the story more efficiently. Viewers who see
sequences of Wide, Medium and Close-up shots get more information with
each progressive shot.
Many
still photographers can find the story in a single picture. But when we
do broadcast news, there simply isn't enough time for our audience to
let their eyes linger over the image until they see the detail that is
important; they can only take in so much information at a time. As
videographers, our job is to think in terms of multiple images that can
be used to add interest, provide more detail and understanding and
effectively direct viewers to the detail in the image that we deem
important. That's where Sequences come in.
Essentially,
we're doing what our brains do naturally, using the camera, like the
eye, to collect a number of images. The brain does the job of assembling
the images to convey meaning. So as a photographer, think like an
editor. How will you edit from one image to the next? To accomplish
this, get a variety of shots. When professionals shoot a Sequence, they
always think in terms of getting wide shots followed by several tight
shots. We call it:
WIDE SHOT, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT
Wide
shots convey the entire area and are good for establishing the scene;
medium shots show characters from the waist up and their proximity to
one another; close-ups show a particular part of the character, usually
their face.
Why so many close-up shots?
There's
a reason why we shoot so many tight shots. Photographers need to think
like editors. Cutting close-ups back-to-back reads more naturally. It's
the way we might view a conversation between two people. Our brain
perceives close-ups of each person as our eyes volley back and forth.
But when we edit adjacent wide shots, the effect can be jarring. We see a
jump cut because the framing and distance are so much the same that it
looks like the subject often shifts, or jumps abruptly.
Another
reason to consider getting mostly close-ups concerns the fact that many
of us consume media using our smart phones. We watch videos from a
small screen device, too small to really see the details in a wide shot.
So to avoid editing wide shots back-to-back and to make sure the audience doesn't miss the important details in the activity, photographers will use a certain shooting ratio:
25:25:50
That's 25 percent wide shots, 25 percent medium shots and 50 percent close-ups.
The video below from BBC Academy College of Journalism shows a nice explanation on shooting sequences.
