Vlog #004 | Shot Composition – Part 1: Subject Position
We’re back with another helpful video. Our goal is to help you make great videos. We’re passionate about video quality, so even if we’re not the ones creating the content, we want you to look your best.
Today we’re talking about shot composition. It’s a topic a lot of people have been asking, and it’s a pretty deep subject, so it looks like this is going to be a series.
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The first part in our shot composition series tackles subject positioning. Too often, when tasked with capturing a portrait, people simply point and shoot. If the goal is to make your subject look good, you should be trying to follow some basic rules.
The first rule is the Rule of Thirds. If you imagine a tic-tac-toe pattern across your screen, place your subject on one or two of those lines. This is not always true, of course, but it will help do draw the audiences attention to your subject. Some exceptions to the rule are when the subject is moving about in the frame and the camera is not moving at all. It is appropriate in that case to allow the movement to catch the audience’s eye. Another is when the subject is quite close to the camera, especially if they are looking directly into the lens. When the subject is already going to catch the eye of the beholder, you don’t ned to be as careful in following the Rule of Thirds.
The second rule is Headroom. Headroom refers to the amount of space between the frame of the image and the top of the subject’s head. Too much, and the subject will either look like their sinking into the ground or that they are floating in too much space. Too little (such as cutting off the top of the head), and, the subject will look cramped. In cases where you can see much more than the subject’s whole body from head to toe, headroom rules apply less. The same is true of extreme closeups, when our focus should be on the eyes or the mouth, generally speaking.
The third rule is Subject Distance. How far away you are from the subject matters greatly in composing your image. It is in the common vernacular to refer to a close-up. If the goal is to see the subject’s face, you’ll want to be close. If you want to see more than just their face, be a little farther away. It’s not terribly complicated, but it’s a point oft neglected.
That’s it for this week, we’ll be back again soon with more tips for gorgeous video!
