Introduction To Cinematography

Introduction to Cinematography

Digital Video Production
Marion Hanks
Coral Reef High School
Miami, Florida

Still from Student Video Created in Adobe Premiere

Contents

Teacher Statement
Student Statement
1. Course Overview
Course description
Course goals
Rubric Indicators
Task Summary
State Standards
Bibliography

2. Lesson Plan Table
3. Detailed Lesson Plans
4. Forms and Handouts
5. Tutorials
6. Student Video Clips by Michael Nedelman

Cinematography I Class
Getting and Introductory Lesson in Adobe Premiere

-1-
Teachers Statement
Marion Hanks
Cinematography I

Coral Reef High School implemented the first courses in
Cinematography in 2000. Before this time, my main area of
teaching was fine art. However, with the excellent training and
resources I have included in this workbook, it was possible for me
to apply my background in art and design to the dynamic discipline
of video.
My video students begin their work using digital cameras. Our lab
consists of only two I-Macs and the students take turns
downloading video and setting up preliminary edits using I-Movie.
When we are ready for more challenging editing options, we move
on to Adobe Premiere which offers many more transitions as well
as advanced tools for assembling clips and images and
incorporating music.
This course has offered students a new mode of expression for
many of their other classes including history, social studies and
music and has enriched their educational experience overall.

Marion Hanks

-2-
Students Statement
Edith
Digital Video Editing

The cinematography project I did started in English class. A film of my
little brother which I did to complete an English assignment lead to a
love of film making and lead me to work with Ms. Hanks to develop new
techniques and creative approaches.

The English Class assignment was a creative presentation on The Book
of Embraces, by Eduardo Gauliano. His book consisted of little stories
about many topics. It is more like a verbal scrapbook than a novel. I
selected a story about childhood from the book to report on but decided
that instead of a book report I would explore the concept of childhood
by working with one of my numerous siblings to make a movie about
childhood fears and fantasies. The story was developed around the
theme of a dream sequence.

By doing the film instead of a book report, I connected the theme of the
story to myself. This enabled me to more easily find connections
between the stories in the book and my own experience. The project
was very well received by the English class. In fact the presentation
almost intimidated the other students with more traditional
presentations. In future projects I would definitely take the creative
approach because you not only fulfill the assignment but you get other
people interested in the topic. And besides, it is more entertaining.

Filmmaking is becoming an important hobby for me now. I make movies
all the time just for fun. I am now studying history and have started a
project to learn about a country and personalize my understanding of
that country; give it a life. The country I will be studying is Vietnam and I
am sure that a film will bring the country to life in exciting ways.

-3-
Course Overview

Course Objectives:
This is a comprehensive course in cinematography using video and
digital video capabilities to produce student projects. The course
covers policies and procedures, rights and restrictions of copyright and
film production. The course also covers basic film terms, film history,
and production techniques, including the use of the video technology
cameras and digital video editing equipment and software. Students
are expected to develop skills in screenwriting, casting, pre-production
planning, digital video editing and post production. Final portfolio
requirements include several digital video works as well as written film
critiques.

Course Goals:
The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to a broad
understanding of the field of cinematography, including film history,
screenwriting, film technology and film production.

Rubric Indicators:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of copyright, film
production rights and restrictions.
Through their final video projects, students will demonstrate a mastery
of the film making process including: screenwriting, casting, camera
functions, editing and post-production

Task Summary:
- Master film vocabulary
- Discuss and apply copyright techniques and rights of musicians,
authors and producers.
- Demonstrate an understanding of film by completing film critiques on
domestic and foreign films, studio and independent films and film
timelines
- Read and report on a variety of screenplays and film magazines
- Master film tools and techniques
- Produce at least 2 digital video works
- Successfully complete course examinations covering vocabulary,
technology and history, pre and post-production

Florida Sunshine State Standards:
http://portal.dadeschools.net/cbc/Volume%20III/Visual%20Arts/Senior%2
0High/Grade%209/Cinematography.pdf

See Detailed Standards Section 3:
1. Aesthetic & Critical Inquiry
2. Cultural and Historical Content
3. Studio Skills
4. Personal Development

-4-
Course Overview Continued
Bibliography
Technology Resources:
Teach Yourself Visually, Adobe Premiere, by Sherry Willard Kinkoph,
Published by Hungary Minds, 2002, ISBN 0-7645-3664-8,
www.hungryminds.com
Visual Quick Start Guides, Peachpit Press
Adobe Classroom in a Book-Premiere, Adobe Press
Compression for Great Digital Video, Ben Waggoner
Home Video Hints, by J im Stinson, Videomaker Magazine, August, 2001

Adobe Online Training: http://www.adobe.com/education/training/main.html
www.globalcrossing.com
Understanding Codecs: http://codecs.org/

Understanding Codecs and Streaming media:
http://www.icanstream.tv/CodecCentral/

Multimedia Reporting and Convergence: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia

Using Adobe Premiere to Edit Video
http://desktopvideo.about.com/library/weekly/aa062502a.htm?once=true&
Using Adobe Premiere to Output Video to the Web
http://desktopvideo.about.com/library/weekly/aa071102a.htm

Cinematography Research:
Making Movies a Guide for Young Filmmakers, Artists Rights Foundation, sponsored
by Global Crossing, www.globalcrossing.com
Visual Voices, College Board Pacesetter English Book, www.collegeboard.com
Single Camera Video Production, Robert B. Musburger, Focal Press ISBN, 0-240-
80333-7, www.bh.com
Girl Directors, Andrea Richards, Girl Press, www.girlpress.com
Directing Film Shot by Shot, Steven Katz,
Storyboards, Michael Wiese Productions, ISBN-0-941188-10-8, Phone 1-818-379-
8799, mwpsales@earthlink.net
Directing for the Screen, by J im Stinson, Videomaker Magazine, August, 200

Five Secrets to Writing Screenplays that Sell by Michael Hauge
http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=68

Essential advice for aspiring digital filmmakers, By Michael Wohl
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,3393081,00.ht
ml

Learner.org How Films Are Made
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/editing2.html

Videomaker Magazine: August 2001, Home Video Tips, by J im Stinson
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listvideoshpd.html

Internet Hot list on Video Shooting Tips created by West Haven High School
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listvideoshpd.html

Petes Video, Video Shooting Tips
http://www.petesvideo.com/vidtips.htm

Petes Video: http://www.petesvideo.com

Annenberg/CPB Learner.org, Film Editing Glossary
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/editing2.html

Guidelines for Shooting Video
http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/shoot-video.html
-5-

Lesson Plan Table

Lesson Lesson Summary Research and Handouts Tutorials
1.
Review Camera Shooting Hints, Reading: Videomaker Magazine, Home
Video Tips, J im Stinson; Making Movies, A guide for Young Filmmakers
Petes Video, http://www.petesvideo.com/vidtips.htm
Vocabulary
2
Test Project, Learning the Camera, Downloading the Camera
Create a Dos and Donts List. Shoot 5 minutes of Video illustrating at
least 5 good and bad techniques,
Reading: Teach Yourself Visually, Chapter 3
Beginning Shot List

Tutorial 1
File Management Basics
3.
Write Two 5 minute scripts incorporating shot lists from Lesson 2
Critique shots in Class for Dos and Donts Video, Reading: Teach
Yourself Visually, Chapters 1 2
Film Production Schedule Introduction to Premiere
www.adobe.com/education/training
4.
Beginning Editing; Movie Critique, The Abyss; Vocabulary Test
Reading: Teach Yourself Visually, Chapter 4
Movie Critique Form Movie
Proposal Forms
Tutorial 2
Moving from iMovie to Premiere
5.
Developing Story Ideas; Two Written Film Critiques, Studio and Foreign
Films; Two Written Film Critiques, Independent Films; Reading: Visual
Voices, College Board Pacesetter Book, Unit 5-Reading Film; Teach
Yourself Visually, Chapter 5-6, 10
Critique Form

6.
Storyboarding, Artists Rights and Copyright Issues, Reading:
Storyboards, by Michael Wiese Productions, Teach Yourself Visually,
Chapter 7-8, Review 10
Storyboarding From
Permission Forms for Final
Film Project
Tutorial 3
Using Transitions in Premiere
7.
Casting, Rehearsals , Complete First Shots for Final Film,
Download and Edit Digital Video, Reading: Teach Yourself Visually,
Chapter 16, Page 23 review Settings
Compression for Great
Digital Video, Ben
Waggoner, Chapter 8
Tutorial 4
Creating a Music Video in
Premiere
8
Re-shooting Final Film Scenes, Extra Credit Movie Critiques Movie Critique Form

9
Digital Video Final Film Edits, Using Adobe Premiere to Edit Video
Extra Credit Movie Critiques
Movie Critique Form
http://desktopvideo.about.com/li
brary/weekly/aa062502a.htm?o
nce=true&
10
Output Final Digital Video to CD or Tape, Understanding Codecs:
http://codecs.org/
http://www.digital-digest.com

-6-

Vocabulary
Petes Video
http://www.petesvideo.com

Video Terms & Meanings
Credit goes to www.videouniversity.com. www.sony.com and www.supremevideo.com as the source for most of these glossary terms.
ANALOG
An electrical signal that uses continuously varying electrical voltages. Analog video that is copied or edited multiple times
suffers from generation loss and is degraded by each copy due to loss of signal strength, noise and distortion.
APERTURE
An adjustable opening in a lens which, like the iris in the human eye, controls the amount of light entering a camera. The
size of the aperture is controlled by the iris adjustment and is measured in f-stops. A smaller f-stop number corresponds to
a larger opening which passes more light. F-stop examples are F2, F2.8, F4, F5.6, F8, F11. F-stops are logarithmic. Each
stop admits 100% more light than the previous one.
Many camcorders today offer automatic exposure where the iris adjustment is controlled automatically for proper lighting.
Generally, there is a manual exposure override, where the light value can be adjusted. Few of todays camcorders use f-
stops as a form of light calibration.
ASPECT RATIO
Ratio of picture height to picture width in video and TV systems. The standard is 3:4. This is an important ratio to
remember when creating graphics that will be output to video, to ensure that the graphic is sized appropriately for the TV.
750 x 560 pixels is an appropriate size.
-7-
BETAMAX & BETACAM
The obsolete home video format. Lost the format battle to VHS even though it was slightly superior. The cassette size,
however, went on to become BETACAM, which became the most common broadcast-quality video format. BETACAM
SP is the enhanced version.
CCD
Charged Coupled Device. A light sensitive integrated circuit that captures video images, and forms the heart of all of
todays camcorders.
CATV
Acronym for cable TV
CHROMA
The color information in a video signal, consisting of hue and saturation of the color
CHROMA KEY
The process of overlaying one video signal over another by replacing a range of colors with the second signal. Typically,
the first (foreground) picture is photographed with a person or object against a special, single-color background (the key-
color). The second picture is inserted in place of the key-color. The most common example is in broadcast weather
segments where pictures of weather maps are inserted "behind" the forecaster.
-8-
CHROMINANCE & CHROMINANCE LEVEL
The color portion of a video signal that represents the saturation and tint at this particular point of the image. Black, gray
and white have no chrominance, but any colored signal has both chrominance and luminance. The higher the chrominance
level, the stronger the color (e.g., a strong signal produces red, and a weak signal, pink).
COLOR TEMPERATURE
A method for measuring the overall color of a light source, measured in degrees Kelvin (deg.K). Higher numbers indicate
bluer light, lower numbers indicate a warmer light. The color temperature of the lighting must match the color temperature
of the camera. In video this is accomplished by setting the white balance of the camera. Sunny Daylight is approximately
5500 deg.K. Overcast daylight is higher. Fluorescent Lights are approx. 4100 deg.K. Indoor incandescent lights are 2800
deg.K and professional Movie Lights are 3200 Deg. K.
Most modern camcorders have automatic white balance, but it is important to point the camera at a pure white object after
moving from one type of lighting conditions to another, such as from inside to direct sunlight. Otherwise the tint of the
recorded video may not be accurate.
COMPONENT VIDEO
Video signal in which luminance and synch information are recorded separately from the color information. Formats such
as SVHS and Hi-8 use component signals to achieve maximum quality. Component video comes in several flavors: RGB
(red, green, blue), YUV (luminance, sync, and red/blue) and Y/C (luminance and chrominance). Y/C is also called S-
Video and used in the S-VHS and Hi-8 formats.
If your camcorder and VCR/Editing device have S-Video capability then it is better to use this connector rather than the
standard composite video connections because the signal quality via S-Video is better.

-9-
COMPOSITE VIDEO
A video signal in which the luminance and chrominance elements have been combined in formats such as VHS.
COMPRESSION
The process of manipulating video signals so that they require less storage on a computer hard drive. It takes about 12
gigabytes to store one hour of broadcast quality analog or high-resolution digital video. Compression can reduce this size
dramatically, but this can result in an unacceptable deterioration of picture quality.
Compression can be performed by run length encoding similar values (i.e. a large number of consecutive pixels in a frame
with the same color), reducing the frame size, reducing the number of frames per second (normally 30), reducing color
content, reducing sharpness, or a combination of all of the above.
For most video editing applications that have to produce an acceptable quality video tape as the end product, virtually no
compression of the input video source is acceptable.
CONTROL-L
Sony's editing control protocol, also called LANC (Local Application Control), which allows two-way communication
between a camcorder or VCR and an edit controller. This feature is included on most Sony, Canon and Sony OEM (Ricoh,
Fuji etc) products.
LANC is an almost essential requirement when using video editing equipment such as Pinnacles Visual Studio 400.
CONTROL-M
Panasonic 5-pin edit control protocol. Similar to Control-L, but not compatible, and is not as widely supported by edit
controllers.
-10-
CONTROL-S
Sony transport control protocol which duplicates a consumer VCR's infra-red remote transport control. Unlike Control-L,
Control-S does not allow the controller to read tape counter information. Desirable to have in your VCR, but not as
important as LANC for successful video editing.
DIGITAL
A system whereby a variable analog signal is broken down and encoded into discrete binary bits of ones and zeros. These
numbers represent a mathematical model of the original signal. When copied, they do not degrade as an analog signal
does. An analog-to-digital (A/D) converter chip takes samples of the signal at a fixed time interval known as sampling
frequency. This digital stream is can be recorded onto magnetic media. Upon playback, a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter
chip reads the binary data and reconstructs the original analog signal.
Theoretically this process should eliminate generation loss since every copy is an exact duplicate of the original. In reality,
digital systems are not perfect and can introduce their own problems in maintaining the original signal. However digital
signals are virtually immune to noise, distortion, cross-talk, and other quality problems.
DIGITAL-8
A digital encoding system used by Sony that records a video signal is digital format on 8 mm and Hi8 tapes. The data is
recorded at double speed (i.e. a 2 hour tape will contain 1 hour of digital video). The signal presented at the ILink (IEEE-
1394) interface is industry standard and for all intents and purposes, a D8 camcorder functions the same as a DV
camcorder. However, the D8 camcorder has the ability to playback 8 MM and Hi8 analog recordings and these can be
captured via the IEEE-1394 port as if they were recorded digitally. D8 camcorders represent a lot of value when making
the transition from analog to digital, as the existing inventory of 8 mm and Hi8 video can be captured and edited digitally,
and the existing inventory of 8mm and Hi8 tapes can be reused for digital recording.
-11-
DISSOLVE
A video or film transition where one shot gradually fades out while a second shot fades in.
DROPOUT
A defect on the videotape which causes a brief flash of a horizontal black line on the screen. Commonly found at the
beginning and end of tapes. The quality of videotape is graded by the number of dropouts and priced accordingly.
DROP FRAME
A type of time code designed to exactly match the real time of common clocks. To accomplish this, two frames of time
code are dropped every minute, on the minute, except every tenth minute. This corrects for the fact that video frames occur
at a rate of 29.97 per second, rather than an exact 30 frames per second (see FRAMES, NON-DROP FRAME & TIME
CODE).
DUB
Duplicate copy of videotape. If the source tape is analog that the duplicate will be of a lesser quality as the original due to
generation loss.
FADE
A video picture that gradually increases or decreases in brightness usually to or from black. Sound can also fade to or from
silence.
-12-
FIELD
One-half of a television frame, containing all the odd or even scanning lines of the picture. In NTSC 262.5
horizontal lines at 59.94 Hz. In PAL 312.5 lines at 50 Hz.
FOCUS
An auto focus system comes with all camcorders. The camcorder tries to determine the subject of your video
and focuses in on that subject. The accuracy of the auto focus can be affected by extreme or low light.
Generally there is a manual override that allows you to adjust the focus manually.
FORMAT
Describes the video equipment and tape used. Popular formats listed in ascending order of cost and quality include VHS,
8-MM, SVHS, HI-8.
FRAME
A complete television picture made up of two fields, produced at the rate of 29.97 Hz (color NTSC), or 30 Hz (black &
white NTSC).
GENERATION LOSS
Created when editing or copying one analog videotape to another videotape. Most apparent in less expensive video
formats. Theoretically absent from digital video editing.
-13-
HI-8
A video format technically similar to SVHS which uses smaller cassettes, and has a horizontal resolution of 440 lines,
compared to 330 lines for broadcast television. The 8mm video format is a similar sized cassette but is of an inferior
quality of 270 lines of resolution. VHS video has a resolution of 230 lines, similar to 8mm, but 8mm provides vastly
improved audio quality and better noise and dropout ratios. All camcorders that support HI-8 will also record and play
back 8mm tapes.
IMAGE STABILIZATION
Used to eliminate some of the shaking that most people will do with there hand while recording. There are two types of
image stabilization. The first type is optical image stabilization and uses different lenses and gyros to adjust for any motion
or movement that doesn't seem natural. The other type is electronic/digital image stabilization. It adjusts for when the
camcorder is shaking but does not overcompensate for when you pan or tilt the camera. Optical is probably the best, but
both are very good, and an almost mandatory feature of a camcorder.
IEEE-1394
IEEE-1394, also known as firewire and ILink, provides a high speed serial interface to computers that is more than capable
of meeting and exceeding the high bandwidth requirements of Digital Video (DV). This interface is the industry standard
for the capture and export of all DV, and is included in all DV camcorders. It enables the computer to control the
camcorder functions and initiate such activities as import/capture and export/record. The continuous bandwidth
requirements for DV is around 3.8 megabytes per second, which is only a small portion of the total bandwidth offers
IEEE-1394. Other devices such as disk drives are available that support the IEEE-1394 interface.
LAVALIERE
A small microphone that is clipped to a person's clothing.
-14-
LTC
Longitudinal Time Code. Type of time code recorded on one of the audio channels of video tape. Requires tape movement
to read. (See also VITC.)
LINEAR EDITING
The process of editing video from one tape to another by copying sequential scenes, trimming or deleting portions of each
scene in the process, and also including additional video effects, audio soundtracks and sound effects. The process
involves very little stopping and starting of the playback and record devices.
LUMINANCE
The monochrome portion of a video signal.
LUX
This is the term used to describe the rating used for CCDs. It is the minimum amount of light needed to be put through a
CCD and still create a recognizable picture. Bright daylight is about 100 LUX and the light from a candle is about 10
LUX. The ability of a camcorder to operate below 5 LUX is of little value, as the quality of the video, even at 10 LUX will
be very grainy.
MACRO FOCUS
Regular lenses have a minimum focusing distance that doesn't let you focus in on a small object at close
distance. A macro focus capability, available on some camcorders, will let you take a close up of a small object.
This feature is nice to have but not widely used in most run of the mill video assignments.
-15-
MATCH FRAME EDIT
An edit in which the source and record tapes pick up exactly where they left off. Often used to extend or correct a previous
edit. Also called a "frame cut."
NTSC
National Television Standards Committee created this first international television system for use in the U.S. and other
countries. It produces pictures by creating 525 alternating lines across the TV screen for each frame of video. Since PAL
and SECAM, the other two world systems, were developed later, they took advantage of better technology.
NON-DROP FRAME
A type of time code that continuously counts a full 30 frames per second. As a result, non-drop-fame time code does not
exactly match real time. See also DROP FRAME.
NON-LINEAR EDITING
The process of copying scenes from one or more video tapes to another tape in a non sequential order. Individual scenes
may be trimmed during the process, and other visual and audio effects added, as well as additional sound tracks. This
process normally involves stopping and restarting both the playback and record devices frequently.
PAN
Movement of the camera on a horizontal axis.

-16-
RGB
Red, green & blue, the primary color components of the additive color system used in color television.
SVHS
Super VHS. A video format developed by J VC. It is equivalent to HI-8 in capabilities but is not widely supported or
available in consumer class camcorders. However, it is a popular format for VCRs.
SHOTGUN MICROPHONE
A highly directional microphone that may be hand-held or mounted on a boom.
SHUTTER SPEED
There is no shutter in a camcorder, but is used as a term to define how quickly a frame is exposed/processed
by the CCD. The normal speed is 1/60 of a second. This might cause fast moving objects to come out a little
blurry. A faster shutter speed can help you catch these faster moving objects. The drawbacks are that less light
is let in, and therefore less picture quality. It is a good idea to use this feature only in well lit conditions. For
camcorders that support variable shutter speeds, they range from 1/60 to 1/4000 or 1/10000.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The intended viewers. Successful videos should define and address this audience.

-17-
TILT
Movement of the camera on its vertical axis.
TIME CODE
A system of numbering each frame of video with a unique address divided into hours, minutes, seconds and frames. There
are 30 video still frames per second. See also DROP FRAME, NON-DROP FRAME, VITC, LTC.
VCR
Video Cassette Recorder.
VHS
Video Home System. The most popular consumer video format used in the majority of home VCRs.
VITC
Vertical Interval Time Code pronounced vitSEE. This type of time code is recorded in the vertical blanking interval above
the active picture area. Can be read from video tape in the "still mode." See also LTC (Longitudinal Time Code).
VTR
Video Tape Recorder.
-18-
WHITE BALANCE
A color camera function which determines how much red, green and blue is required to produce a normal-looking white.
Shots made with improper white balance will have an abnormal color tint. Most modern camcorders have an automatic
white balance function. However it is important to point the camcorder (in record/standby mode) at a pure white object
whenever light conditions are changed to ensure that the white balance is adjusted correctly for these new conditions.
WIPE
A visual transition between shots in which the first shot is replaced with the next via a moving pattern.

ZOOM
To vary the focal length from one size to another, making the subject appear closer or further away. Most camcorders
today provide both an optical and a digital zoom capability. Optical zoom is performed by varying the focal length of the
camera Lens. Optical zoom capabilities range from about 10X to 22X or 10 22 times the magnification. Digital zoom
magnifies the image by increasing the number of pixels used for each point in the image. For example, if 4 pixels are used
to represent a single pixel than the zoom factor would be 4X. This feature is similar to zooming an image in a graphics
editor program. Digital zoom results in such a loss of sharpness and detail that its usefulness is limited. Camcorder digital
zoom capabilities generally range from 30X to 300X.

-19-
Detailed Lesson Plan

Lesson 1:
Tips for Shooting Video
If You Plan to Edit
1. Whether you use VHS, VHS-C, 8mm,
Hi8 or MiniDV, remember to record in
the "SP" speed. You will have better
quality video, editing will go faster and
you will end up with better
duplications.
2. Before shooting, always leave at least
15 seconds of black (no video or
audio) at the very beginning of the
tape. Most video tape wear occurs
where it loads against the video heads
of your equipment. If damage should
occur, it would be in black, not in your
video.
3. When shooting, start recording early
and keep recording a little past where
you want to stop. Avoid leaving "snow"
or no video on your tape. Start your
next shot in the video of the last.

4. Don't tape your subject in front of a
window or bright light - it will make
your subject dark. Always try to have
lights behind you, so they will
illuminate your subject.
5. Avoid using auto-focus if you will have
people walking in front of the camera
or if your subject is much closer than
your background.
6. Use a light. Unless you are outside on
a sunny day, a camera light or other
light source will improve the quality
and color of your video.
7. Use a tripod whenever possible. It will
keep your shots more stable and make
your tapes more enjoyable to watch.
8. If your audio is important, you will get
better results with a separate
microphone. Your audience will be
able to understand and enjoy the
audio you record without the ambient
noise that can come with a camera
microphone.

9. When you are finished shooting, pull
the record tab to prevent accidental
erasure. Also, be sure to label your
video tapes with dates and
descriptions of its content.

See:
Videomaker Magazine, August 2001, Home
Video Tips, by Jim
Stinsonhttp://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pa
ges/listvideoshpd.html

An Internet Hot list on Video Shooting Tips
created by West Haven High School
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listvi
deoshpd.html

Petes Video, Video Shooting Tips

-20-

Lesson 1 Continued: Petes Video
Video Shooting Tips
Good video begins with good camera work. If you are serious about improving the quality of your video efforts, I strongly recommend
that you get down to your local library and check out some of the books available on making videos.

They are full of lots of good information, with hints and tips on how to use your camcorder to shoot good video. However I have a few
dos and donts that I will reproduce here.
ZOOMING
Keep your finger off the zoom. This is a cool feature available on virtually every camcorder and allows you to bring your subject
closer. It is neat to play with. However, it is not so cool to watch in a video, and if you overdo it your audience will be pop-eyed and
seasick.

A slow zoom is useful to create an illusion that the subject is moving towards the camera. An alternative way to accomplish the same
effect is for you to move the camera towards the subject, but it is more difficult to maintain as smooth a motion. Two zooms per hour
of edited videotape is about one zoom too many.

Where the zoom is very useful to establish a wide angle location shot. Then you stop recording, zoom in for a close-up on the action,
and then start recording again. Zoom is also very useful to blur the background around the subject. How much of the scene is in focus
is referred to as the depth of field, and is dependent on the focus length of the lens. As you vary the focus length by zooming in or
out, you vary the depth of field where the objects in the frame are in focus.

The larger the magnification, the smaller the depth of field. Therefore if you want a shot where the subject is in focus and the
background is not, then you would use a high zoom factor, and shoot from a distance away. Inversely if you want both the subject and
the background in focus, then you will move the camera closer to the subject and not use zoom at all.
DIGITAL ZOOM
Most camcorders today provide both optical and digital zoom capabilities. The optical zoom works by changing the magnification
factor of the lens and is of high quality. Digital zoom functions by increasing the number of pixels utilized for each point in the frame,
and results in a much poorer quality picture. Digital zoom is applied after the frame is captured. If four pixels are then used for each
captured pixel than a 4X digital magnification has been performed. 32X, 72X and even 300X digital zooms are common.

-21-
Digital Zoom is more gimmicky than it is useful. The problem with digital zoom is the rapid loss of detail and sharpness. Even at only
32X, I find that the resultant video is very poor and virtually unusable. It is of value for that once in a lifetime shot where it is
impossible to get the shot any other way. For day to day work, look for a camcorder that has a good optical zoom and leave the
digital zoom disabled. My camcorder has a16X optical zoom, and I have found that this is more than adequate.
FRAMING
It is important to make sure the subject you are shooting is positioned correctly in the video frame. You dont want the subject to be
dead center in the frame. The center of focus needs to slightly left or right, up or down off of dead center. The diagram illustrates what
frame positions are best.

You need to make sure that you leave headroom for your subject, as shown in the picture. You dont want him to look like hes
hitting his head on the ceiling.
-22-

You also need to allow room in the frame for movement. Create the appearance that people on the move are moving into the frame
and not out of it.

-23-

When doing three-quarter or close-up shots of people, dont cut people off at their elbows or knees. If you can see their elbows or
knees include their hands and/or feet, or frame the shot so that the elbows and knees are not in the frame.
PANNING
A horizontal or vertical pan is a good technique to include more of a scene into a video than is possible from a stationary camera
angle. However, make sure to do this very slowly, or your audience will get dizzy from all the movement. When doing a horizontal pan
it is important that your feet do not move. If you move your feet, there will almost certainly be a jerk in the camera movement as you
do so.

The best technique of course is to use a tripod. However, if you are holding the camera and wish to take a pan shot, try the following.
Position your feet in the direction where the pan is to complete. Swivel your body to the left to the beginning of the pan without moving
your feet. Slowly move your body back to the end point while recording, keep your feet stationary. Stop recording when you have
reached the final position.

-24-
THE WHITE BALANCE
When moving from one lighting condition to another, such as from outside in bright sunlight to inside with incandescent lighting, it is
important that the white balance be adjusted correctly, or the color tints will not be accurate. With most camcorders, white balance
adjustment is automatic. However, the camera requires a pure white reference source to adjust correctly.

It is a good idea to allow the white balance to adjust correctly by pointing the camera at a white object (like a tee shirt) in
record/standby mode before you begin shooting in the new light conditions. I wrap my camcorder in a white tee-shirt while it is in my
camera bag, and then I always have something white available.
WORKING WITH THE MANUAL CONTROLS
Most camcorders automatically set the focus and exposure, and do a good job of it for most situations. However, it is important that
you know how to override the automatic controls for focus and exposure and set them manually.
MANUAL FOCUS
When shooting through an object, such as a window or a fence to take the subject, the automatic focus may focus on the wire or a
reflection off the glass. Manually focusing on the subject will ensure that the reflections or wire fence is blurred or not visible while the
intended subject is in sharp definition.
Also, if there are large objects in the field of view, the camera may automatically focus on them rather than your intended subject,
leaving it a little fuzzy. You can use manual focus to make sure the intended subject is sharp. Another method is to zoom in close on
the intended subject so that it fills the frame. The auto-focus will adjust to the subject. Now zoom back out to the correct framing, and
the subject will remain in focus.
MANUAL EXPOSURE
Generally your camcorder will do a fine job of automatically setting the correct exposure, and there are normally some special setting
such as backlight that you can use to adjust for special situations. However, there are conditions when you might want to set your
own exposure. An example is when taking a pan shot of a room that has windows during the daytime. With automatic exposure, the
camcorder will adjust to the bright light it sees as the pan reaches the window, making the rest of the room appear darker. By
manually setting the exposure so that the room and its objects are correctly exposed, this will not happen.
-25-
SOUND
During the editing process, you can add voiceovers and background music. However, if you are taking
video of a person talking, you will need to use the camera microphone or an external microphone. Where possible, its best to use an
external microphone. A lapel microphone (available from Radio Shack and other places) is a good choice. It is also useful when you
(the cameraman) are doing narrative while holding the camcorder and taking the shot. The in-camera microphone does not pick up
well from behind the camera.
When you are shooting and it is windy, make sure that you have the camera microphones wind filter engaged if you intend to use the
background sounds captured in the final product.
IMAGE STABILIZATION
Its a good idea to have image stabilization engaged at all times, unless the camera is mounted on a tripod. To see how important this
is, try shooting some scenes while holding the camcorder as steady as possible with image stabilization turned off. You will find it is
virtually impossible to maintain a steady picture.

-26-

Lesson 2:
SHOT:
The word shot refers to a basic unit of film;
one uninterrupted piece of celluloid without
a cut. In Digital Video the term refers to a
single scene shot without a break, and
uncut.

BEGINNING SHOT LIST
Establishing Shot: Often coming at the
beginning of a scene, the establishing shot
sets the time and place of the action. It is often
the outside of a building or a view of a city.

Long Shot (LS): A long shot is generally
made from a sufficient distance to show a
landscape, a building, or a large interior. Often,
an establishing shot is a long shot.

Medium Shot: Generally, a medium shot
leaves enough room in the frame to reveal full
figures. It can, however, be a waist up shot
involving several people.

Close-up (CU): The image beubg sgit
(usually a face) takes up at least 80% of the
frame.

Extreme Close Up: An extreme close-up
reveals only one part of the body or a portion
of an object.

BASIC CAMERA ANGLES
Each shot is framed according to specific
camera angles. The camera angles add
drama and emphasis to the visual story.
Camera Angles:
Eye-level(EL): An eye level shot is even with
the characters eyes. 90-95% of a film is shot
at eye-level because it is the most natural.

Low Angle (LA): The camera looks UP at
what is being filmed. This has the effect of
making the subject look larger than normal and
implies strength, power, or a threat.
High Angle: The camera looks DOWN at what
is being filmed. This has the effect of making
the subject look smaller than normal, weak,
powerless, trapped.

Additional Tips:
1.The camera enables the filmmaker the
advantage of Forced Perspective. In a play
the audience can look at any place on the
stage. In a movie, the audience sees ONLY
what the director wants them to see.

2.Camera angles give the director the
advantage of picking the perspective the
viewer will have of a scene.

3.Reducing the space around the action will
amplify the feeling of action by making it seem
to take place within a confined area. Make
sure that some action shots are close to the
actors and action so there is less space
around the edge of the scene.

Assignment: Use the information from
Lessons 1 and 2 to create a Dos and Donts
list.
Shoot 5 minutes of video illustrating 5 Dos and
Donts

-27-

Lesson 3:
Script Writing Summary:
- All film stories are remakes or variations of
stories that have already been written by
the great authors beginning with the Greek
Myths.
- Start your script by using a short story and
giving it a new twist. Set it in a different
time, a different location or different
characters.
- Pick something you have time to do and
dont try to remake a feature film.
- In all stories, the Protagonist (Hero or Main
Character) WANTS something.
- Comedy: When the Protagonist gets what
they want. A comedy does not have to be
funny. The word comedy merely means a
Happy Ending.
- Tragedy: When the Protagonist does not
get what they want. Unhappy Ending.

Story Planning Guide:

1.List all characters:

2. Describe the protagonist.

3. Describe what the protagonist wants.

4. List the sequence of events.

5. List the problems the protagonist will
encounter.

6. Describe the theme of the story and
describe what makes it a Comedy or a
Tragedy:

-28-
Lesson 4:
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/editing2
.html
Film Editing Glossary
cut
A visual transition created in editing in which
one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen
by another.
continuity editing
Editing that creates action that flows smoothly
across shots and scenes without jarring visual
inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story
for the viewer.
cross cutting
Cutting back and forth quickly between two or
more lines of action, indicating they are
happening simultaneously.
dissolve
A gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps
the end of one shot with the beginning of the
next one.
editing
The work of selecting and joining together
shots to create a finished film.

iris
Visible on screen as a circle closing down over
or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in
contemporary film, but common during the
silent era of Hollywood films.
jump cut
A cut that creates a lack of continuity by
leaving out parts of the action.
matched cut
A cut joining two shots whose compositional
elements match, helping to establish strong
continuity of action.
montage
Scenes whose emotional impact and visual
design are achieved through the editing
together of many brief shots. The shower
scene from Psycho is an example of montage
editing.
rough cut
The editor's first pass at assembling the shots
into a film, before tightening and polishing
occurs.
sequence shot
A long take that extends for an entire scene or
sequence. It is composed of only one shot with
no editing.
shot reverse shot cutting
Usually used for conversation scenes, this
technique alternates between over-the-
shoulder shots showing each character
speaking.
wipe
Visible on screen as a bar traveling across the
frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next
shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary
film, but common in films from the 1930s and
1940s.

-29-
Lesson 5:
Developing Story Ideas
http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=68
Five Secrets to Writing Screenplays
that Sell by Michael Hauge
This past summer (1999) 12 movies earned
more than $100 million at the U.S. box office.
Though they ranged from low budget horror to
big budget sci-fi western, and included
romantic comedy, broad comedy, children's
special effects comedy, mystery thriller, occult
thriller and a classic animated love
story/adventure, they all had five things in
common:

1. Each one had a HERO, a main character we
rooted for, and whose motivations drove the
story forward;

2. We IDENTIFIED with the heroes, we put
ourselves inside those characters
psychologically, and experienced emotion
through them;

3. The heroes each pursued at least one clear,
visible DESIRE, which they had to accomplish
by the end of the film, either by stopping the
bad guy, winning the love of another character
or saving a terrorized child;

4. They faced seemingly insurmountable
OBSTACLES in pursuing their goals; and

5. In facing those obstacles, they had to find
more courage than they'd ever exhibited.

As I outline in great detail in Writing
Screenplays That Sell, these are the five
ESSENTIAL components nearly all Hollywood
movies contain, and there are proven ways of
effectively employing these elements in your
screenplay. Without them, your script will have
a much more difficult time getting sold, getting
made or reaching your intended audience.

Additionally, two simple questions will do an
immense amount to strengthen both the story
and character development in your screenplay:

1) WHAT IS YOUR HERO'S DESIRE? What
compelling goal does your hero HAVE to
accomplish by the end of the movie, and why
does he desperately want that? The answer to
these questions will define your story concept,
propel the plot forward, give the reader a
specific outcome to root for and lead you
deeper into the inner motivations of your
character.

2) WHAT TERRIFIES YOUR HERO? On the
plot level, this question will force you to
determine which obstacles the hero must face
to achieve his objective -- what's at stake for
him, what's he up against and which conflicts
will give the story its necessary emotion? And
on the level of character growth and theme,
your hero's emotional fear will reveal his inner
conflict: the wounds from his past, the identity
he clings to, the risks he is desperate to avoid
and the arc the story will lead him through as
he finds his necessary emotional courage.

Michael Hauge is a studio script consultant,
screenwriter and author who has made his
living in the Hollywood film industry since the
mid-seventies. He has recently coached
writers or consulted on projects for Warner
Brothers, Disney, New Line, Propaganda
Films, Fireworks Entertainment, CBS, Lifetime,
Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez, James
Caan and director Luis Mandoki.

Michael's award-winning book Writing
Screenplays That Sell, is a definitive reference
book for the film and television industries.

-30-
Lesson 6:
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is the process of producing
sketches of the shots of your script. The end
result looks like comic book of your project
(without the speech bubbles). Text can be
inserted under the image frames on the
storyboard sheet.

Why do it?
It helps you think about how your project is
going to look. You can work faster as pictures
communicate better than words it will guide the
final assembly process to map it out visually
beforehand.

So I need to be an artist?
Well you can be, but looking at storyboards by
Hitchcock or Spielberg you have to admit that
they can't draw. Your can use printed copies of
photos you plan to use or you can just do
sketches, but however you decide to work, it is
a good idea to bash storyboards out yourself
even if you dont draw well. This is a thinking
exercise that allows you to experiment quickly
and cheaply with ideas, testing out different
versions of how a sequence may look before
spending valuable time on the computer.

(See Storyboarding Form)
Lesson 7:
Download and Editing Exercises
Download and Edit your first video project.
Working with iMovie, choose select clips to edit
together to tell a concise story.
Working in Premiere, practice bringing clips
into the project window, placing them on the
video timeline and adding appropriate
transitions.
Create 3 versions of the same edit using
different transitions to tell the appropriate story.

Review Film Editing Glossary
Annenberg/CPB Learner.org
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/editi
ng2.html

Lesson 8:
Re-shooting Final Film Scenes
Tips to Keep in Mind
Where Are You?
Recreating the scene:
One tip while shooting is to always, always
look for a landmark, a sign or natural
monument that tells the audience where
you are. Do you notice the professionals do
this as well? For example, in the movies,
you may see the camera zooming in on the
Statue of Liberty first, before cutting to a
scene that happens within. Or there is a
shot of the White House before the director
cuts into a scene within the Oval Room.

When re-shooting, be sure to use these
landmarks to help you recreate scenes that
will edit seamlessly into your final
production.

Lighting:
Of all the factors listed here, nothing spoils
a video shoot as much as poor lighting.
Shoot video with the light source behind
you, shining on the subject outdoor shot
where the sun is shining.

When re-shooting a scene, always check to
be sure you are working with the same
indoor lighting or that you are re-shooting
at the same time of day if you are working
outdoors.
-31-
Detailed Lesson Plan (continued)
Lesson 9:
Digital Video Editing Tips
By Michael Wohl
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answersti
ps/story/0,24330,3393081,00.html
.Here are some tips that can help you with
your digital editing projects, no matter which
editing program you use:
1. Every cut must provide new
information. Don't make an edit unless
something in the content compels you
to. And the new shot should reveal
something that was not evident in the
previous shot.
2. Don't neglect your soundtrack. If
seeing is believing, then hearing is
feeling. Although sound is literally
invisible, the details of your audio will
affect the impact of your scene in ways
far beyond what the pictures will. Good
sound design is usually the difference
between a good film and a great one.
3. Don't try to do everything yourself.
Many young editors think that they can
do it all themselves. In addition to
editing the picture, they take on
special effects, audio sweetening,
titles, and so on. Go to the movies and
count how many folks are listed in the
credits. Above everything else, movies
are a collaborative medium.
Lesson 10:
Output final Video
Adobe Premiere 6.0
Review of New Features
By Mick Lockey
Premiere 6.0 comes with the obligatory
timesaving interface tweaks that grace most
version updates. Labels and buttons have
been added to the Source and Program Views
for quicker toggling between the two. And
instead of going to a separate menu to supply
markers in the Source and Program View
windows, you can cut down on editing time by
placing markers right in the windows.

Improvements for the Timeline window, where
more precise edits are done, include new
toggle buttons for quicker access to commonly
used editing features and a new menu for
finding and executing commands quicker.

Premiere 6.0 allows users to export edited
clips, timeline segments, and larger projects
into a variety of file formats such as
QuickTime, RealMedia, ASF, MPEG-1, MP3,
and DV stream, all of which can then be
played on the Web. Users can also export the
video files for playback in Windows Media 7, in

Real Media, or within the Adobe Premiere
application itself. With a plug-in from Real,
anyone interested in seeing the video can
download edited files from the Web directly to
their hard disk.

Audio integration has been greatly improved in
the new version with the addition of an Audio
Mixer. It looks like an average audio mixing
console, with a VU meter, a volume fader, and
Pan control for stereo. While in the Monitor
window, the feature allows user to mix up to 99
audio tracks while coordinating sound to
synchronize with the video. Users can easily
automate audio adjustments for each track, or
they can manually tweak each track in the
Timeline window by dragging the volume
rubber bands in each clip.

-32-

Handouts

1. Evaluation Form, Sunshine State Standards

2. Evaluation Form for Student and Teacher Evaluations

3. Consent Form

4. Release Form

5. First Activity - Beginning Shot List Form - 2 Pages

6. Second Assignment - 5 Minute Script Form - 2 Pages

7. Minute Script Form - Shot Requirements

8. Movie Critique Form - 4 Pages

9. Movie Proposal Form

10. Storyboarding Form

-33-
Evaluation Form with Sunshine State Standards

Course Name___________________________________________________________________________________
Student Name__________________________________________________________________________________
Standards

Criteria

Teacher evaluation Grade
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

-34-
Evaluation Form for Student and Teacher Evaluations

Course Name___________________________________________________________________________________
Student Name__________________________________________________________________________________
Student
Evaluation
Standard
Criteria Teacher
evaluation
Grade
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

-35-
CONSENT FORM

This form must be completed and signed for each
recognizable person in the photograph or video

Date:_______________ Title: ___________________________________________

I hereby irrevocably consent that this work may be entered in an exhibition, contest, used for
publication, sold and/or displayed in any manner:

Signature of Subject: _________________________________________________________

Address (Street or P.O. Box)____________________________________________________

City:__________________________ State: __________________ Zip: ______________

Signature of Witness (or guardian, if subject is under 18)
____________________________________________________________________________


City:__________________________ State: __________________ Zip: ______________
-36-
RELEASE FORM
For consideration received, I give permission, without restrictions, to _________________________
and (The Institution)___________________________, their successors and assigns to distribute and sell, for any and all
motion picture, videotape, and television purposes, still photographs, sound motion pictures and tape recordings taken of
me for a film and video tentatively titled:___________________.

This grant shall extend to any and all phases of the exploitation of the film, including publicity, promotion, and advertising,
all the right to use my name in connection therewith.

Signed: ___________________________________________________________________
Date:_______________ Title: _________________________________________________
City:__________________________ State: __________________ Zip: ______________
Phone: (______) _____________________

-37-
Cinematography One- First Activity - Beginning Shot List

Course Name ________________Student Name___________________________ Date ___________________
- Be careful to allow plenty of time of each shot- 10 seconds minimum for single shots and 5 seconds for each part of the combination shot.
- Make creative examples of the shots.
- Direct talent to do something that has ACTION, not reading a book, sitting, thinking!
- Create smooth transitions between combination sequences. Each sequence should look like one smooth, continuous action even though it
is created with several different shots.
- The action should be in front of the camera, not camera movement. Camera movement should only be used for a special effect. If the camera
moves and it is not appropriate for the shot, the movement breaks The Magic Spell of the movie for the viewer.
- Remember, each part of the Sequence shot should be a minimum of 5 seconds. The shots should combine together to create a seamless
account of one particular action, even though it is being shot from different angles, etc.
______ 1. One master shot of an outside area and one master shot of an inside area.

______ 2. One shot from inside a window of talent doing something outside the window.

______ 3. One shot from outside a window of talent doing something inside the window.

______ 4. One medium shot and one close-up shot from a different camera angle of talent doing an action, such as jumping
rope, dancing, etc.

______ 5. Use another location: One master shot, one medium shot, one close-up shot from a different camera angle of talent
engaged in some action.

______ 6. High Camera Angle: One shot from above of talent engaged in some action.

______ 7. Low Camera Angle: One shot from below looking up at talent engaged in some action.

-38-
______ 8. Combination Sequence:
A. Talent enters frame executing a straight cross including one full action (skipping, dancing, picking something up,
etc.) Talent does not exit the frame.
B. One matching shot of feet during the action shot as a close up.
C. A long shot of the action continuing until the actor is out of the frame or until the action is over.

A. Full shot of two people facing each other and doing something together (like playing cards.)
B. One over the shoulder shot (seen from first actors point of view.)
C. Another over-the-shoulder shot (seen from first actors point of view.)
D. One Extreme Close-up

A. One shot of talent enters frame from around the corner and walks toward the camera.
B. Talent walks into camera until all details disappear.
C. Same talent begins close to camera (no details) and walks away from the camera.

______ 11A. Combination Sequence:
(Shot from outside or in a hallway.)
A. One full shot of talent as he/she approaches a door.
B. One medium shot of talent getting close to the door and reaching for the door handle.
C. One close-up shot of talent turning the door handle and starting to pull the door open.
D. One full shot of talent opening the door and walking a few steps into the doorway but not from inside the room.
(Shot from Inside the room.)

_______11B. Combination Sequence:
(Shot from inside the room.)
A. One full shot of talent as he/she crosses the threshold and enters the room as you see the door closing behind the
talent.
B. One shot of talent moving away from the door, camera pans as talent enters the room and sits down or completes
some action.
-39-
Cinematography One- Second Assignment - 5 Minute Script Form

Course Name___________________________________________________________________________________
Student Name__________________________________________ Date __________________________________
Create a 2 to 5 minute script/story that incorporates the shots listed in point 5 of this handout.
1. Main Character Name & Description:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character Wants:______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Because:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Obstacles:
The main character will encounter and usually solve several obstacles, but they will not get what they want until the end of the movie, if at all. The
final obstacle determines if:
- They get what they want
- They do not get what they want
(You may have 2 or more obstacles before the final obstacle at the end of the movie, but the movie can be no longer than 5 minutes.)
Obstacle #1. And how the character solves the problem:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Obstacle #2. And how the character solves the
problem:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-40-
Second Assignment - 5 Minute Script Form- Page 2

3. Final Obstacle. And how it is solved or why it isnt:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How the actor is affected because of the success or failure to get what they want?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Scenes: (Minimum of 3):
A scene is the action that occurs in one location (hallway, patio, art room, etc.) Describe the master shot and setting for each scene and explain
what happens in each scene.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-41-
Minute Script Form - Shot Requirements

Required Shots:
These may be shot in any sequence the story requires:
_______ 1. An Entrance: n actor entering and exiting through a door including- the actor approaching the door, a close up as the
actor turns the doorknob, the actor going through the doorway, and the actor leaving the doorway and entering the next room or
outside.

_______ 2. A Straight Cross: including one full Action shot (dancing, crawling, etc.), then a close-up of the feet, and a full shot of the
actor exiting the location that takes up where the action left off after close-up.

_______ 3. High Camera Angle: An unusual Birds Eye View.

_______ 4. Low Camera Angle: An unusual Worms Eye View.

_______ 5. Medium Shot: An unusual Eye Level View:

_______ 6. An around the corner shot:

_______ 7. A shot taken from outside a window of the action that occurs inside.

_______ 8. A shot taken from inside a window of the action that occurs outside.

_______ 9. _______ 10. Two over the shoulder shots

_______ 11. _______ 12. Two Close-up shots

_______ 13. _______ 14. Two Medium shots

_______ 15. One Extreme Close-up

-42-
Movie Critique Form
Name:___________________________________________________ Date:_________________ Period: ___________________

Movie Critique: A critique is due each week on the first day of the class.
5 Points
MOVIE TITLE:__________________________________________ Date of Movie:_____________________
Director:__________________________________ Writer: ______________________________________
Art Director: ______________________________ Genre: ______________________________________
Director of Photography: __________________________________________________________________

Ten Points
SETTING: Describe the most important points about the setting and describe how it enhanced the plot.

-43-
Movie Critique Form Page 2

20 Points
MAIN CHARACTER: Answer the following questions for each main character.
4. Who are the characters? (Gender, age, profession, personality, etc.)
5. What does the character want?
3. How does the character add to the development of the story? What is the importance of the character to the story?

-44-
20 Points
PLOT SUMMARY: Summarize the plot and include the obstacles that prevent the characters from getting what they want.

-45-
15 Points
THEME: Summarize the main theme, mood, moral This is not a plot summary.

10 Points
WHAT IMPRESSED YOU? Be specific:

20 Points
TECHNICAL: Describe the most unique technical elements and tell how they are used to enhance the story or mood.

-46-
Movie Proposal Form

Group Name__________________________________________________________________________
Period:______________________________________________________________________________
Date:_______________________________________________________________________________
Camera_____________________________________________________________________________
Character 1:

Description of Character: Character Wants:
Settings: Description of Settings: Time:
Other
Characters:
Relationship to the Main Character Contribution to the story
Character A.
Character B.
Character C.
Character D.

Obstacles:

Describe Obstacle

How is it solved or why is it not solved

Obstacle 1.
Obstacle 2.
Final Obstacle:

Resolution:

Describe the end of the story. What happens when the Main Character gets or
doesnt get what they want?
How is the Main character affected by the result? Getting or not
getting is not a resolution. Resolution describes how the character is
affected.

-47-

Storyboarding Form
-48-
TUTORIALS
Tutorial 1
FILE MANAGEMENT:
Storing Still Images, Video and Audio clips:
1. To keep track of the elements of your project, be sure to
store all project elements in a main Work Folder.

2. Name the folder with your own name to keep it distinct
from other folders.

3. Within the Work Folder with your name, create individual
Sound and Image Folders to store:
- video clips
- still images
- audio clips or sound files
- Digital Video Project

4. As you work, rename images, video clips and sound files
in the sequence in which they will be used and store them
in the Digital Video Project Folder.
(See Illustration Next Page)

Backing Up Your Work:
1. Be sure to back up your work to a zip disk or other
storage medium after each work session.

2. After each Back up, delete all your files from the
computer hard drive.

3. Do not leave work on the computer hard drive because it
overloads the hard drive memory.

4. This slows down the computer making it difficult to work.
may
WARNING
5. When this happens, and other students projects are
slowed down, students who need the work space are
allowed to delete files created by others.

-49-
FILE MANAGEMENT

-50-
Tutorial 2
Moving from iMovie to Premiere
iMovie
When you open iMovie:

a. iMovie opens an uncomplicated, effective beginning nonlinear video
editing system.
b. iMovie Bin (Project Window) which holds content is located on the
upper Right. (Bin is a term dating from early film production in which the
strips of film were assembled over a bin for viewing and manual clipping
and splicing.)
c. iMovie Monitor Window is in the Upper Left side of the screen.

Premiere
When you open Premiere:

a. Premiere provides a more sophisticated approach to editing, but the
interface really does not differ greatly from iMovie.
b. Premiere Bin (Project Window) is located in the upper Left..
c. Premiere Monitor Window is located by default in the Middle of the
screen. The Monitor window can be moved or resized and can be set
for a single window or for a Program window to view video in motion
and Source window to view selected frames.

-51-
Review Lessons-Using Adobe Premiere to Edit Video
http://desktopvideo.about.com/library/weekly/aa062502a.htm?once=true&
Using Adobe Premiere
Part 1: Getting Started, Bins, Importing Files
Opening a project and brought in a file to the project window.

Part 2: Video Organization - Bins and Project Windows Features
Successful filmmakers and video-makers are meticulous planners and organizers. Lucky for you, a Premiere beginner, you
don't have to exert much physical force to get this job done - just click and you're able to clean, organize, label, and work
better within the application.
-52-
Tutorial 3

Introduction to Premiere, Adobe On-line Training
Review Tutorial and then Log on to Introduction to Premiere Free Online training at:
http://www.adobe.com/education/training/main.html

Training for educators
Get a fast start learning and using Adobe software. Register below to view free online courses and learn about discounted
training resources for educators. Check back often for new opportunities to master Adobe software.

Advanced Adobe On-line Training
Educators are eligible for discounted pricing on advanced Adobe online courses developed by product experts at Element K.

-53-
Tutorial 4
Setting up Transitions in Premiere

Transitions are one way to add to the storytelling element of your video.
Experiment with the different transitions from the transitions library in Premiere.
-54-

-55-
Tutorial 5

Making a Music Video in Premiere
Developed by Betsy Kopmar, Video Instructor, Academy of Art
College, San Francisco, CA

Making a Music Video can be an exciting way to take your video footage
to completion. These same techniques can also be used to sync music or
sound to a series of clips, sports shots or any sequential footage.

In Premiere 6 you can arrange icons of your clips in a story
sequence to create a storyboard and then use a wonderful new
feature called "automate to timeline", which takes the entire
contents of the storyboard and streams the material out along a
timeline you have set up arbitrarily or matched to the beats of the
music in your video.

You can use the automate feature to assemble a very quick rough
cut, with all the clips sequenced across the timeline. You can then
follow the quick rough cut with more careful trimming of the
in/out points of individual clips. You can use a variant of the
automate to timeline feature to create a quick music video by
marking your audio in the timeline and then dropping the
storyboard to automate to the audio based timeline, automatically
trimming the clips to hit these audio markers.

In this project we will learn how to:
1. Bring audio into the timeline and trim to a reasonable
length if necessary.
2. Create unnumbered layer markers at important moments
in the audio.
(This process is called Audio Spotting).
3. Create a new storyboard.
4. Arrange clips in the storyboard, including duplicating
clips, adding colored solids.
5. Automate to the timeline, choosing from the menu options
to "sequence clips at the unnumbered audio markers"
(This shoots the contents of the storyboard down
to the timeline, with the clips automatically
trimmed to fill the space between the markers.)
6. Preview, and voila, instant music video.
7. Render using your preferred codec.

-56-

TO BRING AUDIO INTO THE TIMELINE
STEPS:
1. File>Import to bring audio to project window.

2. Drag audio icon from Project window to Audio 1 track in
the timeline, and if necessary, trim to desired length using
the razor tool.

3. TO TRIM:
a. Choose razor tool
b. Go to 1 min. mark on timeline
c. Click on audio clip with the razor which slices it into 2
sections
d. Choose the selection tool
f. Click on the right-most audio clip and delete it.

Audio Timeline
The audio wave form will appear in the Audio timeline

-57-

AUDIO SPOTTING
One of the main reasons for doing audio spotting in
general (outside of this particular project of automating
storyboard to unnumbered markers) is to be able to close
up the waveform display and still have available the
necessary information about audio events, now translated
up into a series of layer
markers.

The waveform is an excellent representation of the peak
and valleys
of the audio amplitude, and it's often enough to eyeball the
waveform and line up the video cuts with the audio peaks
But the waveform display is very RAM-intensive and
slows down previews as it redraws.

TO VIEW WAVEFORM DISPLAY -Twirl down the arrow to
the left of the audio layer.

-58-

5. AUDIO SPOTTING
Setting unnumbered layer markers at important moments
in the audio; is called audio spotting. Audio spotting in
Premiere is as simple as tapping out the beats as the music
track plays. It does nothing to the audio, doesn't make
spots on it or otherwise harm or interfere with the audio.

6. LAYER MARKERS
Numbered and unnumbered Layer Markers, are used to
create signposts about important areas in the edit. Audio
Spotting is another use of all-purpose layer markers.

This use of layer markers is to tell us where the important
events are in the audio; important beats, breaks in the
rhythm, introduction of a new instrument or voice.

7. AUDIO SPOTTING TO CREATE UNNUMBERED
LAYER MARKERS
a. To create layer markers specific to audio, play the
audio, and while the audio is playing tap the asterisk on
the numeric keypad in time to the beat. (The Asterisk is
the Star Key.)

b. A gray, icon appears along the top of the timeline (not
on the audio layer).

c. You don't see the markers as you are tapping, but when
you stop the audio preview, the markers appear. If the
marks are not exactly where you want them to be, you can
move or delete them.

d. To move an audio marker, click on it and drag.

e. To delete an audio marker, control-click on the
timeline, which brings up the
context-sensitive menu, choose "delete selected marker".

The audio is now prepped and spotted and ready to receive its
video.
THIS COMPLETES THE FIRST HALF OF THE PROJECT

NOTE: If you have imported audio from an external device,
be sure to UNPLUG the device from the computer. If you do
not do this, your final project will be recorded back to the
external device and you will not be able to hear the preview.

-59-

TO PREPARE THE VIDEO
PORTION OF THE PROJECT:
The visuals to be used with the audio track must be assembled in
the Storyboard. The Storyboard's gives you the ability to
automatically align the clips with the audio markers in the
timeline.

STEPS:
1. CREATING A STORYBOARD:
TO Import video, stills, and movies to the Project
window:
a. File>New
b. Choose New Storyboard from the drop-down menu.
(The Storyboard opens in its own window and appears as
a blank work area.)
c. Drag individual clips to this open area of the
storyboard, or drag the entire
contents at one time. (The clips are displayed as graphical
thumbnails)

2. MOVING CLIPS TO THE STORYBOARD:
a. Click and drag on the clip to reposition it in the
sequence of the storyboard. (You can duplicate clips as
many times as you wish
TO duplicate the same clips:
d. Select a clip, then copy (Comic) and paste (Com+V)
(Duping the clip doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be
repeating the exact frames at each marker.)

-60-

3. CREATING SOLID COLOR IMAGES AS FILL
TO generate additional solids colors for additional clips
for the Storyboard
a.File>New>Colored Matte (This will create colored
solids)

TO duplicate colored solids in the Storyboard
b. Select the solid
c. File>Copy>paste
(Scatter solids throughout the flow of your storyboard.
They are good visual spacers, and provide a strong jolt of
color and intensity which works well in these music
videos)

The Monitor window will give you exact numerical feedback as
to where you are in the clip. This is a much simpler, faster
method than trying to set all the in/out points in the Storyboard. If
the clips are video or a movie, you can edit the in/out points so
that each instance of the clip in the timeline shows a different
sequence from the master clip.)

Full Storyboard

-61-

4. SYNCING THE TIMING OF VIDEO AND AUDIO:
You will want to try and sync the number of clips in the
storyboard to the number of Audio markers in the timeline
so the clips will automate to the Audio markers in time
with the music. Dont worry about getting the number of
markers and clips exactly right - there's a bit of trial and
error involved here and it is a very quick process to
automate/delete, readjust the number of clips and try
another Automate.

a. Make a very rough estimate of the number of markers
you've created in the audio timeline.
b. Set up an equal number of clips and graphics in the
storyboard.
(The lower left corner of the storyboard displays a read-
out showing the number of clips.)

5. SETTING UP ADDITIONAL CLIPS
A music video with a very beat-intensive piece of music (e.g.
100 bpm) spotting the audio could translate into 50-100
unnumbered layer markers per minute. If you only have a
limited number of clips (5-10 you will want to duplicate and
manipulate the video to create a matching number of video
segments.
a. Copy/paste) to duplicate clips in the Storyboard
b. Don't change trimming in/out points
c. Automate to Timeline.
d. When the clips are in the timeline, zoom in on the timeline
(8 frames view) and use the Slip edit tool on each clip.
(This is a fast process. Work right across the story line, giving
each clip a little tweak.)

Virtual Clip

-62-

6. TRIMMING ON THE STORYBOARD WITH
PRECISION
a. Double-click on a clip in the Storyboard (The clip opens
in its own clip window, with all the regular controls of the
Source view - time, duration, in/out point tools.)

b. Copy/Paste a new copy of the clip

c. Change the in and out points in the window
(This is different from how things work in the Source
window, where you can easily create an infinite number of
segments from a single instance of the clip, each with their
own in/out points. What makes the Storyboard in-out
clipping such a unique tool is that it allows you to
Automate to the Timeline. You cannot do this from the
Source window!)

-63-

AUTOMATE STORYBOARD TO TIMELINE
STEPS:
1. From Project menu, choose Automate to timeline. A new menu
will appear:

2. Select Storyboard, choose "Whole Bin".To Timeline

3. Select Placement, choose "At unnumbered markers"

4. Select Insufficient Material, choose "Leave gap"
(If you do not choose this Premiere will try to stretch the length of
clips and this might distort your video.)

5. Check "ON" for Ignore Audio
(If you dont Ignore Audio, the audio gets sliced to pieces at each
marker, instead of being left alone and totally smooth and
continuous.)
6. Click "OK"
(The entire contents of the storyboard are then sent to the
timeline, with their in points matched to each audio marker, each
clip trimmed to last only for the duration of time until the next
marker. The clips are divided so they alternate between the Video
1A and Video1B tracks so you can easily insert transitions if you
wish.)

7. Preview by hitting the space bar and enjoy your high-energy
edit job!!!

Automate to Timeline Window

-64-

Still Image from Award Winning Student Video

By Michael Nedelman
Coral Reef High School, Miami, FL
See Video Clips included in this workbook
-65-

Introduction To Cinematography

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Introduction To Cinematography

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Introduction To Cinematography

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Introduction to Cinematography

You might also like