"Akira Kurosawa - Composing Movement"

The latest video essay from Tony Zhou.

Includes nice quotes from Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet and Paul Verhoeven.

Understanding Anamorphic Lenses

Here's an informative article from RED on the physics and function of anamorphic lenses.

Good Shooting Guide

Here's a link to the BBC's video training site, Good Shooting Guide: The Basic Principles.


In the U.S., we may only associate the BBC with PBS import programs and public radio news, but media training is an important part of the BBC's mission.

Be sure to take the time to review the entire offerings of the BBC's Training and Development web site. There's plenty of great information on journalism and storytelling techniques for TV, radio and the Internet.

Shooting For The Internet

Here's the link to a great article by Jan Ozer which appears in the August 2008 issue of event DV magazine. Ozer addresses the unique issues that arise when shooting talking head video for the Internet.

Why should Internet delivery matter? Because if you're not careful, the codecs and bit rates used for Internet video can render your piece unwatchable.

In this example, Ozer demonstrates how striped patterns in clothing are unsuitable for the Internet. Notice the rainbow and smeary artifacts in the shirt.

In addition to clothing Ozer reviews lighting and backgrounds. To sum up, keep it simple. Most video codecs handle simple images and lighting much better than complex scenes.

Crane Shot Without A Crane

Here's a video that was posted on the Prolost blog in May. An easy camera move to achieve with equipment you probably already own.






Notice that in each of the examples, there is a window pane, a tree or some kind of foreground object to accentuate the effect. Have fun!

What Are They Thinking?

Today's video camera manufacturers continue to sustain the trend of pushing expensive and useless toys to market. The Canon HR10, reviewed in the May 2008 issue of Videomaker, is a perfect example.

The camera boasts high definition recording, extreme portability, variable shutter speeds and even the ability to shoot in 24p. (24p refers to 24 frames-per-second, the frame rate of motion picture film.)

And while you're able to create a high definition film look, inexplicably the camera lacks very basic features - like a mic jack, an accessory shoe or even a headphone jack - even though these would add little to the sticker price. Priced at over $800, the HR10 is an expensive bauble with limited value for either the serious or casual shooter.

Monitor Your Audio

A common mistake for beginners is to fail to listen to the audio as you shoot. The results can be disastrous.

A flaky cable, dead mic battery or nasty RF audio interference can all cause problems. And if you're not wearing headphones and listening as you shoot, any of these problems can ruin your recording.


Ideally, you should use circumaural headphones that cover the ear. These help isolate the sound to help you distinguish between what the camera is capturing and the outside world. And when you buy a camcorder, make sure it will accept an external microphone AND has a headphone jack.

Choose the Right Microphone

In the past I've ranted about the lame quality of most built-in camcorder microphones and the importance of audio in a video production. Assuming your camera will accept an external mic, (and I hope it does) here's a link to Audio Technica's, "A Brief Guide to Microphones". The company provides an excellent basic primer on how and why microphones work, and which mic is best for the job at hand.

I'll also add that you should purchase the best microphone you can afford. Speaking from experience, you can get burned going cheap on a microphone purchase that in the end doesn't work well.

In my experience Audio Technica's equipment is affordable and of very good quality.
And while cameras and recording formats seem come with unsettling regularity, a good mic will last for many years.

"Crossing The Line"

Violating the 180 degree rule is also known as "crossing the line". The rule states that the camera must stay on only one side of the subjects in a scene. An invisible line runs through the space of the scene.



Wikipedia writes: "This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen."

Here's a YouTube video by Peter John Ross that shows how the rule works.

Rule Of Thirds

As many have pointed out, this is more of a guideline than a rule. But applying "The Rule of Thirds" can help you achieve better shot composition.

Essentially you divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. Then you attempt to place important elements of your composition where those lines intersect.

Here's an article from Videomaker Magazine which discusses how the rule applies to both 4:3 and 16:9 screen aspect ratios.

Creative Camera Work

Here's a video on creative camera work from the folks at Digital Juice. The video points out some simple ways to create more interesting shots.