Camera, Subject and Background are too close together....
... resulting in no separation of the Subject from the Background.
Background should be slightly out-of-focus, creating depth of field.
TV / Video Appearance Tips - Jim Zura. Click on a Tab to change topic
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| SETTINGS | |
| If you're having a TV / Video crew come to your location for a shoot, knowing some basic shooting requirements can save a good deal of time for everybody. Of course, it always best if the Director / Lensman can visit for a site survey in advance, if practical. This page addresses shooting an interview at interior locations, such as an office or residence. | |
| 1. BLOCKING THE SHOT: Where's the subject, camera and background? | |
Camera, Subject and Background are too close together.... |
... resulting in no separation of the Subject from the Background. |
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Background should be slightly out-of-focus, creating depth of field. |
| In more cases than not, we end up moving some furniture to make the shot look perfect. We always put it back exactly where it was. (For a humorous sidebar about this, click here.) | |
| 2. LIGHTING: We bring our own lighting, and usually turn the overhead lights off to create the proper look, so don't worry about it! For a short set-up time (30 minutes), we will avoid shooting toward windows and we'll close the blinds. | |
| 3. ELECTRICAL POWER: For a typical interview setup, the lighting can require between 10 and 25 amps (most modern buildings accommodate 20 amps on any given circuit). For the larger number, we would need to run an extension cord to an adjacent room or hallway where the plug would be on a different circuit (of course, we tape it down). Just in case, it's always good to have the availability of someone who knows where the circuit-breakers are. Also, be sure that whatever you've been working on with your computer is saved. Actually, we can shut the computer down, unless it works well to have the screen in the background. | |
| 4. SOUND: Every location has some degree of ambient sound-- we live with that. We do need to eliminate annoying sounds. Naturally, cell phones should be off or silenced, and hardwire phones that may ring should be unplugged. In residences or other interior locations where the air conditioning may cut on or off, it is recommended to "frost" the place prior to rolling tape, then turning it off while we're shooting. Any appliances or devices within earshot of our setup should also be disabled. (for a humorous story about shooting exteriors, click here.) | |
| 5. PROPS: As discussed in #1, in most cases, the subject should be in clear focus, and everything else will be "soft". Thus, we won't see anything else in great detail (unless necessary to the subject). So, what that "soft" background contains is dependent on the nature of the shoot. Typically, a family portrait, books, artwork, lamp, and something floral works well. Icons specific to the subject also work well; such as framed degrees, trophies, sports objects, etc. | |
| 6. TIME FRAME: Your Producer should let you know how much time is needed for setup, shooting, and exit. For a network-quality interview, the setup time for camera, lighting and audio should be between 30 and 60 minutes. Now, that's once we have our gear in the room we're shooting in. In cases where we have to pull up the van to unload at a loading dock, park, and get our gear to the room, we need to take that into consideration, so we know when to arrive at the building. | |