7.2 | Camera Moves, Camera Angles, Framing, Exposure

Camera Moves

Terminology

  • Tilt: to move the tripod head up and down (x-axis rotation).
  • Pan: to move the tripod head left and right (y-axis rotation).
  • Roll: To spin the camera left or right on the tripod head. (z-axis rotation)
  • Truck: to move the entire camera and support left or right (x-axis movement)
  • Pedestal: to raise or lower the camera. (y-axis movement)
  • Dolly: to move the entire camera and support forward or back (z-axis movement)

Camera Angles

Terminology

  • Neutral Angle - The camera is a the subject’s eye level
  • Low Angle - The camera is positioned below the subject’s waist and looks upward at the subject.
  • High Angle - The camera is positioned above the subject’s head and looks down at the subject.
  • Dutch Angle - The camera is tilted at a dramatic angle to add tension to the scene.

Framing

Terminology

  • Extreme Close Up - Framing that captures only a portion of the face.
  • Close Up - Framing that captures only the face
  • Medium - A shot that reveals only half of the subject, usually from the waist up
  • Long Shot/Wide Shot - A shot that includes full body framing of the subject
  • Extreme Long Shot/Wide Shot - A shot where the subject is small in the frame. (Less than 1/2 frame height)

Exposure

Although the concept of the exposure triangle from photography is relevant to cinematography, the perpetual nature of video/film systems means that some factors are constrained in ways not analogous to photography.

Aperture

Aperture refers to the opening that allows light to enter the camera body. It is measured using f-numbers which refer to the Focal_length divided by the diameter of the entrance pupil. As the f-Number increases, so does the amount of light that enters the camera.

Frame Rate

Frame Rate refers to the quantity of frames per second. Common Frame rates for NTSC television are 30fps or 60fps, while most films are shot at 24fps. A minimum of 12fps is necessary to create an illusion of motion.

Shutter Angle

Shutter Angle refers to the relationship between shutter speed and frame rate. Depending on the camera you may have the ability to adjust the frame rate or shutter angle. Shutter Angle refers to frame rate divided by shutter speed. The most common setting in cinema cameras is 180° with a frame rate 24fps and a shutter speed of 1/48. Until you understand shutter angle, you will want to maintain this ratio. Some cameras do not have shutter speeds that directly correspond to frame rates, and a true 180° is not possible.

Shutter Angle cannot exceed 360° which would mean a shutter speed of 1/24 at 24fps. A shutter angle approaching 360° has more blurred motion, while shutter angles approaching 0° have more crisp motion.

Gain

Originally described as “film speed” gain is the setting on digital cameras that is an attempt to measure the sensor’s sensitivity to light. Digital Cameras usually describe this as ISO or Gain

Setting Exposure on the Rebel T6

Video Overview of Exposure Settings

  • Settings in Menu
    • Movie Record Size: 1920x1080@24fps
    • Movie Exposure: Manual
  • Exposure Settings
    • Frame Rate: 50 (As close to 48 as possible)
    • ISO: Manual - As low as exposure allows
    • Aperture: As low as possible for shallow depth of field
  • Lens Setting
    • Use Manual Focus
    • Pull focus by adjusting the focal ring toward the front of the lens
    • Use the zoom buttons to check focus
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