- The camera must keep changing angles - only very rarely can extended shots of people walking from one single camera angle keep a viewers attention and prevent him or her from losing interest. By shooting from lots of different angles it builds up an image of the character and their surroundings as well as being interesting enough to keep the watcher entertained.
- Do not cross the line. When filming someone walking it is important for there to be an imaginary line in the directors head that the cast and crew may not at any point cross, though this sounds complicated and abstract, it is in essence very simple. For example, if you are filming a person walk right from left then the camera should always be positioned to a particular side of them e.g. their left in order to make it look like the actors are waling the same direction. If you suddenly switched to the characters right then it would look as though they were walking the opposite direction. This rule ensures continuity and prevents the potential for confusion.
- Shots. The kind of shots the cameraman uses are almost as important as the actors movement in making the journey look convincing. Typically there should be long shots that show the subject(s) in full, but equally important are mid shots showing us the character in more detail and close ups normally of a character's feet - to show the rhythm of the walk or the pace adopted, not to mention for interest's the sake - or the character's face. However this latter shot would normally be more about the character as oppose to creating a fluent feeling of movement. Wide shots are normally imperative in order to put the subject of the shot in some context, be that an environment or to create a mood or undertone to the shot.
- Camera movement. It might seem obvious but the way the camera moves during filming is one of the most important aspects of shooting people walking. Though in theory any of the main camera techniques could be used to film movement the most popular and efficient are usually a selection of crab shots from side to side, tracking shots that can follow the character from behind or move just in front of them, or dolly shots that can go whichever direction they please and more closely shadow the actor/actress.
Sunday, 30 September 2012
how to: Shoot People Walking
When you shoot people walking with a camera there are a number of main rules to remember to maintain the audiences attention and to add an effect of realism to the shots...
Thursday, 27 September 2012
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