Operator Tidbits
Camera movement when necessary but, otherwise, try to let actors play the frame, even to extreme frames. Try not to adjust frames during a shot unless the shot requires it. Play the space not the subject.
Blockage is good as is foreground. Dirty frames whenever possible, even if it’s an element in the room and extreme angles as well when it tells the story.
Consider unconventional headroom and pushing subjects to the edge of frame. Land the frame where you want during setup/rehearsal and then move it around to explore things that you might not have thought of.
Consider masters where the subjects are the smallest part of the frame and even somewhat obscured. Making the viewer work involves them all that much more.
Right out of the box, start framing each shot with the horizon at 0 degrees. This will assure your verticals and then see if you can maintain. If you need to change that, change it significantly so it’s really off rather than one or two degrees off.
Every frame can have receding lines coming from the corners. As a last look, see what you can achieve if it doesn’t change your shot significantly.
Inserts should never stand alone unless specifically asked for. Every insert should connect to something else in the scene. Start on an insert and pull out to someone. Tilt down from someone to the insert, etc. A standalone insert means a cut and often it’s not as valuable as tagging something within the scene.
Think about the cut constantly and what the editors can use to make a scene better. Even in coverage, consider what might help to start the scene there instead of in a wide master, as you never know when they will up cut a scene.
B cam should be pushing the wacky. A cam is often stuck with the key shots for a scene. B cam is where the flavor often comes in. B cam ops should embrace that and not be afraid of it. A cam is the sauce, B cam is the spice.
“The irony of what we do, is that if we do it well, no one will ever know we did anything at all”
- Steadicam Operator Bob Crone
“You should film like a cat jumps on a table: with just enough effort. Nothing more, nothing less.”
- Cinematographer Robby Mueller
