Best practices and guidelines for shooting video and taking photos.
Capture action!
Show people doing what they do. Get action shots to validate the narrative.
Examples:
- A story about a chef is unacceptable without shots of them cooking, along with shots of their finished cooked dishes.
- A story about a football team is unacceptable without shots of them either playing an actual game or practicing.
Script
Scripts for all formats must be submitted to the assigned instructor and/or designated faculty editor for review.
Sample scripts and more details can be found here.
Staging
People should always be in shots unless there is specific reason to show an inanimate object (eg: the story is about an abandoned building or vacant lot with trash).
Do not have people pose for shots.
Dimension standards
Shoot in 720p, 1080i or 1080p. See sequence settings and export settings in this tutorial for instructions on managing dimensions during editing.
Video should be recorded/produced using a horizontal framing rather than vertical.
Needed shots
Before filming a story, make sure to research what types of shots and action will be available to capture. Plan shoots in accordance with availability of action (eg: never do a story on a concert venue while there are no bands and crowds there).
Example:
Shooting a profile story on a vinyl record shop.
Needed shots-
Establishing Shots:
Exterior video of the record store framed on left or right side of screen & the main street shown on other half of screen for perspective (wide, med and close shots— can include tight shot of store sign).
Interior shots:
Showing customers, staff and records in same frame (wide and med shots).
Narrative Shots:
Video of everything that will be mentioned in the storyline of the piece. Producers need to show video which documents/validates claims made in the piece. In this case, show customers, records, etc.
Action Shots:
Clips of records spinning on a turntable,.
Cutaway Shots:
Tight shots of stacks of records being flipped through by staff and/or customers. Tight shots of customers smiling, etc.
Shot types
Make sure to alternate shots- wide, medium and close. See the basic #3 section of this post for more details.
Wide shots– Capture the interview subjects from head to toe.
Medium shots– Capture subjects from head to waistline.
Close shots– Capture subjects from head to shoulder.
Examples of specific shot types and composition can be found in the basic #3 and #4 sections of this page.
Composition
Frame interviews using the rule of thirds. An explanation of this rule can be found here.
Sit-down interviews should be shot with a tripod.
Length
The TRT (Total Run Time) of video pieces should be as follows:
- Tracked reporter pieces–
1:30 (one minute and thirty seconds) to 2:30. - Nat sound (documentary-style) pieces–
1:30 to 2:00. - Soundbites-
Duration of uninterrupted soundbites (interview clips) should range from :03 to :12. This applies to the actual audio used. Covering up portions of interviews with b-roll does not count as interruptions.
B-roll
Shoot at least 15 minutes of b-roll for the primary topic of the story and at least two minutes of b-roll for additional locations/elements mentioned in the narrative. Use a tripod for majority of b-roll. Shaky shots are not acceptable unless absolutely unavoidable, such as in cases when walking with groups of protestors.
Microphones
Use lav or stick mics for all interviews. For more details see stick or lav section of this page.
Reporter should not hand-off/give microphone to the subject or let subject speak/look directly at camera. They are subjects, not hosts.
Nat sound
Look for opportunities to capture compelling audio, as well as compelling pictures.
Vox pops
We are using the following guidelines from Reuters.
Vox Pops, known more formally as the ‘voice of the people’, should only be used when the ‘people’ can realistically be expected to have some knowledge about the subject, or when their views are of interest to others.
http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php?title=Pictures
More details and examples can be found here.
Lower-thirds/captions
While shooting interviews, bear in mind that lower thirds will need to be used in production. This will include the names of subjects and titles relevant to stories. See the Basic #4 section of this page for more details on framing.
See this page for details on creating lower thirds during editing.
Sig-outs
Do not sign out on nat sound formatted pieces. Sign out using the following options on tracked (voiced over) formats:
Reporting from (section of the city you’re in), your name, Philadelphia Neighborhoods.com
Image editing
Avoid manipulating video through the use of video editing software..
Ethics
Never edit out excepts of interviews and place interview clips from the same subject directly next to each other. This is unethical because it is manipulating someone’s words. Instead, take portions, use action shots (with accompanying audio) to break up the portions of the interview that will be used.
Do not use two or more separate soundbite clips placed next to each other while covering up seams with b-roll. This is unethical manipulation because it gives the audience an illusion of it being one continuous soundbite.
Last updated: Feb. 15, 2021