Setting Up Cameras For Video Interviews
In this blog I’ll discuss how we set up cameras for an interview. We use 2 cameras for filming our interviews so that it’s easier to edit the footage later.
The first camera we’ll call “A” cam. “A” cam is typically a medium shot framed right above or below the elbows. We position the camera based on the room. If there is a window in the room, we might want to use that as a light source, so we would shoot in the opposite direction. For the background we want visual interest, but don’t want it to be too distracting. I like to look for general lines or shapes that will help frame the subject and balance the image. To help separate the subject from the background, it is good to position them as far away from the wall as possible. Doing this helps blur the background when the camera focuses on the subject.
We position “A” cam just to the side of the line of action, which is an imaginary line between the subject and the interviewer. We don’t want the subject looking into the camera, but having the camera closer to the line of action makes it more personal. We make sure the subject has a little bit of headroom, which is the space between the top of their head and the top of the frame. We also make sure the subject has lead room, which is space in the composition the direction of where the subject is looking.
For lens, we like to use a focal length between 35mm-70mm. This allows us to see a little bit of the background while still maintaining focus on the subject. Our aperture is set between 2-4 to help achieve a shallow depth of field. We like to shoot at 24 frames per second with a 1/50 second shutter to achieve a more “cinematic look”. This is also known as a 180 degree shutter angle, because the shutter speed is half the frames per second. The reason we use these settings is because they provide a little bit of motion blur that is common in movies.
The second camera we’ll call “B” cam. We want this camera to be framed differently enough so that cutting to it while editing isn’t jarring. We do this by making sure the camera angle is at least 30 degrees different and the focal length is changed by at least 20%. So if “A” cam is a straight on Medium shot with a standard lens, our “B” cam will be a side shot medium closeup with a telephoto lens. Another rule we follow is the 180 degree rule, which states that the cameras should be on the same side of the line of action. This rule is important because it will keep the subject’s eye direction consistent when switching between angles so the editing won’t disorientate the viewer.
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