AND OUT-TAKES
on the video weekend workshop at Newlands, led by Andrew White
Movies should move. They should also make noises.
Look out for anything moving. Water. Things in the
wind. People walking into the picture and also across
it. A caterpillar on a leaf. An angry bull charging
at the camera. And listen out for noises. Especially
noises of something we’re about to see. A bicycle bell
– needless to say, the bike we see after the bike bell
noise is a quite different bike shot two days before.
pretty pictures
Apple iMovie for Mac
gear ain’t an issue, software isn’t an
issue, so what’s the problem?
Video is an artform you haven’t ever done. If you’re a
photographer, you have to learn how to use pictures
to tell a story. If you’re a writer, you now have to
learn how to tell a story using pictures. So if you’re
an outdoor writer/photographer, you’re laughing!
storytelling – without using words
I can use some words of course: just a matter of
practising my David Attenburgh Voice. And even
subtitles, why not?
I like to get some pretty pictures shot at the start of
the session. Waterfalls, moving leaves, the crumbly
old castle. It gives me something to do while I’m
working out the point of this place, where my story’s
gonna go, what my endoff shot should be, what’s the
opening establisher.
shoot several sorts of shots
Variety can be wide-out/close-in, long clips / short
clips, static / agitated, noisy/quiet.
shot types
hand held, panning
hand held, zooming
walking along, very wobbly (go-pro type)
tripod, with pan or with zoom
things to consider
What is the story I’m telling?
How am I going to start it? A standard opening
is a wide-angle establishing shot. But other
openings are available.
Is there any way to indicate progress through
the story? Beethoven is good at telling us
were getting towards the end of the movement
(you hit the tonic G but refrain from hitting the
dominant C). In pictures? One way could be a
long-shot of the eventual destination.
How am I going to end it? If I spot my finishing
shot, no matter how early in the session, I’ll run
after it and shoot it.
tripod and walk into (or through) the shot
(Andrew adds: if you walk out of shot to the
left, then next time you should walk back in
from the left.)
camera right down among the waving grasses
focus pull, closeup detail refocussing to distant
scene
selfie shot talking to camera
steady as you go or wobbly as you Go-pro
Hand held shaky shots can be more immediate than
steady tripod ones. They’re also more immediate
as I don’t have to fiddle around with the tripod. I’ll
incorporate some tripod shots (those pretty pictures
gathered at the beginning) or some gently drifting
stills (Ken Burns effect), so my shaky shots look
spring 2018 | Outdoor focus 9