How to Learn the Basics of Good Camera Work

Video Transcript

"All right folks, in this clip we're going to talk about how to learn the basics of good camera work. Becoming a good cameraman is definitely something that takes a lot of practice and time, even if you are naturally gifted and talented with the camera in your hand. You're going to want to learn the basic principles which are first of all, when it comes to just handling a camera, being able to hold it as steadily as possible. These days most people even the best, best professionals will often use a tripod simply because it eliminates just the you know factor of if it's been a long day of shooting and you're tired, you can't hold it steady, you know it just makes it that much easier on you, getting a good tripod. Unless of course your video calls for a more stylized approach which involves camera looking like it's hand held, in that case, knock yourself out. Being steady and having a steady hand, first and foremost most important thing. Next up you're going to want to learn the different types of camera moves and motions, you're going to learn how to pan. Panning is just a simple act of moving the camera slowly across your frame, it is essentially what it sounds like. Slow and steady pan, one of the basic camera moves. A tilt - where you either move the camera up or down, you know, to take in whatever it is you're trying to shoot. And lastly, when it comes to being a good cameraman you're going to want to understand proper framing. Basically what this means is knowing where to place a subject within the Viewfinder. Most of the time when you're shooting someone you're going to want to follow what's called the rule of thirds, where if you imagine taking a look at the image in front of you, dividing it up into nine equal squares, and placing your subject within one of those squares in the frame. Whether it be in the top right corner or the top left corner, bottom left corner, dead center, basically learning how to frame your images in a way that is visually aesthetically pleasing, that is very, very important as well. Proper framing, and along those lines, one basic rule is when you're framing up a subject, you never, ever want their eyes to be in the dead center of the frame, somewhere like right in here, you want them always to be in the upper third portion and a lot of times if you're talking about an individual you want them to be in box number three on the right or lefthand side and that would be what would be considered proper framing if you're just talking about individuals. Now of course, all these rules are meant to be broken. That's what creativity and being an artist is all about, you know, stepping outside the box and trying something a little bit different but if you're watching this clip I'm assuming that right now you are not that artist yet, you're still learning the basics, and given that that's the case, you're going to want to learn just the basic stuff first, before you go out and make your creative epic masterpiece. Learn how to have a steady hand, learn how to do the pans and the tilts. And learn how to frame your subject. Those are some basic ways to become a good camera operator."