TV Production Skills

The Basic Principles

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Before you shoot

Know your story

Decide how to tell your story
Follow your program style
Choose your kit
Plan your shoot
Know your story
 It is vital that you know the whole story
and how your sequence fits into it
 Story summaries are one tool you can
use to ensure you don't lose the plot
 If you have time, pictures and
storyboards can help to visualise your
ideas
How to do it
 Decide the story's angle.
 Write a summary or sketch storyboards.
 However "last minute" the shoot, make sure you
have a clear brief.
 Check that what you're doing is realistic in the time
available - don't compromise your safety.
 Unforeseen events can occur - be ready to react if
the story changes, and follow new developments.
 Remind yourself "I will always focus on telling the
story".
Story Summary
 A good story summary
 Reveals characters
 Outlines the main points of the story
 Suggests where it will lead
 Key words from a summary help you
plan how to shoot and what to shoot
Example of a Story Summary:
 Blue Peter Special Feature –
Above the Clouds
 Matt Gyves

'Above the clouds is the

challenge for Simon Thomas,
a Blue Peter presenter, to
reach the top of Europe's
highest mountain.'
Exercise: What’s the Story?
 A good story has a hook, characters, a
setting and a key question.

In this exercise you'll identify an

interesting angle from a wordy 'brief'
and write a succinct story summary.

Read through the brief and look for an

interesting angle.
Decide how to tell your story
 Your story angle/summary determines
the scenes, sequences and shots you
need to plan.
 A 'sequence' is a series of shots cut
together so that the action flows
seamlessly.
 To achieve this in the edit, you need to
capture a variety of shots.
How to do it
 Follow the "five shot" rule
 On each new shot, change the shot size and
the angle - use the zoom if you're in a hurry.
 Shoot the person, the thing, then the person
and the thing.
 Plan cutaways and cut-ins.
 Overlap the action.
 Shoot the whole action three times from
three different angles.
For sufficient coverage and edit options

 If you need 5 shots, get 8.

 If you need 3 shots, get 5.
 If you need 1 shot, get 3.
Follow your program style
 Get familiar with your program style
 Plan to shoot accordingly
 Otherwise, you risk coming back with
unusable material
How to do it
 Absorb your program's style: watch previous
episodes and rushes.
 Mimic its shot sizes, angles, eye lines and
framing.
 Think about the key stylistic features. Long
or short takes? Lots of camera movement or
relatively static?
 Don't get carried away - if in doubt keep it
simple.
Choose your kit
 Work within your budget.
 Decide what picture and sound quality you
want.
 Think about logistics, particularly when
choosing sound equipment.
 Know how much kit you are capable of
carrying - and for how long.
 Choose kit you are familiar with.
 Make sure the sections of your kit are
compatible.
Plan your shoot
 Create a timetable and shooting schedule.
 Include time for travel and setting up.
 Allow time to warm up your contributor and
put them at ease.
 Plan to do your most important shots first.
 Allow extra time for unforeseen events.
 Forecast the impact of weather and location
changes.
Film the perfect picture

Shoot for continuity

Expose correctly

Make the most of available light

Frame your picture
 Never place important subjects at the
extreme left or right of the picture - some TV
sets will cut them off.
 If a contributor's head is moving around a lot,
loosen the shot slightly, rather than
constantly adjusting or have their head
constantly banging the edge of frame.
 Avoid distracting backgrounds or objects
'sprouting' from the subject's head.
Frame your picture
 Frame to include any expected action
rather than adjust the shot to
accommodate it.
 When panning with a moving object,
leave 'walking room'.
Frame your picture
 Include something in the foreground to
create depth and a sense of perspective. Or
shoot through a feature in the environment -
a window, leaves etc.

 Think about shooting from an unusual

camera height or position - such as from
ground level or high above the scene, eg
from an upstairs window.
Frame your picture
 Always keep the camera level - unless
you want to tilt it for effect, in which
case tilt it a lot to make it look
deliberate.
 Be aware that dramatic compositional
techniques can be distracting.
Shoot for continuity
 Aim for consistent shot sizes, eyelines and
looking room.
 Overlap the action. Ask participants to
repeat it so you can film the action using
other shot sizes.
 Allow subjects to enter and leave the frame
ie film the empty scene before and after the
moving object appears.
 Shoot lots of cutaways and close ups.
Shoot for continuity
 In group discussions get wide shots of the group
and close-ups of listeners and head-turns.
 Run the camera for an extra 10 seconds at the end
of each shot.
 Avoid ‘cutting down the line’. Changing the angle of
the shot is better.
 When changing the shot, be aware of what's still
there from the previous one - eg people moving
around
 Cross the line yourself while filming. This
overcomes continuity problems because you usher
the audience over the line as you cross it.
Capture what’s important
 Remind yourself of the principles of
storytelling.
 Follow the action: carry the camera at all
times and keep it running before, during and
after an event.
 Decide who your key character is.
 Be ready to adjust if something more
interesting occurs in your main story.
 Make a decision and stick with it.
 Check you've got everything on your script.
Expose correctly
 To record any image in a camera, you need
to let a certain amount of light through the
lens. How much light you let in is known as
the exposure for that picture.
 A good, accurate exposure is a vital part of
getting a great picture.
 It helps to understand how this works in
principle, so that you can control exposure in
situations where the auto setting won’t give
you what you need.
Expose correctly
 Exposure is about how much light you
let into the lens.
 This is controlled by the camera’s iris
(aperture).
 The iris is measured in “f” stops.
 The higher the “f” number, the smaller
the hole in the iris.
Expose correctly
 Contrast is the range of light strengths
in any scene.
 Where the range is small – low
contrast – the whole scene can be
exposed satisfactorily.
 In high contrast areas, you never get a
good exposure.
 Avoid windows.
Make the most of available
light
 For any scene, identify where the key light source is
coming from and whether it has a hard or soft
quality.
 Prevent ugly lens flare: don't point the camera at
hard light sources and avoid solely backlit subjects.
 Try to exclude bright windows from indoors shots.
 Outdoor pictures look best in early morning or late
afternoon light.
 If it looks good, it is good - if it looks bad, it is bad!
3-point lighting
 ‘Three Point lighting’ is the use of three
directional light sources to illuminate a
subject. These are known as the key,
fill and back lights. The principle is
best illustrated using mains lights.
Record the sound you want

Record clean sound

Reduce unwanted sound

Record atmos
Record clean sound
 Place the mic as close as possible.
 Before you start filming, stop and listen.
Think about what you want to record and
what to suppress.
 If you record outside, take a windshield.
 Always monitor sound on good-quality
headphones, but be aware that high
volumes can damage your hearing.
Record atmos
 The best atmos is recorded at the same
time as the original dialogue.
 Collect atmos by letting the camera run on
for another five seconds after each shot.
 Be aware that the background noise might
change - if so, record 5 seconds of the new
conditions.
 If you're recording a picture, always record
ambient sound
Prepare for edit

Review what you’ve got

Review what you’ve got
 If possible, review your material on location
before you leave.
 Watch all footage before the edit.
 Check back to your story - what do you want
it to convey?
 Consider if another, better story is emerging.
 Editing your own material is an invaluable
learning experience.
Log your shots
 Use a logging system that suits you: pen and paper,
Word/Excel or special software.
 Log the master tape or direct copy.
 Note tape name.
 Give each shot a short name.
 Assign ratings to shot to help spot the best, eg
***=outstanding.
 Note each shot's timecode IN and OUT.
 Recognise timecode breaks.
 Print log for reference during the edit.
 Prepare an edit shot list of desired shots, which has tape
names and timecodes.