Week 2: Framing & Camera Basics

Module Notes

In-class Framing Assignment

• 5 Shots
• 5 Shots
• 5 Shots
• 5 Shots
• 5 Shots
• 5 Shots

Tools Overview

• Using a monopod, tripod, small tripod grip
• Static and Moving Camera

Classical Hollywood Three-Point Lighting

• Key Light: primary source; place at 45° to subject; strongest light.
• Fill Light: opposite key; softens shadows; use dimmer or bounce.
• Back Light (Rim/Hair): behind subject; separates from background; adds depth.
• Budget Tip: use LED panels, clamp lights, or window light with DIY modifiers.
• DIY Diffusion: try wax paper, shower curtain, or white bedsheet.

Lens Lengths and Depth of Field

• Zoom/Telephoto: Creates a shallow depth of field, isolating subject from background.
  
  
  
• Wide Angle: Enhances deep focus, keeping more of the scene sharp.
  
  

Composition

• Rule of Thirds: Divides frame into thirds, placing subjects on intersections for balance and interest.
  
  
  

Shot Types

• Close-Up (CU): Frames the subject’s face; emphasizes emotion and detail.
  
  
• Medium Shot (MS): Frames subject from waist up; balances subject and environment.
  
  
• Long Shot (LS): Shows entire subject and some background; establishes context.
  
  
• Medium Close-Up (MCU): Frames subject from chest or shoulders up.
  
  
• Medium Long-Shot (MLS): Frames subject from knees up; balances subject and environment.
  
  
• Extreme Close-Up (ECU): Focuses on a detail (eye, hand); intensifies drama.
  
  
• Extreme Long Shot (ELS): Emphasizes scale or environment; often an establishing shot.
  
  

Framing Types

• Over-the-Shoulder (OTS): Shows perspective from behind a character’s shoulder; common in dialogues.
  
  
• Point-of-View (POV): Simulates what a character sees; increases immersion.
  
  
  
• Two-Shot: Frames two characters; used in interactions and comparisons.
  
  
• High Angle: Camera looks down on subject; suggests vulnerability or powerlessness.
  
  
• Low Angle: Camera looks up at subject; implies dominance or strength.
  
  
• Dutch/Canted Angle: Camera rotated left or right; implies something is off.
  
  

Camera Movements

• Tilt: Moves the camera up or down on its vertical axis; simulates looking up or down.
  
• Pan: Moves the camera left or right on its horizontal axis; follows action or reveals space.
  
• Track / Dolly: Moves the entire camera smoothly forward, backward, or sideways, often on tracks or wheels.
  
• Crane: Moves the camera up or down through space using a crane or jib; often dramatic and sweeping.
  
• Zoom: Changes focal length to move closer or farther from subject without moving the camera.
  
• Handheld: Camera is held by the operator, producing a shaky, immediate, and intimate feel.
  
• Steadicam / Gimbal: Stabilized camera movement that follows subjects smoothly without visible shake.
  
• Push-In / Pull-Out: Moves the camera smoothly closer to (push-in) or away from (pull-out) the subject to emphasize emotion or reveal context.
  
• Whip Pan: A fast pan that creates a blur, often used for transitions or to convey speed.
  
• Rack Focus (Focus Pull): Shifts the focus from one subject to another within a shot, guiding viewer attention.
  

Framing Examples

Framing Assignment (5%)

DUE 9/8 by Tuesday Class – Submit YouTube/Vimeo URL to Canvas AND post the link to Slack before class.

Objective: Tell a short 20–30 second story using 5 well-composed shots to create a visual narrative. This assignment focuses on framing and camera position—no dialogue and no camera movement.

Guidelines:

• Use only 5 shots (each carefully framed).
• No camera movement (panning, tilting, zooming).
• No music track or voice-over. Natural sound and simple sound effects are allowed.
• Each shot should clearly connect to the next, establishing spatial and narrative relationships.

Examples of story ideas:

• The aftermath of a guilty pet making a mess in the kitchen.
• Someone looking around the house for an annoying sound.
• Someone anxious about opening a letter they just picked up from the mailbox.

Tips for visual storytelling:

• Think about how professional films start: often with a wide shot of the setting, then medium shots of the characters, and close-ups for details (faces, objects, hands).
• You can also reverse this order—begin with a close-up, then slowly reveal the context.
• The grammar of visual storytelling lies in these shot-to-shot connections:
  • A wide shot of a person, followed by a close-up of their eyes, creates a spatial whole.
  • Each frame defines relationships in space and time.

Goal: Show how framing choices alone (without camera movement or dialogue) can shape meaning and emotion in a story.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing is a system of cutting used in classical Hollywood cinema to maintain spatial, temporal, and causal coherence. It relies on a set of conventions that help the audience understand the story without confusion.

• Continuity System – spatial, temporal, and causal coherence
• 180° Rule – maintaining consistent screen direction
• 30° Rule – camera movement threshold between cuts
• Eyeline Match & Point-of-View
• Match on Action – cut hides the edit with continuous movement
• Cutaway & Insert shots for pacing / hiding jump cuts

Evolution of Continuity Editing

In-class Assignment: edit a 30-second trailer

Download Skyfall clip and import into a new Premiere Project.

Continuiy and Narrative

Rent and watch this video for next week's class: Duel by Steven Spielberg

Take notes in your journal about how continuity works in the narrative suspense. After watching, look closely at a favorite short scene and identify framing and the continuity techniques used.