Composition

Composition refers to how everything in your shot (your subject, props, background objects, etc.) are arranged on screen in relation to each other. A distracting television in the background or shooting your subject in front of a fountain that makes it look like water is pouring from their ears are examples of bad composition.

Good composition can make all the difference and, fortunately, doing it well is mostly common sense. The key is prioritizing what needs to be in frame and ensuring those things are well framed and prominently displayed in relation to everything else. Basically, the composition is established by where you stand with the DV camera, where you have your subject stand and how they are positioned, how far you are zoomed in or out and what else can be seen in the shot.

A few tips for good composition:

• Avoid shooting directly in front of a wall. Try to shoot so that there is as much space behind your subject as possible. This adds depth to your video.
• Don't have your subject positioned so that there is a mirror or anything reflective behind them. You and your digital video camera don't want to show up in the shot.
• Avoid anything in the background that can be distracting (a person acting silly, lights from a police car in the distance, a TV, etc.).
• Your subject should avoid wearing bright white clothing, thin stripes, small “checkerboard” patterns and bright reds. Digital video cameras can have a hard time rendering these colors and patterns correctly.
• Make sure that your subject’s clothing or your subject itself doesn’t blend in with the background (golf balls on a white table cloth)
• Watch out for glares from jewelry, sunglasses and shiny foreheads and noses.
• Try to mix up your shooting environments. Use different rooms, go outside, etc.
• Dress up sets with plants and other things in the background. “Clutter” behind your subject will add depth and interest to your shots.
• Switch up the way your subjects are positioned. Have some of your subjects stand, have others sit, and so on.
• When showing scale (how big or how small), be sure to include a reference point in the frame. If you want to show how big a ball of hail is, show it next to a cell phone or a coin.