Pro tip: stop using the same boring shot for every talking head clip

I was editing a corporate job from a month ago and realized every single interview looked flat because the camera was always at eye level. I switched it up on my next shoot in Phoenix, putting one camera low and framing the subject against a window. The client said it looked 'expensive' and paid me an extra $500. Anyone else found a simple framing trick that clients love?

4 comments

4 Comments

williamhenderson28d ago

That low angle trick is a game changer. Reminds me of a wedding video where they put a GoPro on the floor during the first dance, got this amazing shot looking up through the crowd.

tessap7328d agoOG Member

Oh man, my buddy did something similar filming a local band. He put a camera way up on a high shelf behind the drummer, looking down over the whole stage. The overhead shot of the drummer's hands moving became the opener for their music video. The band said it made them look huge.

stella12128d ago

Wait, that's interesting but I actually feel the opposite about overhead shots. They can make things look small and far away, like you're watching ants on a stage. The low angle from the floor feels way more powerful to me (it makes the subject fill the frame). That drummer shot sounds cool, but I'd worry it loses the energy.

mark_chen624d ago

My old band's demo had a shot like that, a camera on a ladder above the bassist. It worked because it was super tight on just his hands and the fretboard, not the whole stage. You lose the crowd energy, but you get this cool, almost mechanical look at the skill. It only worked because it was a quick cut, not a whole scene.