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to be taken apart to its individual pieces. The close-up is made with the lens at a telephoto focal length. Now the individual subject is going to be examined part by part. A close-up shows the emotions in the face, the manipulation of the subject’s hands, or the details of a craftsman’s work. (See Figure 4-3.)

The close-up can be thought of as the final shot of a sequence or the fully expressed idea initiated in the wide shot. In our technical school example, the close- up might be a shot of the student’s hands positioning a chip or some other element onto the circuit board. The elements in the shot are the hands, the board, and the part being fitted to the board.

Depth in a close-up is completely reduced to the texture of the objects being photographed. The detail of the close-up subject usually gives the depth neces- sary for a good picture. The number of angles from which a close-up can be shot is often more limited than either the wide or the medium shot. The variety lies in shooting the many different elements of a sub- ject in close-ups, such as face, hands, or even feet (they may operate some tool with a foot pedal). Other possi- ble close-ups in the technical school example might be of a supply of parts or a book of instructions. In other words, you can shoot a detailed close-up of every ele- ment contained in the medium shot. It is always a good rule to include some form of relationship with the medium shot, however. The CU of the electrical parts works better if a hand comes into the frame and removes a part for use, or in the case of a CU of a text- book, if a hand reaches across it to turn a page. Move- ment, especially by humans, is always interesting.

The Extreme Close-up

The extreme close-up or XCU adds drama or extra emphasis to a series of shots. In our example of a per- son, the XCU would be a shot of the subject’s face or even just the eyes. This shot is made at the very far end of the telephoto lens, zoomed all the way in. In many storylines, this shot could be out of place because of its dramatic emphasis, but when used correctly it can greatly improve the quality of the piece. This type of shot brings the viewer into a world not normally seen in such detail. The extreme close-up presents a larger- than-life image that can be extremely interesting for a viewer. (See Figure 4-4.)

The subject should be chosen carefully and the purpose of this shot should be clear. For example, in the technical school story, the XCU could show the tip of the soldering iron as it melts some solder onto the part just put in place during the close-up shot. Seeing the solder actually run and the smoke billow out from around it adds a sense of drama and visual excitement to a rather mundane classroom setting. An XCU of the student’s eyes in a story like this might not be appro- priate unless the student is wearing glasses and the re- flection of the smoking solder can be seen in that re- flection (thereby tying the shots together).

The XCU need not be related to the action; it could be simply a detail shot—for example, a single stamp in a story about stamp collecting, or a hole in a leaf as part of a story on crop damage. If used properly, this shot can be the most memorable—and therefore most expressive—in any piece, but it must be used at the correct time, have a good relationship to the sur- rounding shots, and show an appropriate subject. By using the XCU, video pieces can demand a great deal of attention from the viewer.

Camera Action Shots

This category of shots is defined by moving the cam- era or changing focal lengths as the shot is recorded. In general, these shots can add dynamics, drama, and

Figure 4-4 This XCU of the sculptor’s tool shaping the clay demonstrates the texture and pliability of the clay, which is not normally seen.

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interest to the story when the shot’s perspective changes as the viewer watches. Caveat videographer:

avoid moving camera or moving lens shots for the sake of movement alone. Unmotivated movement ap- pears cheesy and fake and grows annoying because it does not stem from the subject. Instead, it is merely slapped onto the shot for no apparent reason—per- haps a failed attempt to cover up for the lack of a dy- namic subject in the first place?

The Zoom Shot

For a zoom, the glass inside the lens is rotated, either by hand or by an electronic servo that operates by the push of a button. As the glass rotates, the image is ei- ther magnified to appear to move closer (zoom in), or it appears to move away as it becomes smaller (zoom out). As probably the most overused and misused shot in the field of videography, the zoom is the ruin of many ENG packages and EFP projects. The first thing any new shooter does is work the zoom control until it is worn out. The best way to teach a new photographer to shoot is to tape the zoom servo to off. A zoom should be considered a link between two static shots or a means of maintaining proper framing or perspective. Just as in any two individual shots, the ending shot of the zoom should contain different, or at least more or less, information than the beginning shot.

One common mistake many videographers make when starting out is zooming to or from the middle of the frame, keeping equal distance on all sides of the subject as they zoom. To add more visual interest to the movement, try keeping two sides of the frame static in reference to the subject as you make the zoom. (See Figure 4-5.) That means you will zoom into or out of one of the four corners of the screen, while adding a little pan to the movement. This makes the shot pivot on the subject, adding more emphasis to that subject in the frame, which is what you want your viewers to notice.

The two most appropriate uses of a zoom are to show relationships and to emphasize a subject within a larger picture. The first is a zoom-out, and the second a zoom-in. If the topic is a profile of an unemployed worker, you might shoot a scene at the unemployment office. By starting on a tight shot of the subject waiting in line and then zooming out to a wide shot that

reveals the multitude of people waiting in line, you can show the subject’s relationship to the surroundings by revealing those surroundings after establishing the sub- ject. This would also give the viewer the perspective of this individual being buried in a mass of people. The relationship between the individual and the rest of the room is well established. Alternately, you might want to emphasize that individual after first establishing the situation. A zoom-in from a wide shot of that room to a tight shot of the very tired-looking subject empha- sizes this person. The shot draws the viewer’s attention from the overall picture to the plight of one individual who is part of the situation.

The basic “rules” for the zoom shot are as follows: • Always zoom from something that’s important

to something else that’s important.

• Make sure the beginning and ending shots can stand alone as static shots.

• Zoom out to show a spatial relationship. • Zoom in to emphasize a particular element

contained in the wider picture.

Always keep in mind the time it takes to zoom. A zoom that is too slow might not be able to be used by an editor; a zoom that is too fast might not allow the viewer time to perceive and understand what is taking

Figure 4-5 A zoom from the subject in the field reveals the location. A good zoom always incorporates some pan- ning and tilting of the camera.

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