FILMMAKING BASICS
by Jordan Mattie
CAMERA BASICS
Camera Basics
Exposure
● Exposure is dialed in using 3 main components: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
● Aim to get your exposure as close to zero as possible. *Don’t over-expose!*
Shutter speed
● The amount of time the shutter is open for each frame
● Affects the amount of light that comes in
● Affects how motion looks
Aperture (a.k.a. F-stop)
● Changing the f/stop changes the size of the aperture (makes it bigger or smaller)
● Smaller aperture: less light is let in and more is in focus (greater depth of field)
● Larger aperture: more light is let in and less is in focus (shallower depth of field)
● Aperture partially depends on the lens
ISO
● This number affects the sensitivity of the sensor to light.
● The higher the number, the more sensitive the sensor is, so your image will appear brighter.
● Raising the ISO can also cause unwanted digital noise (graininess)
● *Cameras normally have a “native” ISO that will be the optimal ISO setting
Exposure Triangle
Finding Proper Exposure
Camera Basics
White balance
● Setting your balance is like telling your camera what color the light is. Your camera can then take that
information and make adjustments so that the colors in your footage reflect real life. Ex. a white piece
of paper should actually look white.
● Light color is measured by the Kelvin Scale (K).
● Most cameras have Kelvin settings ranging from around 2500k - 10,000k.
● Learn the most common light colors:
○ Daylight - 5500k
○ Tungsten lights (an older, yellow colored light bulb) - 2800k
○ Fluorescent lights (overhead lights in a school or office) - 4000k
○ Cloudy day - 6000k
Camera Basics
Frames Per Second (FPS)
● FPS is the amount of images the camera is recording per second.
● The standard FPS for movies is 24fps (23.976). It will give your films the most “cinematic” look.
● Higher frame rates will give your footage a different look, because the viewer is being shown more
images per second.
● Higher frame rates also serve another important purpose: slow motion
○ When you shoot something at a higher frame rate (60fps, 120fps) the camera is capturing more
images per second, therefore it is able to play the clip back slowly and smoothly.
○ If you took a regular 24fps clip and tried to slow it down, you get choppy footage. This is
because the 24 frames are simply being spaced out - hence the shoppiness. Additional frames
are needed in order to make the video smoother.
Camera Settings for Filming (A Good Starting Point)
*MAKE SURE THE CAMERA IS SET TO MANUAL*
Regular speed footage:
FPS: 24fps
Shutter speed: 1/50th (your shutter speed should double your FPS).
White balance: Custom White Balance
● a.k.a. The “Kelvin” setting (dial in your white balance manually)
ISO: Lower the better! Only set it as high as you need to. This will avoid graininess.
Aperture: It depends.
● For shallow depth of field, use a large aperture (Ex. f/1.8)
● If you want more of the background in focus, use a smaller aperture (Ex. f/11).
Slow motion:
FPS: 60fps
Shutter speed: 1/120th minimum (higher than 120th is fine too, when it comes to slow motion).
STABILIZATION
Stabilization
Tripods
● Boring but highly effective. Watch a movie or TV show and count how many scenes were
shot on a tripod (no movement at all).
● Tripods are a must for interviews.
● Make sure tripod is level.
Monopods
● Simple but effective. You can move very quickly.
● They help keep your shot steady but still allow for a bit of movement.
● Easy to use and very mobile.
● Great for grabbing B-roll… or short interviews.
Gimbals
● Great for B-roll, walking shots, establishing shots.
● Be sure to focus the camera before recording, because you can’t focus while shooting.
● Learn to maintain focus. A smaller aperture (f/5-6 or f/8) will help you do this.
● *Best to shoot gimbal footage in 60fps. It looks smoother.
● Shooting on a gimbal requires PRACTICE.
COMPOSITION
Composition
Composition is incredibly important when it comes to great filmmaking.
Composition refers to the way your subjects or elements appear in a frame.
What elements come into play when creating a great composition? Here are a few:
● What elements are included in the frame?
● What elements are left out of the frame?
● What focal length is being used? (Ex. wide angle lens or telephoto lens)
● Where is the subject in the frame?
● What is the camera’s angle to the subject?
● Is anything in the foreground? Background?
● Is there any movement in the shoot? Tripod? Slider?
Some basic rules for composition:
1. Rule of thirds: divide your frame into thirds, and put your subject on one of the
intersection points. *Keep eyes on the top third of your frame (almost always).
2. 180-degree rule: When shooting multiple angles, keep cameras within a 180 degrees
radius. This will minimize inconsistencies.
3. Dead center: put your subject directly in the center. This is effective if you are really
trying to emphasize the importance of a character or an object.
i. Trivia: Who does this a lot?
4. Don’t cut off limbs: If you are cropping a person’s arms or legs, DON’T cut their knees or
elbows with the edge of the frame. It looks weird.
5. Leave head room: Always leave a bit of space above the subject’s head (unless you are
doing a close-up that cuts off the top of their head.)
6. Leave looking room: If the subject is looking to the left, place them on the right side of
the frame (and vice versa.)
7. Wide lenses = establishing shots. Don’t use wide lenses on faces.
8. Zoom lenses always make people look for flattering.
Rule of Thirds
Rule of Thirds
180 Degree Rule
LIGHTING
Things to Consider for Lighting (P.I.C.S.)
Position
● Where is the light positioned?
● From what angle is the light hitting the subject?
● How far is it from the subject?
Intensity
● How bright is the light?
● How bright is it compared to the background?
● If there is more than one light, how bright is light #1 compared to light #2?
Color
● Does the color of your light source match your cameras white balance setting?
● Are all of your light sources the same color? (Do you want them to be?)
● Are there any unwanted light sources (of different colors) leaking into your shot?
Softness
● Is the light direct or diffused?
● Softer light generally looks better - especially on people’s faces.
● *You can determine the softness of a light by the shadows.
● Harsh, defined shadows are created by hard light sources (ie. light that is not diffused.)
Key Light Position
● 3 point lighting is the most common interview lighting setup. It is good to know, but not always necessary.
● You can shoot a great looking interview with only a key light and a backlight.
● Sometimes you may only need a key light - if the background is already bright enough.
Some Basic Rules for Lighting
Position
1. Position your main light source higher than your subject, and slightly off to the side.
2. Keep your light relatively close to the subject (but not in the frame).
Intensity
1. The key light should make your subject slightly brighter (or at least as bright as your background. The
background should not be brighter than the subject (unless you are intentionally creating a silhouette).
Color
1. Figure out where the light is coming from, and try to make the color of your light sources match.
2. Example: If your key light is Daylight color (5500k), and the room you’re in has Tungsten (3200k -
yellow) lights on - turn off the tungsten lights.
3. Make sure your camera’s white balance is set to match your main light source.
Softness
1. Soften your key light. It will look better!
a. You can do this by:
i. Shining it through diffusion fabric (ie. white umbrella, shower curtain, or any white
translucent fabric.)
ii. Bounce it off of something (ie. the ceiling, or a $2 whiteboard.)
Key Light Position
(Main light is shining through diffusion fabric, slightly higher than the subject, and off to the side.)
Bounce Light
(Light source is bouncing off of white ceiling. This helps spread out the light.)
Bounce Light
(Light source is bouncing off of white wall, so that it bounces back toward the subject from the side.)
EDITING/FINAL CUT PRO
A Few Tips for Backing Up Footage
*Always do these steps FIRST*
1. Transfer your footage and audio files onto either a hard drive or the computer (don’t edit your project using
files that are still on the memory cards).
2. Rename your footage right away before you do ANY editing.
a. Give files a name that is specific to that project, so that you don’t accidentally use that name again.
3. Keep all of your media files (video and audio) in a single folder. If possible, save your Final Cut Pro project
file in the same location.
4. Backup that entire folder on a separate hard drive just in case you lose any of those files. (Backing up video
and audio files is ALWAYS a good practice.)
A Few Tips for editing in Final Cut Pro
1. Setting up your Final Cut Pro project:
a. Make sure it is set to 1080p at 24 frames per second
2. Make a New Event for each collection of clips (ie. make one event for interview of Bob, make another event
for interview of Sarah, make another event for Bob’s b-roll, etc.)
3. Detach the audio from interview clips. Sync up the audio file from your Zoom recorder (look for the
CLAPS). Then, remember to turn off the audio from video clip. This is done so that you will only hear the
audio from the Zoom in your interviews.
Slow Motion Footage (60fps)
1. To get beautiful slow motion, remember that you first have to shoot the footage in 60p (with your shutter
speed at 120th/second or higher).
2. Then, import that 60p footage into your Final Cut Pro project. *Make sure the project settings are same as
above (1080p & 24 fps).
3. The following tutorial will show you how to make your 60p footage playback in slow motion:
It’s entitled: “How to conform 60fps footage into SLOW MOTION” by Wedding Film School
[Link]
AUDIO
Sound/Audio
Interview audio:
● Record interview audio separately. ALWAYS.
● DO NOT use the audio from the camera for your interviews. It will sound terrible.
● You can sync up the audio file with the video later during editing (*CLAP CLAP CLAP*)
● Try to get your mic/recording device as close to the subject as possible (but not in the shot).
This will give you the best sound quality.
● Place the mic overhead. Make sure the mic is not directly in line with the subject’s mouth, or else
you may get wind noise when he/she says words starting with “P”.
B-Roll audio:
● The built-in mic on the camera is your last resort. It’s not very good.
● Use an external mic that can be plugged into the camera (ex. Rode Video Mic).
Soundtrack/Music:
● Instrumental music works great for soundtracks, especially if there is talking in the video.
● Make sure the volume of your music is adjusted appropriately for. It should gradually turn down
when a talking part is beginning, and it should gradually turn back up when the talking is
finished.
● Your music selection should match the “feel” of your video (ie. serious, happy, fast-paced, scary,
mellow, uplifting, etc.)
Foley
Keep in mind… when it comes to making movies - the majority of sounds are
recorded separately and added later.
For more info, lookup videos on YouTube about “Foley artists”.
Example: [Link]
You guys can easily do the same with your Zoom recorder!
Great Filmmaking Tutorials/Channels:
Check out some of these amazing channels and you will learn everything
you need to know to start making incredible films.
1. Film Riot: [Link]/user/filmriot
2. Aputure: [Link]/aputurephoto
3. DSLR Guide: [Link]/DSLRguide
4. Phillip Bloom: [Link]/philipbloom
5. Parker Walbeck: [Link]/pawalbeck
6. Lights Film School: [Link]/LightsFilmSchool
7. Stillmotion: [Link]/stillmotionfilms (Look for the tutorials entitles “SMAPP Series”.)
For more questions or links to filmmaking tutorials, email me:
jordan@[Link]