Nail Your Video Composition with These Techniques
The classic centered, straight on shot… not too close, not too far away!
Both cinematographers and photographers will tell you the importance of framing your shot well. A simple adjustment to your camera angle could make the difference between video content that distracts viewers and video content that focuses your audience on what’s most important: You!
To ace that composition and create video content that shines, it’s good to have a few camera framing techniques in your back pocket. Here's four pointers on dialing in your perfect shot.
Framing Your Shot
Frame your shot too low and you’ll end up with a double chin. You can do better!
Framing your shot is the first and most basic technique you can learn to frame and create videos like a pro. And since we're focusing on you, the talking head, we're going to start with a centered, straight on shot (much like the screenshot I’ve included on the left).
First, you’ll want to place your camera lens at or slightly above your eyeline. Many people have the habit of setting up their camera too low especially if they're using a laptop on their desk. This can give you an unflattering double chin… We definitely don't want that.
High shots will make you seem small and vulnerable.
That said, if your shot is too high and pointing downward, you'll look small and vulnerable. Think of the camera lens as the eye of your viewer. Really high angles will give them the impression that they’re considerably taller than you and, as a result, make you seem less authoritative.
So play around with your camera a bit until you find that perfect eyeline shot for your DIY video.
Headroom
Let's move on to another important element of aesthetic composition: headroom. This refers to the space between your head and the top of the screen frame.
Too much headroom makes you seem like you’re sinking out of the frame… Where are you trying to go?
If you have too much headroom in your DIY video, it’s going to look like you're sinking out of the frame. And just like high camera angles, it’s going to make you appear much shorter.
However, if you have too little headroom in your video, then you risk cutting off the top of your head. For professional video marketing or any other kind of quality video content creation, that’s not going to make your brand look poised and polished.
But before you place yourself right at the center of your screen, go ahead and read this next technique...
The Rule of Thirds
… Just don’t cut off the top of your head either.
If you take away anything from this blog post, this video composition strategy is the technique to put to use. To apply the Rule of Thirds, you need to figuratively divide your screen into a grid of nine imaginary squares.
Okay… now avoid placing the main subject of the frame within that center square.
Why do we do this? It sounds odd, but for whatever reason we find it aesthetically pleasing. Our eye is naturally drawn to “power points” along the lines of the squares. This also creates a well-balanced amount of negative space (those places in the frame left intentionally blank).
For talking-head style videos, the trick is to center yourself, while making sure your eyeline is on or near the line of the upper third section.
Applying the Rule of Thirds to the horizontal lines
The Rule of Thirds applies to both the vertical as well as the horizontal. So if you're planning to edit and show text on screen, shift yourself over to the right (or your viewer’s left) to make room for that info.
Distance From The Camera
Okay, but how close do you want to be from your camera when creating videos?
I'm going to say somewhere between a medium to a closeup shot. I’m not talking an extreme closeup here. And the reason for that is something I learned from researchers studying Zoom fatigue.
So recently I found out that when we see a face that is overly close to the screen, it triggers a fight-or-flight response in our brains. That’s because it doesn’t match up with our typical personal space boundaries. If you were standing that close to a person on the street, you're either about to hug them, kiss them, or punch them.
Extreme closeups will make your viewers uncomfortable… Avoid getting up in their faces!
With that in mind, respect your viewers’ personal bubble and aim instead for a conversation distance. Ask yourself how close you would stand to a friend in a conversation.
An artificial light source (like a ring light) should also impact camera distance. Be sure you're not so far away from the camera or the light that it's ineffective… but don’t get so close you completely wash yourself out.
Finally, if you're shooting in a room in your house that has a lot of stuff in the background, opt for more of a close-up with a tighter shot to crop out those distractions.
A Final Note on How To Create An Online Video By Framing A Flattering Shot
Let’s end with a comfortable closeup! So much better, right?
With a little practice, these video creation techniques will become second nature to you. However, while you’re getting familiar with framing your shots, it might be a good idea to make a checklist and have it somewhere nearby while you shoot.
Do a couple test runs, see how it looks, and when you like what you see, give it a go. You’ll be creating video content like a pro in no time!
If you like what you’ve heard and you want to learn more about how to create video for Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, or TikTok then don't leave without signing up for my * newsletter * to gain more "quickie" video tips, course content and exclusive video coaching offers that will give you the confidence to do it on camera.
