Principles of Shooting Video

ADOBE CREATIVE CAREERS CURRICULUM
Principles of Shooting Video
Essential Principles Series

Planning a shoot
When you consider a video project, plan what you need to shoot to tell the story:
● How long will it be?

● How many shots will you need?
● Who will you interview?
● What kind of mics and lights will you use?
● How will you control the environment?
Or will you need to respond to changing circumstances? Sporting events and concerts have a rhythm and flow
that allow for detailed planning. A student anti-war protest can shift directions with no warning, requiring you
to quickly change your tactics.
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Adobe Creative Careers Curriculum
Shot types
Different kinds of shots impact a video in different ways. Some common shots used include:
Medium shot Wide shot

A shot wide enough to see the subject in the surrounding Allows the audience to see a large area. Called an establishing shot when
space, providing some context. used to establish location.
Close-up Extreme close-up

Shows details such as facial expression. So close it may take the audience a moment to figure it out; provides
striking visual detail.
Shot types
Some more common shots:
Long shot Over the shoulder POV (point of view)

Shows the entire object or human This shot is common for an Shows what the character is
figure and is usually intended to interview where two characters looking at.
place it in some relation to its are having a discussion.
surroundings.

Establishing and closing shots
An establishing shot sets the scene in one image (Figure 1 below). Although super-wide shots work well
(aerials in particular), consider other points of view.
A closing shot is that one shot or sequence that wraps up your story effectively. It could be as simple as
someone closing a door, capping a pen, petting a dog, etc.
Figure 1 An establishing shot (L) sets the scene and the second shot (R) tells the story.
Following action
When possible, use a tripod to keep your shots steady. The best tripods have fluid
heads so you can make smooth pans or tilts. If a tripod is impractical, try to find
some way to stabilize the shot, like leaning against a wall.
Keep your viewfinder on the action, because this is what the viewers want.
For example, follow a leaf’s progress as it floats down a stream and then continue
your camera motion past the leaf—panning—and widen out to show something
unexpected: a waterfall, a huge industrial complex, some people fishing.
Tracking or dolly shots move with the action. For example, hold the camera at
arm’s length right behind a toddler motoring around the house.

Shooting matched action
Consider a shot from behind a pitcher throwing a

fastball. The pitcher releases the ball and then it
smacks into the catcher’s glove. Instead of a single
shot, grab three shots:
● A medium shot from behind the pitcher

making the pitch.
● a shot from behind the catcher of the ball in
flight.
● a tight shot of the catcher’s glove.
The idea is to edit them together to match the

action.

Angles
Find unusual angles

Get your video camera off your shoulder, away from eye level, for more interesting
shots. Shoot up from low angles or down from high angles. Shoot through objects
or people while keeping the focus on your subject.
Lean forward or backward

Don’t use the zoom lens as a crutch. A better way to move in close or out away
from a subject is literally to lean in or out.
Get wide shots and tight shots

Our eyes work like medium-angle lenses, so we tend to shoot video that way.
Instead, grab wide shots and tight shots of your subjects.

General rules
Minimize fast pans and snap zooms that remind

viewers they’re watching TV.
If you do zoom or pan, do it for a purpose: to

reveal something.
A slow zoom in, with only a minimal change to

the focal length, can add drama to a sound bite.

Rule of thirds
Setting up your shots using compositional

guidelines can lead to more attractive
sequences.
The rule of thirds helps to position where your

subjects appear in frame.
When composing your shot, think of your

viewfinder as crisscrossed by two horizontal
and two vertical lines. The center of interest
should fall along those lines or near one of the
four intersections, not in the center of the
image.

Plane of view
The plane of view is an imaginary vertical wall running through your

subjects. In the image on the right, it is through the interviewer and
interviewee.
If you’re shooting in one direction, you don’t want your next shot to be
looking back at your previous camera location. Shoot a reverse cutaway
from the same side of the plane.
In general, try to keep your camera positions on one side of the plane.

Cutaways and jump cuts
Cutaways are literally a shot that cuts away from the current shot.
Shooting cutaways allows you to avoid jump cuts, i.e., noticeable cuts
between two pieces of similar footage.
Cutaways are common in interviews where you might want to edit

together two 10-second sound bites from the same person, making the
interviewee appear to move suddenly.

Grab good bites
Your narrator presents the facts, and the

characters present emotions and opinions.
Although your interviews might be lengthy, use

only short sound bites in your final production.
The bites should be punctuation marks, not

paragraphs.
NB: Make exceptions for idiosyncratic

characters.

This activity is part of Adobe’s free “Adobe Creative Careers Curriculum'' series. Adobe Premiere Pro and other Adobe Creative Cloud apps require an account and
login. Keep in mind that children must be age 13 or older to create their own Adobe ID. Educators can find more teaching materials for using Adobe software in the
classroom on the Adobe Education Exchange.
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ADOBE CREATIVE CAREERS CURRICULUM

Principles of Shooting Video

Essential Principles Series

● How long will it be?

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Medium shot Wide shot

Close-up Extreme close-up

Some more common shots:

Long shot Over the shoulder POV (point of view)

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Consider a shot from behind a pitcher throwing a

● A medium shot from behind the pitcher

The idea is to edit them together to match the

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Find unusual angles

Lean forward or backward

Get wide shots and tight shots

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Minimize fast pans and snap zooms that remind

If you do zoom or pan, do it for a purpose: to

A slow zoom in, with only a minimal change to

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Setting up your shots using compositional

The rule of thirds helps to position where your

When composing your shot, think of your

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

The plane of view is an imaginary vertical wall running through your

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Cutaways are common in interviews where you might want to edit

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

Your narrator presents the facts, and the

Although your interviews might be lengthy, use

The bites should be punctuation marks, not

NB: Make exceptions for idiosyncratic

© 2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.

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