If a film is first and foremost a collection of little things, your video is no different. Just because it doesn't make it to the big screen doesn't mean that your production won't have an effect on others, or that you won't be able to get your message across. Technically, it all starts with the use of different shot values, as Théophile - Customer Success Manager at EasyMovie - explains in his his framing tutorials.
Previously, we've thought big with the general plan, and today we're not outdone, as we're tackling a tighter but still vast plan: the wide plan.
What's it for?
Also known as the long shot, it shows a group or a single person in a setting. Like the general shot, these frames are intended to describe the place, the environment and therefore the context. But unlike its generally wider cousin, the long shot focuses on a street more than a city, an office more than a building, and above all an action as much as the place in which it takes place. In fact, because this shot is framed on a human scale, you can discern the actions of the characters or your actors in their environment.
In cinema, this shot is used to start or end a film, but also for action scenes such as fights. But in your case, it's more frequently used for illustration shots. Astrid - Customer Success Manager at EasyMovie - has produced a tutorial on the use of these shots, and uses the long shot to reveal locations.
How do I go about it?
Since this shot involves showing an environment, it's best to place your camera on a tripod to ensure total stability and a clean image. Another common use we find in Astrid's tutorial is with panoramic movement. This allows you to pan from left to right, showing the context in detail or following someone in action. Panning can also be done from right to left, but we strongly advise against it, as it's less natural for our eyes to look at, as it goes against our usual reading direction.
Often, this shot is filmed slightly overhead, from a high vantage point, in order to support the location more than the speaker. This allows you to reveal more about the environment and its many actions, but be careful because this point of view overwhelms the people in your shot, which isn't always a good thing, especially if your action is as important as the place in which it takes place.
So, for these first two tutorials, we've looked at the widest shots you'll find in the cinema. Although you don't particularly need these types of shots in your videos, it's important for us to give you all the keys you need to make your videos.
So don't hesitate to share your comments and results with us. As you can imagine, every two weeks, on Mondays, we'll be focusing on a particular shot.
So see you in two weeks for the medium plan.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out the next framing tutorial and others :
[3/8] Framing: the medium shot
[1/4] Video transitions tutorial: the hand transition
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