How 2... Film at Home

Production - Wide, medium and close up

Why so many shots?

The start is what is known as an establishing shot where you introduce the viewer to the scene, this will probably be a wide angle shot. The middle is the actual content and this will include many medium and close up. The ending will be a 'call to action'; what you would like your viewers to do after watching, this can be an email address to contact. This will be a wide shot, but can be a medium if preferred.

Wide

Wide angle (24-35mm). Used at the beginning to establish the shot or if you have a panel of several people being interviewed. We normally use this shot at the beginning or at the end.

Medium

Mid or medium angle (40-60mm). A medium shot normally is from elbows to head. This is a good one to use if you have two people talking to camera. If you have a high resolution camera, you have the option to zoom in on the person talking.

Close up

Close up (80mm). This shot is head and shoulders. This is a good shot as it captures the facial expressions but is limited if the presenter makes a mistake as you are not able to zoom in any more on the video to cover the mistake.

Mix and match

Rather than re-filming the whole thing when mistakes are made, just re-record the paragraph and use a mixture of medium and close ups to hide errors. If you have any supporting videos (cutaways), they can also be used to hide jump cuts.