When it comes to life, work, sports and even our favorite leisurely activities — getting back to the fundamentals is essential. It’s the point in between over-thinking and not thinking at all. Fundamentals are easy to miss because of all the noise that surrounds us on a daily basis or the lack of focus that results from trying to do too many things at once. We have become great at overwhelming ourselves and our minds by expecting too much. We don’t give each task the attention it deserves because of our mindset of taking on multiple things that require equal attention at the same time.
It’s time to get back to identifying and solidly engaging the fundamentals in a way that ensures consistent quality when it comes to the end product in video production. That brings me to a fundamental of shooting video that I think is overlooked too often by both rookie and veteran shooters. It’s the technique of sequential shooting and the thought process of wide, medium, tight.
Sequential shooting simply means a string of shots presented in succession that make logical sense. Think of a crowded room of people for example. A sequence could be presented as such:
1) Wide shot of the room
2) Medium shot of multiple people sitting together
3) Tight shot on an attentive face — focusing on the eyes
You can add an additional shot or two if it makes sense. A solid mix of wide, medium and tight shots can help promote more dynamic video that captures the emotion and reality of the setting. During video production, visually representing the event accurately should always be a top priority and a lot depends on how you organize your shots. How well do you think one or two shots ahead? Thinking with a purpose will help you become a better videographer and lend to a smoother editing process. It will also add to the fluidity of your visual presentation.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to go wrong with wide, medium, tight. It’s fundamental.
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