More ENG Tips

ENG Tip Sheet # 2

(by D'arcy Drury)

1. The most important components of television are: pictures, wild sound, interviews and narration in that order. If you have good enough pictures, sound and interviews, you might not even need narration.

2. When editing, lay down the narration, sound bites and stand ups first and then go back and add the cover shots.
3. Don't zoom, pan or tilt unless there is a good reason to do so. Practice your camera movements before recording them. If you are trying to follow a moving subject, (like a football player rushing down the field), it is easier and better to zoom out to a wide shot rather than to try to follow him with a close up or medium shot.
4. If you're framing a person in profile, leave more room in front of him than behind him. Leave looking room, or, if an object is moving, leave more room in front than behind, (running room.)
5. Wide shots and close ups are usually more interesting than medium shots. Extreme close ups can be very powerful shots.
6. Generally, keep your camera eye level with the subject. If you're interviewing a child or someone sitting down, lower the tripod so that you are shooting eye level.
7. USE A TRIPOD! Just in case you missed that. USE A TRIPOD! If you don't have one, (and you should), look for something to rest the camera on.
8. When shooting from a moving car or boat or camel, keep your shot wide. The tighter you zoom, the more bumpy your shot will look.
9. Look at the light before you shoot. The more light you have, the better your picture will be. Do not shoot interviews in dark corners.
10. It's best to shoot interviews on the scene of the story rather than in an office. For example, if you are doing a story about a new building going up at ADMC and you are interviewing Dr Kamali about it, it is better to go outside and interview him in front of the construction site rather than in his office.
11. Always use an external microphone for interviews.
12. The cameraman should always wear headphones during an interview to make sure that the sound quality is good.
13. Always check that you have a fresh battery and a fresh spare.
14. Don't forget to bring a videotape to record onto.
15. Always label your videotape as soon as you take it out of the camera.
16. At the start of an interview, the cameraman should start taping, wait four or five seconds, then say, "Okay, we're rolling."
17. Hold your shots longer than you'll need. Keep taping for five seconds after the reporter has finished his stand up.
18. When recording your narration or doing a stand up, it's a good idea to use a countdown. Example: "FiveŠ fourŠ threeŠ twoŠ oneŠ The new media studies building at Abu Dhabi Men's College should be ready for the start of the new school year in September. This is Abdullah Allan reporting for ADMC news."
19. It's also a good idea to say, "Take oneŠ" before voicing your narration or standup. That way, if you make a mistake and need to do it again, you can say, "Take twoŠ" and so on until you get right.
20. A stand up doesn't have to come at the end of your piece. It can come in the middle.
21. USE A TRIPOD!