Sometimes when you are looking at the small LCD display on your digital video camera you can forget how much space is actually in the frame. You have the ability to capture several people and activities all in one clip. Since you have all this room it is easy to misuse it and make the image appear uncomfortable. Using the space in your video images is one of the most important aspects of crafting beautiful visuals.
One of the most crucial uses of space is the dichotomy between the head of a person and the space around. Conventionally you do not want too much symmetry in the frame because this will dry up the energy from the image. You always want to have the person either in the right or left side of the frame, looking toward the other direction. Always give them plenty of room between their face and the direction they are looking. This gives the illusion that they are looking at something off-screen that is also part of the spatial environment of the story
. Do not push their face too far off to the side because this might counter-balance the image and make it appear awkward. Absolutely never have their head position on the side that is the direction they are looking, unless you intend for the image to inspire a feeling of claustrophobia. If this is the case then you should still tighten the image closer to the face so that there is not too much room behind their head. The space between their face and the direction they are looking is called
nose room.
You also want to be closely aware of the position of their head vertically. If their entire head is going to be in the frame you should give them a little room between the top of their head and the top of the frame. This is called headroom. Do not give too much headroom otherwise they will appear to be sinking or straining to get in frame. It is all right to cut off the top of the head, as long as you cut off the bottom of the head as well. Never try to perfectly fit just the head in the frame because it will look disembodied and the audience will not be able to envision the rest of the body off-screen.
Similar to the principles applied with nose room, make the same true when you have someone standing or walking in a certain direction. When tracking someone walking try to always keep their body in the side of the screen that is opposite to the direction they are walking. This will make the audience feel as though they have space and direction where they are going.
If you are going to have two people talking and you want them to both be in each clip try arranging the screen space so that the camera is directed over one person’s shoulder in the direction of the other person’s face. This will get both people in frame, the person who is talking’s face on one side of the frame, and the back of the head of the person is listening on the other. This is a way to utilize both sides of the frame to keep all characters included.
The most important thing to remember is to utilize all the space you have, but to not make it too cluttered. An image that has too much going on can overwhelm the audience and lose their attention. Think about the greatest painted or photographic images you have seen over the years and try and employ the same techniques.