Resolution, codecs, white balance, and other image controls are critical to capturing not just a good-looking image but also one that can be easily edited and manipulated. Technical settings are key, regardless of what kind of camera you use, so even if you don’t plan on shooting a video yourself, these are the tech specs you’ll need to know.

Resolution

Video is essentially a series of still images, and each frame has a horizontal and vertical dimension in pixels. Common resolutions use abbreviations, including the following:

• Ultra HD (UHD, commonly referred to as 4K): 3840 x 2160
• 1080p: 1920 x 1080
• 720p: 1280 x 720

To visualize those numbers, here’s a diagram:

Figure 2.1: Several common resolutions you might shoot and deliver

While it’s true that 3840 is a little less than 4000 (4K), there’s not much in it. Some cinema purists use a size of 4096 x 2160, one of the official “DCI 4K” sizes, but it’s intended for cinemas and leaves black bars at the top and bottom of a 16:9 display. For the purposes of this discussion, when I say 4K, I’m actually referring to UHD.

What should you shoot, then? Today, I always shoot in UHD (or higher!) and recommend that you do the same. But will people notice the extra detail over 1080p? Some will. It’s true that people sit at a fair distance from their TVs, and the limitations of our eyes mean that some of the detail in a 4K image at that distance can be lost. Most phone-based viewers won’t see the extra detail either; small screens, slow networks, and limited resolutions all limit what you can deliver.

Yet, even if most of your audience is using their phones, it’s a mistake to only plan for that lowest common denominator. Computer users with high-resolution monitors — every iMac user and many others — sit close enough to their monitors to see the extra detail easily. Aim higher than the baseline and you’ll make even the fussiest clients happy. This shouldn’t slow you down, either. While some other editing applications struggle to edit 4K without stuttering, a relatively modern iMac running FCP will do just fine.

There’s another big reason to shoot in 4K, though. I shoot 4K for jobs that I know I will be delivering to a client at 1080p, or even 720p. Why? Shooting in a format bigger than you need — called oversampling — lets you safely zoom in to show just a small part of the captured image in the final video. This means that final control over framing passes from the camera operator to the editor, giving you lots of extra options and making every shot more flexible.

Still, if your camera doesn’t shoot 4K well, shooting 1080p can be totally fine. If you plan to deliver 1080p, just don’t zoom (much) during editing and you’ll be OK. A general rule is to never go above 120%.

Portrait or landscape?

If you only ever plan on delivering to a vertical orientation, then you can shoot that way too. But for 99% of jobs, you should shoot in landscape — especially on a phone. If your client will be shooting footage on their own phone, be sure to ask them to shoot in landscape because most people will shoot in portrait without thinking twice:

Figure 2.2: Hold your phone like it’s a TV!

Computers and TVs use landscape orientation, and if you shoot portrait, your work will only ever look good on a phone. But it’s best to step back for a wider shot, so that the frame you shoot may be re-cropped and repurposed. Many kinds of commercial work are delivered in multiple aspect ratios, so bear that in mind when you shoot.

One good strategy is to use a common top, where you frame a normal amount of space between your subject’s head and the top of the frame. When you present that footage in different aspect ratios, simply put the top of the clip at the top of the frame and let the other edges of the frame change as they need to.

In summary, then — take a few steps back to zoom out, frame with a regular gap above the head, shoot in landscape, and record in high resolution, and you can use that footage for any kind of delivery.

Frame rate

If it is at all possible, shoot at the same frame rate that you want to deliver. For a “cinematic” look, you’ll want to shoot at 24 or 25 frames per second (fps), although 29.97 fps is widely used too. Why these specific numbers?

A video image is updated a certain number of times per second, and that number is different for TV signals in different parts of the world for historical reasons related to electricity. Here are some guidelines:

• In 110–120 V countries, such as the US, Canada, and elsewhere, 29.97 fps is used.
• In 240–250 V countries, such as most of Europe (including the UK), Australia, and New Zealand, 25 fps is used.
• In the international world of feature films and high-quality TV, 24 fps is the norm, although 23.98 fps is often used as it makes for easier conversion to US TV standards.

Does it matter which one you use if you’re delivering online? Not much. But if you’re delivering to TV or cinema, then it definitely matters, and you’ll need to examine the delivery requirements carefully.

IMPORTANT NOTE

You might also have to deal with interlaced delivery (1080i) rather than progressive (1080p), but interlaced video today is only requested for TV broadcasts. Shoot and deliver in progressive formats unless the client explicitly asks for interlaced delivery.

It’s also possible to record at moderately high frame rates, such as 50 or 60 fps, or even higher. While these frame rates do deliver smoother motion, most viewers find that videos shot in these modes look a little fake, unnatural, or cheap when played back at that speed, and so these higher frame rates are rarely seen outside of sports and gaming videos.

Rather, these higher frame rates are more commonly used to give the option of slow motion, captured at a high speed, but played back at a slower speed:

Figure 2.3: This splash (and, in fact, this whole shoot) was recorded at 50 fps to give slo-mo options

If you record at 60 fps, you can then slow it down on the timeline, showing every frame you shot at a speed of 42% on a 25 fps timeline or 50% on a 29.97 fps timeline. This is referred to as Automatic Speed in FCP, and it’s very handy. But this is just an option — footage shot at a moderately high frame rate doesn’t have to be slowed down. It’s entirely possible to use this footage in real time instead by skipping frames on playback. Many shooters use these moderately high frame rates for B-roll (explained later in this chapter, in Shooting the right shots) to give more options during editing.

Be aware that as you increase the frame rate, especially to higher numbers, the camera has to work harder, and you may have to compromise resolution as a result. Check your camera because there’s often a distinction between “regular” frame rates, up to 60 fps, and “high-speed” frame rates, which can go much higher at a lower resolution, lower quality, and/or without audio. Whatever frame rate you shoot at, you should be consistent. While it’s quite easy to incorporate slow-motion footage shot at any speed, your regular footage should all use the same frame rate — probably 24, 25, or 30 fps. Mixing similar frame rates can cause visible stutters (due to skipped or duplicated frames) and it’s something to avoid if at all possible.

Shutter speed

A separate but related issue is shutter speed, how many times per second an image is captured, which is expressed as a fraction of a second, such as 1/50 or 1/200. As a rule of thumb, to give your footage a natural motion blur, you should try to double your frame rate to determine the “ideal” shutter speed denominator:

• 1/48 or 1/50 for 24 fps
• 1/50 for 25 fps
• 1/60 for 30 fps

If you shoot at a significantly faster shutter speed, such as 1/100 or 1/200, the natural motion blur of 1/50 or 1/60 will be lost, and anything in motion will look a little “choppy” as a result. Conversely, if you shoot at a significantly slower speed, such as 1/25 or 1/30, everything in motion will look a little blurry.

It’s important to note that this rule (known as the 180° shutter rule) does not apply to higher frame rates simply because any objects in motion will barely move between frames — there’s hardly any blur to be had! If there’s very little movement in the shot, there’s not much blur either.

Banding

However, there’s another reason why these frame rates are popular, and it goes beyond a natural-looking blur. If you shoot at frame rates that aren’t an even multiple of your lighting source, you might record banding, dark lines that continuously move down your image.

Why? The answer gets a little messy, but it’s for a similar reason to frame rates. Here’s an extreme example:

Figure 2.4: This blank wall shows extreme banding when a 1/200 shutter speed is used

Your electricity supply is based on alternating power, which cycles at 60 Hz in North America, South America, and western Japan, and 50 Hz in Europe, Australasia, and eastern Japan. Many light sources cycle at the lighting frequency found in your country, and if your shutter speed doesn’t match the frequency of your lighting source, your camera won’t capture the light evenly. Instead, it will catch a little more in one part of a frame than the rest, leaving a dark band that moves from frame to frame. Sometimes, these problems are subtle, but often they’re not, and it’s critical to get this right for your camera.

This issue has led many people to conclude that the frame rate must be 25 fps in Europe and 30 fps in North America, but the frame rate can in fact be different. It’s the shutter speed that controls banding, and even in 50 Hz countries, if your main light source is from a projector or large TV refreshing at 60 Hz, you’ll need to adjust your shutter speed to 1/60. (Note that some special lights and some computer monitors refresh at unusual frequencies, and some cameras have special modes to deal with this issue.)

Extra care is needed for high frame rates above 60 Hz. Shooting at extreme frame rates requires a really high shutter speed, and therefore, you’ll need to use a light source that doesn’t refresh itself at these low rates. Some professional lights are suitable, but the great ball of light in the sky always works well.

White balance

Before you shoot in a new location, it’s important to set a custom white balance, ideally with a gray card positioned where your subject will be. Different light sources add different colors to a scene, and if you don’t get this right, your subjects will look “wrong” — too blue, green, orange, or yellow. This can be corrected to some degree in the edit, but it’s not always the easiest task.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Don’t use auto-white balance unless you have no choice! Auto-white balance can drift in the middle of a shot and be very hard to correct, while an incorrect manual white balance will be consistently wrong and is more easily fixed.

The time before a shoot can often be used to set and store a custom white balance, and fancier cameras can store multiple custom white balance settings, such as the 1/2/3/4 setting shown here:

Figure 2.5: The Panasonic GH5 white balance menu

If your camera doesn’t have custom white balance options, you’ll at least be able to choose from a range of presets, including daylight, fluorescent light, tungsten, and more. Choosing one of these will at least give you a consistent place to work from.

Codecs

Almost all cameras record in a compressed format and some are more heavily compressed than others. While it might seem useful to be able to record files in a smaller space, the more you compress a video, the lower the quality will be. Finding that sweet spot between a video that takes up too much space and a video that falls apart can be tricky, and not all cameras give you many options here.

Most compressed videos today use a compression method (codec) called H.264, although HEVC (also known as H.265) is becoming more popular. Support for HEVC has grown; all Apple Silicon Macs (and Intel Macs with a T2 chip) can decode HEVC easily. Higher-end cameras might offer other options, such as ProRes, ProRes RAW, and Blackmagic RAW. While all of these formats do increase the quality, they take up significantly more space.

For example, a Panasonic GH5 can record at a data rate of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) at 4K at 24/25/30 fps, or 150 Mbps for 4K at 50/60 fps, alongside many other options. Here’s what that looks like:

Figure 2.6: So many options — delve into the menus of your camera and test the settings out

The data rate for ProRes at the same resolutions and frame rates ranges from 470 to 589 Mbps, much, much higher than typical H.264 and HEVC codecs. These increased data rates require a much faster and larger recording device, typically an SSD or CF Express card rather than an SD card. You’ll want to find a balance between quality and file size that suits your job’s needs; read reviews, download files, and do the math to figure out how much space you’ll need.

Lastly, it’s very important to know that not all cameras compress video in the same way. H.264 from one camera can be easy to deal with, while the same codec from another camera stutters on playback. If it is at all possible, download some original footage from a camera you’re planning on using to make sure it works well in your workflow. Expect new codecs and workflow changes in the future — standards do shift over time.

Containers

Video data is encoded using a particular codec and is then stored in a container, usually a file with a .mp4 or .mov file extension. A container is not a codec, however; H.264 can be found inside many different types of containers, and a .mp4 file might contain video data in one of many different codecs. Still, you’ll probably be fine; just look at the extension at the end of the filename to see which kind(s) your camera makes.

However, there are cameras out there that don’t produce single-contained video files at all. The AVCHD format, for example, spreads important data out across separate files and different subfolders, meaning you can’t simply copy a file from an SD card and have a single video clip. Instead, the video data needs to be rewrapped inside a container format that FCP can use by importing directly from the SD card. Other cameras do contain their clips in single files (yay!), but they restart their file numbering on every card (boo!), leaving you to manage multiple files with identical names.

Where possible, I prefer to avoid AVCHD and other fussy container formats. A standalone video clip with a unique name using a standard codec is the gold standard, and plenty of cameras make files like this. If you’re choosing a camera, don’t bend over backward to support one that makes your life difficult.

Review — getting all the settings right

Let’s combine all of these settings:

• Ideally, you’ll be shooting in 4K to H.264 or HEVC in a .mp4 or .mov container, at a data rate of around 100 Mbps or higher.
• You’ll use a gray card to set the white balance for each location you shoot in.
• If you’re in Europe or Australasia, you’ll probably mostly shoot at 25 fps with a 1/50 shutter speed.
• In North and South America and most of Asia, you’ll probably mostly shoot at 24 fps or 30 fps with a 1/50 or 1/60 shutter speed.
• You might choose to use a moderately high shutter speed (50 or 60 fps) for B-roll shots, to allow for 50% slow motion.
• You’ll change the shutter speed for high frame rates or if you see banding.

That’s it — you’ve set your camera up for files that FCP will import easily and that will cut well together. Now, you just need to master the aperture, ISO, color profiles, and everything else that your camera offers! As much as I’d like to discuss all of these variables, it’s beyond the scope of the book, and I can only advise you to keep the ISO low to avoid noise, keep your subject correctly exposed, shoot with a low f-stop if you want blurry backgrounds, and if you want to keep things simple, use a color profile that’s close to what you want to deliver. But what kind of camera will give you these controls? Read on!

Camera operators are utterly spoilt for choice these days. While there will never be a perfect camera for everyone, you will be able to find something that works for you that’s also in your budget. This is an ever-changing field, and specific camera advice will be quickly outdated, so I’m focusing here on general advice only. Remember that the adage mostly holds true: you can choose any two from fast, cheap, and good.

An iPhone (or any other mobile phone)

Yes, you can absolutely shoot videos on your iPhone, and according to most reviews, an iPhone does a better job of video than most Android phones do. An iPhone will also be easier to use with your Mac, and it even includes iMovie, so you can start an edit on your iPhone, then transition it to FCP on your Mac. The dynamic range (from shadows to highlights in a single shot) is huge, so you can film in more places. Image stabilization means the image shouldn’t be too shaky. Log mode, available on the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and later Pro models, reduces processing and improves image quality hugely. And it’s always in your pocket! So far, so good. You can also add accessories, such as this iOgrapher case, if you want to tripod-mount it and add a microphone:

Figure 2.7: There are many ways to mount a phone on a tripod; this is a good one

However, even though an iPhone can deliver 4K, it has some limitations. First, though the built-in Camera app gives several frame rate options (now including 25fps if you activate Show PAL Formats in Settings > Camera > Record Video), it offers limited direct control over shutter speed and no control over the aperture. Apps like Final Cut Camera, Blackmagic Camera, and Kino offer many more options (including recording in Log to a wider range of codecs), but the physical buttons and dials on a “real” camera can’t be beaten.

While phones do get better every year, dedicated cameras still have an edge (especially in low light) and the iPhone’s Cinematic mode, while actually very good, can’t match traditional background blur perfectly. On most phones, file management is less convenient too because everything’s internal; you can’t just swap out a memory card if you’re running out of space or swap out a battery if it’s running low. The iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and later Pro models can shoot to a connected SSD, but at the cost of convenience.

Lastly, shooting on a phone probably won’t impress paying clients, as silly as that may seem. Perception is reality for a lot of people, and if you turn up to a paid gig with the same camera that your client owns, they could perceive you as an amateur. That isn’t fair; phones today shoot better video than most cameras from a few years ago, but it’s still what happens. This will, eventually, change, and the Cinematic and Log modes on newer iPhone models are a bold step toward that future.

So, a phone is convenient, but it could struggle in difficult situations and it doesn’t impress clients.

A DSLR or mirrorless camera

This is the current sweet spot for most new videographers. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, and Fujifilm are the five main companies making mid-range to high-end video-capable cameras with interchangeable lenses. Some cameras are better at autofocusing during video recording than others. Some offer a more pleasing color profile than others. Some have amazing sensor-based image stabilization. All of them should give you a better image than any phone out there, and the better ones will let you plug in external microphones and headphones, too. Here’s my GH5 with a wireless lavalier (lapel or lav) microphone receiver attached, at a jaunty angle:

Figure 2.8: A GH5 with an Olympus lens and a RØDE Wireless GO lapel mic

Overall, these cameras create files that are easy enough to work with. They can shoot 4K, many accessories are available, they are reliable, and they come in many price categories. Larger sensors and faster lenses (which let in more light) make it easier to throw the background out of focus, an effect that many people associate with “professional” shots. A blurred background (from a fast aperture, rather than faked) is one of the key image characteristics that lifts a “real camera” above the “everything-in-focus” look of a phone.

Some of these cameras have limitations (especially in 4K) relating to their continuous recording time, whether they can capture the entire image area or just a cropped part of it, and the data rates that they allow you to use. Another common limitation relates to frame rates — my Panasonic GH6 and GH7 can record in a huge variety of frame rates, but my cheaper, older Panasonic G7 is region-locked, stuck at 25 fps, and limited to a maximum recording length of half an hour.

Importantly, most of these cameras give you full control over shutter speed, the aperture, and other image properties, plus there are more advanced controls on higher-end cameras. The ability to use manual controls is one of the key features of a professional camera and allows you to get a shot in difficult shooting conditions where a fully automatic camera would make a bad call.

You’ll find a number of opinions out there, and your needs may well be different from other people’s. Read as many reviews as you can, and download some sample files and test them out in FCP before committing to a particular system. If you start spending a lot of money on lenses, you could be stuck using that system for several years.

A high-end camera

If you decide to seriously invest in a camera, you might look at a high-end Sony, Panasonic, or Canon, a Blackmagic camera, or perhaps even a RED or ARRI. These cameras produce a lovely image that’s very flexible and easily adjusted, but they require more care, more accessories, and more resources in post-production. Because they’re built for a set, these cameras can be heavy, chew through batteries, make huge video files, and be harder to learn and use. Some don’t include image stabilization, so you’ll need additional support gear for stable moving shots.

But what you can sometimes lose in ease of use, you get back in raw resolution, color detail, and dynamic range. Your camera will also look expensive on set and in the edit bay, and it is indeed expensive. It’s a camera for a professional crew on a professional set and will certainly impress clients:

Figure 2.9: A photo of a RED RAVEN camera by Bruno Masseo via Pexels.com

Regarding formats, most can record to ProRes (which is easy to work with) or more exotic formats (which are harder to work with), so if you receive footage from one of these cameras, you might need additional software to view its files. If you decide that you really need the look that a high-end camera gives you, FCP can handle it (8K and beyond), but know that this power comes at a cost.

An action camera or drone

At a variety of price points, you’ll find pocketable cameras that incorporate a gimbal (such as DJI Osmo Pocket), as well as blocky cameras that you can mount to a car, helmet, surfboard, or ski pole (such as Insta360 Ace Pro, DJI Action, GoPro, and many others) and drones of all shapes and sizes. Typically, these cameras have several options for resolution and frame rate, but you can’t change lenses and you might not even have a screen; everything’s on auto:

Figure 2.10: This DJI Spark drone is a cheap way to find out if flying cameras are for you

The strength of these devices is in getting shots from crazy perspectives that you would otherwise have missed, which is valuable. However, an action camera shouldn’t be your primary camera because fully automatic settings will inevitably fail eventually, focusing on the wrong thing, under- or over-exposing, or messing up the white balance. If you need manual controls, look elsewhere. Typically, the files you get from these cameras are fairly small; they look good, but not great, and they’ll probably have a wide-angle look. But these cameras are improving rapidly, so don’t discount them just yet.

Many drones also suffer from a lack of manual controls, though this is a compromise worth making with a camera that can fly. Newer drones have improved their picture quality quite a lot, and if they’re legal where you are, they’re great for very specific purposes — perhaps for introductory shots flying over a building — but not so good for interviews. They’re a handy addition to the kit bag.

A 360° camera

These cameras typically use two lenses (and sometimes more) to record the entire scene around the camera. Here’s an Insta360 ONE X, with the second lens just visible at the back:

Figure 2.11: An Insta360 ONE X, seen from the side

The images from the two cameras are stitched together to create an “equirectangular” video, showing the entire scene around them. While it’s possible to deliver this 360° footage to a headset, allowing the viewer to look around freely, it’s probably more common to use 360° footage in a regular video-editing project. In that workflow, the editor chooses where the camera will look, and you deliver it to a regular display.

The great joy of 360° is that you never miss the shot because you’re facing the wrong way — just spin it around in the timeline. However, there’s some crossover here between the action and the 360° categories; you can’t easily control what’s happening on the camera and you will usually end up in the shot yourself, certainly if you’re holding the camera. As with drones, the quality of the image has improved recently, and it’s easier to use 360° cameras than ever before. However, as the workflow is quite different from “normal” cameras, this book includes a new Appendix to teach you how to use one, and how to incorporate its footage into regular or 360° edits.

A SPATIAL OR IMMERSIVE C A M E R A

With the release of Final Cut Pro 11, it’s finally possible to edit in stereoscopic 3D. While 3D-capable cameras cover either a wide 180° angle (Immersive) or a more narrow, regular field of view (Spatial), in Final Cut Pro 11.1, only Spatial media can be edited — not Immersive. Today, the most convenient way to capture in Spatial is with an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any flavor of iPhone 16, and the workflow is simple. Third-party options also exist, most prominently from Canon, but workflows do get a little more complicated.

Today, this is a new frontier, so if you’re looking to create 3D media for an Apple Vision Pro, welcome to the future. If you’re interested in creating stereo media, please visit my website, stereoscopic.mov, for info on the latest workflows and tools available — including my own tool, Spatial Kit!

Audio equipment

This area is huge, and I’ll keep it brief. Your camera will have a microphone built into it, but it won’t be very good. The best audio is recorded from as close to your subject as possible, and you can capture that with a boom microphone pointed directly at them (if you have a person to hold it) or with a lapel microphone that they wear. You can record audio directly into a camera (which is easier, but with potential quality loss) or into an external recorder (which is slightly more work, but with potentially higher quality):

Figure 2.12: The Zoom H5 is a four-track recorder that accepts XLR and a minijack, with a built-in stereo mic

Professional gear has three huge advantages over cheap gear: it sounds better, it has less noise, and it’s more reliable. But beware — more expensive gear will only capture better sound if it’s used correctly. If you’re a one-person operator, you probably can’t keep a boom mic pointed in exactly the right direction while operating a camera, so consider using a good lapel mic instead. For ease of operation, wireless lapel mics that include the mic on a clip-on transmitter are far, far easier to set up than a traditional setup that runs wires under a subject’s clothes.

Different environments require different approaches, and recording good sound is important. Having several kinds of microphones with you lets you use them all at once, then find out which sounds best in the editing bay. However, when you record your audio, always, always plug in a pair of headphones (and wear them!) to make sure you’re recording a clear signal.

Other accessories

Cameras are often supplemented with support gear, such as tripods, gimbals, body straps, mounts, cages, and handles. Add these as you need them, but don’t go crazy. Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) is a real addiction, and it’s an expensive one. Heavier cameras need more expensive support gear, too.

Lighting is hugely important, and if you can’t add your own lights, you’ll need to learn how to position your subject to maximize available light. As with microphones, you’ll need different lights for different purposes, such as small, camera-mounted lights, larger lights that live on stands, and more. You’ll find plenty of advice online; start with a quick search for “three-point lighting” and learn as you go.

Review — choosing a camera and audio equipment

Armed with all that information, what are you going to buy? Your budget will guide you, and you’ll probably start at the lower end, building up to something more expensive over time. As a starting point, consider the following:

• Use your phone to start. Put all the quality options to maximum, use it for a couple of test jobs, see if you’re happy with it, and assess its flaws.
• If your phone isn’t good enough for what you need, get a good mirrorless camera, with a capable zoom and at least one prime lens for low light and blurred backgrounds. Make sure the camera has a microphone and a headphone jack.
• Get a microphone or wireless lapel system that you can plug into your camera.
• Get a solid video tripod that lets you pan and tilt smoothly.

Once you’ve mastered that setup and you’re looking for more, consider the following:

• Get an audio recorder that works with your microphones (such as an XLR or minijack). You can use this as a backup or primary audio source.
• Get another camera for dual-camera shoots and backup purposes. This should be the same brand as your primary camera and should record in the same formats, but it could be a cheaper model.
• Get some lights and learn how to use them well.
• Get an action camera, a 360° camera, or a drone to provide different kinds of shots to add variety to your edit.
• Buy a gimbal if you need to capture smooth walking or running movements.
• If or when you hit the limits of what your camera can do, consider moving up to a more professional camera and/or lenses with proper manual focus control:

Figure 2.13: Not all lenses allow proper manual focus, but this “clutch” focus ring does

That’s it for a starting point. If you’re planning on shooting videos yourself, it’s a good checklist to use, and if you’re working with others, it’s a good checklist of questions you should be asking them.

Not every job requires all this gear — I’ve worked on many jobs where audio is unimportant and I can’t add lights — but every videographer needs at least a basic kit. With that kit, what should they capture?

Whatever kind of camera you end up with, you will need to capture a variety of shots to make the edit run smoothly. If you’ve planned well, you’ll go into a shoot with a list of shots that you need to capture, and it’s very satisfying to tick them off as you go.

The shots you need will vary from shoot to shoot, but it’s rare that you can simply capture a subject once from a single angle and be done. Nearly always, you’ll want to capture two different kinds of footage: A-roll and B-roll.

A-roll

This is simply the primary video that you need to capture. If people speak on camera or to a camera, that’s A-roll:

Figure 2.14: A subject talking on camera? That’s A-roll (from Brad Olsen’s Off the Tracks)

In dramas, a scene where people are talking is A-roll, and in a corporate piece, the interviews are A-roll. This is the spine of the story — the driving message keeping the viewer’s attention — and it can be captured on one or more cameras:

Figure 2.15: A subject on camera, but not talking? That’s probably not A-roll (from Brad Olsen’s Off the Tracks)

The term A-roll isn’t widely used today, but it’s still a useful descriptive term for your primary story-telling footage. Yet without A-roll, we wouldn’t have…

B-roll

This is a secondary video that illustrates or augments the A-roll. In a corporate video, if a CEO is talking about how proud they are of their new website, then the B-roll could be a shot of someone using that website on a phone or computer:

Figure 2.16: A related keyboard shot that you could use to cover an edit? That’s B-roll (from Brad Olsen’s Off the Tracks)

In an interview, maybe you have a close-up of the interviewee’s hands moving, doing their normal tasks around the office, or an over-the-shoulder shot from behind the interviewer. B-roll can also include shots of the location of an interview to use at the beginning of a piece to set the scene:

Figure 2.17: A scene-setting wide shot? That’s also B-roll (from Brad Olsen’s Off the Tracks)

How much B-roll do you need? Lots. A handy rule for B-roll is 5 x 5 x 5, which means that for each subject, you should capture 5-second shots, from 5 different angles, at 5 different focal lengths. In the edit, you will need the flexibility that these shots will give you, and viewers will notice if you simply repeat the same shots or the same angles. A camera operator can’t shoot enough B-roll, and an editor never wants less.

Movement

B-roll can be static, a fixed shot from a tripod, or moving, which could be hand-held, or a pan, tilt, or dolly on a tripod, slider, or gimbal. Slow, subtle movements can be used as a way to bring life to an otherwise static shot, but there’s no shame in using a tripod. Where possible, I try to capture both static and moving options together:

1. Start recording while static.
2. Wait for 5 seconds (hold on to your shot).
3. Pan or tilt smoothly to a second position.
4. Finally, wait for another 5 seconds (hold on to your shot again).
5. Stop recording.

This gives me flexibility in the edit because I can use the static first part or the static second part if I need a still shot, or I can use the movement in between, with or without the start or end of that movement. Static shots and moving shots don’t always work well next to one another, so give yourself a selection of both types and ways to move between them. If you’re shooting with a hand-held device, keep your movements slow and intentional:

Figure 2.18: With a gimbal, your hand can go way out to the side, but the camera stays rock-solid

As you shoot, visualize how it’s going to look in the edit, and shoot footage to be edited. You’ll do a better job as a shooter if you know how editing works, and it’s easier to edit footage that was shot with editing in mind.

Focus pulling

If you don’t have a good tripod or the environment isn’t big enough to allow movement, you can try to get fancy without moving by using a focus pull (also known as a rack focus). This requires a real lens with manual focus, and the process is simple:

Figure 2.19: Focusing from the back to the front

Start with a foreground subject in focus, wait for a few seconds, then smoothly shift the focus to an object in the background. Wait for a few seconds, then come back the other way. Repeat if you missed the focus. This provides movement without physically moving. Cinematic mode on the latest iPhones can fake this, and while it’s usually pretty good, it’s not flawless.

Different perspectives

B-roll is your chance to bring interesting shots to your edit, so experiment with low angles, high angles, or cameras mounted on an object in the shot. Use high frame rates for dedicated slow-motion shots that need it. Consider using a moderately high frame rate (50 or 60 fps) for all B-roll footage to allow you to choose between normal and 50% speed in the edit:

Figure 2.20: This slow-motion close-up of beer being poured is a great scene-setter

Use macro lenses for extreme close-ups or drones for a bird’s-eye view. The reason why most general snapshots look the same these days is not that they’re all shot on phones, but that they’re mostly shot from eye height looking straight out. Get down, up, close, and far away, and you’ll bring a variety that your clients weren’t expecting.

Framing

In both A-roll and B-roll, the composition of the frame is important, and your approach to this will depend on whether you’re oversampling (for example, shooting 4K for a 1080p deliverable) or not. If you’re shooting in the same resolution that you want to deliver, you’ll have to frame things pretty accurately on set and learn the terminology, such as medium shot, close-up, and so on:

Figure 2.21: Shooting the same subject from multiple angles gives you editing choices

However, if you have an extra resolution to play with, you should shoot a wider scene than normal and make the final crop in the edit suite. This gives you the freedom to zoom in on a subject for emphasis or zoom out to make room for a title next to your subject. It will also help if your client suddenly requests a deliverable in a new aspect ratio, such as square (1:1) or vertical (9:16):

Figure 2.22: Shoot the top shot in high resolution and you can crop to either of the other two frames

You’ll find many guides for composition out there, but the “rule of thirds” is a good one to bear in mind, and it is probably built into your camera. Here’s an iPhone screen:

Figure 2.23: The rule of thirds can be enabled in Settings, under Camera

Over your frame, imagine (or turn on!) a grid that breaks the screen up into three parts vertically and horizontally. When composing, place interesting things (such as a subject’s eyes) at the intersection of these lines, 1/3 of the way across and 2/3 of the way down the screen.

Review — shooting the right shots

Within A-roll and B-roll, you’ve got many ways to compose your shots and many ways to move your camera about. If you’re shooting yourself, it’s easy to start simple and build up from there. After all, if you’ve got the basics covered, you can safely experiment with unusual angles and shots that don’t work every time. Even if you’d prefer to stay firmly in the editing bay, now you know what to ask your collaborators for.

Next, you’ll find out what to do when a single device isn’t enough.

While a single camera is often all you need, shooting with multiple cameras brings many benefits and can be especially useful during live events when you simply can’t ask your subjects to give you another take. A second camera also works as a backup should your main camera have an issue, such as a failed battery, being out of focus, or if someone’s standing in front of it:

Figure 2.24: Two angles with a similar focal length, but from different perspectives

The second angle isn’t just a backup; you want the two (or more) angles to provide different perspectives because there’s not a lot of benefit in two cameras capturing similar content. Angles that are too similar don’t work well in the edit either. Two sequential shots that show almost the same thing are called a jump cut, and while their use has become more common, it’s something that is best avoided if you have the option. While your angles need to be different, they also need to avoid capturing other camera operators in the same shot, and that often makes using three cameras a tricky proposition.

Another factor to consider is “crossing the line.” Imagine that you’re filming an interview between two people (A and B) that are facing each other in front of you — A on the left and B on the right:

Figure 2.25: Keep your cameras on the same side as your subjects to avoid crossing the line

Any cameras you use should be placed on the same side of the two subjects to maintain that “A, B” order from left to right. If you cross the line, putting a camera behind them, they’d be shown in a “B, A” order, which is visually jarring to the viewer.

Though it’s sometimes possible to sync cameras at time of recording, most editors do this in post-production. FCP can sync your footage based on the audio recorded by all cameras and audio recorders, or (if your gear is compatible) by timecode. As we will discuss in the next chapter, similar audio waveforms can be matched up, so it’s a good idea to make sure that all devices are recording roughly the same audio. If cameras and mics are placed a long way from one another, the different audio tracks won’t have much in common and syncing can fail. If possible, ask your subjects to clap loudly on camera (or use a traditional clapperboard, yell, or use an air horn) to make your life much easier in the editing bay.

Let’s consider a few examples of when using multiple cameras is useful.

Conference presentations

Conferences can be recorded and then shared. Be careful to use cameras that can safely record for long periods of time, and bring enough storage media and batteries!

Video devices should record:

• A wide angle to capture the presentation alongside the presenter
• A tighter angle to capture the presenter alone

Ideally, you should also use a device to record the presenter’s screen. Audio devices should include:

• A lapel mic for the current presenter
• A recorder capturing a feed from the sound desk
• A backup recorder on the lectern

Each camera can be exposed appropriately and then both cameras can be combined into a picture-in-picture composite output. If it’s possible to record the presentations directly, that’s ideal; if you can only get hold of the presentation files, you can export them to video and then (tediously) retime them. Note that some presenters will highlight parts of a screen with a laser pointer, so you really do have to film that as well.

Interviews

Shooting an interview with multiple cameras gives you extra perspectives of the subject, or can allow the interviewer to become part of the story. Any of the following angles could be useful.

Video devices should record:

• A normal “head and shoulders” primary angle of the interviewee
• A wider angle of the interviewee positioned 30° from the primary angle
• A normal angle of the interviewer, if you need to show them alone
• A wider angle of both the interviewer and interviewee (again, if the interviewer should be shown)

Audio devices should include:

• Lapel mics on each participant
• A backup recording

These guidelines apply to a single interviewee, but you may want to use additional devices for more than one interviewee. Don’t forget your B-roll!

Physical movement

When recording educational videos of people performing physical actions — such as lifting, moving their bodies, sitting down, or dancing — it can be very helpful to see them from multiple angles at once. Resetting cameras takes time, so ask your subject to turn to show the two most important angles in any movement.

Video devices should record:

• A front-on angle
• A side-on angle at 90° from the first angle

Audio devices should include:

• A lapel mic on an on-screen or off-screen narrator, although you might replace this during editing

When framing, remember to capture the entire person if that’s important, and always ask a subject matter expert to verify that the important actions are being captured.

Weddings and live events

Many live events have predictable key moments that need to be captured, and for a wedding, they would include exchanging rings, vows, walking down the aisle, speeches, dances, presentations, and impromptu interviews. Prepare to capture all the key moments and be ready for anything else.

Video devices should record:

• A focused angle of all the key shots
• A backup angle from a different position
• A wider-angle shot to give context and crowd reactions

Audio devices should include:

• A recorder capturing a desk feed
• Lapel mics for anyone important
• Camera-mounted mics for ambiance and a backup

Reliable equipment and quick responses are critical, because you’re not in charge here. As ever, you’ll still need B-roll.

Review — working with multiple cameras and audio recorders

Multiple cameras are vital for a lot of jobs, but they do require more attention and care. If you’re just getting started and these lists of equipment sound daunting, that’s OK — just don’t take on a wedding as your first paying job! There are many simpler jobs for which a single camera is plenty, and you should start there, as complexity brings risk. Be sure to practice with multi-camera setups alone before you try to use them in front of a client, and build a network of other camera and sound professionals to work with; don’t try to do everything yourself.

As a shooter, you want to make sure you get all the shots the editor needs, and as an editor, you don’t want to be left to rescue a shoot gone wrong. Multi-camera shoots are a great way to increase flexibility and protect against problems, but even in a single-camera shoot, there are a few small details to pay attention to, and you’ll learn about them next.

You’ve picked a camera and audio recorders, everything’s charged, and you know what kinds of shots to capture — what next?

Most importantly, if you’re working with more than one device, be sure to synchronize the clocks (to the second!) on all of the devices before you record anything. This will make the syncing process far easier, and you’d be surprised at how quickly cameras and recorders can drift from the correct time.

If you’ve bought a camera that lets you customize the names of the files it produces, set up each camera to make files with different names. My A and B cameras make files that start with P_IA and P_IB to make life easy, and a shooting colleague uses P1RC and P2RC.

With or without this feature, label the physical media cards so that you don’t get confused about which card is which:

Figure 2.26: No duplicate names here, and I can tell at a glance which camera each clip was shot on

Some cameras have two card slots, and this can be a lifesaver if you’re recording to both slots at once as a guard against faulty SD cards. Alternatively, you can record different kinds of media to each card (which is good if you’re shooting photos as well as video) or simply fill up the second card once the first is full. That’s less safe, but it means you never run out of space; you can swap the card that’s not currently in use while the other card records. This is a dangerous operation, though. If you accidentally eject the wrong card, your current clip, no matter how long it is, could be entirely corrupted and unusable. Use this with great caution.

Similar caution is needed around using mains power rather than batteries with your cameras and recorders. If you have to connect main power via the usual battery compartment and the power is somehow interrupted, you can lose your entire current clip. Batteries will eventually run out, but they are significantly safer.

A final question — should you shoot as well as edit? On a smaller production, shooting the video you’re going to edit can be a big time-saver because you’ll know what you want, you’ll remember what you shot, and you’ll have a much easier time when reviewing the footage. You’ll also get to know the kinds of shots you need to capture.

Editors and camera operators can do their own jobs better if they each know how the other’s job works.

However, larger budgets mean more specialization, and on larger productions, some editors actually prefer not to be involved in the shoot at all. That’s because a crew might spend hours getting a perfect shot, and they can become emotionally attached to that shot in the edit. In contrast, an editor who wasn’t there can choose to use that shot — or throw it away — on its own merits. If you’re doing both jobs yourself, remember that most of what you shoot will probably be thrown away, and that’s OK.

Review — managing everything on set

These details seem small, but ignoring them can have serious consequences. If it’s not easy to know which camera a file came from, it can be lost. If one file has the same name as another file, it can be mistaken for it, or even overwritten by accident. Battery failure is real, and cables can be tripped over. All you can do is your best. Get to know how the set works, even if you aren’t always there, and you’ll be a better editor.

If you’re just starting out with your first edit, I hope this chapter hasn’t overloaded your brain. There’s a lot to take in and plenty of mistakes to be made. If you prefer to stay in the edit bay, I hope this chapter has given you some insight into what a videographer has to consider, and you won’t feel left out the next time you find yourself talking to someone about cameras, resolutions, codecs, or shutter speed. You’ll also know what to request or shoot yourself — lots of B-roll, at different angles, with movement and without, and from unique perspectives.

OK, that’s enough for now. If you can, go out and shoot something, and grab lots of B-roll. If you can’t, head to a free online video source, such as http://pexels.com or https://pixabay.com to download as many clips as you can. Armed with your clips, return for the next chapter: Chapter 3, Bring It In: Importing Your Footage. We’re jumping into FCP and not looking back.

1. Which is bigger, UHD or DCI 4K?
2. Is it always easy to play back H.264 footage?
3. What are some advantages of more expensive audio equipment?
4. What’s the old adage involving “fast, cheap, and good”?
5. What’s a way to capture static and moving shots in the same clip?
6. What’s a piece of equipment that helps you capture smooth walking or running shots?
7. How does FCP usually synchronize multi-cam footage?
8. How do you use the rule of thirds?
9. What usually happens to most footage that’s shot?
10. How much B-roll do you need to shoot?

1. DCI 4K — DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) is slightly wider than UHD (3840 x 2160).
2. No, it depends on the camera, the specific type of footage it is, and your Mac’s speed.
3. In general, more expensive audio equipment sounds better, has lower noise, and is more reliable.
4. You can have any two of fast, cheap, and good — but not all three.
5. Start static, wait 5 seconds, move the camera, stop moving, wait 5 seconds, and stop recording.
6. A gimbal.
7. By matching audio from each camera or audio recorder (though other options are available too).
8. Position interesting things at the intersections of the grid lines.
9. It’s thrown away (and that’s OK).
10. Lots! Use the 5 x 5 x 5 rule to shoot everything for 5 seconds, from 5 different angles, at 5 different focal lengths.