Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hello everyone. My name is Scott Baker and I began in the film
industry in 2009, working on major
films and TV shows, while also directing
my own short films, documentaries, and music videos. If you've taken any of my other classes
than welcome back. If this is your first time, then it's great to have you. We'll start with
a quick review of the three-point lighting setup, as well as the three types of
microphones we'll be using. Then we'll dive into the
technical aspects such as camera and microphone setups for one N2 person interviews. We will also discuss
non-technical aspects like choosing a location and making sure that it
has the right look. And in case you ever find yourself without
a lighting kit, There's even a
lesson on how to lay your interviews using windows and the natural light
coming through. And as a bonus, I've also added a quick lesson on filming behind
the scenes footage. So without any further
talking, let's get started.
2. 3 Types of Microphones: There are three microphones
you'll be using. Shotgun microphone, field
recorder, and a lavalier. Now I do recommend starting with the shotgun microphone because of its quality and
its versatility. And later on, adding a field recorder and a
lavalier to your kit. A shotgun microphone is the typical microphone people
think of on a movie set. And that's because
it's the most common, because it gives the
most natural sound to our audio recordings. It works best when the source is placed
directly in front of it. Just as I am now
with the camera. However, if I were
to step to the side, you'll notice the
quality deteriorates. And if I go behind the camera, it deteriorates even more. For the best recording, we want to place the mic
roughly two feet in front of the subject and just high enough so that
it is out of frame. We also want to point
it at their chin. Now, for this part, let's pretend that this is not a music stand and
instead a podium. The field recorder is a
great microphone to use. If you can't get your
shotgun microphone close enough to the subject, or if you don't want to see the lavalier
mike in the shot, they're really fast and
really easy to setup. And they're fantastic for recording multiple
people at once. They're small and can
usually be easily hidden. And when it's possible, I like to use the
field recorder as a secondary recording
to my shotgun mic. Now, there are one flaw is that once you place
them and hit record, you can't make any adjustments until the shot is finished. So for example, if you're recording someone who's
giving a demonstration, and again, they decide to get up and walk away
from a microphone. You will notice that most
often the volume will get quieter and there will be more background noise
that you can hear. Lavalier mic, also known
as a lapel microphone. These are the tiny
microphones we often see clipped
to people shirts. And they are fantastic for
recording clean audio. Especially in very
noisy environments where a shotgun microphone
can't get close enough. They're also fantastic if
your subject is moving around giving a speech or
doing a demonstration. And that's because no matter
where your subject goes, the lapel mic remains
the same distance or the same position to the
speaker's mouth, therefore, maintaining the same
quality, no matter what, it is best to attach
a lavalier just below the neck line as long as it's okay to be
seen in the shot. If it's not okay
to be in the shot, you'll have to get creative and find somewhere to hide it. Sometimes people tuck it
into the color of a shirt. In theater, it can even go in the actor or
actress his hair. And other times, people choose to put it
inside of the shirt. However, if it comes loose or
rubs against the clothing, that will end up
ruling the audio. Using labs can be more time-consuming and
can be difficult if the person wearing the lab is unfamiliar with them and not
comfortable wearing them. So be sure to take
that in consideration.
3. 3 Point Lighting Set Up: First we'll start
with the key light, which is the main source
that lights are subject. And the fill light is used
to balance the lighting from the key light by softening or eliminating any shadows
on the subject, followed by the back-light, which helps to separate
the subject from the background into
achieve this setup. Let's look at this diagram. The key light is placed in
front of the subject and off to the side at about
roughly 45 degrees, shines directly on the subject. If filming outside with natural light than the sun
will be our key light. The fill light will mirror the key light and also
shine on the subject. But it's not as bright. And if using just natural light, then using a reflector to bounce the light works as a fill light. And the back light is
placed behind the subject, pointing at their back to create a rim of light around them. And this helps separate
them from the background. To go one step further, we can make it a
four-point setup by adding a fourth light to
illuminate the background, which adds more
depth to the shot. The three-point setup is
ideal for interviews, but isn't a mandatory rule, especially when filming a narrative film
or a music video. When filming interviews. It's always a good idea to
keep this technique in mind, but feel free to
get creative and make adjustments to find
the look that you want.
4. One Person Interviews: First, it depends on whether the interview is just the person being interviewed
that is on camera, or if the interviewer
is on camera as well. If it's just the one-person, it can be a simple
one camera setup. For the one-person interview, you'll want to use
the rule of thirds, remembering to give them
proper nose room and headroom. And usually we want to compose the shot using a medium wide, medium or medium close-up. If we go too wide, the audience will
feel separated from the subject or
uncomfortably close. If we're using a close-up. That's not to say those
shots can't be used as long as it creates the
effect that you're going for. For a single person interview, attaching a shotgun
mic to the camera, or using a lavalier mic
are the best options. If it's possible to have a
second camera for interviews, it will make the process much easier, especially when editing. Because now we can
easily cut out pieces of the
interview or cover up any mistakes smoothly without
needing to add lots of cutaways is also more visually interesting
for the audience. Instead of watching one
continuous shot and having to use harsh jump cuts like we see in so many tutorials
or YouTube videos. If you are filming
with one camera, makes sure to have ideas in mind for cutaway shots
for when you're editing. This will allow you
to better plan out the filming and the
flow of the interview, as well as making the editing
process much, much easier.
5. Two Person Interviews: If we're showing both the
interviewer and the interviewee with one camera than a
wide shot such as this. Or a medium wide is
what works best. As for their positions, we want to have them slightly angled between the
camera and each other. If we have two cameras, then we can have them sit
across from each other. Just like a regular conversation
using reverse shots. For this setup, we
can choose to have clean shot where each person is the only one in the frame. Or we can set it up as an
over the shoulder shot. The slang version of this
is called a dirty shot. And it's not necessary that
the shots mirror each other. For example, we can mix
the shots by having the interviewer
filmed in a medium wide to give the
audience some distance. And a medium shot for the interviewee to make
the audience feel closer. Especially if they're
telling a story that's interesting or emotional. And if you have three cameras, then it's best to
set up the third is a wide shot to act as your master will need
to have two level ears, one for each person. Using a shotgun mic. It will need to be placed in equal distance from
both subjects, either on the camera
or on a boom. Or if possible, we can hide a field recorder
between the two. Even if you're using a
lavalier or a shotgun mike, having a field recorder also
recording as a backup is a safe practice in case anything goes wrong with the labs
or the shotgun mike.
6. Choosing the Right Location: When I'm filming interviews, my first goal is to film in a space that I
have control over, especially when it comes
to lighting and audio. We want to find a quiet setting where we can ensure there's no overbearing background noise or random people
entering the shot. Essentially, we're
looking to eliminate anything that might distract the person being interviewed, as well as anything that
might distract the audience. The other important aspect of
location is the aesthetic. I always try to find something
that complements either the person being interviewed or the topic that
is being discussed. In this example, I'm
interviewing a wrestler. So we shot in a fitness gym. This interview is
between two guitarists. So we shot at the
Gibson warehouse. Even if the background
isn't filled with people or moving distractions. And overcrowded background is something else to be mindful of. A cluttered background can
also be distracting as it will draw the viewer's attention to the many different objects. In these two examples, a couple of guitars or a few weights was
more than enough. And having the
background slightly soft can also help keep the
focus on the subject. If we're filming somewhere
with a busy background, like a city street where we have no control
over the background. Then pulling it out of focus
by using a shallow depth of field is a great way to
reduce that distraction. If we're filming on the go and don't have a lighting kit at our disposal than we also want to find a location
with good lighting. Remember what we
learned earlier. We want to take advantage of any windows if we're filming
indoors during the day, as well as any existing lights
along with our reflectors, bounce boards, and flags. It's also worth noting
that it's best to avoid fluorescent lights because they can cause a flicker on camera. If you have one of these small pocket lights
we discussed earlier, it could be what saves you. So again, I highly recommend
getting one of those. If you do have a lighting kit, then this is a perfect
opportunity to put the three-point lighting
setup into practice. Again, if we choose
a quiet location where we can control or block
out any background noise, then everything will be much easier, especially in editing. When I have a really
quiet location, then I prefer to use a shotgun microphone
because it captures the dialogue naturally and closer to the way we hear
everyday conversation. But if there is background
noise that we can't control than using lavalier
mics are the best option.
7. Lighting With Windows: At times, especially
when filming on the go, we won't have extensive
lighting kits and that's okay because we have the sun and that is the
strongest light source. So strong that even
when filming indoors, it can still be a major
source of light for us. That's when Windows
become our best friend. For this music video I directed, we did not use a single light. The entire shoot was done solely by using the sunlight coming
in through the windows. I always start with a clean slate by surveying the room and turning
off all the lights. This way, we can see what the
room looks like naturally, with just the light coming
in through the windows, which will most likely
be the sunlight. Unless of course you're
filming at night. In which case, it
will most likely be street lights or lights
from other buildings. Maybe even a bit of moonlight. Decide where to place your subject or where the
action should take place. And remember from
the previous lesson, never film from the
exact same direction that the light is coming from. If you do, this will result in a flat look. For interviews. I find placing the subject
between a 1045 degree angle to the window provides enough
light to illuminate the person while still
creating some soft shadows. But test it out and see what works best for
you and your project. At the end of the day, there's still representing their country and
they're representing the people that came before them in these indoor situations. Another reason we
don't want to set up the camera directly
between the window and the subject is because
our camera setup will most likely cast its
own shadow into the shot. This is a perfect example of when we want to
film at an angle to the light so we can capture some shadows and add
depth to our shot. Step three is to
shape the light. And what I mean by that is
to adjust the curtains or blinds to let in more
light or to block it out. If the windows have sheers, we can use those as well as a diffuser to soften the light. Or we can use an actual diffuser from our 51 reflector kit. And remember, we can use
reflectors to bounce the light and act as fill
lights or back lights. Don't forget about
the background. To give our shots more depth, we still have to make sure parts of the
background can be seen. And this is where practical
lights can be very useful. Something as simple as
turning on a desk lamp or a floor lamp to
illuminate the walls or furniture can do
the trick perfectly. Or perhaps having lights from another room spill in
through a doorway. If that's not working
or not possible, it's always good to have one or two of these
small pocket lights. They're extremely powerful, T-Mobile and can switch
between daylight and tungsten. Some of them even have programs settings to mimic
things such as sirens, lightening, or
television Flickr. Two things to be very aware
of in these situations. First, you will be limited
to the sun's schedule. So be prepared and have your shortlist ready
so you can get all the needed footage
before the light disappears or changes
to drastically. Second, if it's a cloudy day, that can cause the
lighting to change a lot, which will cause
continuity problems. To be prepared for this, it's best to have your
shutter speed, aperture, and ISO set so you have
some room to adjust, either up or down. For instance, if it gets darker and the shutter speed is
at 50 frames per second, you can lower it anymore in
order to get more light, at least not without breaking the 180 degrees shutter
rule and giving the footage and unnatural
and potentially blurry look. Or if we set the aperture
to 2.8 and it gets darker, we can't open our aperture any further to let
in more light. Having ND filters,
as we've learned, can help us maintain
shutter speed and aperture should
it get brighter. So make sure that part
of your kit as well. When it comes to lighting, these are not rules,
just guidelines. So feel free to make
adjustments and experiment until you
find what you like, especially when it comes
to films, music videos, or weddings, then I really
encourage you to get creative, have fun, and find
the lighting that fits your project and
makes it stand out.
8. Setting the Recording Levels: Once we've chosen our microphone and it's set up properly, we need to make sure that our audio levels
are set correctly. So let's open the
menu settings on our camera and find
recording level. We can see here these two bars
indicate our audio levels. Green is good. And when you see red, it means that it's peaking. But don't be too worried if it peaks a little bit
every now and then, dipping into the red is normal. However, if our audio
levels are stuck in the red or hitting the very
top or end of the meter, then our audio will either be distorted, clipped, or both. If this is happening, then we need to reduce
the recording level. Our first instinct maybe to lower levels so that
it's always in green. Doing this will definitely eliminate distortion
and clipping. However, if the
levels are too low, we do risk the dialogue
being too low. Unfortunately, raising
the volume afterward and post-production is
not a simple fix if the dialogue is too quiet. If we try this,
we'll notice that the surrounding noise
of the location, known as room tone, becomes louder in equal
proportion to the dialogue. And this creates a
distracting hmm. So even though we've
fixed the volume problem, we've created a new problem. And now we have to add filters and audio effects
to try and fix it, which can be very frustrating
and time consuming. And depending on how
bad the recording is, it still may not sound natural. So the ideal recording
level to capture clean audio is mid
to high green. And again, don't be worried about the occasional
dip into red.
9. Getting Room Tone: In this lesson, we'll look at three things
regarding room tone. What is it? Why
are we record it? And how to record it? First, room tone is
an audio recording of the natural sounds of the
space that you're filming in. It can be the room in a house, a city street and events space, a gym, or an open field. We do this because every room, space or environment has
its own unique sound. Take a listen. The reason we get room
tone is because you'll find that when you get
to the editing stage, these audio recordings give our film a more natural
and full sound. They also fill in
any little gaps and audio when cutting
together dialogue scenes. In turn, helping us mask
edits and transitions. To get good room tone. The standard is to
record for one minute, and it's really easy. All you have to do is
call quiet for room tone, hit record, and have everyone
stays silent for a minute. Just like this. But I think that's a long enough not going to
do the full minute.
10. Audio Hazards to be Aware Of: In this lesson, we're
going to look at some common audio hazards. Because if we don't catch
them while we're filming, they can cause us a big headaches when we
get to post-production. If it's ruined the dialogue, we may have to do ADR, reshoot or worst-case scenario. The footage may not be usable. For example, weddings
and live events where there is no
opportunity for a redo. So to make sure that
this doesn't happen, Let's take a look at some of these issues and how
to deal with them. The first thing we
can do to help reduce the wind noise is at a
blimp or a wind sock, or a combination of the two. We can also turn on the wind noise reduction
option in our camera. Set up our camera and microphone where it's
shielded from the wind. Places such as behind
a wall or building or any large object that can block the wind from
hitting the microphone. Lastly, if we have
no other option, we can always share the microphone and the
camera with our body. This is also more easily done if our subject is wearing
a lavalier mic. And then there are just
some places where nothing can be done except replace
the sound in post-production. Shouldn't DSLR, it
shouldn't be an issue. If our footage has a
static crackling sound, That's what we
call interference. This can be caused by other nearby electronics
such as cell phones, laptops, or any device that
gives and receives signals. To solve this problem, simply put them in airplane
mode or turn them off. Be aware of things
that are powered, they give off a hum or a buzz, especially when
shooting indoors. Always check for
appliances such as a refrigerator, air
conditioner, fans. These sounds are so common
to us that to our ears, they can easily go unnoticed, but our camera
doesn't miss them. And when we get to
the editing room, they can be very noticeable
and very distracting. Those are just some examples
of common audio hazards. However, it can
be a tricky thing because there are so many different noises
that can pop up, which is why the
term Quiet onset is probably the most repeated
phrase on any film set. My best piece of advice, every time your
surroundings change, take a minute, have everybody be quiet and listen closely. This way, you can identify any noises that
may be a problem.
11. 12 BTS: Filming behind the scenes or BTS footage for production is something I highly recommend, especially to new filmmakers. Because the amount of
knowledge you can gain in a short period of
time is amazing. When I was younger, I loved watching behind the
scenes footage of movies. And it was actually Lord of the Rings that sparked my
interest in film making. Everyone knows what the
final shot looks like. But having a demonstration of how it's done right in front of your eyes is like getting a free education and filmmaking. The best part is you don't have to worry about
the cameras setups or lighting or anything like that because the crew
has already done it all. You just have to make
sure you stay out of the cast and cruise way
so they can do their job. Anytime I've filmed
behind the scenes, there's usually
specific scenes or shots or stance that they've
wanted me to capture. If you're not told anything
specific to film beforehand, then it's best to
arrive early and inquire on smaller productions. You may be able to speak directly with the
director or producer. But on larger productions, It's best to speak
with the first AD. Allow them to relate any information between
the director and new. For behind the scenes, it's best to film handheld
or with a mono pod. With this setup, we are mobile and ready for
anything unexpected. It's much like filming
concerts or weddings. As for what lens to use, I suggest a zoom lens because it provides
more flexibility and allows us to
make the adjustments quickly without losing time, switching lenses or
running all over the set. For example, if we're
using a wide prime lens, we don't want to have to
run across the set to get a close-up of an actor and
director having a discussion. So using a zoom lens that
allows us to film from a distance while still getting a variety of different
shots is what's best. As a behind the
scenes videographer. We want to stay out
of everyone's way. So whatever allows us to
stay on the sidelines while still getting the necessary
footage is what's best. For audio. The only
option here is to have a shotgun microphone
attached to the camera. For any photographers out there. This setting is extremely important when shooting
behind the scenes. And that's because
you don't want to be making any sort of
noise while the action is going on and the
shutter noise from our camera can be
very distracting. So to avoid that, simply pop into the menu here. And we're looking for a setting
called silent shooting. We can see right here,
if we select that, a simple option
between on and off, if we click on, we can now snap photos
as much as we want anytime we want without the worry of hearing
the shutter go. Now, this option is
only available for mirrorless cameras
if you're using a DSLR with the mirror, than the mechanics
of the camera, make it impossible to snap a photo without
having that noise. If that's the case, you'll have to get a
special camera case that dead-ends the
sound of that shutter. When filming scenes
that are in progress, there's no point in
filming the scene itself. This is the time for
wide shots because your footage is supposed to show how things are being done, not what's happening
in the film. We want to show the audience, all the crew and cameras, and all the different
equipment and interesting details that go
into creating the scene. If you are able to film the scene and the camera
in the same shot. Producers and directors love this kind of forage
because it allows them to transition from
the actual scene in the movie to the behind
the scenes footage. Footage of actors, DPs, and directors all
working together. Blocking scenes,
having discussions is all great footage as well, because it shows the
creative minds at work. The same goes for seeing big camera or lighting setups
that are being constructed. If there's cool special effects
or makeup being applied, that is another must
film because it shows the transformation from
actor to character. Essentially, anything
that shows how the scenes are created
is worth filming. And always keep an eye out
for people. Having some fun. Film sets can be some of the most stressful
work environments, but they also tend to be
the most fun and craziest. Film crews are like
a big, weird family. And producers love to see this kind of camaraderie
in the footage.
12. Conclusion: That's it for this class. I hope you've enjoyed it and we'll take what
you've learned here about filming interviews and
behind the scenes footage. And use it to further
your knowledge and skills as a filmmaker. And be sure to share any
interviews that you've shot, or perhaps a short compilation
of some behind the scenes footage here on
Skillshare as well. It's great if you
could leave a review, whether it's good or bad, as that feedback helps me create better classes
in the future. So I thank you very much for
joining me in this class, and I wish you all the
best with your filmmaking.
Scott Baker, Filmmaker
