Directing the Camera

When I was a teen filmmaker, my dad told me something I would never forget. It was the secret to great cinematography. It was one of the most important lessons for a director to learn. And, it was simple.

“If your actors aren’t moving, your camera must,” dad says. “After all, that’s why they call it ‘motion’ pictures.”

Dad always encouraged my filmmaking. He was a storyteller like none other and he knew the power of film. He saw in me a visual talent to tell stories through film and he supported my every attempt. He even joined in and had some aerial footage shot for me.

Unfortunately, not all directors have a dad reminding them why motion pictures are not called stills. Few understand that movement is the visual language of film and the director must master it. Even the audience is aware of this difference, but few know how to put it into words.

When television came into being, crews clarified the difference between artistic films and lowly television shows. Most of the time it was in conjunction with comparing great cinematic vista shots on film to broadcasted shots of “talking heads.” Even cast members caught on and created a polarization, sending great actors to work on film projects and good actors to work in television. Eventually the politics were neutralized and both cast and crew were willing to work in either format, as long as the shows were of quality – Using the language of film.

Quality directors soon learned that movement was the key to a film-like-feel in their television programs. They also caught on to the three basic rules in camera motivations that trigger the needed movement.

The most important rule is that shots are motivated by the performance. If the camera starts to move for no reason at all, the audience suddenly becomes aware of the camera movement instead of being drawn into the story. However, when an actor who speaks brashly slowly shifts into a whisper from embarrassment and the camera gently zooms in to a close-up, the audience is stirred by the personal emotions expressed. The audience becomes a part of the story with empathy rising within their soul.

The second rule is that the closer the camera gets, the more truth it tells. This is especially true since the release of HD television, were every blemish is seen. This intimate camera position demands truth in acting from the heart, a skill that is coveted among actors.

Even Meryl Streep understood the power of truth in close-ups when she convinced the director of The Devil Wears Prada to let her shoot one scene without make-up. Her extremely powerful and bold character was diminished down to a private vulnerable human moment sharing about her divorce. It had fans and the film community talking for years – The most powerfully honest scene in the entire movie.

The third rule allows for creativity to impact the art: If it works, then it’s right. Any creative shot that is invisible to the audience, while keeping the focus on the story works. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, as long as it empowers the story and doesn’t call attention to itself.

Camera movement is all about giving the audience a different way of looking at their world. It doesn’t matter what type of shot it is, it just matters that it touches the emotions and doesn’t attract attention to itself.

There are numerous types of subjective and objective shots a director can call for, but only one or two shots will empower the story to draw the audience into a world were they can experience life from a different perspective than what they are accustom. This movement helps the audience become engaged in the message, rather than watching talking heads from a disconnected distance.

Movement is powerful, but only in the hands of a skilled director who understands the motivation behind the camera’s action.