Article – Making Talking Heads Speak to the Audience

For those who don’t know, a talking head piece is where someone is talking to camera, either full on, or three-quarter profile in medium close up.  Watch any news item or interview to see the talking head in action.

This is probably the most common shot in video production, so anyone wanting to make it big in movies needs to get this shot down as soon as possible.  The talking head shot, as already mentioned features heavily in news show, talk show, commercial, current affairs, documentary and so on.  It is used whenever there is someone with information or an opinion to give that is pertinent to the story.  It is also the simplest method of imparting information in a movie or video.

The most important aspects of any talking head shot is the camera position, the subject position, the light and the microphone.  Each will influence how effective the finished piece will be, so adequate thought needs to be put into each one until they become second nature.

The camera and subject positioning go hand in hand.  In the vast majority of scenes, they will be fairly close together, either close-up or medium close-up.  The angle is also important, it will either be close up or three-quarter profile, it is often the subject who will decide that.  The effect created by each is different, the face on shot is more intimate and the viewer feels the subject is talking directly to them.  The profile puts the viewer in the position of observer, which can be good for emotive or controversial contexts.

You will often see politicians use the profile because they don’t always want to be associated with the subject matter.  If a politician gives you a message, then backs down it won’t look good.  If you felt he spoke directly to you, it is possible that you would take it personally.  The President often talks face-on in order to speak to the public.

Two things you have to be aware of when shooting a talking head shot is head room and nose room.  Head room is how much room is above the subjects head in a straight-on shot, and the nose room is how much room there is between the end of the subjects nose and the edge of shot in a profile.  Each makes a difference in the composition of a shot.

The standard face-on shot will be close or medium close with the bottom of the shot ending mid-chest.  The top will add a bit of head room, or more if there is context in the background.  The same for a profile shot, space should be left at the edge of shot for some background to appear to add context to the shot.  For news pieces or current affairs, there may be graphics added in editing so there needs to be space for that too.

Shooting these kinds of shots takes judgment.  Get in too close and it may seem invasive, too far out and it might feel remote.  Training and experience will become the barometer for these kinds of shots

Miami Video Production is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design