Add Depth to Your Shots (with the Foreground)

http://takezer0.com/2009/01/add-depth-to-scenes-with-your.html

A new year just rolled in, and so we tacked on an extended title sequence to briefly recap the past few days!

Anyway:

Like paintings and photos, movies are a two-dimensional medium. It can be argued that "good" cinematography is a matter of tricking the viewer's eye into thinking they're seeing a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional screen. Otherwise, your shots can look unintentionally flat and uninteresting, with little depth and distinction. One easy way to solve this problem is to place an object in your foreground. Because when a foreground is implied, the middle ground and the background naturally follow suit. This instantly creates a sense of depth and dimension.

These tips should be especially useful to anyone without the ability to use shallow focus (i.e. users with lower-end digital cameras), and can at least make a shot look more interesting if not necessarily better.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• cinematography
• shallow
• focus
• letus
• redrock
• filmmaking
• tips
• take
• zero
• zer0
• sean
• duran
• peter
• men

[Olphus]

I didn't know that you guys had moved to this channel?

Anyway, shallow depth-of-field is not an esthetical solution but a way to guide the viewers eye, especially when you don't want the background to compete with the viewers attention.

Read about mis-en-scene to learn more about the "frame".

[takezer0dotcom]

That's very true. Thanks!

We moved to this channel because we want to start branding ourselves a little more (and we just put a lot of effort into our website).

[TVTsteven]

nice video guys

but Sean next time

order melon with your passion tea

its bomb

[takezer0dotcom]

Haha, melon? Seriously? I usually get it with lemonade, but didn't this time for some reason.

[aprilLIKES10yearolds]

Sean, sent you a cmnt on twitter.

[takezer0dotcom]

Replied on twitter :P

[Anhslaught]

@dapoirierinc

Yeah I unconciously knew that also. Never really understood it though.

[Anhslaught]

Hey I found this video on accident, but I find it really educational. I actually never really knew the importance of foreground til now. :D

[dapoirierinc]

@iamcalledmatthew agreed!

[dapoirierinc]

helpful video guys. I think I've unconsciously understood that. But it was nice to have it explained.

Cheers.

[mascnz]

Thank you. Dammit, I wish I had viewed this sooner. Ta.

[MeltedFilms]

peter men kind of looks like freddiew

[esotericsean]

@iamcalledmatthew xA :)

[esotericsean]

@FRANKYMOOK We have way more subscribers (as well as being accepted into the Partners program) on my personal account so we upload most things there. I doubt we'll upload anything to takezer0dotcom's account anymore.

[FRANKYMOOK]

I never knew how many different little things contribute to getting great footage. Sean, I'm confused, which one is your main account. Is it this one, or esoteric?

[esotericsean]

Thanksya (this is our other account, btw)