Chapter 4 Video Camera Operations
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The most common shots on television are the close-up and medium
close-up. To follow the rule of thirds when shooting, the talent should be
positioned so that their eyes are 1/3 of the way down from the top of the
screen, or on the upper horizontal line of the tic-tac-toe grid. In broadcast
television, the important people and objects in a shot are slightly to left or
right of the center. The center of the tic-tac-toe box rarely contains the main
subject or important object of the shot.
Action
Nearly every shot in broadcast television includes some kind of action.
Either the main subject matter (objects or talent) in the picture provide action
or movement, the camera moves to provide a moving shot, or both the cam-
era and subject matter move. There is rarely a shot without some type of
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Figure 4-1. The rule
of thirds states that the
most interesting aspects
of a picture should be
positioned near the four
intersecting points on a
tic-tac-toe grid. A—An
example of the rule of
thirds with two subjects.
B—An example of the rule
of thirds with one subject.
B
A