Five Tips to Getting Those Tough Angle Shots in Your Production

Here's a scenario. You just showed your new video production to a friend. He smiles and says, "That was nice." Here's another scenario. You just finished showing your new video production. His jaw is dropped in disbelief, and he says, "Dude! That was awesome!" What's the difference?

Chances are, part of it had to do with angles. Great angles. But often "great angles" mean tough angles. Unique camera angles make for a memorable and fascinating video production. Understanding and getting those shots is another story. Here are five tips to getting tough angle shots.

1. Think Inside the Box.
When discussing tips to getting tough angle shots, you'd expect to be urged to think outside the box. Why? Try an angle from inside the box—where people could never go. Small spaces work well for these types of shots. Place the camera inside the refrigerator. Roll the tape, shut the door, and have the actor open up the refrigerator on cue. It provides a perspective that normal people would never see. The same unique angle can be achieved by putting the camera in a mailbox, in a hollow tree, into a backpack, or other random spots.

2. Motion is Good.
Angle shots don't have to be static. Feel free to move the camera. Some of these angles may involve normal video taboos. For example, as a character moves across a field, you can capture a direct angle of the setting sun for just a brief second. Or, you can move the camera from a simple upward shot (for example in a tree) to a downward shot.

3. Go High.
Nobody wants to watch anything for long if the picture is taken from the humdrum height of 5 foot, 10 inches. A twelve-foot aerial perspective gets really interesting, though. Using a quality camera boom and a smooth hand will get you some killer video. Want some extreme tips to getting tough angle shots? Get in an airplane or a helicopter. These shots aren't cheap or easy, but the quality of aerial shots is well worth it.

4. Up Close and Personal.
Unless you're really in love with someone, chances are you don't want to be three inches from their face when you're talking with them. That would just be weird. But sometimes the weird or intimate feeling is exactly what you want to incorporate into a video. Go close. Real close. And not just with the zoom. Move the camera in close to the subject's face. This is an easy angle to get, and adds some in-your-face (literally) variety to standard angles.

5. Get Low.
Some of the most interesting angles are the low ones. Using a low angle allows you to capture only a subject's feet as he walks away from the camera, eventually capturing his whole body. This is also a great angle for vehicle motion shots.

Tips to getting tough angle shots are really quite simple. Getting tough angles involves a solid dose of creativity, coupled with a sense of curiosity. If size, athletic ability, or fear (claustrophobia or fear of heights) weren't a factor, how would you like to view something? Chances are, your camera can take you there.


--
Scott Duglase learns tips to getting tough angle shots in his daily work as a sales and marketing professional. His favorite videos are those involving aerial stock footage. Thought Equity Motion is the premier resource for professionals requiring immediate access, information and support pertaining to research, license and clearance of the world's finest HD footage and content.