AM - Class 3 / Week 1 - Lecture

Intro To Staging And Composition.

Lots of things are involved in the staging process, Characters, Props, Set.. etc, Camera Angle/lenses, & the action that will take place in the shot.

The most important thing about staging is clarity, you should make sure that the idea & the point of the shot is very clear to the audience while staging.

Keep it simple, and keep your full concentration on the message that you're telling the audience; Staging (with its simplicity) should help conveying that message.. not confuse it!

One of the most important things in staging is 'The Camera', its actually the seat of your audience, and you have to place it in the most interesting, entertaining, yet clear position. 

Here are some of the main famous type of shots known in cinema:

Establishing shot (usually used at the opening of the scene), Long shot, Medium shot, Close-Up shot, High Angle shot, Low Angle shot, Over the Shoulder shot (used when having two characters in the scene), Point of View shot 

(to show what the character is looking at), there are plenty more but these are the most commonly used..

Camera Movement: 

Before animating the camera you should ask your self.. Why I'm moving my camera?  I personally see some great animations that gets messed up by un-necessary camera movement.. the camera should move only for a purpose.

A good reasons for animating the camera would be: following a character, emphasizing on a character's reaction, revealing an important element in the scene, or maybe creating a sense of action.. but avoid camera moves that are pointless, or will distract your audience from the main subject.

Type of camera moves: Pan, Track In/Out, Dolly, Crane, Boom, Tilt Up/Down.

Type of camera lenses: Long Lens 100-200mm, Normal lens 35-50 mm, Short lens 10-20mm, Normal lens are the most appealing to the human eyes.

There is another question that you should ask yourself while staging your shots; What I'm trying to tell the audience with this camera angle? when you get used to asking your self these kind of questions your whole animation will 

start making more sense.

Quick tips:

When framing characters, remember to leave some head / feet room. 

Drive the viewer's eyes to the direction you want them to look at through your composition. 

Do not forget the important Rule Of Thirds.

Ciao :)