Clarifying the Shot

Directly a picture appears on the screen, our eyes scan over it… assessing, interpreting, relating it to the previous shot and accompanying sound. But what if we can’t see the subject clearly, or find ourselves looking at some other feature in the picture? Our attention is diverted. Thought processes are upset. We may find it intriguing - or frustrating. We may dismiss it impatiently.

How you present subjects directly influences how successfully your ideas and intentions-are conveyed to your audience.

Improving clarity

• Don’t try to show too much at a time.

• Wherever possible, simplify grouping, and clear away clutter.

• Over-complicated crowded arrangements, or dual centers of attention, are usually distracting.

• Subjects stand out most clearly against plain backgrounds of contrasting tone and hue. Flat even backgroynds can look very severe, but when unevenly lit (shaded,dappling) can become extremely effective.

• Backgrounds should not predominate. Avoid bold, bright, colorful, decorated or fussy backgrounds.

• Clarity can depend on the camera’s viewpoint. Even common objects can become puzzle pictures if shot from inappropriate angles.

• Try to prevent important parts of the subject becoming hidden or shadowed.

Clarify detail

Close shots

• If a shot is much too close,detail can become coarsened and over-enlarged. Very close shots of photographs can reproduce as fuzzy detailless shadows; the dot structure of newspaper illustrations, or the lines in engravings, may make enlargements indecipherable.

• Take care when showing a very localized. part of a subject (e.g. small decorative detail) that your audience recognizes how this fragment relates to the complete subject.

• Include visual clues to scale whenever you show a greatly enlarged shot of a subject; e.g. a finger touching a tiny flower.

• Depth of field may be too restricted to see the entire subject clearly.

Distant shots

It’s obvious that if a shot is too distant, you will not be able to discern details clearly. But it also becomes more difficult to assess shape and surface finish, as we lose texture and shading subtleties.

On the other hand, if everything-in a picture is needle-sharp (deep focus), it can be difficult to see a subject,because planes at different distances merge, in the flat TV picture. A subject stands out most clearly when its background is blurred (due to restricted depth of field).

Lightingtechniques can improve or reduce clarity—accidentally or deliberately. Shadows and reflections may prevent our seeing surface decoration, yet help us to discern form. Frontal diffuse (soft)light can suppress texture and surface modeling. Hard light can overemphasize texture and form. Lit from an unsuitable angle, the shape or details of an object can be completely lost

Size of shot

If the shot is too distant, details cannot be seen. Too close, and details are coarsened, and the outline lost.

Conflicting backgrounds

Congested or over-detailed backgrounds can be suppressed by deliberately limiting the depth of field.

Background tones

Background tones should be arranged to suit the subject— whether by lighting adjustment, or choice of surface values.