On this short video Ryan Connolly from Film Riot talks (and demonstrates) something which is no less important than gear or even technique for shooting videos – having the right motivation in the scene to create a movement in your shots.
Maybe you never considered that before, but when you shoot a scene which includes a camera movement there might be a big advantage to have a motivation for this movement. Typically a good motivation can be following a movement of an actor or an object. In this video Connolly shows several examples like the cigarette thrown to the ground which motivates the camera down movement.
On the first part of this video Connolly mentions a technique known as blocking. This technique comes from the world of theatre and the practice of 19th-century theatre directors such as Sir W. S. Gilbert who worked out the staging of a scene on a miniature stage using blocks to represent each of the actors. Blocking actually refers to the precise movement and staging of actors on a stage and in the world of cinema and video this will also include the movement of the camera itself which provides the point of view.
If you want to learn more about blocking in Cinematography – check out this extensive writeup by Kyle Cassidy.
You can watch more HDSLR and video techniques on our dedicated HDSLR channel here on LensVid. You can also find many more DIY photography tips and tricks on the LensVid DIY section.
Iddo Genuth 
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