Camera Height?

[slondon]

DPs, how do you decide how high above the floor the camera should be for typical CU and medium shots of people standing indoors? Watching making-of featurettes and production stills I notice the camera is typically lower than one might suppose - no more than waist to chest high.

Do you apply any rules? For example do you choose a height that will let you frame what you want with a level camera so vertical room lines are parallel and parallel with the frame?

We're talking just typically here.

 

[GenJerDan]

A lot of it has to do with what feeling you want from the shot. Make the character seem more important or dominating? Less?

But also framing issues. You shouldn't cut off the character at the joints (knees, for instance), and you usually want headroom, so that will determine the height of the camera to some extent (also the zoom, etc, of course).

 

[Ralph Oshiro]

I refer to it as "lens height." To me, proper lens height is "higher than the person's eyes are." This lens height simply tends to be more flattering to your subject. Never shoot up, with a lens height below their eyeline (I'm talking stadard interviews--for dramatic narrative, use this angle for dramatic impact if you want). Sometimes I violate this rule to include a required element in the background (a sign, for example). My camera is usually anywhere from dead-level with the eyes, to as much as a foot above their eyes.

 

[j]

If I had to throw aout a rule of thumb, the only one would be a height relation to subject. Basicly an eyeline between two actors - down low for the short actor looking up at the taller one, and up high for the tall actor looking down at the shorter one. The other concern is (as stated bove) what background you want to include or hide. Other from that, it's just what message you want to send, is the subject to be portrayed as powerful or weak, big or small, dominant or insignificant?

 

[Hans Moleman]

I try to keep it hip height wheneevr possible. I noticed the same thing you did when I analyzed the old, classic stuff, and REALLY noticed it when I kept seeing shots of directs and DP's sitting down. I absolutely keep the camera away from eye level. every vacation and amateur shot you've ever seen in your Aunt Tilly's phamily photo album has been at eye level. It's ingrained into people as very boring and amateurish (along with 60i video) Just an aesthetic i keep in mind.