Snapper123
Well-known member
Hey guys, I'm wanting to shoot a music video inside a supermarket I love going to, and so far, it seems that the supermarket has extremely good lights inside that really make my tests so far look very good, good to the point I feel as though I'd probably get away with truly doing a run-and-gun style for this first attempt (the place also probably wouldn't let me bring in much equipment) and although I haven't done human tests yet, I'm also hoping the subjects' faces end up looking really good too.
The problem is I'm unsure of what focal length to use. Automatically, most of the shots are not close up face shots, many mid-distance shots that artistically speaking, require the perspective of seeing the actor's whole body (ground, feet, head, and something above the head) to perspectives of seeing the actors thighs or waist up to pretty far above the head. Artistically speaking, this is something raising the camera up and down, or walking farther or closer up, would do, but speaking of distortion, I have no clue what focal length to natively use for facial beauty for my T2i. (I prefer, for this particular video, to stick with only one lens.) It's probably even more of an issue when it comes to the movements of backing up farther away or getting very close to the subject; while I expect some degree of flat vs wide angle type distortion and depth change, I don't want anything extreme between the two. It is also important to mention, I guess, that many shots will be taking place crammed in between isles, say, a shot of a girl picking up a can of soup, so it will be impossible from some angles to be any farther away than a couple feet. Other shots, though, to get many objects and scenery in the shot, will be taken from complete isle distances between the actor and camera. One more thing, is because it is a natural light production, prime might be my best choice, although I certainly may need IS =[.
Sorry to ramble on, and probably none of this information helps anything more than it solves, especially depending on the focal length I should use. But as a number one rule for faces, what is my general focal range I need to use? I just don't want anyone looking too weird, I want the perceptions to look very professional. I also want a focal length that truly lets you get creative in the positioning of the camera without suffering extreme effects from one position to the other, although slight differences, like the body looking a little flatter from 20 feet away as opposed to 5 feet, is probably is to be expected.
Also, one thing I should probably say, there's one shot where I want the actor at hand to be about 20-30 feet away or so from the screen's perception, walking toward the camera, and going up and touching the focus ring of the lens. In the beginning of this shot, the entire front of the supermarket is supposed to show from a slight diagonal angle, with the camera positioned probably at the 5th parking spot or so from the building. As the actor comes up and touches the lens, of coarse, the distance and focal stays the same, and I expect to see the actor's entire face and chest, at least, when they are touching the camera's ring. I'm guessing this would probably truly require a 18mm. And since this shot is the establishing shot in the beginning, I'm considering keeping the entire video 18mm-55mm, which would really help cuz I need the kit's IS. But it seems like everyone says use 85mm and up for faces and such. Meh, I truly don't know. I just know that the 70-300 lens I have with no IS is unwieldy to use, there's probably not a chance I could use it for the pans I'm wanting to do. My only other options are the kit and my 50mm.
The problem is I'm unsure of what focal length to use. Automatically, most of the shots are not close up face shots, many mid-distance shots that artistically speaking, require the perspective of seeing the actor's whole body (ground, feet, head, and something above the head) to perspectives of seeing the actors thighs or waist up to pretty far above the head. Artistically speaking, this is something raising the camera up and down, or walking farther or closer up, would do, but speaking of distortion, I have no clue what focal length to natively use for facial beauty for my T2i. (I prefer, for this particular video, to stick with only one lens.) It's probably even more of an issue when it comes to the movements of backing up farther away or getting very close to the subject; while I expect some degree of flat vs wide angle type distortion and depth change, I don't want anything extreme between the two. It is also important to mention, I guess, that many shots will be taking place crammed in between isles, say, a shot of a girl picking up a can of soup, so it will be impossible from some angles to be any farther away than a couple feet. Other shots, though, to get many objects and scenery in the shot, will be taken from complete isle distances between the actor and camera. One more thing, is because it is a natural light production, prime might be my best choice, although I certainly may need IS =[.
Sorry to ramble on, and probably none of this information helps anything more than it solves, especially depending on the focal length I should use. But as a number one rule for faces, what is my general focal range I need to use? I just don't want anyone looking too weird, I want the perceptions to look very professional. I also want a focal length that truly lets you get creative in the positioning of the camera without suffering extreme effects from one position to the other, although slight differences, like the body looking a little flatter from 20 feet away as opposed to 5 feet, is probably is to be expected.
Also, one thing I should probably say, there's one shot where I want the actor at hand to be about 20-30 feet away or so from the screen's perception, walking toward the camera, and going up and touching the focus ring of the lens. In the beginning of this shot, the entire front of the supermarket is supposed to show from a slight diagonal angle, with the camera positioned probably at the 5th parking spot or so from the building. As the actor comes up and touches the lens, of coarse, the distance and focal stays the same, and I expect to see the actor's entire face and chest, at least, when they are touching the camera's ring. I'm guessing this would probably truly require a 18mm. And since this shot is the establishing shot in the beginning, I'm considering keeping the entire video 18mm-55mm, which would really help cuz I need the kit's IS. But it seems like everyone says use 85mm and up for faces and such. Meh, I truly don't know. I just know that the 70-300 lens I have with no IS is unwieldy to use, there's probably not a chance I could use it for the pans I'm wanting to do. My only other options are the kit and my 50mm.
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