As I discussed in my previous post Working Below the Line – A Visual Effects Supervisors Guide to Surviving On Set I mentioned that every good supe should be well versed in how to communicate camera dierection. You don’t wanna be the guy saying “Pan up!” or “Hey, tilt the camera a little to the left.” So if your looking for a nice little cheat sheet to as reminder on how to keep you shot types and camera moves straight, check out this handout from Ohio State University of all places. It also has nifty descriptions of the 180 degree rule, camera angles and composition hints. Aside from being helpful on set, these terms should be committed to memory for use in CG animation as well. A shorthand description of what kind of shot you need could shave valueable seconds off of production time. Besides, you want to be able to understand what your supervisor is talking about and not look like a total VFX newb right? I thought so.
LINK to the OSU cinema cheat sheet
Note: There is a semi-glaring omittion from the shot sizes section of this handout. The Cowboy, a slightly wider medium shot framed from the mid-thigh up. So name for it’s use in early westerns so viewers could check out the hero’s guns.
