This is some great information delivered quickly, accurately and more concisely than any other video on this topic I've seen on YouTube. What about sensor size? Thanks for the compliment. His passion lies in outdoor adventures, documentary filmmaking, photography, and locally-sourced food and beer. Facial features can become exaggerated, and that’s usually not desirable. If you’d like to learn more about techniques to improve filming documentary-style interviews, check out my e-book, "Tips for Shooting Professional Video Interviews.". While using wide-angle lenses can be helpful when working in tight spaces, especially when filming B-roll for a project, rarely are they an ideal choice for capturing interviews. My go-to choice for most documentary style interviews is usually between the range of 70mm and 110mm, depending on the space and how much background I want to show. Yet at the first image here, comparing two shots in medium closeup, 24mm versus 135mm, I did think the 24mm maybe somewhat less unflattering of the nose than I had expected, whereas the 135mm may, after all, exaggerate facial width unflatteringly. That would be a good distance to keep in mind when location scouting; knowing that you need an absolute minimum of 5 feet between your subject and the camera, plus some space to pull the talent off the background and space to operate the camera. Mike Wilkinson is an award-winning video director with his company Wilkinson Visual, currently based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Can the New $1,300 MacBook Pro Beat a $4,000 Model? Focal lengths between 35mm and 50mm can be a "safer" choice when you still want to include some of the background, or don’t have a large space to work in. I liked the fact you showed the distance to the subject. The background will compress a bit more, facial features won’t be as exaggerated, and distortion will be less apparent, especially the closer you get to 50mm. In the case of live interview segments for programs like sporting events or news, it’s not atypical to see the camera very close to the interviewee, as sometimes space is very limited, or there are multiple news crews all fighting for attention from a person of interest. Although the advised focal lengths and guidelines seem compatible with a photographer's hybrid camera—generally fullframe, 35mm—the BTS photo shows, I think, a video camera, whereby a cropped format, super35mm, is more common. This is called a "dolly-zoom," and you've likely seen an example in films such as "Jaws" and "Goodfellas." Note: In the following paragraphs I will be referencing focal lengths, but know that your results may vary from lens to lens or camera to camera. Choice of focal length affects the way a face looks. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. I absolutely love 50mm lenses on super 35 chip cameras. Apologies.This video is sponsored by Skillshare. Lenses with focal lengths between 20mm and 100mm are much more common in video production, with 50mm lenses more or less approximating the field of view of the human eye. It is probably my favourite lens for … It's definitely used perfectly given the subject matter. This lets me audition a few different focal lengths (without changing lenses) while physically changing the distance between my camera and the subject to create slightly different looks. Lighting, Retouching, and Shooting for Magazines, Tips for Shooting Professional Video Interviews, Fstoppers Reviews the Trapcode Suite 15 From Red Giant, 50 Photographers Across 50 States Capture Portraits for Merrell's One Trail Campaign, What to Look for When Picking a Frame for a Video Interview, Tips for Scouting Locations for Your Next Interview Video Shoot. Awesome job! On exterior interviews, I've gone longer, but not with the F3 (yet). I especially wonder since, a few days ago, I saw a Luminar ad making a claim new to me—that telephoto lenses tend to exaggerate facial width. I like it! It appears that roughly a 5+ft distance between camera and subject worked best in your examples. Choosing the RIGHT LENS — Why Focal Length MATTERS - YouTube This seems to practically be the most important factor (assuming consistent framing of your subject), as sensor sizes and focal lengths vary so greatly. In the last few weeks, I wrote about location scouting, and then picking a frame for documentary-style interviews. I used to love my Tokina 11-16 lens but turning my subject into stretch amrstrong was not good practice :-), "Vertigo" still has the best dolly-zoom. With a focal length of less than 28mm, not only will you have to stand very close to the subject, but if the subject approaches the edges of the frame, it’s quite possible that barrel distortion or keystoning may happen to parts of their body. I am primarily a landscape photographer not an interview videographer so am only surmising this from your vid here. Currently my equipment is what is holding me back as I have too much to carry in a case that is to small, Sorry about the repeat comments, long day shooting the snow fall in my area. The Size of Your Camera Matters Because Most Clients are Not Filmmakers, Fashion and Editorial Portrait Photography, Mirrorless Isn't All It's Cracked up To Be. 5 Pieces of Photography Kit You Shouldn't Leave Home Without. Try framing everything in one of those focal lengths. An average interview framing usually places a subject in a medium closeup shot. **CORRECTION**I've just noticed that the image @ 3:39 is incorrectly labelled as Joel Sternfeld when it's actually an image by John Bulmer. Often I'll set up more around 8-10 feet away as the talent can't even see the camera or the operator with the keylight in their face, and it makes it easier for them to forget the camera is rolling. You’ll also find that most manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma and Tokina, make very similar 24-70mm zoom lenses.