I’m often asked how to make sequences flow. How to join one shot to the next and make it seem natural and interesting. In order to try and answer that question I’ve jotted down six thoughts that, if followed, will really help any aspiring film maker. In this business you never stop learning and I’m sure in five years from now I will have many new thoughts on the subject. For now though this is the best I can do. I would have liked to write ten tips but I ran out after six 
Any extra tips and advice would be greatly appreciated in your comments. . .
I’ve posted a film below that I hope will illustrate some of the points and help you to see the way I operate:
6 tips for shooting and editing sequences from Chris Parkinson on Vimeo.
1) Always know your opening shot: If a Director asks you if you have an opening for them you should always know exactly what it is. I devote a lot time on any shoot to finding a strong opening.
2) Always get a broad variety of shot sizes: If you want to make the Editors life easy then make sure you have a huge big wide shot and a very tight close up, these will edit with almost anything.
3) Don’t be afraid to move around: Many Cameramen plant their tripod in one spot and shoot everything from the same position. It’s boring! Move around, sit on the floor, look for a high angle – go crazy, you can never be too creative.
4) Think Sound: I always say the “Amateurs think pictures, pro’s think sound”. I really believe that. Always look for shots that give great sound – a gate creeking, a tap being turned on, a car door closing. They give you a chance to bookmark the start and end of a sequence with an upsound. When Editing it’s always the first thing I look for.
5) Try and build your interviews into your sequence: I always like to do my interviews “in-situ”. If you can, build the interview into the sequence then it doesn’t jar with the audience. If you are filming a man fixing a tyre then why not throw him a question while he’s still doing it? Why stand him up and film him next to a sign?
6) Always know your end shot: See tip number one – exactly the same principal. I once read an interview with a Doco Director who said “there is only two shots that matter, the first and the last.” Although I don’t totally agree with him I do feel he is onto something. . . If the first shot is boring do you keep watching? If the last shot is boring do you remember the piece? No I thought so.
TV Cameraman Nick Woolley Shooting in Baghdad
The World Cup is finally over. It’s been an amazing month in South Africa that has seen my team travel from Rustenburg to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein. I’ve been working with Correspondent Andrew Harding and we’ve been lucky enough to have many films commissioned for the BBC News.
In Thokoza park, Soweto. 11/06/10
As Bafana Bafana took on Mexico in the opening game we headed into Soweto to capture a taste of the atmosphere and to see what it all meant to the Sowetans. It was a day I’ll never forget, the atmosphere of excitement and togetherness bringing me close to tears more than once. The film we made really captured a sense of how people felt and reflected the fact that this country would never be the same again.
Soweto welcomes the World Cup – World cup begins in Soweto from caparkinson on Vimeo.
After the first day our priorities temporarily shifted to covering the England team and their fans. We headed to the sleepy village of Phokeng, just outside of Rustenburg for the England vs USA match. It’s an odd place to host such a big game and we made a film reflecting the clash of cultures between the hard drinking fans and the bemused locals. Just after we finished editing I shot this film on my i-phone to give a taste of the neighbourhood. And yes we did use that bizarre camper van as our edit vehice
As the tournament progressed and England were knocked out following that disastrous showing against the Germans we moved on to cover Ghana’s big game against Uruguay. The night before we produced a piece that really gives a taste of the spirit that helped the Ghana team to do well. Here’s two clips I pulled from the rushes that you might enjoy. In the first Ghana’s biggest supporter gives his match prediction and in the second the fans sing a song about me:
With Ghana crashing out to Uruguay on penalties we concentrated on putting together two end of tournament legacy pieces. The first looked at South Africa’s improved image abroad and the second was a deeper, more thoughtful piece that examined how South Africans themselves saw the impact of hosting the World Cup. I had an idea to use “postcards” to introduce each character in our film rather than the more traditional set up sequence. I feel it worked.
South Africa World Cup – final film from caparkinson on Vimeo.
Covering the World Cup has been an exciting, nerve wracking and tiring experience. Although I’m glad it’s over it has been a pleasure to see this much-maligned country step up and impress the rest of the world. I hope it can keep it up.
Fini Color Correction Before / After Reel from Patrick Inhofer on Vimeo.
I just saw this excellent example of how colour grading can really help your pictures and enhance any film. Patrick Inhofer has launched his new website The Tao of Color Grading which hosts numerous tutorials in this complicated art. I’m new to manipulating pictures but find it a fascinating subject. In my latest film below I used Matte effects and colour correction to help me to improve the feel of one or two of shots. As always feedback is appreciated.
South Africa World Cup – final film from caparkinson on Vimeo.
I’m always on the look out for important videos that will help to inform and educate myself and other Cameramen. I felt it was time that I gathered some of the most relevant and interesting in one place for readers of my blog to check out. If you have any others you think should be here then let me know and I’ll post a follow up.
Firstly I wanted to draw attention to the history of our craft. I always imagine that being a frontline Cameraman in World War two must have been even more intense than it is for us today. The battles that much bigger, the chances of being killed that much more. Below is the first clip from a Documentary about the the cameramen of WW2, there exploits and what they saw.
But as we all know, today although the fighting might not be on such a grand scale it can still be intense, nerve wracking and incredibly dangerous. Here is an excellent film by my colleague Robbie Wright that he shot while embedded with the US Marines in Falluja:
The growing problem for all Journalists in todays environment is that we often become a target ourselves, either accidentally or because we are seen as “the enemy”. Below are a number of films that show how quickly we can become targets and how serious this can be. Some of the films are graphic and quite disturbing:
Not all predicaments a cameraman finds him or her self in are life or death. Even in our own countries the Police can turn nasty and arrest you for no reason. The Cameraman below was detained though later the charges were dropped and I understand that the Police Officer was later fired:
And then there are the self inflicted, pointless problems that we sometimes have to face. I still do not understand why the Cameraman in the film below kept following these guys once he had gotten his shots. He was later fired when the footage from a rival network was aired.
And finally the trailer for a film about stills photographer James Nachtwey. An excellent insight into the life and thought process of one of the worlds best known Photojournalists. Enjoy.
I hope these films have given you something to think about. If you have any films that you think I should include in a follow up piece then please comment below.
In my never ending quest to find cool new bits of kit and achieve different angles and styles for my news reports I have just ordered the GoPro HD Camera. Unfortunately I had to order it from B and H in New York so I’m not going to be able to test it for a little while. In the meantime I have been searching the net to find out as much about the camera as I can. It seems to be an awesome camera perfectly suited to action sports.
An example of what the GoPro camera can achieve, it comes with a waterproof case as standard:
Sunset from Alan Fendrich on Vimeo.
and here’s another filmed by a base jumper:
GoPro HD HERO camera: Base Jump Movie from GoPro on Vimeo.
It shoots either 1080p at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps. This is a bit of a hassle for those of us who shoot PAL but I’m assured that Apples Compressor software does a good job changing the frame rate to edit with.
GoPro also have an excellent array of accessories, check out the film below for a good idea of what is available:
NAB 2010 – GoPro HD now with live output from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
I should receive my GoPro at the end of November so I’ll be sure to post a review as soon as possible.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a huge fan of a Regional news Cameraman in the US called Darren Durlach. Well he has recently collected another important award, this time the highly regarded NPPA TV News Photographer of the year. His work is truly outstanding and leaves me in awe. He can make something out of nothing both in the composition of his shots and in his all around story-telling. Below are a number of his films that helped scoop the award followed by comments from the judges on the panel.
WINNER: General News “A Special Piece of History” Darren Durlach, from Poynter Institute on Vimeo.
WINNER: Spot News, “C’Mon Son” Darren Durlach/WBFF Baltimore from Poynter Institute on Vimeo.
Dave Delozier:
Darren Durlach had a solid composite entry that showed great storytelling skills from the start to the finish. The photojournalist displayed a great eye with consistent composition that was excellent. What can’t be lost in this entry is how hard this photojournalist obviously works. He seems to always have a wireless on everyone in the story and he seems to be everywhere at all the right times. This entry also showed an ability to create stories that carried with them a range of emotions. In one story you were laughing at a McDonalds while people were singing Sinatra music and on another you were feeling the loss of a U.S. Marine as he is laid to rest. From my perspective this was clearly the winner as the entry displayed all of the characteristics you look for in a National Photographer of the Year.
Crystal Lauderdale:
Our choice for POY was simply impeccable with every clip submitted. Their technical skills were supreme, their imagery was beautiful and diverse, and each story was compelling.
“C’mon Son” was already an early standout in the week, taking first place for the spot news category, as was “A Special Piece of History”, which took first in general news. Both pieces stood out for their memorable moments, candid soundbites and crisp, clean footage. Until reviewing the entries for POY, we didn’t know those pieces were produced by the same photographer. The rest of the entries followed suit with the same level of quality and made this decision a fast and unanimous one for our panel.
For more of an insight into Darrens thought process while shooting then check out the interviews with him below:
To view the film we made on this trip to Akobo, follow this link to the BBC website
The UN airstrip in Juba looked identical to every other UN establishment I’d seen in Africa. A maze of blue Porta-cabins protected by a bored contingent of Asian soldiers – this time Bengalis in their distinctively bright green camouflage. We were traveling to the small town of Akobo in Southern Sudan alongside the NGO Save the Children and the UN Resident Humanitarian Co-ordinator, Lise Grande and her team. They were keen to show us the poor humanitarian situation and flag up a potential famine – a new report says 46 percent of children under five are malnourished.
We all piled into the ex-Soviet era Helicopter that had been painted in UN colours and began our long journey. We followed the Nile out of Juba and then headed East toward the Ethiopian border passing low over huge tracts of desolate scrub and dry river beds. It was a boneshaking two-hour flight but I was next to an open window and kept myself entertained by filming and taking photos.
A view from our UN chopper on the way to Akobo
As we came in to land at Akobo’s makeshift landing strip I filmed the ramshackle mud and straw houses that seemed to make up most of the town.
We had a couple of hours on the ground and were told that the Russian chopper crew had instructions to leave without us if we late – something that both myself and Correspondent Andrew Harding doubted they would do. A fleet of four by fours waited for us by the Air-strip and rushed us off to the Hospital to film malnourished children.
Outside the clinic there was a hive of activity with babies being weighed and food being handed out by harried staff. Screaming kids and scared, hungry looking Mums cued up waiting for their turn to take the handful of high energy bars on offer. I grabbed as many shots as I could before being bustled off to film inside with the kids who were considered to be in the worst state.
Inside I filmed a close up as one baby was given milk via a plastic syringe – his body too wasted to keep anything down. Another, called Dwal, had the glazed, sleepy eyes of someone who has given up hope. After gathering a few shots I left, realizing that my presence was disturbing Dwal who began to wail as if in pain every time I tried to film him.
We then rushed off to film the families who had been forced to flee from recent fighting. 2009 had seen a dramatic surge in ethnic conflict and many displaced families had been forced to flee to the town. We found one family living by the river, sheltering under a tree to keep out of the oppressive mid day sun. Despite their problems they seemed relaxed and friendly and didn’t seem remotely put out by our presence. I discovered that the South Sudanese are generally unphased by TV cameras, a fact that made my job much easier.
Traveling on a speedboat to find IDP’s near Akobo
Time was now short. We had a three PM deadline to meet back at the Airstrip. Having to rush in the heat of South Sudan isn’t good and I was beginning to feel very dehydrated. We hooked up with the local Commissioner – Goi Jooyul Yol, a fascinating guy who had been living in the US for many years – he took us to the local Army base and convinced the Colonel in charge to show us all the guns they had confiscated from the local tribesmen to stop them stealing cattle and abducting children from one another. It was an impressive, if slightly rusty, haul. About 400 weapons, mainly Ak-47′s were piled almost to the ceiling in the old and peeling shipping container.
At three PM exactly we emerged from the Army compound and ran over five hundred meters of rugged waste ground to the waiting Chopper. Sweaty and exhausted I downed a bottle of water and a whole packet of glucose biscuits before throwing myself onto the awkward canvas bench in the back of the Helicopter. It had been a tough day both mentally and physically. As the aircraft took off I dozed awkwardly hoping that our film might be able to expose the problems of the region and help to avert a disaster.
To view the film we made on this trip to Akobo, follow this link to the BBC website
On the same trip to South Sudan we also shot an excellent (if I do say so) election preview film. Unfortunately due to the changing situation in the country our film never had the chance to run in the UK. So that the pictures aren’t lost forever I’ve edited some of my favourite sequences together into a short “voice free” film that I hope will give you a small taste of Southern Sudan:
As we climbed out of the tiny ten seater aircraft and stepped onto Somali soil I was nervous. We were in territory controlled by the Islamist militia Al Shabab, a group with ties to Al Qaeda and a reputation for beheading those who didn’t agree with them. We were the guests of The World Food Programme who, thanks to their pragmatic approach and willingness to talk with Al Shabab, were still able to operate in the region. Their base was just outside the village of Buale, a surprisingly green and fertile place on the banks of the River Juba. Before we could film anything we had to meet the local Al Shabab Commander – if we started filming without his permission it could mean a death sentence for our team.
With our guards in Somalia. Very nice guys.
We met him in the shade of a small tree, he was a solidly built man with a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard and a surprisingly benign look on his face. I’d expected someone terrifying, clutching a Kalashnikov and festooned with grenades. He was friendly and made jokes. I liked him, he seemed like a human being. He agreed to let us film the work of WFP but refused to be interviewed himself or allow us to film his men.
We only stayed around Buale for one day. It seemed safe but we did have twelve armed guards with us at all times. They were local guys, clad in black and casually swinging their AK-47’s like umbrellas. I shared one of the Toyota Pick ups with them, bouncing around and filming the country as it sped past. We were meant to overnight in the town of Wajid but we were forced to change our plans when three men were beheaded there that day. Instead we crossed back into Kenya for the night and then in the morning flew to a town in central Somalia called Dusamareb.
Filming from the back of a Pick-Up. Somalia, June 2009.
Dusamareb is a dusty, drought stricken town that is currently home to the Militia group, Ahlu Sunnah. They, like most Somalis, are Sufi Muslims and as such despise the Saudi inspired Wahabism that Al Shabab represent. We arrived on Independence day and the main square was full of flag waving locals. The women wore bright green and yellow Chadors and the men sang the Somali national anthem. It was perfect for TV and I spent twenty minutes roaming the square filming as much as possible.
We interviewed a number of fighters, all of them were very young, some looking no more than fifteen. It struck me that if you are a bored teenager in a poor, starving country what else is there to do but join a local militia? Carrying a Kalashnikov is like a sign of acceptance, a symbol that you have power and are part of a group. In England we join the local football team here they go and shoot people up. I laughed out loud as one baby faced fighter told us with a smirk on his face that he had single handedly killed one hundred and thirty Al Shabab fighters.
Ahmad and his colleagues from Ahlu Sunnah.
They have a saying in Somalia: “It is good to trust, but it is better not to trust.” My team and I had no choice but to trust the Somalis while we were there. They didn’t let us down, I found them friendly and open people, quick to smile and keen to make sure that as their guest I was comfortable. Although I’m not in a rush to return I do now have a more positive opinion of Somalis and once the country is more stable I will be happy to return.
Into Somalia from caparkinson on Vimeo.
Hugh Masakela is a South African icon. We were lucky enough to be allowed to film him rehearsing for the concert to mark his seventieth birthday in March this year. He was a nice guy and was very chilled about me setting up lights and running all around his studio.
Taking a rest during a tough foot patrol
I’d always wandered how it felt to be shot at, to hear the crack of bullets breaking the sound barrier above my head and to feel the adrenaline flood through my body.
When it happened it was strangely surreal, like it was happening to somebody else. My heart rate barely seemed to rise above its normal level. It was Christmas day 2007 and I was in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan with the Royal Marines. I was embedded with Delta Company 40 Commando based at Forward Operating Base Gibraltar.
When the Taliban began their ambush we were crossing an open field between two large mud walled compounds. One of the Marines spotted something unusual and we went to ground. I thumbed the record button on my DSR 500 Sony Video Camera and began to frame up on the Marines who were poised and ready for anything. Immediately there was a distinctive bang and whistle from the trees to our front, “RPG” screamed one of the guys next to me. I buried my nose in the dirt at the bottom of the shallow ditch I was hiding in. The explosion was close, maybe ten meters behind us. It was followed by a number of single shots from an AK-47 that I could clearly hear whipping through the air above my head. The Marines began to return fire under the direction of Lieutenant Atherton, a baby faced young officer, incredibly calm for a man experiencing his first taste of battle. Jonesy, a black guy from Wales was next to me and he quickly opened up with his weapon. The sound of his Minimi machine gun was vicious as it went into action spraying controlled bursts of fire into the Taliban positions. “Incoming” screamed someone close as another RPG round exploded nearby. For a minute I’d forgotten why I was there and was too busy tasting the Afghanistan dirt to film. Eventually the Bootneck next to me asked if I planned on filming any of this, I laughed and began looking for shots. I felt detached, like I was watching the entire scene play out through somebody else’s eyes. The battle soon steadied and the frantic back and forth of small arms fire slowly died away, the Marines picking their shots looking to minimize damage to the surrounding village. After some time it appeared the Taliban had withdrawn, no more fire came our way and slowly we began to move back across the open ground and into the cover of an empty compound nearby.
50. Cal machine Gun FOB Gibraltar
I’ve thought about that day many times since. Every sight and sound is seared into my memory. It was the closest I’ve ever come to death, one of the few times I’ve ever had to consider my own mortality. But it is also one of my best memories, one of the highlights of my life. Looking back I felt more alive on that day than at any other time before or since. I guess that’s the addiction of combat, it’s that feeling that Soldiers and War Cameramen live for, the buzz that keeps them going back into hot spots again and again.
