The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, Tom Schroeppel
Chapter One: Basics
In the opening chapter, Schroeppel lays out the essential building blocks of filmmaking—exposure, lenses, and depth of field. He compares the camera to the human eye, showing how it can move beyond simple observation to become a tool for storytelling. I gained a clearer understanding through images and demonstrations of how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together to shape an image’s brightness, sharpness, and overall mood, while depth of field controls what draws the viewer’s attention within the frame.
Chapter Two: Composition
This chapter shifts from the more technical aspects of filming to the artistic decisions that define visual storytelling. Schroeppel explores the importance of composition—using the rule of thirds, balance, and leading lines to guide the viewer’s eye and convey meaning. I learned how choices in framing and camera angles can shape the audience’s perception and emotional response. Every shot becomes a conscious decision, whether in journalism or film, to express a narrative, create a metaphor, or evoke a specific mood—all without relying on dialogue or sound. I wanted to point out Schroeppel’s point of a shaky camera ruining the viewer’s ‘illusion’ of what should be a steady shot using a tripod. It is just so interesting how a camera can give almost any illusion; a shaky camera can give a sense of urgency, while a steady shot can be more calm. An unusual angle can highlight an unusual situation, while a regular angle shows the viewers exactly what is going on.
Chapter Five: Camera Movements
In this chapter, Schroeppel explains that camera movement builds on composition by adding rhythm and energy to the visual story, which I feel is similar to composition. Schroeppel explains that movements such as zooms, pans, tilts, and tracking shots aren’t just stylistic choices; they serve clear narrative purposes for a story. A simple MOTION can reveal important key details. I found it interesting, similarly to composition, how even subtle camera shifts can dramatically influence a scene—whether in a film, documentary, or any other production project. The way the camera moves ultimately determines how the viewer experiences the story.
Chapter Six: Montages
Montages, usually used in TV commercials or documentaries, condense time and distance for viewers. A series of shots, depending on the content, can set a mood or summarize information, making montages an easier way to relay a message. Schroeppel made sure to note, however, that it is crucial to make each shot of a montage different. If not, it can look like a “bad cut between two similar shots of the same thing”. Schroeppel. recommends shooting a variety of different angles and image sizes to create a successful montage, and switch things up.
Video Production Planning Checklist: 15 Keys to Success, Jacob Trussel
In this article by Jacob Trussel, we are given 15 things to do during video production. Different tasks include defining your goals, writing your script, creating storyboards, and much more. We are given step-by-step instructions in video production, and this checklist doesn’t miss a step. Things like selecting the type of video or creating a schedule aren’t things I would’ve thought of before, but now will as I get into production.
Learn What is a Storyboard and How to Use it to Make Better Videos, Amanda Athuraliya
This article, written by Amanda Athuraliya, explains the concept of storyboards, and how beneficial they are to successful projects. Storyboards involve sketching out the scenes you plan on creating, kind of like a comic strip. This idea can help list out any ‘inconsistencies’ in your idea, and can help in avoiding shooting any unnecessary scenes. The four steps to creating a storyboard include planning your video, visualizing your script, adding a script and additional notes, and collaborating or revising with others. These steps help greatly in finalizing a story before actually shooting, and can help so much in production.
Miles Morales Jumps / A leap of Faith – 4K HDR – Spider-Man (2018)
To show some examples of successful uses of visual composition techniques, I felt that this movie was a perfect example. Known as a movie that breaks the rules of animation, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also uses many unique techniques that make the movie special. In this scene, Miles is swinging around New York after taking a leap of faith. The camera leaves open space ahead of where Miles is swinging, giving him “lead room.” This creates a sense of motion and anticipation for viewers, and gives the illusion that the city is endless. Leading lines and rule of thirds are also used, as the city’s lines and angles draw the eye toward Miles while he is swinging and some angles show Miles on the third lines. All in all, this movie, one of my favorites, provides many different techniques to give viewers a unique look into Miles’ thoughts and show different perspectives throughout both movies.
Kung Fu Panda – Peach Tree of Wisdom
Of course I had to use my favorite movie 🙂 This scene alone, from the beginning gives viewers context of the character’s location using rule of thirds. The scene starts with the peach tree and Oogway on the right third line, and uses the rule of thirds to help viewers see both characters in the frame. As for the location, the rule of thirds allows viewers to see how isolated and high this peach tree is, with the stars behind them. All in all, this rule, widely used by directors, can give viewers much more to look at than the center of the screen, and give newer perspectives on scenes depending on what you’re shooting.
Dune: Part Two – Riding the Sandworm- (HDR – 4K – 5.1)
Both Dune and Dune: Part Two provide unique camera techniques for such a unique concept. This scene in particular from Dune: Part Two gives viewers a great perspective on depth. We are shown just how big the desert around them is, and also a perspective on the sandworm’s size. In such a big desert and a pretty far away angle, the sandworm is still pretty large on the screen, which is bigger than they expected. This also shows viewers how Paul overcame such a big obstacle, riding a sandworm and fulfilling his prophecy. Viewers in the comments of this video also talk about the intensity of this scene, feeling like they were riding the sandworm with him. This shows how depth gave viewers perspective on such an intense obstacle, and pulled them in even more.
To get used to the camera and some newly-learned techniques, I will be creating a project of my own. I will be creating a montage, with many clips of one location compiled into a one-minute video. For this project I wanted to create a montage of my morning neighborhood walk, as my neighborhood can be quite beautiful around this time of year. With the leaves falling, birds chirping, and decorated houses, I’m sure I can make a cozy autumn video. I personally love content like this, so I decided to make one of my own. Using my iPhone and tripod, I will film my next morning walk and compile the videos into one montage. Using new angles and composition rules can make the video much more engaging and give viewers new perspectives.
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