Two options possible when you witness an event. A fixed frame : you don’t move,
the action happens inside the frame (you are in front of a march, a protest, we
see the banner and the people behind). Or you move with the action (you walk backwards,
and film the face of a protester walking and screaming a motto)
Don’t forget to film a wide shot where you see the whole scene. Above all, avoid
zooming and un-zooming all the time. Take a wide angle, stop the recording, zoom
on the action or a face, then record again. Make many different shots: a wide shot,
a shot at the waist, a close-up.
Example of a protest : First, the march from far away, in an establishing shot (go
up on a bench, at the third floor of a building) to give an idea of the importance
of the march (first information). Then, you can film the beginning of the march,
the first banner with a shot wide enough so we can read the claim (second info).
Then a closer shot where, for example, one can see two protesters, framed above
the waist, singing a text written for the march (third info).
End with a close-up, a protester that has stickers on his face, painted it or wrote
a motto on his cheek (fourth info).
If the action happens far away, try to settle on a tree, a post, put your camcorder
on the ground, on a bench etc. Always hold your camcorder with two hands and look
at your viewfinder or LCD screen to know what you are filming. It is always more
difficult to remain stable when zooming.
