By Steve Washer
Imagine your wildest Valentine fantasy. Would it involve a video camera? Maybe a whole production company? Well, then you should have been at HB Communications on Valentines Day for the latest MCA-I member meeting! With an impressive line-up of camera-ready artists, the evening will come to be known as “Night of a Hundred Talking Heads .” ...
Two time Emmy Award-winning Director of Photography Eric Camiel provided a fascinating glimpse into the ever-changing world of the talking head, with keen observations of subtle trends in lighting and examples from his work shooting stars such as Anthony Quinn and Martin Sheen. He also provided a helpful handout, loaded with general interviewing tips. Some surprising observations were made regarding traditional eye lines, which generated not a little head-scratching and soul searching. “I have no problem with talent looking straight into the camera”, said Camiel. Who are we to argue with success? (But then none of his interviews had that feature, so we’ll take it on faith.)
Our VP of Programming, John O’Neill of Kinetic Media, did have his subjects gazing into the camera in a startling documentary on kicking heroin. In this case, the technique was deeply affecting, so the jury may need to retire and consider this seriously for less dramatic situations
In a stretch of the talking head concept, Edgar Smith from Geomatrix chose to show people in action as well, as another of what he calls “rules” that are set up for each shoot. Another such rule was to shoot each subject smiling into the camera and cut to these static shots when beginning a new section. Worked well. Another innovation demonstrated by Smith was a practice that Camiel mentioned, that which might be called the “ersatz greenscreen”. This is a clever way of getting around the digital artifacts that often show up in footage shot with 4:1:1 cameras. The interview subject is placed in front of a projection screen, or sometimes a large projection TV, and a static slide is projected from behind. This gives the illusion of a greenscreen shot, avoids the problem of an unsuitable background, and actually works better than greenscreen in many cases, because the video image stays pristine.
Yet another idea mentioned by Camiel and demonstrated by Smith was the overlarge, black and white grainy parallel image of the interview subject, masked to play side by side. While not a new image by any means, the technique of being shot live in some situations rather then being introduced in post, is unique. The technique is made possible by using two cameras and feeding the second image, heavily processed, onto a projection screen or into a large-format monitor.
O’Neill also demonstrated how location can influence the look and feel of a talking head by placing his subjects in unique locations all around the United States, like empty stadiums, downtowns and other unusual locations.
A lively discussion pushed the boundaries of the talking head even further, with talk of DV cameras rigged to bypass the tape mechanism, and other technical considerations.
HB Communications provided a very nice state-of-the-art 16 x 9 monitor and projection equipment for the presenters.
For those who are looking to push the boundaries of their technique, there really is no better way to start than finding new and better ways to shoot the humble talking head. And on this Valentine’s night in particular, if you couldn’t be with your significant other, you at least had the pictures to prove where you were.