For all my previs people, please ONLY use focal lengths from 28-200mm for stop motion shots at a full frame 36mm camera size For 22.3 crop frame that will be 18-135mm
Composition: Layering: having clear Foreground and Background, plus potentially even super-FG. Embed the camera in the environment, don't just place it randomly. Framing: use rule of thirds, and in general compose the shot with intention, to make the frame understandable in isolation. Contrast: Use lightness and darkness to clearly define character/subject matter silhouettes. This also plays hand in hand with environmental staging (framing the character within the environment + making cheats if necessary) Pose & Silhouette: Ensure character's feelings are conveyed through their body motion/posing, and make sure that pose is readable against the background/other subjects. Scene Mood: Hectic? Calm? Somber? the camera is a character and we want to leverage that. Is vamprah threatening us? place the camera lower looking up, are we hectically dodging and weaving between obstacles? Use the whole frame for the character to move back/forth in, plus subject tracking and camera shake. Ask yourself: Who should be biggest in frame, or whos POV are we taking? Be a digital camera operator: if objects are moving beyond frame, adjust the camera to match, but lag behind by a couple frames. The camera is reactive to the characters, not 100% in sync with them. Lensing: Wide lenses (low mm lenses) expands space, meaning the size in frame between objects close/far away are much larger than Short lenses (high mm lenses) which compress space. Long lenses can help convey how fast a character is going relative to their environment, or can show how confined they are by their environment but feels more distant. Wide lenses feel more immersed with the character
Sequence Readability: 180 Rule: Clearly establish the relationship between characters. If Char A is on the right and Char B is on the left in one shot, keep that convention in the following shots even if we come from a totally different angle. Keep in mind where the eyes are when cutting between shots If camera is moving, preserve momentum and direction of camera and characters between shots if possible Lens diversity: Don't just use the same lenses over and over, by switching between long/short lenses, it helps provide situational context. Be with the character and show what theyre feeling, and contrast that with their place in the environment. Doesnt have to be every other shot, but its important to make these intentional contrasts.