Making videos that look cinematic isn’t about having the most expensive gear; it’s about knowing how to work with light, framing, and motion to construct visual narratives. Novices often confuse cinematic videos with big budgets and top-tier cameras, but what makes a video cinematic is simply your decisions before and while you shoot. Once you learn these principles, even the lowest-budget videos will look better with a smartphone camera.
The first thing to consider is composition and what to show your camera. Where you choose to put something in the frame makes the whole difference in how it looks. You can place it dead center, like you’re used to seeing in photography. But if you want to show tension or movement, you have to put it off-center. The rule of thirds is a very helpful tool that beginners to video should be aware of so they can quickly improve their compositions. Of course, there are also ways in which you can break the rules of composition, as long as you do so with intention, but you should understand the rules first before breaking them.
The next thing to consider is lighting and how it works. Cinematic lighting does not necessarily have to mean bright lighting, but it needs to be a type of lighting that is controlled in some way. You can use light from a window, the natural lighting at golden hour, or even the light from a lamp in your room if you know where to place the light source and the angle and shadow of the light as it falls on the subject. The type of lighting will drastically affect the mood of your videos, so be sure to play with different light sources and try to find what looks the most visually pleasing.
The next important element of videos is how you will move your camera. You can use static shots, but you should try to move your camera in ways that add to the video, whether it’s through smooth panning or a slow push. Intentional handheld movement can also be a good option depending on the type of video you are making. You should avoid unnecessary movement because it can detract from the story that is being told by your video.
Another aspect that is sometimes neglected is the way that you think about your video. A novice tends to shoot individual videos without giving a thought as to how it will relate to the other video shots. But the key to creating cinematic videos is to think in sequences instead of individual shots. For example, you can create a sequence of a wide shot, a medium shot, and then a close-up shot. You can also use cuts and angles to establish a rhythm within your video. When you create your videos in sequence, they will automatically look more cinematic than when they’re isolated.
With the information above as its premise, FrameCapturePro teaches these principles of shooting in order for students to apply it in real life and on-location shooting. Rather than teach only theory, the website will help students understand and apply what they’ve learned to the process and help them understand how they use each aspect (composition, lighting, camera movement, sequences, etc) together to achieve the desired effect. FrameCapturePro allows students to build confidence and learn more on how to produce visually interesting videos while developing their personal styles.
Cinematic videos are not meant to be perfect, but rather, they are supposed to be intentional. When all video frames are purposeful and decisions are made to advance and help the story, you’ll find that even simple videos are interesting and powerful to watch.