Camera Push-in Shots: Shooting Techniques and Points to Note
(I) Push-in shots should have a clear representational significance.
The forward motion created by push-in shots alters and adjusts the visual space for the audience. In Nanning camera work, as the shot transitions from a wider to a closer view, it both restricts and guides the audience's visual space. This form of representation inherently has significant expressiveness; thus, push-in shots should provide viewers with some enlightenment through the movement of the frame or draw their attention to a certain image. It may also express a particular concept, highlight an unnoticed detail, or establish a rhythm corresponding to the development of the content through the motion of the lens. Specifically, in terms of visual composition, push-in shots should have a clear target and final framing. Among the three parts of a push-in shot—initial framing, pushing in, and final framing—the latter is the focus of representational expression. Lenses without a clear goal, [aimless], and lacking any representational significance, merely pushed for the sake of pushing, should be eliminated from television programs.
(II) The focal point of a push-in shot is the final framing.
Both the initial and final framings of a push-in shot are static structures; therefore, the composition must be standard, rigorous, and complete. Especially, the final framing should stop at an appropriate level based on the program’s content requirements and place the subject in the best structural point on the plane. Some beginners using zoom lenses to shoot push-in shots often make the mistake of stopping not at the best structural point but when the zoom lens can no longer push further (due to reaching its maximum focal length). This results in the cessation of the shot being due to technical limitations of the camera lens rather than the need for representational purposes.
Additionally, to facilitate post-production editing, the initial and final framings of push-in shots during pre-production should have appropriate lengths, allowing them to function as two fixed frames. This small extra effort during pre-production provides more options for frame selection during post-production.
(III) During the process of pushing in, the composition should always maintain the subject at the center of the frame.
Some shooters either move the subject to the center before pushing in or adjust the subject into position only after reaching the final framing. Neither of these methods keeps the subject consistently centered throughout the shot. The correct method involves imagining a straight line between the center of the initial and final framing. As the lens moves along this line while pushing in, the subject remains consistently centered in the frame. When editing, regardless of where the shot is cut during the push-in, the screen will display a structurally complete and balanced image. This requires that during the push-in, the center point of the frame continuously moves towards the final center point, always maintaining the subject's dominant position within the frame.
(IV) The speed of the push-in should correspond to the emotion and rhythm within the frame.
Generally speaking, when the frame conveys tension, the push-in speed should be faster; when the frame conveys calmness, the push-in speed should be slower. On the other hand, when representing moving objects, if the object moves quickly, the push-in speed should be faster; conversely, the push-in speed should be slower. Overall, the external motion of the lens should correspond to the internal motion within the frame, achieving a perfect combination.
(V) In push-in shots involving camera position movement, the focus should change according to the distance between the camera position and the subject. When shooting push-in shots with a zoom lens, the focus should be adjusted based on the subject in the final framing. If the focus is adjusted based on the subject in the initial framing, since the shot transitions from wide-angle to telephoto, the depth of field becomes progressively smaller, resulting in the subject becoming increasingly blurred. Adjusting the focus based on the subject in the final framing ensures the subject remains clear throughout both the wide-angle and telephoto stages.
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