Photography and Videography share many things in common, video is, after all, essentially a collection of still images displayed faster than your eye can make out. One such area where stills and video have in common is generally accepted rules of composition that help a photographer or videographer get the best results.
Probably the most notable of these rules of composition is what is known as the Rule of Thirds, and this rule basically helps the camera operator position their subject in the frame in a way that will be most appealing to the viewing audience. But it doesn’t end there, there are a ton of other rules that one should follow unless they have a specific reason for breaking them, and lucky for us, the talented team over at B&H produced this video on the top six rules of composition for video.
Along with those shown is another important rule of composition for video, that generally doesn’t transfer over to the stills arena, is the 180-degree rule. This mostly comes into play when you have two individuals talking to one another, since in your final video you are likely going to want shots of both people talking that you can cut between to maintain the flow the conversation, equally important is making sure that you follow this 180-degree rule.
But as the saying goes — rules are meant to be broken. There are always exceptions, and these video rules of composition are no different. In the end, it is up to you as the photographer or videographer to create your vision, whatever it may be. Rules like these are meant to help, not hinder — so take a bit of time and commit them to memory, your viewers will thank you.
